Idaho transfer McLain shines again for WSU, Pinnick steady on Day 10

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Aug. 18—PULLMAN — When ever the opposing quarterback drops back, it's not a matter of if Washington State defensive ends Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk will sack the signal-caller.

It's a matter of which one will get there first.

This was the case Monday during the Cougar football team's 10th practice of fall camp. McLain appeared to have the edge to open the week, whipping past left tackle Ashton Tripp to tally a simulated sack of sophomore quarterback Caden Pinnick; then doing it again on the very next snap.

McLain, the Priest River, Idaho native who spent the past three years eight miles east with the Idaho Vandals, has been a star of WSU's spring and fall camps — much to the delight of his coaches and perhaps to the annoyance of the offensive linemen he tries again and again.

Tripp has frequently been opposite McLain. The two have tested one another, WSU coach Kirby Moore said.

"Those guys are making each other better," Moore said. "They've been going against each other for 10 straight days, so naturally, there's a little bit (of) getting under each other's skin naturally from time to time. Ashton's had some really good reps. Matyus has had some really good reps. Linus (Zunk) is making those guys better, and then again, we're getting more reps at the right tackle position right now."

That right tackle battle is between senior Jaylin Caldwell, senior Jonny Lester and sixth-year UW transfer Maximus McCree.

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Caldwell's season was short-lived last year when he filled in for an injured Christian Hilborn, only to suffer his own injury the following week.

Lester, another returner who made the switch from guard to tackle to start fall camp, sat out Monday, likely out of an abundance of caution, while McCree continued to rep with the second-team offense.

McLain's dominance continued when the team migrated from their practice field to the stadium, where he once again spun around the Cougars' O-line to whisk past Pinnick.

While Pinnick may have seen his fair share of McLain, he almost exclusively trained with the first-team offense on Monday, while redshirt freshman Owen Eshelman and sophomore Julian Dugger largely ran with the No. 2s.

No formal QB commitment yet

Pinnick, the UC Davis transfer crowned Big Sky Freshman of the Year last season, has been steady and reliable through fall camp.

While he hasn't always made the throw, he has often at least made the read — a testament to his 12 games of starting experience.

On Monday, he made the read and the throw in an 11-on-11 team period on Rogers Field, zipping the ball through a tight window to senior Missouri transfer receiver Daniel Blood for about a 10-yard gain.

Fresh off a standout scrimmage performance which saw him lead five scoring drives, Dugger seemingly struggled to make several throws in a Monday seven-on-seven period, throwing the ball behind his receiver or otherwise off the mark.

On back-to-back occasions, receivers failed to secure a Dugger pass and WSU's defenders capitalized, scooping the ball out of the air for takeaways — the first of which was tipped by junior Cal Poly transfer safety Jeremiah Bernard.

Eshelman made an impressive right-boundary-bound throw to Blood during Monday's practice, however he had two of his final drive passes batted away by sophomore cornerback CJ Solis-Lumar.

Moore said that the starting quarterback would present itself and that he would like to make a decision by next week, when the fall semester begins and WSU transitions into specific prep for its Sept. 6 opener at UW.

That does mean, however, that Moore and his staff have another week to deliberate as much as they please.

"I think we're still working through that," Moore said of a quarterback decision. "We got 'end of game' today, which there's going to be some great tape to learn from. We want to make sure we get more 'four-point plays,' a couple more 'end of games.' We'll get another scrimmage and get some live snaps, and I think that's the best for us; those situations, coaches are in the box making it as game-like as possible."

Tight end turnover

With WSU junior tight end Trey Leckner out for the first half of the season and fifth-year Hudson Cedarland suffering an undisclosed lower body injury during Saturday's scrimmage, senior UCLA transfer Jack Pedersen and sophomore Beau Baker have factored in with the No. 1 offense, with the latter making a return Monday following a four-practice absence which Moore attributed to a "mild foot sprain."

Redshirt freshman Payton Reed has logged consistent snaps through fall camp, too.

His on-field absence doesn't mean that Leckner, a 6-foot-3, 243-pound junior from Snohomish, Wash., hasn't been preparing for the season, though.

"Trey's handled the whole situation like a professional, been really pleased with that," WSU tight ends coach Derham Cato said. "Sometimes when something like that happens, obviously you worry about losing that mental intensity, but that has not been the case. He's still got his notepad out every meeting; he's taking notes, he's dialed (in). He's right behind with the guys that aren't in on the sideline every team period. Talking to them just in terms of technique stuff, scheme stuff, responsibility stuff."

Of Cedarland, Moore said, "He is still going through the protocol of getting some tests, so we'll probably get to that here by the end of this week and find out exactly what's going on."

The Cougars practice five more times this week with a scrimmage set for Friday.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.

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