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Washington State defensive tackle Will Rodgers III misses first game since 2017 with undisclosed injury

Washington State defensive lineman Will Rodgers III (92) stands on the field during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Northern Colorado in Pullman, Wash., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019. (Young Kwak / AP)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

BERKELEY, Calif. – Starting Washington State defensive tackle Will Rodgers III wore a sweatsuit and stood on the sideline as his teammates trudged through a 33-20 loss to California Saturday at Memorial Stadium.

With an undisclosed injury, the junior, who’s led WSU in sacks this season (4), not only missed his first game of the season but his first since 2017.

And the D-tackle’s absence loomed large as the Cougars gave up 33 points to a Cal team that hadn’t scored more than 28 in a game this season. They recorded two sacks on Golden Bears quarterback Devon Modster, but also gave up 196 net rushing yards and allowed Cal to run for 5.4 yards per attempt.

“It’s always, you want everybody out there, so yeah,” defensive end Karson Block said. “But, we’ve got to have a next man up mentality. You always want everyone out there, but ultimately it’s the nature of the business and next man up.”

Tristan Brock, a 6-foot-1, 258-pound senior, is Rodgers III’s top backup at defensive tackle and the former walk-on made the first start of his career against the Golden Bears. Brock had nine tackles this season, 2½ tackles-for-loss and one forced fumble coming into the game, but he had just three tackles versus Cal and didn’t record a TFL or a sack.

Christan Mejia, a 6-foot-3, 270-pound redshirt sophomore, made his college debut on Saturday and rotated in and out with Brock at defensive tackle. Mejia recoded two tackles.

Rodgers III, a Saginaw, Michigan, native emerged as a part-time starting defensive tackle for WSU last season, making eight starts while appearing in all 13 games. In 2018, he made 23 tackles, including 7½ tackles-for-loss and four sacks.

This year, Rodgers III is tied for eighth on the team with 19 tackles and he’s tied for third with two quarterback hurries. The 6-foot-4, 255-pound junior hasn’t missed a game since the 2017 Apple Cup.

WSU coach Mike Leach doesn’t usually address injuries, so it’s unclear what the D-tackle’s status is going forward.