Sep. 14—PULLMAN — Shortly after Washington State wrapped up its last game, a blowout road loss to Kansas State over the weekend to drop coach Kirby Moore's team to 0-2 to open the season, Cougar quarterback Caden Pinnick was short on words.
On some of the team's biggest problems on offense, Pinnick said only, "We just lost. Next question."
On what was holding back WSU's passing offense, which produced only 65 yards, Pinnick said, "Good team. We lost."
On whether he felt like offensive coordinator Matt Miller's playcalls were putting the team in the best positions to succeed, Pinnick said, "It's not for me to say. We just gotta get better."
On Monday, Pinnick led off his news conference addressing that postgame session, which lasted less than two minutes, saying it was "not quite the response that you want."

#offense

SEATTLE — Demond Williams Jr. threw for 268 yards and a touchdown, and No. 17 Washington survived offensive struggles for a 24-10 victory over Washington State in a season-opening Apple Cup on Sunday.
Williams also scored on a 5-yard keeper in the 118th meeting of the two teams, who were once both part of the Pac-12. Washington won last year's meeting 59-24 in Pullman.
Transfer Caden Pinnick made his debut as quarterback for the Cougars, throwing for 142 yards and scoring on an 11-yard keeper in the fourth quarter.
Washington State was one of the remaining members of the Pac-12 left after realignment broke apart the conference ahead of the 2024 season. The Cougars and Oregon State helped re-build the conference, which now includes Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State, along with non-football member Gonzaga.
The Huskies, meanwhile, bolted the Pac-12 for the Big Ten. Washington went 9-4 last season with a 38-10 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl.

#williams #keeper

PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University's Ol' Crimson flag has been named the first recipient of ESPN College GameDay's new Hall of Fan honor, recognizing a tradition that has appeared on the program for 338 consecutive broadcasts.
ESPN announced the recognition Saturday as the flag continued a streak that began in 2003.
According to ESPN, the Hall of Fan honor was created to recognize fans and traditions **** ociated with the long-running college football pregame show.
Ol' Crimson has become a regular presence behind the College GameDay set regardless of where the show is held. The tradition began when WSU alumnus Tom Pounds brought a Washington State flag to a GameDay broadcast in Austin, Texas, in 2003.
"I made a flag, and I just went out in the crowd and waved the flag and thought that was the end of it," Pounds said in comments provided by the university.

#espn

Northwestern State steps up to the FBS level Saturday when the Demons visit Louisiana Tech at Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, with kickoff set for 7:30 PM ET on ESPN+. The longtime Louisiana rivals will meet for the 81st time, with Louisiana Tech holding a 55-20-5 advantage in the all-time series.
Nov 15, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs quarterback Trey Kukuk (2) throws a pass against the Washington State Cougars in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Channel: ESPN+

#Tech

Aug. 31—PULLMAN — Ahead of the first season-opening Apple Cup, set for Sunday afternoon in Seattle, Washington State is electing not to release a depth chart.
Cougar coach Kirby Moore indicated as much on Monday, saying that heading into the games to follow the rest of the season, the team expects to post two-deeps.
So in the meantime, The Spokesman-Review is publishing a projection of WSU's two-deep, which is based on observations from the team's 15 fall camp practices and interviews with coaches and players this August. The program has only confirmed one player as a starter, quarterback Caden Pinnick.
First, a couple housekeeping notes...
—The only players expected to be sidelined by injuries for Sunday's game are tight ends Trey Leckner and Hudson Cedarland, Moore said. Leckner is set to miss the first half of the season, while Cedarland will be out "an extended period of time," according to Moore.

