Jamarey Smith
Wazzu keeps Jamarey Smith in one place: 3 stories so far. The section currently leads with “San Diego exposed what keeps WSU from closing out wins”, “Khamari Terrell tackles like he's the only one on the field”, and “Trey Leckner is healing up fast and might finally see the field”. Jaylen Thomas shook his head after the San Diego State loss, and you could see the frustration. Khamari Terrell slaps himself on the helmet after a tackle. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Jamarey Smith story on Wazzu, newest first.
San Diego exposed what keeps WSU from closing out wins
Jaylen Thomas shook his head after the San Diego State loss, and you could see the frustration. The Cougars have a tackling problem, and it's not new. SDSU ran for 202 yards, and Lucky Sutton broke off runs of 46, 11, and 16 yards. The secondary missed its chances. Thomas knows it. So does the rest of the defense. Here's the thing: WSU's interior line is doing its job. Kaden Beatty, Jirah Leaupepetele, and the rest have made it tough to run up the middle. So opponents just go outside. That's where the tackling falls apart. The perimeter guys are athletic, but they're taking bad pursuit angles and missing wraps. Coach Kirby Moore wanted to hold SDSU under 150 rushing yards. They gave up 202. Then there's the pass rush. The Cougars came into this game ranked 131st out of 138 FBS teams in sacks. They didn't add any in San Diego. Pressure is there from McLain and Zunk, but they can't finish. This defense has pieces. But the little things, tackling, sacks, decision-making, are keeping WSU from closing out wins. If you want to dig into a Coug who did finish runs, check out our piece on Dan Doornink, a Coug and a Seahawk, who ran for 123 yards we still remember. Go Cougs.
Khamari Terrell tackles like he's the only one on the field
Khamari Terrell slaps himself on the helmet after a tackle. Once. Twice. Then he gets back up and does it again. That's the kind of focus a cornerback needs when Boise State rolls into town with the nation's second-best rusher, Dylan Riley, averaging 139 yards per game. The Broncos rank ninth in the country as a team on the ground. That's a problem for a WSU defense that just gave up 48 points to Oregon State and missed 18 tackles in the process. But here's the thing: the Cougars have actually tackled pretty well this season overall. PFF gives them a 61.4 grade, which is 93rd nationally and fifth in the Pac-12. Not elite, but a real step up from where this program has been. Jake Dickert's 2024 team finished fifth-to-last in tackling grades. Jimmy Rogers' 2025 squad finished dead last. So credit to defensive coordinator Trent Bray, cornerbacks coach Brandyn Thompson, and the rest of the staff for getting this group to wrap up. Terrell himself has only missed three tackles on 339 snaps. Keith Brown, the veteran linebacker, has missed six on 418 snaps. Redshirt freshman nickel Jamarey Smith has missed exactly one. The Cougs have been solid up the middle, too, with guys like Leaupepetele and Kaden Beatty stacking runs. The problem is on the edges, where Oregon State gashed them.
Trey Leckner is healing up fast and might finally see the field
Trey Leckner is getting closer. That's the best news the Cougar offense has heard in weeks. The tight end from Snohomish has been out since summer with a foot injury. The early word was midseason. Now Kirby Moore says he's game-to-game after this weekend. That's a faster timeline than anyone expected. Moore said Leckner has been moving around in practice. That's not nothing. This matters because the passing game needs a jolt. The Cougs are 1-2 against FBS teams, and the offense has been stuck in neutral. Leckner caught 24 passes for three touchdowns last year. He's the best pass-catching tight end on the roster. Caden Pinnick and Matt Miller could use a reliable target over the middle. Jack Pedersen has been filling in, and he's fine. He's not Leckner. The Cougs host Arizona this Saturday, a night game under the lights. Leckner won't play. But if he's back soon, that changes the math. Read our piece on DJ Warner's Arizona roots for more on that matchup. Also worth watching: cornerback Jalil Tucker is a game-time decision. The secondary looked better against Duquesne when they moved Jamarey Smith to corner. And kicker Jack Stevens is 1-for-5 on field goals. Moore is sticking with him. That's loyalty. We'll see if it pays off. For now, the take is simple: Leckner healing fast is the best thing that's happened to this offense all month. Go Cougs.