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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

WSU trivia: Questions about Cougars’ 10 previous bowls test fans’ bona fides

In what bowl game did the Washington State Cougars wear the swirl pants?

What strategic surprise did Alabama pull on the Cougs to start the 1931 Rose Bowl?

What written-off Coug forced the game-saving fumble at the 1988 Aloha Bowl, giving Wazzu its first postseason football victory in 73 years?

Yes, these questions are on the final. And it’s going to count for 100 percent of your grade.

Schools like Wazzu now gauge the devotion of their fans by the dollar sign, keeping a priority points list to dole out perks. That’s of little solace to the die-hard Coug whose personal finances are always facing fourth-and-long, but can match the names and numbers of the 2003 Rose Bowl team from memory. So in honor of the school’s return to the postseason picture in Saturday’s New Mexico Bowl, we’ve culled a little trivia from the Cougars’ 10 previous bowls to test your bona fides.

OK, some of it is trivia, and some of it is pure esoterica. What’s the bowl season without a few trick plays?

Hey, we’ll spot you three points by giving you the answers for the leadoff questions (A: 1994 Alamo Bowl, B: starting their second string to wear down WSU’s starters, and C: Tuineau Alipate, who’d lost his linebacker job to Dan Grayson early in the season).

Now, please put your copy of “The Crimson and the Gray” under your desk. Keep your eyes on your own paper. Begin.

Warm-up

1. The Cougars are 6-4 in bowl games. For one point each, name the teams they’ve beaten.

First down (2 points each)

2. Which of these Cougar quarterbacks did not earn player-of-the-game honors for his winning effort: Drew Bledsoe, Chad Davis or Timm Rosenbach?

3. What Cougar kicker has the longest field goal in the school’s bowl history?

4. What well-balanced crew manned ABC’s broadcast booth for the 1998 Rose Bowl?

5. What did the 2003 Rose Bowl Cougars and Julia Roberts have in common?

6. Who returned a kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown in the 2003 Rose Bowl?

Go for it or punt (3 points each)

7. What College Football Hall of Famer lost to the Cougars in a bowl game as a player, then beat them in one as a coach?

8. Four Cougar running backs have rushed for more than 100 yards in bowl action. Name three of them (one point each).

9. In what movie being filmed during preparations for the 1916 Rose Bowl did Cougar players appear as extras, earning $100 apiece (there was no such thing as the NCAA yet)?

10. The Cougars have played against two Heisman Trophy winners in bowls. Name them.

11. Which Cougar bowl team was the biggest point-spread underdog?

Red zone (6 points each)

12. Among the principals at the 2001 Sun Bowl, WSU coach Mike Price was only the second-most famous graduate of George Washington Elementary School in Everett. What fellow alum got more air time?

13. WSU’s four postseason appearances in Pasadena came 15, 67 and five years apart, but six Cougars played in two Rose Bowls. How was this possible? PATs for naming the players.

14. Now that the trick question is out of the way, who were the first two WSU players to see action in two bowl games – as Cougars?

15. How far were the Cougars from the winning touchdown when the referee disallowed the final snap of the 1998 Rose Bowl, ruling the two seconds on the clock after the previous play had expired? PAT: who was the referee?

16. The 1915 Cougars shut out Brown in their first bowl appearance in the Rose Bowl, but what happened to put a damper on celebrations back home?

Mark your scorecard: Here are the answers to the trivia questions.