Washington State University Athletics

Cougars hope home field advantage will end three-game skid.

October 12, 1998

FOOTBALL: WSU To Host USC Trojans In 7:15 Game
WHO:	WSU Cougars (3-3-0, 0-3-0) vs. Southern California Trojans (4-2-0, 2-1-0)
WHAT:	Pacific-10 Conference Football
WHEN:	Saturday, October 17; Kickoff 7:15pm PT  
WHERE:	Martin Stadium (37,600, Omni-Turf), Pullman, Wash.
TV:	FOX Sports Net live; Delayed by Fox Sports Northwest to Sunday, Oct. 18, 1:30 p.m.

1998  WSU  RESULTS
Record: 3-2-0, 0-2-0		[OPP REC]
9/5	Illinois (20-13)	[2-4-0]
9/12	@ Boise State (33-21)	[3-4-0]
9/19	Idaho (24-16)		[4-2-0]
9/26	@ California (14-24)	[4-1-0]
10/3	@ UCLA (17-49)		[4-0-0]
10/10	Oregon (29-51)		[5-0-0]
10/17	USC			[4-2-0]
10/24	Bye	
10/31	Arizona State		[2-4-0]
11/7	@ Arizona		[5-1-0]
11/14	@ Stanford		[1-5-0]
11/21	Washington		[3-2-0]

WSU THIS WEEK: USC
Record: 4-2-0, 2-1-0
8/30	Purdue (27-17)
9/12	San Diego State (35-6)
9/19	Oregon State (40-20)
9/26	@ Florida State (10-30)
10/3	Arizona State (35-24)
10/10	California (31-32)
10/17	@ Washington State
10/24	@ Oregon
10/31	Washington
11/7	@ Stanford
11/14	Bye
11/21	@ UCLA
11/28	Notre Dame

WSU’S NEXT GAME: ASU
Record: 2-4-0, 1-2-0
9/5	Washington (38-42)
9/12	@ BYU (6-26
9/19	North Texas (34-15)
9/26	Oregon State (24-3)
10/3	@ USC (24-35)
10/10	Notre Dame (9-28)
10/22	Stanford
10/31	Washington State
11/7	California
11/14	@ Oregon
11/27	@ Arizona

PRICE PICKS UP 100TH WIN: Washington State’s Mike Price picked up his 100th win in WSU’s 20-13 victory over Illinois Sept. 5.

WSU VS. USC: The Cougars and Trojans will be meeting for the 59th time since the first game in 1921, a 28-7 Trojan win in Pasadena...the Trojans have a 48-6-4 lead in the series...last year WSU snapped a nine-game USC win streak, recording a 28-21 win in Los Angeles...it was WSU’s first win at USC since 1957, a string of 15 consecutive Trojan victories...USC’s last win in Pullman was 29-24 in 1996...in the last four games in Pullman, USC has won by 1, 7, 13, and 5 points.

WSU’S HOME WIN STREAK SNAPPED: Washington State’s eight-game win streak at home (6-0 last year, 2-0 to start this year), was snapped last week by Oregon when the Ducks notched a 51-29 victory.

WSU ON TV: WSU’s matchup with USC will be televised live on Oct. 17, by FOX Sports Net...the announcers Saturday will be Steve Physioc, Tom Ramsey and Paul Sunderland...WSU will be making its fourth live TV appearance in seven games this year and second on FOX Sports Net.

FOX SPORTS NORTHWEST TV: Fox Sports Northwest will replay the WSU game with USC Sunday, Oct.18, at 1:30 p.m.

