WSU FOOTBALL
Washington State helmets feature ‘Wazzu’ nickname for first time
Oct. 27, 2022 Updated Thu., Oct. 27, 2022 at 8:46 p.m.
By Colton Clark S-R
PULLMAN – Washington State’s football team is embracing a moniker that has long been used by fans as an unofficial school nickname.
The Cougs on Thursday debuted new helmet decals, featuring “Wazzu” in script lettering on the sides of the crimson lids. It’s believed to be the first time in program history that WSU’s uniforms will incorporate the term “Wazzu.”
Throughout the week, WSU’s media department had been teasing some sort of surprise regarding the Cougs’ uniforms for their Pac-12 matchup against Utah. On Thursday morning, WSU revealed its new-look helmets via social media. The reception from fans was overwhelmingly positive, though some traditionalists weren’t impressed.
WSU’s helmets are usually decorated with the growling Cougar logo, which is widely recognized as one of the most creative designs in college football. The team used a “Cougars” script logo on gray and crimson helmets in decades past.
Former school president V. Lane Rawlins called for WSU to ditch the “Wazzu” nickname in 2002 “on the grounds it is vaguely derogatory and plays to the perception that WSU is a place where booze trumps books,” according to an Associated Press article. But the Cougar faithful had already latched on to the moniker, which they have used for over half a century as a term of endearment.
Now, “Wazzu” is more of an official nickname than an informal one. First-year Cougs coach Jake Dickert leaned into it this offseason, coining a catch-all tagline for his rebuilt program: “New Wazzu.” The Cougs’ coaching staff broke out gray hoodies with the “Wazzu” logo across the chest.
The Utes’ helmets honored fallen teammates Ty Jordan and Aaron Lowe, featuring hand-painted portraits of the players. Jordan, a star running back, died in December 2020 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound that was ruled accidental. Lowe was killed on Sept. 26, 2021, in a shooting in Salt Lake City just hours after the Utes defeated Washington State.
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Utah Rising to the occasion
No. 14 Utes defeat WSU without standout quarterback
· Oct 28, 2022 by Stephan Wiebe, Lewiston Trib
PULLMAN — “Pac-12 after dark” often is full of surprises, but nobody expected the one the Utes unveiled Thursday at Gesa Field.
With star quarterback Cameron Rising on the sideline in a yellow pinny and headset, No. 14 Utah rode a backup quarterback and hard-nosed rushing attack to a 21-17 football victory against Washington State.
The Cougars (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) couldn’t capitalize on the absence of Utah’s best player and dropped their third straight game. The Utes improved to 6-2 and 4-1.
“I’m proud of (our) effort, but really playing just good enough not to really, really find a win that one,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said.
A walk-on steps up for Utes
Sophomore quarterback Bryson Barnes had attempted just six passes on the season heading into the game.
But the backup, pardon the pun, “rose” to the occasion without starter Rising in the mix.
Barnes went 17-of-27 passing for 175 yards and one touchdown and rushed for another 51 yards.
In his biggest drive of the contest, Barnes scampered up the middle for 28 yards, hit receiver Jaylen Dixon for 27 yards on a huge third-and-16 and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Dalton Kincaid.
Those three big plays led to a 21-7 Utah lead late in the third quarter.
Barnes was helped by a steady rushing attack that piled up 169 yards, led by another backup, Jaylon Glover, with 76 yards and one touchdown.
Pivotal reviews go against WSU
“Boos” rained down on Gesa Field for much of the game, and no, not the Halloween kind.
On two occasions, pivotal reviews went against the Cougs to the dismay of the hometown fans.
On Utah’s go-ahead drive late in the second, the Utes were about to kick a field goal when officials called for a review of a huge tackle for loss by WSU edge Brennan Jackson on the previous play.
Jackson made contact with his helmet to the head of Utah running back Ja’Quinden Jackson, but no flag was thrown during the play.
After the review, Brennan Jackson was called for targeting and WSU’s best pass rusher was ejected from the game.
The call also gave the Utes another chance for a touchdown at the 1-yard line, which they converted with just 20 seconds left in the half for a 14-7 halftime advantage.
Later on, a WSU fourth-down completion to Robert Ferrel was measured and ruled a first down by a couple inches. Then, the officials overturned the spot and gave the ball to Utah on a turnover on downs.
