No. 21 WASHINGTON STATE vs. No. 18 MICHIGAN STATE
6 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 28  •  FOX Sports 1
San Diego County Credit Union Stadium (70,561)  •  San Diego

No. 21 COUGARS HEAD TO SAN DIEGO FOR HOLIDAY BOWL

No. 21 Washington State (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) will be making their 14th Bowl appearance in program history when they meet No. 18 Michigan State (9-3, 7-2 Big Ten) in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl, Thursday, Dec. 28. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. on FOX Sports 1.

HOLIDAY BOWL HISTORY

Washington State, who owns a 7-6 record in 13 bowl games, will be making their second straight and fourth overall appearance in the Holiday Bowl, matching the Rose Bowl for the most of any Bowl in program history. The Cougars own a 1-2 mark in the Holiday Bowl, falling to BYU in 1981, beating Texas in 2003 before falling to Minnesota last season. Head coach Mike Leach will be making his 14th career bowl game appearance and third career appearance in the Holiday Bowl, leading Texas Tech to a 45-31 win over California in 2004 before taking Cougars to the Holiday Bowl last season. 

WSU VS. BIG TEN, MICHIGAN STATE HISTORY

Michigan State and WSU will meet for the first time since 1976 with the Spartans leading the all-time series 5-2. WSU claimed the last meeting, a 23-21 in East Lansing in 1976. WSU also owns a 1-2 mark when facing Big Ten Conference teams in bowl games, Michigan won the 2003 Rose Bowl 21-16, WSU beat Purdue in the 2001 Sun Bowl 33-27 and Minnesota won last year's Holiday Bowl 17-12. 

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State is 9-3 for the first time since 2003 and is looking for its fifth 10-win season in program history (1997, 2001, 2002, 2003). WSU entered the Holiday Bowl ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press Top-25, No. 18 in the College Football Playoff Rankings and No. 21 in the Coaches Poll. The Cougars are making their third straight bowl appearance (2015 Sun Bowl, 2016 Holiday Bowl, 2017 Holiday Bowl), doing so for the first time since 2001-03 (2001 Sun Bowl, 2003 Rose Bowl, 2003 Holiday Bowl). WSU owns the nation's second-rated passing attack and the country's No. 15-rated defense that has forced 27 turnovers, sixth-most in the country. 

MIKE LEACH AMONG NATION'S BEST

Head coach Mike Leach owns a 122-80 record in his 16-year coaching career including a 38-37 mark in his sixth seasons at WSU, the fourth-most wins by a Cougar head coach. Leach was the first coach in school history to lead WSU to three bowl games in his first five seasons and joins Mike Price as the only Cougar head coaches to take WSU to three straight bowl games. In the last three seasons, the Cougars are tied with Washington for the 3rd-most conference wins (19) in the Pac-12, trailing only Stanford and USC each with 21. Leach, the 2015 Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year and a George Munger Coach of the Year semifinalist the past two seasons, has seen the Cougar Air Raid lead the Pac-12 in passing in four of the five seasons, only finishing second behind Cal and Jared Goff in 2013. Earlier this season Leach was named The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week after beating No. 5 USC. 

MIKE LEACH BOWL GAMES

Cougar head coach Mike Leach is making his 14th bowl game appearance and fourth with the Cougars. Leach owns a 6-6 career bowl game record (Leach did not coach Texas Tech in their 2009 Alamo Bowl win) and led Washington State to a 20-14 win over Miami in the 2015 Sun Bowl. 

19 SENIORS EARN DEGREES

By the summer of 2018, 19 Cougar seniors will have earned their degrees. Seven (Dimry, Dotson, Falk, Lewis, Morrow, Pelluer and Salmonson) already walked and earned their degrees last Spring or Winter, nine more (DeRider, Ekuale, Hanser, Madison, McBroom, O'Connell, Parker, Powell and Wicks finished this fall and three more (Luvu, Pippins and Taylor) will have earned their degrees by next summer.