#season #cedarland #pullman

Aug. 26—PULLMAN — Since his arrival in Pullman from UC Davis eight months ago, two goals have been top of mind for Washington State's newly announced starting quarterback Caden Pinnick.
"Beat the team across the west and go get that Pac-12 championship," Pinnick said following WSU's Tuesday practice at Gesa Field, his first since being named a starter on Monday. "(That's) something that I echoed very clearly. I think we have a lot of guys here that feel the same way, offense and defense. They want it."
That's a pretty high bar for a sophomore starter to set, but Pinnick, last year's Big Sky Freshman of the Year, may have the work ethic to back it up.
Pinnick will get a chance to check off that first box during a unique Seattle Apple Cup at 1 p.m. Sept. 6 at the University of Washington.
"He's a really good learner in all aspects," said first-year WSU coach Kirby Moore, who also said it "was pretty dang cool" seeing Pinnick in WSU's academic center early Monday morning on the first day of school. "We talk about doing more than what's expected, so the (practice) film is going to be up here in about 20 minutes, and I'm sure he'll be watching it and texting his coaches and asking questions about the good things and maybe the ones that we can learn from."

#pinnick #first #year #starter

Aug. 24—PULLMAN — Washington State's starting quarterback for this season is in place.
The Cougars will start UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick, the program announced on social media Monday afternoon, ending a quarterback battle with returners Julian Dugger and Owen Eshelman that spanned from spring practice to fall camp, which wrapped up Sunday evening.
A redshirt sophomore, Pinnick earned the reins thanks to a solid fall camp, in which he earned first-team reps across nearly all 15 practices. He had been atop the Cougs' QB rotation since the first week of practice, showing accuracy and impressive athleticism to scramble from the pocket in 11-on-11 settings.
Pinnick won't get much of an easy runway into his tenure with the Cougs. WSU's season opener is set for Sept. 6 at No. 17 Washington, whose defense limited Pinnick to 8 for 16 passing for 50 yards, one touchdown and one interception in a matchup with UC Davis last season.
Also early on WSU's schedule are games against Big 12 opponents Kansas State and Arizona, the first on the road and the second at home.

#davis

On the first day of classes in Pullman, WSU announced its starting quarterback: UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick. Many people thought Pinnick was the favorite to win the starting job the minute he stepped on campus, but meaningful separation wasn't made until later in fall camp.
Pinnick will bring a level of dynamism that the Cougars became accustomed to with Jayden de Laura, Cam Ward, and John Mateer. Offensive coordinator Matt Miller will look to leverage Pinnick's elite running ability to create better opportunities for his returning running backs. Last season, when Zevi Eckhaus took over for Jaxon Potter, we saw how much that opened up the run game for Kirby Vorhees, as defenses had to respect Zevi's running ability.
Pinnick turned in an incredible season at FCS UC Davis last year, putting up over 3,200 passing yards and 32 touchdowns, with only 10 interceptions. Not to mention 437 yards rushing. Obviously, Pinnick will be making the jump to a higher level of football, but there is no reason to think he can't make that transition in Washington State's offense.
Pinnick was the runner-up for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the top freshman in the FCS, was the unanimous 2025 Big Sky Freshman of the Year, and earned FCS first-team Freshman All-American honors.
Spring and fall haven't been quite as clean as offensive coordinator Matt Miller might have liked, but as time went along, Pinnick began to take more control of the offense and show his experience. However, it is important to point out that these internal camps greatly favor the defenses, who know your tendencies, and coaches (especially ones as good as Trent Bray) often know what plays are coming.

#pinnick #running #davis

Aug. 21—PULLMAN — Washington State sophomore placekicker Jack Stevens' brother, Drew Stevens, did not exactly rush to inform his family about an exciting career development.
Instead, the parents of the newly named starting kicker for the NFL's Washington Commanders found out on social media, Jack Stevens said.
"I opened the family chat like two days ago and it was blowing up after practice, and (there were) 24 pictures (sent)," Jack Stevens said. "My dad sent posts that he saw on Twitter. It was crazy."
The Cougar kicker's older brother, Drew, just wrapped up a standout career at Iowa, where in four years he set the Hawkeyes' records for field goals made (76), the most 50-plus-yard field goals (12) and the longest field goal (58 yards). His 352 points are the second most in school history.
As an undrafted rookie, Drew Stevens edged veteran Jake Moody for the Commanders' kicking job on Tuesday.

