FORT COLLINS, Colo. - Washington State opened the season with a 50-24 win at Colorado State. Check out the postgame notes, top social media posts and highlights.
TEAM NOTES
• WSU wins its season-opener for the second straight year and for the sixth time in last seven years
• Jake Dickert is the first Cougar head coach to win his first two season-openers since Bill Doba (2003-04)
• WSU's 556 yards of total offense were the most since 2019 (641, Oregon State)
• WSU held Colorado State to 37 rushing yards, matching last year's rushing total allowed to CSU in Pullman
PLAYER NOTES
• Cameron Ward became the 1st Cougar quarterback to start consecutive season-openers since Luke Falk (2015-17)
• Ward is the first Cougar starting quarterback to win back-to-back season openers since Jason Gesser (2001-02)
• Ward threw for 451 yards, his WSU career-high and seventh career 400-yard game
• Ward's 1-yard rush TD in the first quarter was his 6th career rushing TD at WSU, 9th of his collegiate career
• Ward's three touchdown passes pushed his WSU career total to 29 and collegiate career total to 97
• Ward recorded his 6th game as a Coug with a rushing TD and pass TD
• John Mateer scored his first two career rushing touchdowns
• Nakia Watson's 12-yard TD catch was his 5th career receiving touchdown, 19th career total touchdown
• Lincoln Victor set career-highs with 11 catches and 168 receiving yards, his 1st career 100-yard game
• Kyle Williams caught a 3-yard TD in the second quarter for his 1st TD as a Coug, 10th of his career
• Josh Kelly caught a 25-yard TD in the fourth quarter for his 1st TD as a Coug, 5th of his career
• In his collegiate debut, Carlos Hernandez caught five passes for 58 yards
• Jaden Hicks picked off his 2nd career pass, first career interception return for a touchdown and second career touchdown (fumble return for TD at Stanford last season), made seven tackles and two pass breakups
• Jackson Lataimua recorded his 1st career interception
• Kyle Thornton set a career-high with nine tackles including one for loss
• Devin Richardson recorded 11 tackles in his WSU Debut, his third career double digit tackle effort
• Chau Smith-Wade made a career-high seven tackles
• Dean Janikowski's 55-yard field goal to end the first half was a career long, the longest since 2017 (Erik Powell, 56 at Arizona) and tied for 9th-longest in program history
TEAM NOTES
• WSU wins its season-opener for the second straight year and for the sixth time in last seven years
• Jake Dickert is the first Cougar head coach to win his first two season-openers since Bill Doba (2003-04)
• WSU's 556 yards of total offense were the most since 2019 (641, Oregon State)
• WSU held Colorado State to 37 rushing yards, matching last year's rushing total allowed to CSU in Pullman
PLAYER NOTES
• Cameron Ward became the 1st Cougar quarterback to start consecutive season-openers since Luke Falk (2015-17)
• Ward is the first Cougar starting quarterback to win back-to-back season openers since Jason Gesser (2001-02)
• Ward threw for 451 yards, his WSU career-high and seventh career 400-yard game
• Ward's 1-yard rush TD in the first quarter was his 6th career rushing TD at WSU, 9th of his collegiate career
• Ward's three touchdown passes pushed his WSU career total to 29 and collegiate career total to 97
• Ward recorded his 6th game as a Coug with a rushing TD and pass TD
• John Mateer scored his first two career rushing touchdowns
• Nakia Watson's 12-yard TD catch was his 5th career receiving touchdown, 19th career total touchdown
• Lincoln Victor set career-highs with 11 catches and 168 receiving yards, his 1st career 100-yard game
• Kyle Williams caught a 3-yard TD in the second quarter for his 1st TD as a Coug, 10th of his career
• Josh Kelly caught a 25-yard TD in the fourth quarter for his 1st TD as a Coug, 5th of his career
• In his collegiate debut, Carlos Hernandez caught five passes for 58 yards
• Jaden Hicks picked off his 2nd career pass, first career interception return for a touchdown and second career touchdown (fumble return for TD at Stanford last season), made seven tackles and two pass breakups
• Jackson Lataimua recorded his 1st career interception
• Kyle Thornton set a career-high with nine tackles including one for loss
• Devin Richardson recorded 11 tackles in his WSU Debut, his third career double digit tackle effort
• Chau Smith-Wade made a career-high seven tackles
• Dean Janikowski's 55-yard field goal to end the first half was a career long, the longest since 2017 (Erik Powell, 56 at Arizona) and tied for 9th-longest in program history
oops#GoCougs | #WAZZU | #CVE23 pic.twitter.com/0cu76LmbjL
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) September 3, 2023
1-0 feeling🗣️🗣️🗣️#GoCougs | #WAZZU | #CVE23 pic.twitter.com/321V22rucu
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) September 3, 2023
🔴🔴🔴🔴#GoCougs | #WAZZU | #CVE23 pic.twitter.com/K0HSt8xTZH
— Washington State Football (@WSUCougarFB) September 3, 2023