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Jacob Thorpe

Jacob Thorpe

Current Position: Sports columnist

Jacob Thorpe is a freelance sports columnist covering Washington State football.

All Stories

Sports

Bucannon at core of WSU defense

PULLMAN – It was apparent even in 2010 the Cougars had unearthed a future impact player in safety Deone Bucannon. Starting in place of the injured Chima Nwachukwu, Bucannon racked up 16 tackles against Arizona, the most ever by a WSU freshman.
Sports

Garfield’s Isabell headed for WSU

PULLMAN – Tramaine Isabell of Seattle’s Garfield High School signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Washington State on Thursday – the second day of the November signing period – although the school has not yet received the letter as of Thursday night.  Isabell is the only known Class of 2014 player to have committed to the Cougars.
Sports

Garfield’s Isabell headed for WSU

Tramaine Isabell of Seattle’s Garfield High School signed a letter of intent to play basketball for Washington State on Thursday – the second day of the November signing period – although the school has not yet received the letter as of Thursday night.
Sports

Wildcats’ offense a lesson in evolution

PULLMAN – With 16 days between games, the Washington State football team will have had plenty of time to prepare for Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez’s famed spread offense when the teams meet on Saturday. The problem for WSU is the Wildcats alter their offense so often that even 12 weeks into the season the Cougars can’t know what to expect. When the season began, it appeared the Wildcats were going to play an old-fashioned style of football. Quarterback B.J. Denker attempted just 13 passes in the first game of the season and only 21 in the second.
Sports

Pac-12 football power rankings

The king is dead, long live the king! Thanks to Stanford’s 26-20 victory over Oregon there is a new team atop these rankings for the first time since I started doing this, six long weeks ago. Yes the Ducks have finally fallen from their perch and, who knows, there’s no guarantee they’ll be ranked No. 2 this week. Maybe Oregon deserves a couple weeks slumming with the teams that don’t need a personal stylist to help them manage their game-day wardrobes. 1 Stanford (8-1, 6-1 in Pac-12; last week: 2) The Cardinal control their own destiny. Stanford just needs to take care of business against USC and Cal to ensure a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Sports

Pac-12 notes: Cardinal won’t rest on laurels

PULLMAN – With last Thursday’s 26-20 win over No. 2 Oregon, Stanford assumed the Ducks’ mantle as the premier team in the Pac-12. Having already beaten Pac-12 South contend- ers Arizona State and UCLA, the Cardinal can claim to be the best team in not just the Pac-12 North division, but in the entire conference. The fact that Stanford’s only loss was Utah’s only conference win speaks to the Pac-12’s overall depth. Because of that league-wide parity, the Cardinal haven’t had a moment to bask in their big win. Not with a trip to Los Angeles to face USC on the horizon.
Sports

Pac-12 notes: Cardinal won’t rest on laurels

With last Thursday’s 26-20 win over No. 2 Oregon, Stanford assumed the Ducks’ mantle as the premier team in the Pac-12. Having already beaten Pac-12 South contend- ers Arizona State and UCLA, the Cardinal can claim to be the best team in not just the Pac-12 North division, but in the entire conference.
Sports

Cracraft catching on quickly

PULLMAN – Standing out as a wide receiver under football coach Mike Leach typically takes awhile. Michael Crabtree – the tenth overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft – redshirted his first year at Texas Tech when Leach was the Red Raiders coach. Perennial NFL Pro-Bowl receiver Wes Welker didn’t break 1,000 yards receiving until his third year in Leach’s program.
Sports

WSU opens NCAAs with Illinois in Pullman

PULLMAN – There was never a doubt that the Washington State women’s soccer team would play in the NCAA Division I Women’s Soccer Championship. While selection shows can be stressful for the so-called bubble teams on the fringes of postseason play, the Cougars made Monday’s announcement an event, a reward for the late-season surge that effectively guaranteed a tournament bid.
Sports

WSU’s Cracraft enjoys early success

The success of Washington State freshman receiver River Cracraft is remarkable, particularly in the last two games in which he has 143 yards and a touchdown.
Sports

WSU to host Illinois in NCAA soccer

WSU (14-3-3, 7-3-1 Pac-12) will play host to Illinois (10-8-2, 5-5-1 Big Ten) on Saturday in the NCAA women's soccer tournament, the Cougars' first tournament game at home since 2000.