COUGARS HEAD TO HOLIDAY BOWL TO FACE MINNESOTA
Washington State heads to San Diego to face the University of Minnesota in the National Funding Holiday Bowl Tuesday, Dec. 27. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on ESPN.

WASHINGTON STATE, MIKE LEACH IN THE HOLIDAY BOWL
The Cougars will be making their third Holiday Bowl appearance and own a 1-1 record, falling to BYU in the 1981 matchup before beating No. 5 Texas in the 2003 contest, 28-20. Head coach Mike Leach will be making his second career appearance in The Holiday Bowl after leading his Texas Tech team to a 45-31 victory over a fourth-ranked California team that featured quarterback Aaron Rodgers and running back Marshawn Lynch in the 2004 matchup.

COUGAR QUICK GAME
TEAM
•  WSU's 23 rushing touchdowns in 2016 are the most since the 1997 team rushed for 27 TD
•  WSU running backs lead all Pac-12 backs with 31 total touchdowns and are third with 2,591 total yards
•  WSU RBs need 19 more receiving yards to become the first group of RBs with 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a season under a Mike Leach coached team
•  WSU owns a school-record four 50-point games this season
•  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's 100-yard kickoff return for a TD at Arizona State was its first since 2003
•  WSU's 75-yard punt return for a TD vs. California was its first since 2005
•  In Pac-12 play, WSU ranked first in the league in punt return (18.8) and second in kick return (23.0)

INDIVIDUAL
•  Head Coach Mike Leach is a George Munger Coach of the Year Semifinalist for the second straight season
•  Leach is the first Cougar head to coach to reach three bowl games in his first five seasons
•  LG Cody O'Connell was WSU's second unanimous All-American, Outland Trophy finalist
•  QB Luke Falk is the NCAA active career leader in passing yards-per-game (354.3), fourth in TD passes (88)
•  WR River Cracraft and Gabe Marks are first set of teammates with 200+ catches in Pac-12 history
•  Marks owns WSU records for receptions (312), touchdowns (37) and  receiving yards (3,426)
•  Marks broke Nelson Spruce's (CU) Pac-12 All-Time receptions record of 294 against California
•  Marks ranks third among all active FBS receivers in career touchdowns (37), fourth in career receptions (312)
•  Marks owns nine career games with 10+ receptions, most in WSU history, has a catch in 28-straight games
•  DL Hercules Mata'afa was fifth in the Pac-12 with 12 tackles-for-loss

ANOTHER BOWL TRIP FOR THE COUGARS
Washington State will be making its 13th bowl appearance and own a 7-5 bowl record after beating Miami in the Sun Bowl last season. Head coach Mike Leach has led the Cougars to their three bowl game in the last four seasons and is the first coach in program history to lead his team to three bowl games in his first five years. Leach will be making his 13th career bowl game and owns a 6-5 career bowl record (didn't coach in the 2009 Alamo Bowl). In Texas Tech's 2006 Insight Bowl win over Minnesota, Leach led TTU to the largest comeback win in NCAA bowl history, erasing a 38-7 deficit with 31 straight points before winning in overtime, 44-41.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COUGARS
A trip to the Holiday Bowl will have a little extra meaning to a number of Cougars this season. The Washington State roster features 35 players from southern California including 12 from the San Diego area. Headlining the group from the San Diego area are redshirt-senior right guard Eduardo Middleton from Oceanside, sophomore cornerback Darrien Molton from San Diego and assistant head coach/defensive line coach Joe Salave'a who grew up in Oceanside. Cougar wideout and Carlsbad, Calif. native C.J. Dimry's dad, Charles was a defensive back for the Chargers in 1998-99.

