WSU Cougars stand in solidarity with Universities of Idaho and Virginia
WSU
Coach Dickert shares message of support in weekly press conference
By Stephan Wiebe Lewiston Trib, Nov 16,
2022
Pullman, Washington --
Wringing his hands and occasionally glancing down at a paper in front of him, Washington State coach Jake Dickert
opened his weekly press conference with a somber message of support and
solidarity Monday.
Four University of Idaho students allegedly were murdered Sunday in Moscow, Idaho, with an “edged weapon” in their rental home, police say. The same day, three
University of Virginia football players were shot and killed on their campus in
Charlottesville, North Carolina.
“I’m going to lead with something that’s weighing on our hearts
and minds,” Dickert said. “Just want to say our hearts and prayers go out to
everyone involved in a terrible tragedy at the University of Virginia. Thinking
of coach (Tony) Elliott and his team, and the impact goes way beyond football
and it impacts the people in our building as well.
“... Four young people passed away in our neighborhood at the
University of Idaho. Prayers out to them and their families. I take the
coaching hat off and go to the dad, the husband, the father. … There’s a lot of
people hurting in this world and our thoughts and prayers as a program are with
them. It takes you back to why we’re here.”
Dickert stressed he and his staff take the safety of their
student athletes seriously.
“Families trust our program with our young men,” he said. “It’s
a responsibility that I take very seriously being a dad of three. I want to
make sure that’s first and foremost with where our program’s at today.”
WSU’s Jackson tabbed with weekly honor
On a defensive line as deep as Washington State’s, it’s often
difficult for a single member to stand out enough to get individual accolades.
That wasn’t the case for junior edge Brennan Jackson this week.
Jackson was named the Pac-12 Conference defensive lineman of the
week after tallying five tackles, including a career-high two sacks, and one
forced fumble in the Saturday win against Arizona State, it was announced.
Jackson ranks fourth in the Pac-12 in tackles for loss (10.5)
and is tied for seventh in sacks (five).
“Obviously, it’s a team effort at the end of the day,” Jackson
said. “These accolades are great and all but I was more happy with the ‘W’ at
the end of the day.
“Without the guys that go out there every single day and give us
a great look on scout team, this wouldn’t be possible, so I gotta give a shout
out to those guys.”
Trainer’s room
Dickert said receiver Robert Ferrel and safety Jordan Lee will
practice “in some capacity” this week and they’ll see how much they progress
before Saturday’s game at Arizona.
Ferrel, a senior slot receiver and returner, was injured in the
first half against the Sun Devils. Although it’s unclear when and how he was
hurt, Ferrel didn’t return to the game after an Arizona State player put his
full weight on the 5-foot-8 receiver after a play was done in the first half.
He appeared in street clothes on the sideline for the second half.
Lee, a senior safety, has been injured twice this season and
missed half of the team’s 10 games.
Freshman running back Jaylen Jenkins returned against the Sun
Devils, rushing for 43 yards on seven attempts.
:::::::::::::::
Washington
State’s men basketball stunned by Prairie View A&M of Texas: In Texas, Cougars
never get on track in falling to Panthers in Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series game
11/16/2022 from
Lewiston Trib
PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas —
Will Douglas had 26 points and seven rebounds and Jeremiah Gambrell added 19
points as Prairie View A&M beat Washington State 70-59 on Tuesday at
William J. Nicks Building.
“We knew it was going
to be a really tough challenge, being on the road with a team that doesn’t get
a lot of opportunities like this, and we knew they were going to take advantage
of it,” Cougars coach Kyle Smith said. “They really out-competed us. I can’t
put it any other way. You tip your cap to them, but I really thought we should
have had a little more fight in us. We got humbled tonight.”
It was the third win for the Southwestern Athletic
Conference against the Pac-12 in the inaugural Pac-12/SWAC Legacy Series, after
Grambling beat Colorado last week and Texas Southern downed Arizona State.
Douglas was 11-of-20 from the field and Gambrell 6-of-15 for
Prairie View (3-0).
The Panthers led by 21 points with 7:28 remaining in the
second half before Washington State closed on a 16-6 run.
Douglas scored 17 points in the first half to help Prairie
View build a 41-27 lead by halftime. The Panthers shot 56.6 percent from the
field (17-of-30) in the first 20 minutes and held the Cougars to 31.8 percent
(7-for-22).
TJ Bamba scored nine of his 16 points in the final six
minutes for Washington State (1-2). Kymany Houinsou added 10 points. Senior
forward DJ Rodman was out with an unspecified injury, allowing some of the
younger players to get more playing time.
