5 Washington State Cougars the Ducks need to watch out for
The Pac-12 season begins for the Oregon Ducks football team this weekend with a trip up to Pullman to face Washington State. This particular road game isn’t usually an easy one and even before the season started, fans knew this was going to be a tough one.
But now the Cougars are 3-0, including a win at No. 19 Wisconsin. They’re a good team and the Ducks are going to have their hands full in the Palouse.
What’s different about this Washington State team is that in they have a really good defense. The Cougars have always been well known for their offense, but it’s been flipped. Players such as defensive end Ron Stone anchors a defense that held a ranked Wisconsin team to just 14 points.
Although the offense isn’t as explosive as it one was, quarterback Cameron Ward transferred to WSU from Incarnate Word and the higher level of competition hasn’t affected him as all.
Quarterback Cameron Ward
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Even before he transferred from Incarnate Word, the Washington State coaching staff probably was not sure what they were getting from Ward. What they got was an efficient quarterback that doesn’t make mistakes and just wins. Ward is averaging 242 yards a game and completing 65 percent of his passes.
Linebacker Daiyan Henley
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In his first season with the Cougars, this transfer out of Nevada is picking up right he left off with the Wolfpack. He had 103 tackles last season and now in the Palouse for his senior season, Henley leads the Cougars with 30 tackles and four sacks through three games.
Safety Armani Marsh
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Marsh was a Pac-12 Honorable Mention a year ago and he’s looking to improve that standing in his senior season. At 5-foot-10 and 188 pounds, Marsh might be lined up against bigger receivers such as Dont’e Thorton or Troy Franklin. Oregon will try to exploit that size differential but at its own risk.
Defensive End Ron Stone
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Defensive end Ron Stone was named All-Pac-12 Conference First Team last year, the first WSU defensive lineman to earn first-team honors since Hercules Mata’afa in 2017. He’s off to a slow start in 2022 with just three tackles and a sack. Oregon needs to make sure he doesn’t break out against the Ducks. He can do that the following week.
Receiver De'Zhaun Stribling
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Stribling was a Pac-12 Honorable Mention last season and at 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds, he could be tough to stop. He’s off to a nice start with 14 catches, 136 yards, and three touchdowns. Expect Oregon corner Christian Gonzalez be assigned to slow this sophomore down.
