WSU coaches impressed by physicality as defense steps up on Day 4 of fall camp

PULLMAN – During a break in Washington State’s fall camp practice on Saturday, the Cougars’ fifth , defensive tackles coach Pete Kaligis approached head coach Jake Dickert. The team was practicing inside run plays when Kaligis noticed something.

“Jake,” Kaligis said, “that’s the most physicality I’ve seen since we’ve been here.”

“That’s a big statement,” Dickert said later, “especially coming from a legendary (coach) like Pete Kaligis.”

That theme shone through most from the Cougars’ defense, which showed some of its finest work of fall camp. WSU’s defensive backs forced a couple of coverage sacks on quarterbacks John Mateer and Zevi Eckhaus – mimed tackles, in the interest of preventing injuries – and a few members of the Cougs’ front seven came close to interceptions.

On one sequence, edge rusher Nusi Malani, who is adjusting after moving over from the interior defensive line, shed a block and almost held on to a pick. A few plays later, transfer linebacker Parker McKenna stepped forward, leaped and batted down a pass at the line of scrimmage.

That’s not to mention of WSU’s run defense, which did a nice job of stacking up a few rushing attempts.

“I thought the defense did a good job with some of their looks,” Dickert said. “Got some hands on some balls, and tipped balls can lead to a lot of great things. I thought the offense, through the ebbs and flows of practice, did a good job finishing our fourth-quarter challenge. So a lot of positives to take from both sides.”

The Cougars are also taking another step toward fortifying their defensive line, courtesy of redshirt sophomore Bryson Lamb, who has turned some heads in recent practices. A year after being buried on the depth chart, appearing in just two games in reserve capacities , Lamb has begun to earn more reps in this year’s fall camp – and he’s made the most of them.

In one offensive line/defensive line drill in Saturday’s practice, Lamb lined up against true freshman offensive lineman AJ Hasson, surged past him and won the rep. For Lamb, a Bellingham native, it was the latest example of a promising fall camp .

It’s encouraging for WSU because the group has a real need at that position. Redshirt junior David Gusta and sophomore Ansel Din-Mbuh figure to have the biggest roles on the line, but on the interior, the Cougs are a little thin. To patch some of those holes, WSU is planning to play senior Andrew Edson, historically an edge rusher, around 15 to 20 snaps per game on the interior of the defensive line.

“The thing about Bryce that makes him really good is the way that he IDs stuff,” said defensive tackle David Gusta, a redshirt junior and a returning starter at the position. “Whatever it is, as soon as the tackle comes down, he knows exactly the play. Bryce is just a phenomenal player and he tries extremely hard.”

“That’s maturity, because he knows he can’t be out there for 65 snaps,” Dickert said, referring to Gusta. “I want him out there as much as we can. He’s proven he can rush the passer, but we’re gonna need other guys. Great players want other people to be great players, and I think he’s really challenging Bryce. Bryce has always been great in the intangible pieces, the workouts, the weightlifting, and he’s starting to really get that applied to his every day.”

WSU is also starting to find out what it has in two defensive backs, redshirt freshman Ethan O’Connor and grad student Jerrae Williams, a midspring transfer from UNLV. Both are turning heads .

In Saturday’s practice, O’Connor came inches away from an interception and Williams broke up a pass , for both guys a statement about their progression in recent years.

O’Connor, who hails from the Los Angeles area, has been earning consistent reps with the second-team unit in this fall camp.

A 6-foot-1 versatile back, he’s practicing his way into meaningful playing time this fall. Following the departure of cornerbacks like Chau Smith-Wade and Cam Lampkin and safeties such as Jaden Hicks and Sam Lockett, WSU is also looking to fill some gaps in the secondary, and O’Connor looks like a capable replacement.

The same goes for Willliams, who had trouble getting on the field early in his stint at UNLV, where he appeared in two games in the first two years . He started nine of 12 games in 2022, then took a lesser role last year, when he played six games.

This spring, when Dickert and general manager Rob Schlaeger checked out Williams’ game tape, they decided to pursue him out of the transfer portal in large part because they liked his blitzes and his zone coverage. Williams, they noticed, just needed to improve as a man-to-man defender.

“And through the first four days, he’s proven to really exceed our expectations there,” Dickert said. “So we feel like we’re ahead of the curve. If you’re gonna be that inside cover guy, you gotta be able to run and cover with a lot of quick dudes in there. So he’s really elevated that.

“But most importantly, when Jerrae is on the field, you can feel him. You feel his energy and what he provides to this team. Really, since Day 1, he’s just come in and been himself. It’s been really cool to see.”