“We need everyone to
play well, but we should be able to compete a little bit better,” Smith said.
Prairie View held advantages in most every category,
including rebounds (33-30), assists (16-6), points in the paint (28-10), points
off turnovers (14-2), second-chance points (8-4) and fast-break points (11-5).
The Cougars next play at 6 p.m. Monday against Eastern
Washington at Spokane Arena.
WASHINGTON ST. (1-2) Gueye 0-6 4-4 4, Bamba 4-7 5-6 16, Houinsou
2-3 6-6 10, Mullins 2-7 2-2 7, Powell 2-7 0-0 6, Darling 2-5 2-2 6, Rosario 1-6
1-3 4, Diongue 1-2 4-6 6. Totals 14-43 24-29 59.
PRAIRIE VIEW (3-0) Rasas
4-8 0-0 8, Douglas 11-20 2-2 26, Gambrell 6-15 3-4 19, Nelson 1-6 0-0 2, Smith
2-3 0-0 6, Augustin 3-5 0-0 7, Harris 1-1 0-0 2, Miles 0-1 0-0 0, Neal 0-0 0-0
0, Bell 0-1 0-0 0, Myles 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 28-60 5-6 70.
Halftime: Prairie View, 41-27. 3-Point Goals: Washington St.
7-21 (Bamba 3-6, Powell 2-4, Mullins 1-4, Rosario 1-4, Darling 0-1, Diongue
0-1, Gueye 0-1), Prairie View 9-19 (Gambrell 4-11, Smith 2-2, Douglas 2-3,
Augustin 1-2, Nelson 0-1). Fouled Out: Rasas. Rebounds: Washington St. 28
(Bamba, Rosario 5), Prairie View 32 (Rasas, Douglas 7). Assists: Washington St.
6 (Mullins 2), Prairie View 16 (Nelson 6). Total Fouls: Washington St. 13,
Prairie View 24. A: 863 (6,500).
…………………….
Cougs add
three in early signing period
Lewiston Trib
PULLMAN — The Washington State men’s basketball team
announced it had signed three players to the class of 2023.
The Cougars signed forward/center Rueben Chinyelu, forward
Oscar Cluff and guard Parker Gerrits.
Chinyelu averaged 12.3 points and 17.6 rebounds in helping
his native Nigeria to the third-place game of the 2019 FIBA U16 Africa Championship.
He recently made his debut for the national senior team in August. He comes by
way of NBA Academy Africa, an elite training center in Senegal for top high
school age prospects in the African continent.
Cluff, of Sunshine Coast, Australia, averaged 12.5 points
and 10.8 rebounds, hitting 75 percent (165-for-220) from the field at Cochise
College (Ariz.). He helped his team earn a berth in the National Junior College
Athletic Association Division I tournament. So far this year, Cluff is
averaging 18 points and 12.5 rebounds in two games.
Gerris, a senior at Olympia (Wash.) High School, helped the
Bears to a 26-6 mark a year ago. He averaged 19 points in helping the team to a
third-place finish in the Washington Class 4A state tournament and earned first-team
all-state honors
:::
Former WSU
football coach Nick Rolovich files wrongful firing suit
By Emry
Dinman Spokesman-Review 11/14/2022
Former
Washington State University football coach Nick Rolovich filed a lawsuit Friday
claiming his rights were violated when he was fired for failing to comply with
the state’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
The
suit, filed in Whitman County Superior Court, names WSU, Athletics Director
Patrick Chun and Gov. Jay Inslee.
Brian
Fahling, Rolovich’s attorney , declined to provide additional comment on the
filing, as did Inslee’s office.
WSU
wrote in a statement Monday that Rolovich’s suit is “wholly without merit” and
argued that the institution lawfully complied with the state’s mandate.
“Washington
State University will vigorously defend itself against Mr. Rolovich’s claims,”
wrote Phil Weiler, vice president of university marketing and communications.
Rolovich
and four assistant coaches were fired by the university in October for
failing to comply with the state’s mandate, which required state employees to
be either fully vaccinated or have received an exemption approval. WSU denied
Rolovich’s request for a religious exemption.
Rolovich
appealed his firing in a letter submitted in November to Chun, but the appeal
was denied. A second appeal was then sent to WSU President Kirk Schulz, who
denied the appeal in December, according to court documents.
Rolovich’s
suit contains eight counts, alleging breach of contract, discrimination,
wrongful withholding of wages, as well as violations of Title VII of the Civil
Rights Act and the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution.
Rolovich
claims that the university and Inslee forced Rolovich to choose between his job
and an “experimental vaccine.” He further asserted that the school could have
safely accommodated him but improperly questioned the legitimacy of his
religious objection to receiving the vaccine.
