By: Brock Vierra
At Washington State, the pride of the Palouse, the WSU Cougars football team has suffered these past two years. Two mediocre seasons, two straight losses in the Apple Cup, and now the team is essentially conference-less as they were left behind in the mad dash to leave the Pac-12. Now Washington State has to handle life without star quarterback Cam Ward as the man HC Jake Dickert recruited is now in Miami. Washington State also has to play essentially a Mountain West schedule as the western group of five conference was the only conference to offer the Cougars consistent games.

Washington State has an offseason of potential

With all this to get through, Jake Dickert has to get through his own adversity. As surprised as I was that Dickert kept the head coaching job, it also came as a surprise that Dickert was able to secure the services of another duel-threat QB in the form of Canadian Evans Chuba. The class of 2024 commit has the gunslinging nature and athletic ability that a Cougar QB needs to possess. However, the current QB battle will most likely come down to John Mateer and Zevi Eckhaus.

Mateer is a redshirt sophomore who has spent the last two years on the bench behind Ward. A high school recruit from Texas, he already has one year under OC Ben Arbuckle’s offense which could give him a leg up in the initial competition. Eckhaus is a senior transfer from Bryant University. Eckhaus was the 2023 Big South Offensive Player of the Year and guided Bryant to the third-best FCS offense in the nation.

The offense is led by second-year Cougar Kyle Williams. The receiver who transferred in from UNLV had himself a year in 2023. Williams put up career highs in every major statistical category for pass-catching during his first year in Pullman. He had 61 catches, 843 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Managing the QB situation will play heavily in the success of Washington State. In 2024, the Cougars play eight Mountain West teams and FCS Portland State. In their P5 games, they play conference opponent Oregon State whom WSU beat last year, Washington in the Apple Cup, and a home game against Texas Tech. WSU’s opponents are going through massive transitions.

Washington State has an easier road to success in 2024

Six of Washington State’s opponents have first-year head coaches including Oregon State and Washington. Boise State’s Spencer Danielson enters his first full year as head coach as he won the Mountain West in his interim role last season. Four of their opponents had losing records in 2023. SJSU has a new head coach and went 7-6 in 2023.

For the Cougars, 2024 needs to be about redemption. Since the incredible 2018 season, the Cougars have yet to reestablish themselves as a consistent offensive force while the team has dramatically suffered in conference play. In his career, Dickert is 9-13 in conference play with his only winning season coming during his interim year in 2021.

For Dickert and crew, the mindset for 2024 needs to be do or die. After an excellent start to 2023, including two ranked wins in Washington State’s first four games, the season quickly unwound after a loss to UCLA in the Rose Bowl. In the Cougars seven losses, three of them came to teams with losing records. Dickert’s defense gave up 35 or more points in five separate games as the Cougars’ offense stalled, only putting up 28 or more points in two of their last eight games. Those two games were to California and Colorado, teams with losing records.

However Spring has interjected a sense of excitement into the air and with OC Ben Arbuckle having a full year to implement his offense, I expect a massive improvement in 2024. Dickert’s defense showed flashes of elite play last season and with a drop in competition, they should be a dominant force. If there was a year for Washington State to put it together, this needs to be it. However if lightning strikes early, the College Football Playoffs could come calling.

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