Cougs Finish Non-Conference Slate 3-0
Football begins Pac-10 play with Cal.
September 21, 1998
FOOTBALL: WSU Takes 3-0 Mark To Cal and Pac-10 Opener
WHO: WSU Cougars (3-0-0, 0-0-0) vs. California Golden Bears (2-1-0, 0-0-0)
WHAT: Pacific-10 Opener for both teams
WHEN: Saturday, September 26; Kickoff 4:00 p.m. PT
WHERE: Memorial Stadium (74,909, grass), Berkeley, Calif.
TV: ABC TV regional live; Fox Sports Northwest replays the game Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
1998 WSU RESULTS
Record: 3-0-0, 0-0-0 [OPP REC]
9/5 Illinois (20-13) [1-2-0]
9/12 @ Boise State (33-21) [2-1-0]
9/19 Idaho (24-16) [2-1-0]
9/26 @ California [2-1-0]
10/3 @ UCLA [2-0-0]
10/10 Oregon [3-0-0]
10/17 USC [3-0-0]
10/24 Bye
10/31 Arizona State [1-2-0]
11/7 @ Arizona [3-0-0]
11/14 @ Stanford [1-2-0]
11/21 Washington [2-0-0]
WSU THIS WEEK: CAL
Record: 2-1-0, 0-0-0
9/5 Houston (14-10)
9/12 Nebraska (3-24)
9/19 @ Oklahoma (13-12)
9/26 Washington State
10/3 Bye
10/10 @ USC
10/17 @ Washington
10/24 UCLA
10/31 @ Oregon State
11/7 @ Arizona State
11/14 Arizona
11/21 Stanford
WSU NEXT WEEK: UCLA
Record: 2-0-0, 0-0-0
9/12 Texas (49-31)
9/19 @ Houston (42-24)
9/26 @ Miami
10/3 Washington State
10/10 @ Arizona
10/17 Oregon
10/24 @California
10/31 Stanford
11/7 @ Oregon State
11/14 @ Washington
11/21 USC
THE COACHES: WSU - Mike Price (Puget Sound '69) has a 56-49-0 (.533) record at WSU in 10 years and a career mark of 102-93-0 (.523) in 18 seasons at Weber State (1981-88; 46-44-0) and WSU (1989-present). CALIFORNIA - Tom Holmoe is in his second year with the Bears and has a 5-9-0 career record, all with Cal...the Bears were 3-8-0 last year in his first season as a head coach.
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. CAL: The Cougars and Bears will be meeting for the 62nd time...the Bears hold a 35-21-5 lead in the series that began in 1919...WSU has won the last two meetings, posting a 63-37 win in Pullman last year and a 21-18 victory the year before, also in Pullman...Mike Price is 5-2 against Cal and Tom Holmoe is 0-1 against WSU..the Cougars are 10-4-1 against California since 1980.
COUGS WIN 8TH STRAIGHT AT HOME: Washington State's 24-16 win over Idaho was the school's eighth straight win at home, including a perfect 6-0 mark last year...the Cougs have also won six straight regular season games (the final three of 1997) and 13 of its last 14 regular season games.
WSU ON TV: The Cougars are slated for two upcoming appearances on ABC Sports...WSU's game at California and the following week at UCLA will both be shown live by ABC as part of their regional coverage...this week from California's Memorial Stadium ABC Sports' Mark Jones will call the action with Dean Blevins providing commentary.
FOX SPORTS NORTHWEST TV: WSU's matchup with California will be replayed at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 20, by Fox Sports Northwest.
WSU RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS:
* WSU boasts biggest offensive line ever
* Taylor hauls in record 97-yard TD pass
* SI says WSU best quarterback school
* Thompson already seventh in career interceptions
* WSU's Pac-10 scoring streak of 173 on the line
* WSU scoring streak at 158 games
* Cougars 32-17 at home under Mike Price
* Mike Price third among Pac-10 coaches with 102 wins
* WSU's defense among Pac-10's elite
* Cougars 43-29-0 in last six years
* Cougar "D" tough to run against
* Nance, Meiers only experienced D-linemen active
* Taylor Pac-10 Player of the week on offense
CAPTAINS: WSU - OT Rob Rainville (79), DT Gary Holmes (95) and LB Steve Gleason (34). CALIFORNIA -The Golden Bears select game captains each week.