NINE COUGARS EARN ALL-PAC-12 ACCOLADES

Nine Cougars received All-Pac-12 Conference recognition led by first-team selections offensive lineman Cody O'Connell and defensive lineman Hercules Mata'afa. WSU put multiple players on the first team for the third straight year, three in 2015 and two last season. Offensive lineman Cole Madison, safety Jalen Thompson and kicker Erik Powell were all named to the second team while offensive lineman Andre Dillard, quarterback Luke Falk, linebacker Frankie Luvu and running back Jamal Morrow all received honorable mention.

10 COUGARS EARN PAC-12 ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS (FULL BREAKDOWN ON PAGE 12)

Nine Ten Cougars received Pac-12 Conference All-Academic honors. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point-average and appear in at least 50 percent of their team's games. The 10 selections are tied for the most in program history (2009) and WSU has had at least five players earn all-academic recognition every season under Mike Leach. Wideout Brandon Arconado and linebacker Peyton Pelluer were both named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team, the first career honor of Arconado and fourth career accolade for Pelluer who has earned his third straight second-team honor. Eight Cougars received honorable mention; Nick Begg, Tristan Brock, Kyle Celli, Taylor Comfort, Isaac Dotson, Luke Falk, Dezmon Patmon and Trey Tinsley. 

FRIENDLY CONFINES OF MARTIN STADIUM

Washington State went 7-0 at home this season, the first, the most home wins in a season in program history and the first perfect home mark since going 6-0 in 2003. WSU's season-opening five-game homestand was a first in program history, sweeping all five contests. The only other time WSU  opened the season with more than three-straight home games was in 1907, with four.

COUGARS APPEAR AT No. 21 IN ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP-25

WSU enters the Holiday Bowl ranked No. 21 in the Associated Press and Coaches Top-25 Polls and No. 18 in the College Football Playoff Rankings. WSU was ranked as high as eighth prior to the game at California, the highest ranking since entering the 2003 Apple Cup No. 8 in the AP Poll. The Cougars opened the 2017 season ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press Preseason Top-25, the first time appearing in a preseason poll since 2002 (No. 11). 

SENIOR CLASS LEAVES THEIR MARK

The 2017 senior class has left their mark on the Cougar football program over the last four seasons. The 20-member class has tallied 29 wins, made three bowl games, earned 14 All-Pac-12 Conference honors including five first or second team selections, set Pac-12 records for passing yards and passing touchdowns, and had two running backs finish among the WSU all-time leaders in total TDs, rushing yards, all-purpose yards and receptions.

YOUNG COUGS TAKE THE FIELD 

WSU has seen 27 players make their debuts this season. 19 freshmen have made their first career appearance including six true freshmen, Jamire Calvin (WR), George Hicks III (CB), Tay Martin (WR), Zaire Webb (ST), Dominick Silvels (LB) and Will Rodgers III (DL). Three freshmen have recorded starts; Renard Bell (WR), Jahad Woods (LB), Justus Rogers (LB) and eight sophomores have started a game in 2017. 

CALIFORNIA COUGS RETURN HOME 

Washington State's roster features 37 players from southern California including seven from the San Diego area led by starting cornerback Darrien Molton (Temecula's Chaparral HS) and starting WIL linebacker Jahad Woods (Helix HS). Other San Diego area Cougs: OL Cedric Bigge-Duren (Oceanside HS), WR C.J. Dimry (La Costa Canyon HS), WR Dezmon Patmon (Patrick Henry HS), LB Dominick Silvels (Patrick Henry HS) and RUSH Mason Vinyard (Helix HS).

