WASHINGTON STATE FACES NO. 9 OREGON IN EUGENE ON ABC
Washington State hits the road for a matchup at ninth-ranked Oregon in Eugene. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. on ABC.

SERIES HISTORY
Oregon leads the all-time series 51-42-7 and have won the last four meetings including a 44-41 matchup in Pullman last season. WSU is 18-22-4 all-time in Eugene and Oregon has claimed the last two meetings at Autzen Stadium. The Cougars' last win in the series came in 2018 in Pullman and last win in Eugene came in 2017.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE 
Washington State enters the week with a 4-2 record including a 1-2 mark in Pac-12 Conference play.  The Cougars enter the week fifth in the country in passing (337.7) led by quarterback Cameron Ward who is No. 12 nationally (296.5), No. 15 in passing touchdowns (14) and tenth in total offense (313.2). The Cougar defense has forced eight turnovers while edge Ron Stone Jr. owns the sixth-best defensive grade in the Pac-12. Head coach Jake Dickert  owns a 14-11 career record in his second full season and has led WSU to back-to-back bowl games.

COUGAR QUICK GAMES
TEAM
• WSU has reached a bowl game in the last seven full seasons, 2nd-longest bowl streak in the Pac-12 (Utah)
• WSU owns two Gesa Field sellouts this season (Wisconsin, Oregon State), fourth in the last two seasons 

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT (Player Notes Pages 10-18)
• QB Cameron Ward enters the week 12th in the country in passing (296.5) and 10th in total offense/g (313.2) 
• WR Josh Kelly is tied for 6th in Pac-12 with 5 TD rec, Kyle Williams owns a catch in all 31 career games
• EDGE Brennan Jackson is 6th among active Pac-12 players with 15 career sacks, Ron Stone Jr. with 14 sacks
• CB Chau Smith-Wade owns the 2nd-best defensive grade and best coverage grade among Pac-12 cornerbacks
• S Jaden Hicks is tied for 13th in the Pac-12 with 39 tackles, owns 3rd-best safety coverage grade in Pac-12
• K Dean Janikowski's career-long 55-yard FG at CSU was WSU's longest since 2017, longest in Pac-12 in 2023
• P Nick Haberer was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List, is 3rd in Pac-12 in punting (44.5) 
• OL Fa'alili Fa'amoe, OL Ma'ake Fifita, OL Esa Pole, WR Lincoln Victor; Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List

COLLEGE GAMEDAY RECORD
Dating back to the middle of the 2003 season, ESPN College GameDay has had the WSU flag appear throughout the show. The streak reached 294 last week in Seattle. The first appearance came in Austin, Texas (10/4/03) and the streak began two weeks later in Madison, Wisc. (10/18/03). Two flags – Ol' Crimson and Gray – have been flown in the background of the GameDay set. The Gray flag was added in 2014 after Whitey was retired in honor of Steve Gleason's "No White Flags." Appearance No. 217 was its first in Pullman (10/20/18), a 34-20 win over Oregon. 

ALL EYES ON THE COUGS
- Since 2015, WSU is 4th among Pac-12 and Big-12 teams in views per game (1.59 million)
- WSU owns the 5th-most wins in the Pac-12 over the last 10 seasons (65), 5th-best winning pct (57.5)
   ahead of Stanford, UCLA, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Oregon State, Arizona
- WSU is looking for its first win over a Top-10 team since beating No. 5 USC 30-27 in 2017 (Pullman)
- WSU is looking for its first win over a Top-10 team on the road since beating No. 5 Texas in 2003 Holiday Bowl
- WSU is looking for its first win over a Top-10 conference team on the road since beating No. 10 Oregon, 55-16 in 2003

COUGAR OFFENSE TAKING OFF
Washington State's offense has reached new heights in year one of new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. WSU enters the week fifth in the country in passing (337.7), No. 17 in 3rd-down conversions (48.7%), No. 29 in scoring (34.3) and No. 40 in total offense (429.8). 

