No. 23 Cougars Face California Saturday Night On ESPN

November 07, 2016 | Football

Washington State Game Notes vs. California Washington State Game Notes vs. California Mike Leach Press Conference Nov. 7 Cole Madison Press Conference Nov. 7 Nnamdi Oguayo Press Conference Nov. 7 Gabe Marks Press Conference Nov. 7

By: Washington State Athletic Communications

CALIFORNIA at No. 23 WASHINGTON STATE
7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 12 • ESPN
Martin Stadium (32,952) • Pullman, Wash.

COUGARS FACE CALIFORNIA SATURDAY NIGHT ON ESPN
Washington State (7-2, 6-0 Pac-12) hosts the University of California (4-5, 2-4 Pac-12) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN in Martin Stadium.

NEXT WEEK
WSU will make its final road trip of the regular season next Saturday heading to Boulder, Colo. to face the University of Colorado. Kickoff time and TV information won't be announced until Sunday.

COUGAR QUICK HITS
TEAM
• WSU is bowl eligible of the second straight season and third time under coach Leach
• WSU has won seven straight games and is 6-0 in conference play for first time since 2002
• WSU is seeking its first 7-0 start in conference for first time in school history
• WSU is seeking its first eight-game winning streak since 1930 (Won first 9 games, lost Rose Bowl to Alabama)
• WSU's 20 rushing touchdowns in 2016 are the most since the 2005 team rushed for 20 TD
• WSU has seen 18 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 13-3 record when forcing multiple turnovers under defensive coordinator Alex Grinch
• WSU is third in the Pac-12 with 19 forced turnovers, No. 17 in the country
• WSU's 100-yard kickoff return for a TD at Arizona State was its first since 2003
• WSU is a Pac-12-best 12-2 over its last 14 conference games dating back to last season (Chris Low - ESPN)

INDIVIDUAL
• QB Luke Falk is the FBS active career leader in passing yards-per-game (357.9)
• WR River Cracraft and Gabe Marks are first set of teammates with 200+ catches in Pac-12 history
• Marks owns WSU records for receptions (288), touchdowns (34) and needs 27 yards for receiving yards record
• Marks needs seven receptions to break Nelson Spruce's (CU) Pac-12 All-Time receptions record of 294
• Marks ranks 4th among all active FBS receivers in career receptions (288) and 2nd in career touchdowns (34)
• Marks owns eight career games with 10+ receptions, most in WSU history, has a catch in 25-straight games
• WR River Cracraft owns a catch in 38 consecutive games, ninth-longest current streak in the country
• DL Hercules Mata'afa is tied for ninth in the Pac-12 with 9.5 tackles-for-loss

WSU UP TO NO. 23 IN NATIONAL POLLS
Washington State moved up two spots in both national polls this week, the Associated Press Top-25 and the Coaches Poll, after the win over Arizona. WSU moved into the Top-25 for the first time this season after the win at Oregon State, appearing at No. 25 in both polls and the first College Football Playoff rankings. Last season, WSU was ranked the final two weeks of the regular season, appearing as No. 23 in the Coaches Poll after the win at UCLA and then No. 20 by the Associated Press after the win over Colorado. It was WSU's first national ranking since finishing the 2003 season No. 9.

ABOUT CAL-WSU SERIES
California leads the all-time series with WSU 45-27-5 and has won the last two meetings including a 34-28 decision in Berkeley last season. The Bears have won five straight meetings in Pullman including a 60-59 shootout in 2014 where Connor Halliday threw for an NCAA FBS-record 734 yards. The Cougars are looking for their first win over Cal in Martin Stadium since 2002.

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 188 after last week's appearance at LSU. 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.

