Could WSU play some WRs at RB?
Nov. 2—Between graduation, departures and injuries, Washington State's running back room has been depleted quicker than a pint of Rainier at The Coug.
WSU lost its top two running backs from last year as well as its top three from this year, meaning the team might have to resort to using receivers to run the ball against Stanford at 12:30 p.m. Saturday (Pac-12 Network) in Stanford, Calif.
"You might see Lincoln (Victor), you might see (De'Zhaun Stribling), you might see Rob (Ferrel), you might see, who else we got, Orion (Peters), you might see Anderson Grover — you might see anybody out there," WSU coach Jake Dickert said. "The wild part is Stanford is down to its sixth running back too. Both positions on both teams have been in tough positions."
The Cougars have struggled to run the ball this season, ranking last in the Pac-12 in every major rushing category — yards per game (83.5), yards per carry (3.5) and touchdowns (six).
"We really want to up (those numbers) so people have to come down and respect us running the football," Dickert said. "Right now, we're not establishing the run enough."
WSU lost starting running back Nakia Watson to an unspecified lower-body injury Oct. 8 at USC. He's not expected to return until late in the season.
Explosive freshman running back Jaylen Jenkins went down with an unknown injury Thursday against Utah and his status is still unknown.
Third-stringer Kannon Katzer announced his departure from the program Oct. 20.
That leaves former walk-on Dylan Paine as the only available running back who's played a down of football this season and he owns a whopping 12 rushing yards on five carries.
Paine played most of the game against the Utes and had three catches for 29 yards, including a nice 22-yarder, but he was not much of a factor in the run game.
So the Cougs might have to get creative this weekend if they're going to find success running the football.
Henley named Butkus semifinalist
WSU linebacker Daiyan Henley was one of 15 players named a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, the Butkus Foundation announced Tuesday.
The award is presented annually to the best linebacker in college football and focuses on linebackers who play off the ball on their feet rather than pure pass rushers.
Henley is the first Butkus Award semifinalist in Cougar history and is one of two semifinalists from the Pac-12 along with Oregon's Noah Sewell.
The senior ranks second in the conference and No. 15 in the nation with 80 tackles. His 11 tackles for loss are No. 2 in the Pac-12 and tied for No. 13 in the country.
Henley also has four sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception on the season.
Other honors for Henley this season include the watch list for the Bednarik Award, quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy and midseason All-America honors by the Associated Press.
Of note
Dickert didn't have an update on Jenkins or safety Jordan Lee, both of whom were injured against Utah. Lee was injured for the second time this season after missing three games with an injury sustained Sept. 10 at Wisconsin. ... Freshman Fa'alili Fa'amoe is confirmed as the new full-time starter at right tackle. The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder replaces Ma'ake Fifita, who started at the spot the first half of the season.
Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2260, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.
