Jacob Thorpe

PULLMAN — When Washington State athletic director Bill Moos took stock of the football program after hiring Mike Leach in 2011, he thought that in three years the Cougars would be primed for a breakthrough season. The Cougars turned the corner a year ahead of schedule by qualifying for a bowl game last season, but instead of adding to that success in 2014 the Cougars finished with a 3-9 record.

PULLMAN – Washington State linebacker and frequent team captain Darryl Monroe has quit the football team. Monroe entered the season as the voice of the Cougars in many respects. Well-spoken and a two-year starter heading into his junior season, Monroe was WSU’s defensive representative at Pac-12 Media Days and was asked to further engage with fans by conducting video walkthroughs of the football operations building and interviewing freshmen in short videos produced by the athletic department.

Darryl Monroe has quit the Washington State football team.

PULLMAN – With just 4 minutes to play in Washington State’s annual matchup against Idaho, a pair of Cougar fans in the front row tried to lead the comeback themselves. They stood up and began the dormant crowd’s first organized cheer of the game. Others followed, the band woke up and in all aspects it finally felt like the Cougars were playing a home game.