YOUNG COUGS TAKE THE FIELD
Washington State has seen 18 players make their debuts in 2016 with 14 players recording their first career start including 10 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 nine games at strong safety and Moore started at End the last two weeks. 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 OPEN PAC-12 PLAY 6-0
Washington State has started conference play 6-0 for the first time since 2002 and own wins over Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Arizona State 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. The win at Arizona State was Washington State's first win in Tempe since 2001. The seven-game winning streak is the longest since 2002. WSU is looking for its first 8-2 start since 2003, a 7-0 start to conference play for the first time in program history and its first eight-game winning streak since winning the first nine games of the 1930 season (9-1).

FALK CONTINUES TO RACK UP THE NUMBERS (Page 17)
Quarterback Luke Falk 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 against UCLA but followed with three touchdowns in the win at Arizona State. He tossed a season-high five touchdowns in the come-from-behind win at Oregon State before tossing four more touchdowns in the win over Arizona. The redshirt-junior enters the week second in the country in passing yards per game (359.7), seventh in passing touchdowns (28) and with the nation's highest completion percentage (.741). Falk owns 21 career 300-yard games, tied with Connor Halliday for the most in WSU history, and recently moved into second in WSU history with 79 career touchdown passes. He also sits third in career passing yards (9,662) and tied with Alex Brink for the second-most wins by a QB in school history with 17, trailing Jason Gesser's school-best 24.

FALK RECORD WATCH
- Needs 12 TD passes to break Connor Halliday's WSU record for career TD passes (90)
- Needs 1,252 passing yards to pass Brink for second in career passing yards in WSU history
- Needs one more game with 300+ passing yards to break Connor Halliday's record of 22
- Sits tied for No. 11 in Pac-12 history with 79 career TD passes (Page 5)

FALK SETS WSU RECORD FOR COMPLETION PERCENTAGE
In the win over Arizona, Luke Falk completed 32-of-35 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns. His 91.4 completion percentage was a WSU record and a Pac-12 record for 30+ completions, breaking Dick Norman's (Stanford, 1959) previous record of 87.1. Falk completed 21 consecutive passes at one point, one away from Aaron Rodgers' (Cal) record of 22. The Cougars combined for a 90.3 completion percentage to set an NCAA FBS record for 30+ completions after going 47-of-52.

FALK NAMED MAXWELL AWARD SEMIFINALISTS, JOHNNY UNITAS AWARD FINALIST
Quarterback Luke Falk is one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, given to America's College Player of the Year. He was also named one for five finalists for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award given to the nation's top junior or senior quarterback. Falk was named to the Davey O'Brien "Great 8"quarterbacks following his impressive performances in the wins at No. 15 Stanford, at Arizona State, at Oregon State and again after the Arizona win. Falk went 30-of-41 for 357 yards and four touchdowns to lead WSU to its first win over the Cardinal since 2007. In the win over the Sun Devils, Falk went 42-of-53 for 398 yards and three touchdowns to lead WSU to its first win in Tempe since 2001. In the OSU win, the Logan, Utah native threw for 415 yards including five touchdowns and recorded his sixth career comeback victory and threw four touchdowns last week. He's also been named one of the Manning Award Stars for the Week three different times.

FALK ADDS ANOTHER FOURTH-QUARTER COMEBACK
Luke Falk is no stranger to leading fourth-quarter comebacks, recording the sixth of his career in the win at Oregon State last weekend. 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. In 2015, trailing by four with 1:31 remaining at Rutgers, Falk led 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 in 2015 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. In the win at Oregon State, the Cougars trailed by three early in the fourth quarter before Falk led WSU on an 80-yard scoring drive midway through the quarter. Falk capped the drive with a one-yard touchdown pass to Robert Lewis that proved to be the game-winner.

