WSUCOUGARS.COM 2015 SCHEDULE/RESULTS (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12) DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME/RESULT Sept. 5 Portland State Pullman L, 17-24 (P12N) Sept. 12 Rutgers Piscataway, N.J. 12:30 p.m. (ESPNU) Sept. 19 Wyoming Pullman 5 p.m. (P12N) Oct. 3 California * Berkeley, Calif. TBA Oct. 10 Oregon * Eugene, Ore. TBA Oct. 17 Oregon State * Pullman TBA Oct. 24 Arizona * Tucson, Ariz. TBA Oct. 31 Stanford * Pullman TBA Nov. 7 Arizona State * Pullman TBA Nov. 14 UCLA * Pasadena, Calif. TBA Nov. 21 Colorado * Pullman TBA Nov. 27 Washington * Seattle, Wash. 12:30 p.m./1 p.m. (FOX or FS1) * Pac-12 Conference Game ** All times and dates are subject to change Home games in BOLD All times Pacific WASHINGTON STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE ADDRESS: Bohler Addition 195 Pullman, WA 99164-1602 OFFICE PHONE: 509-335-COUG OFFICE FAX: 509-335-0267 MARTIN STADIUM PRESS BOX: 509-335-COUG ASSOC. A.D. / ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS: Bill Stevens OFFICE PHONE: 509-335-4294 CELL: 916-761-7005 EMAIL: [email protected]SPORTS: Football, Women’s Tennis ASST. DIRECTOR: Bobby Alworth OFFICE PHONE: 509-335-5785 CELL: 951-452-6129 EMAIL: [email protected]SPORTS: Football, Baseball, Swimming ASST. DIRECTOR: Linda Chalich OFFICE PHONE: 509-335-0268 EMAIL: [email protected]SPORTS: Volleyball, Cross Country, Track & Field ASST. DIRECTOR: Jim Crawford OFFICE PHONE: 509-335-0265 CELL: 509-715-9788 EMAIL: [email protected]SPORTS: Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball ASST. DIRECTOR: Jessica Holmes OFFICE PHONE: 509-335-0255 EMAIL: [email protected]SPORTS: Men’s Basketball, Rowing, Men’s & Women’s Golf WASHINGTON STATE HEADS TO EAST COAST TO FACE RUTGERS Washington State heads to the east coast for a Saturday contest against Rutgers University in New Piscataway, N.J. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (PT) on ESPNU. LAST MEETING Saturday will be the second meeting between the Cougars and Scarlet Knights after Rutgers claimed a 41-38 season-opening victory in The Seattle Game last season. COMING UP The Cougars return to Pullman to host the University of Wyoming next Saturday at 5 p.m. on the Pac- 12 Networks. Next weekend, WSU will induct 25 members into its Athletic Hall of Fame. COLLEGE GAMEDAY RECORD Dating back to the beginning of the 2004 season, ESPN’s College GameDay has had the WSU flag appear throughout the show. The streak is up to 164 after last week’s appearance in Fort Worth, Texas. Two flags – Ol’ Crimson and Gray – have been flown in the background of the GameDay set by dozens of friends and alumni. The Gray flag was added last year after Whitey was retired in honor of Steve Gleason’s “No White Flags.” WSU recognized the GameDay flag wavers in a pregame ceremony prior to the Montana State game in 2010. In addition to the flags that fly, there is a traveling flag signed by the holders after each episode. The traveling flag is retired after each season, the first of which is hanging in WSU’s Alumni Center. WASHINGTON STATE (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at RUTGERS (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) 12:30 p.m. (PT), Saturday, Sept. 12 • ESPNU High Point Solutions Stadium (52,454) • Piscataway, N.J. TV: ESPNU PLAY-BY-PLAY: Tom Ramsey ANALYST: TBA SIDELINE: TBA RADIO: Washington State IMG Sports Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: Matt Chazanow ANALYST: Bob Robertson ANALYST: Jason Gesser SIDELINE: Jessamyn McIntyre LIVESTATS: wsucougars.com TWITTER: @WSUCougfb INSTAGRAM: @WSUCOUGARFOOTBALL ALL-TIME SERIES: Rutgers leads 1-0 OVERALL STREAK: Rutgers +1 LAST SEASON: Rutgers 41-38 (Seattle) LAST WSU WIN: NA IN PISCATAWAY: NA STREAK: NA LAST MEETING: NA IN PULLMAN: NA STREAK: NA LAST MEETING: NA IN SEATTLE: Rutgers 1-0 STREAK: Rutgers +1 LAST MEETING: Rutgers 41-38 (2014-Seattle) BROADCAST INFO SERIES HISTORY • 15 players made their Cougar debuts last Saturday and five players made their first career start • In the season-opener, WSU played nine freshmen including five true freshmen • WR Dom Williams is tied for sixth in WSU history with 19 career TD catches • On his second career touch, RB Keith Harrington scored his first career TD on a 24-yard reception • Last season, RB Jamal Morrow set the WSU record for receptions by a Cougar RB with 61 • Last season, WSU led the country with 8 players recording 20+ catches, including 4 with 60+ • WR Gabe Marks returned to the field after redshirting last season, he caught 74 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns in 2013, he made a team-high six catches for 76 yards and a TD Saturday • WSU returned all 13 offensive linemen from last year’s roster including all five starters • WSU rushed for 104 yards against Portland State, the fifth 100-yard game under coach Leach, first since 2013 • RB Gerard Wicks recorded career highs of 14 carries and 63 yards last Saturday • WR John Thompson caught three passes last week, matching his total from the previous two seasons • WSU sold out Martin Stadium (32,952) three times last season and has recorded five sellouts since coach Mike Leach arrived at WSU in 2012, there was only one sellout in the five seasons prior • Last week, Cougar great and NBA Champion Klay Thompson raised the WSU Flag prior to kickoff and also brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the Washington State campus for the weekend • WSU Special Teams coach Eric Mele (Meal-lee) is a native of Bridgewater, N.J. and played collegiately at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J. COUGAR QUICK HITS
WASHINGTON STATE HEADS TO EAST COAST TO FACE RUTGERSWashington State heads to the east coast for a Saturday contest against Rutgers University in New Piscataway, N.J. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (PT) on ESPNU.
LAST MEETING Saturday will be the second meeting between the Cougars and Scarlet Knights after Rutgers claimed a 41-38 season-opening victory in The Seattle Game last season.
COMING UP The Cougars return to Pullman to host the University of Wyoming next Saturday at 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Networks. Next weekend, WSU will induct 25 members into its Athletic Hall of Fame.
COLLEGE GAMEDAY RECORDDating back to the beginning of the 2004 season, ESPN’s College GameDay has had the WSU flag appear throughout the show. The streak is up to 164 after last week’s appearance in Fort Worth, Texas. Two flags – Ol’ Crimson and Gray – have been flown in the background of the GameDay set by dozens of friends and alumni. The Gray flag was added last year after Whitey was retired in honor of Steve Gleason’s “No White Flags.” WSU recognized the GameDay flag wavers in a pregame ceremony prior to the Montana State game in 2010. In addition to the flags that fly, there is a traveling flag signed by the holders after each episode. The traveling flag is retired after each season, the first of which is hanging in WSU’s Alumni Center.
WASHINGTON STATE (0-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at RUTGERS (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) 12:30 p.m. (PT), Saturday, Sept. 12 • ESPNU
High Point Solutions Stadium (52,454) • Piscataway, N.J.
TV: ESPNU PLAY-BY-PLAY: Tom Ramsey ANALYST: TBA SIDELINE: TBA
RADIO: Washington State IMG Sports Network PLAY-BY-PLAY: Matt Chazanow ANALYST: Bob Robertson ANALYST: Jason Gesser SIDELINE: Jessamyn McIntyre
ALL-TIME SERIES: Rutgers leads 1-0OVERALL STREAK: Rutgers +1 LAST SEASON: Rutgers 41-38 (Seattle) LAST WSU WIN: NAIN PISCATAWAY: NA STREAK: NA LAST MEETING: NA IN PULLMAN: NA STREAK: NA LAST MEETING: NA IN SEATTLE: Rutgers 1-0 STREAK: Rutgers +1 LAST MEETING: Rutgers 41-38 (2014-Seattle)
BROADCAST INFO SERIES HISTORY
• 15 players made their Cougar debuts last Saturday and five players made their first career start• In the season-opener, WSU played nine freshmen including five true freshmen• WR Dom Williams is tied for sixth in WSU history with 19 career TD catches • On his second career touch, RB Keith Harrington scored his first career TD on a 24-yard reception• Last season, RB Jamal Morrow set the WSU record for receptions by a Cougar RB with 61 • Last season, WSU led the country with 8 players recording 20+ catches, including 4 with 60+ • WR Gabe Marks returned to the field after redshirting last season, he caught 74 passes for 807 yards and seven touchdowns in 2013, he made a team-high six catches for 76 yards and a TD Saturday • WSU returned all 13 offensive linemen from last year’s roster including all five starters• WSU rushed for 104 yards against Portland State, the fifth 100-yard game under coach Leach, first since 2013• RB Gerard Wicks recorded career highs of 14 carries and 63 yards last Saturday• WR John Thompson caught three passes last week, matching his total from the previous two seasons• WSU sold out Martin Stadium (32,952) three times last season and has recorded five sellouts since coach Mike Leach arrived at WSU in 2012, there was only one sellout in the five seasons prior• Last week, Cougar great and NBA Champion Klay Thompson raised the WSU Flag prior to kickoff and also brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy to the Washington State campus for the weekend• WSU Special Teams coach Eric Mele (Meal-lee) is a native of Bridgewater, N.J. and played collegiately at William Paterson University in Wayne, N.J.
COUGAR QUICK HITS
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
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Pac-12 Overall California 0-0 1-0 Oregon 0-0 1-0 Oregon State 0-0 1-0 Stanford 0-0 0-1 Washington 0-0 0-1 Washington State 0-0 0-1
PAC-12 CONFERENCEAUDIO ON INTERNET WSU’s football broadcasts are available on the Inter-net through WSU’s web provider NeuLion. The ad-dress is: www.wsucougars.com, then use the Connect link near the top of the page.
WSU TICKETSWSU football tickets are available online at www.wsu-cougars.com, by clicking on the “Tickets” link on the front page. Tickets are available online 24 hours a day, up until the day before the game. All orders processed online can be mailed up to 10 days prior to the game. After that all online orders will be held for pickup at Will Call. For any questions about WSU tickets, please call 1-800-Go-Cougs, Option 1, during business hours (Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.).
WSUCOUGARS.COMWSU releases, statistics, notes and depth chart infor-mation are loaded weekly on the WSU Athletics Home Page. The address is: http://www.wsucougars.com.
COUGAR ATHLETICS ON THE WEBConnect with Washington State University Athletics on the web at WSUCougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics, and on Twitter (twitter.com/WSU-Cougars_com) and Facebook (facebook.com/WSU-CougarAthletics) during the 2013 season.
PAC-12 TELECONFERENCEThe Pac-12 Conference hosts a weekly teleconference call each Tuesday during the football season. The tele-conference call begins at 9:55 a.m., PT, while Mike Leach participates at 10:55 a.m. Contact the Pac-12 media relations office at 415-580-4200 for details and call-in information.
LEACH AND STUDENT-ATHLETE AVAILABILITYWSU head football coach Mike Leach is available for individual media interviews following practices Sun-day, Tuesday and Wednesday, along with after each Cougar game. Arrangements for interviews with coach Leach other than those times must be made through the WSU Athletic Communications office. WSU play-ers are available for interviews after each game and then during Monday’s weekly press conference. Three student-athletes will be brought to the press confer-ence at 12:30 p.m. and will be available at that time. There will be no student-athlete availability following practices during game week. Contact Bill Stevens ([email protected]) or Bobby Alworth ([email protected]) in the WSU Athletic Communica-tions Office. Media are reminded that they should not contact student-athletes via their cell phones or social media accounts. All interviews need to be scheduled through the Athletic Communications Office.
PRACTICE POLICYThe first 15 minutes of each practice is open to media. Interviews with members of the coaching staff will be conducted on the field after practice. Media is asked to not report on injuries or strategy. All walk-thru prac-tices are closed with no media availability.