Thru 6 games    2022    2023
Passing    269.5 (36th)    337.7 (5th)
Sacks Allowed    20 (118th)    13 (78th)
Scoring    27.0 (84th)    34.3 (29th)
Total Offense    369.5 (92nd)    429.8 (40th)
3rd Down %    38.0 (83rd)    48.7 (17th)

DEFENSE TAKEAWAYS
Since 2020, Washington State's defense has forced the second-most takeaways in the Pac-12 (64), only USC has more (71). The 2023 defense has produced a couple impressive performances.
at Colorado State - 37 rush yards allowed, 2 INT, Jaden Hicks 37-yard INT return for TD
Wisconsin - 90 rush yards allowed, 3 FF, 3 sacks, held All-American RB Braelon Allen to 20 rush yds
Northern Colorado - held UNC to 7 first-half points, 5 tackles-for-loss, 2 sacks, 5 QB hurries
Oregon State - held OSU to 198 pass yards, INT, 2 sacks, 6 tackles-for-loss, 2 fourth down stops
at UCLA - 9 tackles-for-loss, 4 sacks, Kapena Gushiken 88-yard INT return for TD
Arizona - 6 tackles-for-loss, 1 sack

RECORD BOOK WATCH (PAGE 7)
- EDGE Brennan Jackson owns 27.5 career tackles-for-loss, 4.5 away from the WSU Top-10
- EDGE Ron Stone Jr. owns 25 career tackles-for-loss, 7 away from the WSU Top-10
- Jackson owns 15 career sacks, 2 away from breaking into the WSU Top-10
- Stone Jr. owns 14 career sacks, 3 away from breaking into the WSU Top-10
- Kicker Dean Janikowski's 193 career points are the eighth-most points by a kicker in WSU history
- Janikowski's 29 career made field goals are 10th-most in WSU history
- Janikowski's 106 career made PAT are seventh-most in WSU history
- Janikowski's 80.5 career field goal percentage (29-36) is the second-best FG% in WSU history 
- Punter Nick Haberer is 10th in WSU history with 5,703 career punt yards
- Jake Dickert was just the third Cougar head coach to start 3-0 in each of his first two seasons 
(John R. Bender – 1906-08), Gus Welch – 1919-20)

CAMERON WARD BY THE NUMBERS
Quarterback Cameron Ward opened 2023 going 37-of-49 for a WSU career-high 451 yards along with three touchdown passes and a one-yard rushing touchdown in the 50-24 win at Colorado State. Ward added two more touchdown passes in the win over No. 19 Wisconsin week two, and exploded  with back-to-back five-touchdown games in wins over Northern Colorado and Oregon State, throwing for four touchdowns and rushing for another in each. 
- Ward is 12th in the NCAA in passing yards (296.5), 10th in total offense/g (313.2), 15th in pass TD (14)
- Ward's 451 passing yards were the most in a season opener since Connor Halliday (532, 2014) and the most in a season-opening win in program history
- Ward completed his first 12 passes against Northern Colorado, finished 20-of-26 for 327 yards, 4 TD
- In the win over No. 14 Oregon State, Ward went 28-of-34 for 404 yards, 1 rushing touchdown
   National Player of the Week (Walter Camp, Maxwell Award, Davey O'Brien Award,  Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, Reese's Senior Bowl, College Football Performance Awards)
   82.4 completion percentage was the 7th-best completion percentage in WSU single-game history 
   Completed 19 of his first 20 passes, including 14-straight completions to close the first half
- Ward was the first Power-5 quarterback to start the season with 1300 pass yards, 13 TD and 0 INT in the first four games since Tua Tagovailoa in 2019
- Ward owns 8 games as a Coug with a rushing TD and pass TD
- Ward is closing in on the WSU Top-10 for completions, pass yards, pass TD, total offense (Page 7)