COUG LINE GETS BIGGER: WSU’s starting offensive line is the biggest in school history...the starters weigh a collective 1,538 pounds, an average of 307.8 pounds...Mike Sage is the largest at 323 pounds…Ryan Tujague, at 294, is the only regular under 300...WSU never before has started an offensive line averaging over 300 pounds...here are the regular Coug starters:

	LT Rob Rainville, 315, senior
	LG Ryan Tujague, 294, junior
	C Mickey Long, 305, senior
	RG Mike Sage, 323, senior
	RT Reed Raymond, 302, sophomore

	CLASS		OFFENSE	DEFENSE	TOTAL
	Freshman	0	0	0
	RS-Freshmen	1	0	1	
	Sophomores	0	2	2
	RS-Sophomores	2	2	4	
	Juniors		2	1	3
	RS-Juniors	2	4	6	
	Seniors		2	2	4
	RS-Seniors	2	0	2

TRAVELING A NEW EXPERIENCE: For over half of WSU’s 60-player travel squad at UCLA, making a road trip was a new experience…32 of the players on the WSU travel roster are in their first season as a member of the travel squad...in addition, 23 players are in their first year of competition for the Cougars and nine were not on campus last season.

LONG PASS RECORD: Nian Taylor and Steve Birnbaum teamed up on a 97-yard pass and run play against Idaho, the longest in WSU history.

TRUE FROSH ON DL: First year freshman Joey Hollenbeck from Enumclaw, Wash, started for senior Gary Holmes (out with an ankle sprain) at California three weeks ago, becoming the first true freshman to start on the defensive line since Ken Collins started in 1978...Hollenbeck missed the UCLA game with a knee strain, but came back to play against Oregon last week.

MOST STARTS: Senior Dee Moronkola has 21 consecutive starts to his credit, tops among the Cougar players…here’s a list of WSU’s leading starters:

	Dee Moronkola - 21 (21 consecutive)
	Gary Holmes - 18 (0 consecutive)
	Rob Rainville - 20 (18 consecutive)
	Rian Lindell - 18 (18 consecutive)
	Love Jefferson - 18 (18 consecutive)
	Steve Gleason - 18 (18 consecutive)
	Lamont Thompson - 10 (10 consecutive)

WSU INJURIES: Here is WSU’s injury report for Monday, Oct. 12, from the Cougar training staff: LB Tupo Tuupo (broken shoulder blade Aug. 24; out indefinitely.), DT Gary Holmes (ankle sprain, doubtful), WR Nian Taylor (calf strain, possible), LB Tom Wagner (left shoulder sprain possible), LB James Price (concussion, possible), TE Jason Littleton (concussion, will not play).

THOMPSON NOW A TWO-WAY PLAYER: Lamont Thompson, who has 10 interceptions in his 10 career starts, has now added catching passes on offense to his list of accomplishments...Thompson, who saw his first offensive action at California, caught two passes at UCLA for 34 yards...he saw limited offensive action against Oregon, but a bruised tailbone suffered in the first quarter limited his play...Thompson is now seventh on WSU’s career interception list, just four behind record holder Richard Reed, 1966-68.

LINDELL HOT: Junior Rian Lindell, who booted four field goals at Boise State to tie the WSU one-game record, made his final six field goals of 1997...this year he missed his first attempt of the year, then made seven straight before two misses late in the Idaho game...after making his only attempt at UCLA, he has now made 14 field goals in his last 17 attempts...he has made all 13 extra point kicks this year.

SI TABS COUGAR QUARTERBACKS: A recent issue of Sports Illustrated tabs Washington State as the best college in the nation for quarterbacks...the weekly magazine rated every position for the past 10 years and concluded, on the strength of Cougars Timm Rosenbach, Drew Bledsoe and Ryan Leaf, WSU had done the best job of turning out top-notch quarterbacks.

COUGS NATIONALLY: Several Cougars are ranked high nationally, including: Dee Moronkola (kickoff returns, 35.2 yards/game, 3rd), Lamont Thompson (interceptions, 0.67/game, t-8th), Rian Lindell (field goals, 1.33/game, t-22nd), Chris Martin (interceptions, 0.50/game, t-20th).

COUGS IN PAC-10: Dee Moronkola (kickoff returns, 1st, 35.2), Lamont Thompson (interceptions, 2nd, 0.67), Chris Martin (interceptions, t-3rd, 0.50), Kareem Anderson (net punting, 3rd, 40.45), Rian Lindell (field goals, t-3rd, 1.33), James Price (tackles, 3rd, 9.3), Kevin Brown (rushing, 5th, 74.50),

MEIER STEPS UP: Junior Rob Meier has stepped up his play this season while serving as leader of a very young and undersized defensive front...in six games Meier has blocked a field goal (UCLA), made two sacks and a total of six tackles-for-losses, forced two fumbles and returned one fumble 52 yards for a score (Illinois).