Chun
is being sued in his personal capacity. Rolovich alleged that the athletic
director improperly interfered in the school’s review of his exemption request
and was openly hostile to Rolovich’s reasoning for not receiving the vaccine.
Rolovich
alleges in the suit that Chun tried to get the head coach into counseling,
questioned his mental health and accused him of having “extreme views” on
several issues as a result of Rolovich’s decision not to get vaccinated. Chun
also allegedly referred to Rolovich as a “con-man” with “situational
integrity.”
Rolovich
claims that Chun stated the governor tightened the personal and religious
exemptions to force Rolovich’s hand because Inslee was angry that the state’s
highest paid employee was asserting personal and religious objections to the
vaccine mandate.
Though
Rolovich filed a $25 million tort claim in
April against the University, alleging he was wrongfully
terminated, the suit filed Friday does not specify how much Rolovich is
seeking.
::::::
Washington State football notebook:
Cougars still sorting out offensive line
By Colton Clark S-R of
Spokane/Inland Empire 11/16/2022
PULLMAN – Two starting spots on Washington State’s offensive
line have yet to be decided as the Cougars prepare to take on Arizona at 11
a.m. Saturday.
Right guard Ma’ake Fifita went down with an ankle injury in
the third quarter of WSU’s 28-18 win over Arizona State last weekend. The
sophomore from Everett has been held out of practice so far this week, coach
Jake Dickert confirmed Wednesday.
“We haven’t quite gotten him out there this week,” Dickert
said. “We’re going to try in the walkthrough (Thursday) to see how it goes.”
If Fifita is unavailable, the Cougars will ask sophomore
Quinn McCarthy to make his first-career start. McCarthy filled in well last
weekend during his fourth-career appearance on the WSU O-line.
“We feel confident in Quinn and what he gave us last week,”
Dickert said. “We felt like he didn’t miss a beat.”
The Cougars are also sorting out their starter at left
tackle. Grant Stephens, the team’s regular starter at right guard, shifted to
LT last weekend to replace WSU’s best offensive lineman: Jarrett Kingston, who
suffered a season-ending injury Nov. 5 at Stanford.
“I thought Grant did an admirable job,” Dickert said.
“Obviously, that’s not easy. … What we asked him to do, not many people can
handle it.”
Christian Hilborn, WSU’s starter at left guard throughout
the season, is in the mix for the job. Hilborn, a reserve offensive tackle last
season, took over for Kingston at LT against Stanford.
“We’re still looking at left tackle,” Dickert said.
“Christian Hilborn has gotten better and better. He’s a little more firm out
there. We’re still looking at who is going to be the best option at left
tackle.”
With Stephens stationed at left tackle, Fifita came off the
bench to take his place at right guard last weekend. Fifita played guard last
year, then started the first six games of the year at right tackle. He switched
back to guard last month and WSU called upon redshirt freshman Fa’alili Fa’amoe
to adopt starting duties at right tackle.
“Everything is new to him,” Dickert said of Fa’amoe, who
played on the defensive line last year and flipped to offense this offseason,
splitting reps at guard and tackle throughout fall camp. “But every week is
amazing, not just the small steps but the strides forward that (Fa’amoe) is
taking. … He’s having fun out there. He’s getting better. He comes to practice
every day and I think he’s been really physical and tough, but he’s taking big
strides forward and I’m really excited about what he’s brought to our offensive
line and our team. I remember that first conversation, when we told him we were
going to move him. It’s the trust he had in our vision and this was the
vision.”
Four of WSU’s five starters on the offensive line last
weekend have played multiple positions this season. Center Konner Gomness is
the only first-team offensive lineman to have played one position throughout
the year.
“He’s the anchor,” Dickert said of Gomness, a fourth-year
sophomore and team captain. “He’s the anchor, mentality-wise. He’s the anchor,
leadership-wise. And we put a lot on our center, too. This is a scheme where he
sets the protection, he sets the targets in the run game. … That’s the one
position, at least, we’ve had extreme consistency with. We can move pieces
around him, but moving that center piece is hard. Konner is the glue to all
five.”
Slot receiver Robert Ferrel exited the lineup in the second
quarter against ASU after a hard collision. The senior transfer practiced
Wednesday “in a non-contact format” and is probable to play Saturday, Dickert
said.
“But he looked great,
he looked fast and looked himself,” Dickert added. “Those are the biggest
things I look for: no hesitations, no wincing. So, I feel like Rob will be
really good to go.”
