Grading the WSU offense at midseason

Jake Dickert walked onto Rogers Field on a crisp Wednesday morning to 49 degrees, light rain and fog.

“We came out, it was a true Palouse day. You know, all those freshmen that came in the summer, I was like, ‘Guys, welcome. It’s here now. Tomorrow’s gonna be about 38 (degrees) in the morning,” Dickert said. “You can’t let the elements affect the way you prepare and play.”

Halfway through the season, the Cougs are 5-1, their best start to a season since 2018.

Here are the midseason grades for the Cougar offense.

Entertainment value: B+

WSU is 5-1 and has already forged unforgettable moments, including an all-time classic win in double overtime over San Jose State, John Mateer’s record-breaking quarterback rushing performance versus Texas Tech and a dramatic last-minute Apple Cup win against Washington at a neutral Lumen Field in Seattle.

The Cougs have won three of their six games by one score and their lone loss was by 21 points to the now-No. 15 Boise State Broncos and the Heisman frontrunner Ashton Jeanty on Sept. 28.

Perhaps the most aggravating performance was this past week at Fresno State.

WSU won 25-17 but failed to find the end zone after scoring on its first two drives and committed multiple mistakes and turnovers to keep the Bulldogs hanging around until Ethan O’Connor’s fourth quarter pick-6 gave the Cougs the lead for good.

Offense overall: B

How low can you really grade a top-20 offense in the nation? The Cougs have scored 39 points per game, which is the 20th-best output in college football. Their season-high is 70, scored Week 1 versus Portland State, and their season-low is 24, scored twice. WSU beat Washington 24-19 on Sept. 14 and lost to Boise State 45-24 on Sept. 28.

The offense flexed its strength in a 54-52 double-overtime thrilling victory over San Jose State on Sept. 20. Wazzu forged a 14-point first-half lead, lost it to trail by 14 points, retook the lead in the fourth quarter, lost it again and then engineered a last-minute drive to tie the game.

Quarterback John Mateer found senior wide receiver Kyle Williams for a 38-yard outside pass that emulated the Minnesota Vikings’ play call versus the New Orleans Saints in the 2017 NFL playoffs known as “The Minneapolis Miracle.” Williams’ catch coupled with Mateer’s 8-yard run on the next play set up kicker Dean Janikowski to sink the game-tying 52-yard field goal.

Senior running back Dylan Paine got the ball three times for 25 yards and the touchdown in the second overtime drive as WSU hung on to win 54-52.

Quarterback: B

When Mateer has been able to run, the Cougar offense has thrived, but when teams have an answer for Mateer’s legs, he has failed to consistently make them pay with his arm.

Mateer has six rushing touchdowns, three of which went for 20-plus yards. His 25-yard touchdown run on third-and-20 in the Apple Cup jolted the fans clad in crimson awake and made Lumen Field sound like a slice of Gesa Field.

The shaggy, Texas-born, third-year Coug who studied behind former WSU QB Cam Ward for the last two years has quickly captured Cougar fans’ hearts.

In Mateer’s first six career starts, he has completed 106-of-188 passes for 1,601 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has excelled on the ground, gaining a team-leading 642 yards not counting sacks and a net of 499 when counting the 143 yards he has lost on sacks and tackles on running plays behind the sticks.

As teams like Boise State and Fresno State have limited his rushing ability, he has thrown the ball more and often faltered. His deep ball leaves something to be desired, but the third-year sophomore can still air it out and has fed Williams and senior receiver Kris Hutson plenty of times deep.

Wide Receivers: A-

WSU’s pass-catchers have made huge plays, but two have gotten the bulk of targets.

Senior receivers Williams and Hutson have made multiple huge catches with Williams leading with 503 yards on 23 catches and five touchdowns.

Hutson has made multiple huge catches to advance drives. Josh Meredith has stepped up as the Cougs’ middle-of-the-field merchant, having a huge triple-digit-yardage game in the Apple Cup as one of Mateer’s more familiar targets. Sophomore Carlos Hernandez is back in the mix after sitting out with an injury and WSU has seen limited contributions from Tony Freeman (seven catches) and Tre Shackelford (six catches).

Tight Ends: B+

WSU’s tight end room has been a focal point of the offense, at least in the red zone.

That’s where senior tight end Cooper Mathers has three touchdown catches. He caught two versus San Jose State and one against Boise State.

“I think we can improve (in) making the plays that are there, blocking-wise, really getting physical, getting down and dirty, doing what needs to be done,” Mathers said of the position group. “ We haven’t had our best game yet, and I know it’s out there.”

Senior tight end Billy Riviere III and junior Andre Dollar have missed several games with injuries and freshman tight end Trey Leckner has two catches, including a 16-yard grab versus Fresno State.

Mathers said the tight ends continue to earn the trust of Mateer and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.

Offensive line: B

The offensive line has taken strides with four returning starters and a team captain who is a first-year starter and fifth-year Coug.

WSU is on pace to allow 34 sacks but has allowed 11 total in the last two games. It would be the lowest number of sacks allowed since the 2021 line’s 30.

The Cougs played most of the first half without perhaps their best lineman in Fa’alili Fa’amoe, a team captain and last year’s 12-game starter at right tackle. Fa’amoe is back.

Christian Hilborn is a starter for the third straight year, first at right tackle as Fa’amoe recovered and then at left guard.

Esa Pole has put together the best first half of his career. The senior left tackle has allowed zero sacks and five pressures through six games.

Center Devin Kylany, who has been a Coug since 2020, has thrived in the starting center role. The Lake Stevens grad was voted a team captain and has embraced a leadership role both along the offensive line and for the entire offense.

“He’s the voice of the offense,” Dickert said. “Him and John. I don’t think there’s any doubt to that. I love his work ethic. He’s an example guy. He brings energy, just one of those guys that really loves playing ball, and that isn’t just Saturdays, that’s every day.”

Running backs: A

WSU’s running backs have gotten the job done for the Cougs. The main issue is inexperience and underutilization — two things they cannot control.

True freshman Wayshawn Parker earned the feature back role and has 388 yards on 74 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per carry.

He got five of his 12 touches against Fresno State in the Cougs’ final drive, which he used to gain 34 yards and put the Cougs in field-goal range.

With Paine out for the season, Wazzu must rely on redshirt freshman Leo Pulalasi and third-year sophomore Djouvensky Schlenbaker as their power backs/backups to Parker. Schlenbaker has three touchdowns.

WSU OC Ben Arbuckle: B-

Arbuckle is in his second year as WSU’s offensive coordinator and got tremendous results with the nation’s fourth-best passing offense last year.

He has embraced Mateer’s unique skillset and used multiple QB draws to keep defenses on their toes.

His passing plays have featured strokes of genius — such as Mateer’s gem to Williams against San Jose State — while his run plan has left much to be desired.

The running back personnel and offensive line skill are there, but the opportunities for the tailbacks — namely Parker — to get the ball and run with it have been limited. This was especially a problem versus Fresno State when Parker got five of his 12 touches on the Cougars’ final drive.

Arbuckle would not be a Power Five offensive coordinator in his late 20s without being extremely smart, talented and hard-working.

The hardest obstacle has proven to be play-calling to WSU’s strengths, which at this moment is running the football.

As WSU students know well, the midterm is not your final grade. There is still time for the Cougs to clinch straight A’s as they are 5-1 with a top-20 offense. The journey continues at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Gesa Field against Hawaii (The CW) for homecoming.

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