⚡ CFB Dashboard

PULLMAN -- Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk will remain atop the defensive end unit for Washington State, but with Michael Hughes and Malachi Wrice week-to-week with lower-body injuries, the depth of the Cougars' defensive end unit will suddenly be put to the test Saturday vs. Pittsburgh-based Duquesne out of the Atlantic 10. The Cougars have rotated frequently, with Zunk and McLain each playing 89 of Wazzu's 143 defensive snaps. Then it's Ben Beatty with 43, Wrice with 29, Eduwa Okundaye with 26, Fernando Lecuona with 20 and Hughes with 14. The immediate solution in Saturday's loss to Kansas State was the inclusion of Lecuona, as all 20 of his snaps came in Manhattan. Beatty also played 20 snaps at Kansas State as opposed to 14 at Washington, although he did leave the Apple Cup slightly early with injury. But here is where things get even more interesting. Zunk's and McLain's snaps seem to run together. They each played 48 snaps in the Apple Cup and 41 at Kansas State. It would certainly appear the Cougars want them together at all times, with the depth pieces rotating in when both are off the field. Beatty and Okundaye figure to be the top two now behind Zunk and McLain. But it's also important to note that Okundaye plays some in 5-man fronts, when the Cougars want an extra blitzer rather than a nickel.  Related: Martin Stadium has a whole new look and Coug fans will see it Saturday IN THE APPLE CUP, when everyone was healthy, the Cougars deployed six players. McLain, Zunk, Wrice, Beatty, Hughes and Okundaye. Lecuona likely slides in for either Wrice or Hughes. But if the Cougars want to stick with a six-man rotation, that means someone else will need to step up to the plate. One way to do that would be to slide Luke Webb up the depth chart, and give him a few snaps as the No. 6 DE. Webb is 6-2, 242 pounds and now in his second year, he's played three games, all on special teams. There are also the possibilities of veteran Jack Procter and converted offensive tackle Barry Morrissette. The latter seems unlikely considering he is new to playing DE, but the former is a fifth-year recently placed on scholarship could be an option for a couple of snaps. He's played in three career games. THEN THERE ARE the creative options. Linebacker DJ Warner played EDGE in his first two college football seasons, one at Kansas and one at SMU. With how well LB Isaiah Hung has played to start the season, the Cougars could theoretically deploy some packages that feature him off the edge and Hung at 'backer. There are also DTs Paul Hutson and Josh Wedel. Hutson is 6-1, 270 pounds, which isn't that much bigger than someone like Beatty. But he's largely utilized as a pass rusher, and could very well be utilized off the edge. Wedel converted from DE to DT in fall camp, although he does look much more comfortable on the interior. Ben Beatty will be key going forward (Photo: Cougfan.com/Whittney Thornton)