“I think in the ebbs and flows of every football game, there’s a lot of adversity you gotta deal with,” Dickert said. “I think it’s one of the biggest things we try to train our guys to overcome and attack it. … I thought our guys did a good job tonight of responding to some of that stuff — overturning calls and replays and all that — but you just gotta keep responding and keep working.”
Key players out, injured for both sides
WSU already was missing starting running back Nakia Watson and receiver Renard Bell going in.
Against the Utes, the Cougs lost safety Jordan Lee for the second time this season as well as new starting running back Jaylen Jenkins to injuries.
With running back Kannon Katzer leaving the program, that left playing time to former walk-on and fourth-stringer Dylan Paine for most of the game.
Paine, a redshirt freshman from Tumwater, Wash., was admirable in pass protection and finished with 10 rushing yards and three catches for 29 yards.
Utah was missing Rising and starting running back Tavion Thomas.
“At some point, everyone is banged up and you have to look at who’s going to win and they won the football game,” Dickert said.
Utah 0 14 7 0 — 21Washington St. 0 7 0 10 — 17
Second Quarter
WSU: Stribling 29 pass from C.Ward (Janikowski kick), 13:24.
UTAH: J.Jackson 6 run (Redding kick), 9:23.
UTAH: Glover 1 run (Redding kick), :49.
Third Quarter
UTAH: Kincaid 5 pass from Barnes (Redding kick), 1:07.
Fourth Quarter
WSU: C.Ward 7 run (Janikowski kick), 14:17.
WSU: FG Janikowski 42, 4:48.
A: 21,179.
UTAH WSU
First downs 19 14
Total Net Yards 344 274
Rushes-yards 42-169 19-52
Passing 175 222
Punt Returns 2-2 1-0
Kickoff Returns 0-0 3-79
Interceptions Ret. 0-0 0-0
Comp-Att-Int 17-27-0 27-31-0
Sacked-Yards Lost 1-6 4-21
Punts 4-35.75 4-48.25
Fumbles-Lost 1-1 2-1
Penalties-Yards 6-65 8-52
Time of Possession 35:14 24:24
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Utah, Glover 20-76, Barnes 8-51, Jackson 10-43, Bernard 3-1, (Team) 1-(minus 2). Washington St., C.Ward 12-38, Paine 2-10, Jenkins 4-7, Ferrel 1-(minus 3).
PASSING: Utah, Barnes 17-27-0-175. Washington St., C.Ward 27-31-0-222.
RECEIVING: Utah, Kincaid 7-56, Yassmin 3-16, M.Parks 2-43, Dixon 1-27, Enis 1-12, Vele 1-10, Glover 1-6, Kendall 1-5. Washington St., Ferrel 8-26, Smithson 5-23, Stribling 4-66, Paine 3-29, Nunnally 2-41, Riviere 2-15, Peters 1-15, Ollie 1-10, Jenkins 1-(minus 3).
MISSED FIELD GOALS: Utah, Redding 37.
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Utah 21, WSU 17
Stars of the game
Playing in place of Rising, walk-on Barnes piloted the Utes to a win. He went 17-of-27 for 175 yards and one touchdown, rushed for another 51 yards and played better as the game went on.
For WSU, quarterback Cam Ward went 27-of-31 (87 percent) for 222 yards and one touchdown.
Key plays
WSU’s Cam Lampkin ran into punt returner Robert Ferrel, leading to the ball bouncing off Ferrel’s leg and Utah recovering at the 24.
Later in the drive, WSU edge Brennan Jackson made a big tackle for loss on third down only for a late review to change it to a targeting call.
Jackson was ejected from the game and Utah scored its go-ahead touchdown moments later on a 1-yard Jaylon Glover rush with just 20 seconds left in the first half.
The game remained close but Utah, which led 14-7 at the half, never trailed the rest of the way.
Up next
WSU (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) heads to the road to face Stanford (3-4, 1-4) at 12:30 p.m., Nov. 5 (Pac-12 Network) at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, Calif.
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WSU FOOTBALL ‘We need to look in the mirror’: Washington State’s offense continues to struggle in 21-17 loss to No. 14 Utah
Oct. 27, 2022 Updated Fri., Oct. 28, 2022 at 12:32 a.m.
