Cougars Travel to Arizona State For Saturday Night Matchup

October 17, 2016 | Football

Washington State Game Notes vs. Arizona State Mike Leach Press Conference 10/17 Mike Leach Press Conference Cody O'Connell Press Conference Cody O'Connell Press Conference 10/17 Gabe Marks Press Conference 10/17 Gabe Marks Press Conference Dylan Hanser Press Conference Dylan Hanser Press Conference 10/17

By: Washington State Athletic Communications

WASHINGTON STATE at ARIZONA STATE
7 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 22 • Pac-12 Network
Sun Devil Stadium (56,232) • Tempe, Ariz.

COUGARS TRAVEL TO ARIZONA STATE FOR SATURDAY NIGHT MATCHUP
Washington State (4-2, 3-0 Pac-12) heads to Tempe, Ariz. to face Arizona State University (5-2, 2-2 Pac-12) Saturday at 7 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

NEXT WEEK
The Cougars will hit the road for the second straight week, traveling to Corvallis for a Saturday night contest with Oregon State at 7:45 p.m. on ESPN2.

ABOUT WSU-ASU SERIES
Washington State trails the all-time series with Arizona State 14-26-2 but used a fourth-quarter comeback to knock off the Sun Devils 38-24 in Pullman last season. ASU has won the last six meetings in Tempe and own a 16-5-2 home mark in the series. The Cougars last win in Tempe came in 2001, 28-16. WSU is looking to beat ASU in two straight seasons for the first time since 2002-03.

COLLEGE GAMEDAY RECORD
Dating back to the beginning of the 2004 season, ESPN's College GameDay has had the WSU flag appear throughout the show. The streak is now at 185 after last week's appearance at Wisconsin. Two flags – Ol' Crimson and Gray – have been flown in the background of the GameDay set by dozens of friends and alumni. The Gray flag was added in 2014 after Whitey was retired in honor of Steve Gleason's "No White Flags." WSU recognized the GameDay flag wavers in a pregame ceremony prior to the Montana State game in 2010. In addition to the flags that fly, there is a traveling flag signed by the holders after each episode. The traveling flag is retired after each season, the first of which is hanging in WSU's Alumni Center.

COUGAR QUICK HITS
TEAM
• WSU has won four straight games for the first time and 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2003
• WSU is looking for its first 4-0 start in conference play since 2003
• WSU's 17 rushing touchdowns in 2016 are the most since the 2005 team rushed for 20 TD
• WSU has seen 15 players make their debuts in 2016 including six true freshmen
• WSU's win at Stanford was its first win over at Top-15 team since 2003 (vs. #5 Texas in Holiday Bowl)
• WSU owns an 12-3 record when forcing multiple turnovers under defensive coordinator Alex Grinch
• WSU is second in the Pac-12 with 15 forced turnovers, tied for ninth-most in the country
• WSU enters the week second in the country in punt coverage
• WSU recorded a sell out in the season-opener and against Oregon, now owns nine sellouts since coach Mike Leach arrived at WSU in 2012, only one sellout in the five seasons prior

INDIVIDUAL
• QB Luke Falk is the FBS active career leader in passing yards-per-game (355.8)
• WR Gabe Marks owns the WSU record for career receptions (261), second-most in Pac-12 history
• Marks ranks 3rd among all active FBS receivers in career receptions (267) and 2nd in career touchdowns (30)
• Marks owns eight career games with 10+ receptions, most in WSU history, has a catch in 22-straight games
• WR River Cracraft owns a catch in 35 consecutive games, ninth-longest current streak in the country
• DL Hercules Mata'afa leads the Pac-12 with 9.5 tackles-for-loss, tied for No. 13 with three sacks

YOUNG COUGS TAKE THE FIELD
Washington State has seen 15 players make their debuts in 2016 with 11 players recording their first career start including nine on defense. Six true freshmen have played for the Cougars including Isaiah Johnson-Mack (WR), Frederick Mauigoa (OL), Derek Moore (DE), Dezmon Patmon (WR), Marcus Strong (CB) and Jalen Thompson (S). Thompson has started all five games while redshirt-junior left guard Cody O'Connell has also started the first five games, the first career starts for him. Last season, the Cougars saw 23 players make their debuts and 11 make their first career start while 14 freshmen contributed including seven true freshmen.

