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Washington State football chat transcript - 10/31

Wed., Oct. 31, 2018

A full transcript from Wednesday's Cougar football live chat with Spokesman-Review Washington State beat writer Theo Lawson.

Sports >  WSU football

Washington State always saw potential in Dezmon Patmon. Now the junior receiver is starting to see it in himself

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 30, 2018

Washington State’s junior “Z” receiver is finally starting to come into his own and posted career-high numbers Saturday in a 41-38 win over No. 24 Stanford. Patmon’s 10 receptions were a career-best, smashing his prior best of six, and the San Diego native finished with 127 receiving yards, beating his previous high of 112, set three games earlier against Utah.

Sports >  WSU football

Pac-12 Power Rankings: Topsy-turvy Saturday made mess of weekly power rankings

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 30, 2018

A chaotic Saturday for the Pac-12 started with Arizona State defeating USC in the Coliseum and culminated with Arizona springing an upset of Oregon in Tucson. Sandwiched in between were a few more stunners: Oregon State topped Colorado for its first road win since the second-to-last year of the Obama presidency and Cal squeezed out a win over Washington, giving the Huskies their worst loss of the Chris Petersen era.

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Sports >  WSU football

Washington State debuts at No. 8 in first edition of College Football Playoff rankings

UPDATED: Tue., Oct. 30, 2018

Washington State cracked the top 10 of the initial College Football Playoff rankings, checking in at No. 8 in the country when the rankings were unveiled Tuesday afternoon on ESPN’s College Football Playoff show.

Sports >  WSU football

Mike Leach praises Washington State DBs for grit and toughness against Stanford’s imposing WRs

Mon., Oct. 29, 2018

Mike Leach thought his defensive backs handled themselves well Saturday, even if they were constantly picked on by three Stanford pass-catchers who looked just as capable of forming an NBA frontcourt as they did a collegiate wide receiving corps.

Sports >  WSU football

Report: NRG Stadium to hold 2019 nonconference game between Washington State, Houston

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 29, 2018

The Cougars will play the Cougars on Friday Sept. 13, 2019, for the sixth installment of the AdvoCare Texas Kickoff, which has been held every season since 2013. WSU and Houston were originally scheduled to play on the UH campus at TDECU Stadium.

Sports >  WSU football

Pac-12 bills Washington State $25,000 for field rush following Oct. 20 win over Oregon

Mon., Oct. 29, 2018

The Pac-12 has fined WSU $25,000 because its fans rushed the field following the Cougars’ 34-20 win over the Ducks at Martin Stadium, a conference official confirmed to The Spokesman-Review Monday afternoon.

Sports >  WSU football

Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew one of 20 semifinalists for Maxwell Award

Mon., Oct. 29, 2018

The top passer in college football is beginning to receive national recognition for his role in Washington State’s 7-1 start to the 2018 season.

Sports >  WSU football

First look: Cal at (10) Washington State

UPDATED: Mon., Oct. 29, 2018

No. 10 Washington State (7-1, 4-1) returns home to the Palouse to take on California (5-3, 2-3) in a Pac-12 North matchup.

Sports >  WSU football

Washington State in driver’s seat atop Pac-12 North after Stanford win

UPDATED: Sun., Oct. 28, 2018

Mike Leach and his Washington State football team may be the top target for Pac-12 referees who’ve been peeved by the aggressive text messages the Cougars’ coach sent off to various conference executives decrying the league’s replay review process – and those who’ve been accused of tampering with it.

Sports >  WSU football

Game between No. 10 Washington State, Cal to kick off at 7:45 p.m., air on ESPN

UPDATED: Sun., Oct. 28, 2018

Using the seven-day selection window, ESPN chose the WSU-Cal game, which will kick off at 7:45 p.m. this Saturday in Pullman.

Sports >  WSU football

Washington State moves up four spots to No. 10 in Associated Press Top 25; Washington falls out of national poll

UPDATED: Sun., Oct. 28, 2018

The Cougars are back inside the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 rankings for the first time since last October.