By Colton Clark The Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN – Missing its star quarterback and its leading rusher, Utah lacked its usual sizzle. But the Utes were still good enough to outpace Washington State and its slumping offense.
No. 14 Utah scored 21 consecutive points, taking a 14-point lead late in the third quarter. The Cougars, lackluster on the attack f0r much of the night, couldn’t keep up and dropped a 21-17 decision at Gesa Field in front of a sparsely populated Thursday night crowd.
It was another disappointing effort from a Cougar offense that has struggled mightily during the team’s three-game losing streak. WSU managed 17 or fewer points in losses to USC, Oregon State and Utah.
“Offensively, we’re just not doing anything well to lean our hat on right now,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said. “It’s not being able to run the ball. … Negative plays and not being able to take it down the field.
“We need to look in the mirror and figure out what we can do well and we gotta lean on that. Right now, it’s inefficient play and not being able to move the chains and get ahead of a really good team.”
All-Pac-12 Utah quarterback Cameron Rising was a surprise scratch, missing the game due to an undisclosed injury. Sophomore walk-on Bryson Barnes played a safe game in relief (17 of 27 for 175 yards, no turnovers).
Utah (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12), which was also without starting running back Tavion Thomas, took a by-committee approach on the ground and fed carries to a couple of power-running backup tailbacks. The Utes totaled 169 yards and two touchdowns on 42 rushing attempts.
“To have the next man up and have a backup quarterback, and to win on the road in a tough environment on a Thursday night – they’re the champions of the Pac-12 until someone beats them,” Dickert said.
The Utes, who won the conference title last season, came into the game averaging over 40 points and more than 450 yards per game. They totaled 344 yards Thursday.
WSU (4-4, 1-4) managed just 264. Cougar ball-carriers were stopped in the backfield on 10 plays. Tailbacks were stacked up at the line of scrimmage and passes were often thrown short and toward the sidelines.
“We gotta find ways to execute better and not get ourselves behind the chains,” Dickert said. “Negative plays are constantly (hampering our offense). We’re not good enough to overcome that right now.”
WSU quarterback Cameron Ward was efficient, completing 27 of 31 passes. But most of those throws were shallow and ineffective. He totaled 222 passing yards. The Cougars’ shorthanded ground game offered little help, adding 42 yards on 19 rushes. WSU lost running back Jaylen Jenkins to an undisclosed injury in the second quarter.
The Utes used a backbreaking third-down conversion to create an insurmountable lead late in the third quarter. Utah gained 27 yards on a third-and-16 passing play deep in Cougar territory to set up a 5-yard touchdown catch from standout tight end Dalton Kincaid, making the score 21-7.
At that point, it appeared as though WSU was buried.
But the Cougar offense answered with one of its rare signs of life when reserve receiver Tsion Nunnally laid out for a 39-yard reception. Ward darted in for a 7-yard TD run moments later. Midway through the final period, WSU forced a key turnover – nickel Tanner Moku jumped on a dropped handoff – but its offense couldn’t turn the takeaway into six points. The Cougars settled for a 42-yard field goal and trailed by just four points with five minutes to play.
“We didn’t execute at critical moments in the fourth quarter,” Ward said.
WSU’s offense never got another chance.
Utah moved slowly and methodically downfield, draining four minutes off the clock. Finally, WSU’s defense made a third-down stop, bringing up a Utah fourth-and-7 inside the Cougars’ 30-yard line. The Utes elected to pass, and WSU committed a game-clinching defensive hold in the secondary.
“It’s tough to swallow,” Dickert said of the finish.
Added Ward: “It sucks when you can’t be on the field to try to make a play for the team.”
The Utes captured the momentum heading into halftime after capitalizing on a WSU special-teams miscue and a red-zone targeting penalty called on the Cougs.
WSU’s defense forced a three-and-out and a Utah punt with about three minutes remaining in the second quarter. But a mental mistake by the WSU return team proved costly.
As Cougar return man Robert Ferrel waited for the punt to arrive, teammate Cam Lampkin – playing a protection role – traveled off course and collided with Ferrel, knocking him out of position. The ball bounced off the turf and made contact with Ferrel’s leg. The Utes were there to jump on the loose ball at the WSU 25-yard line.
“There are ebbs and flows in every football game,” Dickert said. “There is a lot of adversity you gotta deal with.”
