Apr. 4—Mostly, Jonny Lester wanted to stay with his position group, with two teammates to whom he felt closest. He had just wrapped up his first season starting on Washington State’s offensive line, finding a niche at left guard, and while he hadn’t turned in a perfect season, he projected to keep getting better and better with experience.
That’s about when the sands of the program began to change. The Cougars coaching staff began to turn over, meaning Lester would be getting his third head coach in five years. Did he want to stay? Or explore his options elsewhere?
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He wanted to stay, as did all his teammates on the offensive line, “but there’s just a lot of things playing into that,” Lester said. Then he chatted with two teammates on the other side of the ball, linemen Bobby Terrell and Bryson Lamb, and asked about their plans. Both said they planned on staying at WSU, which prompted Lester to re-sign a new NIL revenue-sharing contract with the Cougars.
Later, they followed former coach Jimmy Rogers to Iowa State.
“But I would still feel weird playing in any other color than crimson and gray, honestly,” Lester said. “I can’t imagine myself in a different uniform, wearing a different team’s colors.”
On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in Spokane, Lester and the Cougars’ offense painted a vivid picture of why that decision could turn up aces for the program, no matter the events that preceded it. At Union Stadium, the site of WSU’s fifth practice of the spring, coach Kirby Moore’s offense took center stage in team periods that centered around execution in the red zone.
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The highlights of those segments belonged to quarterbacks Caden Pinnick and Owen Eshelman, both of whom have turned in sterling spring camps as they compete for starting duties. An incoming redshirt freshman, Eshelman completed three touchdown passes, as did Pinnick, who looked comfortable airing it out to the end zone to a variety of receivers.
On one play, Pinnick unloaded a perfect fade pass to fellow second-year freshman wideout Noah Westbrook, who hauled it in over his shoulder in the corner of the end zone. On another, the Cougars unveiled some trickery in the backfield before Pinnick found a wide-open tight end Jack Pedersen, who waltzed untouched into the end zone. Pinnick also lasered a corner touchdown pass to Missouri transfer receiver Daniel Blood, who himself has enjoyed a nice spring camp.
Nearly in lockstep, Eshelman matched him throw for throw. The most acrobatic play went to running back Beau Phillips, a walk-on transfer from Division II Central Washington, who made a diving catch for a touchdown. On his own creative play, Eshelman reversed fields and spotted Pedersen, who made another open catch. And another touchdown pass went to West Georgia transfer receiver Jordan Dees, who is working his way back into regular team periods after being limited for the first several practices.
“It’s always close,” Moore said of the team’s QB competition, which also includes returner Julian Dugger. “I think right now, just where we’re at in spring ball, it’s practice five. There’s a lot more situations to be put in. We had four-point plays today in the red zone. We haven’t gotten to some more third-down volume, I should say.
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“Defensively, they’re gonna bring some stuff as well that’s gonna be hard on the quarterback. We gotta take care of the football on third down. It’s a turnover down for the defense. And then two-minute drives, those are huge for quarterbacks to prove themselves.”
If you aren’t sure what Moore meant by four-point plays, well, you aren’t alone. Ever the offensive-oriented mind, Moore explained things like this: If the Cougars can convert in the red zone, particularly on third down, they’re essentially tacking on four more points than they would get from settling for a field goal.
Alternatively, if Moore’s bunch fails in the red zone, he knows things can slip away. Let’s say the Cougars can’t score a touchdown in the red zone and trot out kicker Jack Stevens for three points.
“The other team scores touchdowns in the red zone, the game can flip in a hurry,” Moore said, “so we gotta make sure and maximize those possessions down in the red area.”
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How have the Cougs fared on that front in recent years? Last season, WSU ranked No. 52 nationally in red zone conversions, scoring on 86% of opportunities. The club was a little less efficient at scoring touchdowns, which came on 58% of chances, good for No. 88.
In that way, WSU is on the right track. It helps to have a mind like Moore, who said he stressed that trend during his days as offensive coordinator at both Missouri and Fresno State. That experience is informing his approach with the Cougars, who also got a simulated combined sack from linemen Matyus McLain and Damarjhe Lewis on Saturday.
The practice also provided Pinnick a chance to chat with reporters for the first time since transferring from UC Davis, where he won Big Sky Freshman of the Year honors, among other accolades. An incoming redshirt sophomore, Pinnick didn’t say much about the role coaches pitched him on accepting at WSU, but he was open about what made him want to make the jump.
“Culture. Culture was a big thing,” Pinnick said. “I’m a very small-town, community guy, and when I stepped foot in Pullman, that’s all I could feel. The coaches were very professional on the visit, and everything I heard was Coug this, Coug that, and that the fan base is very loyal.”
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As for how Pinnick and the Cougs’ offense fits in with Lester?
“I think this new system fits me really well,” said Lester, who is flanked by veterans Ashton Tripp, Kyle Martin, Noah Dunham and Maximus McCree up front. “I would say I’m fairly athletic for my size, and this is a big outside zone offense, a lot of running, not as much pass-pro. But I think this offense really fits me and allows me to show off my skillset.”