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's 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
HOW YOUNG ARE THE COUGS?: The Cougar roster this year includes 37 freshmen (15 redshirts), 23 sophomores (18 redshirts), 35 juniors (23 redshirts) and 17 seniors (14 redshirts)...the starting lineup against Illinois included three freshmen (all redshirt freshmen; two total on defense), three sophomores (two redshirt sophs; two total on defense), nine juniors (five redshirt juniors; five total on defense) and seven seniors (six redshirt seniors; two total on defense).
SENIORS TOTAL 16: WSU's Pac-10 championship team of 1997 played 23 scholarship seniors...this year just 11 members of the 16-player senior class are on scholarship.
TRAVELING A NEW EXPERIENCE: For nearly half of WSU's 60-player travel squad at Boise State, making a road trip was a new experience...28 of the players on the WSU travel roster were making their first trip, not counting last year's Rose Bowl (when every player made the trip)...in addition, 22 players are in their first year of competition for the Cougars.
TAYLOR SETS RECORD: Nian Taylor was on the receiving end of the longest pass in WSU history last week against Idaho...quarterback Steve Birnbaum hit with a pass and Taylor took it the rest of the way for a 97-yard return...the previous record was 87 yards in 1957 when Bon Newman hit Jack Fanning against Stanford, and then again in 1992 with a Drew Bledsoe to Phillip Bobo pass.
TAYLOR CATCHES EIGHT FOR 254: Nian Taylor hauled in eight passes for 254 yards against Idaho, including a school record 97-yard reception...his 254 yards was one yard short of the WSU record for reception yards in one game - the record is 255 yards by Deron Pointer against ASU in 1993.
TRUE FROSH ON DL: The last time a true freshman started on WSU's defensive line was in 1978 when Ken Collins, out of Cashmere, Wash., earned a starting spot at tackle or nose guard by mid-season...with the loss of Gary Holmes for at least two weeks, the Cougars could call on Joey Hollenbeck or Mark Hedeen, a pair of outstanding rookies who are now seeing action on the defensive line...a check of WSU's records back into the 1970's show Collins, who was drafted by New England at the end of his career, is the only recent true frosh to start on the line...two other rookies played but didn't start, Milford Hodge (1980) and Nick Volk (1985).
PRICE'S COUGS START FAST: Washington State, since Mike Price took over in 1989, has won eight of 10 home openers, including each of the last seven...during Price's 10 years, WSU is 33-14 through the first five games of each season...his squads are 6-4 in season openers (not home openers), 8-2 in the second game of the year, 8-2 in the third game, 6-3 in the fourth game and 6-3 in the fifth game.
WSU INJURIES: Here is WSU's injury report for Monday, Sept. 21, from Mark Smaha, director of athletic medicine: LB Tupo Tuupo (broken shoulder blade Aug. 24; out until mid-Oct.), LB Raonall Smith (ankle, questionable), OL Ryan Raymond (right fibula fracture, questionable), DT Gary Holmes (ankle sprain, will not play).
ROOKIE ROSTER ADDITIONS: WSU has added two scholarship players to the roster of rookies who reported this fall...they are freshman WR Curtis Nettles (Culver City, Calif.) and junior college transfer DB Dante Minners (Bloomington, Calif., Citrus CC).
THOMPSON PICKS TWO PASSES: Sophomore Lamont Thompson, who has only started seven games in his career (the final four last year, the first three this year), already has nine interceptions, including three this season and six in the final four games of 1997...Thompson is now tied with Greg Burns for seventh on WSU's career list.
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...that gives him 13 field goals in his last 16 attempts.
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.
MOST STARTS: Seniors Gary Holmes and Dee Moronkola each have 18 starts to their credit, tops among the Cougar players...here's a list of WSU's leading starters:
Dee Moronkola - 18 (17 consecutive)
Gary Holmes - 18 (2 consecutive)
Rob Rainville - 17 (15 consecutive)
Rian Lindell - 15 (15 consecutive)
Love Jefferson - 15 (15 consecutive)
Steve Gleason - 15 (15 consecutive)
Lamont Thompson - 7 (7 consecutive)
COUGS NATIONALLY: Cougars Chris Martin and Lamont Thompson are tied for second nationally, averaging 1.0 interceptions per game..Dee Moronkola is fourth nationally in kickoff returns (35.0/game) and Rian Lindell is tied for fourth in field goals (2.33/game).
SCORING STREAK ALIVE AT 158: The Washington State Cougars have scored in a record 158 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 3-0-0 2 1 77/25.7
103-99-4 2 17 51 63 42 18 14 5302/25.7
* = TD RECORD: WSU scored at least one touchdown in 82 consecutive games between 1984 and 1991...the streak ended with a 44-3 loss to UCLA in 1991.