COUGARS NOTCH WINS OVER OREGON, STANFORD, UCLA
Washington State has started conference play 3-0 for the first time since 2003 and beat Oregon, Stanford and UCLA in the same season for the first time since 2006. The Cougars beat Oregon for the second straight season for the first time since 2002-03, beat UCLA in two straight meetings for the first time since 2006-07 and notched their first win at Stanford since 2006.

FALK CONTINUES TO RACK UP THE NUMBERS (Page 17)
Quarterback Luke Falk has picked up where he left off from 2015, as one of the leading quarterbacks in the country. Falk opened the season with 418 yards and four touchdowns against Eastern Washington, followed with 480 yards and four more scores at Boise State while nearly leading WSU to a fourth-quarter comeback. He added three more touchdown passes in the win over Idaho, threw for 371 yards in the win over Oregon and tossed four touchdowns in a 357-yard effort at Stanford. Falk, who did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time in his career last week against UCLA, enters the week fifth in the country in passing yards per game (352.2), No. 12 in passing touchdowns (16) and second in the country in completion percentage (.715). Last season, Falk finished the year with a school-record ten 300-yard games and five 400-yard games. Falk owns 18 career 300-yard games, second-most in WSU history, the fourth-most touchdown passes (67) and passing yards (8,538) and is tied with Jack Thompson and Drew Bledsoe for the fourth-most wins by a WSU quarterback (14). Jason Gesser owns a school-best 24 wins, followed by Alex Brink (17) and Ryan Leaf (15).

FALK'S FOURTH-QUARTER COMEBACKS
Luke Falk is no stranger to leading fourth-quarter comebacks, owning five fourth-quarter comebacks in his career including four last season. The first came in 2014 at Oregon State, WSU trailed early in the fourth and Falk led a pair of scoring drives for a 39-32 victory. Earlier this season, trailing by four with 1:31 remaining at Rutgers, Falk leading WSU on a 10-play, 90-yard drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to River Cracraft with 13 seconds remaining. In the win at Oregon, Falk led a pair of scoring drives late in the fourth quarter that erased a 10-point deficit and sent the game into overtime after an eight-yard touchdown pass to Dom Williams with one second remaining. In overtime, Falk rushed for a touchdown and then threw for another before the Cougar defense picked off a pass in the second overtime to clinch the win. Against Arizona State, trailing 24-17 to start the fourth quarter, Falk led the Cougars on three touchdown drives (73, 99 and 75 yards) in the quarter, capping each one with touchdown throws to post a 38-24 victory. His last one came at No. 18 UCLA, trailing by three with 1:09 remaining, Falk led the Cougars on a seven-play 75-yard drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Marks with three seconds remaining to knock off the Bruins.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR LUKE
Luke Falk was named to the Davey O'Brien "Great 8"quarterbacks following his impressive performance in the win at No. 15 Stanford. Falk went 30-of-41 for 357 yards and four touchdowns to lead WSU to its first win over the Cardinal since 2007. Last season, Luke Falk was a Manning Award Watch List, a Davey O'Brien Quarterback Award Semifinalist, one of 15 "Players to Watch" for The Walter Camp Football Foundation 2015 Player of the Year award and was one of three finalists for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation's top player who started his career as a walk-on. The Walter Camp Player of the Year award is the fourth-oldest college football award in the nation. The Davey O'Brien Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and is the nation's oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award. Falk was one of 17 semifinalists and earned a spot on the Davey O'Brien Award "Great 8" Performance of the Week five times this season. Falk led the FBS in passing yards-per-game (380.5), was third in total offense (370.9), and tied for fourth in passing touchdowns (38) and fifth in passing yards (4,566). In Pac-12 play, Falk averaged 399.5 passing yards-per-game, completed 69.9 percent of his passes and threw 28 touchdowns against seven interceptions and also rushed for two scores. Earlier in the season, Falk was named the Walter Camp National FBS Player of the Week (the first Cougar to receive the honor since the 2004 season), the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week three times and the Maxwell Award Player of the Week.

NEW LOOK LINE
The offensive line has a new look to it this season after the departure of three-year starters Joe Dahl at left tackle and Gunner Eklund at left guard who combined for 79 starts. Dahl capped his career earning All-Pac-12 honors and was a fifth-round draft choice by the Detroit Lions. The Cougars returned a trio of starters in center Riley Sorenson (now with 27 starts), right guard Eduardo Middleton (31 starts) and right tackle Cole Madison (27 starts) who have started next to one another for the past two-plus seasons. Taking over at left tackle is redshirt-sophomore Andre Dillard who appeared at left tackle in three games last year, made his collegiate debut in the second half at No. 18 UCLA and went on to start against Colorado and at Washington. At left guard, redshirt-junior Cody O'Connell is in his first season as a starter after playing on the field goal team all of last season.