AIR RAID NUMBERS ADD UP

Washington State enters the Holiday Bowl with the nation's second-best passing attack (374.8), tied for seventh  with 35 passing touchdowns and No. 21 in the country with 286 first downs. Against Arizona, WSU tallied 646 yards of total offense, 602 passing yards and tied the school record with 58 completions on 84 pass attempts. In the win over Stanford, WSU tallied 430 yards of total offense and tossed three touchdowns. The Cougars opened the season with 30+ points in six straight games for the first time since the 2001 team reached that mark seven times. Last season, WSU finished third in the country in passing offense (362.5) and set a program single-season records for the most touchdowns scored (67) and points (496). The Cougar passing attack led the country in passing in 2015 (389.5) and 2014 (477.7), was fourth in 2013 (368.4) and eighth in 2012 (330.4).

COUGARS CHASING SEASON MARKS (Season Records PageS 25-27)

The Air Raid and Speed D enter the Holiday Bowl having produced some of the top marks in WSU single-season history. The 35 passing touchdowns are tied for the fifth-most in program history while the 374.8 passing yards-per-game is the third-highest average. Defensively, the Speed D is tied for the fifth-most tackles-for-loss (98) in WSU season history while the 37 sacks are seventh-most and the 27 takeaways and 14 interceptions sit just outside the Top-10. Individually, quarterback Luke Falk has thrown the sixth-most touchdowns (30) and thrown for the seventh-most yards (3,593) while defensive lineman Hercules Mata'afa is tied for second in single-season Top-10 for tackles-for-loss (21.5) and tied for 10th in sacks (9.5) and kicker Erik Powell owns the fourth-most 50+yard field goals (3), fifth-most field goals (19) and tied for the sixth-most total points (101) in WSU single-season history. The Cougars are looking to post wins over three Top-25 opponents in a season for the first time since 2003 (at No. 17 Colorado, at No. 10 Oregon, vs. No. 5 Texas).

SPREADING THE BALL AROUND

Washington State has averaged a national-best 9.8 receivers catching a pass per game this season, according to an unofficial survey from sports information directors. 10 (Montana State, Boise State, Oregon State), 13 (Nevada), 9 (USC), 8 (at Oregon), 10 (at Cal, Colorado), 11 (at Arizona), 9 (Stanford, at Utah) and 8 (at Washington). Last season, the Air Raid saw 10+ players catch a pass in 11 of the 13 games, highlighted by the 14 against Arizona, the most under Mike Leach at WSU. In 2015, WSU was the only team in the country with 10 players with 20+ receptions and was the only Power-5 Conference team with two players owning double-digit touchdown receptions. Last season, the Cougars were the only team in the country with five players owning 40+ catches last year. This season, WSU owns eight players with 25+ catches, tied for the most in the country (New Mexico State).

FALK WINS BURLSWORTH TROPHY, NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR DAVEY O'BRIEN

Redshirt-senior Luke Falk entered the 2017 season named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award (Player of the Year), Davey O'Brien (Top Quarterback), Johnny Unitas Golden Arm (Top QB - senior or 4th year junior) and Walter Camp Player of the Year. Falk was later named a semifinalist for the Davey O'Brien Award and after being named a finalist for the third-straight year for the Burlsworth Award (top former walk-on), won the award December 4 at a banquet in Fayetteville. Falk is the first Cougar to win a national award since safety Deone Bucannon was named the Elite Defensive Back Award by the College Football Performance Awards in 2013. Falk finished the regular season leading the Pac-12 Conference with 30 touchdown passes and sixth in the country with 3,593 passing yards and earned Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors twice. 

FALK SETS PAC-12 AND WSU RECORDS (Page 27)