PAC-10 SCORING STREAK AT 173: In addition to having scored in 158 consecutive games, WSU also has scored in 173 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 213 first quarter points in the last 60 games (3.55/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, and seven this year.
PRICE THIRD IN WINS: WSU coach Mike Price is third among the current Pacific-10 coaches with 102 wins...Arizona's Dick Tomey has 138, followed by ASU's Bruce Snyder, 110...Price, in 10 years at WSU, is second in consecutive years at the same school...Tomey is in his 12th at Arizona.
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 56-49-0 (.533), while his career mark is now 102-93-0...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 32-17 record, including a 25-8 mark the past six years...on the road, WSU is 24-32...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 2-0 1-0 3-0
TOTALS: 32-17 24-32 55-49
COUGARS VS. RANKED TEAMS: In 1997 WSU defeated No. 22 USC and lost to 21st ranked ASU...unranked at the start of the season when WSU won, UCLA finished the year ranked seventh...in the final game of the year, WSU lost to co-national champion Michigan...WSU, in 1995, suffered losses to three nationally ranked teams: No. 2 Nebraska, at No. 5 USC and at No. 12 Oregon...in 1996 WSU lost at No. 5 Colorado, defeated No. 25 Oregon and No. 19 California and lost to No. 12 Washington.
RED ZONE: Washington State has scored 10 times in 14 trips into the Red Zone this year (71.4%), four touchdowns and six field goals...the Cougs have missed three field goals and lost the ball on downs once...opponents have had eight opportunities in the Red Zone, scoring four touchdowns and one field goal (62.5%)...they have missed one field goal and suffered two interceptions by WSU...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%).
RUSHING TOTALS UNDER 100: In the last six years WSU has held 28 of 60 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 60 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 - 2/2
Illinois 123, Boise State 120, Idaho 100.
WSU DEFENSE HALTS LONG RUSHES: WSU's defense just doesn't allow long runs...in the last six years WSU has allowed just 41 runs of 20 yards or longer in 59 games:
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 - 2
None.
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 - 12
WSU SECOND IN PAC-10 DEFENSE: In 1997 WSU's defense ranked second in the Pac-10 (six yards short of first), marking the third time in the last six years the Cougar defense has ranked either first or second...since 1992 WSU has been in the top half of the conference all but once...the Cougs won the defensive title in 1994, allowing 229 yards a game, the best average in the league since 1982 and the second best since 1971...here's how the Pac-10 defenses rank, 1992-97: Arizona 293.6 yards per game (66 games/19,375 yards), WSU 311.8 (66/20,581), Washington 333.8 (66/22,033), ASU 343.8 (66/22,691), USC 354.7 (68/24,120), Oregon 359.1 (67/24,062), UCLA 360.1 (66/23,769), OSU 360.7 (66/23,807), California 375.8 (66/24,806), Stanford 382.3 (67/25,614).
WSU AMONG WIN LEADERS SINCE '92: The Washington State Cougars have won 43 games since the start of the 1992 season, equalling the fifth best overall mark among league teams......the Cougars' 25 conference wins ranks tied for sixth 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 49 22 1 34 14 1
USC 46 26 3 31 17 1
Arizona 45 27 1 28 20 1
Oregon 45 29 0 25 23 0
Washington State 43 29 0 25 23 0
UCLA 43 28 0 27 21 0
Arizona State 42 29 0 28 21 0
Stanford 37 34 2 23 26 0
California 31 41 0 15 33 0
Oregon State 17 51 1 5 43 1
100-YARD RUSHERS FEW: Only 15 running backs have been able to crack the 100-yard mark in the last six years against WSU's defense...UCLA's Skip Hicks is the only back to have done so in back-to-back seasons and the Bruins are the only team to have a back go over 100 yards in each of the last three seasons:
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 - 1
Steve Havard, Illinois, 103.
SPECIAL TEAMS, DEFENSE SCORE: WSU's special teams and defense have scored 39 of the team's 77 points, while the offense has contributed 38 points...the breakdown includes 27 points from field goals, six from a kickoff return and six from a returned fumble...the offense has scored six touchdowns and one two-point conversion.
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 @ Arizona @ UCLA @ Arizona
10/10 Stanford 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 ---
THREE COUGS HONORED BY PAC-10: Three members of the 1998 Cougar football team received All-Pac-10 honorable mention recognition last year, linebacker Steve Gleason, cornerback Dee Moronkola and special teams specialist Brad Philley
ACADEMIC HONORS ACCORDED COUGS: Linebacker Steve Gleason, offensive tackle Rob Rainville and offensive guard Mike Sage all received All-Pac-10 academic honorable mention recognition in 1997.
