COUGAR
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL and VOLLEYBALL
On Sunday
afternoon, Nov. 18, 2018, on campus Pullman in WSU women’s sports:
--BASKETBALL
on Friel Court in Beasley Coliseum, the Washington State women’s basketball
team lost to UC Davis, 75-62.
--VOLLEYBALL
in Bohler Gym, the volleyball team of Washington State lost to Cal, 21-25,
25-21, 19-25, and 22-25.
…………………………..
From WSU
Sports Info about the basketball game:
Cougars
could not keep pace in the second half as the Aggies won 75-62.
PULLMAN,
Wash. – Finishing off their four-game homestand to begin the 2018-19 season the
Washington State women's basketball team (1-3) dropped a 75-62 decision to UC
Davis (1-3) Sunday at Beasley Coliseum.
The Aggies
were able to take advantage of a big second half to come away with their first
road win in Pullman.
For the
Cougars, the damage was done at the end of the third and the start of the first
when UCD put together a 12-2 run in just under two minutes to turn a tie game
into a double-digit lead.
With the
shots refusing to fall for the Cougars, the Aggies extended their lead to as
much as 17 points before coming to rest on the final difference.
Throughout
much of the early going of the game WSU had its chances to take control of the
contest, pushing out front of the Aggies only to see UCD rally back including
finishing the half with a banked in three-pointer from deep that sent the two
teams into the locker room knotted at 31-31.
As she has
done throughout her career, Borislava Hristova produced another scoring binge
for the Cougars as the star forward scored 25 points while Chanelle Molina
supported with 15 points and four assists.
However,
the production at the top was not enough to overcome a 34-point outburst by
Aggies' fifth-year senior Morgan Bertsch that was bolstered by a 14-point
effort out of Nina Bessolo.
WSU head coach
Kamie Ethridge QUOTES: "It's disappointing. I'm really disappointed in our
effort. I was really impressed with UC Davis. Obviously Bertsch is an amazing
player and we knew it on film. We thought it was going to be a hard matchup for
us. We thought if she got 34 and we held the others down a little bit we might
be ok. We didn't play as well as we should have. It’s a disappointing feeling
to go into the halftime tied at home and you have a chance to compete a little
bit better in the second half and we really just didn't. We came out of
halftime and we just did not compete in any way and we did not give ourselves
even a remote chance to win in how we did that. That is from top to bottom, I
obviously didn't have us ready."
Link to
story about game from UC Davis Sports Info
More from
WSU Sports Info:
The Cougs
finished their homestand 1-3.
The Aggies
win in Pullman was their first in three attempts. UC Davis now leads the
all-time series 3-2.
WSu
finished the game hitting just 3-of-17 from distance after making their first
two three-point attempts to begin the game. Overall, WSU went 23-of-58 (39.7%)
from the floor while the Aggies shot 29-of-61 (47.5%).
Borislava
Hristova has scored 20+ points in three of four games to start the year while
going for double-figures in every game to date. The redshirt-junior moved into
the Cougars' top-10 in all-time scoring when she hit a three midway through the
third quarter, passing April Cooks (2008-12). Hristova finished the game with
1,198 career points with No. 9 Jazmine Perkins (2008-12) and her 1,288 career
points in her sights on the scoring list.
Chanelle
Molina scored in double-figures for the third-consecutive contest. She also
grabbed a team and career-high seven rebounds.
Morgan
Bertsch's 34 points were the most scored against the Cougars since Kristine
Anigwe from Cal netted 30 on Feb. 23, 2018.
Michaela
Jones made her collegiate debut in the fourth quarter, playing the final 1:35
of the game.
WSU hits
the road for the first time on the year as the Cougars head to Northridge,
Calif. to play in the Warner Center Marriot Thanksgiving Basketball Classic
hosted by CSUN. WSU takes on the host Matadors to begin the tournament Friday
night, Nov. 23, 2018 at 7:30 o’clock.
::::::::::::::::::
VOLLEYBALL
COUGS look to regroup for final week of regular season versus Oregon State, and
Washington.
From WSU
Sports Info
PULLMAN,
Wash. – The No. 18 ranked Washington State Cougars (19-9, 10-8 Pac-12) were
tripped up 3-1, Sunday afternoon Nov. 18, 2018, by the Bears of California in a
four-set match inside Bohler Gym.
Set scores
from the match were: 21-25, 25-21, 19-25, and 22-25 in favor of Cal (15-14,
7-11 Pac-12).
Washington
State and California traded small runs to open up this contest, as the Cougars
took an early 3-2 lead with a kill from McKenna Woodford, and an ace by Penny
Tusa. The Golden Bears answered back with a 4-0 scoring run of their own to
reclaim the advantage at 5-3 overall. Cal surged ahead midway through set
number one with a 7-1 run for the 15-12 lead, and added another 3-0 run against
WSU after the Cougars were able to notch two quick points courtesy of a Cal
service error, and an Ella Lajos kill. The Bears controlled the set late into
the action, as the Cougars found scoring from an additional Lajos kill, and a
service ace from Jocelyn Urias. However the Golden Bears sealed off set one
with an ace of their own for the 25-21 victory.
The second
set of play brought more of the same intense action, as Washington State found
some early separation with a 3-0 run featuring kills from Taylor Mims, and
Lajos. Mims also added a solo block to help fuel the Cougars in the start of
the second round. These two programs went on to trade points once again until
WSU pushed the lead out to 14-10 after another small run with multiple kills
from Mims. Washington State controlled the pace down the stretch in this set,
seeing the 25-21 victory through with kills from Mims, Urias, and Woodford.
The Golden
Bears countered in set number three with a 4-0 run to start off play, however
the Cougars were right there to answer with a 4-1 run of their own to tie up
the game at 5-5 overall. Claire Martin helped power WSU in the early stages of
set three with one kill, and a block assist. This set became a game of runs as
Cal, and the Cougars each found their stride for three or more points in a row,
as WSU closed in on the Bear lead at just 19-17 after kills from Mims, and
Lajos. California then sparked a 5-0 run to cap off the third set in their
favor at 25-19, and take a 2-1 overall match lead.
WSU came
out firing in set number four as back-to-back kills from Woodford, and Mims
made the early offensive statement. The Golden Bears cemented their lead in
this set however with three different scoring runs of 3-0 to hold down the
15-10 advantage. Despite coming as close as one point behind after a 3-0 Cougar
run, featuring an Ashley Brown ace, Washington State ultimately fell to
California in set four 25-22, and the Bears took the match at 3-1 overall.
STAT OF
THE MATCH
Taylor
Mims turn in a solid offensive stat sheet on the day with a team-high 17 kills
against the Bears. This was Mims' highest kill total since October 7 against
Arizona on the road when she totaled 17 kills as well.
NOTES
Both Lajos
and Woodford found themselves in double-digit kills with Ella totaling 12, and
McKenna recording 10.
Alexis
Dirige posted a match-high 20 digs, and added one service ace to her stat line
as well.
Ashley
Brown anchored the offensive game with 42 total assists, her 13th match this
season with 40 or more assists.
MARK YOUR
CALENDAR
The
Cougars will next take on the Beavers of Oregon State in a Pac-12 showdown
inside Bohler Gym, Wednesday, November 21 with first serve scheduled for 7 p.m.
PT.
::::::::::::::
WSU MEN’S
BASKETBALL information below from WSU Sports Info
COUGARS
RETURN HOME TO HOST CAL POLY: The Washington State University men’s basketball
team (1-1) returns to Beasley Coliseum to host Cal Poly (1-1) Monday, Nov. 19
at 6 p.m. at Beasley Coliseum.
((After
Cal Poly, the Cougs continue their three-game homestand hosting Delaware State
(Nov. 24) and CSUN (Nov. 27).))
• The Cal
Poly game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network as Barry Tompkins
(play-by-play) and Ben Braun (analyst) have the call.
• All
season long, Cougar basketball can be heard on the Cougar IMG Sports Radio
Network with the Voice of the Cougars, Matt Chazanow on the call.
• Live
stats are also available at www.wsucougars.com.
ABOUT THE
MUSTANGS:
• Cal Poly
is a member of the Big West Conference located in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
• Head
coach Joe Callero is in his 10th season with the Mustangs, with a 121-162
record at the school.
• The
Mustangs opened the season with an 82-75 victory over Menlo College, Nov. 7
before falling at Arizona, 82-61, Nov. 11.
•Senior
guard Donovan Fields leads the team averaging 18.0 points per game, including a
career-high 30 points against Menlo, Nov. 7.
COUGARS
VERSUS MUSTANGS; BIG WEST:
• Monday
marks just the second all-time meeting between Washington State and Cal Poly,
as the Cougars hold a 1-0 advantage in the series.
• The only
previous meeting occurred Feb. 10, 1976, an 87-61 WSU victory.
• Cal Poly
is joined in the Big West by UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa
Barbara, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawaii and Long Beach State.
• The
Cougars are 15-6 all-time against current members of the Big West, having
played Hawaii the most at 5-1.
• Most
recently WSU played UC Davis of the Big West, resulting in a loss, Dec. 2, 2017
at Beasley.
• WSU has
one other Big West school on its schedule as it hosts CSUN, Tuesday, Nov. 27 at
Beasley Coliseum.
RARE
MONDAY GAME:
• WSU
hosts Cal Poly on Monday, Nov. 19, a rare Monday night game for the Cougars.
• Over the
last five seasons, the Cougars have played just two games on a Monday, going 0-2.
• The last
time the Cougars played on a Monday was the 2016-17 season and the previous
time was 2014-15.