SCORING STREAK ALIVE AT 161: The Washington State Cougars have scored in a record 161 straight games. The current streak started with a 16-14 win over Ball State in the fourth game of the 1984 season and came on the heels of a 44-0 blanking at the hands of Ohio State. The following is a breakdown of WSU scoring by game since 1980:

YR	RECORD	0	1-9	10-19	20-29	30-39	40-49	50>	PT/PPG
1980	4-7-0			1	6	4			287/26.1
1981	8-3-1			5	2	5			297/24.8
1982	3-7-1	1	1	6	2	1			170/15.5
1983	7-4-0		1	5	3	1	1		237/21.5
1984	6-5-0	1		1	5	2	1	1	317/28.8
1985	4-7-0		1	2	2	5		1	313/28.5
1986	3-7-1		1	4	4	2			221/20.1
1987	3-7-1		3	5			3		238/21.6
1988	9-3-0				5	3	3	1	415/34.6
1989	6-5-0		1	1	3	2	3	1	351/31.9
1990	3-8-0			4	3	2	1	1	266/26.0
1991*	4-7-0		1	4	2	1	2	1	280/25.4
1992	9-3-0		1	1	4	4	1	1	337/28.1
1993	5-6-0		3	2	2	1	1	2	271/24.6
1994	8-4-0		3	3	6				192/16.0
1995	3-8-0		1	4	3	2	1		236/21.5
1996	5-6-0			2	6	1		2	314/28.5
1997	10-2-0			1	2	5	1	3	483/40.3
1998	3-3-0			2	3	1			137/22.8
          103-102-4	2	17	53	64	42	18	14	5362/25.7

PAC-10 SCORING STREAK AT 176: In addition to having scored in 161 consecutive games, WSU also has scored in 176 straight Pac-10 Conference games, by far the longest active scoring streak in the league...the last time WSU was shut out in a Pac-10 game was Oregon State’s 7-0 win in 1975 at Corvallis.

COUGS STINGY IN FIRST QUARTER: WSU's defense has allowed 255 first quarter points in the last 63 games (4.05/quarter) over the past six years...WSU allowed 41 first-quarter points in 1993, 29 in 1994, 45 in 1995, 43 in 1996, 48 first quarter points in 1997...this year, however, the Cougs have given up 49 in six games...in the first four games WSU allowed just one TD, 42 in the last two games.

PRICE THIRD IN WINS: WSU coach Mike Price is third among the current Pacific-10 coaches with 102 wins...Arizona’s Dick Tomey has 140, followed by ASU’s Bruce Snyder, 111...Price, in 10 years at WSU, is second in consecutive years at the same school...Tomey is in his 12th at Arizona.

I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO: Washington State picked up three players off last year’s San Francisco City College club...they are running back Kevin Brown (West Covina, Calif., sophomore), cornerback Chris Martin (Brooklyn, New York, junior) and receiver Jerry Roquemore ( Gahanna, Ohio, junior).

MIKE PRICE AMONG WSU'S BEST: Only one Washington State football coach with tenure of five years or longer at WSU put together a better record than Mike Price...Price, in his 10 seasons at WSU, is 56-52-0 (.519), while his career mark is now 102-96-0...Babe Hollingbery was 93-53-14 (.625) during his 1926-42 (17 years) tenure...Price’s record is the best at WSU in the last 50 years for coaches with a tenure of three or more years...Price’s 56 wins at WSU ranks second to Hollingbery’s 93...Jim Walden is third on the victory list at 44.