NEW LOOK LINE SETTLING IN
The offensive line's new look in 2016 has taken the Cougar offense to a similar elite level. Despite the departures of three-year starters left tackle Joe Dahl (5th-RD draft pick by Detroit) and Gunnar Eklund at left guard (45 starts), the new line has produced the third-ranked passing offense in the country and four games with 100+ rushing yards including a 280-yard effort in the win over Oregon. The Cougars returned a trio of starters in center Riley Sorenson (now with 30 starts), right guard Eduardo Middleton (34 starts) and right tackle Cole Madison (30 starts) who have started next to one another for the past two-plus seasons. Taking over at left tackle was redshirt-sophomore Andre Dillard who appeared at left tackle in three games last year, made his collegiate debut in the second half at 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" (11.7%) that is the percentage of carries by running backs that are stopped at or before the line of scrimmage. WSU also sits sixth in the country in "Power Success Rate" (84.2 %) that is the percentage of runs on 3rd or 4th down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown. The Cougars also ranked No. 11 in "Opportunity Rate" (44.6%) that is the percentage of carries (when 5 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 claimed the first three "Bone" awards after the wins over Idaho, Oregon and at Stanford, right tackle Cole Madison earned the award after beating UCLA, center Riley Sorenson claimed the award after the win at Arizona State and left tackle Andre Dillard earned his first career "Bone Award" honor after the win at Oregon State. Madison earned the award after the big win over Arizona, his second of the season. 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; at Arizona State: Riley Sorenson; at Oregon State: Andre Dillard; Arizona: 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. They added 101 yards (2 TDs) in the win at No. 15 Stanford, three rushing touchdowns in the win over UCLA, 137 rushing yards at Oregon State and 140 more with three touchdowns against Arizona. WSU enters the week averaging 118.4 yards-per-game and have rushed for 20 touchdowns, the most since the 2005 team also 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. WSU went over 1,000 rushing yards for the second straight season last week. The backs combine for 98 receptions, average 228.7 all-purpose yards-per-game and have scored 27 total touchdowns. The Cougars have rushed for 100+ yards five times this season after reaching that mark five times in 2015 and just four times in the previous three seasons combined. WSU averaged 80.1 rushing yards per game in 2015, doubling its average from 2014 (39.1).

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 and Wicks each rushed for score, and walk-on Alijah Lee spun his way with a gritty six-yard touchdown carry to cap the day.

MORROW SETS WSU RECORD FOR RECEPTIONS BY RUNNING BACKS
Running back Jamal Morrow has done a little of everything for the Cougar offense, rushing, receiving, blocking and he now owns the school record for receptions by a running back while also leading the team in rushing. The redshirt-junior owns 132 career catches, breaking Steve Broussard's previous top mark of 120. Morrow also sits 18 receptions away from moving into the WSU Top-10 for receptions. He enters the week leading the team with 908 all-purpose yards, averaging 100.0 all-purpose yards-per-game (12th in the Pac-12), second on the team with 423 rushing yards, third on the team with eight total touchdowns and fourth on the team with 38 catches.

CAPTAIN MORROW COME ON DOWN
Jamal Morrow has served as the WSU game captain for the past 18 games and coach Leach finally revealed why. In August of 2013, Morrow was a contestant on The Price is Right, reaching a showcase showdown and coach Leach thought he would be good at the coin toss. Morrow began the streak in WSU's double-overtime win at Oregon last season. The Cougars are 14-4 during the stretch and Morrow is 7-1 in correctly calling the toss and WSU is 6-2 when he wins a coin toss.

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. Washington State opened the season with 10 players catching a pass in each of the first two games, nine caught a pass in the win over Idaho, 11 different players had a catch in wins over Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State and 10 caught a pass at Oregon State. Last week against Arizona, 14 different Cougars caught pass, the most under coach Leach at WSU. The Cougars are one of three teams in the country with three players owning 40+ catches.

MARKS SETS WSU RECORDS FOR RECEPTIONS, RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS (Page 17)
Gabe Marks continues his climb up the Pac-12 Conference and Washington State record books, currently sits second all-time in conference history for receptions with a school-record 288, six behind Colorado's Nelson Spruce top mark of 294. Marks also caught career touchdown passes No. 32 and No. 33 in the win at Oregon State, breaking Jason Hill's WSU record of 32, and he added another one against Arizona. Marks now sits second in Pac-12 history for career touchdown catches with 34, trailing Dwayne Jarrett's (USC) mark of 41. Marks' 3,181 career receiving yards are second in WSU history and 26 yards behind Marquess Wilson's record of 3,207. Marks enters the week with team highs of 10 touchdowns, 61 receptions, 622 receiving yards and three 100-yard games.

