Jul. 30—Editor's note: This is the second in a series of stories that will run each day previewing Washington State's preseason camp before it begins on Aug. 6. This edition covers the Cougars' offensive line.
PULLMAN — Flip back to last fall and check out a few of Washington State's more forgettable losses. You'll find setbacks to North Texas, to Oregon State, to James Madison. The first of those is an exception, but you can draw a through-line through the final two.
The Cougars couldn't sustain any offense.
Which is why as head coach Kirby Moore takes over, WSU is likely prioritizing production from its offensive line more than ever. Last season, the Cougars finished nine spots up from dead last in Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking grades, then just three spots up from last in run-blocking grades. Injuries besieged a front five that was already shaky at times, and while the Cougs made it work and won a bowl game for the first time in seven years, they could have engineered an even more memorable season with more consistent offensive line play.
That brings us to WSU's current offensive line, which at first glance has the tools to improve on that trend. Headed into next week's fall camp opener, this group will likely take first-team reps, at least to start camp: Left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Jonny Lester, center Kyle Martin, right guard Noah Dunham, right tackle Maximus McCree. By the end of WSU's spring practices in April, that's the group that had risen to the top.
#last #camp #left #fall
PULLMAN — Flip back to last fall and check out a few of Washington State's more forgettable losses. You'll find setbacks to North Texas, to Oregon State, to James Madison. The first of those is an exception, but you can draw a through-line through the final two.
The Cougars couldn't sustain any offense.
Which is why as head coach Kirby Moore takes over, WSU is likely prioritizing production from its offensive line more than ever. Last season, the Cougars finished nine spots up from dead last in Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking grades, then just three spots up from last in run-blocking grades. Injuries besieged a front five that was already shaky at times, and while the Cougs made it work and won a bowl game for the first time in seven years, they could have engineered an even more memorable season with more consistent offensive line play.
That brings us to WSU's current offensive line, which at first glance has the tools to improve on that trend. Headed into next week's fall camp opener, this group will likely take first-team reps, at least to start camp: Left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Jonny Lester, center Kyle Martin, right guard Noah Dunham, right tackle Maximus McCree. By the end of WSU's spring practices in April, that's the group that had risen to the top.
#last #camp #left #fall
3 months ago
