3 things to watch in WSU’s ‘Lentil Bowl’

Mid-August in Pullman means the return of Washington State University students to the fields of the Palouse and the National Lentil Festival. The annual festival includes a parade, a big bowl of chili and what Cougar football hopes will catch on this year — the evening “Lentil Bowl.”

There will be nothing “chill” about this lentil chili-dedicated scrimmage as the Cougars will be fighting for their jobs, the chance to start or even to see the field at all.

Here are three things to watch for at the Lentil Bowl, which is open to the public and will be played at 6:45 p.m. today at Gesa Field:

One more chance for QBs Mateer and Eckhaus

Third-year sophomore John Mateer and senior transfer Zevi Eckhaus have one more opportunity to put their skills on tape before coach Jake Dickert, offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and the staff make a starting quarterback decision. Dickert said the decision will reflect their full body of work from the spring to fall camp.

While a decision will be made Sunday and announced Monday, Dickert said the Cougs are willing to substitute a starter midseason if performance is a problem, just as they would with another position like guard or linebacker.

Sunday’s decision will be final going into WSU’s season opener versus Portland State at noon Aug. 31.

“John continues to make strides off script, and I think Zevi just continues to battle in every phase of it,” Dickert said. “So I’ve been impressed with both of them and excited for Saturday.”

Within the past week, Mateer has dramatically reduced his interceptions while Eckhaus continues to make at least one ill-timed throw each practice. Mateer’s deep ball has been his strength, as his connections with receivers Kyle Williams, Josh Meredeth, Kris Hutson and others grows. Eckhaus’ accuracy has been his strength and he has also forged connections with the Cougars’ receiver room.

Dickert said he appreciated how Eckhaus ran up and down the sideline in an attempt to rally his teammates after a turnover in the Cougars’ first fall scrimmage.

Mateer has displayed a knack for extending plays with his legs and running the football, a familiar role for the Little Elm, Texas native, as Arbukcle consistently used Mateer in designed QB runs last season.

Junior guard Brock Dieu said the O-line has effectively worked with both QBs.

“Zevi is a little more of a ‘rah, rah’ guy. John’s pretty cool, calm and collected, and ‘Hey, let’s get this done,’” Dieu said. “You know, both have a great way of playing. Both have a different style. We just mesh with both of them.”

Can the D-line stay disruptive?

The Cougar defensive line started Wednesday’s open practice with a slew of disruptive plays. Sophomore defensive tackle Khalil Laufau got his hands on an interception and senior edge Nusi Malani batted a ball down, but dropped it. Malani took plenty of grief from his teammates.

“He will not hear the end of that,” senior safety Tanner Moku said.

Despite not coming down with the takeaway, Malani’s play is a great sign of the D-line’s progress after losing two of the most impactful defensive linemen in program history in Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. to the NFL.

Dickert said the front four play as a group as opposed to thinking solely about themselves, allowing them to effectively rush the passer together.

“I do think we got a good offensive line, so if those guys can be disruptive against our guys, I feel comfortable, you know, each and every week, that we can have an advantage there at the defensive front,” Dickert said. “Khalil Laufau got a pick the other night. I mean, Nusi dropped another one, right? So we’re working on that. But at the end of the day, these guys are having fun. They’re playing together. And same thing, we’re going to rotate a ton of guys to keep those guys fresh.”

The WSU defensive line rotation figures to include Laufau and Malani along with junior DT David Gusta; senior edges Syrus Webster, Andrew Edson and Quin Roff; junior edge Raam Stevenson and others. Gusta is the lone upperclassman in an extremely young DT room, but the depth at edge and flexibility of the DL will be essential to the group’s success.

Who will separate themselves in the running back competition?

WSU has a four-way battle for time at running back and has quietly built a deep and dependable room, with three out of the four front runners being from western Washington.

Entering his fourth year on the Palouse, Dylan Paine out of Tumwater, Wash., is the most experienced back, finding success in rushing, blocking and pass catching.

Junior Djouvensky Schlenbaker of Bellingham, Wash., brings the second most experience to the room with his downhill running style and ability to create yards after contact.

However, two young guys, redshirt freshman Leo Pulalasi of Tacoma, Wash., and Wayshawn Parker of Sacramento, Calif., have distinguished themselves as promising ball carriers.

“Carrying the ball, you know, Wayshawn (Parker) and Leo (Pulalasi ) have been really different,” Dickert said. “I mean, they just really have just their vision and the ability to make cuts, and it’s hard to see who can win past contact, right? And I think that’s Djouvensky’s (Schlenbaker) strength, right? DP (Dylan Paine) is just an ultimate guy that you just rely on in every crutch moment.

“So I think those guys have done really well. I think all four of them will factor into something during the season.”

Dickert said Saturday will be another key opportunity for the four to distinguish themselves.

The scrimmage is also a chance for the Cougs to practice using the playbook that they learned over the past several months — only a fraction of which will be used in each game.

“I want to see these guys play fast,” Dickert said. “I want to see guys eliminate hesitation so we can see their best.”

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.