ANALYSIS: Grading the 2024 Wazzu defense at midseason

Washington State coach Jake Dickert learned something during his own news conference Monday.

“We’re No. 6 nationally in takeaways?” Dickert asked after a press member asked him how the Cougars’ top-10 takeaway success reflects their defensive mentality.

“It’s cool because we set some benchmarks. I’m a big analytics guy,” the coach said. “Everyone in here knows that. And the threshold for, like, takeaways, if you can get to 20 ... throughout the last five years, that is eight plus wins.”

At 6-1 in October, WSU is bowl-eligible and favored in its five remaining games.

The WSU offense earned a “B” in the Tribune’s midseason offensive grading, highlighted by a 54-52 double-overtime victory over San Jose State on Sept. 20 when the Cougar offense picked up a defense that conceded multiple leads including one in the final minute.

Seven games into the 2024 season, the WSU defense has held three opponents to 19 points or less and ranks No. 6 in the nation in takeaways with 14.

Entertainment value: B

When the Cougar defense fails, it has failed dramatically, at one point leading the nation in missed tackles after facing Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, a generational talent and leading Heisman contender. Jeanty and the Broncos made more than 20 Cougs miss tackles during their 45-24 victory over WSU on Sept. 28.

The week prior to facing Boise State, the WSU defense allowed a former teammate in San Jose State quarterback Emmett Brown to torch them through the air for 375 yards. Mateer and the Cougar offense came to play and exceeded the Spartans’ offensive output in a true shootout.

However, when the Cougar defense has been clicking, it has been exhilarating.

Cornerback Steve Hall’s 100-yard pick-6 in WSU’s 70-30 Week 1 win over Portland State on Aug. 31 showed an early glimpse at a defensive player willing to go the extra mile (or football field) to make an impact.

Hall’s expert coverage of Washington wide receiver Denzel Boston on second-and-goal on the Huskies’ last-chance drive late in the Apple Cup helped the Cougs secure their 24-19 win over rival UW. Boston has touchdowns in each of his other games, but failed to find the end zone versus the Cougs.

Hall’s play where he stayed in lockstep with Boston, reached across his body and batted the ball away was the kind of essential precursor that set up what is still the most iconic play of the season so far.

Kyle Thornton’s fourth-and-goal tackle of UW running back Jonah Coleman is already in the “Back Home” video, played after the first quarter of WSU home games. The Huskies made a perplexing play call at the 1-yard line, opting to run a speed option to the short side of the field. UW quarterback Will Rogers ran to his right, was met by a wall of Cougars along the inside of the field, and pitched the ball to Coleman who was stuffed by a crusade of Cougs, including sixth-year linebacker Thornton, a former walk-on.

Overall Defense: B

WSU held Texas Tech to 16 points in a Sept. 7 victory and the Cougars have accounted for five turnovers in their last two contests, including two interceptions at Fresno State and two fumble recoveries and an interception against Hawaii.

The Cougars have the ultimate bend-don’t-break defense this year and that alone has been worth the price of admission (or the cost of Peacock, YouTube TV, cable or whatever else fans have had to buy to watch every Coug game.)

Edges: C+

The edge position was anchored by two NFL-bound stars in Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. for the last three years. Their graduation has provided the opportunity for guys to step up.

Seniors Andrew Edson and Quinn Roff, junior Raam Stevenson and graduate transfer Syrus Webster have gotten the majority of the snaps at edge, with Isaac Terrell getting a recent opportunity.

The Cougar edges have not generated consistent pressure along with the rest of WSU’s pass rush, but they have continued to improve.

Edson made the bull rush on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line on UW’s Rogers that forced him to pitch to Coleman and Roff made the game-winning play versus San Jose State with a strip sack on the Spartans’ 2-point conversion attempt in the second overtime period.

Defensive tackles: B-

David Gusta and Ansel Din-Mbuh have been perhaps the most disruptive players on defense, getting pressure on opposing quarterbacks and tipping passes

Gusta has a knack for under-the-radar pressure plays and sophomore Din-Mbuh has grown his game tremendously, having the best performance of his college career with 1.5 sacks on Saturday against Hawaii.

“It was Ansel’s best day by far. I mean, he’s playing way more confident, way more sure of himself, using his technique,” Dickert said. “He had a great game.”

Linebackers: B

How low can you really grade a position group that has made the most iconic play of the season and accounted for multiple takeaways?

The only reason the linebackers have not earned an “A” is the high number of missed tackles. Third-year Buddah Al-Uqdah has missed plenty of tackles and failed to find consistency after a standout performance versus Texas Tech on Sept. 7, but tapped back into making a difference with a six-tackle, one-pass-deflected, one-interception game against Hawaii on Saturday.

Thornton made the iconic fourth-and-goal tackle in the Apple Cup and a pivotal interception late versus San Jose State. His 40 tackles lead the Cougs.

Portland State transfer Parker McKenna has been earning a larger role on the team in the pass rush. He had a dynamic strip sack on Saturday in which he was unguarded and blazing toward the quarterback. Louisville transfer Keith Brown has also carved out a larger role in the pass rush as the Cougs bring a variety of looks and blitzes to attack the quarterback.

Cornerbacks: A

Dickert has proven that WSU is “D-B-U” with three recent WSU defensive backs in the NFL this year and the current Cougars have maintained that tradition.

Hall has been nothing but a professional in the Cougars’ CB1 role. He has 27 tackles, two passes defensed and an interception as most QBs have chosen to avoid him altogether.

Redshirt freshman Ethan O’Connor may have very well saved the Cougars’ season in Fresno when he intercepted a pass and returned it 60 yards for a go-ahead pick-6. O’Connor leads the Cougs with three interceptions.

Jamorri Colson recently returned from an injury that sidelined him for five games and already made a difference with a smashing hit on Saturday that forced a fumble after a third-down conversion. Between Hall, Colson and O’Connor the Cougs have three capable corners.

Nickels/safeties: B

The middle of WSU’s defensive backfield has been suspect at times, allowing deep touchdowns over the middle, but the Cougs’ have been developing consistency.

Nickel Kapena Gushiken broke onto the scene for Wazzu in the Rose Bowl last year. In WSU’s 25-17 loss to UCLA on Oct. 7, 2023, Gushiken garnered a sack, a batted pass and a pick-6 to do everything in his power to keep the Cougs in that game. In 2024, he has held his own at the nickel position with one interception and one pass defensed.

Jackson Lataimua, Tyson Durant, Adrian Wilson and Tanner Moku have each gotten significant minutes at the two safety positions because of injuries and performance. There have been moments where they have each missed tackles and been taken advantage of and moments where they have made plays, such as Durant’s diving interceptions.

The Cougs have allowed an average of 425 yards per game, including 268 passing yards and 157 rushing yards. Teams have found a way to run over the Cougs and pass over their heads, but Wazzu, more times than not, has kept opponents out of the end zone enough to win.

Three of WSU’s wins are one-score games (24-19 vs. UW on Sept. 14, 54-52 [2OT] vs. San Jose State on Sept. 20 and 25-17 at Fresno State on Oct. 12.) Those wins don’t happen without the Cougar defense stepping up to do its part, even against SJSU when multiple defensive failures helped the Spartans will themselves back into that game.

With a lighter schedule ahead, the expectation should be that the Cougs will create far more games that resemble their showings against Texas Tech and Hawaii than their struggles versus San Jose State, much less Boise State.

But it is not out of the question that the Cougar defense will need to play hero like it did in Seattle and Fresno at least one more time if the Cougs can accomplish want they want to accomplish.

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