COUGARS KICK OFF 2023 AT COLORADO STATE 
Washington State opens the 2023 season with a trip to Fort Collins, Colo. for a Saturday matchup at Colorado State. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. (PT) on CBS Sports Network.

SERIES HISTORY
Washington State evened the all-time series against Colorado State with a 38-7 win over the Rams in Pullman last season while CSU won the initial meeting, 48-45 in the 2013 New Mexico Bowl. WSU has won four of its last five season openers after beating Idaho 24-17 last season. The last time the Cougars opened the season on the road at a Mountain West Conference opponent, Gardner Minshew II led WSU to 41-19 win at Wyoming in 2018 and went on to a school-record 11-2 mark.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE 
Washington State opened last season with three-straight wins, including a victory at No. 19 Wisconsin, and captured three of its final four games to reach a bowl game, the Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl, for the seventh-straight season, the second-longest current bowl streak in the Pac-12 Conference. The Cougars, who went 7-6 including a 4-5 mark in Pac-12 play last season, again were strong defensively, finishing in the top four of numerous Pac-12 categories, including second in Red Zone defense and tackles-for-loss, third in scoring defense and turnovers gained, and fourth in sacks. WSU also led the Pac-12 in Red Zone offense. In 2022, WSU had 10 All-Pac-12 players, including honorable mention quarterback Cameron Ward and second-team selection EDGE Ron Stone Jr. while safety Jaden Hicks garnered third-Team Freshman All-America honors. Head coach Jake Dickert has guided WSU to back-to-back bowl games and begins his second full season leading the Cougars.

COUGAR QUICK GAME
TEAM
• WSU has reached a bowl game in the last seven full seasons, 2nd-longest bowl streak in the Pac-12
• WSU's roster features 3 players from the state of Colorado (Chau Smith-Wade, Brandon Hills, Tai Fa'avae)

INDIVIDUAL (Player Notes Pages 10-18)
• QB Cameron Ward was All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention last season (3,231 yds, 23 TD, 5 rush TD)
• EDGE Ron Stone Jr. is a 2x All-Pac-12 selection, 44 games played, 20.5 career TFL, 11 career sacks
• EDGE Brennan Jackson was Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, 12 TFL, 6 sacks, 3x All-Pac-12 Conference
• S Jaden Hicks was named to the Freshman All-America Third Team, led Pac-12 freshmen in tackles (76) 
• RB Nakia Watson was named to Doak Walker Award Watch List, 769 rush yds, 9 rush TD, 13 total TD in 2022
• P Nick Haberer was named to Ray Guy Award Watch List, 3rd in Pac-12 with 42.4 ypp, 22 inside 20
• OL Fa'alili Fa'amoe, OL Ma'ake Fifita, OL Esa Pole were all named to Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List
• DL Na'im Rodman is graduate transfer from Colorado, 42 games played, 17 career starts,  53 career tackles 

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.

SEVEN NAMED PRESEASON ALL-PAC-12
Seven Cougars were named to Preseason All-Pac-12 Conference Teams, the conference office announced Tuesday. Four players were named to the second team in EDGES Ron Stone Jr and Brennan Jackson, defensive back Chau Smith-Wade and punter Nick Haberer. Defensive back Jaden Hicks, kicker Dean Janikowski and running back Nakia Watson were each named honorable mention.  

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 287 after appearing at the 2022 Big 12 Championship Game. 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. 

HICKS RETURNS AFTER FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN CAMPAIGN
Redshirt-freshman safety Jaden Hicks was named to the Freshman All-America Third Team by College Football News last season. Hicks was WSU's second Freshman All-American in as many seasons after punter Nick Haberer earned the honor in 2021 and is the first Cougar defensive player to earn Freshman All-America accolades since safety Jalen Thompson in 2016. Hicks enters the LA Bowl second on the team with 76 tackles, the most among Pac-12 freshmen defenders, along with two tackles-for-loss, one sack, six pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery he returned for a touchdown. The Las Vegas native recorded 10 tackles along with an interception in his first career start in the win over Colorado State and was named Pac-12 Conference Freshman of the Week after making six tackles and returning a fumble 17 yards for a touchdown in the win at Stanford.

DAIYAN HENLEY DRAFTED BY CHARGERS
Linebacker Daiyan Henley was selected in the third round by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2023 NFL Draft. Henley, taken as the No. 22nd pick in the round and No. 85 overall, was the second Cougar defensive player drafted in as many years after cornerback Jaylen Watson was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs in the seventh round last season. Henley was the first Cougar linebacker drafted since Raonall Smith went to Minnesota Vikings in the second round of the 2002 draft. Henley transferred to Washington State prior to the 2022 season after four seasons at Nevada and in his only season with the Cougars earned All-American second-team honors from College Football News and was WSU's first Butkus Award Finalist in program history. Henley was also named to the All-Pac-12 Conference First Team as a linebacker and to the All-Pac-12 second team as an all-purpose/special teams player, WSU's first all-conference first-team linebacker since Will Derting in 2003. Henley was second in the Pac-12 with a team-high 106 tackles, fifth in the league with 12 tackles-for-loss and paced the team with six special teams tackles.

COUGAR DEFENSE LED THE WAY
- WSU was second in the Pac-12 with 80 tackles-for-loss, third in scoring (22.9), fourth with 33 sacks
- WSU tied for third in the Pac-12 with 21 takeaways, 12 interceptions and 9 fumble recoveries
- Jaden Hicks leads Pac-12 freshmen in tackles (76), named to Freshman All-America Third Team
- WSU made seven sacks in the win over Colorado State, tied for the seventh-most in WSU single-game history and most since 2017 (8, at Utah) 
- WSU held USC quarterback Caleb Williams to 15-of-29 passing and 188 yds, season lows

CAMERON WARD PACES THE COUG RAID
In his first season with the Cougars, Ward was named All-Pac-12 Conference Honorable Mention after starting all 13 games last year, leading WSU to its seventh straight bowl game and throwing for 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns. The junior from West Columbia, Texas recorded four 300-yard games, rushed for five touchdowns, had five games with one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown and was named a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, given to the top offensive player from Texas. Last season, Ward completed 320 passes, the eighth-most in WSU single-season history while his 64.4 completion percentage was ninth-best in WSU single-season history. 
- Against No. 14 Utah, completed 27-of-32 passes, 87.0 comp. pct tied for 2nd-best in WSU history
- 5 games last season with rush TD and pass TD

15 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    (Southern Utah)
Devin Richardson, LB    Physical Culture and Sports (Texas)
Simon Samarzich, LS    Sport Management
Ron Stone Jr., EDGE    Public Relations
Dominic Tatum, DB    Interdisciplinary Studies (Utah State)
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).