ABOUT THE
COUGARS:
• WSU is
1-1 after winning its season opener over Nicholls, 89-72, Nov. 11 and falling
at Seattle U, 78-69, Nov. 14.
• Senior
forward Robert Franks missed WSU’s game at Seattle U after putting up 31 points
against Nicholls in the opener.
• Junior
Isaiah Wade is averaging 12.5 points after putting up a double-double of 17
points and 10 rebounds at Seattle U in just his second game as a Cougar.
•
Washington State men’s basketball returns three starters, including three of
its four top scorers from the 2017-18 squad, as head coach Ernie Kent enters
his fifth season at the helm for the 2018-19 basketball season.
• Seniors
Robert Franks and Viont’e Daniels look to lead the team, which features seven
newcomers after putting up their best seasons in 2018-19, averaging 17.4 and
9.0 points, respectively.
• Franks’
big season was capped by being named the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player of the
Year, which led to him to declare for the NBA Draft, only to withdraw his name
prior to the deadline.
• Daniels
was second on the team with 71 made 3-pointers and he, along with Franks and
fellow-starter Carter Skaggs, combined for 206 of the team’s school-record 341
3-pointers in 2017-18.
• Senior
Davante Cooper, junior Jeff Pollard and redshirt sophomore Arinze Chidom also
return for Washington State in 2018-19.
• The
Cougars look to fill the void at point guard with two junior college transfers
in juniors Ahmed Ali and Jervae Robinson.
• Ali
joins WSU after putting up big numbers, most recently at Eastern Florida State
College, where he averaged 16.9 points and 4.8 assists per game in two seasons,
while shooting .426 (230-for-540) from 3-point range on route to earning NJCAA
Division I All-America second team honors as a sophomore.
• Robinson
comes to the Palouse from Otero Junior College.
• With
just six returnees for the Cougs, WSU is looking for immediate impacts from
several newcomers, including Iowa Western CC-transfer, Isaiah Wade, who was an
NJCAA All-America nominee as a sophomore after averaging 12.1 points and 9.5
rebounds per game.
• Freshman
and Washington-native, CJ Elleby also joins the Cougars after picking up
all-State honors each of his final three years at Cleveland HS in Seattle.
• Freshman
Aljaž Kunc and junior college transfers, sophomore Marvin Cannon and walk-on
junior James Streeter also join the 2018-19 squad.
FRANKS
NAMED TO JULIUS ERVING WATCH LIST:
• Senior
Robert Franks is one of five Pac-12 student-athletes named to the 20-member
2019 Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Watch List.
• The list
will be cut down to 10 in February and the five finalists will be narrowed down
in March, with the winner being announced April 12, 2019.
FRANKS AND
DANIELS EYE RECORD BOOKS:
• With 797
career points, Robert Franks needs just 203 points to become the 37th WSU men’s
basketball student-athlete to score 1,000-career points.
• Franks
scored 521 points by averaging 17.4 points per game as a junior...if he can
continue at that pace, he will finish with 1,287 points which would put him
16th on WSU’s all-time scoring list.
• Viont’e
Daniels has made 105 career 3-pointers which ranks 21st on WSU’s career
list...if he can repeat his 71 made 3-pointers from his junior campaign,
Daniels would finish his Cougar career with 172 3s, ranking ninth all-time.
COUGARS
SIGN TWO:
• Daron
(Duh-ron) Henson and Ryan Murphy each signed an NLI to join WSU men’s
basketball next season.
• Daron
Henson (6-7, 210, Small Forward, Pasadena, Calif./Salt Lake CC) is in his first
season with Salt Lake Community College after two seasons at Utah State. Henson
redshirted his freshman season in 2016-17 before appearing in 33 games,
including one start in 2017-18.
• He
averaged 4.3 points and 1.9 rebounds a game for the Aggies as a redshirt
freshman. • Four games into the 2018-19 season, Henson is averaging 14.0 points
while shooting .429 (1-for-42) from the field and adding 6.3 rebounds per game.
Henson will enter the WSU program as a redshirt junior.
• Ryan
Murphy (6-2, 190, Guard, Calabasas, Calif./New Mexico Junior College) is in his
first season at New Mexico Junior College where he’s averaging 17.2 points per
game in six games in the 2018-19 season.
• Murphy
transferred to NMJC from Charlotte where he redshirted as a freshman in
2016-17. He averaged 6.7 points per game in 19 games as a redshirt freshman in
2017-18 before an injury cut his season short at 19 games.
• He shot
.400 (32-for-80) from beyond the arc in 2017-18.
WASHINGTON STATE WINS SEASON OPENER:
• Led by a
double-double of 31 points and 11 rebounds from senior Robert Franks, WSU
defeated Nicholls, 89-72, in its season opener, Nov. 11 at Beasley Coliseum.
• Freshman
CJ Elleby added 12 points and 8 assists, while redshirt-sophomore Arinze Chidom
added 10 points and 4 steals.
• The
Cougars improved to 96-22 all-time in
season openers and 56-8 when opening the season at home.
• WSU has
won every season opener when opening at Beasley Coliseum and its last 23 season
openers at home.
• Its last
home loss in the first game of the season came Dec. 1, 1972 against Houston,
the final year the Cougars played in Bohler Gym.
• The
Cougars have won 29-consecutive Beasley Coliseum openers (not necessarily the
first game of the season, but the first at home), with their last loss coming
to BYU, Dec. 3, 1987.
COUGARS
ROLL IN EXHIBITION GAME:
• Eight of
WSU’s 13 players scored in double, including five newcomers, as Washington
State defeated New Hope Christian, 138-63, Nov. 4 in exhibition action at
Beasley Coliseum.
• Freshman
Aljaž Kunc led the way in scoring with 24 points, while his classmate and WSU’s
only other freshman had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
• Kunc was
10-for-11 from the field, as WSU shot at a .691 (56-for-81) clip from the field
as a team.
• Junior
college transfers, Jervae Robinson (16 points), Isaiah Wade (15) and Ahmed Ali
(15) also reached double figure scoring in their Cougar uniform debuts.
• The
Cougars assisted on 35 of their 56 baskets and had 41 points on NHCC’s 23
turnovers.
• WSU had
12 dunks on the night...last season in regular season action it had 28 dunks in
31 games.
KENT
ENTERS FIFTH YEAR:
• Veteran
head coach and former Fox Sports and Pac-12 Networks basketball analyst was
named the 18th head coach in WSU men’s basketball history, March 31, 2014.
• Kent
came to Pullman with a 325-254 (.561) mark as a head coach, having spent six
seasons at the helm for Saint Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., and 13 at Oregon.
• In his
13 years at Oregon, Kent compiled a 235-174 (.575) record and a 109-125 (.466)
conference mark.
• His 127
conference wins rank him 15th-best in Pac-12 history (including Pacific-8 and
Pacific-10 Conferences)....needing just five (132) to catch Howard Dallmar of
Stanford (1955-75) for 14th.
• His win,
Feb. 18, 2017, against Arizona State moved him out of a tie for 15th with
former UCLA coach Ben Howland.
• While at
Oregon, Kent led the Ducks to seven postseason appearances, including five NCAA
Tournament Appearances (2000, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008) as well as a Pac-10
regular-season (2002) and two conference tournament (2003, 2007) titles.
• Kent’s
first season with the Cougars wasn’t much different than his first with the
Ducks, as he led Oregon to a 13-14 overall record and 8-10 league mark as
Oregon finished sixth in the then-Pacific-10 Conference...he led WSU to a 13-18
overall record and 7-11 league mark.
• WSU’s 13
wins in his first season tied him for third-best in Washington State history
for wins by a men’s basketball coach in his first season…he’s tied with Kelvin
Sampson (1987-88) and Dick Bennett (2003-04), as both of those were also
improvements from the previous season.
• Kent has
378 career wins as a head coach.
MARRION
PROMOTED TO ASSISTANT COACH:
•
Fifth-year head coach, Ernie Kent, elevated Tim Marrion from coordinator of
operations to assistant coach for the 2018-19 season.
• Marrion
is currently in his third full-time stint with the WSU men’s basketball
program, as he returned to his alma mater in September of 2016 to assume the
role of coordinator of basketball operations.
• He
previously served on the WSU men’s basketball staff as the team’s director of
player development under then-head coach Ken Bone, during the 2013-14 season.
• Prior to
that, he was the coordinator of operations for Cougar basketball from spring of
2009 until the summer of 2012.
• Kenny
Tripp joined the staff as coordinator of operations after one year as an
assistant coach for Division II Metropolitan State University of Denver in
2017-18.
• Prior to
his stint with the Roadrunners, Tripp served as a graduate assistant for the
men’s basketball program at Division II Regis University at Denver, Colo., for
two years (2015-17).
NEXT UP:
• The
Cougars continue their three-game homestand hosting Delaware State (Nov. 24)
and CSUN (Nov. 27).
:::::::::::::
Pullman
businesses and fans energized by WSU football team’s meteoric rise
Sun., Nov.
18, 2018
By Thomas
Clouse and Kip Hill, Spokane Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN –
Hannah Wilson, a 20-year-old junior at Washington State, doesn’t typically go
to college football games. That’s about to change.
Wilson
purchased five WSU hats Friday at The Bookie. She bought them for herself, her
parents – who live in Bend, Oregon – and an aunt and uncle from Coeur d’Alene.
They’ll wear the hats at the family’s first-ever football game at the Apple Cup
this week.
