Oct. 19, 2005

PULLMAN, Wash. - Sebastian left Butch wringing water out of his ears and picking feathers out of his fur as the ibis from Miami waddled away with the week six match-up of the Capital One Mascot Challenge. Butch falls to 2-4 in weekly challenges.

"There's always light at the end of the tunnel," counseled WSU running back Jerome Harrison who has 1,001 rushing yards for the 3-3 Cougars. "Butch is the man! Everybody loves Butch. He's just got to keep his head up and keep fighting `til the end. No way a tiger can beat a Cougar. Plus, he's got to win and lead the way for us to beat Auburn next year."

The fur is flying as Butch clashes with catty cohort Aubie the tiger from Auburn University in week seven of the Mascot Challenge. The big cat brawl serves as a preview of the 2006 football opener between the two schools, upping the stakes as the ferocious felines feud through 6 a.m. Monday, Oct. 24.

Butch took another tumble in the overall standings after last week's loss, landing in the 11th spot with a 2-4 record and 579,293 overall votes, the second lowest vote total in the contest. Butch has just five more weekly match-ups to get himself back into the top six and into the Mascot Challenge finals.

Cast your vote each day at www.capitalonebowl.com and help Butch as he vies for the Capital One Mascot of the Year.