Theo Lawson

Relief generally isn’t the emotion spilling out of Pac-12 football players when a lesser opponent is handled the way the 24th-ranked Cougars handled the Bobcats. But unlike most of their neighbors in the AP Top 25, the Cougars don’t take wins like these for granted. They haven’t. Maybe they can now. The Big Sky beast is off their back.

For someone who’s had more than a few disheartening days over the years, the last 48 hours sure have been special for former Washington State center Riley Sorenson.

The Cougars won’t have the services of their top slotback in tonight’s opener versus Montana State.

Almost 30 years after guiding Washington State to a nine-win season, former coach Dennis Erickson is being inducted into the State of Washington Sports Hall of Fame.

In some ways, preparing for Jeff Choate’s Montana State Bobcats will feel like preparing for Bruce Barnum’s Portland State Vikings, or Beau Baldwin’s Eastern Washington Eagles. Portland State and Eastern Washington both started a dual-threat quarterback when they came to Pullman, and so will Choate.

Theo Lawson’s keys to a possible WSU victory over Montana State today

When you exit the stairwell on the fifth floor of Washington State’s football operations building, hang a quick right and follow the wide, carpeted hallway until you reach a dead end. It’s the last room on the right. There’s a placard on the door that reads “running backs.”

The Spokesman-Review selects the five best quarterbacks to play at Washington State University.

It’s hard to tell whether Washington State’s early spate of home games is more a blessing or a great big curse.

Washington State’s Luke Falk is the top active passer in the NCAA and approximately four quarters shy of becoming the most productive quarterback in school history.

The Cougars bring back Tavares Martin Jr., a junior who has all the tools to become the next great WSU receiver.

Mike Leach and Jeff Choate will make plenty of walks Saturday night. Just not the one down memory lane.

The Spokesman-Review’s Theo Lawson held a chat on Wednesday discussing all things Washington State football with the season opener just days away.

The first weekend of Pac-12 football gave us quite the study in contrasts. Way down under, Stanford hit some impressive heights in a 62-7 romp of Rice at Allianz Stadium in Sydney, Australia. In Fort Collins, Colorado, it was a mile-high disaster for Oregon State, which fell right back down to earth after a 57-28 loss to Colorado State.

Mel Hein, Center, inducted in 1954 – Hein spent three seasons at Washington State, from 1928-30, and played in the “one-platoon era” where centers often played on the other side of the ball. A linebacker on defense, Hein once intercepted eight passes in a game against Idaho. The Football Writers Association pegged him as the center on the all-time modern All-America team (1920-69) and he was named an All-American after the 1930 season. Hein spent 15 years with the New York Giants and was an all-pro on eight occasions. He also set the Giants record by playing in 172 consecutive games. Hein also played in virtually every game for the Cougars and led them to the 1931 Rose Bowl – a loss to Alabama.

Join the Spokesman-Review's Washington State beat reporter Theo Lawson for a weekly chat about the Cougar football team.

Even 2,000 miles away, the Washington State Cougars are doing their part to provide relief and lift spirits in Houston, Texas.

Last Monday, the moon covered up the sun. Last Saturday, Floyd Mayweather covered up an arrogant Irishman. And a few days from now, college football will be back with a 95 percent chance of covering up your entire weekend and every weekend until the end of November.

Alex Grinch will ultimately leave Martin Stadium a happy man on Saturday evening if his defense concedes fewer points than the opponent. Oh, and there’s another thing. He wants two turnovers. That would really make the Washington State defensive coordinator beam.

The Cougars revealed their week-one depth chart Monday morning and while that’s usually a highly-anticipated moment for fans, the first two-deep of the season lacked any real plot twists or surprises.

Washington State (0-0) opens its sixth season under Mike Leach against former Cougar assistant Jeff Choate and FCS Montana State (0-0).

Cougars’ second-stringer Tyler Hilinski’s role model in football is neither an NFL player or a quarterback. Surprisingly, it’s actually someone on the Cougars’ roster.

Even in this tiny pocket of southeastern Washington, it’s practically impossible to escape the buzz surrounding tonight’s mega-bout between boxing icon Floyd Mayweather Jr. and MMA star Conor McGregor.

Judging by the last few seasons, you may have a better chance of choosing the correct Powerball numbers than predicting Washington State’s schedule with 100 percent accuracy. The same team that’s lost five consecutive season openers also has a penchant for breaking off mid-year winning streaks and beating Pac-12 powerhouses with reuglarity. The Cougars head into 2017 carrying a two-game losing streak to the Big Sky Conference (Portland State, 2015, and Eastern Washington State, 2016), but also two-game winning streak against Oregon, which has two national title game appearances in the last seven years. Last season, they lost to Boise State, but clubbed Stanford.