#sent

Aug. 21—PULLMAN — Washington State sophomore placekicker Jack Stevens' brother, Drew Stevens, did not exactly rush to inform his family about an exciting career development.
Instead, the parents of the newly named starting kicker for the NFL's Washington Commanders found out on social media, Jack Stevens said.
"I opened the family chat like two days ago and it was blowing up after practice, and (there were) 24 pictures (sent)," Jack Stevens said. "My dad sent posts that he saw on Twitter. It was crazy."
The Cougar kicker's older brother, Drew, just wrapped up a standout career at Iowa, where in four years he set the Hawkeyes' records for field goals made (76), the most 50-plus-yard field goals (12) and the longest field goal (58 yards). His 352 points are the second most in school history.
As an undrafted rookie, Drew Stevens edged veteran Jake Moody for the Commanders' kicking job on Tuesday.

#drew #field #Commanders #brother

Aug. 20—PULLMAN — Somehow, in the blink of an eye, Washington State has all but wrapped up fall camp.
After going through a gameday walk-through on Thursday morning, technically speaking the Cougars' 13th practice of fall camp, they have just two more to go: A second and final scrimmage on Friday, then a practice on Sunday evening to complete the 15-session slate.
Across the last two weeks, WSU has solidified almost all positions on both sides of the ball, even if coaches are reticent to acknowledge how they have unfolded in public settings. They have been loath to detail the QB race, for example, but all signs point toward UC Davis transfer Caden Pinnick getting the starting nod over returners Julian Dugger and Owen Eshelman. And their starting defensive ends will be Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk, transfers from Idaho and Vanderbilt, respectively.
In fact, even with two more practices ahead of them, the Cougars have likely established their starting lineups. It's possible many of those players don't play the entirety of Friday's scrimmage, set for 11 a.m. at Gesa Field, for rest and injury-prevention reasons.
So what will they get out of the scrimmage, and what will their final practice of camp entail? Details on the latter have yet to materialize, but here are a few guesses at questions head coach Kirby Moore and **** istants might look to answer on Friday morning.

#fall #even

Five players in the Australian Football League (AFL) have been banned for late-night drinking and inviting women to a hotel after a weekend match in Melbourne.
The Sydney Swans' Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner, Nick Blakey, James Jordon and Riley Bice have been stood down from Australian Rules football's top league for the rest of the season, the club announced.
The suspension comes after detectives in Melbourne began an investigation into an alleged ******* ual ******* ault, said to have to taken place in the early hours of Monday morning at the Pullman Hotel where the players were staying after the match.
None of the players have been arrested or charged in the investigation.
Sydney Swans chairman Andrew Pridham apologised to fans, players and the wider community on Wednesday.

#melbourne #sydney #hotel #match

Aug. 18—PULLMAN — When ever the opposing quarterback drops back, it's not a matter of if Washington State defensive ends Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk will sack the signal-caller.
It's a matter of which one will get there first.
This was the case Monday during the Cougar football team's 10th practice of fall camp. McLain appeared to have the edge to open the week, whipping past left tackle Ashton Tripp to tally a simulated sack of sophomore quarterback Caden Pinnick; then doing it again on the very next snap.
McLain, the Priest River, Idaho native who spent the past three years eight miles east with the Idaho Vandals, has been a star of WSU's spring and fall camps — much to the delight of his coaches and perhaps to the annoyance of the offensive linemen he tries again and again.
Tripp has frequently been opposite McLain. The two have tested one another, WSU coach Kirby Moore said.