Senior strong safety Jordan Lee is a “game-time decision”
against Arizona. The Nevada transfer sustained an undisclosed injury Oct. 27
versus Utah. Lee had missed three games earlier this season after going down
with an injury in Week 2 versus Wisconsin.
“Although this year
hasn’t gone how I expected it would, I realized I’m supposed to be here,
supposed to be in this moment,” Lee tweeted Tuesday. “Every roadblock I’ve
faced will only help me in my future. I’m built for this. When it’s all said
and done, I’ll pay these lessons forward. I can’t complain.”
Defensive tackle rotation healthy again
Freshman defensive tackle David Gusta, in the midst of a
breakout season, missed three games with an injury, but returned to the
rotation versus the Sun Devils and had affected two plays with QB hits.
“(Gusta) has given us a lot this year,” Dickert said. “One
of those surprise guys, and I think that’s a big thing as you go throughout a
season. You need some of those guys.”
Senior Christian Mejia, the most productive DT for the
Cougars this year, played just 10 snaps against ASU due to a nagging shoulder
injury. He will “be at full strength this week.”
“He barely practiced
last week,” Dickert said of Mejia, who leads all WSU DTs with 26 tackles, four
TFLs and 1½ sacks. “He had a shoulder deal. As the game was going, we kinda
kept him out of there. I just talked to him today. He said, ‘Coach, I feel so
much better.’ “
Dickert commended his five-man DT rotation for “playing
tough and physical, and keeping the line of scrimmage flat” this season. Mejia,
Gusta, Amir Mujahid, Antonio Pule III and Nusi Malani have combined for 79
tackles, 9½ tackles for loss and 3½ sacks. In 13 games last year, the Cougars’
DTs totaled 69 tackles, seven TFLs and three sacks.
WSU struggled to hold up against powerful rushing offenses
last season, but the Cougars are getting a stronger push this year from their
big men, who have helped the team to the No. 4 rushing defense in the Pac-12
(122.6 yards per game).
“In the past, they’ve
gotten a lot of heat for holding us back,” Dickert said. “Not even close (to
true).”
Rookies earn kudos
Three veteran Cougars – edge Brennan Jackson, tailback Nakia
Watson and slotback Lincoln Victor – had the same answer when asked to name
scout-team players that have turned heads behind the scenes this year.
True freshman quarterback John Mateer and rookie cornerback
Javan Robinson drew praise this week from their older teammates.
“John’s intangible
pieces are off the chart,” Dickert said. “Then his physical tools … he’s got
such a quick trigger. He’s just so different.”
Mateer won a three-man competition in the preseason for
WSU’s backup job. The dual-threat QB from the Dallas area made his first-career
appearance Nov. 5, playing the entire fourth quarter of WSU’s blowout win over
Stanford. Mateer went 2-for-2 through the air for 32 yards and a touchdown,
contributing 59 yards on four carries. Dickert has sensed an uptick in Mateer’s
confidence at practice since his performance versus the Cardinal.
“John Mateer is a
baller,” Watson said.
“That kid’s work
ethic is next to none,” Jackson added. “It’s insane the amount of time he
spends going through extra progressions. I see him in the gym every single
night, just getting extra work in. … I think he’s going to be a phenomenal
player. He already has that little leadership role down pat. He’s only a
freshman, but he still commands the attention of the offense when he goes out
there.”
A three-star recruit from the Orlando metro, Robinson’s name
came up several times during post-practice media sessions this preseason as a
freshman to keep an eye on going forward. Robinson’s fast development and
dedication to the mental side of the game reminds Dickert of another CB on the
team: Chau Smith-Wade, a first-year starter who has emerged as one of the best
defensive backs in the Pac-12.
“I anticipate him
being one of those Chau-type players as he goes throughout his career,” said
Dickert, who expects Robinson to play “20 to 40 snaps” per game as a sophomore
“then all of a sudden, in Year 3 or 4, you’re like, ‘Dang, this guy is one of
the better players in this league.’ “
Robinson has played in two games and Mateer one. The two
will use their redshirts this year.
Haberer posting big numbers
Nick Haberer, the Cougars’ sophomore punter, has
distinguished himself as one of the Pac-12’s best specialists after earning
freshman All-America honors last year.
The Australia native leads the conference in hang-time
average (4.16 seconds), fair catches (23) and punts inside the 20-yard line
(16). Haberer ranks sixth nationally in hang time. He pinned opponents inside
their 10-yard line on six punts over the past two weeks.
“Not possible without
(long snapper Simon Samarzich’s) snaps and my boys blocking their asses off and
running down to cover,” Haberer tweeted.
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