OFFENSIVE LINE AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
According the website footballoutsiders.com, the Cougar offensive line sits near the top of a couple categories. WSU enters the week second in the country in "Stuff Rate" (10.5%) that is the percentage of carries by running backs that are stopped at or before the line of scrimmage. The Cougars also sit seventh in the country in "Opportunity Rate" (47.1%) that is the percentage of carries (when five yards are available) that gain at least five yards, i.e. the percentage of carries in which the line does its job.

COUGAR OFFENSIVE LINE "BONE" AWARDS
Each week, Washington State coaches give out the "Bone" award to the offensive lineman who performs the best during the previous game. Left guard Cody O'Connell has claimed the first three "Bone" awards after the wins over Idaho, Oregon and at Stanford and right tackle Cole Madison is this week's winner after beating UCLA. The awards in 2016: Eastern Washington: None; at Boise State: None; Idaho: Cody O'Connell; Oregon: Cody O'Connell; at Stanford: Cody O'Connell; UCLA: Cole Madison

OFFENSIVE LINE BULKED UP
Not only have the Cougars produced big offensive numbers, leading the country in passing the past two seasons, WSU has produced bigger offensive linemen. The size of the front five has gone up each season with the 2016 offensive line averaging 322.6 pounds. Last season, the Cougars averaged nearly 310 lbs after averaging 288.6 in 2012, 288.2 in 2013 and 309.4 lbs in 2014.

ALL-PURPOSE BACKS
The Cougar running backs have elevated their games in 2016, posting back-to-back 200-yard games in the wins over Idaho and Oregon before adding another 101 yards and two touchdowns in the win at No. 15 Stanford and three more rushing touchdowns in the win over UCLA. WSU enters the week averaging 140.2 yards-per-game and have rushed for 16 touchdowns this seasons, the most since the 2005 team ran for 20 scores. The trio of redshirt-juniors Jamal Morrow and Gerard Wicks, and redshirt-freshman James Williams each own a 100-yard effort in their careers, Wicks - 123 vs. Colorado last year, Williams - 126 against Idaho and Morrow - 122 against Oregon. The backs also combine for 60 receptions, average 222.7 all-purpose yards-per-game and have scored 20 total touchdowns through six games. Last season, WSU rushed for over 100 yards five times after recording four 100-yard efforts the previous three seasons combined. The Cougars averaged 80.1 rushing yards per game in 2015, doubling its average from 2014 (39.1). The backs combined to rush for 1,195 yards and averaged 6.1 yards-per-carry in 2015, the highest per-carry average by a WSU backfield since All-American Jerome Harrison and DeMaundray Woolridge combined for 8.5 per-carry in 2005.

COUGAR RUSHING ATTACK BREAKS OUT
The Cougar running game erupted for a pair of record-setting performances in the wins over Idaho and Oregon. Against the Ducks, WSU rushed for 280 yards (most since 2006) and six touchdowns (the most since 1997). Morrow, Wicks and Williams each scored twice and combined for 389 all-purpose yards while averaging 7.8 yards-per-carry in the win. In the week three win over Idaho, the Cougars rushed for 228 yards, led by Williams with 126 yards and a score, the first 100-yard rusher since Wicks ran for 123 against Colorado last season. Williams' mark was the most since Dwight Tardy posted 214 at UCLA in 2007 and was the first Cougar freshman to record a 100-yard game since Tardy in the 2006 Apple Cup. The Cougars had three different running backs score touchdowns in the win as Williams scored from two-yards out, Wicks scored on a two-yard rush, and later after recovered a fumble on a kickoff, and walk-on Alijah Lee spun his way with a gritty six-yard touchdown carry to cap the day.

SPREADING THE BALL AROUND
Washington State was the only team in the country with 10 players who recorded 20+ receptions last season and was the only Power-5 Conference team with two players owning double-digit touchdown receptions. WSU had 10+ receivers catch a pass in every game last year and nine players finished the season with at least one touchdown catch. Washington State opened the season with 10 players catching a pass in each of the first two games, then saw nine catch a pass in the win over Idaho before Luke Falk completed a pass to 11 different players against Oregon and Stanford.