HICKS EMERGES
Redshirt-sophomore safety Jaden Hicks opened 2023 with a pair of big nights beginning with a 37-yard interception return for a touchdown to go along with seven tackles, a shared sack and two pass breakups in the season-opening win at Colorado State. In the win over No. 19 Wisconsin, Hicks tallied nine tackles, a tackle for loss, two pass breakups and forced a fumble. Following the win, Hicks earned high praise from ProFootballFocus College, earning the best defensive grade among power 5 players (90.2). Last season, the Las Vegas native earned Freshman All-America honors after leading all Pac-12 freshmen defenders with 76 tackles.
- Bednarik Award Defensive Player of the Week (Wisconsin)
- Enters week tied for 13th in Pac-12 in tackles (39), made career-high 12 tackles at UCLA
- Enters week with 5th-best safety grade and 3rd-best coverage grade among Pac-12 safeties (PFF)

RON STONE JR. COMES UP BIG IN WISCONSIN WIN
Edge Ron Stone Jr. was named the Bronko Nagurski Trophy National Defensive Player of the Week and Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Week after making five tackles including two sacks and forced fumbles on both sacks in the 31-22 win over No. 19 Wisconsin in Pullman week two. The redshirt-senior's second strip sack of the game was recovered and returned for a touchdown by the Cougars late in the first half. 
- Enters the week second on the team with three sacks and 4.5 tackles-for-loss
- Enters week with 3rd-best defensive grade among all Pac-12 players (PFF), 4th with 22 pressures

STONE AND JACKSON STRIKE TWICE IN WIN OVER NO. 19 WISCONSIN
Sixth-year senior Edge's Ron Stone Jr. and Brennan Jackson delivered some huge moments in the 31-22 win over No. 19 Wisconsin week two. Stone Jr. recorded a pair of sacks and forced fumbles on both sacks with Jackson recovering both fumbles, returning the second two yards for a touchdown late in the first half. 
- Jackson enters week with 4th-best defensive grade among all Pac-12 players (PFF)
- Leads team with 5.5 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks, owns 28 tackles, 3 passes batted down

WIDE RECEIVER DUO BREAKS OUT IN OREGON STATE WIN
Transfer wideouts Josh Kelly (Fresno State) and Kyle Williams (UNLV) have put up big numbers in the first five games of their Cougar careers. In the win over No. 14 Oregon State, Kelly matched a career-high with eight catches for career-highs of 159 receiving yards and three touchdowns while Williams caught seven passes for a career-high 174 yards including a 63-yard touchdown on WSU's second play of the game. It was the first time two Cougar wideouts went over 150 receiving yards since 2014 (California, Vince Mayle – 263, River Cracraft – 172).
- Williams among Pac-12 leaders; tied for 7th in catches (33), 10th in rec yards (448) and rec TD (4)
- Williams owns a catch in all 31 career games (the first 25 at UNLV, 2020-22)
- Kelly among Pac-12 leaders; tied for 6th in receiving touchdowns (5), 3rd on team with 28 rec

LINCOLN VICTOR'S HOT START
Senior wide receiver Lincoln Victor opened the 2023 campaign with a pair of big games beginning with career-highs of 11 catches for 168 yards in the win at Colorado State. The West Camas, Wash. native and Hawaii transfer two seasons ago had eight of his catches go for first downs, the most by any Pac-12 receiver week one. In the week two win over No. 19 Wisconsin, Victor caught seven passes for 55 yards including a one-yard touchdown and also threw a 39-yard completion, the longest by a non-quarterback since 2011. Victor added six catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns and completed a pass for a two-point conversion in win over Northern Colorado
- 2 100-yard games in the first four weeks; 168 at Colorado State, 119 vs. Northern Colorado

NICK HABERER NAMED AMONG RAY GUY AWARD RAY'S 8 OF THE WEEK 
Punter Nick Haberer was named among the Ray Guy Award Ray's 8 of the Week, given to the nation's top eight punters of the week. The Ray Guy Award honors the nation's top collegiate punter in the FBS. Haberer was named to watch list prior to the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Haberer, a junior from Sunshine Coast, Australia, had an impressive performance at UCLA last Saturday, posting career-highs with nine punts, an average for 44.9 yards-per-punt, five were fair caught with four inside the 20. Through five games this season, Haberer is third in the Pac-12 averaging 44.4 yards-per-punt with seven inside the 20. 