#mclain #idaho #matter #sack

Aug. 17—PULLMAN — Chalk up another game on Washington State's nonconference hoops schedule.
The Cougars will meet Seattle University on Dec. 19 at the Seattle Holiday Classic, according to a Monday news release, set for Climate Pledge Arena. It's part of a doubleheader showcase, which will also pit University of Washington against Baylor.
"We're looking forward to getting back to Seattle and bringing Cougar basketball to the thousands of WSU alumni in western Washington," WSU coach David Riley said in the release. "I believe playing the other Division-I teams in the state is an important part of developing the game and honoring its history in the Pacific Northwest. We look forward to facing the Redhawks at Climate Pledge Arena and welcoming Coug fans to the Seattle Holiday Classic."
It'll be the third meeting in the last two seasons for WSU and Seattle U, which split last season's series, then a West Coast Conference matchup. The Redhawks earned a 69-55 win in Seattle, and the Cougars followed with a 70-58 victory about a month later in Pullman.
It also represents another chance for each head coach to match wits. Riley and Seattle U coach Chris Victor were both **** istant coaches at Eastern Washington from 2015-17. In fact, both head coaches ran the same first play during their first matchup last season in Seattle.

#washington #pullman #climate

Aug. 17—PULLMAN — Last winter, shortly after Kirby Moore took over at Washington State and he was working with his new ****** istants to fill a depleted roster, he put heads together with new defensive coordinator Trent Bray.
At Oregon State, where Bray worked the past seven years, he was at his best with defenders who checked certain boxes .
Aggressive. Rangy. Lengthy.
"And CJ's got all that," Moore said.
That would be CJ Solis-Lumar, a cornerback who transferred from Cal Poly to WSU, where he has been repping with the Cougars' second-team defense in fall camp. On a sweltering Monday afternoon on the Palouse, Solis-Lumar punctuated fall camp practice No. 10 with a pair of pass breakups, denying WSU quarterback Owen Eshelman and his offense a chance to complete two passes across the middle of the field.

#moore #solis #fall #kirby

Aug. 16—PULLMAN — In his time at Washington State, Julian Dugger has become something of an enigma.
As he enters his second season with the Cougars, the lefty quarterback has been one of the best athletes on both teams he's been on. He's also been one of the fastest. He's athletic and strong, elusive and shifty, a Division I athlete if there ever was one.
Still, this question has always followed him around: Can he get on the field as a quarterback?
Eight practices into this fall camp, that answer has yet to materialize, but Dugger turned in a convincing case on Saturday. In the Cougars' first scrimmage of fall camp, Dugger delivered five scoring drives, including two touchdowns: an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cash Landau and a 21-yard scramble, turning pressure in the pocket into an easy jaunt into the end zone.
In an unofficial tally of statistics, Dugger completed 6 of 10 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, plus six rushes for 33 yards and another score. He also led drives that ended in field goals from kicker Jack Stevens, who has quietly submitted a sterling fall camp en route to his second season as the Cougs' placekicker. All told, it added up to Dugger's best outing in his second fall camp on the Palouse.

#second #season #quarterback #drives

Aug. 16—PULLMAN — Maxwell Woods is no stranger to opportunity.
The sophomore Washington State running back seized the day in December, racking up 152 all-purpose yards on Boise's blue turf in a Potato Bowl victory over Utah State.
Woods again stole the show in April, emerging as one of the finer performers in several spring scrimmages.
So his performance Saturday — during WSU's first of two fall camp scrimmages at Gesa Field — was hardly a surprise.
With teammate Kirby Vorhees sidelined but expected back next week, Woods stepped right up, carving out runs of 16 and 13 yards, respectively, within the scrimmage's first three plays with the No. 1 offense against the No. 1 defense. Woods finished with an unofficial seven carries for 34 yards.

#scrimmages

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Kaia Gerber has her dinner-date style down. The model-turned-actor, who recently starred in the 1980s-based serial-killer drama The Shards, shed her character's neon colors and voluminous hair for a low-key night out with her boyfriend, Lewis Pullman.
EVGA - BACKGRID
The two kept things classic and timeless for the outing. Gerber, who has long been known to love a little black dress and her Repetto ballerinas, layered a long trench coat over a sleeveless midi. Her go-to ballet flats, which she designed in collaboration with the label, offered a soft suede feel and a slight subtle lift. She draped a chocolate-brown sweater over her shoulders, added some sunglasses, and finished things off with a pop of color, thanks to her cobalt-blue Chanel shoulder bag.
Next to her, Pullman matched his girlfriend's blues with his jacket and T-shirt. He styled them both with white jeans and a baseball cap, and grabbed her hand as they made their way to the Los Angeles restaurant.

