Theo Lawson

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.

Erick Hallett II is leaving the Lone Star State for the Palouse and an opportunity to contribute as a part of Alex Grinch’s “Speed D.” Hallett II, a three-star cornerback from Cypress, Texas, announced his verbal commitment to Washington State on Twitter Friday morning.

Washington State practice is closed to the public for the rest of the season, meaning fans and reporters who still haven’t gotten their fix of preseason football will have to get creative if they still wish to view the Cougars. (The bridge adjoining the Compton Union Building and nearby elevator is a popular lookout point and any patron of the Holland & Terrell Library can see Rogers Field in its entirety from the large windows on the north end of the building.)

There’s something unfamiliar about the start of Isaac Dotson’s senior season. Familiarity.

Time will tell whether the Oakland Raiders made the right or wrong picks in the 2017 NFL draft, but if two preseason games are any indication, they’re at least getting some bang for their buck from a seventh rounder out of Washington State.

Associated Press voters expect another All-American season out of Washington State left guard Cody O’Connell.

Washington State’s Hercules Mata’afa and Idaho’s Aikeem Coleman were recently added to the watch list for the Ted Hendricks Award, given annually the best defensive end in college football.

We take a quick look back at the first three weeks of Washington State football practice and hand out all-camp honors to the five players who looked the best during the dog days of August.

The Cougars just made the cut. Washington State checked in at No. 24 when the Associated Press released its first Top 25 poll Monday morning, giving the Cougars a preaseason ranking for the first time since 2002.