NOTHING LIKE HOME: The Washington State Cougars love to play at home and after looking at the team’s home and away records during Mike Price’s 10-year tenure, it’s easy to see why teams don’t enjoy their trips to Pullman...Price at home has a 32-18 record, including a 26-9 mark the past seven years...on the road, WSU is 24-34...WSU’s 6-0 home record in 1997 is the best ever for the Cougars, who previously had never won six home games in one year:

	YEAR	HOME	AWAY	OVERALL
	1989	3-2	3-3	6-5
	1990	1-4	2-4	3-8
	1991	2-3	2-4	4-7
	1992	5-1	4-2	9-3
	1993	4-1	1-5	5-6
	1994	3-2	5-2	8-4
	1995	3-2	0-6	3-8
	1996	3-2	2-4	5-6
	1997	6-0	4-2	10-2
	1998	2-1	1-2	3-3
	TOTALS:	32-18	24-34	56-52

RED ZONE: Washington State has scored 14 times in 19 trips into the Red Zone this year (73.7%), seven touchdowns and seven field goals...the Cougs have missed three field goals, lost the ball on downs once and had the game end once...opponents have had 25 opportunities in the Red Zone, scoring 16 touchdowns and two field goals (72%)...they have missed four field goals, suffered two interceptions and failed on downs once...last year the Cougs scored 49 times (39 TDs) in 55 Red Zone entries (89.1%), while WSU opponents converted 23 times (20 TDs) in 32 tries (71.9%).

SPECIAL TEAMS, DEFENSE SCORE: WSU’s special teams and defense have scored 45 of the team’s 137 points...the breakdown includes 24 points from field goals, 14 from kickoff returns and seven from a returned fumble.

RUSHING TOTALS UNDER 100: In the last six years WSU has held 29 of 63 opponents to less than 100 yards rushing...the lows include Montana State’s -35 and Pacific’s -6 in 1993 and Montana’s -6 in 1995...in those 62 games, WSU has held opponents to 50 or less yards 12 times:

1993 - Games WSU Allowed 100 Yards Rushing - 3/11
	Michigan 179, USC 104, Washington 302.
1994 - Games WSU Allowed 100 Yards Rushing - 3/12
	Tennessee 149, Oregon State 178, Washington 102.
1995 - Games WSU Allowed 100 Yards Rushing - 5/11
	UCLA 137, Nebraska 428, California 134, Stanford 131,
	Washington 222.
1996 - Games WSU Allowed 100 Yards Rushing - 10/11
	Colorado 192, Temple 125, Oregon 118, SJSU 100, 
	Arizona 145, OSU 141, California 44, Illinois 148,
	UCLA 164, Stanford 102, Washington 213.
1997 - Games WSU Allowed 100 Yards Rushing - 8/12
	UCLA 209, USC 31, Illinois 173, Boise State 46,
	Oregon 154, Cal 109, Arizona 73, ASU 150, USL 75,
	Stanford 160, Washington 101, Michigan 128.
1998 - Games WSU Allowed 100 Yards Rushing - 5/6
	Illinois 123, Boise State 120, Idaho 100, California 79,
	UCLA 256, Oregon 247.

1993 Plays Allowed 20 Yards or Longer - 8
1994 Plays Allowed 20 Yards or Longer - 7
1995 Plays Allowed 20 Yards or Longer - 12
1996 Plays Allowed 20 Yards or Longer - 6
1997 Plays Allowed 20 Yards or Longer - 7
1998 Plays Allowed 20 Yards or Longer - 5
	Idaho: Thomas 21, Dean 46.
	UCLA: Lewis 23, Foster 40, Stanley 29.
	Oregon: Droughns 50.
1994 Plays Allowed 10-19 Yards - 15
1995 Plays Allowed 10-19 Yards - 24
1996 Plays Allowed 10-19 Yards - 33
1997 Plays Allowed 10-19 Yards - 29
1998 Plays Allowed 10-19 Yards - 23

WSU AMONG WIN LEADERS SINCE '92: The Washington State Cougars have won 43 games since the start of the 1992 season, equaling the six best overall mark among league teams......the Cougars' 25 conference wins ranks seventh when totaling league victories...here's a look at the records for Pac-10 teams, 1992-98:

			OVERALL	PACIFIC-10
	1992-98			W	L	T	W	L	T	
	Washington		50	24	1	34	15	1
	USC			47	28	3	32	18	1
	Arizona			47	28	1	29	21	1
	Oregon			47	29	0	27	23	0
	UCLA			45	28	0	29	21	0
	Washington State	43	32	0	25	26	0
	Arizona State		43	31	0	29	22	0
	Stanford		37	37	2	23	28	0
	California		33	41	0	17	33	0
	Oregon State		19	52	1	6	44	1

1993 - Players Gaining 100+ Yards vs. WSU - 2
	Tyrone Wheatley, Michigan, 117
	Napoleon Kaufman, Washington, 181
1994 - Players Gaining 100+ Yards vs. WSU - 1
	J.J. Young, Oregon State, 100
1995 - Players Gaining 100+ Yards vs. WSU - 5
	Karim Abdul-Jabar, UCLA, 125
	Ahman Green, Nebraska, 176
	Reynard Rutherford, California, 124
	Anthony Bookman, Stanford, 123,
	Rashaan Shehee, Washington, 212
1996 - Players Gaining 100+ Yards vs. WSU - 2
	Skip Hicks, UCLA, 116
	Corey Dillon, Washington, 155
1997 - Players Gaining 100+ Yards vs. WSU - 4
	Skip Hicks, UCLA, 190; Robert Holcombe, Illinois 163;
	Michael Martin, ASU, 111; Anthony Bookman, 
	Stanford, 115
1998 - Players Gaining 100+ Yards vs. WSU - 2
	Steve Havard, Illinois, 103, Reuben Droughns 217.

SCHEDULING: Coaches often talk about whom an upcoming opponent faces the week before or the week after the two teams collide...here’s a look at WSU opponents and whom they play before and after meeting the Cougars:

	DATE	BEFORE WSU	WSU OPP		AFTER WSU
	9/5	---		ILLINOIS	Middle Tenn.
	9/12	CS-Northridge	@ BSU		Portland State
	9/19	@ San Jose St.	IDAHO		@ LSU
	9/26	@ Oklahoma	@ CAL		@ USC
	10/3	Miami (canceled)@ UCLA		@ Arizona
	10/10	Bye		OREGON		@UCLA
	10/17	California	USC		@ Oregon
	10/31	Stanford	ASU		Cal
	11/7	Oregon		@ ARIZONA	@ Cal
	11/14	USC		@ STANFORD	@ Cal
	11/21	UCLA		WASHINGTON	---

TURNOVERS: The Cougs are +1 in turnovers after six games…The Cougs turned the ball over six times at Cal and four times at UCLA, then did not have a turnover against Oregon, the first zero turnover day since Temple in 1996...for the season WSU has lost 11 of 16 fumbles and thrown eight interceptions, a total of 19 turnovers...WSU was -1 in turnovers in 1997, +9 in 1994, even in 1995 and -9 in 1996.

	
	------ W S U -----	-- OPPONENTS --
	OPP	+/-	F	FL	PI	TOT	F	FL	PI	TOT
	ILL	-2	3	2	1	3	1	1	0	1
	BSU	+2	5	4	0	4	4	3	3	6
	IDAHO	+3	1	0	2	2	2	1	4	5
	CAL	-3	2	2	4	6	1	1	2	3
	UCLA	-2	3	3	1	4	3	1	1	2
	ORE	+3	2	0	0	0	3	2	1	3
	USC									
	ASU	
	ARIZ	
	STAN	
	WASH										
	TOTAL	+1	16	11	8	19	14	9	11	20

WSU captured its seventh straight home opener with a 20-13 win over ILLINOIS…Kevin Brown led WSU offensively with 111 yards in his Cougar debut...defensive tackle Rob Meier returned a fumble 52 yards for WSU’s first score after Jonathan Nance knocked the ball loose with a sack…the win was Mike Price’s 100th career victory;

The Cougars came from behind to beat BOISE STATE 33-21 at Boise…28 Cougars were making their first road trip and 22 of the 60 are in their first competitive season with WSU…Dee Moronkola had an 88-yard kickoff return for one score, DeJuan Gilmore broke a 79-yard TD run and Chris Martin made 14 tackles and intercepted two passes.