#pullman #long #magazines #lewis

Aug. 11—PULLMAN — When it's at its best, when players are zigging and zagging and swimming and powering through, Washington State's defensive line can look like a tidal wave. The Cougars can overwhelm anyone in their way, offensive linemen from the first or second team, tight ends staying in for extra protection, poor running backs trying their best to chip block to buy their quarterback a half-second of time.
They come crashing from all angles. Matyus McLain and Linus Zunk from the edges, Paul Hutson and Kaden Beatty and Jirah Leaupepetele from the interior, all surging forward to crash toward the quarterback like a tsunami leveling a city square. It isn't so much about if they'll force the offense into a mistake. It's more about when.
That group made its presence felt in Tuesday's fall camp practice, WSU's fifth of the slate, terrorizing all manner of offensive counterparts in the second half of practice, which unfolded at Gesa Field. Highlights belonged to all kinds of linemen: Leaupepetele beat his matchup to stack up several inside runs, as did fellow lineman Malachi Wrice, and on one sequence, a sea of Cougars converged to drive running back Leo Pulalasi backward for a loss.
And that's to say nothing of one succession of plays in particular. On three straight plays in 11-on-11 settings, quarterback Julian Dugger took three straight sacks: one from cornerback Ishmael Gibbs, who cashed in on a well-designed cornerback blitz; one from emerging defensive tackle Josh Wedel; and one from redshirt freshman defensive tackle Malijah Tucker. Each defender beat his matchups up front to surge into the backfield for simulated tackles.
It was by far the best day of fall camp for WSU's defensive front, which might be the deepest position on the team. On Tuesday, the Cougars got big plays from Leaupepetele, Wrice, Wedel and Tucker, but as camp unfolds and the season approaches, they've gotten the same from Hutson, SMU transfer Damarjhe Lewis, Balaam Miller and others.

#camp #plays #wrice

Aug. 11—PULLMAN — It was a quick trip to Pullman for Ryan Leaf and his USA Network colleagues on Monday.
The less than 24 hour-trip provided little time to hit up some of Leaf's favorite eateries — that will come in the fall, Leaf said, when the crew finds itself in town for some of the industry-high 22 Pac-12 football games on its broadcast schedule.
However, the trip provided plenty of time for USA Sports' "A team" of Leaf, serving as the network's lead in-game ***** yst for Pac-12 football, play-by-play broadcaster Nate Gatter and sideline reporter Lauren Green to spend the day with the Washington State Cougars and ... visit Leaf's former residence.
There, his colleagues had a question for him.
"'How did you fit four football players in that small house?' We were college kids; we weren't making any money at the time, right? So we had to stay wherever we could stay," said Leaf, a three-year Cougar quarterback and No. 2 overall pick in the 1998 NFL draft by the San Diego Chargers. "I just needed a bed to sleep at night after working hard at the facility. Showed them those places and then campus — it's a special campus up on the hill."

#stay

Aug. 10—PULLMAN — Jeremiah Bernard left his feet and dove like he was Superman about to snuff out a local crime. The ball had just left the hands of Owen Eshelman, one of three Washington State quarterbacks vying for starting duties, and it was headed for a receiver toward the sideline of Rogers Practice Field.
It never made it there. Bernard made sure of that, roving over from the safety position and laying out to break up the pass, a feat of athleticism and football savvy. He leapt to his feet in a second, in a heartbeat, the moment's adrenaline propping him back up as quickly as he had soared through the air.
"The guys that we brought in, we're hoping they're gonna be what they are," WSU safeties coach Greg Burns said, "and they're working their **** s off."
A transfer from FCS Cal Poly, Bernard certainly fits that bill, a junior safety who is well on his way to earning a starting role in the Cougs' secondary this fall. Bernard, 6-foot and 196 pounds, doesn't just look the part. He plays like it too, making plays like that seem routine, like they're just in his bag.
How does Bernard fit into WSU's defense? For one, he's a face in a crowded WSU safety room, which also includes San Jose State transfer Jaylen Thomas, Arizona transfer Jshawn Frausto-Ramos and Arizona State transfer Jack Bal. That's without mention ing returners like Kyle Peterson and Kayo Patu, both of whom could also secure roles on this year's defense.

