Cougs, Vandals reside far apart
PULLMAN — They’re separated by just eight miles. But that’s about all Washington State and Idaho have in common.
Since the Vandals football team snapped a 14-game Cougars win streak in the series with wins in 1999 and 2000, it’s been all WSU, much to the surprise of no one.
After all, the Cougars have won 30 games from 2001-03; the Vandals have six in the same period. Cougars fans have spent the last week wringing their hands after an eight-point loss to Colorado. Idaho fans were encouraged by a seven-point loss to Utah State, since it came on the heels of a 65-7 defeat at Boise State.
Safe to say, the programs — geography notwithstanding — are not in the same neighborhood. The Cougars will be looking to prove it once again at 7:30 tonight at Martin Stadium.
“We kind of feel like we’re in a position where we have everything to lose and nothing to gain, but that’s true in a lot of rivalries,” said WSU head coach Bill Doba, whose team is looking to move to 2-1 before entering Pacific-10 Conference play.
For the second time in the series’ 87-game history, WSU will don the road jerseys against Idaho in its home stadium. Idaho won’t have the edge in the stands, as WSU sold tickets in Martin Stadium as it would for any other home game.
But first-year Idaho head coach Nick Holt, a Vandals assistant from 1990-97, is still looking forward to the opportunity to square off against the Cougars.
“I think the rivalry is good for college football, and it makes sense even though it’s hard for us,” Holt said. “They’re in the Pac-10 and they have a little more resources than we do. (But) the regional rivalry is intact and great for the whole community and the region.
“I’d rather play Washington State than go way far away out of conference to play another Division I school.”
Having two schools so close to one another could be an opportunity for the two coaching staffs to share ideas, as was the case during Holt’s entire tenure as an assistant for the Vandals. That’s why Doba would prefer to keep the relationship with Idaho as a friend, not a foe.
Regardless, the Cougars enter tonight’s game as heavy favorites, and are expected to take the title of the Palouse’s best college football team for the 18th time in the last 20 meetings.
“I’d rather not play them, to be honest with you,” Doba said. “Because when we didn’t play each other, we used to go over there and watch their spring practice. They’d come over and watch ours. We’d share ideas and both staffs got along really well. But now they’re the enemy and you can’t go watch and you can’t share ideas – all that stuff. Takes away a little bit of the fun.”
Ticket update
The Cougars ticket office had about 800 tickets left on sale for the general public as of Friday afternoon.
It’s not just public seating going quickly, either. The Cougars have sold a record number of student sports passes this year, with about 9,500 already purchased. (In 2003, 8,651 were sold.)
In addition, about 1,500 of the student general admission tickets for today’s game are gone, so that means the Cougars are nearing their student-section allotment of 12,000 tickets.
For future games, remaining tickets continue to grow scarce. The Oct. 9 game vs. Oregon joins the Oct. 30 tilt with USC as a sellout for the public.
Apple Cup tickets remain on sale for season ticket holders only, with the remaining seats to be sold online to the public. That sale should occur in mid- to late-October, slightly later than once expected.