COUGAR COACH’S SHOWWashington State Head Coach Mike Leach hold his weekly radio show on WSU’s flagship station 920 KXLY this Wednesday from 6-7 p.m. live from Zeppoz in Pull-man.
MEDIA INFORMATIONTHE WASHINGTON STATE IMG COLLEGE NETWORK
Cougar football games are broadcast live on the radio throughout the Pacific Northwest via the Wash-ington State IMG College Sports Network. The 18-sta-tion football network reaches from British Columbia to Oregon and can be heard worldwide via the internet and XM Satellite radio. Cougar football broadcasts be-gin an hour before kickoff, carry through the game and conclude with post-game interviews with players and coaches. 710 ESPN will air a weekly season-long segment featuring WSU head coach Mike Leach along with special Cougar Athletics programming on both 710 ESPN Seattle. In addition, a WSU section and archived game podcasts will be highlighted on the 710 Sports page of MyNorthwest.com. IMG College produces the Washington State IMG College Sports Network, which also features radio coverage of WSU men’s basketball, baseball, women’s basketball and women’s volleyball, and the Cougar Coaches Show in the fall and winter seasons. IMG College, founded in 1992 in its corporate home of Winston-Salem, NC, manages corporate marketing opportunities and on-site promotions at WSU football and basketball games as well as oversees sales for all signage at Martin Stadium, Friel Court at Beasley Coliseum and all Cougar competition sites.
2015 SEASON PREVIEWWashington State returns 39 lettermen from last season, 17 on offense, 20 on the defense and two on special teams. Offensively, the Cougars return seven starters from 2014, including the entire offensive line. Led by senior Joe Dahl, an All-Pac-12 Conference selection last season, the line al-lowed the offense to break 10 single-game, 18 single-season and eight career records. In 2014 WSU led the nation in passing offense (477.7 ypg) while throwing for a school-record 5,732 yards. The Cougars receiving core returns River Cracraft, Dom Williams, Robert Lewis, Tyler Baker, and will be bolstered by the return of Gabe Marks, who redshirted last season. Jamal Morrow and Gerard Wicks return at running back after the two received the majority of the carries last season. Quar-terback Luke Falk, who started the final three games in 2014 and averaged 309 ypg last season. De-fensively, WSU returns seven starters from 2014, including All-Pac-12 honoree linebacker Jeremiah Allison. Linebacker Kache Palacio returns after leading the Cougars in sacks last season with six and was second in tackles-for-loss with nine.
2014 SEASON RECAPWashington State University went 3-9 overall while playing the nation’s No. 23 toughest schedule according to the USA Today last season. The Cougars posted a 2-7 mark in Pac-12 Conference play with road wins over Utah and Oregon State. The WSU offense led the nation in passing at 477.7 yards per game, the second-highest total in FBS history, trailing only Houston’s 511.3 in 1989. WSU set or tied 42 school, conference or NCAA records during the season, including quarterback Connor Halliday who threw for an NCAA single-game record 734 yards against California. WSU also placed five student-athletes on Pac-12 All-Academic teams and five on All-Pac-12 teams during the season.
YOUNG COUGS TAKE THE FIELD Washington State saw 15 players make their Cougar debuts Saturday against Portland State includ-ing five players who made their first career start. Nine freshmen saw the field in the opener includ-ing five true freshmen. Last season, 28 players made their WSU debuts and 23 recorded their first career start including 12 freshmen. A total of 20 freshmen played including nine true freshmen. Eleven newcomers appear in the Week 2 depth chart against Rutgers with a total of 12 freshman listed including six true freshmen.
COUGARS AGAINST THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE WSU owns a 13-23-1 record against the Big Ten Conference, last claiming a victory in the 2001 Sun Bowl, 33-27 over Purdue. The Cougars have dropped their last three meetings against the Big Ten, 25-7 at Ohio State in 2002, 42-21 at Wisconsin in 2007 and 41-38 to Rutgers in Seattle last season.
MIKE LEACH AGAINST THE BIG TEN CONFERENCE Mike Leach has matched up against a Big Ten Conference opponent four times as a head coach. His Texas Tech teams lost to Iowa in the 2001 Alamo Bowl (19-13) and at Ohio State (45-21) in 2002 but beat Minnesota in the 2006 Insight Bowl (44-41-OT). Last year, WSU lost 41-38 to Rutgers in Seattle.
GRINCH, MANNING, HARRELL, MELE JOIN COUGAR COACHING STAFFWashington State made a couple changes to its coaching staff in the offseason, bringing on first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch who will also work with the Cougars secondary. Grinch spent the last three seasons at Missouri where he coached the safeties, helping Missouri to a 23-5 record over the past two years including two SEC East Division titles. Roy Manning joined WSU to coach the outside linebackers after serving the past two seasons at his alma mater, the University of Michigan, coaching the cornerbacks in 2014 and the outside linebackers in 2013. Making the move from offensive analyst to outside receivers coach is Graham Harrell who is very familiar with the Air Raid offense from his record-setting days as a quarterback for coach Mike Leach at Texas Tech. Eric Mele, who served as the interim special teams coach midway through last season, had the interim tag removed during the offseason and is the Cougars special teams coach.
CRACRAFT NAMED TO BILETNIKOFF AWARD WATCH LISTJunior wide receiver River Cracraft was named to the 2015 Biletnikoff Award Watch List, annually recognizing the outstanding receiver in college football. Last season, three Cougars were named to the watch list including Cracraft, Vince Mayle and Isiah Myers. Mayle was later selected as one of the ten semifinalists. Cracraft finished last season seventh in the Pac-12 with eight touchdown catches, ninth with 66 receptions and tenth with 771 receiving yards in just nine games. The Trabuco Canyon, Calif. native tallied four 100-yard games and his 66 catches were tenth-most in WSU history.
FOUNDED: 1890NICKNAME: Cougars COLORS: Crimson and GrayCONFERENCE: Pac-12 ENROLLMENT: 19,446LOCATION: P. O. Box 641602 Pullman, WA 99164-1602STADIUM: Martin Stadium (32,952 - FieldTurf)
INTERIM PRESIDENT: Dr. Daniel J. BernardoATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Bill MoosTICKET OFFICE: 509-335-9626, 800-GO-COUGSGENERAL DEPARTMENT: 509-335-0311WSU ATHLETICS WEBSITE: www.wsucougars.com
HEAD COACH: Mike Leach ALMA MATER: BYU, 1983 CAREER RECORD (Seasons): 96-69 (14th) WSU RECORD (Seasons): 12-26 (4th) WSU PAC-12 RECORD : 7-20 CAREER BOWL RECORD (Games): 5-5 (11)DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR: Alex Grinch (1st)OUTSIDE RECEIVERS: Graham Harrell (1st)OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS: Roy Manning (1st)RUNNING BACKS: Jim Mastro (4th)OFFENSIVE LINE: Clay McGuire (4th)SPECIAL TEAMS: Eric Mele (1st)ASSISTANT HEAD COACH / DEFENSIVE LINE: Joe Salave’a (4th)LINEBACKERS: Ken Wilson (3rd)INSIDE RECEIVERS: David Yost (3rd)SENIOR ASSOCIATE A.D./CHIEF OF STAFF: Dave Emerick (4th)DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS: Antonio Huffman (4th)HEAD STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH: Jason Loscalzo (4th)
2012 2013 2014 2015True Freshmen Played 9 5 9 5Total Freshmen Played 17 10 20 9Sophomores Played 13 17 14 17
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DAHL NAMED TO OUTLAND TROPHY WATCH LISTRedshirt-senior left tackle Joe Dahl was named to the Outland Trophy Watch List, given annually to the nation’s top interior lineman. Dahl is one of 13 players from the Pac-12 Conference included on the 81-player list. WSU defensive tackle Rien Long won the award in 2002, also garnering first team All-America honors while leading the Cougars to the 2003 Rose Bowl. Dahl earned All-Pac-12 honor-able mention last season after starting all 12 games at left tackle for the nation’s top passing offense. The Spokane, Wash. native surrendered just one sack in the Cougars’ Pac-12 record 807 pass at-tempts and earned the WSU “Bone” Award (given to the team’s best offensive lineman each week) a team-best six times last season. Earlier this summer, Dahl was named to the preseason All-Pac-12 first team by ESPN.com, second team by Athlon Sports and third team by Phil Steele Magazine.
ALLISON NAMED TO WUERFFEL TROPHY WATCH LIST, ALL STATE GOOD WORKS TEAMSenior linebacker Jeremiah Allison was named to the 2015 Wuerffel Trophy Watch List, known as “College Football’s Premier Award for Community Service.” Allison is one of 80 football student-athletes considered for the award that honors college football’s top community servant. Allison has been involved with many community service projects in and around Pullman throughout his three years at Washington State. The Los Angeles native has assisted with Habitat for Humanity, the Washington State Athletics Reading Buddies with local elementary schools, Sr. Buddies at the local retirement home and Butch’s Holiday Bash for local children. Allison also helped out with National Women In Sports Day and is a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for football. He was the recent recipient of the WSU athletic community service award and also works with a local church, setting up weekly bible studies in addition to speaking with local individuals who lost their parent or parents to share words of inspiration. For the second straight season Allison was also named to the All State Good Works Team for his charitable work and community work.
COUGAR AIR RAID TOOK OFF IN 2014The Washington State offense reached new heights last season, leading the NCAA in passing of-fense (477.7 ypg), the second highest mark in FBS history, trailing only Houston’s mark of in 511.3 ypg in 1989. Since Mike Leach arrived at WSU in 2012, the offense has improved each season in total offense, passing offense and scoring. Last season, the Cougars set or tied 42 school, conference or NCAA records including Pac-12 season records for pass attempts (771), completions (510), passing yards (5,732) and passing touchdowns (45).
FALK, BENDER BATTLE TO LEAD AIR RAIDRedshirt-sophomore Luke Falk and redshirt-freshman Peyton Bender battled for the starting quar-terback job throughout preseason camp and Falk started the season-opener. Falk gained valuable experience in 2014 after being forced into action after redshirt-senior quarterback Connor Halliday suffered a season-ending broken ankle against USC. Falk finished the game with 346 passing yards against the Trojans after completing 38-of-57 pass attempts and two touchdown passes. In his first start at Oregon State the following week, he threw for 471 yards and five touchdowns to win his first career start, also earning Pac-12 Player of the Week honors. At No. 13 Arizona State the next week, the Logan, Utah native threw for 601 yards, second-most in WSU history and three touchdowns, also rushing for one. He capped his season with 355 yards and two touchdown passes in the Apple Cup. In just six games including three starts, Falk finished the season with 1,889 passing yards, more yards than 10 other FBS schools had for the season, and 13 touchdowns, more than 18 other FBS schools had for the season. Falk averaged 475.6 ypg in his three starts. Bender redshirted in 2014 and split first-team reps with Falk throughout the spring. The Fort Lauderdale, Fla. native capped spring ball with 265 passing yards and two touchdowns in the Crimson & Gray Spring Game.
MEMORABLE FIRST START FOR FALK Redshirt-freshman quarterback Luke Falk was named the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week after leading WSU to a 39-32 win at Oregon State last season. In the first start of his career, Falk completed 44 of 61 passes for 471 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions. The Logan, Utah native completed passes to nine different receivers, with five different receivers catching touch-downs. With WSU trailing 10-0 in the first quarter, Falk led WSU on a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, one of four touchdown drives of 70-plus yards he led on the day. His 471 yards and five touch-downs were the most thrown by a Cougar player in their first start.
2014 BY THE NUMBERS OFFENSIVE LINE RETURNS ALL FIVE STARTERSLast season, the Cougar offensive line featured three first-year starters and posted the second-best pass attempts-to-sack ratio in the league at 21.4 (771/36), going the second-longest between allowing sacks while dropping back to pass the most times in Pac-12 history in addition to blocking for the nation’s leading passing offense. Also in 2014, Washington State limited Oregon to just one sack and did not allow a sack in games against Portland State and California. Not only do all five starters return in 2015 but every offensive lineman (13) also returns from last year. The 2015 offensive line is the biggest (weight) it’s been since coach Mike Leach arrived, averaging nearly 310 lbs after averaging 288.6 in 2012, 288.2 in 2013 and 309.4 lbs last year.