#bernard #like #they 're #starting

Aug. 8—PULLMAN — At first there was only silence, the kind of anticipatory stillness that can only mean something breathtaking is on the horizon. Washington State players from both sidelines, offensive players in crimson on the far end and defenders in white on the near side, held their breath as the ball fell back toward the earth, toward the corner of the end zone, where junior wideout Branden Ganashamoorthy was jockeying for position on a pass from quarterback Caden Pinnick.
The ball was a hair underthrown, so Ganashamoorthy adjusted his route accordingly, positioning himself against veteran cornerback Khamari Terrell. He let the ball hit him in the right arm, then cradled it against his body, securing it in the process. He stumbled forward with the ball intact, a one-handed catch.
Cougar players met the moment, perhaps the top individual highlight of WSU fall camp, which wrapped up its third day on Saturday afternoon. Ganashamoorthy jumped in the air with running back Maxwell Woods. He high fived receiver Tony Freeman. "Yeah, BG!"
"He's really progressed since spring ball," WSU coach Kirby Moore said.
Ganashamoorthy made that abundantly clear on Saturday, enjoying by far his best day of fall camp, perhaps the best individual day any of these Cougars have had thus far. On top of his long touchdown reception in one team period, he also made one sliding catch and two more touchdown receptions in 7-on-7 settings, putting on display the physical transformation that might have unlocked his sterling afternoon.

#perhaps

Aug. 8—PULLMAN — "Saaaack, saaaack, saaaack."
Like the flock of seagulls from Pixar's "Finding Nemo," that chant started with one voice, and grew to many on the defensive sideline during Day 2 of the Washington State football team's fall camp Friday at Rogers Field.
During one of the 11-on-11 team periods, redshirt freshman quarterback Owen Eshelman stood in the pocket for perhaps a bit too long. As WSU defenders burst into the backfield, Eshelman fired a pass to junior wide receiver Branden Ganashamoorthy.
Following the completion, defensive linemen Kaden Beatty and Jirah Leaupepetele shared a differing opinion of the outcome of the play, advocating for and celebrating a would-be simulated sack by chanting "saaaack."
Soon other defenders followed, breaking out into a chorus of "saaaack, saaaack, saaaack."

#saaaack #state

Aug. 2—Editor's note: This is the fifth in a series of stories that will run each day previewing Washington State's preseason camp before it begins on Aug. 6. This edition covers the Cougars' cornerbacks.
PULLMAN — When September rolls around and Washington State players take the field at Husky Stadium to take on rival Washington, and when the Cougars' defense rolls out, good luck recognizing any of the players in the visitors' secondary.
That's because among the 32 transfers WSU landed over the offseason, several of them play cornerback, a position at which the Cougs desperately needed to restock. Head coach Kirby Moore and staff did well to do so, likely using connections like new safeties coach Greg Burns and cornerbacks coach Brandyn Thompson to land a couple players.
But who are the new guys in this position group? And how might they fare this fall?
Players who will be vying for starting jobs include Texas State transfer Khamari Terrell, Oregon State transfer Jalil Tucker, Cal Poly transfer CJ Solis-Lumar, junior college transfer Elmo Wharton and others. A few returners will be in the mix too — keep an eye on redshirt freshman Jamarey Smith, who started in the Potato Bowl last winter, plus Kai Rapolla and Ishmael Gibbs — but the biggest roles will likely belong to a combination of transfers.