MARKS RECORD WATCH
- Needs seven catches to break Pac-12 Receptions record, Nelson Spruce (Colorado) - 294
- Needs eight touchdowns to break Pac-12 Touchdowns record, Dwayne Jarrett (USC) - 41
- Needs 27 yards to break WSU Receiving Yards record, Marquess Wilson - 3,207

CRACRAFT COMES ALIVE (Pages 17)
After a quiet first four games of 2016, senior wideout River Cracraft has put up big numbers over the last month. 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 and followed with seven catches for 79 yards at Arizona State. He added four more catches including one for 27 yards in the win at Oregon State before catching a 71-yard touchdown last week against Arizona. The Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. native enters Saturday second in WSU history with 209 career receptions and sixth in school history with 2,614 career receiving yards. Cracraft enters the week second on the team with 614 receiving yards, third in catches with 44 and owns the team-lead with eight catches of 20+ yards.

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, caught a 9-yard touchdown just before halftime to give WSU a lead in the win at Arizona State and added six catches for 82 yards and a 33-yard touchdown at Oregon State. Last week, Martin Jr. caught two more touchdowns against Arizona. Johnson-Mack has also contributed, recording 27 receptions for 163 yards including a seven-catch game at Boise State and caught his first career touchdown in the win over Arizona. Martin Jr. is second on the team with 50 receptions for 557 yards and his seven touchdowns are second on the team.

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO MAKE STRIDES UNDER GRINCH
The Cougar defense has improved each week under defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. So far this season, WSU has forced 19 turnovers and held opponents to 373.3 yards of total offense, and 24.7 ppg including 21.5 ppg after removing four non-offensive touchdowns. Last season, the defensive unit allowed 27.7 ppg and 416.6 ypg while forcing 24 turnovers. By removing special teams touchdowns allowed in 2015, WSU allowed 23.3 ppg, a vast improvement after allowing 38.6 ppg in 2014. The Cougars finished last season with 24 turnovers forced, tripled the amount of turnovers from 2014 (8).

COUGAR DEFENSE DIALS IT UP
The Washington State defense has turned things up in Pac-12 play, forcing 13 turnovers in the last six games including four in the win over UCLA and three more last week. WSU enters the week second in the Pac-12 in turnover margin (+10), tied for No. 17 in the country with 19 forced turnovers and third in the league in rushing defense (118.8), good for No. 21 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 2013 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. Against UCLA, the Cougars shutout the Bruins in the first half and held them to just 43 rushing yards in the game. In the win at Arizona State, WSU held the Sun Devils to 280 yards of total offense and 12 first downs. In the comeback in at Oregon State, the Cougars held OSU just 104 yards of total offense in the second half including 11 yards rushing. Last week, WSU held Arizona to just seven points and 286 yards of total offense.

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 trend has continued this season, WSU has forced 19 turnovers in 2016, 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 and added three more turnovers in the win at Stanford. WSU forced four in the win over UCLA, recovered a fumble at Arizona State and added three more against Arizona (2 INT, fumble). WSU ranks No. 25 in the country with eight fumble recoveries and fourth in the Pac-12 with 11 interceptions. Under Grinch, the Cougars are 13-3 when forcing multiple turnovers in a game.

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). This season, Mata'afa is tied for eighth in the conference with 9.5 tackles-for-loss and recently tallied a career-high seven tackles including one for loss against UCLA. Rush LB Dylan Hanser is tied for third in the Pac-12 with three forced fumbles and defensive end Nnamdi Oguayo recorded three sacks in last week's win over Arizona.