COUGAR PASS CATCHERS AMONG NATION’S BESTLast season WSU was the only team in the country that had six players finish with 40+ catches last season and four of those players return in 2015 (Cracraft, Morrow, Williams, Lewis). Gone are receivers Vince Mayle (106 rec. 1,483 yds 9 TD, Biletnikoff Semifinalist, Browns 4th-RD) and Isiah Myers (78 rec 972 yds 12 TD) but the Cougars return five players who caught 20-plus passes and also welcome back Gabe Marks (74 rec 807 yds 7 TD in 2013) who redshirted last season. Also returning are the four Cougar freshmen who caught passes that combined for 131 receptions in 2014, third-most by a freshmen class in the country. Running back Jamal Morrow set a school record with 61 receptions by a running back last season, breaking Steve Broussard’s 1987 school-record of 59, and finished the season second in the country for receptions by a running back.
RECORD BOOK WATCHThe Washington State air raid offense has produced big numbers and as a result, a couple wide receivers find their names climbing the record books. Redshirt-senior Dom Williams enters Saturday tied for fourth in WSU history with 19 career touchdown receptions, three away from Hugh Campbell in third place and 13 from Jason Hill’s school record of 32. Williams also owns six career 100-yard games, tied for 10th all-time but also sits just outside the WSU career top-10 for receptions and receiving yards. Two other receivers in River Cracraft and Gabe Marks, who have only played two seasons for WSU, also join Williams in closing in on the top-10 for receptions and receiving yards.
LINEBACKERS LEAD THE WAYThe Cougar’s 3-4 defense saw its linebackers fill up the stat sheet last season. Senior Jeremiah Allison took over the starting job at WILL linebacker week five against Oregon and put up some impressive numbers, finishing second on the team with 78 tackles. For Allison, 69 tackles coming as a starter in the last nine games, producing double-digit tackles in the first two starts of his career, 10 against Oregon and 13 (2 TFL) at Utah. He finished third on the team with 8.5 tackles-for-loss including 3.5 sacks. In Saturday’s opener, Allison tallied a game-high 12 tackles including two for loss. Redshirt-sophomore Peyton Pelluer took over at MIKE midway through last season, starting the last five games and posted 39 tackles including 5.5 for loss. Pelluer opened 2015 with eight tackles against Portland State. Senior RUSH linebackers Ivan McLennan and Kache Palacio also return after producing solid junior campaigns. Palacio was second on the team with nine tackles-for-loss including a team-best 6.5 sacks while McLennan added 4.5 sacks. WSU recorded three sacks against Portland State, Destiny Vaeao, Palacio and Darryl Paulo.
YOUNG SECONDARY A YEAR OLDER The Cougars went through a youth movement in the secondary in 2014, starting six freshmen throughout the season including four true freshmen. Senior safety Taylor Taliulu, redshirt-sopho-more cornerback Charleston White and redshirt-sophomore safety Darius Lemora are the veterans this season after seeing significant time last year. Taliulu is a three-year starter, having started each of the last three season-openers since he arrived on campus in 2012, Lemora started 10 games and was fourth on the team with 68 tackles last year while White made seven starts, recorded a team-high 13 pass breakups, tying for second-most in the Pac-12. In the opener against Portland State, the Cougars started true freshman Darrien Molton at cornerback who recorded one tackle in his debut.
SPECIAL TEAMS DEBUTSWashington State saw a couple new faces contribute on special teams in last Saturday’s season-opener. Freshman punter Zach Charme punted twice, producing two 50+yard kicks including one that was downed inside the 10-yard line. Freshman kickoff returner Tavares Martin Jr. recorded a 29-yard return and later added a 34-yard return in his collegiate debut.
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#9 GABE MARKS YDS REC TD GAME1. 146 11 2 Idaho (2013)2. 143 13 1 at Oregon (2013)3. 126 6 1 at UNLV (2012)4. 107 7 1 Colorado (2012)
#21 RIVER CRACRAFT YDS REC TD GAME1. 172 11 3 California (2014)2. 126 9 0 at Utah (2014)3. 125 9 1 vs. Colorado State (2013)4. 107 8 1 Oregon (2014)5. 100 14 1 at Stanford (2014)
#26 TYLER BAKER YDS REC TD GAME1. 113 9 1 at Oregon State (2014)
#80 DOM WILLIAMS YDS REC TD GAME1. 154 5 2 Utah (2013)2. 143 8 0 Washington (2012)3. 112 4 2 Portland State (2014)4. 108 7 2 UCLA (2012)5. 107 5 0 California (2014)6. 101 3 2 Southern Utah (2013)
#4 CHARLESTON WHITE TACKLES GAME1. 12 California (2014)
#8 JEREMIAH ALLISON TACKLES GAME1. 13 at Utah (2014)2. 12 at Oregon State (2014)3. 12 Portland State (2015)4. 10 Oregon (2014)
#28 DARIUS LEMORA TACKLES GAME1. 10 USC (2014)
#30 TAYLOR TALIULU TACKLES GAME1. 12 California (2014)
CAREER 100-YARD GAMES RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA TAKEOVERThe Cougars have tapped into the Rancho Santa Margarita High School pipeline, currently owning four players from the school in center, Riley Sorenson, tight end Nick Begg and receivers River Cra-craft and Kyle Sweet. Cracraft’s older brother Skyler is also on the team but played at a different high school. In last week’s opener, former Cougar and NBA Champion Klay Thompson brought the Larry O’Brien Trophy to campus and was recognized during the game. Thompson also starred at Rancho Santa Margarita HS before heading to Washington State.
POLYNESIAN PIPELINEThe Washington State roster has seen an influx in Polynesian players since Mike Leach and his coaching staff arrived in 2012. Assistant Head Coach / Defensive Line Coach Joe Salave’a, a native of Pago Pago, American Samoa and a nine-year NFL veteran, has helped bring a number of play-ers to Pullman in his three seasons at Washington State. The 2015 roster has 15 players who are of Polynesian decent including seven who list their hometown from American Samoa.
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SONThree Cougars share a unique bond with their dads and/or grandpa, each have worn the crimson a gray. Redshirt-freshman offensive lineman Andre Dillard’s dad, Mitch was an offensive lineman and tight end for the Cougars in the late 1980’s; redshirt-sophomore safety Isaac Dotson’s dad, Mi-chael was an All-American wrestler for WSU from 1983-86; redshirt-sophomore linebacker Peyton Pelluer’s dad, Scott also played linebacker for the Cougs, matching Peyton’s No. 47 from 1977-80; Peyton’s grandpa, John played end for WSU in the mid 1950’s and his great grandpa, Carl, played flanker in the 1920’s.
COOPER, MAYLE DRAFTED BY BROWNSThree Cougars moved on to the NFL following the 2014 season, both defensive end Xavier Cooper and wide receive Vince Mayle were drafted by the Cleveland Browns, in the third and fourth rounds. It was the first time WSU had multiple players drafted since 2007.
MAYLE EARNED ALL-AMERICA ACCOLADEGraduated wide receiver Vince Mayle, a fourth-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns, received All-America honorable mention from Sports Illustrated following his record-setting 2014 season. Mayle tied for the national lead with 106 receptions and posted a Pac-12-best 1,483 yards, both WSU single-season records. The Natomas, Calif. native caught nine touchdowns, led the Pac-12 with six 100-yard games and was the only player in the country with two 250-yard games (263-Cal, 252-Arizona State), the only player in conference history to own two such games. Mayle, a Bilet-nikoff Award semifinalist, also led the Pac-12 with 123.6 yards-per-game and was third in the league in all-purpose yards-per-game (138.3).
FIVE COUGARS EARNED ALL-PAC-12 HONORS IN 2014Wideout Vince Mayle was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference Second Team and four other Cou-gars received honorable mention. Quarterback Connor Halliday, left tackle Joe Dahl, linebacker Jeremiah Allison and cornerback Daquawn Brown each received honorable mention.
RECEPTIONS1. 195 Michael Bumpus 2004-072. 189 Marquess Wilson 2010-123. 182 Brandon Gibson 2005-084. 177 Hugh Campbell 1960-625. 166 Jared Karstetter 2008-116. 164 Isiah Myers 2011-147. 148 Phillip Bobo 1990-92 148 Jason Hill 2003-06 148 Vince Mayle 2013-1410. 140 Nian Taylor 1996-99- 129 Gabe Marks 2012-pres.- 122 Dom Williams 2012-pres.- 114 River Cracraft 2013-pres.
RECEIVING YARDS1. 3,207 Marquess Wilson 2010-122. 2,756 Brandon Gibson 2005-083. 2,704 Jason Hill 2003-064. 2,459 Hugh Campbell 1960-625. 2,447 Nian Taylor 1996-996. 2,250 Tim Stallworth 1986-897. 2,182 Phillip Bobo 1990-928. 2,168 C.J. Davis 1988-929. 2,098 Deron Pointer 1991-9310. 2,051 Mike Levenseller 1975-77- 1,935 Dom Williams 2012-pres.- 1,443 Gabe Marks 2012-pres.- 1,411 River Cracraft 2013-pres.
RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS1. 32 Jason Hill 2003-062. 23 Marquess Wilson 2010-123. 22 Hugh Campbell 1960-624. 19 Jared Karstetter 2008-11 19 Isiah Myers 2011-14 19 Dom Williams 2012-pres.7. 18 Nian Taylor 1996-99 18 Deron Pointer 1991-93 18 Devard Darling 2002-0310. 17 Brandon Gibson 2005-08- 11 River Cracraft 2013-pres. - 10 Gabe Marks 2012-pres.
WSU CAREER RECEIVING RECORDS
CAREER 10+ TACKLE GAMES
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WSUCOUGARS.COM 7
Defensive CoordinatorAlex Grinch (Booth)
Outside LinebackersRoy Manning (Field)
Offensive LineClay McGuire (Field)
Defensive LineJoe Salave’a (Field)
Inside Wide Receivers David Yost (Booth)
Outside Wide ReceiversGraham Harrell (Booth)
Running BacksJim Mastro (Field)
Special TeamsEric Mele (Field)
LinebackersKen Wilson (Field)
Strength/ConditioningJason Loscalzo (Field)
ASSISTANT COACHES
PLAYER TEAM LAST WEEK THIS WEEKHusain Abdullah (DB) Kansas City - at HoustonDeone Bucannon (S) Arizona - vs. New OrleansXavier Cooper (DL) Cleveland - at New York (Jets)Brandon Gibson (WR) New England Injured Reserve Will miss 2015 season with torn ACLTravis Long (LB) Philadelphia Injured Reserve Will miss 2015 season with torn ACLRopati Pitoitua (DL) Tennessee - at Tampa Bay
COUGARS IN THE NFL
PELLUER NAMED PAC-12 ALL-ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM IN 2014Linebacker Peyton Pelluer was one of two Cougars named the Pac-12 Conference All-Academic First Team, also joined by graduated linebacker Mitchell Peterson. The Cougars had five student-athletes earn All-Academic recognition last season as wideout River Cracraft, center Sam Flor and right tackle Jacob Seydel each garnered honorable mention accolades. It was the first career All-Academic honor for all five student-athletes. Washington State has had at least five players earn All-Academic accolades in each of the past three seasons. To be eligible for selection to the aca-demic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and appear in at least 50 percent of their team’s games. Pelluer tallied 39 tackles including 5.5 tackles-for-loss while appearing in all 12 games, five as a starter. The Sammamish, Wash. native owns a 3.77 GPA and has yet to declare a major.
NEW COUGAR FOOTBALL BROADCAST TEAMHall of fame announcer Bob Robertson is in his 49th season calling Cougar football games, and according to a nation-wide survey of sports information directors, is the longest tenured radio announcer in the country with the next closest being Bill Hillgrove who has announced 45 straight seasons at Pitt. Robertson began calling WSU games in 1964 and with the exception of a three-year period in 1969-71, has been calling Cougar games ever since. Robertson now hosts the Cougars pre, halftime and postgame shows, while also providing analysis during the games. Matt Chaza-now, a veteran of Atlantic Coast Conference and Big East football and basketball broadcasts, will serve as the new play-by-play voice for Cougar football, men’s basketball and baseball broadcasts. Joining Chazanow and Robertson in the booth for his second season will be Cougar legend Jason Gesser who quarterbacked WSU to the 2001 Sun Bowl and 2003 Rose Bowl. Returning for her fourth season as the sideline reporter is Jessamyn McIntyre, an executive producer for 710 ESPN Seattle.