MARKS CONTINUES HIS CLIMB UP PAC-12, WSU RECORD BOOKS (Page 17)
Gabe Marks continues his climb up the Pac-12 Conference and Washington State record books, most recently moving into second all-time in conference history for receptions with 267, 27 behind Colorado's Nelson Spruce top mark of 294. Marks also caught career touchdown pass No. 30 in the win at Stanford, tying Dom Williams for second in school history and moving into a tie for eighth in Pac-12 history. Cougar great Jason Hill owns the school record with 32 career scoring catches while USC's Dwayne Jarrett has the top conference mark of 41. Marks' 2,896 career receiving yards are second in WSU history and 311 yards behind Marquess Wilson's record of 3,207. This season, Marks owns six touchdown catches and paces the Cougars with 40 receptions.

CRACRAFT COMES ALIVE (Pages 17)
After a quiet first four games of 2016, senior wideout River Cracraft has put up big numbers in the past two games. In the win at No. 15 Stanford, Cracraft caught seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, recording four plays of 20-plus yards in the win. In the win over UCLA, he caught six passes for a team-high 74 yards, moving into second in WSU history with 196 career receptions. He is eighth in school history with 2,391 career receiving yards. Cracraft enters the week with team-highs of 391 receiving yards and six catches of 20+ yards, and tied for second in receptions (31).

FLORIDA WIDEOUTS SETTLE IN
Former high school teammates at William T. Dwyer High School in Belle Glade, Fla., sophomore Tavares Martin Jr. and freshman Isaiah Johnson-Mack have settled into the Cougar offense. Martin Jr. broke out against Boise State with 12 catches for 158 yards including an acrobatic 50-yard tumbling touchdown. He made the most of his two catches at No. 15 Stanford, scoring touchdowns on both and added five for 61 yards in the win over UCLA. Johnson-Mack has also contributed, recording 18 receptions for 112 yards including a seven-catch game at Boise State and later added four catches for 31 yards in the win over Oregon.

COUGAR DEFENSE DIALING IT UP
The Washington State defense has turned things up in Pac-12 play, forcing nine turnovers in the last three games including four in last week's win over UCLA. WSU enters the week second in the Pac-12 in turnover margin (+8), tied for ninth in the country with 15 forced turnovers and with the league's top rushing defense (105.5), good for No. 12 nationally. In the week three win over Idaho, WSU did not allow a touchdown in the 56-6 victory, surrendering just 257 yards of total offense, the fewest allowed since the 2013 matchup against the Vandals (253). Against Oregon, the Cougars tallied eight tackles-for-loss before adding three sacks at No. 15 Stanford while holding the Cardinal to just 61 yards rushing including Christian McCaffrey to 35 yards on the ground. Last week again UCLA, the Cougars shutout the Bruins in the first half and held them to just 43 rushing yards in the game.

GET THE BALL BACK
Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has emphasized the need to force turnovers and get the ball back to the Air Raid offense. The Cougars did that in 2015, forcing 24 turnovers, fourth in the Pac-12 and three times as many as the 2014 total of eight. The Cougars recorded 13 interceptions, recovered 11 fumbles, and led the Pac-12 with 16 fourth-down stops. The trend has continued this season, WSU has forced 15 turnovers this season, picking off three passes at Boise State, recovered two fumbles against Idaho, had an interception, a fumble recovery and a safety in the win over Oregon, added three more turnovers in the win at Stanford and four in the win over UCLA. Under Grinch, the Cougars are 12-3 when forcing multiple turnovers in a game.

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO MAKE STRIDES UNDER GRINCH
The Washington State defense clamped down the hatches in 2015 under first-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. The Cougars' defensive unit allowed 27.7 ppg and 416.6 ypg while forcing 24 turnovers and kept the explosive plays (20+ yards) to a minimum giving up 56 in 2015, averaging 4.3 per game. In 2014, the Cougar defense allowed 6.1 explosive plays per game, a total of 73 on the season. By removing special teams touchdowns allowed, WSU allowed 23.3 ppg, a vast improvement after allowing 38.6 ppg in 2014. The Cougars finished the season with 24 turnovers forced, averaging 1.8 takeaways per game and tripled the amount of turnovers from 2014 (8). So far this season, the Cougar defense has held to 25.3 ppg including a 21.8 ppg after removing three non-offensive touchdowns. WSU already owns 15 turnovers and limited opponents to 3.6 explosive plays per game (20+ yards), 22 total.

