WSU OL Christian Hilborn, others to miss road test against No. 18 Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Washington State offensive tackle Christian Hilborn is set to miss a second straight game.

Hilborn was not dressed for warmups Saturday night ahead of the Cougars’ road matchup with No. 18 Virginia, and his left knee remains in a big brace, indicating he will miss this game. It’s the second straight missed game for Hilborn, who was on crutches before WSU’s game last week. Hilborn is no longer on crutches, but the brace is intact.

It’s likely Division II transfer Jaylin Caldwell will step in and replace Hilborn, like he did last week, when WSU was clipped by top-five foe Ole Miss. A transfer from Grand Valley State, Caldwell earned a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 63.5 last week in 43 pass-blocking snaps, which is a hair above average.

Hilborn is one of the team’s most tenured players. Before he missed the Ole Miss game, he had played in 45 games, dating all the way back to the 2021 season. His experience at the right tackle spot makes him a key cog in the Cougs’ offense.

That unit looks to be getting wide receiver Carter Pabst back in Saturday’s game. After missing last week’s game with an undisclosed injury, Pabst was dressed and going through warmups, giving the Cougs a lift at that position. He’s hauled in a few long passes this fall, and his steady hands are important for WSU.

But the Cougs’ defensive line will be taking a hit. Defensive end Raam Stevenson is not dressed, nor is defensive tackle Mike Sandjo, the latter of whom didn’t play last week. Stevenson exited early with an injury. Stevenson plays heavy snaps, so his absence may open things up for Malaki Ta’ase.

Defensive tackle Kaden Beatty was also not seen during warmups. After sustaining an injury during WSU’s win over Colorado State on Sept. 27, he has yet to play. That means the Cougs are down four players on their defensive front: Starter Max Baloun, who is out for the season with a knee injury; Sandjo, Beatty and Stevenson.