MATT CHAZANOW NAMED VOICE OF COUGARSMatt Chazanow was named Voice of the Cougars over the summer. Chazanow replaces Bud Na-meck on Cougar football and men’s basketball broadcasts. Additionally, Chazanow will serve as the voice of Cougar baseball broadcasts. Chazanow has extensive experience in broadcasting at the highest level of collegiate football, including calling national play-by-play broadcasts for ACC football, Big East and ACC postseason basketball, along with SEC and ACC postseason baseball. As a senior network manager at IMG College in Winston-Salem, N.C., Chazanow has spent the past seven years managing eight IMG college network broadcasts (Washington State, Arizona, Cal, Gonzaga, Oregon, Texas, UCLA and Washington). Cougar fans had a chance to hear Chazanow last November when he called the WSU men’s basketball broadcasts at the Great Alaska Shootout.
2016Sept. 3 EASTERN WASHINGTON Sept. 10 at Boise State Sept. 17 IDAHO TBA ARIZONA TBA CALIFORNIA TBA OREGON TBA UCLA TBA WASHINGTON TBA at Arizona State TBA at Oregon State TBA at Stanford TBA at Colorado
2017Sept. 2 NEVADA Sept. 9 BOISE STATE Sept. 16 Montana State TBA OREGON STATE TBA STANFORD TBA at California TBA at Oregon TBA at Washington TBA Pac-12 South TBA Pac-12 South TBA Pac-12 South TBA Pac-12 South
2018Sept. 1 at Wyoming Sept. 8 SAN JOSE STATE Sept. 15 EASTERN WASHINGTON TBA CALIFORNIA TBA OREGON TBA WASHINGTON TBA at Oregon State TBA at Stanford TBA Pac-12 South TBA Pac-12 South TBA Pac-12 South TBA Pac-12 South
FUTURE SCHEDULES
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WASHINGTON STATE FOOTBALL8
VS. RUTGERS (SEATTLE) QTR PLAYS YDS TIMEPowell 22-yard FG 1 4 -1 1:33Myers 4-yard pass from Halliday 2 5 80 2:08Mayle 26-yard pass from Halliday 2 8 72 3:10Cracraft 7-yard pass from Halliday 3 7 75 2:33Myers 14-yard pass from Halliday 3 9 63 3:46Galvin 5-yard pass from Halliday 4 6 67 2:31
AT NEVADA QTR PLAYS YDS TIMEMayle 13-yard pass from Halliday 2 5 80 1:32Powell 25-yard FG 2 13 62 3:56Breshears 38-yard FG 4 8 39 2:37
PORTLAND STATE QTR PLAYS YDS TIMEWicks 1-yard run 1 14 80 5:55Cracraft 15-yard pass from Halliday 2 6 93 1:34D. Williams 17-yard pass from Halliday 2 1 17 0:07Mayle 3-yard pass from Halliday 2 6 80 1:51Myers 8-yard pass from Halliday 3 12 75 4:05Myers 4-yard pass from Halliday 4 7 34 2:19Breshears 29-yard FG 4 5 57 1:17Myers 55-yard pass from Halliday 4 6 95 1:55D. Williams 84-yard pass from Falk 4 3 87 1:03
OREGON QTR PLAYS YDS TIMED. Williams 18-yard pass from Halliday 1 5 56 1:56D. Williams 8-yard pass from Halliday 1 7 75 2:57Galvin 6-yard pass from Halliday 2 12 74 5:11Breshears 30-yard FG 4 11 74 4:34Cracraft 5-yard pass from Halliday 4 6 75 2:07
AT UTAH QTR PLAYS YDS TIMED. Williams 35-yard pass from Halliday 2 10 71 3:28Mayle 11-yard pass from Halliday 3 8 61 3:33D. Williams 20-yard pass from Halliday 4 12 75 6:05Mayle 81-yard pass from Halliday 4 4 92 1:23
CALIFORNIA QTR PLAYS YDS TIMEMayle 90-yard pass from Halliday 1 1 85 0:12Breshears 42-yard FG 1 6 20 2:36Myers 16-yard pass from Halliday 2 9 85 3:17Cracraft 17-yard pass from Halliday 2 8 68 3:22Cracraft 86-yard pass from Halliday 3 2 95 0:46Wicks 1-yard run 3 10 55 2:56Myers 9-yard pass from Halliday 3 7 71 2:38Cracraft 9-yard pass from Halliday 3 6 75 2:23Wicks 1-yard run 4 11 69 4:08
AT STANFORD QTR PLAYS YDS TIMEMayle 9-yard pass from Halliday 1 11 75 4:55Breshears 46-yard FG 3 14 42 4:45Cracraft 3-yard pass from Halliday 4 16 75 5:05
ARIZONA QTR PLAYS YDS TIMEMyers 37-yard pass from Halliday 2 7 60 2:13Myers 18-yard pass from Halliday 2 9 90 3:26Breshears 40-yard FG 2 4 -6 1:22Wicks 1-yard run 4 12 75 4:40Mayle 8-yard pass from Halliday 4 11 80 2:58Baker 8-yard pass from Halliday 4 7 65 1:39
USC QTR PLAYS YDS TIMELewis 9-yard pass from Falk 2 11 81 4:32Breshears 27-yard FG 3 12 74 3:44Myers 12-yard pass from Falk 4 4 7 1:52
AT OREGON STATE QTR PLAYS YDS TIMEMyers 5-yard pass from Falk 1 10 75 4:31Baker 21-yard pass from Falk 2 7 79 2:39Mayle 48-yard pass from Falk 2 4 70 0:36Breshears 32-yard FG 3 13 62 4:16D. Williams 18-yard pass from Falk 4 10 70 3:06Lewis 9-yard pass from Falk 4 6 52 2:06
AT ARIZONA STATE QTR PLAYS YDS TIMEFalk 1-yard run 1 10 53 3:14Galvin 1-yard pass from Falk 2 11 75 4:49Myers 20-yard pass from Falk 2 6 80 2:14Breshears 27-yard FG 2 8 65 2:31D. Williams 2-yard pass from Falk 4 11 75 2:55
WASHINGTON QTR PLAYS YDS TIMED. Williams 35-yard pass from Falk 4 7 65 2:35Cracraft 6-yard pass from Falk 4 9 69 2:44
2014 SCORING DRIVES
DATE OPPONENT SITE OVERTIMES RESULT11/23/96 Washington Pullman 1 L, 24-3110/25/97 Arizona Pullman 1 W, 35-3410/14/00 Arizona Tucson, Ariz. 3 L, 47-5310/21/00 Arizona State Pullman 1 L, 20-2311/4/00 Oregon Pullman 1 L, 24-2710/5/02 USC Pullman 1 W, 30-2711/23/02 Washington Pullman 3 L, 26-2911/6/03 Notre Dame South Bend, Ind. 1 L, 26-2910/15/05 UCLA Pullman 1 L, 41-4411/22/08 Washington Pullman 2 W, 16-139/19/09 SMU Pullman 1 W, 33-3011/19/11 Utah Pullman 1 L, 27-3011/23/12 Washington Pullman 1 W, 31-28TOTAL 5-8
Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 100, Texas A&M 61, Oklahoma State 46, Virginia Tech 42, Utah 36, Penn State 20, Louisville 12, Cincinnati 8, Nebraska 6, Kansas State 5, Florida 4, NC State 4, Texas 3, BYU 2, Northern Illinois 2, Michigan 2, California 1, Western Kentucky 1, West Virginia 1
Others receiving votes: Mississippi State 164, Texas A&M 149, Oklahoma State 89, Virginia Tech 70, Utah 40, Kansas State 37, Nebraska 27, Louisville 27, Minne-sota 25, Penn State 20, South Carolina 18, Miami (FL) 16, Texas 8, Illinois 7, Duke 6, Air Force 5, Louisiana Tech 5, Marshall 4, Utah State 4, West Virginia 3, NC State 3, BYU 3, North Carolina 2, Florida 2, Georgia Southern 2, UCF 1, Cincinnati 1, Kentucky 1, Maryland 1, Michigan 1, Washington 1
AP TOP-25 ESPN/USA TODAY TOP-25
NORTH DIVISION 1. Oregon (37) 2622. Stanford (8) 2313. California 1744. Washington 1295. Washington State 896. Oregon State 60
SOUTH DIVISION 1. USC (32) 2542. Arizona State (7) 2003. UCLA (6) 1804. Arizona 1555. Utah 1056. Colorado 46
PASSING PLAYS (39)YDS CONNECTION OPPONENT90 Halliday to Mayle (TD) California86 Halliday to Cracraft (TD) California84 Falk to D. Williams (TD) Portland State81 Halliday to Mayle (TD) at Utah67 Halliday to Myers Portland State64 Halliday to D. Williams Rutgers55 Halliday to Myers (TD) Portland State53 Halliday to Morrow Portland State52 Halliday to Galvin Rutgers50 Falk to Myers at Arizona State48 Falk to Mayle (TD) at Oregon State45 Halliday to Morrow Oregon45 Halliday to Mayle California45 Falk to Mayle at Arizona State43 Halliday to Myers Rutgers41 Halliday to Mayle at Stanford39 Falk to Mayle Washington37 Halliday to Cracraft Oregon37 Halliday to D. Williams California37 Halliday to Myers (TD) Arizona35 Halliday to D. Williams (TD) at Utah35 Falk to D. Williams (TD) Washington34 Halliday to Mayle Oregon34 Falk to Mayle at Arizona State32 Halliday to D. Williams at Nevada32 Halliday to Cracraft at Utah32 Falk to Mayle USC30 Halliday to D. Williams California30 Falk to Mayle at Arizona State29 Halliday to K. Williams Rutgers29 Halliday to Mayle California28 Halliday to Myers Portland State27 Halliday to Mayle California27 Halliday to Mayle Arizona27 Falk to Galvin USC27 Falk to Mayle at Oregon State26 Halliday to Mayle (TD) Rutgers25 Falk to Morrow at Arizona State25 Falk to Lewis at Arizona State
RUSHING PLAYS (1)YDS RUSHER OPPONENT26 West USC
2015 STARTING LINEUPSOFFENSE LT LG C RG RT WR (X) WR (Y) WR (Z) WR (H) RB QBPSU Dahl Eklund Sorenson Middleton Madison D. Williams Cracraft Marks Baker Wicks Falk@RUT WYO @CAL @ORE OSU @ARIZ STAN ASU @UCLA COLO @WASH
OFFENSE T NT E RUSH MIKE WILL NICKEL CB SS FS CBPSU Vaeao Barber Paulo McLennan Pelluer Allison Dotson White Taliulu Luani Molton@RUT WYO @CAL @ORE OSU @ARIZ STAN ASU @UCLA COLO @WASH
PSU Joe Dahl@RUT WYO @CAL @ORE OSU @ARIZ STAN ASU @UCLA COLO @WASH
2015 WEEKLY CAPTAINS
2014 LONG PLAYS (25+YARDS) PLAYER GAMES STARTED
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WASHINGTON STATE FOOTBALL10
WSU-RUTGERSWSU Wins: 0 • RUTGERS Wins: 1
DATE LOC ATT WSU-RUTGERS W/L8-28-14 Se 30,927 38-41 L
SERIES RESULTS
RUTGERS-WASHINGTON STATE SERIES HISTORY
SEATTLE – Paul James ran for 173 yards and scored his third touchdown with 3:24 left to give Rutgers a wild 41-38 victory over Washington State on Thursday night in the Scarlet Knights’ first game as a member of the Big Ten. Gary Nova threw a 78-yard touchdown to Leonte Carroo on the first play from scrimmage and Rutgers withstood a passing onslaught from Washington State’s Connor Halliday. Rutgers won its opener for the sixth time in nine years and picked up a significant road victory with a challenging Big Ten slate ahead. Meanwhile, Washington State has just one victory in its last nine openers. Halliday did his part. The senior completed 40 of 56 passes for 532 yards and five touchdowns, but his fourth-down pass for River Cracraft near midfield with 53 seconds left was batted away. Nova was 16 of 27 for 281 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but the Scarlet Knights rode James and the run game. James had 113 yards rushing in the first half and touchdown runs of 1 and 56 yards as Rutgers built a 21-10 lead. The Scarlet Knights leaned on James at the end. Cracraft fumbled a punt near midfield with 7 minutes left and Rutgers recovered trailing 38-34. James carried on four straight plays and Nova hit consecutive passes, the second an 11-yard dart to Carroo to the 14 with 4:11 left. James capped the drive with a 3-yard TD run and Rutgers was back ahead. Washington State couldn’t put together one final drive. Halliday was sacked and a pair of incompletions turned the ball over with less than a minute left. Halliday overcame a shaky start and was nearly flawless in the middle two quarters. After an early interception, Halliday connected on 15 of his next 21 throws the rest of the half, including touchdown tosses of 4 yards to Isiah Myers and a 26-yard flick to Vince Mayle late in the first half to pull Washington State to 21-17 at the break. He was even better in the third quarter, leading the Cougars to a pair of touchdowns with nearly flawless efficiency. Halliday hit on 13 of 15 passes to start the second half, his only incompletions a throwaway under pressure and a drop in the end zone. Halliday hit Cracraft on a 7-yard strike to give Washington State a 24-21 lead. Myers had his second touchdown catch, taking a huge hit while hauling in a 14-yard strike on third-and-goal for a 31-24 lead. Just as quickly the lead was gone. Kyle Federico’s second field goal, on the first play of the fourth quarter, pulled Rutgers to 31-27 and after a Washington State three-and-out, Nova found John Tsimis for a 29-yard TD and a 34-31 lead with 10:50 remaining. Halliday answered in a hurry. He found Myers for 43 yards to the 9, then went over the 500-yard mark on a 5-yard TD pass to Rickey Galvin for a 38-34 lead with 8:13 left, the Cougars’ final lead.