COUGAR HOLIDAY BOWL CONNECTIONS
A couple Cougars have some history with the Holiday Bowl, linebacker Peyton Pelluer has made two previous trips to the game. In 1996, Peyton's dad, Scott was an assistant at the University of Washington who lost to Colorado in the 1996 Holiday Bowl. In 2010, Peyton's brother, Cooper reached the Holiday Bowl as a player for the Huskies who beat Nebraska. RUSH Dylan Hanser also shares a common ground as his dad, Scott played for Wyoming in the 1987 game against Iowa. Offensive line coach Clay McGuire and Director of Football operations were both starters on the Texas Tech team that beat California in the 2004 Holiday Bowl. McGuire started at running back and Huffman started at cornerback and tallied nine tackles.

O'CONNELL NAMED UNANIMOUS ALL-AMERICAN
Left guard Cody O'Connell joined kicker Jason Hanson (1989) as the only Cougar unanimous All-Americans in program history. The redshirt-junior from Wenatchee, Wash was named a First-Team All-American by The Walter Camp Football Foundation (the nation's oldest All-America Team), The Sporting News, The Associated Press, The Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association. O'Connell was also one of three finalists for The Outland Trophy, presented to the best interior lineman in college football on offense or defense since 1946. O'Connell was joined by Ohio State center Pat Elflein and Alabama offensive tackle Cam Robinson, which Robinson winning the award Thursday. O'Connell was the first Cougar Outland Trophy finalist since defensive lineman Rien Long won the award in 2002. O'Connell, nicknamed "The Continent" by coach Mike Leach, has started 11 games at left guard and was ranked the nation's best guard in the country by Pro Football Focus.

TEN COUGARS EARN ALL-PAC-12 ACCOLADES, LUANI, MARKS NAMED TO FIRST TEAM
Ten players earn All-Pac-12 Conference honors including first-team selections by defensive back Shalom Luani and wideout Gabe Marks. Quarterback Luke Falk and defensive lineman Hercules Mata'afa each garnered spots on the second team and six players received honorable mention, wide receiver River Cracraft, offensive lineman Cole Madison, running back Jamal Morrow, offensive lineman Cody O'Connell, linebacker Peyton Pelluer and offensive lineman Riley Sorenson. Luani earned his second all-conference honor after receiving honorable mention last season and is the Cougars first All-Pac-12 First-Team defensive back since Deone Bucannon in 2013. Marks was selected to the first team for the second straight year, becoming the first Cougar to do so since offensive lineman Derrick Roche in 2001-02. Falk earns his second straight All-Pac-12 accolade after being selected to the first team last season. Mata'afa earns his second straight all-conference honor after receiving honorable mention last season. Cracraft caps his Cougar career with his second all-conference accolade after also receiving honorable mention as freshman. Madison earns honorable mention for the second straight season while O'Connell and Sorenson each earn their first career all-conference honor. Morrow earns his first career all-conference accolade and is the first Cougar running back to earn All-Pac-12 honors since 2009, Dwight Tardy. Pelluer earns honorable mention for the second straight season after finishing the regular season fifth in the Pac-12 with 89 tackles including 7.5 for loss, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. The Sammamish, Wash. native recorded 10+ tackles three times and led the Cougars in tackles the final three games.

FIVE COUGARS EARN PAC-12 ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS
Five student-athletes received Pac-12 Conference All-Academic honors. Redshirt-junior linebacker Peyton Pelluer led the way earning a spot on the second team while redshirt-freshman linebacker Tristan Brock, redshirt-junior linebacker Isaac Dotson, redshirt-junior quarterback Luke Falk and redshirt-senior right guard Eduardo Middleton each received honorable mention. Pelluer earns his third straight all-academic honor after earning first team honors as a freshmen and second team honors along with CoSIDA All-District VIII first team last year. The Sammamish, Wash. native owns a 3.43 cumulative grade-point-average while majoring in history. He is just the tenth Cougar in program history to be a three-time an all-academic selection. Brock earns his first career all-academic honor after producing a 3.0 grade-point-average and has yet to declare a major. The Mount Vernon, Wash. native appeared in all 12 games, playing special teams on the kickoff team and punt return unit. Dotson earns his second all-academic honor after receiving honorable mention last season. The Bellevue, Wash. native owns a 3.10 grade-point-average while majoring in marketing. Falk also earns his second all-academic honor after receiving honorable mention last season. The Logan, Utah native owns a 3.24 GPA while majoring in social sciences. Middleton earns his first career all-academic honor after producing a 3.01 GPA while majoring in social sciences.