Lamont Thompson picked off two passes and Steve Birnbaum threw for 299 yards as WSU beat IDAHO 24-16...Nian Taylor was the receiving star, scoring all three Cougar TDs...he caught eight passes for 254 yards...James Price had 13 tackles, including two sacks...WSU had 479 yards in total offense, with 366 passing, 113 rushing.

Washington State’s defense rose to the occasion against CALIFORNIA, but three costly turnovers by the offense produced three Bear touchdowns in a 24-14 setback...Lamont Thompson and Dee Moronkola each had interceptions as WSU forced three turnovers, but gave the ball up six times, including four interceptions...each team converted just two third-down opportunities...Kevin Brown rushed for 80 yards and Leaford Hackett caught four passes for 139 yards and one score...Thompson and James Price had nine tackles each and Steve Gleason two sacks.

The Cougars fell behind 28-0 and never threatened No. 4 UCLA in a 49-17 loss at the Rose Bowl...the Cougars turned the ball over on three of their first four possessions and UCLA scored each time...Kevin Brown ran for 109 yards and Steve Birnbaum quarterbacked the Cougs for all but the final series...Anthony Matthews had his first interception of the season after replacing the injured Dee Moronkola, while Rob Meiers blocked a UCLA field goal try...the Bruins blocked two WSU punts and rushed for 272 yards.

WSU fell behind to OREGON 21-0 in the first quarter and trailed 38-7 at halftime...Oregon’s 527 yards in total offense is the most allowed by WSU since 1995 against Nebraska (also 527) and the most in a league game since 1991 against UCLA (598)...Kevin Brown rushed for 100 yards and Leaford Hackett caught 11 passes (97 yards), one off the school record...sophomore Paul Mencke took over for starter Steve Birnbaum at the start of the second half and finished up for WSU, completing 11 of 20 passes for 99 yards...WSU did not have a turnover for the first time since 1996 against Temple...Dee Moronkola returned five kickoffs for a school record 211 yards, including a 91-yard TD return.

1998 RANKINGS FOR THE COUGARS

PLAYER  CATEGORY	AVG	PAC-10

Kareem Anderson-
	Punting		40.45	3
Steve Birnbaum-
	Passing Offense	110.4	9
	Total Offense	165.6	8
Kevin Brown-
	Rushing		74.50	6
	Total Offense	74.50	17
DeJuan Gilmore-
	Rushing		43.67	11
	Total Offense	43.67	24
Leaford Hackett-
	Pass Receptions	5.0	8
	Receiving Yards	64.5	12
Rian Lindell-
	Scoring Offense	6.17	12
	Field Goals	1.33	*3
Chris Martin-
	Interceptions	.50	*3
Paul Mencke
	Passing Offense	90.9	15
	Total Offense	49.17	22
Dee Moronkola-
	Kickoff Return	35.18	1
	Interceptions	.33	*11
James Price-
	Tackles		9.3	4
Lamont Thompson-
	Interceptions	.67	2
Nian Taylor-
	Scoring Offense	4.8	*18
	Pass Receptions	4.2	11
	Receiving Yards	75.2	10
	All-purpose	91.2	16

* = Tie

			WSU	WSU	WSU
TEAM CATEGORY		AVG	PAC-10	NCAA
Rushing Offense		117.7	7	82
Passing Offense		221.5	5	43
Total Offense		339.17	7	67
Scoring Offense		22.8	8	66
Rushing Defense		154.2	6	65
Pass Efficiency Defense	102.6	4	22
Total Defense		357.2	5	58
Scoring Defense		29.0	8	*85
Net Punting		31.1	9	103
Punt Returns		7.9	8	65
KO Returns		25.3	3	15
Turnover Margin		.17	6	*53

