To beat Fresno State on the road, WSU will need to remedy some defensive issues

PULLMAN – On a few occasions this season, Washington State coaches have noticed their guys develop one bad habit in particular.

The Cougars will be on defense, watching the opposing offense make a few adjustments before the snap, and they’ll track everything well. They’ll identify a tight end moving across the formation, watch a quarterback call out protections, and anticipate surging through the line of scrimmage to make the stop.

That’s about when WSU defenders will stop communicating so effectively, trying to cut corners by making those kinds of plays without talking to each other.

“It makes you feel like you don’t wanna do that stuff anymore,” WSU coach Jake Dickert.

To beat Fresno State on the road at 4 p.m. Saturday, WSU will likely need to do that “stuff” in spades. The Cougars, coming off the first of two bye weeks this season, took their first setback of the season in a 45-24 loss to Boise State two weeks ago. It was that game when Dickert noticed the communication issues that have led to many of his defense’s struggles.

The Cougars get a real test in the Bulldogs, who are averaging 281 passing yards per game with fourth-year junior quarterback Mikey Keene at the controls. Fresno State (3-2) is also coming off a bye, and prior to that, it fell to UNLV 59-14 , which came shortly after Runnin’ Rebels QB Matthew Sluka left the team amid name, image and likeness disputes.

On defense, shorthanded WSU will be without veteran safety Jackson Lataimua, who exited the Boise State game early with an undisclosed injury. But the Cougars are getting back junior cornerback Jamorri Colson, who missed the first five games of the season recovering from a broken jaw, which he sustained shortly before the season started.

WSU might need the boost. Fresno State likes to spread it out and throw . Keene has found favorite targets in wideouts Mac Dalena, Jalen Moss and Raylen Sharpe, who have combined for five touchdowns and 1,069 yards. That group has helped the Bulldogs score 46 points against FCS Sacramento State, 48 against New Mexico State and 38 against New Mexico, although their scoring output dipped in the loss to UNLV.

“Very exciting brand of football. They throw it around,” Dickert said. “You can still see – I don’t wanna say leftover – but the Kalen DeBoer offense, Kirby Moore. Obviously, the quarterback is a high-level player. They have all seniors across the offensive front. This is a very seasoned offense – (Moss), (Sharpe), (Dalena), they’re all playmakers.”

To slow Fresno State’s offense, WSU will need to make a few plays. The Cougars’ passing defense ranks among the worst nationwide, giving up 292 passing yards per game, No. 127 of 133 FBS teams. Their rushing defense hasn’t been much better, giving up 176 yards per game, No. 102 in the country. Much of that is because their tackling has also left plenty to be desired.

WSU remains Pro Football Focus’ second-worst-graded tackling team in the country, with a figure of 34.0. WSU has missed 85 tackles, second only to Akron, which has played one more game. Granted, the Cougars have played some sturdy running backs – namely Washington’s Jonah Coleman and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty – but their tackling issues have persisted no matter the personnel.

One way to remedy some of those issues starts with technique, Dickert said, and some of it involves finding the right schemes. What Dickert knows is his players will have to make sure they’re on the same page before the snap.

“These offenses today,” Dickert said, “there’s a million different formations, motions, adjustments, and you have to be able to handle it all.”

WSU will also need to shore some things up on offense. That begins with the offensive line, whose personnel is in flux . The team used the last couple of weeks of practice to solidify a starting five, deciding whether to keep Rod Tialavea or Christian Hilborn at left guard as right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe returns to full health in his knee.

The Cougars won’t announce a starting unit before the game, Dickert said, only roll out the starters when kickoff arrives. Whatever the group is, it’ll have to do better than allowing quarterback John Mateer to go down for seven sacks, the number he took in the loss to Boise State.

WSU is getting sophomore Carlos Hernandez back from injury, following a fall camp injury that kept him out for the first five games . But for him to flourish, Mateer will need time in the pocket.