LINEBACKERS LEAD THE WAY
The Cougar linebackers filled up the stat sheet last season with All-Pac-12 honorable mention Peyton Pelluer tying 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, 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 in the recent 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. He made a team-high eight tackles at Arizona State and made a game-high seven tackles, 2.5 for loss and forced a fumble against Arizona. Pelluer paces the Cougars with 52 tackles while Dotson ranks third with 46 stops.

YOUNG SECONDARY
The Cougar secondary went through a youth movement last season and has settled in as a strength this season. Sophomore Darrien Molton, named the top freshman cornerback in the country by Pro Football Focus last season, is second on the team with 51 tackles and has broken up three passes. Senior Shalom Luani, an All-Pac-12 honorable mention safety last season, has picked up where he left, owning 39 tackles including 8.5 tackles-for-loss and a team-best four interceptions. Junior cornerback Marcellus Pippins, owner of three INT last season, has two interceptions and a team-best five pass breakups while redshirt-junior safety Charleston White also owns two picks. Junior college transfer safety Robert Taylor has stepped in with Luani playing at nickel, and recorded 37 tackles and recovered a team-best three fumbles. True freshman Jalen Thompson enrolled early and quickly took over at strong safety and owns 25 tackles, including a game-high seven at Stanford.

SPECIAL TEAMS SETTLES IN
WSU special teams produced a couple big punt returns in the win over Arizona last week as Jamal Morrow had returns of 36 and 31 yards while Fossum, sixth in the Pac-12 with a 5.8 avg, added another return of 26 yards. Kicker Erik Powell has rebounded from a rough start to the season, making his last five attempts and currently sits tied for eighth in WSU history with 27 career makes with Tony Truant.

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, Robert Barber blocked a 32-yard field goal attempt and 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.

IN THE WIN AT ARIZONA STATE
Washington State recorded its first win at Arizona State since 2001 and has beaten ASU in two straight years for the first time since 2002-03. The win was the fifth in a row for the Cougars who own a 4-0 record in Pac-12 Conference play, both marks are the first time since 2003.

IN THE WIN AT OREGON STATE
The Cougars recorded its third-straight win over Oregon State, coming back from a 21-0 deficit with a 22-point third quarter and a defense that held the Beavers to just 104 yards of offense in the second half. Luke Falk threw for 415 yards and five touchdowns in his sixth career fourth-quarter comeback win. Gabe Marks caught eight passes for 110 yards including two acrobatic touchdown catches, the second giving him the WSU record for touchdown catches. In his three career games against Oregon State, Falk as gone 116-of-157 for 1,293 yards (431.0 ypg) with 16 touchdowns and two interceptions, winning all three contests.

IN THE WIN OVER ARIZONA
In the 69-7 victory over Arizona, the Cougars recorded its seventh straight win and improved to 6-0 in conference play for the first time since 2002. WSU's 24 points in the first quarter were the most since scoring 28 in the opening quarter at Arizona in 2001 and the 31-point halftime lead (38-7) was its largest since leading 40-0 against Idaho State to open the 2011 season. The 69 points were the most scored under Mike Leach, were the most scored against a conference opponent in school history, were the most since beating SW Louisiana 77-7 in 1997 and was the seventh-most in school history. The 62-point margin was the largest margin of victory against a conference opponent. WSU recorded season-highs of 10 tackles-for-loss and five sacks, tallied 34 first downs, tying for the sixth-most in WSU single-game history and the 90.3 team completion percentage (47-of-52) was an NCAA FBS Record with 30+ completions (Entering the 2016 season). The game time temperature of 63 degrees tied for the second-warmest for a November game in Pullman.

PELLUER NAMED CoSIDA DISTRICT VIII ALL-ACADEMIC FIRST TEAM
Peyton Pelluer was named to the 2016 District VIII All-Academic First Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The Sammamish, Wash. native is a two-time honoree as a redshirt junior, repeating from the 2015 season. The linebacker boasts a 3.43 GPA while majoring in history with an emphasis in secondary education.

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.

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.

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.

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.