PULLMAN - Washington State’s defense keeps getting close, and that has been the story all fall.
The Cougars have defenders in the backfield. They have bodies around the ball.
They have moments that look ready to turn into game-changing plays. But the end result keeps slipping away, and in a 1-7 season still waiting on its first FBS win, that gap between almost and finished has defined too much of the year.
Take edge rusher Matyus McLain, who has emerged as one of WSU’s most active pass rushers. In eight games, he has piled up 23 quarterback pressures, third-most in the Pac-12 according to Pro Football Focus. His win rate of 17.1% is also third in the conference, a strong sign that he’s getting into the pocket with regularity.
The problem is what comes next. McLain has only one sack.
Vanderbilt transfer Linus Zunk has two sacks on 17 QB pressures. As a team, WSU has just eight sacks, tied for No. 130 out of 138 FBS teams.
Only four other teams nationally have fewer.
That disconnect is unusual. Among college football players with at least 20 quarterback pressures, including McLain and Zunk, 71 have reached that benchmark this season. Only five have one sack or fewer.
“It helps to know a bit about McLain’s background. He hails from nearby Priest River, Idaho, where in high school, McLain won a total of two games in his four years of action.
The Spartans went 0-8 in 2019 and 0-7 in 2020. In 10 of those losses, Priest River didn’t score.
In 2021, the Spartans lost seven games, only winning one by forfeit over Orofino. Priest River went on to win two games in McLain’s senior season, including one over the same Orofino club that had forfeited the year prior.
“I’ve lost before. It happens,” McLain said earlier this week.
“The only thing you can do is keep going. I’m not gonna roll over and quit, and I don’t think anybody else in the locker room is going to do that either.
You see the same thing week in, week out. We’re gonna keep trying harder and harder every single week till we get it right.”
That same keep-coming attitude shows up in the middle of WSU’s defense, too, but the results haven’t followed there either. The Cougars have only five turnovers, which ranks No. 126 nationally.
Only seven teams have fewer. They are also giving up nearly 387 yards per game, a mark that sits No. 102 nationally and fifth in the Pac-12.
McLain insists the coaches aren’t preaching sack hunting as much as pressure and disruption, trusting the takedowns to come later.
“Our coach, Andrew Browning, he always talks about it: We’re not chasing sacks,” McLain said. “We’re chasing hits, hurries.
Chasing that, it’s gonna lead to sacks. I mean, you’re right.
(It’s about) getting there a little faster, but you watch the tape - we’re all over the D-line. The front seven is everywhere.
No question about it. We’ve got it.”
Still, the Cougars have had some painful examples of opportunities wasted. In last weekend’s loss to Boise State, WSU had a chance in the third quarter to finish off quarterback Maddux Madsen for a sack and get off the field on third down. Instead, Madsen escaped the rush and picked up 17 yards on the ground, a play that led to a touchdown moments later.
The interceptions have been just as frustrating. Boise State quarterback Maddux Madsen still hasn’t thrown one this season, but WSU had multiple chances to change that.
Late in the first half, after WSU and quarterback Owen Eshelman put together a long scoring drive to tie the game, Boise State moved into the red zone. Madsen fired a pass over the middle, and nickelback Jamarey Smith broke on it, but Boise State receiver Cam Bates got a hand in to keep Smith from finishing the play.
Earlier, in the first quarter, Madsen again tried to fit a throw over the middle. This time linebacker DJ Warner was in position and got both hands on the ball, but it still hit the turf. It was a missed chance for Warner, who is in his first year at linebacker and still learning the coverage side of the position.
That kind of near-miss has become a theme. WSU has now dropped six interceptions, tied for the most in the country. Smith has dropped three, the second-most by any player nationwide.
The Cougars have still managed three interceptions, so they have cashed in on some of their chances. But in a season defined by close calls and small margins, those six dropped picks carry real weight.
“We’ve definitely been in that position numerous times, and it’s all about, like I said, just executing,” Smith said. “When you get that chance and opportunity, just take it.
You work so hard for it, so why not just go for it and take your shot? I’ve been there for sure, and it’s just about us having it and executing.”
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Inside the locker room, the focus has shifted to finishing in a way that honors the veterans who have been through the whole climb. Matyus McLain and Jamarey Smith are among the players talking about the importance of sticking together for the seniors, with the rest of the roster trying to make sure the final weeks carry meaning beyond the record. [Read more 🡒]