“We bought
the tickets a while ago before we knew the team was going to be so successful,”
the genetics and biology major said. “We’re all excited. My dad is growing out
his mustache for the event. It’s really cool to see our team do well and people
come together with support.”
The No. 8
Cougars, who were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 North, will host
Washington on Friday with a chance to advance to the Pac-12 title game for the
first time. Led by graduate transfer Gardner Minshew and his magic mustache,
they’re reaching success levels rarely seen in program history.
Washington
State’s victory Saturday night against Arizona gave the Cougs their sixth
10-win season; Mike Price coached three of them. The first was his 1997 squad
that took on No. 1 Michigan and fell 21-16 to the Wolverines in WSU’s first
Rose Bowl appearance in 67 years.
“We are getting
back to the excitement like when we went to the Rose Bowl the first time,” said
Price, 72, who, along with his wife Joyce, owns a cabin on Lake Coeur d’Alene.
“But this one is going to have the magic. I really believe in this team.
“I love
their spirit and the character of the team. And the quarterback has been
superior.”
The
university has taken part in a hashtag campaign on Twitter in an effort to hype
Minshew’s Heisman Trophy potential. According to analytics tool Trendsmap, the
hashtags #GardnerMinshew and #Minshew4Heisman picked up steam Friday in Western
Washington even more than on the Palouse, with many of the tweets coming from
Seattle.
Minshew
took over a program that was hurting after the loss of quarterback Tyler
Hilinski, who took his own life Jan. 16.
Former
coach Jim Walden said no one could predict how the team would react.
“They were
fighting depression from losing a teammate they all loved,” Walden said. “It’s
almost like they are playing above their heads because of Hilinski. They seem
to be happy. No players are complaining about not getting the ball. It’s a
total team. That caught fire. It’s just been enjoyable for the entire Cougar
Nation.”
He
credited Minshew’s calm play for the turnaround.
“If we
hadn’t had Minshew, they may be fighting for their fourth or fifth win,” Walden
said. “I give Minshew that credit.”
Cougar
coffers
While fans
stream into Pullman to soak in the success at Martin Stadium, the feel-good
team of the Pac-12 North has pushed more donors to give to the program and has
provided a boost to local businesses.
Bill
Stevens, WSU’s associate director of athletics, said he expects to match last
season’s four sellout crowds for home games. In addition, the school has also
seen a 28 percent increase, year over year, to the Cougar Athletic Fund, the
fundraising arm of the university’s athletic program, Stevens said.
“We set a
record last year, and we’re tracking to top that,” he said. This despite news
that a controversial tweet by head coach Mike Leach might have led several
donors to cancel recurring contributions to the fund.
But it
might be weeks or months before the true effect of the Cougars’ strong
performance through November is felt by the university, officials said last
week. Admission applications aren’t due until the end of January for the
school, and ticket sales can be affected by other factors such as holidays,
which might have affected this weekend’s tilt with Arizona, as students had
already booked flights home for Thanksgiving.
“The challenge
is, there’s never sort of a one-to-one correlation for donations,” said Phil
Weiler, WSU’s vice president of marketing and communications.
The
GameDay effect
Outside
the university, there are indications the city of Pullman has been humming with
activity during a season that saw ESPN’s flagship college football program,
GameDay, broadcast in the predawn hours from campus Oct. 20 before a game
against Oregon.
“That was
a three-hour commercial for the city of Pullman,” said Marie Dymkoski, who has
been executive director of the city’s chamber of commerce for the past 11
years. “We couldn’t pay for that kind of publicity with all the money in
China.”
After Lee
Corso and the crew came to town, Dymkoski sent out an email to businesses in
town to determine what effect, if any, ESPN had on their business. Several
firms reported double-digit weekend sales, year-to-year, including apparel
store College Hill Custom Threads and Zeppoz, a bowling alley, bar and casino
on Bishop Boulevard.
Steven
Julian, 27, is the manager of the iconic pub The Coug. He had 100 people at his
bar at 6 a.m. on GameDay. Julian said he first came to WSU when the coach was
Paul Wulff, who won a total of nine games in four seasons before he was
replaced in 2012 by Leach.
“Before,
people would come for the weekend, not the game,” Julian said. “Now there is
excitement around the game itself.”
One of the
areas where a city like Pullman can feel the pinch with those large crowds is
overnight accommodations. Dymkoski said there are between 600 and 700 hotel
beds available in town, hardly enough to meet the demand of a stadium that
seats nearly 33,000 people.
“I think
this is an exceptional year,” she said. “No one wants to miss anything.”
Judy Crane
has operated Moscow-Pullman Bedfinders, a type of hyperlocal room-sharing
company that rents out guest rooms and empty bedrooms from homeowners in the
area, for the past four years. She described the week before GameDay came to
town as “like pandemonium.”
“We filled
to capacity on that weekend. I was almost begging for rooms,” Crane said.
Other
weekends aren’t so busy. Crane rents out about 15 rooms in Pullman, and said
those are usually full for home football games. It’s rare to fill rooms in
Pullman and surrounding towns, she said, but that’s what happened on Oregon
weekend.
Four
generations
Harold and
Sheila Brunstad, both 74, of Port Ludlow, walked through Ferdinand’s Ice Cream
Shoppe decked out in WSU gear, wolfing down ice cream cones.
Harold
Brunstad, who has the license plate “Coug1B,” said he remembers when the media
picked WSU to finish fifth in the Pac-12 North.
“It’s part
of being a Coug,” he said. “No respect.”
Harold’s
side of the family has had Cougar season tickets games dating back to the
1950s. He and his son played baseball for the Cougs and have four generations
who have watched the football team’s occasional success.
“I can
remember years when winning the Apple Cup was all it took to have a successful
year,” Sheila Brunstad said. “The GameDay exuberance was unbelievable. … It’s
so exciting.”
The
couple, who often take two days to travel to and from games, are exploring ways
to attend the Pac-12 Championship if WSU can beat Washington this week. A
victory in the Pac-12 title game would likely send the Cougars to the Rose Bowl
unless there’s a large shakeup among the teams ahead of them in the College
Football Playoff rankings.
“I don’t
care if we play Alabama for the national championship,” Sheila Brunstad said. “I
want to be in the Rose Bowl. That’s always the goal.”
:::::::::::::::
FOOTBALL
(Story
below edited)
Blowout in
Pullman: Arizona Wildcats fall to Washington State
By Michael
Lev Arizona Daily Star Nov 17, 2018
PULLMAN,
Wash. — Look at the bright side, Wildcats fans: Arizona still can qualify for a
bowl game with a win over rival Arizona State next week. Nothing that happened
Saturday night changes that.
But man,
what did happen Saturday night was alarming.
Arizona
lost to No. 8 Washington State 69-28 on frigid evening at Martin Stadium. The
Wildcats looked like they were still on their bye week in the first half, when
they allowed an astonishing 55 points — the most ever in a half by a UA
opponent. The previous record of 52 had stood since 1923.
The first
half was reminiscent of the opening halves against Houston and Utah earlier
this season. The Wildcats trailed the Cougars 31-0 at the break. They trailed
the Utes 28-0.
This
seemed worse, for a variety of reasons, and conjured memories of Arizona’s last
trip to Pullman — a 69-7 drubbing in November 2016.
At least
there’s an upside this time. That Arizona team was eliminated from bowl
contention that day. This one — which won two straight before the bye — still
has a chance.
The
Wildcats can square their record at 6-6 and earn a bowl berth with a win over
the Sun Devils. That wasn’t what Arizona was hoping for before the season, but
it wouldn’t be such a bad outcome after an 0-2 start.
The
Wildcats were eliminated from the Pac-12 South race earlier Saturday when Utah
defeated Colorado. The Utes clinched the division late Saturday, when Oregon
beat Arizona State.
The
Wildcats had insisted earlier in the week that the outcome of that game would
have no bearing on their performance in Pullman. But Arizona sure looked like
an uninspired club in the first half.
Washington
State rolled up 407 yards. Cougars quarterback Gardner Minshew II completed 28
of 33 passes for 311 yards and five touchdowns. Arizona’s defense was so
porous, WSU had only three third-down attempts. The Cougars had nine
possessions in the first half and scored touchdowns on eight of them.
The
Wildcats rarely pressured Minshew, struggled to cover WSU’s receivers,
committed a boatload of costly penalties and put the ball on the ground five
times.
The low
point: After the Cougars had expanded their lead to 34-14 in the second
quarter, Cedric Peterson was unable to field a short kickoff.
The ball
skidded past Peterson, got batted around and eventually was recovered in the
end zone by Washington State’s Kaiona Wilson for a touchdown.
On the
ensuing possession, on third-and-5, Khalil Tate bobbled a snap, retreated and
had to throw the ball away for a 25-yard intentional-grounding penalty.
With the
score 48-14, Arizona drove to the WSU 3-yard line. But Gary Brightwell,
fighting to cross the goal line, fumbled the ball into the end zone, where
Washington State’s Marcus Strong recovered it for a touchback.
The
Cougars took over at their 20 with 40 seconds left in the half. They needed only
two plays to go 80 yards and top the 50-point mark.
Minshew
hit Max Borghi for 30 yards and Tay Martin for 50, making it 55-14 with 10
seconds left in one of the worst halves in Arizona football history.
Arizona
played respectably in the third quarter, outscoring Washington State 14-0. Tate
threw a pair of touchdown passes, giving him four for the game. The second went
to Shawn Poindexter. It was the sixth straight reception for Poindexter that
resulted in a touchdown. He has eight in his past four games.
