Apr. 6—Who will replace prolific and electric Washington State quarterback Cam Ward?
That is one of the many questions the Cougars are hoping to start answering during spring football practice.
WSU will hold its first scrimmage of the spring at 10:45 a.m. today at Gesa Field in Pullman.
The Cougars return 37 letterwinners from last year’s squad that went 5-7 under fourth-year coach Jake Dickert — 15 on offense, 20 on defense and two on special teams.
The scrimmage is open to the public.
Here are three position groups to watch as the Cougars get into the meat of their 15 spring practice sessions, culminating with the annual Crimson and Gray game on April 27.
Quarterback
WSU, surprisingly, didn’t lose many players to the NCAA transfer portal despite the collapse of the Pac-12 Conference in the fall, but one departure was arguably the best player on the team.
After first declaring for the NFL draft, quarterback Cam Ward took his 13,871 passing yards and 135 total touchdowns to the Miami Hurricanes.
For the first time in three years, WSU will have a new quarterback.
The frontrunner is Wards’ backup from the last two seasons, sophomore John Mateer. The Little Elm, Texas, native mostly came in as a run-package quarterback.
Mateer went 13-of-17 passing (76.5%) for 235 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in 11 games last season. He rushed for 93 yards and three touchdowns on an 8.45 average.
Mateer’s biggest competition is Bryant transfer Zevi Eckhaus, who last season was voted the Big South offensive player of the year at the Football Championship Subdivision level. The senior passed for 2,907 yards, 28 touchdowns and averaged 264.3 yards per game en route to being a Walter Payton Award finalist.
“It’s going well,” Mateer said of the quarterback competition. “I think overall for both of us we’re competing, we’re making each…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/3-position-groups-montior-during-131100801.html
Author : Moscow-Pullman Daily News, Moscow, Idaho
Publish date : 2024-04-06 13:11:00
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