			USC	USC	USC
TEAM CATEGORY		AVG	PAC-10	NCAA
Rushing Offense		136.7	5	69
Passing Offense		180.3	10	72
Total Offense		317.0	9	75
Scoring Offense		29.7	5	34
Rushing Defense		149.8	5	60
Pass Efficiency Defense	99.7	2	16
Total Defense		337.5	3	42
Scoring Defense		21.5	5	*41
Net Punting		34.9	6	68
Punt Returns		15.0	1	10
KO Returns		24.9	6	19
Turnover Margin		.00	7	*56

* = Tie

NATIONAL LEADERS

Rian Lindell	Field Goals	1.33	*22
Chris Martin	Interceptions	.50	*20
Lamont Thompson	Interceptions	.67	*8
Dee Moronkola	Kickoff Return	35.18	3

Pac-10 Offense:  Kevin Brown (West Covina, CA)
Pac-10 Defense:  None
Pac-10 Special Teams: Dee Moronkola (Richmond, CA)
Offensive Lineman: Love Jefferson (Garden Grove, CA)
Offensive Back:  None
Offensive Scout Team: None
Defensive Back: None
Defensive Lineman: None
Defensive Scout Team: Fred Hagan (Diamond Bar, CA))
Defensive Pursuit Player: Steve Gleason (Spokane, WA)
Cougar Claw: Kevin Brown (West Covina, CA)
Big Hit: None
Cougar Tackler: Raonall Smith (Gig Harbor, WA
Specialist of the Week: Kareem Anderson (Phoenix, AZ)
Most Disciplined Offense: None
Most Disciplined Defense: None
Most Disciplined Special Teams: Erik Larson (Olympia, WA)
Special Teams Big Play: Dee Moronkola (Richmond, CA) 
Offensive Big Play:  Paul Mencke (Spokane, WA.)

1998 WSU FOOTBALL STARTERS

POS	ILL	BSU	IDA	CAL	UCLA	ORE	USC	ASU	ARIZ	STAN	WASH
SE	Hackett	Davis	Davis	Davis	RoquemoreRoquemore
LT	Rainville	Rainville	Rainville	Rainville	Rainville	Rainville
LG	Tujague	Tujague	Tujague	Tujague	Tujague	Tujague
C	Long	Long	Long	Long	Long	Long
RG	Sage	Criscione	Criscione	Sage	Sage	Sage
RT	Raymond	Raymond	Raymond	Raymond	Raymond	Raymond
TE	Jefferson		Jefferson		Jefferson	Jefferson
SB		Hackett	Hackett	Hackett	Hackett	Hackett
QB	Birnbuam	Birnbaum	Birnbaum	Birnbaum	Birnbaum	Birnbaum
RB	Gilmore	Gilmore	Gilmore	Gilmore	Brown	Gilmore
RB	Brown				
FL	Taylor	Taylor	Taylor	Taylor	Taylor	Davis
SE		White		White	
PK	Lindell	Lindell	Lindell	Lindell	Lindell	Lindell
NOTE: WSU’s starting offensive lineup usually includes three wide receivers and one running back, but can 
include four wide receivers and no running backs, or two wide receivers and two running backs.

DE	Nance	Nance	Nance	Nance	Nance	Nance
DT	Ratcliff	Holmes	Holmes	Hollenb’k	Matson	Matson
DT	Meier	Meier	Meier	Meier	Meier	Meier
DE	Marong	Ratcliff	Ratcliff	Matson	Ratcliff	Ratcliff
SLB	Gleason	Gleason	Gleason	Gleason	Gleason	Gleason
MLB	Smith	Price	Price	Price	Price	Price
WLB	Price	Philley	Philley	Philley	Philley	Philley
CB	Moronkola	Moronkola	Moronkola	Moronkola	Moronkola	Moronkola
FS	Thompson	Thompson	Thompson	Thompson	Thompson	Thompson
SS	Riley	Riley	Riley	Riley	Riley	Riley
CB	Martin	Martin	Martin	Martin	Martin	Martin
P	Anderson	Anderson	Anderson	Anderson	Anderson	Anderson

RICK DICKSON RADIO SHOW: “Cougar Chat with Rick Dickson” is aired each Sunday 60 minutes before the Seattle Seahawk pre-game show on Spokane’s KXLY Radio (920)... veteran Cougar broadcaster Paul Sorensen hosts the weekly show with the WSU athletic director.

