Jacob Thorpe

The Idaho defense dared the Cougars to run the ball. So, they did.

Mike Leach says more intense coaching paid off against Idaho, and players must keep responding.

Marcellus Pippins entertains the media with the "Thizzle Dance."

Dont’t take your eyes off ... James Williams began the year as WSU’s third-string running back, but got some sustained action last weekend and moved up to the No. 2 spot in the Week 3 depth chart. Williams is the best athlete in the WSU backfield, and can be a force in the ground or passing games. Plus, he has a hankering for hurdles, and is likely to try leaping over a would-be tackler at least once on Saturday. When WSU has the ball ... Expect the Cougars to have great success when you see Luke Falk rearing back to pass. The Vandals have a fairly decent run defense that has limited opponents to 3.5 yards per rush through two games. But the UI passing defense got torched last week, and faces an even formidable aerial attack from WSU.

The Washington State University athletic department’s financial woes will not end in the near future, but new president Kirk Schulz and athletic director Bill Moos have a plan for the department to eventually break even and begin paying down its debt to the university.

The nonconference schedule is almost over, and that's good news for the Pac-12. The conference so far has not done itself many favors in its early season matchups, which could prove costly when college playoff selection time rolls around.

The full transcript of Wednesday's WSU football chat.

Early rankings are never satisfactory, but at least we’re finally seeing some volatility in the polls.

Washington State game notes for the upcoming game against Idaho.