Dieu and Din-Mbuh anchor the Cougars’ trenches

The Washington State football program participated in an engineering challenge the Friday before playing Hawaii. So of course Brock Dieu, an offensive lineman and mechanical engineering major, won.

With the nickel boat challenge, WSU coach Jake Dickert split his team into small groups and challenged them to make a boat out of select supplies, like tape and paper, that could float and hold the most nickels.

“And no shocker, Brock Dieu built like a freaking barge loader that wouldn’t sink,” Dickert said. “So his team won. That means our education here in the engineering department is fantastic. He was talking to me after about the buoyancy of (what) he created which is way above my pay grade. But it’s just fun ... to do different things, to watch these guys compete.”

Dieu’s team included senior wide receiver Kyle Williams, freshman cornerback Warren Smith Jr. and a couple other guys each following Dieu’s lead.

“‘Tape? Yeah, got tape. Hey, I need this cut,’” Dickert said. “(Dieu) was like the surgeon. It was (a) fun thing to watch.”

Dieu has been holding up his end of the bargain as the Cougars’ starting right guard. The junior has allowed four pressures through eight games, none of them within the past three games, per Pro Football Focus.

He also holds his own in the classroom.

“You be where your feet are,” Dieu said. “When I’m at practice, I’m 100% invested. I don’t think about exams, I don’t think about studying, I don’t think about any of that. When I go to class, I’m 100% invested.”

Dieu said he uses an organized schedule and his friends and tutors to meet his goals.

The junior from Queen Creek, Ariz., has been one of many fixtures in an offensive line that has drawn criticism for failing to sustain a run game or consistently protect quarterback John Mateer.

However, the lack of stability has come mostly from the left guard position and a shift in right tackle. Christian Hilborn, a three-year starter along the offensive line, has had a tough task in front of him, filling in for last season’s 12-game starter Fa’alili Fa’amoe at right tackle and then shifting to left guard following his return.

Now, Hilborn is in a competition for the left guard job with junior Rod Tialavea, who started the season at left guard and did not necessarily achieve consistent results.

Fa’amoe has struggled a bit as he returns from a multi-month injury, but he has made consistent progress as he has returned to football shape.

“Brock Dieu’s been just fantastically consistent,” Dickert said. “(Devin) Kylany’s the heartbeat of that group and I think Esa (Pole), probably we’re not talking about it enough, how great of a season he’s been having, really proud of him.”

Another anchor on the defensive side of the line

While WSU’s offensive line has been a position group on the rise, the defensive line had been historically solid for the Cougs, anchored for the last three seasons by NFL-bound edges Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr.

However, sophomore defensive tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh has caught Coug fans (and WSU’s opponents’) attention by getting to the QB on his pass rushes and racking up the sacks.

Din-Mbuh garnered his first career sack versus Hawaii on Oct. 19 in a 1.5-sack day and tallied three more sacks versus San Diego State on Oct. 26.

How did the sophomore DT from Aledo, Texas, go from zero career sacks to 4.5 in two games?

“Just playing fast,” Din-Mbuh said. “These last couple of weeks the game has really slowed down.”

Din-Mbuh said that the drills that defensive line coach Pete Kaligis has provided have sharpened his understanding of the game and translated directly to in-game situations, allowing him to play with less hesitation.

Din-Mbuh has joined fellow interior starter David Gusta in making a difference for the Cougar defense. Gusta has tipped several passes and disrupted many more plays as a force to be reckoned with.

WSU’s interior defensive line has accounted for 6.5 of the Cougars’ 14 sacks through eight games with sophomore DT Khalil Laufau charting two.

Edges Andrew Edson (2.5), Raam Stevenson (two), Nusi Malani (one) and linebackers Keith Brown and Parker McKenna (one each) have provided the remaining 7.5 sacks.

“I don’t care where they come from, I like sacks,” WSU defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding said. “I think the whole group has improved their pass rush, there’s no doubt about that, but you’re seeing a lot of the production come from the interior.”

Dieu and Din-Mbuh have been crucial to WSU’s 7-1 start.

They will take the field again at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday when WSU hosts Utah State. The CW Network will broadcast the game.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.