Sports >  WSU football

Washington State’s Blake Mazza nails first game-winning field goal of career in win over Stanford

UPDATED: Sun., Oct. 28, 2018

Anticipating Blake Mazza’s right leg would probably determine WSU’s fate at some point this year, the Cougars began their screaming ritual just last week. Their timing, suffice it to say, was fortuitous.

Sports >  WSU football

Analysis: No. 14 Washington State uses second-half surge to claw back, top 24th-ranked Stanford

UPDATED: Sat., Oct. 27, 2018

WSU quite easily could’ve been the next victim on a bizarre day for the Pac-12 – one that saw Cal upset No. 15 UW, Oregon State stun Colorado for its first road win in four years and USC lose in the Coliseum for the first time in 19 games – but the Cougars, led once again by grad transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew, showed their mettle in the second half and Blake Mazza knocked in the winning field goal with 19 seconds left to preserve a 41-38 win in the Bay Area.

Sports >  WSU football

Difference makers: Blake Mazza boots Washington State into Pac-12 North lead with win over Stanford

UPDATED: Sat., Oct. 27, 2018

Difference makers from Washington State’s 41-38 victory over Stanford

Sports >  WSU football

Corner Sean Harper Jr. not available for Washington State-Stanford, but D-end Nnamdi Oguayo could return

Sat., Oct. 27, 2018

For the second straight game, Washington State will be shorthanded in its defensive secondary.

Sports >  WSU football

The pick: Why Washington State will beat Stanford

Sat., Oct. 27, 2018

Finesse team? Stanford isn’t quite there yet. Nevertheless, the team Washington State will see on Saturday in the Bay Area promises to look much different than the rugged, grind-it-out teams David Shaw and Jim Harbaugh have presided over for the past decade-plus.

Sports >  WSU football

With historic weekend in rearview mirror, Washington State guarding against letdown versus Stanford

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 26, 2018

There’s been plenty of talk this week about hangovers – not all of it necessarily pertaining to what students may have been feeling the morning after a watershed day for the Washington State campus and the Cougar football program.

Sports >  WSU football

Two minute drill: Keys to victory for Washington State against Stanford

UPDATED: Fri., Oct. 26, 2018

The keys to a potential Washington State victory Saturday against Stanford at Stanford Stadium.

Sports >  NFL

Gardner Minshew’s NFL Draft stock is not only existent, but soaring at midpoint of Washington State season

Fri., Oct. 26, 2018

The Spokesman-Review caught up with three experts to glean more insight on Minshew, his soaring NFL stock and even his … Heisman Trophy candidacy?

Sports >  WSU football

With Bryce Love hobbling and options aplenty at WR, Stanford offense has taken on different look in 2018

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 24, 2018

The Cardinal have put the ball on the ground 209 times this season and thrown it 216. In 2017, Stanford ran it 480 times and passed it 363. In 2016, with Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love on The Farm, Stanford logged 523 pass plays and only 304 runs.

Sports >  WSU football

Pac-12 picks: Aside from Washington State-Stanford, not much intrigue on Week 9 slate

UPDATED: Wed., Oct. 24, 2018

The oddsmakers aren’t anticipating too many riveting games across the Pac-12 landscape this weekend – at least not compared to last, when five games were expected to be decided by eight points or less. After faring just 2-8 against the spread these last two weeks, let’s hope that means good things for these picks.

Sports >  WSU football

Washington State football chat transcript - 10/24

Wed., Oct. 24, 2018

The transcript from Wednesday's weekly Washington State live chat with Spokesman-Review Cougar beat writer Theo Lawson.

Sports >  WSU football

College GameDay at Washington State seen by almost 2 million TV viewers

Tue., Oct. 23, 2018

Thousands of people woke up early Saturday morning to attend ESPN College GameDay’s first-ever show at Washington State in person and almost 2 million more caught the three-hour program on television.

Sports >  WSU football

Utah’s Hunter Hill becomes fourth offensive lineman in Class of ’19 to commit to Washington State

Tue., Oct. 23, 2018

It’s a good time to be playing on the offensive line at Washington State. The Cougars have given up fewer sacks this season than any team in the Pac-12 and currently sit in a tie for sixth nationally, having conceded just five sacks in seven games.