Cougars look to be more diverse on offense

In a season-opening win Nov. 7 at Oregon State, Nick Rolovich’s new run-and-shoot offense for Washington State looked surprisingly efficient despite a severe lack of installation time in the offseason.

Since then, the Cougars’ passing game has looked increasingly two-dimensional — Dimension I being Renard Bell and Dimension II being Travell Harris.

Part of that can be attributed to the rising caliber of competition, and part to the inexperience of true freshman quarterback Jayden de Laura.

But, yes, it’s also looking more likely the Cougars lacked sufficient time to install their offense as the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of spring drills and the delay of preseason workouts. Wazzu’s receivers, most of whom are accustomed to the Air Raid offense of previous coach Mike Leach, appear to need more time to absorb some of the concepts unique to the scheme.

In terms of catch distribution, the Cougars (1-2, 1-2) will try to diversify a bit Saturday (7:30 p.m., FS1) when they play California (1-3, 1-3) at Martin Stadium in Pullman. As with all Pac-12 games this season, no spectators will be admitted.

Fifty of the Cougs’ 69 completed passes have gone to slotbacks Bell (27 catches) and Harris (23). Offensive coordinator Brian Smith talked last week of a desire to get the ball more often to outside receiver Jamire Calvin, who wanted to shine last week as the Cougars played USC in his native Southern California.

A former slotback being converted to the Z position after being sidelined with an injury in 2019, Calvin made four receptions at USC but for only 17 yards, and he dropped a deep throw that might have shifted the early momentum. As it was, Wazzu fell behind 35-0 in the first 23 minutes and lost 38-13.

“A lot of the balls right now have been going to the slots, and some of that is the limited amount of the offense that’s in,” Rolovich said this week. “Some of it is kind of driven by the coverages we’re seeing.

“I think that long ball down the sideline would have been very big for his (Calvin’s) confidence. I think he really wanted to play well in that environment. He can be explosive, and continually trying to find ways to give him opportunities to be explosive is our job right now.”

Another oddity of WSU’s distribution of catches this year: Bell and Harris are the only slotbacks to have made any. On the outside, Calvin has grabbed 10 balls and Lucas Bacon four, but everyone else has gone empty-handed.

That’s probably related to a depth issue after four receivers entered the NCAA transfer portal in the offseason. Injuries apparently also have taken a toll, as Calvin Jackson Jr. has missed the past two games at X and Brandon Gray has been a no-show all season. Rolovich said Wednesday that 6-foot-3 Donovan Ollie is making strides but he needs time to develop as a second-year freshman.

As for de Laura at quarterback, he made freshman mistakes at USC that largely had been absent in his impressive first two games. The Cougars and the Trojans each had been sidelined the previous week with virus concerns, and USC’s blitz-minded defensive coordinator, Todd Orlando, had time to install tactics designed to rattle the kid.

“I think he got outside the system a little bit — I think he knows that,” Rolovich said of de Laura. “I think the receivers did not have their best day, which led to some hesitation and ultimately led to negative things happening and a lack of production. There was definitely a different look than we had studied from USC. Credit to coach Orlando and some of the stuff he brought. And by the time we got comfortable with it, it was 28-0 already.”

On the plus side, WSU running back Deon McIntosh continues to ease concerns about the absence of injured star Max Borghi, whose return this season hasn’t been ruled out. McIntosh is averaging 101 rushing yards per game, fourth-best in the conference.

But he had only 10 carries at USC. The Cougars fell so far behind, they had no choice but to ask the world of de Laura and his underpracticed receivers.

Grummert may be contacted at daleg@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2290.