Commentary: Final grades for Washington State football positions
WSU performed well at several positions, but other groups held the team back this year
In 2023, the Washington State football team was like that classmate who would flunk the easy homework assignments and then somehow ace the final exam.
WSU finished 5-7 with its season ending last Saturday in a 24-21 last-second heartbreaker in the Apple Cup against now-No. 3 Washington. It’s the earliest end to a campaign since WSU wrapped up on Nov. 23 in 2012 — that one a 31-28 overtime thriller against the Huskies to finish 3-9.
The Cougars get to sit on the coach early for the holidays. Here are their final grades:
Quarterback: A
WSU junior quarterback Cam Ward wrapped up his season with a stat line most programs would love to have at the position: 3,732 passing yards, a 66.7% completion rate, 25 passing touchdowns, seven interceptions and another 144 yards and eight touchdowns rushing.
His 311.3 passing yards per game rank No. 4 in the Football Bowl Subdivision behind three QBs in contention for the Heisman Trophy in Oregon’s Bo Nix, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and LSU’s Jayden Daniels.
The only frustrating part is Ward was prone to make mistakes that sometimes cost his team greatly, like his three fumbles against Cal or his two interceptions against UW.
But the good, and at times the extraordinary, far outweighed the bad.
Wide receiver/tight ends: A-
The wideout trio of senior Lincoln Victor (860 yards), junior Josh Kelly (923) and junior Kyle Williams (843) became the first Cougar threesome to record 800-plus receiving yards in a season in program history.
That’s really saying something considering WSU has run the Air Raid offense, or versions of it, for more than a decade.
The main thing holding this group back was a lack of production from the tight end position.
Running backs: F
WSU’s 85.3 rushing yards per game and 3.0 per carry ranked No. 11 in the Pac-12 Conference. The yards also ranked 127th out of 130 FBS schools.
If the Cougars had gotten more out of the rushing game, they might still be playing this season.
Offensive line: D+
Too many times, Ward found himself running for his life, although part of that can be attributed to holding the ball for too long, and the offensive line couldn’t do much to open up running lanes either.
The team’s best offensive lineman, junior center Konner Gomness, also will be leaving the sport to pursue other things, unless he has a change of heart. So this group will be a major focus for improvement in the offseason.
Defensive line: A+
Senior edge Brennan Jackson’s three defensive touchdowns and four fumble recoveries led the nation in those categories.
His 12.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks aren’t too shabby either. Jackson and fellow edge Ron Stone Jr. will be missed not only for what they did on the field but for their leadership during their six years in Pullman.
Guys like these are hard to replace in today’s age of college football.
Linebackers: C-
Junior Kyle Thornton finished tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with 87 tackles, but this group didn’t do much to impact the trajectory of games.
Often, the group’s mistakes were more glaring than its positive plays. It was quite the falloff from having Daiyan Henley the year prior, who was the team’s best defender and is now with the Los Angeles Chargers in the NFL.
Defensive backs: B+
Despite injuries and departures in the secondary, this group really held its own. Sophomore safety Jaden Hicks is a hard-hitting, turnover-causing machine who is primed to be the team’s best defender next season if he returns.
He was second on the team in tackles (79) and tallied six tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, four pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Special teams: B
Punter Nick Haberer was extremely reliable (44.4 yards per punt), kickoff specialist Colton Theaker kicked a touchback from his own 20-yard line once and kick returner Leighton Smithson returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against Colorado.
Unfortunately, WSU didn’t get much out of its punt returners and field-goal kicker Dean Janikowski struggled mightily in the latter half of the season after his terrific start.
Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2260, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.