#coach #cornerbacks #take #transfers

Jul. 31—Editor's note: This is the third in a series of stories that will run each day previewing Washington State's preseason camp before it begins on Thursday. This edition covers the Cougars' linebackers.
PULLMAN — If there's such a thing as a breakout spring camp, when Isaiah Hung stood in front of a microphone on the sidelines of Rogers Field back in late April, he had just completed one.
Some six months after redshirting his true freshman year at Washington State, Hung looked sharp in the middle of the Cougars defense, using his physicality and speed to shine at linebacker. He was quick to identify lanes, quicker to deliver hits. He looked ready to earn a meaningful role.
Which brings us to WSU's fall camp, which begins Thursday. The Cougars have solid top -three options at linebacker: transfers Nylan Brown and DJ Warne plus veteran Keith Brown, who missed last season with an injury. But examine the rest of their linebacker corps and you might wonder about the team's depth at that position.
That's where Hung comes in. Could he provide the depth WSU needs at linebacker? As the Cougs' fall camp unfolds this August, his development is worth watching.

#thursday #brown #looked

Jul. 30—Editor's note: This is the second in a series of stories that will run each day previewing Washington State's preseason camp before it begins on Aug. 6. This edition covers the Cougars' offensive line.
PULLMAN — Flip back to last fall and check out a few of Washington State's more forgettable losses. You'll find setbacks to North Texas, to Oregon State, to James Madison. The first of those is an exception, but you can draw a through-line through the final two.
The Cougars couldn't sustain any offense.
Which is why as head coach Kirby Moore takes over, WSU is likely prioritizing production from its offensive line more than ever. Last season, the Cougars finished nine spots up from dead last in Pro Football Focus' pass-blocking grades, then just three spots up from last in run-blocking grades. Injuries besieged a front five that was already shaky at times, and while the Cougs made it work and won a bowl game for the first time in seven years, they could have engineered an even more memorable season with more consistent offensive line play.
That brings us to WSU's current offensive line, which at first glance has the tools to improve on that trend. Headed into next week's fall camp opener, this group will likely take first-team reps, at least to start camp: Left tackle Ashton Tripp, left guard Jonny Lester, center Kyle Martin, right guard Noah Dunham, right tackle Maximus McCree. By the end of WSU's spring practices in April, that's the group that had risen to the top.

#last #camp #left #fall

According to a report from The Spokesman Review's Greg Woods, the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars will not play their annual Apple Cup rivalry on the hardwood.
It's the first time since 1917 that the two teams won't meet in the regular season after the Huskies moved from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten following the end of the 2023-24 season; instead, the in-state rivals will play an exhibition game in Seattle at some point this fall.
The Huskies currently lead the series 189-111, and have won the last three matchups against the Cougars, most recently an 81-69 victory in Pullman.
In that contest, the Huskies were led by freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, who posted 14 points and 13 rebounds as part of a stellar season that saw him selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the No. 14 overall pick in June's NBA draft, while sophomore guard Wesley Yates added 26 points and 7 rebounds in the win.
Coach Danny Sprinkle, who grew up a Husky after being born in Pullman because his late father, Bill, played defensive back for Washington in the 1960s, is undefeated in his two games against the Cougars and will have to wait at least another year for an opportunity to earn another win over WSU.

#huskies #season #according

Welcome to a new series on CougCenter. Each week leading up to kickoff of the 2026 football season, we will be previewing one of the new teams joining the Pac-12. Today, we begin with the Fresno State Bulldogs. The Washington State Cougars will see the Bulldogs for the first time as a conference opponent in Week 5 in Pullman.
But before we meet the Bulldogs on the field or court, who is Fresno State?
California State University, Fresno, or Fresno State, was founded in 1911 as part of the California State University system, located in, well, Fresno, California.
The Bulldogs began playing football in 1921, playing as an independent. They later joined the Pacific Coast Athletic ****** ociation, now known as the Big West Conference, in 1969. From there, they joined the WAC in 1992, where they remained until joining the Mountain West in 2012.
Fresno State found success early in their football years, boasting undefeated records in 1930 and 1961. The latter earned them a trip to the Mercy Bowl, held at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. They defeated Bowling Green 36-6 to cap their undefeated season. The two teams ended up meeting in the next two bowl appearances by Fresno State in 1982 and 1985, this time in the California Bowl. The Bulldogs won both of those meetings, including a 51-7 thrashing in 1985, which again capped off an undefeated season. All of this under head coach Jim Sweeney, who coached Washington State prior to his time at Fresno State from 1968 to 1975.

