Washington State will once again come to Spokane and play at Joe Albi Stadium for the Crimson and Gray game. While the score doesn't matter, it is important to hone in on a few positions and players before the exhibition matchup on Saturday.
1. Quarterbacks
Senior transfer Gardner Minshew won't come to campus until the fall, which puts all the eyes on three players:
- Trey Tinsley
- Anthony Gordon
- Camm Cooper
While the fans will be interested to see what stud freshman Cooper looks like in person, let it be known there's a good chance he could redshirt in 2018. Cooper is the flashy name, but this is a good chance to get a great glimpse at junior's Tinsley and Gordon.
The veteran signal-caller's have been steady in the first two scrimmages--none of them have thrown any interceptions, but none of them have really let it loose either as both have combined for 403 yards on 70 attempts.
Cooper dwarfs those passing numbers, but his efficiency hasn't been great and he has made a couple of mistakes throwing 2 interceptions.
This will be a fun position to keep track of the entire game and it begs the question, do fans like the risk-averse duo or the 'southpaw slinger' in Cooper?
2. Wide Receivers, more specifically Easop Winston Jr.
Washington State has a ton of turnover at the wide receiver position after Tavaras Martin Jr. and Isaiah Johnson-Mack both transferred before the bowl game last fall.
Including running back Jamal Morrow, three of the team's top five wideouts in receiving yards are gone in 2018. We'll see familiar faces like senior Kyle Sweet and sophomore's Renard Bell, Jamire Calvin and Tay Martin, but the guy you need to watch out for on Saturday is Easop Winston Jr.
Winston Jr. has been flying around all spring-long, making catches in what Mike Leach calls 'mop up' situations. The JUCO transfer was a redshirt in 2017 and he is poised to make a big impact in the fall.
Mike Leach has been a big fan of his thus far:
"He's one of our most improved players...he's got really good hands and has become kind of an aggressive player as he's gotten in shape."
3. Defensive Line
Finally, the new Tracy Claeys-led defense hopes to build off the momentum Alex Grinch created with that unit.
The defensive line is going to be a huge point of emphasis in the fall. Last year, the team forced 37 sacks with 22 of those sacks departing in the offseason (including 10.5 from soon-to-be NFL draft pick Hercules Mata'afa).
In the spring game, the quarterbacks won't get tackled. Touch-sacks will be tallied, but if Mike Leach's offense is getting a ton of time in the pocket that does not bode well with spring practice coming to a close shortly after the last scrimmage of the year.
Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. from Joe Albi Stadium.