Colton Clark

Washington State’s nonconference football slate features two favorable matchups against lower-level opponents and one major test on the road against a notable Power Five foe. The Cougars open Pac-12 play with a grueling month-long stretch, during which they will face four of the conference’s best projected teams – including defending champion Utah. WSU’s schedule for November is much less daunting. The Cougars close their season with four very winnable games, all against opponents they beat in 2021.

WSU retained a strong nucleus of veteran players from last year’s squad, but the Cougars made several significant additions via the transfer portal this offseason as they reshaped their program and laid the foundation for the Dickert era. WSU signed 10 immediate-impact transfers, a haul headlined by a pair of potential superstars in Ward and senior linebacker Daiyan Henley, a former Nevada standout.

WSU’s administrators struck a positive tone during wide-ranging phone calls with The Spokesman-Review earlier this week. Schulz and Chun are asking Cougar fans and Pac-12 enthusiasts to remain patient as the conference works through media-rights agreements with prospective TV partners and considers expansion.

Larry Eilmes, a record-setting Washington State fullback from Spokane who distinguished himself as a forceful hitter for the Cougs’ celebrated Cardiac Kids team of the 1960s, died May 27. He was 78.

PULLMAN – After only 11 games, the Nick Rolovich era at Washington State is over.

A pandemic-racked 2020 season ended with Washington State 1-3, and feeling unfulfilled.