The fourth
quarter resembled the first two. Minshew threw two more touchdown passes,
giving him seven for the game, a Cougars record. WSU remains alive for the
College Football Playoff and will face Washington on Friday to decide the
Pac-12 North.
After the
wacky second-quarter kickoff that ended in a Cougars TD, Peterson fumbled the
ensuing kickoff. He recovered that one.
On the
next kickoff, Brightwell signaled for a fair catch. He might as well have waved
a white flag.
::::::::::::
Tony Bean
coordinated the $142.5 million effort to update Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport
runway
By ELAINE
WILLIAMS of the Lewiston Tribune Nov 18, 2018
PULLMAN —
Air Force One once landed at the Yellowstone Airport when Barack Obama was
president.
The remote
airport that Tony Bean managed turned into the temporary headquarters of the
free world, swarming with helicopters, motorcades and Secret Service agents.
Accommodating
a presidential entourage was exciting, but more than that, his work behind the scenes
prepared him for the challenges he has faced as executive director of the
Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport, Bean said.
When Bean
arrived in Pullman in 2011, the future of the airport was uncertain. Its runway
didn’t meet Federal Aviation Administration standards for the type of aircraft
that landed there and was operating under a temporary special set of rules.
Backed by
his board, Bean, who makes $125,000 a year, has procured about $131 million in
federal dollars to realign and extend the runway. A combination of public and
private money totaling $11.5 million from the airport and public and private
donors covered the remainder.
Passenger
numbers are climbing, and the airport is considering recruiting a second
carrier to supplement the Seattle service provided by Horizon Air, a subsidiary
of Alaska Airlines.
At
Yellowstone, he landed a small community air service development grant. A total
of 66 towns applied, and 16 were awarded.
“I didn’t
have money for a consultant, so I wrote it on my own,” Bean said.
He also
learned how to work for common goals with diverse partners.
Like the
Pullman transportation hub, the Yellowstone Airport served cities in two
states, West Yellowstone, Mont., and Island Park, Idaho. It was used heavily by
public officials in the U.S. Forest Service and National Park system.
That
experience taught Bean skills he needed to succeed at the Pullman airport,
which also has a number of stakeholders.
It draws
its passengers from the Moscow-Pullman area, where the University of Idaho,
Washington State University and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories are
located.
Business
Profile talked with Bean about passenger numbers, the runway project, a
proposed new terminal and being named Airport Executive of the Year by the
Northwest Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives.
Business
Profile: What is happening with passenger numbers at the Pullman Moscow
Regional Airport?
Tony Bean:
We’re doing well. We’re at about 85 percent full on inbound and outbound
flights to Seattle. More than 80 percent is what Alaska Airlines wants. In
September and October, we had close to 6,000 more passengers compared with the
same time last year. (Horizon withdrew from the Lewiston-Nez Perce Regional
Airport at the end of August, directing passengers to Pullman. Horizon had
flown to Boise and Seattle from Lewiston.) We had a total of 117,497 passengers
in 2017. Conservatively we expect to be at 125,000 in 2018.
BP: Your
$142.5 million project extends the runway from 6,730 feet to 7,100 feet as
landing instrumentation is added. The taxiway and runway will be 400 feet
apart, twice as far as they are now, the FAA standard for the size of the
aircraft that use it. The changes will allow pilots to land at lower
visibilities. How is that going?
TB: We’re
on schedule. The 19-inch gravel base work for the runway is down. So it
actually looks like a runway from the air. It doesn’t have markings or lights
or anything like that. We have to have a flight check with the FAA. It’s done
with an airplane filled with computers. It checks the approach procedure to
make sure everything is okay. If something is wrong, they will alert you, and
you change whatever you’ve got to change.
Next year
we’ll get pavement down and get lighting and an instrument landing system put
in. We open Oct. 10, 2019.
BP: What
entities provided the $11.5 million local match for the project?
TB: The
cities of Moscow and Pullman; Latah and Whitman counties; the Port of Whitman
County; the aeronautics divisions of the transportation departments in Idaho
and Washington; SEL; SEL’s founder and president and his wife, Edmund and
Beatriz Schweitzer; and passenger facility charges generated at the airport.
BP: Your
next proposed project is a new terminal that would open as early as 2023 on the
west end of the existing runway. The terminal is anticipated to cost as much as
$42 million with as much as $22 million coming from the FAA and the community
covering the remainder. What can you share about that?
TB: The
existing terminal we have is 8,800 square feet. We have 300 public parking
spaces. We have two gates and we have a counter that’s being used by Horizon
and another that’s occupied by the Transportation Security Administration and a
rental car company. The new terminal would be 50,000 square feet with 500
public parking spaces, three airline counters and at least four to five gates.
We are
considering configuring the security screening area so it can better handle
charter flights. A lot of the charter flights for UI and WSU teams have ended
up in Lewiston or Spokane because of the runway issues. Athletic departments
are like anyone else. They want to be as efficient as they can. If they can get
in here, they’re going to come here.
Much of it
will depend on what the public wants and is willing to pay for. The FAA covers
the public portions of the building, but not private areas such as
administrative offices or restaurant kitchens.
There’s a
lot of things we could do from the standpoint of making the travel experience
as comfortable and easy for the passenger as possible. Having the amenities the
public expects is a big part of that. Right now we have vending machines. We
don’t have amenities.
BP: What
will happen to the existing terminal?
TB: We
will use it for a purpose yet to be decided such as cargo, charter flights, an
aviation business or even customs. It’s something we see a need for. SEL, for
example, has to clear customs with its private flights in Spokane or
Bellingham. They can’t just come right back.
BP: Your
airport is exploring the possibility of seeking direct flights to Denver. What
data led you in that direction, and what is the time frame?
TB: Denver
is the destination where the greatest number of our passengers are going behind
Seattle, Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The first three are served well by
Horizon’s Seattle flights, and we don’t want to be taking anything away from
them. We don’t go east well. Denver connects to a whole bunch of destinations
we don’t already have. We will apply for a federal grant at the end of the year
and learn if we got it sometime in May. We would not start it before the new
runway is open.
BP: When
passengers in your service area use a different airport, where do they go?
TB:
Spokane by far is where most of our leakage is, and I would contend where
Lewiston’s leakage is too. If you want a direct flight, you go to Spokane.
BP: Why do
you believe you were named Airport Executive of the Year by the Northwest
Chapter of the American Association of Airport Executives?
TB: The
complexity of trying do a runway project like we’re doing. Just the sheer
ability of trying to manage this magnitude of a project with the diverse set of
partners that we have. It’s very difficult to do.
That award
reflects more on the airport board here and the partnerships that this region
has been able to build, sustain and improve over many, many years. This has
been going a lot longer than me.
Pullman
and Moscow are funny because it’s “coopetition.” They compete on some things,
but they cooperate where they need to, and it works out really well.
You can’t
win an award like that in our industry without having a lot of support, vision
and commitment from the community. I’m very, very lucky to work for the board
and the communities I work for. It’s easy as far as knowing what they want. I
don’t have to guess. I have to run through the hurdles and climb fences, but
that’s what I’m hired to do. I’m pretty good at figuring out how to do that.
But I don’t ever worry about do I have the support to do what they’re asking me
to do.
BP: You
earned a MBA even though you already had a degree in airport administration.
How does that help you?
TB: You
have to look at airports from the business context except your shareholder is
the public. The biggest thing we focus on here is not forgetting who the
shareholder is.
Bio Box
TONY BEAN
Title:
Executive director of the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport in Pullman
Age: 41
Education:
Completed high school in Townsend, Mont.; bachelor’s degree summa cum laude
from Southern Illinois University in aviation management and master’s degree in
business administration from the University of Idaho.
Job
history: Served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1995 through 2003, including a
six-month deployment in the Persian Gulf in 1998. Worked in aviation ground
support, equipment maintenance and cryogenics, the science of putting
compressed gases such as oxygen into tanks for pilots. Interned at airports in
Jacksonville, Fla., and Helena, Mont. Also was a screener for the
Transportation Security Administration in Helena. Became manager of the
Yellowstone Airport in 2006; Took job in Pullman in 2011.
Family:
Married to Tracie; three children, Veronica, 13; Cashlyn, 3; and Lachlan, 10
months.
Hobbies:
Hunting, fishing, gardening, cooking/canning and rock collecting.
:::::::::::::::
FOOTBALL
Stylish
win for Cougars
WSU's
Minshew sets school record with seven TDs passes in blowout of Arizona
By DALE
GRUMMERT of the Lewiston Trib Nov 18, 2018
PULLMAN -
All seven teams ahead of Washington State in the College Football Playoff
rankings won their games Saturday, by margins ranging from 11 to 39 points.
The
Cougars won by 41.
Give them
two style points, then, and a big boost to the "Flash the Stache"
Heisman Trophy campaign.
Gardner
Minshew set a school record with seven touchdown passes and the Cougars rolled
up 55 points in a bewildering first half Saturday night in a 69-28 romp over
Arizona.
The
Cougars, ranked eighth in both the Associated Press poll and the CFP rankings,
may not climb the pecking order this week in the race for the four national
playoff berths. But they did plenty of justice to their major-bowl ambitions
and Minshew's accelerating Heisman campaign on a brisk, calm evening before a
small but initially noisy crowd at Martin Stadium.
The
graduate-transfer quarterback, whose whimsical mustache has sparked a Wazzu fan
craze and provided a theme to his Heisman drive, completed 43 of 55 passes for
473 yards and no interceptions, snapping the WSU record of six TD passes shared
by Jason Gesser, Connor Halliday and Luke Falk.
