Three quarterbacks among the options for WSU vs. Utah

When the Washington State Cougars kick off against the Utah Utes on Saturday (11:30 a.m. PT, Pac-12 Network), somebody will be playing quarterback. That’s about all we can say for sure.

After practice on Wednesday, coach Nick Rolovich said that any one of three quarterbacks could take the first snap this weekend. Regular starter Jayden de Laura is not yet healthy after suffering an apparent knee injury that kept him (mostly) out in the second half of WSU’s loss to USC, so Jarrett Guarantano and Cammon Cooper have been splitting the first team reps. Walk-on Victor Gabalis — to whom Rolovich turned for the majority of the plays after de Laura’s injury — appears to be out of the picture.

So, to summarize:

• The first stringer who was the second stringer to start the season is hurt;
• So the guy who was the first stringer is in a competition to be the first stringer again with the guy who was the the third stringer;
• And the walk-on who became the second stringer is now the fourth stringer.

Got it?

Guarantano hasn’t played since he suffered an injury in the first game, and Rolovich said he was only available in an emergency because he hadn’t taken many meaningful reps in the leadup to the game. Cooper, meanwhile, came in for a garbage time series against the Trojans and completed his first four passes — looking pretty confident doing it — before throwing a bad interception on his fifth.

None of this inspires confidence in the lead up to Saturday.

If you want some extra fun, try to figure out:

1. How many of them will actually play, and
2. Who will finish.

Your Weekly Rolovich Vaccination Update

On Tuesday, there was a little Twitter kerfuffle in which someone floated the rumor that Rolovich had initiated vaccination, which was subsequently seemingly refuted by Rolovich’s mom in a pair of tweets that she deleted a short time after posting them.

Rolovich was asked about all this after practice on Wednesday — and for those who have been staunchly in the “stop asking him because his answers are never going to change,” you’ll note that his answers did, in fact, change at least a little on Wednesday:

“NIL will be the death of college sports and put WSU at a competitive disadvantage”

LINKS

Anybody's guess who starts at quarterback Saturday for Washington State | Washington State University | khq.com
Washington State’s situation at quarterback has turned into a guessing game.

Washington State coach Nick Rolovich declines to comment on Twitter report, intends to keep plans private concerning mandate | Washington State University | khq.com
PULLMAN – Nick Rolovich again declined to comment on his status concerning the COVID-19 vaccine.

De Laura was on a roll. Then he wasn’t | Sports | dnews.com
Before the snap on third-and-3, Jayden de Laura scooted forward and extended both arms above center Konner Gomness, pointing to where he anticipated pressure from the defense.

Utah vs. Washington State NCAA Football Odds, Plays and Insights | September 25, 2021 - Sports Illustrated
Check out odds, insights and more in our betting preview for the Utah Utes vs. Washington State Cougars college football matchup on September 25, 2021.

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