SCORE BY QUARTERS 1 2 3 4 TOTALRutgers 7 14 3 17 41Washington State 3 14 14 7 38
SCORING SUMMARY 1st 14:44 RU Carroo, Leonte 78 yd pass from Nova, Gary (Federico, Kyle kick) 1-78 0:16 04:29 WSU Powell, Erik 22 yd field goal 4--1 1:332nd 12:58 RU James, Paul 1 yd run (Federico, Kyle kick) 12-75 6:31 07:09 WSU Myers, Isiah 4 yd pass from Halliday, C. (Powell, Erik kick) 5-80 2:08 04:58 RU James, Paul 56 yd run (Federico, Kyle kick) 4-73 2:06 01:42 WSU Mayle, Vince 26 yd pass from Halliday, C. (Powell, Erik kick) 8-72 3:103rd 12:27 WSU Cracraft, River 7 yd pass from Halliday, C. (Powell, Erik kick) 7-75 2:33 07:48 RU Federico, Kyle 36 yd field goal 10-54 4:33 03:56 WSU Myers, Isiah 14 yd pass from Halliday, C. (Powell, Erik kick) 9-63 3:464th 14:46 RU Federico, Kyle 25 yd field goal 10-68 3:59 10:50 RU Tsimis, John 29 yd pass from Nova, Gary (Federico, Kyle kick) 6-73 2:26 08:13 WSU Galvin, Rickey 5 yd pass from Halliday, C. (Powell, Erik kick) 6-67 2:31 03:24 RU James, Paul 3 yd run (Federico, Kyle kick) 8-50 3:49
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING: Rutgers-James, Paul 29-173; Peoples, Desmon 8-36; Tsimis, John 1-9; Grant, Janarion 1-7; TEAM 3-minus 3; Nova, Gary 1-minus 7. Washington State-Morrow, Jamal
PASSING: Rutgers-Nova, Gary 16-27-1-281. Washington State-Halliday, C. 40-56-1-532.
RECEIVING: Rutgers-Carroo, Leonte 6-151; Grant, Janarion 4-48; Tsimis, John 3-40; Burton, Michael 2-36; Flanagan, Matt 1-6. Washington State-Mayle, Vince 12-124; Cracraft, River 8-83; Myers, Isiah 6-94; Galvin, Rickey 4-86; Williams, K. 2-36; Wicks, Gerard 2-18; Morrow, Jamal 2-15; Green, Calvin 2-6; Williams, Dom 1-64; West, Theron 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS: Rutgers-Goodwin, Justin 1-0. Washington State-Pritchard, Tana 1-9. FUMBLES: Rutgers-None. Washington State-Cracraft, River 1-1.
SACKS (UA-A): Rutgers-Turay, Kemoko 2-0; Hamilton, Dariu 1-0. Washington State-Cooper, Xavier 0-1; McLennan, Ivan 0-1.
TACKLES (UA-A): Rutgers-Stephenson, Del 5-4; Glashen, Gareef 6-2; Aiken, Johnatha 7-0; Longa, Steve 4-3; Snyder, Kevin 2-4; Jacobs, Davon 3-1; Burton, Michael 3-1; Waters, Lorenzo 3-0; Goodwin, Justin 3-0; Turay, Kemoko 3-0; Mera, Djwany 2-0; Gause, Quentin 1-1; Hamilton, Dariu 1-1; Milewski, David 1-0; Lumpkin, Keith 1-0; Stephenson, Dar 1-0; Lambert, Quanze 0-1. Washington State-Peterson, M. 12-4; Monroe, Darryl 3-4; Lemora, Darius 5-1; Taliulu, Taylor 5-1; Pritchard, Tana 3-2; Clark, Tracy 3-2; Caldwell, T. 3-1; Cooper, Xavier 2-2; Brown, Daquawn 2-2; Williams, K. 2-0; Allison, J. 1-1; Dotson, Isaac 1-1; McLennan, Ivan 0-2; Vaeao, Destiny 1-0; Pole, Kalaf. 1-0; Den Bleyker, A. 0-1; Pelluer, Peyton 0-1; Su’a, Chester 0-1.
RUTGERS VS. WASHINGTON STATEAug. 28, 2014 • CenturyLink Field • Att.: 30,927 • TV: FOX Sports 1
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WSUCOUGARS.COM 11
RUSHINGRushes in a GameStat Individual Total Opponent Year40+ Jerome Harrison 42 UCLA 200435+ Dwight Tardy 37 UCLA 200730+ Dwight Tardy 37 UCLA 200725+ Dwight Tardy 37 UCLA 2007
Rush YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year300+ Rueben Mayes 357 Oregon 1984250+ Jerome Harrison 260 UCLA 2005200+ Dwight Tardy 214 UCLA 2007150+ Dwight Tardy 214 UCLA 2007100+ James Montgomery 116 Montana State 2010
Rushing TouchdownsStat Individual Total Opponent Year5+ James Matthews 5 Idaho 19824+ Deon Burnett 4 La.-Lafayette 19993+ Carl Winston 3 Washington 2012
Yards Per Carry (Min. 8 Carries)Stat Individual Total Opponent Year14.0+ Don Paul 14.0 Oregon 194812.0+ Chris Bruhn 13.1 Idaho 200310.0+ Chris Bruhn 13.1 Idaho 2003
Scored a Rushing TD (50-75 Yards)2011 Marcus Mason (65 yards; Idaho State)
Scored a Rushing TD (75+ Yards)2006 Christopher Ivory (80 yards; Idaho)
Two Players With 100+ Yards Rushing2005 Grambling State at Seattle Jerome Harrison [113 yards] and DeMaundray Woolridge [105 yards]
PASSINGPass AttemptsStat Individual Total Opponent Year70+ Luke Falk 74 at Arizona State 201460+ Luke Falk 74 at Arizona State 201450+ Luke Falk 74 at Arizona State 201440+ Luke Falk 41 Portland State 2015
Pass CompletionsStat Individual Total Opponent Year40+ Luke Falk 45 at Arizona State 201435+ Luke Falk 45 at Arizona State 201430+ Luke Falk 45 at Arizona State 201425+ Luke Falk 27 Portland State 2015
Pass YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year500+ Luke Falk 601 at Arizona State 2014450+ Luke Falk 601 at Arizona State 2014400+ Luke Falk 601 at Arizona State 2014350+ Luke Falk 355 Washington 2014300+ Luke Falk 355 Washington 2014
Passing TouchdownsStat Individual Total Opponent Year6+ Connor Halliday 6 California 20145+ Luke Falk 5 at Oregon State 20144+ Luke Falk 5 at Oregon State 2014
InterceptionsStat Individual Total Opponent Year6+ Alex Brink 6 Oregon State 20075+ Alex Brink 6 Oregon State 20074+ Luke Falk 4 at Arizona State 2014
Completion Percentage (Min. 20 Attempts)Stat Individual Total Opponent Year.850+ Alex Brink .870 (20-23) Oregon 2006.800+ Alex Brink .809 (38-47) SDSU 2007.750+ Connor Halliday .780 (32-41) Southern Utah 2013
Scored a Passing TD (50-75 Yards)2014 Isiah Myers from Connor Halliday, 55 yards; Portland State
Scored a Passing TD (75+ Yards)2014 River Cracraft from Connor Halliday 86 yards, California
RECEIVINGReceptionsStat Individual Total Opponent Year15+ Vince Mayle 15 at Arizona State 201412+ Vince Mayle 15 at Arizona State 201410+ Vince Mayle 15 at Arizona State 2014
Receiving YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year250+ Vince Mayle 252 at Arizona State 2014200+ Vince Mayle 252 at Arizona State 2014150+ Vince Mayle 252 at Arizona State 2014125+ Vince Mayle 252 at Arizona State 2014100+ Vince Mayle 252 at Arizona State 2014
Receiving TouchdownsStat Individual Total Opponent Year3+ River Cracraft 3 California 20142+ Isiah Myers 2 Arizona 2014 Two Players With 100+ Receiving Yards2014 at Arizona State Vince Mayle (252) and Isiah Myers (111)
Three Players With 100+ Receiving Yards2014 California Vince Mayle (263), River Cracraft (172), Dom Williams (107)
ALL-PURPOSE OFFENSETotal All-Purpose YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year300+ Rueben Mayes 375 Oregon 1984250+ Vince Mayle 252 at Arizona State 2014200+ Vince Mayle 252 at Arizona State 2014
DEFENSETacklesStat Individual Total Opponent Year25+ Dan Grayson 25 Arizona 198920+ Brandon Moore 20 Arizona State 199715+ Mitch Peterson 16 Rutgers 2014 SacksStat Individual Total Opponent Year5+ Mkristo Bruce 5 Stanford 20064+ Andy Mattingly 4 Arizona State 20073+ Andy Mattingly 4 Arizona State 2007
Tackles For LossStat Individual Total Opponent Year5+ Cory Evans 6.5 Oregon State 20074+ Cyrus Coen 4 Arizona State 20123+ Kache Palacio 3 at Oregon State 2014
Total InterceptionsStat Individual Total Opponent Year4+ L. Thompson 4 UCLA 20013+ Will Derting 3 Nevada 20022+ Damante Horton 2 at USC 2013
Blocked Punt2013 Theron West vs. Colorado State
Blocked Field Goal2013 Toni Pole at USC
Scored a Defensive PAT1993 Torey Hunter (75-yard run; California)
Blocked PAT2014 Ivan McLennan California
Scored a Safety2006 Team Stanford
Shut Out an Opponent2013 Idaho (42-0)
Held an Opponent Without an Offensive TD2013 Idaho (42-0)
Returned an Interception for a TD2013 Casey Locker (39 yards - Utah)
Returned a Fumble for a TD2013 Xavier Cooper 29-yard return; at Oregon
Played an Overtime Game2012 W, 31-28 Washington
SPECIAL TEAMSPuntsStat Individual Total Opponent Year14+ Mike Monahan 14 Stanford 196912+ Steve Johnston 12 UCLA 199210+ Michael Bowlin 10 Arizona State 2012
Punt ReturnsStat Individual Total Opponent Year8+ Jay Dumas 9 Oregon 19946+ Michael Bumpus 7 Arizona 20044+ Charles Dillon 4 Oregon State 2007
Returned a Punt for a TD (Blocks Not Included)2005 Michael Bumpus (87 yards at Nevada)
Punt Return YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year150+ Michael Bumpus 157 Nevada 2005100+ Michael Bumpus 157 Nevada 2005
Kickoff ReturnsStat Individual Total Opponent Year9+ Isiah Barton 9 Oregon State 20117+ Kristoff Williams 7 Rutgers 20145+ Kristoff Williams 7 Rutgers 2014
Returned a Kickoff for a TD2003 Sammy Moore (97 yards; Colorado)
50+ Yard Field Goal2013 Andrew Furney (52 yards; Utah)
4+ Field Goals2011 Andrew Furney 21-26-21-47; at UCLA
Returned a Punt for a TD (Blocks Not Included)2005 Michael Bumpus (87 yards at Nevada)
THE LAST TIME WSU...