MIKE LEACH NAMED GEORGE MUNGER COACH OF THE YEAR NOMINEE
Cougar head coach Mike Leach was named a George Munger Coach of the Year Nominee for the second straight season. Leach led WSU its second straight eight win season and is the first coach in program history to make three bowl games in his first five seasons.

GRADUATES WALK IN DECEMBER
Six senior Cougars: Nose tackle Robert Barber, wideout River Cracraft, linebacker Parker Henry, wideout Gabe Marks, center Riley Sorenson and linebacker Paris Taylor each walked in the Washington State December graduation ceremony.

COUGARS APPEAR IN THE TOP-25 DURING 2016
Washington State appeared in the national rankings four times during the regular season, No. 25 after the Oregon State win, No. 23 after the Arizona win, No. 20 after the California win and No. 23 after the Colorado game. WSU is receiving votes in latest polls.

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 191 after the appearance at Ohio State the final weekend of the regular season. 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 started all 12 games at strong safety and Moore has started at End twice this season.

COUGARS OPENED PAC-12 PLAY 7-0, RECORD EIGHT WINS FOR SECOND STRAIGHT YEAR
Washington State started conference play 7-0 for the first time in program history, recorded an eight-game winning streak for the first time since the 1930 and finished the regular season with eight wins for the straight season. The Cougars recorded wins over Oregon, Stanford, UCLA and Arizona State in the same season for the first time since 2006. WSU beat Oregon for the second straight season for the first time since 2002-03 and beat UCLA in two straight meetings for the first time since 2006-07. The win at Stanford snapped an eight-game skid to the Cardinal and was the first win in Palo Alto since 2006. The victory at Arizona State was the first win in Tempe since 2001.

AIR RAID NUMBERS ADD UP (Team Season REcords Page 25)
The Washington State Air Raid offense put up big numbers once again, heading into the Holiday Bowl second in the country in passing offense (370.8), seventh in first downs (27.0/g), No. 12 in third down conversions (48.3), No. 14 in scoring (40.3) and No. 15 in total offense (497.6). WSU set a couple program single-season records for the most touchdowns scored (66) and points (484) and currently sit third in total offense (5,971).

FALK CONTINUES TO RACK UP THE NUMBERS (Page 18, 23)
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 did not throw a touchdown pass for the first time in his career in the UCLA win 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, added four more in the win over Arizona and five in the win over California. The redshirt-junior enters the Holiday Bowl finished the regular season third in the country in passing yards-per-game (350.3) and passing yards (4,204), tied for fourth with 37 passing touchdowns and with a Pac-12-best 342.2 yards-per-game in conference play. Falk will enter the Cougars bowl game with the second-most touchdown passes in both WSU single-season history (37) and WSU career history (88). He also sits second behind Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield for the nation's highest completion percentage (.710). Falk owns as school-record 23 career 300-yard games, third in career passing yards (10,629) and owns the second-most wins by a QB in school history with 18, trailing Jason Gesser's school-best 24.

FALK RECORD WATCH
- Needs three TD passes to break Connor Halliday's WSU record for career TD passes (90)
- Needs two TD passes to break his own WSU single-season record for TD passes (38)
- Needs 285 passing yards to pass Alex Brink for second in career passing yards in WSU history
- Needs 394 passing yards to break Connor Halliday's WSU single-season record of 4,597 (2013)
- Needs 516 passing yards to break Jared Goff's (CAL) Pac-12 single-season record of 4,710 (2015)
- Needs 37 completions to break Connor Halliday's WSU and Pac-12 single-season record of 449 (2013)
- In Pac-12 play, Falk averaged 342.2 ypg, a 69.8 completion percentage and tossed 26 TDs

