COUGARS HEAD TO LOS ANGELES FOR SATURDAY AFTERNOON MATCHUP AT UCLA
No. 13 Washington State heads to Los Angeles for a Saturday afternoon matchup at UCLA. Kickoff is set for Noon on the Pac-12 Network.

SERIES HISTORY
Washington State trails the all-time series 20-41-1 to UCLA and will be meeting the Bruins for the first time since 2019, a 67-63 UCLA win in Pullman. The last time the Cougars played in Pasadena, Luke Falk found Gabe Marks for the game-winning 21-yard touchdown catch with three seconds remaining for a 31-27 win in 2015. Nineteen Cougars are from the southern California area.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE 
Washington State is 4-0 for the first time since 2017 and enters the week ranked No. 13 in the Associated Press Top-25, its highest ranking since finishing the 2018 season No. 10. WSU enters the week second in the country in passing (405.8) led by quarterback Cameron Ward who is third-best nationally (347.2), No. 11 in passing touchdowns (13) and third in total offense (374.5). The Cougar defense has forced six turnovers through the first four weeks while Jaden Hicks enters the week with the fourth-best safety defensive grade in the Pac-12. Head coach Jake Dickert owns a 14-9 career record, has guided WSU to back-to-back bowl games and is in his second full season.

COUGAR QUICK GAME
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 3rd in the country in passing (347.2) and in total offense/g (374.5) 
• Ward is 1 of 5 Power-5 QB to start the first 4 games of a season with 1300+ pass yds, 13+ pass TD, 0 INT
   (2019 - Tua Tagovailoa, ALA; 2017 - Baker Mayfield, OU; 2012 - Geno Smith, WVU;  2004 - Kyle Orton, PUR)
• EDGE Ron Stone Jr. enters the week 7th among active Pac-12 players with 14 career sacks
• EDGE Brennan Jackson was named to 2023 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, 3x All-Pac-12 Conference
• WR Josh Kelly enters the week tied for 3rd in Pac-12 with 5 TD rec, Kyle Williams with TD rec in all 4 games
• OL Fa'alili Fa'amoe, OL Ma'ake Fifita, OL Esa Pole, WR Lincoln Victor; Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List
• K Dean Janikowski's career-long 55-yard FG at CSU was WSU's longest since 2017, longest in Pac-12 in 2023

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 292 last week at Duke. 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 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." 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 is ranked No. 13 in the latest Associated Press Top-25, ahead of 55 other power 5 teams (69)
- WSU owns the 5th-most wins in the Pac-12 over the last 10 seasons (65), 5th-best winning pct (58.6)
   ahead of Stanford, UCLA, Arizona State, California, Colorado, Oregon State, Arizona
- WSU is looking for its first 5-0 start since starting the 2017 season 6-0

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 leading the country in 3rd-down conversions (59.6%), second in passing (405.8), fifth in scoring (45.8) and sixth in total offense (532.2). 

Thru 4 games    2022    2023
Total Offense    372.2 (92nd)    532.2 (6th)
Scoring    30.0 (75th)    45.8 (5th)
Passing    275.5 (42nd)    405.8 (2nd)
3rd Down %    38.3 (73)    59.6 (1st)
Sacks Allowed    14 (118th)    8 (64th)

DEFENSE TAKEAWAYS
Since 2020, Washington State's defense has forced the second-most takeaways in the Pac-12 (62), only USC has more (70). The 2023 defense has opened the season with 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

RECORD BOOK WATCH (PAGE 7)
- 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)
- Kicker Dean Janikowski's 188 career points are the eighth-most points by a kicker in WSU history
- Janikowski's 28 career made field goals are 10th-most in WSU history
- Janikowski's 104 career made PAT are seventh-most in WSU history
- Janikowski's 80.0 career field goal percentage (28-35) is the second-best FG% in WSU history 
- EDGE Ron Stone Jr. owns 24.5 career tackles-for-loss, 7.5 away from breaking into WSU Top-10
- Stone Jr. owns 14 career sacks, 3 away from breaking into the WSU Top-10 (17, Rien Long, 2000-02)
- EDGE Brennan Jackson owns 23 career tackles-for-loss and 12.5 career sacks

CAMERON WARD OPENS 2023 IN STYLE
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 3rd in the NCAA in passing yards/g (347.2) and in total offense/g (374.5), 11th in pass TD (13)
- 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 owns 8 games as a Coug with a rushing TD and pass TD

CAMERON WARD'S HOT START
Quarterback Cameron Ward as opened the season with 13 touchdown passes and 1,389 passing yards in Washington State's first four games. Ward is one of five Power-5 quarterbacks to put up 1300+ passing yards, 13+ passing touchdowns and zero interceptions through his teams first four games.
2023   Cameron Ward, Washington State, 1394 pass yards, 13 pass TD
2019   Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, 1300 pass yards, 17 pass TD
2017   Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma, 1329 pass yards, 13 pass TD
2012   Geno Smith, West Virginia, 1728 pass yards, 20 pass TD
2004   Kyle Orton, Purdue, 1367 pass yards, 17 pass TD

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 four 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).
- Kelly among Pac-12 leaders;  tied for 11th in catches (24), tied for 3rd in receiving touchdowns (5)
- Williams owns a touchdown catch in all four games and in five straight games dating back to 2022 
- Wiliams has caught a pass in all 29 career games (the first 25 at UNLV, 2020-22)

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. The San Jose, Calif. native enters the week leading the team with three sacks and four tackles-for-loss.

HICKS OPENS 2023 WITH BIG NIGHTS
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 with 4th-best safety grade in Pac-12, 2nd-best coverage grade among Pac-12 safeties

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. 
- Stone Jr. earned the 2nd-best pass rush grade by Pac-12 EDGE players last week, 8 pressures
- Jackson earned the 6th-best defensive grade among Pac-12 EDGE players, 4 pressures, 5 tackles

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 last week;'s win over Northern Colorado
- 2 100-yard games in the first four weeks; 168 at Colorado State, 119 vs. Northern Colorado
- Enters the week tied for 9th in the Pac-12 with 24 catches and 7th with 342 receiving yards

COUGAR DEBUTS
17 Cougars made their debuts in the 50-24 season-opening win at Colorado State
- 2 true freshman made their collegiate debuts; Ansel Din-Mbuh (DL), Carlos Hernandez (WR)
- 2 redshirt-freshmen made their collegiate debuts; Buddah Al-Uqdah (LB), Reece Sylvester (S)

21 more Cougs made their debuts in the 64-21 win over Northern Colorado week three
- Khalil Laufau (DT), Isaac Terrell (Edge), Rashad McKenzie (DT), Warren Smith Jr. (CB), Adrian Wilson (S), Peter Eyabi (Edge), Landon Roaten (OL), Bryson Lamb (DT), Emmett Brown (QB), Ashton Tripp (OL), Leon Neal Jr. (WR), Cole Pruett (WR), Leo Pulalasi (RB), Cole Norah (S), Jack Procter (Edge), Luke Roaten (OL), David Johnson (WR), Kasen Kinchen (CB), Joseph Roback (LB), Ethan O'Connor (CB), Davon Hicks (LB)

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).