WSU defensive line swarms and overwhelms offense on Day 5 of Cougars' fall camp

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Aug. 11—PULLMAN — When it's at its best, when players are zigging and zagging and swimming and powering through, Washington State's defensive line can look like a tidal wave. The Cougars can overwhelm anyone in their way, offensive linemen from the first or second team, tight ends staying in for extra protection, poor running backs trying their best to chip block to buy their quarterback a half-second of time.

They come crashing from all angles. Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk from the edges, Paul Hutson and Kaden Beatty and Jirah Leaupepetele from the interior, all surging forward to crash toward the quarterback like a tsunami leveling a city square. It isn't so much about if they'll force the offense into a mistake. It's more about when.

That group made its presence felt in Tuesday's fall camp practice, WSU's fifth of the slate, terrorizing all manner of offensive counterparts in the second half of practice, which unfolded at Gesa Field. Highlights belonged to all kinds of linemen: Leaupepetele beat his matchup to stack up several inside runs, as did fellow lineman Malachi Wrice, and on one sequence, a sea of Cougars converged to drive running back Leo Pulalasi backward for a loss.

And that's to say nothing of one succession of plays in particular. On three straight plays in 11-on-11 settings, quarterback Julian Dugger took three straight sacks: one from cornerback Ishmael Gibbs, who cashed in on a well-designed cornerback blitz; one from emerging defensive tackle Josh Wedel; and one from redshirt freshman defensive tackle Malijah Tucker. Each defender beat his matchups up front to surge into the backfield for simulated tackles.

It was by far the best day of fall camp for WSU's defensive front, which might be the deepest position on the team. On Tuesday, the Cougars got big plays from Leaupepetele, Wrice, Wedel and Tucker, but as camp unfolds and the season approaches, they've gotten the same from Hutson, SMU transfer Damarjhe Lewis, Balaam Miller and others.

Will that depth hold up throughout WSU's season, through road games at Washington and Kansas State to start the year? Or will the Cougars fall back on a stable of three or four? That much has yet to unfold, but an impressive display of depth isn't a bad starting point for the Cougars.

"Really the whole group, I have seen an increase or a jump from where we ended in spring ball to where we're at now," defensive ends coach Andrew Browning said, "and that's been really good to see. We have a lot more work to do before we're ready to play that first game, but I think we're heading in the right direction."

The day may have belonged to WSU's defensive front, but the highlight play went to its secondary. The honors went the direction of cornerback Elmo Wartson, who roved over to the middle of the field and intercepted a pass from quarterback Owen Eshleman, one of three fighting for the starting gig this fall. Playing with what appears to be the Cougars' second- and third-team defenses, Wartson's spring and fall camp have gone a bit understated, but he's beginning to show why he had the option to choose schools like Baylor, Mississippi State, Boise State and others in his recruitment over the winter.

Just as notable, it was one of the first interceptions thrown by Eshleman, Caden Pinnick and Julian Dugger across these first five days of fall camp. That trio hasn't been perfect, but they have done well to avoid turnovers, a key piece of criteria to head coach Kirby Moore and offensive coordinator Matt Miller. The only other pick came on Saturday, when safety Jaylen Thomas intercepted a tipped pass from Dugger, whose throw was tad behind his intended target.

That group saw another mixed bag of results in Tuesday's practice. The first offensive reps in 11-on-11 settings belonged to Pinnick, whose best play came on a deep crossing completion to veteran Tony Freeman, who hauled it in along the sideline at the Cougars' practice field. On another play, Pinnick also stood in the pocket and delivered a strike over the middle to Missouri transfer wideout Daniel Blood, who leapt up to make the grab, completing the catch on his way down.

Still, Pinnick didn't turn in a flawless practice. When things shifted over to Gesa Field, he couldn't connect on a deep pass, a throw that sailed too far for any receiver in the area, seemingly a product of miscommunication. And on another dropback, he was targeting a receiver on a go-route along the sideline, but he left the ball too short. It skidded to the turf near the feet of his receiver.

Where does that put him in the QB race? Pinnick and Eshleman each recorded their best days on Saturday, when each connected on two deep passes, perhaps helping them inch ahead. Pinnick has also started to scramble from the pocket to try and make plays with his feet, which he wasn't doing as much during the first few days.

That's the best trait of Dugger, who can't exactly show off his speed because of the no-tackling policy on QBs. It's been especially harder to notice during these first four days, when nobody is tackling. But the Cougars will begin to go full pads on Wednesday, which figures to provide a clear picture of players' abilities.

Will that help Dugger overcome a few errant throws, including a swing pass in Tuesday's practice that he placed a hair wide of receiver Jordan Dees? First, he'll need time in the pocket, same as his two counterparts. Don't expect WSU's defensive front to be so forgiving.

Other notes from Tuesday's practice:

—Veteran Jonny Lester continues to rep at right tackle, even since the return of veteran transfer Max McCree, which is looking less like an experiment and more like a concrete game plan from coaches.

—Freshman running backs Marquez Wimberly and Tremayne Hill have been earning first- and second-team reps, but it's unclear what kind of playing time they could earn because of the promising RB trio of Kirby Vorhees, Maxwell Woods and Leo Pulalasi.

—Redshirt freshman tight end Peyton Read caught a pass from Pinnick and turned it into a long gain.

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