Washington State’s first Pac-12 availability report of the week brought a little relief for the Cougars heading into Saturday’s game against San Diego State: the list is down to three, and there are no new additions.
The biggest positive for WSU is that left tackle Ashton Tripp and linebacker Carsten Reynolds are no longer on the injury report. Tripp was back in his starting spot last week, while Reynolds did not play.
The Cougars still have two notable names listed, though. Wide receiver Darrius Clemons is questionable, and safety Jeremiah Bernard joins him there. Neither suited up last week, with Clemons previously tagged as doubtful and Bernard listed as questionable.
Linebacker Nylan Brown remains out for the season.
If Bernard is unable to play, WSU’s safety picture stays tight. Jaylen Thomas, Jackquintin Bal, Trey Ridley and Peterson would likely keep rotating through the spot, with Ridley expected to see a larger share if Thomas and Bal remain the starters.
Clemons’ status matters just as much for the receiver group. If he can’t go, the Cougars will need more from Branden Ganashamoorthy, Tank Hawkins and Daniel Blood.
Also worth watching: WR Tony Freeman and TE Hudson Cedarland are again absent from the report. Freeman is out for the season, and that could point to Cedarland being in the same boat. Meanwhile, DE Malachi Wrice has been dressed for the last two games but has not logged a defensive snap.
San Diego State’s report is much busier, with the Aztecs listing nearly their entire roster and 10 players marked probable. Among the more important questionable names are OT Joe Borjon, who has started eight games, starting guard Kalan Ellis, starting tight end Jackson Ford, starting linebacker Tano Letuli and starting corner Mike Lindsay.
Starting safety Jelani McLaughlin is doubtful, while DBs Dalesean Staley, Jalen Thomeson and Yanick Parker, TE Jack Ellis, RB DJ Overstreet and long snapper Luke Williams are out.
The Pac-12 said in its release that the reports are meant “To promote the integrity of competition, protect the well-being and privacy of student-athletes and institutional staff, and provide consistent public transparency.” The league added that for conference matchups, institutions will submit reports for public release on Pac-12.com three days, two days and one day before the game, with a final update no later than two hours before kickoff.
Cougfan.com said it will continue updating the report as new availability notices are released over the next 48 hours.
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The challenge is that San Diego State still brings real stress points on offense, starting with a pair of productive running backs in Javion Kinnard and Lucky Sutton. Redshirt freshman Jaylon Hawkins adds another layer as both a return threat and a receiving option, so Washington State cannot afford to get too comfortable even if the aerial matchup tilts in its favor. [Read more 🡒]