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO PUT THE PRESSURE ON
Last season, Washington State racked up 33 sacks and was eighth in the country with 7.8 tackles-for-loss per game (102 Total), the second-best average in the Pac-12 and the second-highest total in WSU history. All-Pac-12 honorable mention defensive lineman and Freshman All-American Hercules Mata'afa shared the team-lead with seven sacks, tied for fourth-most in the conference. Against Wyoming, WSU recorded 14 TFL's, tied for third-most in school history and later posted 11 TFL's at Cal, and eight more in the games against Arizona State, Colorado and Washington. WSU finished the season with five players owning 10+ tackles-for-loss, the most players by any Pac-12 team and tied for the most in school history (2002). Through six games in 2016, Mata'afa paces the conference with 9.5 tackles-for-loss and is tied for No. 13 with three sacks. Mata'afa tallied a career-high seven tackles including one for loss against UCLA, his third straight game with a TFL.

LINEBACKERS LEAD THE WAY
The Cougar linebackers filled up the stat sheet last season with All-Pac-12 honorable mention Peyton Pelluer finishing the season tied for fifth in the Pac-12 with 7.8 tackles-per game (101 total) along with 11 tackles-for-loss. The redshirt-junior started the 2016 season with a game-high 10 tackles against EWU including one for loss and a pass breakup. He added six more at Boise State, tied for the team lead in the win over Idaho with seven and added at tackle-for-loss against Oregon. Making his first career start as a linebacker, Isaac Dotson made five tackles against EWU and in his first career start, WIL linebacker Frankie Luvu made a career-high seven tackles including 1.5 for loss against Idaho. Dotson has came up with some big plays the past two weeks, recorded his first career interception in the win over Oregon before recovering a fumble and making a diving interception in the win at No. 15 Stanford. Pelluer paces the Cougars with 39 tackles while Dotson ranks third with 26 stops.

YOUNG SECONDARY
The Cougar secondary went through a youth movement the past two seasons. Last season, WSU received solid contribution from true freshman Darrien Molton (44 tackles, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery) at cornerback while being named the top freshman cornerback in the country by Pro Football Focus. All-Pac-12 honorable mention Shalom Luani started all 13 games at safety, finished third on the team with 91 tackles, with two forced two fumbles and tied for third in the Pac-12 with a team-best four interceptions while now-junior cornerback Marcellus Pippins recorded three interceptions, nine pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and 43 tackles. In 2016, Molton enters the week second on the team with 35 tackles while owing a team-best three pass breakups. Luani picked off a pair of passes at Boise State and another at Stanford while Pippins also owns two interceptions. Junior college transfer Robert Taylor has stepped in with Luani playing at Nickel, and recorded 20 tackles and recovered a team-best three fumbles. True freshman Jalen Thompson enrolled early last January and quickly took over at strong safety, starting all six games and has tallied 18 tackles, including a game-high seven at Stanford.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Washington State special teams own a couple impressive statistics in 2016. The Cougars enter the week second in the country in punt coverage, allowing -1.0 yards-per-return. Sophomore Kaleb Fossum has a had a couple solid games at punt returner, averaging 7.7 per return, fifth in the Pac-12.

IN THE WIN OVER IDAHO
Cougar special teams provided a couple highlights in the win over Idaho week three, scoring a pair of touchdowns, blocking a field goal and recovered a fumble, scoring touchdowns on both plays. Midway through the second quarter, nose tackle Robert Barber blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt and cornerback Marcellus Pippins picked up the loose ball and raced 72 yards for the touchdown, giving WSU its first touchdown return of a blocked field goal in school history (dating back through the 1983 season). It was the first touchdown scored on special teams since Michael Bumpus returned a punt 87 yards for touchdown at Nevada in 2005. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Cougar kickoff team forced a fumble that Gerard Wicks scooped up and returned 11 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time the Cougars scored two special teams touchdowns in the same game since returning two punts for touchdowns against Idaho in 1973. WSU also rushed for 228 yards, the most since 2011.

IN THE WIN OVER OREGON
Washington State's win over Oregon was the first time beating Oregon two straight seasons since 2002-03 and first win over the Ducks in Pullman since 2006. WSU's 280 rushing yards were the most since rushing for 344 against Idaho in 2006 and most against a conference foe since going for 330 against UCLA in 2005. The Cougars' six rushing touchdowns were the most since rushing for six against Southwest Louisiana in 1997 and most against a conference opponents since Oregon in 1984. It was also the first time WSU rushed for 200+ yards in back-to-back games since 2005.