FALK BY THE NUMBERS
1,017 - Career completions, most in Pac-12 and WSU history
88 - Career touchdown passes rank second in WSU history, tied for sixth in Pac-12 history
27 - In 27 career starts, Falk owns an 18-9 career record, 2nd-most wins by a QB in school history
24 - Career multiple touchdown games including 12 games with 4+ touchdowns
23 - Career 300-yard games, most in WSU history including ten 400-yard efforts
21 - Completed 21 consecutive passes in the win over Arizona
9 - 300-yard efforts this season including three 400-yard games
6 - Career fourth-quarter comeback wins including one this season at Oregon State

NATIONAL AWARD WATCH FOR FALK
Quarterback Luke Falk is one of 10 finalists for the Manning Award, the only college football quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performance. Falk was also one of 18 semifinalists for the Maxwell Award, given to America's College Player of the Year, one of 18 semifinalists for the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award for the second straight year, one of 15 semifinalists for the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year and a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy (Top former walk-on) for the second straight 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 performances in wins at No. 15 Stanford, at Arizona State, at Oregon State, vs. Arizona and California. He has also been named one of the Manning Award Stars for the Week three different times.

FALK SETS NCAA FBS 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 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 Oct. 29. 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. In the win at Oregon State this season, 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 TAKES OFFENSE TO NEW LEVEL
The 2016 offensive line took 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) from the 2015 line, the new line has produced the second-ranked passing offense in the country and seven games with 100+ rushing yards including three 200-yard efforts. The Cougars are made up returning starters center Riley Sorenson (now with 33 starts), right guard Eduardo Middleton (37 starts) and right tackle Cole Madison (33 starts) who have started next to one another for the past two-plus seasons. 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 started all 12 games at left tackle this season. At left guard, redshirt-junior Cody O'Connell became WSU's second unanimous All-American is in his first season as a starter after playing on the field goal team all of last season.

OFFENSIVE LINE AMONG NATION'S BEST
According the website footballoutsiders.com, the Cougar offensive line sits near the top of a couple categories. WSU enters the Holiday Bowl leading the country in "Stuff Rate" (11.5%) that is the percentage of carries by running backs that are stopped at or before the line of scrimmage. WSU also sits seventh in the country in "Power Success Rate" (78.8%) 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. 17 in "Opportunity Rate" (44.0%) 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. Most recently, Pro Football Focus rated the Cougar offensive line seventh in the country.

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 and again after the win over California, his third 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; California: Cole Madison; at Colorado: None; Washington: None

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 elevated their games in 2016 leading to a more balanced Air Raid. WSU rushed for 100 yards seven times including three 200-yard efforts in wins over Idaho, Oregon and California. 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 Holiday Bowl averaging 126.8 yards-per-game and have rushed for 23 touchdowns, the most since the 1997 team ran for 27 scores. The trio of redshirt-juniors Jamal Morrow and Gerard Wicks, and redshirt-freshman James Williams headline the Cougar backs who led the Pac-12 running back groups with 31 total touchdowns and 981 receiving yards and are third with 2,591 total yards. The backs combine for 122 receptions and average 231 all-purpose yards-per-game. Williams enters the Holiday Bowl game leading all Pac-12 running backs with 47 receptions.

COUGAR RUSHING ATTACK BREAKS OUT
The Cougar running game erupted this year, rushing for 200+ yards three times against Idaho, Oregon and California. Against Oregon, WSU rushed for 280 yards (most since 2006) and six touchdowns (the most since 1997). Jamal Morrow, Gerard Wicks and James Williams each scored twice and combined for 389 all-purpose yards while averaging 7.8 yards-per-carry in the win. In the win over Idaho, the Cougars rushed for 228 yards, led by Williams with 126 yards and a score. 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 capped the day with his first career score. Against Cal, WSU tallied 254 yards including a season-high 128 from Wicks who averaged a WSU single-game record 14.2 yards per-carry. All three backs own a 100-yard game this season. The Cougars have rushed for 100+ yards seven times in 2016 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).