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WASHINGTON STATE FOOTBALL12
THE LAST TIME A WSU OPPONENT...RUSHING
Rushes in a GameStat Individual Total Opponent Year40+ John White 42 Utah 201135+ John White 42 Utah 201130+ Bishop Sankey 34 at Washington 201325+ Paul James 29 Rutgers 2014
Rush YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year250+ Chris Polk 284 Washington 2010200+ Bishop Sankey 200 at Washington 2013150+ Devontae Booker 178 at Utah 2014100+ Dwayne Washington 135 Washington 2014
Rushing TouchdownsStat Individual Total Opponent Year4+ Ronnie Hillman 4 San Diego St. 20113+ D.J. Foster 3 at Arizona State 2014
Yards Per Carry (Minimum 8 Carries)Stat Individual Total Opponent Year14.0+ Corey Grant 16.2 at Auburn 201312.0+ Corey Grant 16.2 at Auburn 201310.0+ Corey Grant 16.2 at Auburn 2013
Scored a Rushing TD (50-75 Yards)2014 Dwayne Washington, Washington (60 yards)
Scored a Rushing TD (75+ Yards)2013 Devontae Booker, at Utah, 76 yards
Two Players With 100+ Yards Rushing2013 at Oregon Bryon Marshall (192) and Thomas Tyner (101)
PASSINGPass AttemptsStat Individual Total Opponent Year60+ Brad Lebo 61 Montana 199250+ Jared Goff 53 California 201440+ Sean Mannion 41 at Oregon State 2014
Pass CompletionsStat Individual Total Opponent Year35+ Jared Goff 37 California 201430+ Sean Mannion 31 at Oregon State 201425+ Cyler Miles 25 Washington 2014
Pass YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year500+ Jared Goff 527 California 2014450+ Jared Goff 527 California 2014400+ Sean Mannion 419 at Oregon State 2014350+ Sean Mannion 419 at Oregon State 2014300+ Sean Mannion 419 at Oregon State 2014
Passing TouchdownsStat Individual Total Opponent Year5+ Cody Kessler 5 USC 20144+ Taylor Kelly 4 at Arizona State 2014
Completion PercentageStat Individual Total Opponent Year.850+ Taylor Kelly .869 ASU (20-23) 2012.800+ Marcus Mariota .840 Oregon (21-25) 2014.750+ Sean Mannion .756 at OSU (31-41) 2014
Scored a Passing TD (50-75 Yards)2014 Trevor Davis from Jared Goff, California (51 yards)
Scored a Passing TD (75+ Yards)2014 Nelson Agholor from Cody Kessler, USC (87 yards)
RECEIVINGReceptionsStat Individual Total Opponent Year12+ Chris Harper 13 at Cal 201310+ Victor Bolden 10 at Oregon State 20148+ Victor Bolden 10 at Oregon State 2014
Receiving YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year200+ Nelson Agholor 220 USC 2014150+ Nelson Agholor 220 USC 2014100+ Cameron Smith 131 at Arizona State 2014
Receiving TouchdownsStat Individual Total Opponent Year3+ JuJu Smith 3 USC 20142+ Cameron Smith 2 at Arizona State 2014
Two Players With 100+ Yards Receiving2014 Oregon Devon Allen (142) and Keanon Lowe (104)
ALL-PURPOSE OFFENSETotal All-Purpose YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year300+ Chris Polk 302 Washington 2010250+ Nelson Agholor 291 USC 2014200+ Nelson Agholor 291 USC 2014
DEFENSETacklesStat Individual Total Opponent Year15+ Zach Hoffpauir 15 at Stanford 201412+ Tyreque Zimmerman 12 at Oregon State 2014
SacksStat Individual Total Opponent Year5+ Riall Johnson 5 Stanford 19994+ Riall Johnson 5 Stanford 19993+ Scooby Wright 3 Arizona 2014
Tackles For LossStat Individual Total Opponent Year5+ Nick Reed 5 Oregon 20074+ Scott Crichton 4 Oregon State 20123+ Jared Tevis 3.5 Arizona 2014
Total InterceptionsStat Individual Total Opponent Year3+ Jordan Poyer 3 Oregon State 20122+ Rashaad Reynolds 2 Oregon State 2013
Returned an Interception for a TD2014 Eric Rowe, at Utah, 11 yards (Halliday)
Returned a Fumble for a TD2012 Eric Kendricks, UCLA (40 yards)
Scored a Safety2013 Rush, at Cal
Shut Out WSU2010 Arizona State (42-0) at Sun Devil Stadium
Held WSU Without an Offensive TD2013 at USC
Blocked a Punt2012 UCLA (Anthony Barr) (on Mike Bowlin) Blocked Field Goal2015 Aaron Sibley, Portland State (Powell) 22-yard attempt
Scored a Defensive PAT1991 Steve Tovar, Ohio State (100-yd interception)
Blocked a PAT2013 Utah (Andrew Furney)
SPECIAL TEAMSPuntsStat Individual Total Opponent Year12+ Ryan Downes 12 Idaho 200110+ Justin Bergendahl 10 Nevada 20058+ TJ Conley 8 Idaho 2006
Punt ReturnsStat Individual Total Opponent Year8+ Paul Guidry 8 UCLA 19936+ Damian Williams 6 USC 20094+ Robert Nelson 5 Arizona State 2013
Punt Return YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year100+ William Wright 114 Arizona 2009
Returned a Punt for a TD (Blocks Not Included)2014 Nelson Agholor, USC (65 yards)
Kickoff ReturnsStat Individual Total Opponent Year7+ Dom. Hatfield 7 Utah 20136+ Janarion Grant 6 Rutgers 20145+ Janarion Grant 6 Rutgers 2014
Kickoff Return YardsStat Individual Total Opponent Year200+ Tony Cherry 240 Oregon 1984175+ Trevor Davis 198 California 2014150+ Trevor Davis 198 California 2014125+ Trevor Davis 198 California 2014
Returned a Kickoff for a TD2014 Cayleb Jones, Arizona (44 yards)
50+ Yard Field Goal2012 Vincenzo D’Amato, California (52 yards)
4+ Field Goals2006 Jesse Ainsworth, Arizona State [34-46-47-32]
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WSUCOUGARS.COM 13
COUGAR OFFENSE
X 80 Dom WILLIAMS 6-2 200 SR* 1 Kyrin PRIESTER 6-1 190 SO
Y 21 River CRACRAFT 6-0 200 JR 85 John THOMPSON 5-8 194 JR
LT 56 Joe DAHL 6-5 310 SR* 60 Andre DILLARD 6-5 270 FR*
LG 63 Gunnar EKLUND 6-7 305 SR* 76 Cody O’CONNELL 6-8 346 SO*
C 58 Riley SORENSON 6-4 319 JR 75 B.J. SALMONSON 6-4 295 SO*
SS 30 Taylor TALIULU 6-0 205 SR 10 Kirkland PARKER 6-1 175 SO*
CB 4 Charleston WHITE 6-0 185 SO* 17 Pat PORTER 5-10 170 SO
COUGAR SPECIALISTS
P 95 Zach CHARME 6-1 192 FR 46 Erik POWELL 6-1 193 SO*
K 46 Erik POWELL 6-1 193 SO* 49 Brett SCHAFER 5-9 165 FR
LS 71 Lucas GRAVELLE 6-0 218 SO* 44 Kyle CELLI 6-1 230 FR*
H 38 Kaleb FOSSUM 5-11 187 FR 21 River CRACRAFT 6-0 200 JR
PR 1 Kyrin PRIESTER 6-1 190 SO 9 Gabe MARKS 6-0 190 JR*
KOR 12 Tavares MARTIN JR. 6-1 165 FR 1 Kyrin PRIESTER 6-1 190 SO
DEPTH CHART - RUTGERS
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WASHINGTON STATE FOOTBALL14
STATISTICS
2015 Washington State FootballWashington State Overall Team Statistics (as of Sep 07, 2015)
All games
Team Statistics WSU OPPSCORING 17 24 Points Per Game 17.0 24.0 Points Off Turnovers 0 7FIRST DOWNS 21 19 R u s h i n g 7 15 P a s s i n g 13 4 P e n a l t y 1 0RUSHING YARDAGE 104 233 Yards gained rushing 129 258 Yards lost rushing 25 25 Rushing Attempts 30 48 Average Per Rush 3.5 4.9 Average Per Game 104.0 233.0 TDs Rushing 0 3PASSING YARDAGE 307 61 C o m p - A t t - I n t 28-45-1 7-12-0 Average Per Pass 6.8 5.1 Average Per Catch 11.0 8.7 Average Per Game 307.0 61.0 TDs Passing 2 0TOTAL OFFENSE 411 294 Total Plays 75 60 Average Per Play 5.5 4.9 Average Per Game 411.0 294.0KICK RETURNS: #-Yards 4-92 4-81PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards 2-6 0-0INT RETURNS: #-Yards 0-0 1-0KICK RETURN AVERAGE 23.0 20.2PUNT RETURN AVERAGE 3.0 0.0INT RETURN AVERAGE 0.0 0.0FUMBLES-LOST 4-1 0-0PENALTIES-Yards 5-32 5-61 Average Per Game 32.0 61.0PUNTS-Yards 2-104 4-184 Average Per Punt 52.0 46.0 Net punt average 52.0 44.5KICKOFFS-Yards 4-238 5-299 Average Per Kick 59.5 59.8 Net kick average 39.2 36.4TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 3 0 : 1 2 2 9 : 4 83RD-DOWN Conversions 4/16 6/12 3rd-Down Pct 25% 50%4TH-DOWN Conversions 7/8 1/1 4th-Down Pct 88% 100%SACKS BY-Yards 3-17 1-10MISC YARDS 0 30TOUCHDOWNS SCORED 2 3FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS 1-2 1-1ON-SIDE KICKS 0-0 0-0RED-ZONE SCORES (2-3) 67% (4-4) 100%RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS (1-3) 33% (3-4) 75%PAT-ATTEMPTS (2-2) 100% (3-3) 100%ATTENDANCE 24302 0 Games/Avg Per Game 1/24302 0/0 Neutral Site Games 0/0
Score by Quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TotalWashington State 3 7 0 7 0 17Opponents 0 0 10 14 0 24
2015 Washington State FootballWashington State Game Results (as of Sep 07, 2015)
All games
Date Opponent Score Overall Conference Time AttendSep 05, 2015 PORTLAND STATE L 17-24 0-1 0-0 2:59 24302
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WSUCOUGARS.COM 15
STATISTICS
2015 Washington State FootballWashington State Individual Season/Career Statistics (as of Sep 07, 2015)
All games
SEASON CAREER
Rushing gp att gain loss net avg td lg avg/g gp att gain loss net avg td lg avg/gGerard Wicks 1 14 65 2 63 4.5 0 22 63.0 10 76 315 18 297 3.9 4 24 29.7Jamal Morrow 1 8 34 1 33 4.1 0 11 33.0 13 95 416 32 384 4.0 0 17 29.5Luke Falk 1 8 30 22 8 1.0 0 6 8.0 7 44 95 157 -62 -1.4 1 9 -8.9Total 1 30 129 25 104 3.5 0 22 104.0Opponents 1 48 258 25 233 4.9 3 25 233.0
PULLMAN, Wash. – Portland State of the FCS upset Washington State 24-17 in a driving rainstorm that hampered WSU’s high-flying offense. Portland State scored all 24 of its points in the second half, and won despite being out-gained 411 yards to 294 yards. It was the first time Portland State beat a Pacific-12 team in 15 tries, and lifted their re-cord to 3-32 against FBS teams. It was Washington State’s first loss to an FCS team in 20 outings. Steven Long scored on a 1-yard run with just over 2 minutes left in the game to lift Portland State to the upset. The rain and unseasonably chilly temperatures stymied Washington State’s passing game under quarterback Luke Falk, who this year replaced national passing leader Connor Halliday. But Portland State had the stronger ground attack, out-rushing Washington State 233 yards to 104 yards. Portland State quarterback Alex Kuresa completed just 7 of 12 passes for 61 yards, but led all rushers with 92 yards on 16 carries in the opener for both teams. Falk completed 27 of 41 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns for WSU. He left the game in the closing minutes with an undisclosed injury. Washington State’s opening drive stalled on Portland State’s 4-yard line, and the Cougars settled for Erik Powell’s 21-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. The Cougars had a bizarre drive on their second possession, moving forward and back over 90 yards because of penalties, and converting three fourth-down plays, before Powell’s 22-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Aaron Sibley. Washington State’s first touchdown came on a screen pass from Falk to Keith Harrington, which the freshman running back turned into a 24-yard gain that gave the Cougars a 10-0 lead midway through the second quarter. That lead stood at halftime, as the Cougars outgained Portland State 274 yards to 66 yards in the first half. Portland State came out strong in the third quarter, driving 75 yards with Paris Penn scoring on a 4-yard rush to cut Washington State’s lead to 10-7. On Portland State’s next possession, Jonathan Gonzales kicked a 42-yard field goal to tie the score at 10 with 4:37 left in the third. Washington State turned the ball over on downs on its next possession, with Portland State taking over on its own 28. The Vikings were forced to punt, but WSU’s Kyrin Priester fumbled the catch and Portland State recovered on WSU’s 11. Nate Tago pounded over from the 8 to give Portland State a 17-10 lead with 13:06 left. Tavares Martin returned the ensuing kickoff to Portland State’s 46, aided by a face-mask penalty against the Vikings. Gabe Marks caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from Falk to tie the score at 17 with 9:11 left. Kuresa led Portland State on a 14-play, 69-yard drive that consumed nearly 7 minutes, with Long rushing from the 1-yard line to lift Portland State to a 24-17 lead with 2:19 left. Sibley intercepted a pass from WSU’s Peyton Bender with 42 seconds left to seal the win.