IN THE WIN AT NO. 15 STANFORD
The Cougars recorded their first win over Stanford since 2007, snapping an eight-game skid and notched their first win at Stanford since 2006. It was also WSU's first win over a Top-15 team since beating No. 5 Texas in the 2003 Holiday Bowl and first regular season win over a Top-15 teams since winning at No. 10 Oregon in 2003. Washington State registered its first sweep of Oregon and Stanford in the same season since 2006 and rushed for 100+ yards for the third straight game.

IN THE WIN OVER UCLA
WSU notched its first win over UCLA in Martin Stadium since 2007 and beat the Bruins for the second straight year for the first time since 2006-07. The Cougars also recorded their first four-game winning streak since 2003.

SORENSON NAMED CAPITAL ONE ORANGE BOWL-FWAA COURAGE AWARD NOMINEE
Riley Sorenson is a nominee for the 2016 Capital One Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award. Over the past nine months alone, Sorenson, a senior center, lost his father and mother to a heart attack and cancer, respectively. On top of that, Sorenson was diagnosed with testicular cancer just days after his mother's funeral in May. He had surgery to remove a testicle and, after receiving five opinions, was eventually told that chemotherapy would not be needed. Sorenson stayed at home in Southern California this summer to take care of his younger brother and sister. He returned to Pullman for the start of fall camp and has not missed a practice or game, starting all three contests for the Cougars. "I was just starting to come to terms with my dad being gone and then my mom's thing happened," Sorenson told the (Spokane) Spokesman-Review in August. "It was pretty bad. But even when it comes to something like that, everyone's going to understand if you get hung up or need to take some time off. I feel like I'm pretty comfortable with it mentally. I've still got some stuff I need to think through, but I'm good to play, I'm good to be around people." Sorenson currently lives with his brother in Pullman, and his sister is now a freshman at Boise State. The Courage Award was first presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) in 2002. A select group of writers from the FWAA vote on the winner each year. The requirements for nomination include displaying courage on or off the field, including overcoming an injury or physical handicap, preventing a disaster or living through hardship. The winner of the award will be included in festivities during Capital One Orange Bowl week and receive his trophy at an on-field presentation.

RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA TAKEOVER
The Cougars have tapped into the Rancho Santa Margarita High School pipeline, currently owning four players from the school in center, Riley Sorenson, defensive lineman Nick Begg and receivers River Cracraft and Kyle Sweet. One other Coug who went to RSMHS...Golden State Warrior Klay Thompson.

POLYNESIAN PIPELINE
The Washington State roster has seen an influx in Polynesian players since Mike Leach and his coaching staff arrived in 2012. Assistant Head Coach / Defensive Line Coach Joe Salave'a, a native of Pago Pago, American Samoa and a nine-year NFL veteran, has helped bring a number of players to Pullman in his three seasons at Washington State. The 2016 roster has 16 players who are of Polynesian decent including seven who list their hometown from American Samoa.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON
Three Cougars share a unique bond with their dads and/or grandpa, each have worn the crimson a gray. Redshirt-sophomore left tackle Andre Dillard's dad, Mitch was an offensive lineman and tight end for the Cougars in the late 1980's; redshirt-junior linebacker Isaac Dotson's dad, Michael was an All-American wrestler for WSU from 1983-86; redshirt-junior linebacker Peyton Pelluer's dad, Scott also played linebacker for the Cougs, matching Peyton's No. 47 from 1977-80; Peyton's grandpa, Arnie played end for WSU in the mid 1950's and his great grandpa, Carl, played flanker in the 1920's.

SEVEN COUGARS INDUCTED INTO WSU HALL OF FAME
The WSU Hall of Fame welcomed in seven new members Sept. 17. Joining the current 206 members was Marv Chamberlain (Baseball), Erin Elridge (Swimming), Jason Gesser (Football), Mark Hendrickson (Basketball/Baseball), Mike Price (Football Coach), Jennifer Robertson (Track & Field) and Marcia Saneholtz (WSU Administrator).