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 owns the school record for receptions by a running back. The redshirt-junior owns 138 career catches, breaking Steve Broussard's previous top mark of 120. Morrow also sits 10 receptions away from moving into the WSU Top-10 for receptions. He enters the Holiday Bowl leading the team with 1,184 all-purpose yards, averaging 98.7 all-purpose yards-per-game, second on the team with 562 rushing yards, third with nine total touchdowns and fifth with 44 catches.

CAPTAIN MORROW COME ON DOWN
Jamal Morrow has served as the WSU game captain for the past 21 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 15-6 during the stretch and Morrow is 7-2 in correctly calling the toss, WSU is 6-2 when he wins a coin toss and WSU has been on the winning end of the toss 16 times in those 21 games.

SPREADING THE BALL AROUND
Washington State as continued to spread the ball each week. This season, the Air Raid has seen 10+ players catch a pass in 10 games. Eleven players caught a pass in wins over Oregon, Stanford and Arizona State and 12 caught a pass in the win over California. In the win over Arizona, 14 players caught a pass, the most under Mike Leach at WSU. The Cougars enter the Holiday Bowl as the only team in the country with five players owning 40+ catches. Last season, 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.

FALK TO MARKS CONNECTION
Luke Falk and Gabe Marks have been one of the best QB-WR combos in the country the past two seasons, completing 177 passes for 1,927 yards and 27 touchdowns in 24 games. Marks owns six games of 10+ catches and six multiple touchdown games during that span.

MARKS SETS WSU RECORDS FOR RECEPTIONS, RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS AND YARDS (Page 17)
Gabe Marks finished his climb up the Pac-12 Conference and Washington State record books, breaking the Pac-12 record for career receptions set by Colorado's Nelson Spruce with 294 and owns 312 career catches. Marks also tallied 87 receiving yards in the win over California, breaking the WSU record for career receiving yards (Marquess Wilson, 3,207) and now owns 3,426 career receiving yards. Marks also caught a touchdown against Washington, upping his school record to 37, four behind Dwayne Jarrett's (USC) Pac-12 record of 41. Marks enters the week with team highs of 13 touchdowns, 85 receptions, 867 receiving yards and four 100-yard games. Marks owns a touchdown catch in each of WSU's last two bowls, New Mexico Bowl (2013) and Sun Bowl (2015).

MARKS RECORD WATCH
- Marks became the 13th player in NCAA FBS history with 300 career catches, owns 312
- Needs five touchdowns to break Pac-12 Touchdowns record, Dwayne Jarrett (USC) - 41
- Owns a WSU record eight games catching multiple touchdowns

CRACRAFT CATCHES ON (Pages 18)
After a quiet first four games of 2016, senior wideout River Cracraft put up big numbers over his next six 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 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 against Arizona and three touchdowns in the win over California. The Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. native is second in WSU history with 218 career receptions (18th in Pac-12 history) and sixth in school history with 2,701 career receiving yards. Cracraft, an All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection, is third on the team with 53 catches, 701 receiving yards, tied for third with five touchdowns owns the team-lead with 10 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, added six catches for 82 yards and a 33-yard touchdown at Oregon State and caught two more touchdowns against Arizona. Johnson-Mack has also contributed, recording 33 receptions for 244 yards including a seven-catch game at Boise State and his first career touchdown in the win over Arizona. Martin Jr. is second on the team with 61 catches, 708 yards and seven touchdowns.

COUGAR DEFENSE DIALS IT UP
The Washington State defense turned things up in Pac-12 play, forcing 16 turnovers in the nine games including four in the win over UCLA and three against Arizona. WSU enters the Holiday Bowl fourth in the Pac-12 and 26th in the country in turnover margin (+6) and No. 28 in rushing defense (132.9). 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. 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. WSU held Arizona to just seven points and 286 yards of total offense and held California to its lowest point total of the season (21).