WEEKLY WSU PRESS CONFERENCES: WSU hosts a weekly press conference each Tuesday at 1:00 p.m. in the Media Information Conference Room, Bohler Addition 195. All in-season head coaches and selected players (when available) will be available for the phone conference and in-person interviews. Contact the WSU Media Information Office for more information. Members of the media may attend in person or participate by use of the telephone.

LISTEN TO COUGAR GAMES ANYWHERE: Cougar football fans can listen to the Voice of the Cougars Bob Robertson's broadcasts, even if a network station is not in your locale. TRZ Sports Service Inc.'s "Teamline" provides the hookup directly into the Cougar Sports Network. Call 1-800-846-4700 and punch in the Cougar access code 5938. The cost is charged to your VISA or Mastercard.

LIVE TELEVISION: Oct. 17 the Pac-10 Conference television package includes: Fox Sports Net will show the USC at Washington State game 7:15 PT…ABC Sports will telecast the Oregon at UCLA game regionally at 12:30 p.m. PT…Fox Sports will also show the California at Washington game in syndication 3:30 P.T.

FSNW-TV: Fox Sports Northwest will replay Washington State’s game vs. USC Oct. 18 at 1:30 p.m..

TICKETS: Tickets for all Cougar home and away games are available through the WSU Ticket Office, North 225 Grand, Pullman, Wash. 99164-1910, or by calling 800-GO-COUGS (available toll free from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands).

AUDIO ON INTERNET: WSU's football broadcasts are now available on the Internet through Broadcast.com...the address is: http://www.broadcast.com/schools/wsu.

WSU RADIO: Bob Robertson, Paul Sorensen, Jeff Aaron, and Bud Nameck will combine talents on the 24-station Crimson and Gray Sports Network. Robertson is in his 32nd year of broadcasting Cougar sports and Sorensen is in his 13th season with WSU. Broadcast time is 60 minutes prior to kickoff. The "Mike Price Show," produced and distributed by Broadcast Ink, airs weekly throughout the network, with Robertson as the show's host.

SATELLITE: WSU uplinks football video twice each week...each Sunday at 6:15 p.m. PDT WSU uplinks a 30-minute package (C-Band, Telstar 4, Transponder 1) of highlights from the previous game and an interview with head coach Mike Price...each Tuesday a 15-minute package (C-Band, Telestar 5, Transponder 7) is uplinked at 4:15 p.m. with coach and player interviews recorded at practice that afternoon...the service is provided by Northwest Public Television on the WSU campus (if trouble, call 509-335-5177). A test program is sent out for 15 minutes prior to each uplink time. The Pacific-10 office transmits a weekly highlight package each Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. PDT on Telstar 4, Transponder 20, C-Band (if trouble, call 310-543-1835 or the Pac-10 office).

PRICE AND PLAYERS AVAILABLE: WSU head football coach Mike Price is available for individual media interviews Wednesday, Thursday and Friday (expect prior to road games), 11:00-Noon. Arrangements for Price interviews must be made through his office, 509-335-0250. WSU players are available for interviews before and after practice each Tuesday and Wednesday and before practice each Thursday. Contact Erin Rowley at the WSU Media Information Office.

PRICE PHONE CONFERENCES: Mike Price is available for media interviews three times weekly via a conference phone hookup, Sunday at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday at 1:15 p.m. and Thursday at 6:00 p.m. For access information contact the WSU Media Information Office.

COUGAR INFOCONNECTION: Members of the media may access WSU press releases, game statistics and other sports specific information through InfoConnection. For information on how to access information from all 10 Pac-10 schools and the Pac-10 office, contact the league office or any of the Pac-10 sports information offices. All Pac-10 schools made the move to InfoConnection from Faxback at the start of the 1998-99 school year.