SIX NAMED 2023 TEAM CAPTAINS 
WSU voted six players as team captains for the 2023 season; OL Konner Gomness, EDGE Brennan Jackson, CB Chau Smith-Wade, EDGE Ron Stone Jr., WR Lincoln Victor and QB Cameron Ward.

14 COUGS ENTER 2023 WITH DEGREES
Joshua Erling, LB    Accounting and Finance
Konner Gomness, OL    Social Sciences
Isaiah Hamilton, WR    Psychology (San Jose State)
Brennan Jackson, EDGE    Business Administration
Chris Jackson, DB    Social Science
Dean Janikowski, K    Digital Technology & Culture
Sam Lockett III, DB    Social Sciences
Ahmad McCullough, LB    Communications (Maryland)
Christy Nkanu, OL    Marketing (Southern Utah)
Devin Richardson, LB    Physical Culture and Sports (Texas)
Simon Samarzich, LS    Sport Management
Ron Stone Jr., EDGE    Public Relations
Kyle Thornton, LB    Economic Sciences
Nakia Watson, RB    Social Sciences

COUGAR FOOTBALL BROADCAST TEAM
Matt Chazanow is in his ninth season as the play-by-play voice for Cougar football, men's basketball and baseball broadcasts. Joining Chazanow for his sixth season will be former Cougar quarterback Alex Brink who is the only WSU quarterback to win three Apple Cups and was later a seventh-round draft pick by the Houston Texans. Returning for her 12th season as the sideline reporter is Jessamyn McIntyre.

NEW COACHES
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR / QUARTERBACKS
Ben Arbuckle arrives in Pullman having spent the past two seasons at Western Kentucky, serving as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach during the 2022 season. In his first season in that role, Arbuckle took the Hilltoppers to great heights as the team finished sixth in total offense (497.3 ypg) and 15th in scoring (36.4 ppg), while quarterback Austin Reed led the nation in passing yards (4,746) and was third in passing touchdowns (40). 

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR / LINEBACKERS
Jeff Schmedding returns to the Pacific Northwest having spent the past two seasons at Auburn, most recently serving as defensive coordinator. In 2022, Schmedding oversaw the development of All-SEC First Team edge rusher Derick Hall, who totaled 60 tackles, 12 TFL's and seven sacks. In his first season at Auburn (2021), the Tigers ranked 29th in rushing defense and 17th in tackles-for-loss. Schmedding spent the previous two seasons at Boise State as the defensive coordinator where in his first season leading the defense saw the Broncos claim the Mountain West Championship and finish in the top 25 nationally in team sacks (37) and scoring defense (20.6 ppg). 

WIDE RECEIVERS
Nick Edwards arrives in Pullman having spent the 2022 season as an offensive assistant with the Atlanta Falcons, working alongside the offensive coordinator with gameplan duties. Edwards joined Atlanta's staff after spending two seasons (2020-21) as the offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach at Cal Poly. Prior to his time at Cal Poly, Edwards spent three seasons (2017-19) as the wide receivers and running backs coach at Cal and three seasons (2014-16) at his alma mater, Eastern Washington, as the wide receivers coach where he coached future NFL wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Kendrick Bourne. 

EDGES
Frank Maile (MY-lay) joins Dickert's staff having spent the past two seasons at Boise State where he served as the Broncos' assistant head coach and defensive line coach. During the 2022 season, the Bronco defense led the way to a 10-4 overall record, including a victory over North Texas in the Frisco Bowl. The Broncos finished ninth nationally in total defense and 16th in scoring defense.

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
Ben Iannacchione is no stranger to Dickert as the two worked together when both were on Craig Bohl's staff at Wyoming during the 2018-19 seasons. Iannacchione comes to Pullman having spent the 2022 season as the head strength and conditioning coach at Akron. A former standout offensive lineman who played collegiately at Boise State, Iannacchione arrived at Akron after spending the 2021 campaign at Pitt after prior stops on the football staffs at Kansas (2020), Wyoming (2018-19), LSU (2011-15, 2016-17) and Youngstown State (2015).