COUGS INCH UP IN POLLS: Washington State's 3-0 start and win over Idaho last week boosted the Cougars in the national polls...this week WSU is 31st in both the AP (up from 44) and USA Today/ESPN (up from 38) polls...other Pac-10 schools receiving votes this week in the AP poll were: 5. UCLA, 8. Washington, 16. Arizona, 17. USC and 21. Oregon...Ohio State topped this week's poll with 53 first-place votes...they were followed by Nebraska (7 first place votes) Kansas State (1), Tennessee, and UCLA (1).
TURNOVERS: The Cougs are +3 in turnovers after three games...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 2 1 4 5 1 0 2 2
CAL
UCLA
TOTAL +3 10 7 5 12 6 4 5 9
REVIEWING WSU'S 1998 SEASON
* 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 has 13 tackles, including two sacks...WSU had 479 yards in total offense, with 366 passing, 113 rushing.
TOUGH PLAYING DL AT WSU: There seems to be a little more risk involved in playing on the defensive line at WSU than in playing other positions...since coming off the Rose Bowl nine months ago, the Cougars have lost seven defensive linemen, leaving the team much smaller and less experienced than was expected...those anticipated to be in fall camp who are no longer members of the team include: Saeed Abdul-Malik (250 pounds, junior, JC transfer who did not receive his AA degree), James Agnew (330, RS-So., decided not to play football), Takari Blash (265. RS-Jr., attending school but not playing football), Eric Hodge (246, junior, a JC transfer who left fall camp after one week), Nate Mallory (265, RS-Fr., did not meet NCAA eligibility requirements), Delmar Morais (257, RS-Sr., injuries), Taeao Salausa (284, Sr., transferred)...now adding to the woes is the loss of senior Gary Holmes following a severe ankle sprain in the Idaho game...Holmes (6-7, 320, RS-Sr.) will be out several weeks.
NANCE, MEIER NOW WSU'S ONLY EXPERIENCED DL: Washington State's list of defensive linemen with any significant experience is down to two with the loss of Gary Holmes, out for a few weeks with an ankle sprain...only Jonathan Nance and Rob Meier had any significant experience before the season started...both Nance, a senior, and Meier, a junior, entered this season with backup duty in 23 games during the 1996 and 1997 seasons...each had two starts last year...Nance had 23 tackles, including eight sacks, in his previous two seasons, while Meier had 18 tackles...the combind experience of all other active linemen is 12 games, all as reserves.
1998 RANKINGS FOR THE COUGARS
PLAYER CATEGORY AVG PAC-10
Kareem Anderson
Punting 43.25 4
Steve Birnbaum
Passing Offense 113.7 8
Total Offense 208.0 6
Kevin Brown-
Rushing 52.67 8
Total Offense 52.67 19
DeJuan Gilmore-
Rushing 78.67 5
Total Offense 78.67 16
All-purpose 103.0 12
Leaford Hackett
Pass Receptions 10.69 *10
Receiving Yards 10.69 19
Rian Lindell-
Scoring Offense 9.0 *5
Field Goals 2.33 1
Chris Martin
Interceptions 1.00 *1
Dee Moronkola
Kickoff Return 35.0 1
James Price
Tackles 10.7 2
Earl Riley
Interceptions .33 *10
Lamont Thompson
Interceptions 1.00 *1
Punt Return 5.25 *9
Nian Taylor-
Punt Return 11.80 3
Scoring Offense 8.0 *7
Pass Receptions 6.0 *4
Receiving Yards 112.67 2
All-purpose 139.33 5
* = Tie
1998 TEAM STATISTICAL RANKINGS
WSU WSU WSU
TEAM CATEGORY AVG PAC-10 NCAA
Rushing Offense 126.3 7 75
Passing Offense 247.0 7 28
Total Offense 373.3 6 47
Scoring Offense 25.7 8 52
Rushing Defense 114.3 3 41
Pass Efficiency Defense 75.6 1 5
Total Defense 302.7 3 *36
Scoring Defense 16.7 5 24
Net Punting 39.4 3 20
Punt Returns 7.9 9 59
KO Returns 22.5 8 40
Turnover Margin- 1.00 *4 *22
CAL CAL CAL
TEAM CATEGORY AVG PAC-10 NCAA
Rushing Offense 65.0 10 103
Passing Offense 203.0 8 50
Total Offense 268.0 10 97
Scoring Offense 10.0 10 103
Rushing Defense 201.3 10 90
Pass Efficiency Defense 85.1 4 12