Quarterback Luke Falk opened his redshirt-senior season completing his first 20 passes and going 33-for-39 for 311 yards and three touchdowns against Montana State. His second touchdown pass, a six-yard strike to Tavares Martin Jr. in the second quarter, was his 91st career touchdown pass, breaking Connor Halliday's WSU touchdown passing touchdown record. Against Boise State, Falk passed Halliday's WSU record for passing yards and Alex Brink's WSU record for total offense. Falk followed with a 6-TD game in the win over Oregon State and then threw for 478 yards and five touchdowns against Nevada. He earned Davey O'Brien Quarterback of the Week after throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns in the win over No. 5 USC and added three more touchdowns in the win at Oregon, passing Marcus Mariota for the second-most passing touchdowns in Pac-12 history. During the Colorado win, Falk broke Mariota's Pac-12 record for career total offense and also became WSU's all-time winningest quarterback, breaking Jason Gesser's previous record of 24. In the win over Stanford, Falk threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns, breaking Sean Mannion's (OSU) Pac-12 passing yards record on a short swing pass to Jamal Morrow in the second quarter. In the win at Utah, Falk threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns and his one-yard touchdown throw to Kyle Sweet in the second quarter, broke Matt Barkley's (USC) Pac-12 career touchdown record of 116. Falk enters the Holiday Bowl with Pac-12 career records for passing touchdowns (119), passing yards (14,486), total offense (14,086), plays (2,306), completions (1,404) and attempts (2,055). The Logan, Utah native is the nation's active leader in passing yards and passing yards-per-game (336.9), good for sixth-best in NCAA FBS history and his 14,486 career passing yards are seventh-most in NCAA FBS history while his 119 career touchdown passes are tied for 10th-most.

FALK BY THE NUMBERS

14,486 - Pac-12 and WSU record for career passing yards (WSU vs. Boise State, Pac-12 vs. Stanford)

14,086 - Pac-12 and WSU record for total offense (WSU vs. Boise State, Pac-12 vs. Colorado)

1,404 - Pac-12 and WSU record for career completions (WSU last season, Pac-12 vs. Boise State)

119 - Pac-12 and WSU record for career TD passes (WSU vs. Montana State, Pac-12 at Utah)

68.3 - Career 68.3 completion percentage is 2nd among all active FBS quarterbacks (Mayfield)

41 - 41 rushing yards against Colorado was a career-high, his 16-yard run was a career-long

30 - WSU record for career 300-yard games, includes 11 career 400-yard efforts, second in school history

30 - 30 touchdown passes in 2017 leads the Pac-12 and 10th-most in the country

27 - In 40 career starts, Falk owns 27 wins

23 - Falk owns 23 career 3-TD games

7 - Falk finished his career with 7 wins against Oregon State (4-0) and Oregon (3-0)

7 - Falk's career fourth-quarter comeback wins after coming back to beat Stanford last week

6 - Owns WSU record six career Pac-12 Player of the Week Awards, two this season (Oregon State, Stanford)

3 - 3-time All-Pac-12 Selection, First Team - Sophomore, Second Team - Junior, Honorable Mention - Senior

FALK's FOURTH-QUARTER COMEBACKS

Luke Falk is no stranger to leading fourth-quarter comebacks, recording the seventh in his career after the win over No. 18 Stanford. In the fourth-quarter this season, Falk is a combined 69-of-94 (73.4%) for 642 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception. In the win over No. 5 USC, Falk went 10-of-12 for 90 yards and a touchdown and later went 8-of-10 for 99 yards and touchdown against No. 18 Stanford.

1 - at Oregon State (2014), WSU trailed early in the fourth and Falk led a pair of scoring drives for a 39-32 victory. 

2 - at Rutgers (2015), WSU trailed by four with 1:31 remaining, Falk led WSU on a 10-play, 90-yard drive capped by an 8-yard touchdown pass to River Cracraft with 13 seconds remaining. 

3 - at Oregon (2015), Falk led a pair of scoring drives late in the fourth quarter to erase a 10-point deficit and threw an eight-yard touchdown pass with one second remaining to force overtime. In overtime, Falk rushed for a touchdown and then threw for another before the defense picked off a pass in the second overtime to clinch the win. 

4 - vs. Arizona State (2015), trailing 24-17 to start the fourth quarter, Falk led WSU on three touchdown drives (73, 99 and 75 yards) in the quarter, capping each with touchdown throws to post a 38-24 victory. 