SCORE BY QUARTERS 1 2 3 4 TOTALPortland State 0 0 10 14 24Washington State 3 7 0 7 17
SCORING SUMMARY 1st 10:51 WSU Erik Powell 21 yd field goal 11-71 4:092nd 07:51 WSU Keith Harrington 24 yd pass from Luke Falk (Erik Powell kick) 7-77 3:093rd 10:54 PSU Paris Penn 4 yd run (J. Gonzales kick) 10-75 4:01 04:37 PSU J. Gonzales 42 yd field goal 10-54 5:174th 13:06 PSU Nate Tago 8 yd run (J. Gonzales kick) 3-11 1:42 09:11 WSU Gabe Marks 5 yd pass from Luke Falk (Erik Powell kick) 11-46 3:44 02:19 PSU Steven Long 1 yd run (J. Gonzales kick) 14-69 6:46
RECEIVING: Portland State-Thomas Carter 4-34; David Jones 2-16; Cam Sommer 1-11. Washington State-Gabe Marks 6-76; Dom Williams 5-86; John Thompson 3-33; Tyler Baker 3-20; Kyrin Priester 3-16; River Cracraft 2-26; Keith Harrington 2-25; Robert Lewis 1-12; Daniel Lilienthal 1-7; Gerard Wicks 1-3; Jamal Morrow 1-3.
INTERCEPTIONS: Portland State-Aaron Sibley 1-0. Washington State-None.
SACKS (UA-A): Portland State-S. Talalemotu 1-0. Washington State-Darryl Paulo 1-0; Destiny Vaeao 1-0; Kache Palacio 1-0.
TACKLES (UA-A): Portland State-Jeremy Lutali 8-1; P. Onwuasor 6-2; Xavier Coleman 5-2; AJ Schlatter 5-1; S. Talalemotu 3-2; Mosa Likio 3-1; Daniel Fusi 3-1; Aaron Sibley 2-2; John Norcross 1-3; Walter Santiago 3-0; Beau Duronslet 2-0; Sadat Sulleyman 1-1; B. Brody-Heim 1-0; Marcus Kinsella 0-1; Michael Doman 0-1. Washington State-Jeremiah Allison 6-6; Shalom Luani 6-2; Peyton Pelluer 3-5; Taylor Taliulu 5-1; Destiny Vaeao 2-3; Kache Palacio 3-0; Hercules Mata’afa 2-1; Robert Barber 1-2; Parker Henry 1-1; Charleston White 1-1; Darryl Paulo 1-1; Isaac Dotson 1-0; Frankie Luvu 1-0; Erik Powell 1-0; Colton Teglovic 0-1; Darrien Molton 0-1; Reggie Coates 0-1; Ivan McClennan 0-1.
PORTLAND STATE VS. WASHINGTON STATESept. 5, 2015 • Martin Stadium • Att.: 24,302 • TV: Pac-12 Networks
GAME RECAPS
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WSUCOUGARS.COM 21
Mike Leach is in his fourth season at Washington State University after being named the Cougars’ head football coach, Nov. 30, 2011.
In 2014 Leach’s offense led the nation in passing at 477.7 yards per game, the second-highest total in FBS history, trailing only Houston’s 511.3 in 1989. WSU set or tied 42 school, conference or NCAA records during the season, including quarterback Connor Halliday who threw for an NCAA single-game record 734 yards against California. WSU also placed five student-athletes on Pac-12 All-Academic teams and five on All-Pac-12 teams during the season.
In 2013, Leach’s second season at the helm of the Cougars, he guided Washington State to the Gildan New Mexico Bowl, the first bowl game for the Cougars in a decade. Last season the Cougars ranked fourth in the nation in passing offense, setting a school-record at 368.00 yards per game, eclipsing the previous mark of 343.3 ypg in 1997. The Cougar offense threw for more than 400 yards five times, including a 2013 NCAA FBS–best 557 yards at Oregon. Quarterback Connor Halliday set WSU single-season records for passing yards (4,587), attempts (714) and completions (449), the first WSU quarterback to surpass the 4,000-yard mark. The Cougars picked up more national recognition as safety Deone Bucannon became WSU’s first All-America first-team selection since 2005 and was later selected as the No. 27 overall pick in NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, the first Cougar taken in the first round since 2003. The Cougars also placed eight student-athletes on Pac-12 All-Academic teams during the season.
In his first season in Pullman, Leach’s high-powered offense led the Pac-12 Conference in passing, averaging 330.42 yards per game. That figure ranked ninth nationally and marked the second-highest average in school history. Seven times the Cougars threw for more than 350 yards, including the season-ending, 31-28, overtime win against Washington. In a season that produced a 3-9 overall record, the Cougars saw a bit of a youth movement as 17 freshmen played and only four seniors started regularly. Academically, nine Cougars received Pac-12 All-Academic honors while the 2012 fall semester football GPA of 2.66 marked the first time the football team had been over a 2.60 GPA for fall semester.
Leach brought a proven record of winning to Pullman. In 10 seasons as a head coach, all at Texas Tech (2000-09) his program earned 10 bowl bids. In addition, the Susanville, Calif., native who was raised in Cody, Wyo., recorded a school-record 84 victories during his tenure.
Leading the most prolific passing offense in the country, Leach received three national coach of the year awards in 2008 - the Woody Hayes Award, Howie Long/Fieldturf Coach of the Year, and George Munger Award. His offense spreads the field with his exciting brand of football and guided Texas Tech to six NCAA passing titles and three total offense titles during his 10 seasons in Lubbock. Leach’s offense produced school records in nearly every passing category in 2000, his first season with the Red Raiders, but surpassed those numbers in each of his next nine seasons.
During Leach’s time in Lubbock, Texas, the Red Raiders increased their yards per game by more than 150 and averaged nearly 20 points more per outing. In the passing game, Texas Tech threw for about 300 yards more per game in the decade Leach was at the helm.
Leach led Texas Tech to one of the most memorable seasons in school history in 2008 as the team set a program record with 11 regular-season wins en route to an 11-2 record. The win total tied the mark, set previously by the 1953 and 1973 Red Raider squads. Numerous accolades poured in from across the country as an unprecedented four players earned first-team All-America status, in addition to Leach’s three coach of the year honors. Quarterback Graham Harrell, offensive tackle Rylan Reed and offensive guard Brandon Carter each garnered first-team honors, while wide receiver Michael Crabtree was honored as a unanimous consensus All-American for the second-straight season.
On the field in 2008, the Red Raiders led the nation in passing for the sixth time in Leach’s ten seasons and ranked among the top five in total offense. Harrell finished his storied career second on the NCAA career passing yardage list with 15,793 yards. Harrell also broke the career NCAA passing touchdowns mark with 134.
The Texas Tech program has established itself as one of the nation’s leading producers of productive quarterbacks since the 2000 season. Harrell threw for 4,555 yards in his debut as the starter in 2006 and became the sixth player and third Red Raider in NCAA history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season with his 5,705-yard effort in 2007 and 5,111 yards last season. He also is the third quarterback under Leach to win nine games in a season and the first Red Raider in history to win 11 in a regular season. Former quarterback Kliff Kingsbury in 2002 and Cody Hodges in 2005 each posted nine-win seasons during their careers, while 2003 and 2004 signal callers B.J. Symons and Sonny Cumbie each won eight games in their respective seasons as the starter.
The Red Raiders improved their total offensive numbers from 324.8 yards per game to 531.0 yards per game since Leach’s arrival. Leach’s first nine seasons at Tech rank as the top nine all-time in total offense, while scoring went from 23 points per game in 1999 to a school-record 43.8 points in 2008. The most significant increase was in the passing game, where the Red Raiders averaged 475.3 yards per game in 2008 compared to 175.4 yards in 1999.
The running game flourished under Leach as well. Former Red Raider Taurean Henderson holds the NCAA career record for receptions by a running back. The Red Raiders’ 28 total rushing scores in 2008 were the most for a Tech team since the 1993 team scored 30. Despite Tech’s
YEAR SCHOOL RECORD POSTSEASON
2000 Texas Tech 7-6 (3-5 Big 12) GalleryFurniture Bowl (L)
2001 Texas Tech 7-5 (4-4 Big 12) Alamo Bowl (L)
2002 Texas Tech 9-5 (5-3 Big 12) Tangerine Bowl (W)
2003 Texas Tech 8-5 (4-4 Big 12) Houston Bowl (W)
2004 Texas Tech 8-4 (5-3 Big 12) Holiday Bowl (W)
2005 Texas Tech 9-3 (6-2 Big 12) Cotton Bowl (L)
2006 Texas Tech 8-5 (4-4 Big 12) Insight Bowl (W)
2007 Texas Tech 9-4 (4-4 Big 12) Gator Bowl (W)
2008 Texas Tech 11-2 (7-1 Big 12) Cotton Bowl (L)
2009 Texas Tech 8-4 (5-3 Big 12) Alamo Bowl
2012 Washington State 3-9 (1-8 Pac-12)
2013 Washington State 6-7 (4-5 Pac-12) New Mexico Bowl (L)
offense revolving around the pass, Leach did a tremendous job of incorporating the running back position into the mix. Henderson finished his career with 303 receptions, which ranks first in NCAA history among running backs and fourth overall.
The Red Raiders were not known solely for their play on the scoring side of the ball. The Texas Tech defense also flourished during Leach’s 10 seasons. Texas Tech held opponents without an offensive touchdown a dozen times under Leach, including seven shutouts. Three of the whitewashes came in 2000 when the Red Raiders tied for the national lead.