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO MAKE STRIDES UNDER GRINCH
The Cougar defense has improved each week under defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. So far this season, WSU forced 22 turnovers and held opponents to 132.9 rushing yards per game, third-lowest in the Pac-12 Conference. 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.

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 continued this season, WSU forced 22 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 owns 10 fumble recoveries and 12 interceptions. Under Grinch, the Cougars are 13-3 when forcing multiple turnovers in a game.

LINEBACKERS LEAD THE WAY
The Cougar linebackers has filled up the stat sheet the past two seasons led by two-time All-Pac-12 honorable mention MIKE Peyton Pelluer who finished the regular season fifth in the Pac-12 with 89 tackles including 7.5 for loss, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. The Sammamish, Wash. native recorded 10+ tackles three times and led the Cougars in tackles seven times including the final three games. The redshirt-junior started the 2016 season with a game-high 10 tackles against EWU, added a 12-tackle game against California and a career-high 16 at Colorado before making a team-high nine in the Apple Cup. He needs 11 tackles in the Holiday Bowl to notch his second straight 100-tackle season after making 101 last season. WIL linebacker Isaac Dotson made five tackles against EWU and in his first career start, and later 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, tallied a game-high seven tackles, 2.5 for loss and forced a fumble against Arizona and enters the Holiday Bowl fourth on the team with 56 stops including six for loss. Frankie Luvu played both WIL and RUSH throughout the season and tallied 42 tackles including six for loss.

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. WSU finished 2015 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 earned All-Pac-12 second team honors after finishing the regular season fifth in the Pac-12 with 12.5 tackles-for-loss including a team-best four sacks. He enters the Holiday Bowl game sixth on the team with 45 tackles. RUSH Dylan Hanser is tied for third in the Pac-12 with three forced fumbles and defensive end Nnamdi Oguayo recorded three sacks in the win over Arizona.

YOUNG SECONDARY
The Cougar secondary went through a youth movement last season and 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 68 tackles and has broken up six passes. Senior Shalom Luani, an All-Pac-12 first team selection owns 58 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 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 54 tackles and recovered a team-best three fumbles. True freshman Jalen Thompson enrolled early and took over at strong safety and recorded 44 tackles, a team-best seven pass breakups and was named to the True Freshman All-America Team by ESPN.com.

SPECIAL TEAMS REACHES MILESTONES
WSU special teams produced this season, owning two Pac-12 Special Teams Players of the Week and the ninth-ranked punt return unit in the country (14.7 per return). At Arizona State, Robert Taylor returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, WSU's first since 2003, and against California, Kaleb Fossum returned a punt 75 yards for a touchdown, WSU's first since 2005, both players earned Pac-12 weekly awards. It was the first time WSU had a kickoff and punt return for a touchdown in the same season since 1968 and the first time with two conference special teams player of the week awards in the same season since 2006. Kicker Erik Powell has rebounded from a rough start to the season by making his last six of his last seven attempts and currently sits eighth in WSU history with 29 career makes. In Pac-12 play, the Cougars lead the league in punt return average (18.8) and are second kick return (23.0).

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.

IN THE WIN OVER CALIFORNIA
In WSU's 56-21 win over Cal, the Cougars recorded their eighth straight win for the first time since 1930 and improved to 7-0 in Pac-12 play for the first time in school history. Kaleb Fossum's 75-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first for WSU since 2005, Michael Bumpus (87 yards at Nevada).     WSU's 254 rushing yards is the third game with 200+ rushing yards this season and the  654 yards of total offense tied for the sixth-most in WSU single-game history. The Cougar defense held California to its lowest point-total of the season (21). The Cougars wore white helmets with numbers on the side, wore the same helmets against Colorado last season. Only time prior was 1963.

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.

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 prior to the season. Sorenson is a senior from Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. and a two-time 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.

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 year, 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.