"I
think in high school I had six one time, but I don't think I've ever had
seven," Minshew said. "That was pretty crazy tonight."
Tay Martin
ended a recent quiet spell with seven receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown
for the Cougars (10-1, 7-1), who avenged a lopsided loss at Arizona last year
and stirred memories of their 69-7 rout of the same school in Pullman two years
ago.
"I've
been in floodgate games both ways," WSU coach Mike Leach said. "We're
not that good - they're not that bad. But I do think all three sides of the
ball contributed to that first half."
Washington
also won Saturday, meaning the victor of the Apple Cup on Friday night in
Pullman will claim the Pac-12 North title and a berth in the conference
championship game. The Huskies whipped Oregon State 42-23 in a game that ended
long before the WSU-Arizona kickoff.
The
Cougars didn't need to beat Arizona to keep their league title hopes alive, but
they hardly looked unmotivated while extending their overall win streak to
seven games and their home skein to 13.
The
Wildcats (5-6, 4-4) got 294 passing yards from Khalil Tate and 69 rushing yards
from J.J. Taylor, but they lacked rhythm for much of the way and their defense
had no answer to Minshew and his deep supply of receivers.
In an
unbelievable first half, the Cougars shot to a 55-14 lead and scored on eight
of nine possessions, including the shortest "possession" possible as
Kainoa Wilson lunged for an end-zone fumble on a kickoff midway through the
second quarter.
The Cougs
rolled up 407 yards of offense that half as Minshew passed 28-for-33 for 311
yards and five touchdowns.
Two of
Wazzu's TDs came in the final four minutes before the break, with Minshew
hitting James Williams on a 9-yard swing pass and Martin on a 50-yard takeoff.
In between
those scores came one of several remarkable Arizona blunders as backup tailback
Gary Brightwell fumbled on a strip by Jahad Woods on the 1-yard line and WSU's
Marcus Strong recovered for a touchback.
Eons
earlier, Strong had made an acrobatic interception of a Tate heave to help
trigger the onslaught when the score was a meek 7-0.
Tate got
in a few licks during the half, but he also made a comical over-the-shoulder,
intentional-grounding toss as he scurried away from Karson Block and Nick Begg
near the goal line with the score 41-14.
Arizona 7
7 14 0 – 28
Washington
St. 21 34 0 14 - 69
First Quarter
WST-J.Williams
1 run (Mazza kick), 10:44
WST-Borghi
1 run (Mazza kick), 7:38
ARI-Poindexter
24 pass from Tate (Havrisik kick), 3:19
WST-C.Jackson
27 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), :19
Second
Quarter
WST-Patmon
11 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), 12:03
ARI-Ellison
37 pass from Tate (Havrisik kick), 10:43
WST-C.Jackson
6 pass from Minshew (kick failed), 7:08
WST-Wilson
0 fumble return (Mazza kick), 7:08
WST-J.Williams
9 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), 3:22
WST-Martin
50 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), :10
Third
Quarter
ARI-S.Brown
2 pass from Tate (Havrisik kick), 12:18
ARI-Poindexter
14 pass from Tate (Havrisik kick), 1:02
Fourth
Quarter
WST-Calvin
2 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), 12:37
WST-Winston
9 pass from Minshew (Mazza kick), 7:06
A-22,400.
ARI WST
First
downs 21 31
Rushes-yards
37-127 23-123
Passing
304 482
Comp-Att-Int
20-34-1 44-56-0
Return
Yards 66 61
Punts-Avg.
5-40.8 3-34.33
Fumbles-Lost
6-3 0-0
Penalties-Yards
7-75 3-35
Time of
Possession 26:19 33:41
INDIVIDUAL
STATISTICS
RUSHING-Arizona,
Taylor 20-69, Tate 8-25, Smith 5-24, Brightwell 3-15, Rodriguez 1-(minus 6).
Washington St., J.Williams 5-50, Borghi 8-50, Harrington 5-14, Minshew 4-6,
Markoff 1-3.
PASSING-Arizona,
Rodriguez 2-4-0-10, Tate 18-30-1-294. Washington St., Tinsley 1-1-0-9, Minshew
43-55-0-473.
RECEIVING-Arizona,
S.Brown 8-37, D.Cooper 3-97, Ellison 3-54, Peterson 2-39, Poindexter 2-38,
Wolma 1-30, Brightwell 1-9. Washington St., Martin 7-124, Borghi 6-65,
J.Williams 6-24, C.Jackson 5-85, Calvin 5-37, Sweet 4-36, Winston 3-39, R.Bell
3-13, T.Harris 2-41, Patmon 2-11, Harrington 1-7.
MISSED
FIELD GOALS-Washington St., Mazza 27.
:::::::
Football
COMMENTARY:
Cougars' first half one to remember
By STEPHAN
WIEBE Moscow Pullman Daily News Nov 18, 2018
PULLMAN -
During this wild Washington State football season, as unexpected as it's been
magical for the No 8 Cougs, one thing had been missing from the resume - a
quick start to a game.
A
mustached Heisman hopeful quarterback? Check.
ESPN's
College GameDay finally making a stop on the Palouse? Check.
Pulling
off incredible last-minute victories and surging in the national polls? Check,
check and check.
But
Washington State was more likely to pull everything together late in the fourth
quarter than run up big leads on its opponents early - until Saturday against
the hapless Arizona Wildcats.
Revenge
was sweet for WSU in its 69-28 victory, but more importantly, it marked the
first time the team flew up to a big lead from the get-go, and it came against
a 5-6 Arizona squad that smoked the Cougars 58-37 in Tucson last season.
"I
felt like we got in rhythm right there and when we do that I feel like we're
going to win a lot of games, put up a lot of points," said WSU quarterback
Gardner Minshew, who set a program record with seven touchdown passes, five
coming in the first half. "It was fun doing that, having everyone (on) the
same page for that first half."
In the
eyes of the College Football Playoff selection committee, as well as AP and
Coach's poll voters, style points matter. That's just how it is in college
football.
On
Saturday, Washington State was all style in the first half. Aside from when WSU
went up 27-0 against Oregon with a big second quarter, WSU has found most of
its success in the second half this season.
The
Cougars led 21-7 after the first quarter Saturday - the most points scored in
the first frame this season. And they led 55-14 at halftime - the most since
scoring 56 in the first half against Southwestern Louisiana in 1997.
Minshew passed
for 311 yards and five scores in the first half alone, "Last Chance
U" star and transfer wide receiver Calvin Jackson snagged his first
touchdown catch (and then another one), and the Cougars forced five fumbles
while on special teams Kainoa Wilson recovered a botched Arizona kickoff return
in the end zone for a touchdown.
But
perhaps the biggest style points came from wide receiver Tay Martin on a
50-yard touchdown catch-and-run that put WSU up 54-14 with 30 seconds left in
the half.
The
6-foot-3 sophomore leapt and steadied the ball with one hand before pulling it
in with two, shed a defender and trotted into the end zone holding the ball in
one hand and looking for Arizona defenders who were nowhere to be found.
"The
first two (quarters) were really good," WSU coach Mike Leach said. "I
will say this, I've been a part of some floodgate games on both sides. When the
flood gates open it's hard to stop.
"We're
not that good, they're not that bad. But I did think ... all three sides of the
ball were pretty good that first half."
The only
dampers on Washington State's win were the third quarter - when Arizona
outscored WSU 14-0 - and a scant crowd of 22,400. The smallish crowd can mostly
be attributed to students leaving town for Thanksgiving break, but still, it's
not the best look on ESPN, at least regarding style points.
(Props,
though, to the dozen or so shirtless fans along the 20-yard line who braved the
28-degree temperatures).
The last
test on Washington State's docket is the Apple Cup against Washington on Friday
at Martin Stadium. The game will determine the champion of the Pac-12 North and
go a long way in determining where the Cougars land in the postseason.
:::::::::::::::::::
Mark
Hilinski called Arizona's Tony Fields to assure no fault
By Dylan
Haugh Nov 17, Cougfan.com
SHORTLY
AFTER THE autopsy report on Washington State quarterback Tyler Hilinski was
made public and news spread that he suffered from stage 1 chronic traumatic
encephalopathy, Mark Hilinski knew he had to talk with Arizona linebacker Tony
Fields.
Sports
Illustrated noted in its June story about Hilinski’s autopsy that a hit last
season in the Arizona game had “rocked him.” And soon, video from the
head-to-head collision between Fields and a diving Hilinski at the goal line
was all over the internet and social media.
Fields —
who comes to Pullman today as the Wildcats’ No. 2 tackler with 73 stops — was
later asked about the hit by reporters. “… when I heard about the autopsy about
him it was sad because I feel like I was a part of that, it was very sad to
hear,” Fields said.
When Mark
Hilinski heard Fields’ comments and his heart ached.
“My sense
was when I read it, here’s a kid that was upset about something that he had
nothing to do with,” Mark Hilinski told Cougfan,com this week. “He’s out
playing the same sport we are and it’s a violent sport. That’s part of the deal
when you sign up.”
So Mark
called Fields to convey that message and give the linebacker closure that the
Hilinski family held no ill will of any kind.
“What I
told him and what I believe about our game is that if you’re not playing 100
percent, then you are going to get hurt … It wasn’t dirty, it wasn’t tricky. It
was just one guy trying to stop another from scoring and that’s your job — you
did it well and those are the things that happen,” said Hilinski
Hilinski
said Fields was grateful and he admired the young man’s heart.
“I
appreciated his awareness and sense of just giving a crap. I passed that along
to him and wanted him to know that we were 100 percent supportive of him and
football and that particular play and everything else.