Total Defense 329.0 5 *52
Scoring Defense 16.7 5 *28
Net Punting 31.3 10 99
Punt Returns 11.0 *3 *39
KO Returns 22.2 9 44
Turnover Margin 1.33 *2 *19
* = Tie
NATIONAL LEADERS
Kareem Anderson Punting 43.25 26
Steve Birnbaum Total Offense 208.0 39
Rian Lindell Scoring Offense 9.0 *32
Field Goals 2.33 *4
Chris Martin Interceptions 1.0 *2
Lamont Thompson Interceptions 1.0 *2
Dee Moronkola Kickoff Return 35.0 4
Nian Taylor Punt Return 11.80 33
Pass Receptions 6.0 *32
Receiving 112.67 13
All-Purpose 139.33 31
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS: Washington State's weekly Fox Sports Northwest award winners from the Idaho game are:
Pac-10 Offense: Nian Taylor (Riverside, CA)
Pac-10 Defense: Lamont Thompson (Richmond, CA)
Pac-10 Special Teams: None
Offensive Lineman: Mike Sage (Las Vegas, NV)
Offensive Back: Nian Taylor (Riverside, CA)
Offensive Scout Team: Marcus Torian (Anchorage, AK)
Defensive Back: Chris Martin (Brooklyn, NY)
Defensive Lineman: Joey Hollenbeck (Enumclaw, WA)
Defensive Scout Team:Gerry Cook (Honolulu, HI)
Defensive Pursuit Player: James Price (Anchorage, AK)
Cougar Claw:: Chris Martin (Brooklyn, NY)
Big Hit: Jeremy Thielbahr (Sandpoint, ID), Brad Philley
(Puyallup, WA), Dee Moronkola (Richmond, CA)
Cougar Tackler: None
Specialist of the Week: Kareem Anderson (Phoenix, AZ)
Most Disciplined Offense: Miquel Meriwether (West Covina, CA),
Love Jefferson (Garden Grove, CA)
Most Disciplined Defense: Lamont Thompson (Richmond, CA)
Most Disciplined Special Teams: Billy Newman (Laguna Nigel, CA)
Special Teams Big Play: Joey Hollenbeck (Enumclaw, WA)
Big Play Offense: Steve Birnbaum (Chino Hills, Ca), Nian Taylor (Riverside, CA)
PAC-10 PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Kareem Anderson was named special teams player of the week for his 47.6 yard average on five punts against Illinois; Nian Taylor was offensive player of the week for his eight catch, 254 yard, three touchdown performance against Idaho.
1998 WSU FOOTBALL STARTERS
POS ILL BSU IDA CAL UCLA ORE USC ASU ARIZ STAN WASH
SE Hackett Davis Davis
LT Rainville Rainville Rainville
LG Tujague Tujague Tujague
C Long Long Long
RG Sage Criscione Criscione
RT Raymond Raymond Raymond
TE Jefferson Jefferson Jefferson
SB Hackett
QB Birnbuam Birnbaum Birnbaum
RB Gilmore Gilmore
RB Brown Brown
FL Taylor Taylor Taylor
SE White White
PK 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
DT Ratcliff Holmes Holmes
DT Meier Meier Meier
DE Marong Ratcliff Ratcliff
SLB Gleason Gleason Gleason
MLB Smith Price Price
WLB Price Philley Philley
CB Moronkola Moronkola Moronkola
FS Thompson Thompson Thompson
SS Riley Riley Riley
CB Martin Martin Martin
P Anderson Anderson Anderson
MIKE PRICE TV SHOWS: The "Mike Price TV Show" airs Sunday evenings at 11:30 p.m. PT on KXLY, KAPP and KVEW television stations....KXLY's Rick Lukens hosts the shows...FOX Sports Northwest's nightly (7:00 p.m.) Northwest Tonight show also gives extensive coverage to Price and Cougar football.
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: Sept. 24 the Pac-10 Conference television package includes: ESPN will telecast the Arizona at San Diego State game 5:00 PT. Sept. 26 the Pac-10 Conference television package includes: ABC Sports will telecast the Washington State at California game regionally at 4:00 p.m. PT, the USC at Florida State game regionally at 12:30 p.m. PT, and the Washington at Nebraska game at 12:30 p.m. PT. CBS will show the UCLA at Miami game at 9:00 a.m. PT
FSNW-TV: Fox Sports Northwest will replay Washington State's game at California Sept. 27 at 3:30 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).
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 pack (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).
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.