MIKE UTLEY NAMED TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME
Former Cougar offensive lineman Mike Utley was officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame at The National Football Foundation Awards Dinner held at New York City's historic Waldorf Astoria Hotel Dec. 6. Utley was the first Cougar player to be inducted into the Hall of Fame since running back Rueben Mayes was enshrined in 2008. Additional Cougars in the College Hall of Fame include tackle Glen "Turk" Edwards (1929-31), enshrined in 1975, and center Mel Hein (1928-30), who was the first Cougar to be inducted in 1954. He also joins head coaches Orin "Babe" Hollingbery (1979), Forest "Evy" Evashevski (2000) and William "Lone Star" Dietz (2012), giving WSU seven individuals in the Hall of Fame. Hollingbery coached WSU from 1926-42, Evashevski from 1950-51 and Dietz from 1915-17. Utley, who played for the Cougars from 1984-88, concluded his senior campaign as a Consensus First-Team All-American, only the second in school history. He received All-America First-Team honors from the Associated Press, United Press International, Scripps-Howard, Football News, the Football Writers of America and the American Football Coaches Association. A two-time All-Pacific-10 Conference First-Team selection, Utley helped the Cougars to a 9-3 record and a victory over Houston  in the 1988 Aloha Bowl. That same season he was selected to play in the Hula Bowl, East-West Shrine Game and the Senior Bowl. Taken in the third round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, Utley played three seasons in the NFL before suffering from spinal cord injuries that left him paralyzed from the chest and elbows down. He has since regained the use of his shoulders, arms and hands, and even has partial movement in his legs. The Lions renamed their Spirit Award as the Mike Utley Spirit Award in his honor. He received the WSU Alumni Achievement Award in 2007 and the Walter Camp Man of the Year Award in 2006. Since his paralysis, Utley has won dozens of awards for community service and his work with those suffering from spinal cord injuries. He established the Mike Utley Foundation in 1992, which provides research, rehab and education for those living with spinal cord injuries and financially supports rehabilitation projects as well as patient/family assistance programs. Utley provides three scholarships for patients at Detroit Medical Center's Rehabilitation Institute of Michigan, and he founded the Mike Utley Rehabilitation Scholarship Program. He also established the Mike Utley Center for Human Performance in Detroit, the Mike Utley Terrain Park in Englewood, Colo. And the Mike Utley Terrain Training Course in Atlanta.

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).

COUGARS SIGN THREE MIDYEAR TRANSFERS
WSU added three junior college players who signed National Letters of Intent Dec. 14. Sean Harper (DB), Robert Valencia (OL) and Easop Winston (WR) each will enroll at WSU in January, 2017 and participate in spring practice. All three players will have three years to play two seasons for the Cougars. Harper (6-1, 180) played the last two seasons at Holmes Community College in Mississippi for coach Jeff Koonz. This past season as a sophomore, Harper earned All-Mississippi Association of Community and Junior College honorable mention after making 25 tackles with two interceptions including one he returned for a touchdown. The Hartwell, Ga. native helped HCC win the MACJC State Championship, and later beat Iowa Western CC in a NJCAA Bowl Game to finish the season ranked seventh in the country. Harper, who originally signed with WSU in 2015 but went to HCC, is the fourth-ranked junior college safety in the country by ESPN.com. Valencia (6-5, 295) played the past two seasons at City College of San Francisco for coach Jimmy Collins. As a sophomore, Valencia was named to Northern California National Division All-Bay 6 League First Team. The Daly, Calif. native is rated a four-star prospect and the No. 18 overall junior college prospect by Scout.com and the No. 11 junior college tackle in the country by ESPN.com. He was teammates with current Cougars Anthony Gordon and Robert Taylor. Winston (5-11, 180) played the last two seasons with Valencia at City College of San Francisco for coach Jimmy Collins, earning Northern California National Division All-Bay 6 League First Team honors after leading team with 71 receptions for 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns. The San Mateo, Calif. led all California Collegiate Athletic Association receivers in receiving yards and was second in touchdown catches while also averaging a CCAA-best 106.5 yards-per-game.

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.

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.