Utah advanced to the Cougs’ 3-yard line before WSU edge rusher Brennan Jackson made a hard hit in the backfield on a third-and-1 rushing play. The Utes sent out their field-goal unit, but the referees stopped the game to review Jackson’s tackle for targeting. Officials determined that Jackson had lowered his head and collided with the helmet of Utes running back Ja’Quinden Jackson.
“It’s tough,” Dickert said of the play. “He’s making a big, physical tackle. … You gotta deal with those things. They happen both ways.”
Brennan Jackson, one of WSU’s best defensive players, was sent to the locker room early and Utah was given a fresh set of downs on the goal line. The Utes punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown with 20 seconds on the clock and took confidence into the locker room, along with their first lead of the game, 14-7.
Neither team could capture momentum during a first quarter featuring plenty of stops at the line of scrimmage. The Cougs’ offense, sparked by an efficient start from Ward – who completed his first 12 passes – got rolling early in the second period.
Ward opened the scoring with a 29-yard touchdown strike to De’Zhaun Stribling early in the second quarter. Stribling motioned across the field to his right and cut upfield on the snap, running into open space and hauling in a precisely placed lob pass from Ward.
Utah’s offense found life on its fourth series of the game. Money Parks came down with a 31-yard catch on a third-and-4 near midfield to kick-start a scoring drive that ended with a 6-yard TD run from Ja’Quinden Jackson.
The Cougars responded with a promising drive, moving the ball to the Utes’ 33-yard line before pressure from Utah’s defensive front killed the series. WSU elected to go for it on fourth-and-11 from inside the Utah 35, but Ward was sacked – one of four sacks allowed by WSU’s patchwork offensive line – and fumbled the ball into the hands of Utah edge rusher Jonah Elliss, a graduate of nearby Moscow High.
Four plays later, the Utes used a WSU special-teams gaffe to build momentum.
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Recap and highlights: No. 14 Utah holds off Washington State’s fourth-quarter comeback with Cameron Rising sidelined
Oct. 27, 2022 Updated Thu., Oct. 27, 2022 at 11:07 p.m. Spokesman-Review
Washington State Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward (1) loses control of the ball as he is brought down by Utah Utes defensive tackle Junior Tafuna (58) as a Utah shoe goes flying in the chaos during the first half of a college football game on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022, at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Wash. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
PULLMAN – Utah’s offense trotted onto the field with its first-team All-Pac 12 quarterback watching from the sideline, setting up a prime opportunity for an upset.
Washington State couldn’t rise to the occasion.
The No. 14 Utes leaned on their rushing attack and stifled the Cougars offense en route to a 21-17 win on Thursday night.
Utah (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) entrusted sophomore walk-on Bryson Barnes with the quarterback duties as Cameron Rising was surprisingly scratched after pregame warm-ups.
Barnes completed 17 of 28 attempts for 175 yards and a touchdown. He was backed by a rushing attack that handled 41 carries for 171 yards and two scores.
Meanwhile, the Cougars (4-4, 1-4) continued an ineffective offensive spell that dated back to the second half against USC on Oct. 8. WSU had scored 17 points over its previous nine quarters leading into the fourth against Utah.
Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward got things going with a 7-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
The Cougars forced a fumble on Utah’s next drive, but the comeback was for naught, as WSU was unable to find the endzone on a drive starting at the Utah 35.
Utah recovered an onside kick after a Dean Janikowski field goal and ran out the remaining 4 minutes of the game.
Ward completed 27 of 31 attempts for 222 yards and one touchdown. The problems mounted for WSU on third down, where they converted 3 of 10 attempts.
Ward was sacked four times, bringing the Cougars rushing total to a meager 42 yards on 19 attempts.
WSU hung with Utah for most of the first half, but muffed a punt late in the second quarter, setting up the Utes for a short scoring drive.
The Cougars nearly held the Utes to a field goal, until Brennan Jackson was charged with targeting on a would-be third-down stop.
Jackson was ejected and the Utes punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to take a 14-7 lead into halftime.
The Cougars have dropped four of their last five games, after starting the season 3-0. They travel to Stanford next week for a 12:30 p.m. kickoff against the Cardinal, with four games to earn two wins and secure bowl eligibility.
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