5 - at No. 18 UCLA (2015), trailing by three with 1:09 remaining, Falk led the Cougars on a seven-play 75-yard drive, capped by a 21-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Marks with three seconds remaining. 

6 - at Oregon State (2016), WSU trailed by three early in the fourth quarter before Falk led WSU on an 80-yard scoring drive midway through the quarter, capped with a one-yard touchdown pass to Robert Lewis that proved to be the game-winner. 

7 - vs. No. 18 Stanford (2017), trailing by four in the fourth quarter, Falk lead WSU on an 11-play 94-yard drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jamire Calvin for a 24-21 lead with 6:46 remaining that proved to be the game-winner.

FALK EARNS SIXTH CAREER PAC-12 WEEKLY HONOR

Luke Falk earned his second Pac-12 Player of the Week accolade of the season after throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns and breaking the Pac-12 Conference career passing yards record during the win over No. 18 Stanford. Falk, winner of the award a WSU-record six times in his career, passed Sean Mannion's (OSU) previous passing record of 13,600 on a short swing pass to Jamal Morrow during the second quarter. Falk earned his seventh career fourth-quarter comeback victory and the first this season after leading the Cougars on an 11-play 94-yard scoring drive late in the fourth quarter, capped with an 11-yard TD to Jamire Calvin with 6:56 remaining.

FALK 4-0 AGAINST OREGON STATE, NAMED PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Luke Falk was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week after going 37-for-49 for 396 yards and tying a school record with six touchdowns in the 52-23 win over Oregon State. The Logan, Utah native went 4-0 against OSU, becoming the first Cougar quarterback to beat a team four times. Falk made his first career start at Oregon State in 2014, throwing for 471 yards and five touchdowns. Against OSU, Falk owns 1,689 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and two interceptions while averaging 422.3 passing yards per game.

FALK LAST SEASON

Last season, Luke Falk was fourth in the country in passing yards-per-game (343.7) and passing yards (4,468), seventh with 38 passing touchdowns and a Pac-12-best 342.2 yards-per-game in conference play. Falk tied his own WSU single-season record with  38 touchdown passes and finished second behind Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield for the nation's highest completion percentage (.700). 

HILINSKI DELIVERS

Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Tyler Hilinski stepped in and came up big for the Cougars in the comeback win over Boise State. Hilinski relieved Luke Falk late in the third quarter and passed for 240 yards with three TDs, the last one coming as the game-winner in triple overtime. The Claremont, Calif. native stepped in for Falk again at Arizona, recording a pair of rushing TDs, 509 passing yards with two TD passes and four interceptions. It was career-bests for Hilinski who had only played extensively in the win over Arizona last season (15-17, 163 yds, 2 TD). In seven games this season, Hilinksi has thrown for 904 yards with five touchdowns and also rushed for two.

ALL-PURPOSE, ALL THE TIME

The Cougar running backs own all-purpose roles and have taken the Air Raid offense to new levels. In the week one win over Montana State, redshirt-sophomore James Williams erupted with 208 all-purpose yards, catching 13 passes for 163 yards and two scores, setting WSU single-game records for catches and receiving yards by a running back. Also in the win, the backs combined for 354 all-purpose yards on 40 touches with three TDs, 157 rushing yards and 197 receiving yards. Against Boise State, Williams made a game-high 10 catches, redshirt-senior Jamal Morrow caught two TDs including the game-winner in triple overtime and redshirt-senior Gerard Wicks rushed for a TD in the second overtime. In the win over USC, the backs combined for 222 all-purpose yards led by Morrow who rushed for 91 yards with two TDs (1 rec, 1 rush). In the Oregon win, Wicks produced runs of 21 and 20 yards while Morrow opened the game with a 41-yard TD catch. Against Colorado, WSU rushed for a season-high 194 yards, Morrow later caught 10 passes for 83 yards at Arizona before tallying 136 all-purpose in the win over No. 18 Stanford. The backs have combined for 14 total touchdowns, 1,082 rushing yards (5.1 ypc), 981 receiving yards (132 rec) and 2,184 all-purpose yards, needing just 19 receiving yards to post their second straight 1,000-1,000 season in rushing and receiving yards.