“He’s just
a great kid … you don’t want anybody to feel badly when stuff like this happens
and you have no control over it,” Hilinski said.
WATCHING
THE COUGARS PLAY this season has been hard for the Hilinski’s. While they love
the players and the program, the games put the tragic loss of Tyler front and
center for them.
“Watching
college football has been a little different for us this year, and we want
nothing but success for the team and we’re very excited for the players and the
staff that cared about Tyler.
"Having
said all that, watching GameDay and celebrations and the changing of the guard
if you will, I won’t lie to you that’s hard. It’s sort of like watching your
wife get re-married after you die … watching the Cougs, I maybe don’t yell Go
Cougs as hard as I used to, it’s not because I don’t love them, it’s just
hard.”
Mark also
had a special message for Cougar Nation in regard to the love they’ve shown the
Hilinksi family and the Hilinski’s Hope Foundation.
“We just
couldn’t do this without the Cougs … the Coug Nation, the alums, the kids far
and wide. I mean, Kym is sending Hilinski’s Hope wrist bands to Japan, Germany
and Australia. It’s been amazing — we appreciate and love you guys. You really
gave and us the strength to really start this and continue to support us and
we’ll never forget it. The only hope and exchange that we can ask for is to not
forget about Tyler.”
:::::::::::::::
UPDATED:
Washington State climbs to No. 7 in AP, Coaches Polls!
By Barry
Bolton Cougfan.com
THE AP TOP
25 POLL released Sunday saw the Cougs
move up one spot after its 69-28 dismantling of Arizona.
Washington
State (10-1/7-1 Pac-12) is ranked No. 7 in the AP, one spot ahead of Central
Florida, and one spot behind Oklahoma.
In the Coaches Poll released earlier, WSU is
also ranked No. 7, having moved up two spots.
The last time Wazzu was 10-1? The
Rose Bowl season of 1997. In getting
that 10th win, Washington State may have secured at least a New Year's Six
bowl.
As ESPN's
Kyle Bonagura noted, if WSU beats the Huskies and the Utes in the Pac-12 title
game, it would go to the Rose Bowl if it isn't selected for the college
football playoff. If WSU loses either the Apple Cup or the Pac-12 championship
game, it would still only have two losses, and could very well wind up in
another NY6 bowl game, such as the Fiesta Bowl.
Coming on
the heels of its thrashing of Arizona, it is the highest ranking in the poll
for WSU since 2003 when the Cougs were slotted No. 6 in both polls.
The only
game left on the regular season schedule for the Cougars is the Apple Cup, at
home, vs. UW. Washington State plays
host to Washington on Black Friday, Nov. 23, at 5:30 pm on Fox.
Last
season the Cougars reached a high of No. 8 in the AP poll and No. 9 in the
Coaches poll -- though the high-water mark came earlier, in Week Six, after
defeating USC to improve to 6-0. The 2017 team finished the season 9-4 and out
of the top 25 rankings.
Every
Pac-12 team, other than WSU, has at least three losses and only two other
Pac-12 teams are in the top 25.
Washington is ranked No. 16 in both polls. The Huskies beat Oregon State
42-23 in Seattle on Saturday. Utah, whom
the Cougars beat this season, is ranked No. 17/18 in the Coaches and AP,
respectively, following its 30-7 win at Colorado. Combined with ASU's loss, the
win gave the Utes the Pac-12 South title.
There are
four undefeated teams in the nation (Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and UCF) and
five one-loss teams (WSU, Michigan, Georgia, Oklahoma and Ohio State).
Related:
Ya think? Leach says 55-point first "really good"
THE AP
POLL:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre
Dame
4.
Michigan
5. Georgia
6.
Oklahoma
7.
WASHINGTON STATE
8. Central
Florida
9. LSU
10. Ohio
State
11. Texas
12. West
Virginia
13.
Florida
14. Utah State
15. Penn
State
16.
Washington
17.
Kentucky
18. Utah
19.
Syracuse
20.
Northwestern
21. Boise
State
22.
Mississippi State
23. Army
24. Pitt
25. Iowa
State
THE
COACHES POLL:
1. Alabama
2. Clemson
3. Notre
Dame
4.
Michigan
5. Georgia
6.
Oklahoma
7. WASHINGTON
STATE
8. LSU
9. Central
Florida
10. Ohio
State
11. Texas
12. West
Virginia
13.
Florida
14. Penn
State
15. Utah
State
16.
Washington
17. Utah
18.
Kentucky
19.
Syracuse
20.
Mississippi State
21.
Northwestern
22. Boise
State
23. Fresno
State
24. Army
25.
Pittsburgh
NOTABLE
NOTE: The fourth set of the College Football Playoff Rankings come out on
Tuesday between 4-5 p.m. Pacific. WSU
last week was ranked No. 8 in the CFP.
:::::::::::::::
ESPN joins
the Minshew Mania bandwagon
By
COUGFANcom
ESPN DELIVERED
A 3 MINUTE and seven second national boost to the Heisman Trophy candidacy of
Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew today on College GameDay. In the
piece, Minshew shares his unconventional journey to WSU -- his fourth college
in five years -- and how his mustache is symbolic of the Cougars' squad.
"We
basically told him, 'do you want to be backup quarterback or do you want to
lead the nation in passing?' It was a pretty short sales pitch," Mike
Leach says in the piece about his phone call to Minshew encouraging him to
decommit from Alabama and head West.
"This
team, you know, really just kind of accepted me when I got in here ... (and)
Coach Leach has done a great job of just letting me be me," Minshew says.
Cougar
nickleback Dale Hunter talks about Minshew's lively spirit. "When you see
your quarterback having fun, then you're gonna start having fun ... his
personality brings out the best in the team."
Minshew
leads the nation in passing yards, is No. 5 in TD passes and No. 6 in total
points responsible for. Earlier this week, we ran a fun story on Minshew based
on interviews with his mom and dad and his offensive coordinator. You can find
the story here.
::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Washington
State climbs to highest 2018 ranking in Associated Press Top 25 poll
UPDATED:
Sun., Nov. 18, 2018, 11:25 a.m.
By Theo
Lawson Spokane S-R
PULLMAN –
Friday’s Apple Cup will be a clash of the country’s seventh and 16th-ranked
college football teams.
A day
after dispatching Arizona 69-28 at Martin Stadium, Washington State (10-1, 7-1)
moved up one spot to No. 7 in the newest edition of the Associated Press Top 25
rankings. It’s the highest AP ranking of the season for the Cougars.
Washington
(8-3, 7-2) routed Oregon State 42-23 in Seattle Saturday and moved up one spot
to No. 16 in the rankings.
The
Cougars and Huskies, who respectively are No. 8 and No. 18 in the College
Football Playoff rankings, will meet in the 111th Apple Cup on Friday in
Pullman. Kickoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on FOX.
The Huskies have won five in a row in the rivalry series.
It’ll be
the third consecutive season the winner of the annual rivalry game decides
which team will represent the Pac-12 North against Utah at the conference
championship game on Nov. 30 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Utah was
the only other Pac-12 team to appear in Sunday’s edition of the Top 25
rankings. The Utes clinched the South division title on Saturday by beating
Colorado 30-7 and by virtue of Oregon’s win over Arizona State. They jumped
three places from No. 21 to No. 18.
In the
Amway Coaches’ Poll, the Cougars moved up two places to No. 7 – their highest
ranking of the year. The Huskies jumped one place to No. 16 and the Utes moved
up two spots to No. 17.
The top
six of the AP Top 25 went unchanged on Sunday. Alabama still sits at No. 1,
followed by Clemson, Notre Dame, Michigan, Georgia and Oklahoma. Right behind
WSU at No. 7 are No. 8 UCF, No. 9 LSU and No. 10 Ohio State.
::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Seventh
heaven: Washington State thumps Arizona behind Gardner Minshew’s
record-breaking seven TD passes
UPDATED:
Sun., Nov. 18, 2018, 1:50 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of the S-R of Spokane
➤Apple Cup
Friday,
Nov. 23: Washington Huskies at Washington State Cougars, 5:30 p.m. PST TV: Fox
PULLMAN –
It’s been a season of milestones for Washington State in 2018, and the Cougars
were eyeballing another one Saturday evening, trying to become sixth team in
program history to nail down 10 wins in a single season and the first one to do
it since 2003.
The
visiting Arizona Wildcats were never going to interfere with school history on
a frosty night in Pullman, and in many cases actually helped No. 8 WSU reach
the 10-win plateau at Martin Stadium. In a 69-28 blowout, the Cougars got that
record and also broached a number of others they probably didn’t count on.
It’s
meaningful for WSU – if only for a moment – because in six days’ time the
Cougars (10-1, 7-1) will play their rival, the Washington Huskies (8-3, 6-2),
in Pullman for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. The Apple Cup will be
what determines the North’s representative for the third consecutive season.
Utah clinched the Pac-12 South by beating Colorado Saturday.
“We’re
excited about it,” WSU coach Mike Leach said of Saturday’s feat against
Arizona. “We’re excited about it for tonight, then tomorrow bright and early –
and earlier than usual – you get in there and start preparing for the next one
since we play on Friday.”
But until
the clock struck midnight Saturday – officially signifying the start of Apple
Cup week – the Cougars could revel in their record-breaking night. There was
plenty to revel in.
“It’s a
good deal and I think it’s great for the school,” Leach said, “and really a
credit to our guys and our locker room as far as really pulling together and
playing together and doing all those things as a team where everybody does
something that helps the team and kind of elevates the whole group.”