#bowl

The American League shutout the National League 4-0 on Tuesday in the 2026 All-Star Game. Here’s some notes I took.
Keeping Score: I decided to watch the All-Star Game this year. Not only that, I decided to score the All-Star Game this year. I recently found my old scorebook and thought it’d be fun, since I’m here recapping this with you anyways. The first game in this scorebook is a Félix Hernández complete game from Opening Day 2011. The last is both halves of a doubleheader between Washington State University and Cal State Northridge in Pullman that I covered for the school paper in 2017. In between there’s the Mariners/Marlins game that was played in Seattle because of a U2 concert in Miami; a game from the Tokyo Dome that I woke up at 2 a.m. for, per my diligent notes; a game started by Blake Beavan that I did not proceed to score after the first inning; the Red Sox first game after the Boston Marathon bombing; a 2013 WBC game; a 2017 WBC game; and a bunch of losing Mariners baseball. I’m not quite sure what the point of scoring games is in 2026, with technology and such. But I’m adding to my corporeal collection of bizarre baseball games that I might not otherwise remember.
Star-Less: The 2026 All-Star Game was relatively starless. No Aaron Judge. No Shohei Ohtani. Yes Ernie Clement. I won’t lie and say that this adds to my interest in the All-Star Game, as I watch pretty much every year, albeit more passively. But it is cool that we’ll get to see a lot more of the B+ quality of player that I think makes the league so interesting these days. My takeaways from the starting lineups are that I think it’s cool CJ Abrams is batting fourth for the NL. What a year it’s been for him. The other takeaway is I initially wrote Freddie Freeman’s team in my book as “ATL” rather than “LAD.” I’m not sure what that means, but it’s the first mistake on what’s sure to be a rather messy scorecard.
The Pregame: I’m writing this as the lineups are being announced. Each player is entering through an MLB-branded Liberty Bell and jogging a few feet to a podium, where they’re signing what appears to be the starting lineups on a large, old-timey document using quill and ink. What I’ve gotten out of this All-Star week is that Philadelphia really wants you to know that their culture is boxing, the founding fathers, and booing other teams players. The only players who didn’t get booed on announcement were the Phillies players and the Philly-born players (like Mike Trout). After all the players were aligned on the chalk — a process that took a bit more than 30 minutes — the Mastercard Kids4Techᵀᴹ entered and shook all the players hands.
The Post-Pregame: Play ball! Er, commercial break… Washington’s Lottery, North Idaho College, RnR RV Center, some sort of sponcon game show called Beat Shazam… and Play Ball! Er, no let’s hear from our hosts tonight, Joe Davis and John Smoltz, who I haven’t seen since the postseason. They’re interviewing Justin Verlander, and hinting

Jul. 4—PULLMAN — Years later, Bud Nameck still cracks up when he tells the story.
This was years ago, when he was hosting a TV show called Monday Night Quarterback with Jim Walden, the former legendary Washington State football coach who had since pivoted to broadcasting in the area.
During one episode of the show, which aired in the fall after Monday Night Football, Nameck was hosting a segment where he put on a pair of pads for some comic relief. Walden started to lightly rough up Nameck's pads, jostling around with a longtime friend. That's when Nameck offered a quick zinger.
"Hey, Jim," Nameck said to Walden, "I've still got a year of eligibility left."
"He just started chuckling," Nameck said. "He goes, 'And you're gonna die with it.'"