Aug. 1—PULLMAN — During fall camp, Jake Dickert walks a fine line like a trapeze artist. Washington State’s head coach wants the most out of his offense and his defense, but when they’re competing against each other, someone has to lose.
When WSU opened fall camp on Wednesday, Dickert was happy with the way the offense took care of the ball and avoided turnovers. On Thursday, in the Cougars’ second day of the three-week slate, they had no such luck.
On one sequence, redshirt freshman cornerback Ethan O’Connor returned an interception for a touchdown, which Dickert loved to see, especially from a promising young player such as O’Connor.
But it came at a cost to the Cougars’ offense.
“It’s just one of those things where it’s a balance,” Dickert said. “Day one, you’re celebrating the offense, no turnovers. Good job with ball security. Come out here today, I think I saw four or five of those things. So yeah, it’s a huge emphasis, but on the flip side, we gotta take care of the ball better.”
O’Connor will push for more meaningful playing time this fall — he’s been playing with the second-team defense during the first two days of practice — but at this early stage of fall camp, plays like that might mean more for the offense than for the defense.
That’s because WSU quarterbacks John Mateer and Zevi Eckhaus are vying for the starting role, and if Dickert and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle have a list of qualifications for the job, ball security is near the top. Last season, former WSU QB Cam Ward tied for the second-most fumbles nationally with 11. If the Cougars want to improve on last year’s 5-7 season, they’ll have to limit turnovers in a big way.
If coaches are leaning either way in the quarterback race, they haven’t said so publicly.
Mateer was responsible for the interception to O’Connor, and Eckhaus threw one…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/day-2-wsu-fall-camp-020200436.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-08-02 02:02:00
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