Had it not
been for a fumbled snap on a PAT in the second quarter, WSU would’ve matched
the most points scored in a single half in program history. Instead, the
Cougars settled for a 55-14 halftime lead – one point shy of the 56 they scored
in 1997 against Southwestern Louisiana.
No bother,
there were records to be had elsewhere.
Quarterback
Gardner Minshew continued to polish his Heisman Trophy resume, completing
43-of-55 passes for 473 yards and a school-record seven touchdowns. Two of
Leach’s other Air Raid quarterbacks – Luke Falk and Connor Halliday – have
thrown six, but neither ever hit magic No. 7.
Minshew
couldn’t recall a more productive day in his individual career, either.
“I think
in high school I got six one time,” he said, “but I don’t think I’ve ever done
seven. That was pretty crazy tonight.”
Minshew
spread the ball around as effectively as he has this season, hitting 11
different receivers and eight of those at least three times. Six players caught
touchdowns from the East Carolina graduate transfer Saturday.
In order,
they were: Calvin Jackson Jr., Dezmon Patmon, James Williams, Tay Martin,
Jamire Calvin and Easop Winston.
“We’re two
deep at every position right there, X, H, Y, Z, running back,” Minshew said.
“And I’ve got complete trust in any of those guys and it paid off tonight.”
Jackson
Jr., the transfer from Independence Community College, caught his first and
second touchdown passes in a WSU uniform and finished with five receptions for
85 yards, while Martin led the crew with seven catches for 124 yards and one
touchdown.
The
Cougars’ multi-purpose running backs also had a hand in making this the
highest-scoring game of the Leach era (it matched WSU’s 69-point outing against
Arizona two years ago). Williams had one touchdown rushing and another
receiving to bring his season total to 14, while Max Borghi rushed for 50
yards, caught for 65 more and rushed for a touchdown in the first quarter.
The
Cougars didn’t need a ton of help on a night in which their offense generated
605 yards. The offensive line bought Minshew eons of time in the pocket and
opened up running lanes for the tailbacks, who finished with 111 yards and 5.8
yards per carry.
“We
thought, based on how we had played recently, that we could get to them,” UA
coach Kevin Sumlin said. “We could not; just like everybody else has all year,
has not been able to get to them.”
The
Wildcats (5-6, 4-4 Pac-12) constantly stubbed their toe, too, committing six
first-half penalties for 72 yards. They also gave up four turnovers.
“Against a
team that can score points like that, possessions are critical,” Sumlin said.
“You’ve taken away your own possessions and given them at least three or four
more with turnovers.”
The
Cougars were already leading comfortably, 14-0, when the Wildcats finally got
first-down yardage on their third offensive possession. Williams had scored
WSU’s first touchdown on a 1-yard run and the Cougars got the ball back in
quick succession when cornerback Marcus Strong made an impressive play while
backpedaling to intercept Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate.
WSU also
scored two touchdowns in a span of four seconds in the second quarter. After
Minshew fired to Jackson Jr. to make it 41-14, the Cougars recovered Jack
Crane’s ensuing kickoff, which rolled into the end zone after two players
attempted to corral it.
Kainoa
Wilson eventually pounced on the ball for the special teams TD to make it
41-14.
“I’ve just
got to make the play,” Wilson said, “but I credit coach and credit my
teammates, we all complement each other.”
:::::::::::::::::::::::
WSU
FOOTBALL
Washington
State’s fast start helped by a (Marcus) Strong opening statement
UPDATED:
Sun., Nov. 18, 2018, 9:25 a.m.
Spokesman-Review
///By Thomas Clouse
The final
score said it all, but the rout Saturday by No. 8 Washington State over Arizona
started with a nifty defensive play by a cornerback who raced back, got his
hands on the ball and made a play.
The
Cougars (10-1 overall, 7-1 Pac-12) had just taken a 7-0 lead Saturday after
running back James Williams plunged in from the 1. The Wildcats (5-6, 4-4),
behind quarterback Khalil Tate, faced a third-and-12 when Tate heaved a pass.
Washington
State’s Marcus Strong zeroed in on the ball and snatched it out of the air. The
turnover allowed Gardner Minshew and company to drive down to give the Cougars
a 14-point lead midway through the first quarter en route to the 69-28
thrashing of Arizona.
“That was
huge,” Minshew said of the Strong interception. “We felt like we had created
some momentum there. And then to be able to get the ball back so quick just
helped us stay in rhythm.
“Any time
our defense forces those, we feel like we owe it to them to go out and score.”
Coach Mike
Leach credited Strong, who had two of the team’s four turnovers, for helping
contain Arizona’s Tate and running back J.J. Taylor, who was held to only 24
yards rushing on the night.
“Marcus
Strong did a pretty good job. He hustled around, ran hard to the ball and
continues to get better,” Leach said.
Strong, a
5-foot-9, 185-pound junior cornerback, credited going against players like Easop
Winston, Tay Martin, Dez Patmon and Jamire Calvin in practice every day to
prepare him for Pac-12 opponents.
“It’s
pretty exciting anytime you can do something to change the game like that,” he
said of his interception.
Then later
in the second quarter, Arizona was driving and had the ball on the Washington
State 3-yard line. On third down, running back Gary Brightwell got stripped by
WSU’s Jahad Woods and the ball squirted into the end zone.
Woods
“punched it out. I got off my block and I ran over and I got on the ball,”
Strong said. “It wouldn’t have happened without Jahad. But, it was pretty cool
to get on the ball twice in one game.”
Two plays
after Strong recovered that fumble, Minshew hit Tay Martin on a 50-yard
touchdown to make the score 55-14.
But the
most bizarre play of night came on a kickoff.
Just four
seconds after Minshew hit Calvin Jackson, Jr., for a 6-yard touchdown pass to
give the Cougars a 35-14 lead over Arizona, WSU’s Jack Crane lined up to kick
it off.
Crane’s
kick sent the ball high and short, which Leach later said was by design. But it
hit the turf and tumbled toward the end zone. Patmon tried to corral the ball
and failed before backup receiver Kainoa Wilson secured the ball for a
touchdown.
“We wanted
to pop it up and hope that we could get them inside the 25,” Leach said.
Asked if
he’s ever seen a kickoff react like that, he said “maybe not one that rolled
that far backwards as dramatically.
“I’ve got
to be honest. Funny stuff happens on those kickoffs,” he said. “Yeah, it was a
good play. It was a pleasant surprise that it went our direction.”
Wilson
said he was just running downfield when he saw the ball skip off the turf and
tumble towards the end zone.
“A couple
guys started to jump on it and I saw it squirt out and my eyes got big,” Wilson
said. “So, I just ran to it and tried to jump on it.”
:::::::::::::::
The
Cougars' 69-28 thrashing of Arizona wasn't a message so much as a declaration:
"Hey, Huskies — we're not the same old Cougs."
By Matt
Calkins
Seattle
Times columnist
PULLMAN —
It was 28 degrees at kickoff Saturday, but that didn’t stop the majority of
Cougs from warming up shirtless. You can’t help but think this intimidated the
Arizona Wildcats, whose home town of Tucson has had highs of 75 all week.
But this
sort of thing won’t work on Washington players, who endure their own frigid
conditions this time of year. So Washington State used another intimidation
tactic for the Huskies — they scored 69 points to beat Arizona by 41 points,
69-28.
Yeah, if I
were a UW fan, my nerves would have just tripled in population. I’d be having
nightmares of mustaches and wilting roses.
What's at
stake in this year's Apple Cup?
The Cougs
should have to serve time after the beating they put on Arizona. Those weren’t
just fans in the Martin Stadium stands, they were potential eyewitnesses.
Thirty
minutes into WSU’s 10th victory of the season, it led Arizona 55-14. In the
first two quarters alone, its instantly iconic quarterback, Gardner Minshew,
completed 28 of 33 passes for 311 yards and five touchdowns. That first half
also included 97 rushing yards on 11 carries by the Cougars.
No doubt
the Wildcats committed some unforced errors. A fumbled kickoff that the Cougs
ended up recovering in the end zone put them up 41-14, as they scored 14 points
in four seconds. And a muffed punt in the second half set up WSU’s penultimate
touchdown. But that stuff was inconsequential. The fact is, if Wazzu’s offense
was on the field, “touchdoooooooooooown Cougs!” blaring over the intercom was
imminent.
Washington
State (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12) opened the game with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown
drive that took less than five minutes. It followed with a six-play, 53-yard TD
drive that took less than two minutes.
The Cougs’
third possession ended in a foreign concept known as a punt, but that wouldn’t
happen again for the rest of the half.
Whether it
was Minshew to Calvin Jackson from the 27, Minshew to Dezmon Patmon from the
11, or Minshew to James Williams from the 9, WSU kept putting the officials’
arms in the air. And because Wazzu scored 48 first-half points the last time
Arizona came to Pullman, it capped the second quarter with a two-play 80-yard
touchdown drive to make it 55.
WSU’s
record for points in a half, by the way, is 56 — which came against
Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana Lafayette) in 1997. But to fall one point
short of that against a Pac-12 team that came into the game with a 4-3
conference record, a two-game winning streak and a recent 29-point victory over
Oregon?
That
wasn’t a message so much as a declaration: “Hey, Huskies — we’re not the same
old Cougs.”
Whether
that will remain true on Friday night remains to be seen. But the Huskies, who
have won the past five Apple Cups, have never faced anyone like Minshew during
that stretch.