FALK NAMED TO 2016 AWARD WATCH LISTS
Quarterback Luke Falk was named to the 2016 Davey O'Brien Award, Rotary Lombardi Award and the Maxwell Award Watch List. Falk is one of 30 quarterbacks named to the watch list for the Maxwell Award presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback and was also named to the Maxwell Award Watch List for America's Player of the Year. Falk, a redshirt-junior, was an All-Pac-12 first-team selection last season after leading the country in passing at 380.5 yards-per-game and guiding the Cougars to a 9-4 record capped by a Sun Bowl victory over Miami. The Logan, Utah native set a school record with 38 touchdown passes, good for fourth in the nation, and was second in school history with 4,566 yards. Falk tallied three Pac-12 Player of the Week honors and was Pac-12 All-Academic honorable mention.

MARKS NAMED TO 2016 BILETNIKOFF, Maxwell AWARD WATCH LISTS
Wide receiver Gabe Marks was named to the 2016 Biletnikoff Award and Maxwell Award Watch Lists. The Biletnikoff Award recognizes the nation's most outstanding receiver each year and the Maxwell Award is presented to the nation's Player of the Year. Marks was one of 10 Biletnikoff Award semifinalists last season, earning All-Pac-12 First Team honors and tallied 104 receptions for 1,196 yards and a school-record 15 touchdowns. Marks led the Pac-12 in receptions, touchdown catches and was second in receiving yards while also tallying four 100-yard games.

SORENSON NAMED TO 2016 RIMINGTON TROPHY WATCH LIST
Center Riley Sorenson was named to the 2016 Rimington Trophy Watch List. Sorenson, a senior from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., has started 21 games over the past two seasons and has been one of the anchors for a Cougar offensive line that helped WSU lead the nation in passing each of the last two years. Additionally, he was named a 2015 All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection. Sorenson also received the 2016 Pac-12 Sportsmanship Award for the strength of character and dedication to his team that he displayed throughout the 2015 season even while he and his family faced extreme personal challenges. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYOFF EXTRA YARD FOR TEACHER
The Extra Yard for Teacher's Program kicked off Sept. 17 with the College Football Playoff Foundation. The CFP is awarding each institution within the Pac-12 $10,000 to benefit an elementary school teacher or teachers in your community throughout the season, concluding at the 2016 Pac-12 Football Championship Game. Washington State will gift three elementary schools in Pullman with Google Chrome Books as part of the program.

STEVE GLEASON RECRUIT SUITE DEBUTS IN COUGAR FOOTBALL COMPLEX
WSU announced the naming of the Steve Gleason Recruit Suite, inside the Cougar Football Complex this summer. Gleason, the Washington State Athletic Hall of Famer who played football and baseball in a Cougar uniform from 1995-99, was on hand as the room all future Cougar football players will walk through was named in his honor. The opportunity arrived courtesy of Cougar alumnus Glenn Osterhout's naming donation of $250,000. With his pledge, Osterhout, a 1983 graduate who is a certified financial planner in Bellevue, was presented the opportunity to name the recruiting room inside the Cougar Football Complex.

NICHOL, SHEPHARD JOIN COUGAR COACHING STAFF
The Cougar coaching staff added two new position coaches as Dave Nichol joined the staff as the outside receivers coach and JaMarcus Shephard as the inside receivers coach. Nichol is no stranger to a Mike Leach-coached team, having spent three seasons (2003-05) as an offensive line assistant at Texas Tech under the current Cougar head coach. Most recently, Nichol served as the offensive coordinator at East Carolina in 2015. Shephard arrived at WSU following two seasons as the receivers coach at Western Kentucky University. In addition to his duties as receivers coach the past two seasons, Shephard added special teams duties for the 2015 season.

COUGAR FOOTBALL BROADCAST TEAM
Hall of fame announcer Bob Robertson is in his 50th season calling Cougar football games, and according to a nation-wide survey of sports information directors, is the longest tenured radio announcer in the country with the next closest being Bill Hillgrove who has announced 46 straight seasons at Pitt. Robertson began calling WSU games in 1964 and with the exception of a three-year period in 1969-71, has been calling Cougar games ever since. Robertson now hosts the Cougars pre, halftime and postgame shows, while also providing analysis during the games. Matt Chazanow is in his second season as the play-by-play voice for Cougar football, men's basketball and baseball broadcasts. Joining Chazanow and Robertson in the booth for his third season will be Cougar legend Jason Gesser who quarterbacked WSU to the 2001 Sun Bowl and 2003 Rose Bowl. Returning for her fifth season as the sideline reporter is Jessamyn McIntyre, an executive producer for 710 ESPN Seattle.