The play of the special teams also improved with each season. Former placekicker Alex Trlica holds the NCAA record with 233 career extra points and another record for extra points made without a miss. He finished with 377 career points, which ranks among the top 10 in NCAA history among kickers. While leading the Red Raiders to 76 wins in his nine seasons, Leach is the only coach in school history to lead ten teams to bowl games.
Although Leach’s presence was felt throughout the team, it also was beneficial for the players individually. In addition to picking up the Sammy Baugh Trophy in 2007, Harrell was the recipient of the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame’s Post-Graduate Scholarship and was one of 15 players selected as a candidate for the prestigious Draddy Award, the academic Heisman. Harrell also ranked fourth in the 2008 Heisman voting, while Crabtree was fifth. Symons was the second Tech quarterback to receive The Touchdown Club of Columbus’ Sammy Baugh Trophy (Kingsbury in 2002).
Kingsbury, a 2002 All-Big 12 first-team quarterback and sixth-round draft pick of the New England Patriots, led the Big 12 Conference in several passing categories during his final three seasons and was a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2002. He also was named the Verizon Academic All-American of the Year for football and was awarded an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
In 2004, inside receiver Trey Haverty became Tech’s first Associated Press All-American since Montae Reagor in 1998, when he was selected to the third team. Free safety Dwayne Slay earned first-team All-America honors from Sports Illustrated in 2005, marking the first in seven seasons. Slay was one of the country’s most punishing tacklers that year and led the conference and finished second nationally with eight forced fumbles.
Leach has coached several players who have gone on to the NFL. While at Tech, 18 players have been drafted and 21 others have signed free agent contracts. In the spring of 2009, four players were selected among the first four rounds of the NFL Draft, marking the most successful draft for Texas Tech in the Leach era. Crabtree became the highest draft pick at No. 10, since Gabe Rivera in 1983. Crabtree, selected by the San Francisco 49ers, is the highest drafted Tech receiver since Dave Parks went No. 1 overall in 1964.
Safety Darcel McBath was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round, while offensive lineman Louis Vasquez was taken in the third by San Diego. Defensive end Brandon Williams went to the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth.
The program made strides academically as well under Leach. During his 10 years, Tech was recognized as one of the nation’s top institutions for consistently being above a 70 percent graduation rate, according to the American Football Coaches
Association. Prior to coming on board at Texas Tech, Leach, in just one season at Oklahoma,
directed a Sooner offense that went from one of the worst in the Big 12 Conference to one of the best. Under Leach’s tutelage, Josh Heupel was named 1999 Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year. For his efforts, Leach was nominated for the 1999 Broyles Award as the top assistant coach in the country.
Leach guided an Oklahoma offense that went from 11th in the Big 12 in 1998 to first in 1999 and 101st in the nation to 11th. In just one year, OU’s total offense numbers improved from 293.3 to 427.2 yards per game.
The rise in passing and scoring offense categories is just as impressive. Oklahoma went from last to first in the Big 12 in passing offense in one year, from 107th in the country to ninth. Under Leach, the Sooners improved from 109.9 yards passing per game to 321.7 yards per game.
In 1998, Oklahoma was last in the Big 12 and 101st in the country in scoring offense at 16.7 points per game. In 1999, the Sooners improved to second in the league and eighth in the country in scoring at 36.8 points per game, an increase of just over 20 points per game.
Under Leach, the Oklahoma offense set six Big 12 Conference and 17 OU records. The Sooners were one of only two schools in the nation to have six players with 20 or more receptions in 1999.
Prior to joining Bob Stoops’ Oklahoma staff, Leach served as offensive coordinator for Hal Mumme at the University of Kentucky and Valdosta (Ga.) State University. For two years at Kentucky under Mumme, Leach coached the Kentucky “Air Raid” offense that was one of the most explosive in Southeastern Conference history. Under Mumme and Leach, the Kentucky offense set six NCAA records, 41 Southeastern Conference records and 116 school records in 22 games.
Leach’s Kentucky offense featured the talented Tim Couch, who passed for 4,275 yards and 34 touchdowns as a senior and was the top pick of the 1999 NFL Draft.
Named 1996 Division II Offensive Coordinator of the Year by American Football Quarterly magazine, Leach helped Mumme lead Valdosta State to a 40-17-1 record. The 1993 Blazer offense smashed 66 school records, 22 conference records and seven national records. In 1994, Valdosta State advanced to the Division II playoffs with Leach’s offense shattering 80 school records, 35 conference records and seven more national marks.
Leach and Mumme first teamed up at Iowa Wesleyan College in 1989. From 1989 to 1991 Leach served as offensive coordinator and line coach for an offense that led the NAIA in passing yardage one season and finished second the other two. Iowa Wesleyan quarterbacks passed for more than 11,000 yards in Leach’s three seasons and broke 26 national records.
Leach also has made coaching stops in Pori, Finland, where he served as a head coach in the European Football League (1989), as well as one-year stints at College of the Desert (1988) and Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo (1987).
After graduating with honors from BYU in 1983, Leach earned a master’s degree from the U.S. Sports Academy and his law degree from Pepperdine University, where he graduated in the top one-third of his class.
The oldest of six siblings, Leach and his wife, Sharon, are the parents of four children; Janeen, Kim, Cody and Kiersten.
2015 COUGAR FOOTBALL
WSUCOUGARS.COM 23
ROSTERALPHABETICAL
NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. YR. EXP. HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL/COLLEGE)48 ABRAMO, Matt K 6-2 186 FR HS Petaluma, Calif. (Casa Grande)8 ALLISON, Jeremiah LB 6-2 228 SR 3V Los Angeles, Calif. (Dorsey)17 ANDERSON, Erik WR 6-2 190 SO* SQ Burien, Wash. (Highline)26 BAKER, Tyler WR 5-10 190 SR* 1V Bullard, Texas (Brook Hill/Ole Miss)92 BARBER, Robert NT 6-3 307 JR* 2V Pago Pago, American Samoa (Faga’itua)19 BARTOLONE, Brett WR 5-10 182 JR* 2V La Habra, Calif. (La Habra)89 BEGG, Nick TE 6-5 237 FR* RS Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. (Santa Margarita)6 BENDER, Peyton QB 6-0 187 FR* RS Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons)79 BIGGE-DUREN, Cedric OL 6-6 308 FR HS Oceanside, Calif. (Oceanside)31 BOONE, Xavius WR 5-9 171 FR HS Altadena, Calif. (Maranatha)41 BRESHEARS, Quentin K 6-0 184 SR* 1V Turlock, Calif. (Fresno State/Fresno City College)49 BROCK, Tristan LB 6-0 240 FR HS Mount Vernon, Wash. (Mount Vernon)16 BROUGHTON, Treshon CB 6-0 170 JR TR Murrieta, Calif. (Vista Murrieta/Riverside CC)77 BROWN, Austin DL 6-2 305 FR HS San Jacinto, Calif. (San Jacinto)36 BUCANNON, David S 6-0 194 JR* 1V Fairfield, Calif. (Vanden)44 CELLI, Kyle LB/LS 6-1 230 FR* HS Seattle, Wash. (Bishop Blanchet)95 CHARME, Zach P/K 6-1 192 FR HS Boise, Ida. (Timberline)62 CHRIST, Moritz OL 6-5 327 SR* SQ Siegen, Germany (Leander HS (TX))55 COATES, Reggie LB 6-0 235 JR* RS Encino, Calif. (Crespi/Nevada)67 COLE, Michael OL 6-3 295 FR HS Olympia, Wash. (North Thurston)56 COMFORT, Taylor LB 6-0 238 FR* RS Sultan, Wash. (Sultan)94 COX, Mitchell K 6-0 202 JR TR Kent, Wash. (Kentwood/Eastern New Mexico)21 CRACRAFT, River WR 6-0 200 JR 2V Trabuco Canyon, Calif. (Santa Margarita)37 CRACRAFT, Skyler DB 5-11 193 SR* SQ Trabuco Canyon, Calif. (Tesoro)56 DAHL, Joe OL 6-5 310 SR* 2V Spokane, Wash. (University/Montana)35 DALE, Hunter S 5-10 202 FR HS River Ridge, La. (John Curtis)28 DAVIS, Isaiah WR 6-1 183 FR* HS Renton, Wash. (Hazen)54 DeRIDER, Nate LB 6-1 224 SO* SQ Bellevue, Wash. (Bellevue)60 DILLARD, Andre OL 6-5 270 FR* RS Woodinville, Wash. (Woodinville)88 DIMRY, C.J. WR 6-5 200 JR* TR Carlsbad, Calif. (La Costa Canyon/Saddleback College)31 DOTSON, Isaac S 6-1 215 SO* 1V Bellevue, Wash. (Newport)63 EKLUND, Gunnar OL 6-7 305 SR* 3V Lake Stevens, Wash. (Lake Stevens)90 EKUALE, Daniel DL 6-3 288 SO* 1V Pago Pago, American Samoa (Nuuuli Technical)8 ENNIS, Connor QB 5-11 186 SO* SQ Washington D.C. (Gonzaga)74 EVERS, Brandon OL 6-6 290 FR* RS Redding, Calif. (Enterprise)4 FALK, Luke QB 6-4 205 SO* 1V Logan, Utah (Logan)96 FEHOKO, T.J. DE 6-1 273 FR HS Salt Lake City, Utah (Cottonwood)52 FERNANDEZ, Kingston DE 6-2 256 FR* RS Kapolei, Hawaii (Kapolei)64 FLOR, Sam OL 6-4 309 JR* 1V Seattle, Wash. (O’Dea)38 FOSSUM, Kaleb WR 5-10 187 FR HS Lake Forest, Calif. (El Toro)78 FREEMAN, Carlos OL 6-3 303 SO* SQ Midwest City, Okla. (Midwest City)71 GRAVELLE, Lucas LS 6-0 218 SO* TR Niagra, N.Y. (Wheatfield/Erie CC)5 GREEN, Calvin DB 5-10 175 SO 1V Sacramento, Calif. (Luther Burbank)57 GRIFFIN, Drew LB 5-11 221 FR* RS Tacoma, Wash. (Bellarmine Prep)2 HAMEED, Suli S 5-10 190 SO 1V Oakland, Calif. (Alameda)53 HANCOCK, Caleb OL 6-5 275 JR TR Spanaway, Wash. (Bethel/Pacific Lutheran)33 HANSER, Dylan LB 6-4 230 SO SQ Billings, Mont. (Central Catholic)24 HARRINGTON, Keith RB 5-8 180 FR* RS St. Petersburg, Fla. (Northeast)23 HECKER, Andrew S 6-0 180 FR HS Poulsbo, Wash. (North Kitsap)29 HENRY, Parker LB 5-11 207 JR* 2V Vancouver, Wash. (Skyview)3 HILINSKI, Tyler QB 6-3 187 FR HS Claremont, Calif. (Upland)72 HOPKINS, Mack OL 6-5 302 FR* RS Connell, Wash. (Connell)42 HOYD III, Greg LB 6-1 221 FR* RS Murrieta, Calif. (Vista Murrieta)12 JIMISON, Matt QB 6-2 208 FR HS Folsom, Calif. (Vista del Lago)13 JORGENSON, Christian QB 6-2 190 FR HS Bellingham, Wash. (Squalicum)93 LAIRD, Jacob DL 6-0 252 FR* RS Ephrata, Wash. (Ephrata)48 LEE, Alijah RB 5-6 177 FR* HS Los Angeles (Venice)28 LEMORA, Darius S 6-0 196 SO* 1V Port Arthur, Texas (Memorial)44 LENIU, Chandler LB 6-0 261 FR* RS Lakewood, Calif. (St. John Bosco)15 LEWIS, Robert WR 5-9 170 SO* 1V South Gate, Calif. (South East)87 LILIENTHAL, Daniel WR 6-2 203 SR* SQ Hemet, Calif. (West Valley/Mt. San Jacinto JC)18 LUANI, Shalom S 6-0 201 JR TR Masausi, American Samoa (Faga’itua/San Francisco CC)51 LUVU, Frankie LB 6-3 237 SO 1V Pago Pago, American Samoa (Tafuna)
