PULLMAN — Washington State will have to carry on without one of its most physical running backs.
Redshirt junior Dylan Paine will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, coach Jake Dickert said Wednesday, dealing a blow to the Cougars after their first loss of the season over the weekend.
Paine, a walk-on from Tumwater, played just four snaps in WSU’s loss to Boise State last weekend. After playing minimally in the Cougs’ season-opener in late August, he didn’t see any carries in the next two games, seemingly suggesting he was out of the rotation.
But in WSU’s double-overtime win over San Jose State on Sept. 20, Paine came off the bench to score two critical touchdowns: A one-yard plunge in the fourth quarter, giving the Cougs the lead, and a seven-yard rush in the second overtime, which quarterback John Mateer followed with the game-winning two-point conversion.
Paine, a class of 2020 player, arrived on WSU’s campus as a preferred walk-on in time for the 2020 season. He redshirted in 2021, and in 2022, he totaled 15 carries for 64 yards in 11 games. Last season, he appeared in nine games (missing three due to injury), registering 25 carries for 150 yards and one touchdown.
For the 2024 season, Paine tallied 9 carries for 40 yards and two scores.
In other injury news, wide receiver Carlos Hernandez and cornerback Jamorri Colson are set to return for WSU’s road game against Fresno State on Oct. 12, Dickert said. Both have yet to play this season because of injuries: Hernandez had foot surgery after going down during fall camp, and Colson suffered a broken jaw before the season.
That’s the next game for the Cougs, who have a bye this weekend.
Both Hernandez and Colson were projected starters going into the season. Hernandez, a sophomore, played in all 12 games last season and started one. He totaled 24 receptions for 250 yards, and because of WSU’s offseason departures at the position, he was expected to earn a starting role this fall.
The same goes for Colson, who came on strong toward the end of last season, in part because of injuries. He snagged his first career interception in WSU’s loss to Stanford, and he played a key role in last season’s Apple Cup, logging one pass breakup and allowing four receptions on eight targets.
At some point, Colson’s return will likely spell the end of the starting role for redshirt freshman cornerback Ethan O’Connor, who has taken some lumps in his first season of action. He’s grabbed two interceptions this season, but he’s also been targeted by opposing offenses, allowing 16 receptions on 29 targets, including two touchdowns.
Neither Colson nor Hernandez will play 80 snaps, Dickert said, suggesting the team might rotate them in during WSU’s road game against Fresno State.
“We need their energy,” Dickert said. “I thought they brought it today, and obviously a big lift to get two kinda projected starters back in.”
Finally, several WSU players were “limited” in Wednesday’s practice, Dickert said: Safeties Adrian Wilson, Tanner Moku and Jackson Lataimua (the latter of whom exited Saturday’s game early with an injury), plus nickelback Kapena Gushiken. Because of the bye week, Wednesday was the Cougs’ first practice of the week.