Just when
you think his stock can’t get higher, it spikes another 50 stories high. The
guy came into the game with 3,852 passing yards, which was 438 more than anyone
else in the country. He added 473 yards Saturday, completing 43 of his 55
passes while throwing a school-record seven touchdown passes. He might have had
eight had Tay Martin been able to reel in a ball that hit his hands in the end
zone, but that’s irrelevant.
Washington
State is the No. 8 team in the country according to the College Football
Playoff Committee, and seems hellbent on moving up.
Before the
game, I was talking to a writer about the Apple Cup and told him that until the
Cougs actually beat the Huskies, I have to pick Washington every time. I don’t
know anymore.
This team
feels different. This team feels special.
No doubt
Wazzu fans stayed up all night celebrating. Washington fans might have stayed
up all night sweating.
:::::::
The Good,
Bad and Ugly of WSU’s Arizona beatdown
That was a
stress-free game!
By PJ
Kendall
Coug
Center
Nov 18, 2018, 6:00am PST
Good
Morning. Ok, I have done exactly zero research on this, but I’m just gonna
throw out there the idea that this WSU-Arizona matchup has had the greatest
three year scoring differential in college football history.
To boot -
In 2016, WSU absolutely curb-stomped Arizona, scoring nine touchdowns enroute
to a 69-7 win. In 2017, WSU got caught up in Khalil Tate’s path of destruction.
That, coupled with approximately 65 WSU turnovers resulted in a 58-37 Wildcat
win.
On
Saturday, we saw the next chapter in this high-scoring series. Turns out there
was only one team who scored a ton of points, and it was our beloved Cougars,
who found the endzone 10(!!!) different times. It was a great opportunity to
#Drop70, but the place kicker and his center/holder combo inexplicably didn’t
let that happen. Anyway, that amounts to a WSU 62-point win, followed by an
Arizona 21-point win, followed by a WSU 41-point win. College football has a
looooooong history, but you’d probably be hard-pressed to hunt down a
three-year set of results that differed to that degree.
Thankfully,
the Washington State Cougars have been on the right side of the two biggest
blowouts, while the Arizona Wildcats have to be hoping that they never ever
ever see Pullman again. As much as I love Pullman, who can blame them?
The Good
When
you’re the decided favorite, establishing yourself as such early on is
important. WSU did exactly that with the first drive.
James
Williams continues to make defenders look hapless and I am here for all of it.
Great
one-handed play by Marcus Strong to get the ball right back for WSU.
I don’t
know how they did it, but credit goes to the WSU equipment team for somehow
magnetizing the facemasks. Arizona’s hands couldn’t stay away from them.
Do Arizona
defenders get partial credit for scoring when Boobie and Max Borghi carry them
into the endzone?
The Cougs
did a great job to answer Arizona’s first touchdown with a touchdown of their
own, and squash any doubt that may have been creeping in.
Congratulations
to Calvin Jackson Jr. on his first (and later, second) touchdowns as a Cougar.
To be
honest I was more impressed with Jackson’s sock/tape combo.
Great play
fake on the Dezmon Patmon touchdown pass.
My god
that WSU kickoff that became a WSU touchdown was all kinds of hilarious.
Technically, WSU scored two touchdowns in one second. I’ll go ahead and say
that’s a record of some sort.
Credit
goes to Kainoa Wilson for securing the ball after a couple other guys couldn’t.
First career touchdown for Mr. Wilson!
Minshew’s
ability to move in the pocket and keep his eyes downfield is uncanny.
Happy
Birthday to Max Borghi. Though I wonder, which teammate bought you that turf
monster?
Follow-up
question: Has the WSU Track coach contacted you regarding a spot on the hurdle
team?
Incredible
strip by Jahad Woods with Arizona threatening to score near the end of the
first half. That’s two straight games where Woods just stole the ball from a
running back. Part of me is very glad there wasn’t a good angle because the
ball may have been across the goal line. Oh well! Woods then pounced on another
fumble later on. Jahad has a nose for the ball.
Not a bad
ensuing drive, Cougs. Two plays. 80 yards. First half double nickel.
The
halftime spot with the ESPN reporter was vintage Leach, and was also perfect.
WSU had 96
rushing yards to Arizona’s 57. At halftime.
Gardner
Minshew II threw 33 passes in the first half. His incompletions equaled his
touchdowns. I wonder if that’s good enough for the ignoramuses at the Pac-12
office to give him the Player of the Week award.
Welcome
back, Davontavean Martin!
But
seriously that catch he made, in which the ball went from hands to legs back to
hands was a marvel. I should also add that his facemask was pulled by the
Arizona defender (not called) while he was making said catch.
Speaking
of great catches, hell of an effort by Calvin Jackson Jr. to go up and steal
that pass from the Arizona defensive back.
The
defense didn’t have a spectacular game, but they did a good job of making
Khalil Tate uncomfortable enough to induce a fair amount of mistakes.
Watching
Keith Harrington get the ball a few times made me happy.
WSU ran 79
plays. 39 percent of those plays resulted in either first downs or touchdowns.
10 WSU
players had multiple receptions.
Eight
tackles for loss Saturday. That’s not bad!
I got an
instant stomach ache when Logan Tago was laying on the field. Luckily he was
fine, and came back into the game.
J.J.
Taylor, who eviscerated WSU last season, averaged 3.5 yards on 20 carries. As a
team, Arizona averaged 3.4. WSU’s run defense continues to impress.
WSU
averaged 8.6 yards-per-attempt and 7.7 yards-per-play. That’ll do, donkey.
That’ll do.
On a
personal note, the old DVR gets put in this category. Given all the stops for
penalties and reviews, it was nice to speed through that game in far less time
than the nearly 3.5 hours of actual time.
10 wins in
11 games for the first time in over 20 years. As many words as I’ve written
this season, there really are no words to describe what incredible run this has
been.
The Bad
(yep, there was a surprising amount to put here, despite the score)
Before we
get to WSU, let’s make fun of Arizona. Kevin Sumlin is who he is, and the lack
of discipline shown by his players is a direct reflection on their coach.
Speaking of
Sumlin, I’m still trying to figure out what’s in his head. His team trailed
55-21, and faced 4th-and-six at the WSU 44. Seems like a great spot to go for a
first down. Sumlin...punted. White flags for all of my friends!
Arizona
has a position on defense called “Stud.” Might be time to rethink that one,
Marcel, after giving up a verified f***ton of points.
Ok, on to
the Cougars - Once again, the kicking team couldn’t execute simple plays.
First, it was yet another botched PAT. Then Blake Mazza missed another chip
shot. Kicking game failures were a principle reason that WSU suffered its only
loss, and if WSU is in another close game, chances are that the kicking game
will cost them dearly, again.
Turd
quarter. Yuck. Though to be fair, I’m sure it isn’t easy to come out with the
proper amount of motivation if you’re up 41 at halftime.
If Minshew
has one bugaboo, it’s the screen passes. He is consistently inaccurate on a
play that requires absolute precision to work.
In the
“Further proof that nobody knows what targeting is” category, I present Arizona
safety Scottie Young Jr. He launched himself into Max Borghi in the second
quarter, hitting Borghi in the jaw with the crown of his helmet. For reasons I
will never understand, #Pac12refs thought it was a legal hit. Mr. Young Jr.
couldn’t stand for that, so he DECIDED TO DO THE SAME EXACT THING TO MAX BORGHI
AGAIN IN THE 4TH QUARTER IN NEARLY THE EXACT SAME SPOT ON THE FIELD. This time
those rubes in the replay booth threw him out.
I’m sure
Darrien Molton is a nice guy, but he is not a good defensive back.
That said,
both pass interference calls on Molton were borderline-to-terrible. He didn’t
interfere on the first one, and Shawn Poindexter literally pushed him to the
ground on the touchdown pass, yet #Pac12refs called Molton for PI. That is 100%
due to his reputation, and it’s obvious that the flag was a result of what the
ref thought he saw, and not what he actually saw.
These
defensive backs, man. Way too many instances where Arizona receivers were
running free.
Jamire
Calvin, I’m really happy that you caught a touchdown pass, but please stop
dropping the ball.
On a
personal note, I was nearly beside myself when WSU wasn’t calling timeout after
the Borghi catch/hurdle. So of course they proved me right by...throwing a
50-yard touchdown pass. NEVERMIND!
The Ugly
Incredibly
unlikely to have anything in this category after a 41-point win, but there is
one. If you are someone who is still going after Megan Coghlan for something
she wrote five years ago, when she was in college (hell, even if you went after
her back then), you really need to take a step back and evaluate what got you
to this point in your life. And if you think you’re some sort of tough guy (or
gal) by continuing to act all tough on your keyboard, I can assure you that
you’re the opposite.
So now the
Cougars are on to the Apple Cup where, for the third year in a row, they can
clinch a spot on the Pac-12 Championship game with a victory over Washington. I
don’t need to remind you how that’s gone prior to this season. Is this year
different? Of course. Will that matter? We can only hope.
Football
I usually
link Jon Wilner’s Saturday reaction column, but I just can’t do it anymore.
I’ve lost an immeasurable amount of respect for Jon over the last six weeks or
so, especially due to his refusal to come off the nonsensical position that the
CFP would select an unbeaten UCF over one-loss, conference champ WSU. He
pitched this position to Stewart Mandel, who quickly stomped all over it, but
that hasn’t stopped Jon from shouting into the darkness. I don’t even mind the
fact that he’s picking Washington to beat WSU, because that’s totally
reasonable given the recent series history. Nonetheless, Jon continues to let
his preconceived notions get in the way of his objectivity. And that’s a shame,
because he used to be a dependable reporter.
