WSU’s Apple Cup QB was selected on Sunday, Jimmy Rogers says, plus other injury notes

PULLMAN – Turns out, Washington State may not have had a quarterback competition for the Apple Cup after all.

The Cougars selected their starting QB for Saturday’s game against rival Washington on Sunday, head coach Jimmy Rogers said after practice Wednesday evening, apparently contradicting his earlier statement that Jaxon Potter, Zevi Eckhaus and Julian Dugger would compete for the starting gig during this week’s practice.

In his weekly news conference on Monday, Rogers said after Potter threw three interceptions in a blowout loss to North Texas, he would vie for the starting nod with Eckhaus and Dugger during practice this week. All three QBs played in that loss, with Dugger losing a fumble on his second snap and Eckhaus scoring a short rushing touchdown in the final minutes of the game.

But those three didn’t take part in the kind of competition Rogers described after all, according to Rogers himself, who said just the opposite two days prior. It’s another installment in what has been a remarkable story. Here is an abbreviated recap of events.

After a long QB battle in fall camp, which included Potter, Eckhaus, Dugger and Rutgers transfer Ajani Sheppard, WSU coaches declined to announce a starter before their season-opener against FCS Idaho on Aug. 30. Then they surprised just about everyone in giving the starting nod to the third-year sophomore Potter, who looked mostly sharp in his first two games, both wins. But in his first road start, he threw three picks, all in the first half of a lopsided loss to North Texas.

One day later, Rogers said, coaches decided who would take over the reins for Saturday’s Apple Cup. Then on Monday, Rogers told reporters that Potter, Eckhaus and Dugger would compete for the starting job during this week’s practice. Apparently, they did not do so.

Still, all three could be in play to start on Saturday. Because all three have different skillsets, it might depend on what coaches value most at the position.

In related news, Sheppard is no longer part of the competition, Rogers said. But he did say Sheppard, who played in two games as a true freshman last year at Rutgers, has been leading the scout team.

“Well, right now he’s doing a great job servicing the team more than anything else,” Rogers said. “There’s only so many reps to go around, right? If it already makes a big deal about having three quarterbacks, even the third takes a little bit less reps because you have to. It’s hard to get four guys in. And right now, that was the situation leaving camp.

“He’s done a great job of volunteering to self-service and be the scout team quarterback, and I think that will help that will help them as far as going against our defense and seeing coverage, because at least on that side of the ball, for him, throwing the ball, it’s full-speed work.”

The Cougars are also waiting to see if they’ll get two key pieces back from injury in time for Saturday’s game: Wide receiver Devin Ellison and middle linebacker Anthony Palano. Ellison has yet to play this season because of a heel contusion, while Palano missed his team’s last game with an undisclosed injury.

On Wednesday, Ellison posted an Instagram story with the caption “back at it.” Does that mean he’ll make his season debut on Saturday? “We’ll find out,” Rogers said.

“He’s back at it,” Rogers said, “and he’s out here running around. Excited to see kinda how he can help us. At the end of the day, we’re gonna continue to watch this film, see how he’s progressed, see where he’s at healthwise.”

Things are equally as murky for Palano, a key piece in the middle of WSU’s defense, especially against UW star running back Jonah Coleman. Palano practiced in a yellow no-contact jersey on Wednesday, Rogers said, and his status for Saturday’s game remains unclear.

“We gotta base it off of what the doctors say and if they clear him or not,” Rogers said. “So if anything, he’s also spelling reps out here for some of the guys’ legs.”

If Palano can’t play on Saturday, WSU expects to replace him with a combination of walk-on Jack Ellison and true freshman Sullivan Schlimgen, Rogers said. Ellison started in Palano’s place against North Texas. That week, among linebackers nationwide who played at least 40 snaps, Ellison finished with the sixth-worst Pro Football Focus defense grade: 41.1.

Perhaps as a result, the Cougars are teaming him up with Schlimgen, who is moving over from the “will” linebacker position. With the game against North Texas out of reach, Schlimgen came off the bench to play 21 snaps of defense, his first time playing outside of special teams this fall. During fall camp, Rogers sung his praises, and he said Schlimgen would likely not redshirt this season.