EACH BACK MAKING A MARK (Page 25)

Each Cougar running back has put their name throughout the record book. Jamal Morrow owns the WSU record for receptions by a running back (198) and good for third-most by any player in WSU history. Morrow's 4,192 career all-purpose yards are third and 23 total touchdowns are tied for seventh in WSU history. Gerard Wicks is tied for fifth in WSU history with 19 career rushing touchdowns while his 21 total touchdowns are 10th and 97 career receptions are fifth-most by a running back. James Williams owns 61 catches this season, second-most by any back in the country, and needs just one catch to break Morrow's WSU single-season record for catches  by a running back. Williams' 109 career receptions are third-most by a running back in WSU history. 

MORROW NAMED TO DOAK WALKER AWARD, HORNUNG AWARD WATCH LIST, ALL-PAC-12 HM

Running back Jamal Morrow was named to the 2017 watch lists for the Doak Walker Award and Paul Hornung Award. The Doak Walker is given to the nation's best running back while the Hornung Award is given to the most versatile player in major college football. Morrow was the first Cougar to be named to the Paul Hornung Watch List since the award was created in 2010 and was the first named to the Doak Walker since Jerome Harrison was a finalist in 2005. Morrow was recently named All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention for the second straight season after leading the Cougars with 1,070 all-purpose yards, his third straight season with 1,000 all-purpose yards. The redshirt-senior from Menifee, Calif. enters the Holiday Bowl tied for the team lead with nine total touchdowns, a team-high 522 rushing yards and fourth on the team with 56 receptions. 

MORROW CLIMBING RECORD BOOKS (Page 27)

Running back Jamal Morrow does a little of everything for the Cougar offense, rushing, receiving, blocking and owns the school record for receptions by a running back (198), third-most by any player. Morrow has now recorded three-straight seasons of 1,000 all-purpose yards, and with 1,070 all-purpose yards this season, has moved into the Top-3 in school history for all-purpose yards (4,192), trailing only former All-Americans Steve Broussard and Rueben Mayes. He opened 2017 with 116 all-purpose yards, rushing for 89 against Montana State, caught two TDs against Boise State and rushed for 91 yards while rushing for touchdown and catching a touchdown in the win over No. 5 USC. He opened the win at Oregon with a 41-yard TD catch, added another 101 all-purpose yards with a TD run against Colorado and 10 receptions at Arizona. Morrow recorded 136 all-purpose yards in against No. 18 Stanford and caught another 10 passes in the Apple Cup. He enters the Holiday Bowl in the WSU Top-10 for career receptions (3rd), all-purpose yards (3rd), total touchdowns (7th) and catches by a running back (1st). Morrow needs 93 rushing yards to break into the WSU Top-10 for career rushing yards and become the first player in WSU history to be top-10 in receptions, rushing yards, all-purpose yards and total TDs. Morrow is just the second player in program history with three straight seasons with 1,000 all-purpose yards (Steve Broussard, 1987-89)

CAPTAIN MORROW COME ON DOWN

Jamal Morrow has served as the WSU game captain for the past 34 games and coach Leach revealed why in 2016. In August of 2013, Morrow was a contestant on The Price is Right, reaching a showcase showdown and coach Leach thought he would be good at the coin toss. Morrow began the streak in WSU's double-overtime win at Oregon in 2015. The Cougars are 24-10 since, and Morrow is 11-4 in correctly calling the toss on road and bowl games, WSU is 7-4 when he wins a coin toss and WSU has been on the winning end of the coin toss 23 times in those 34 games with Morrow at captain, who won the coin tosses at Oregon, at Utah and at Washington in 2017.

HIGH SCHOOL DUO COMES UP BIG

Former high school teammates at Cathedral High School in Los Angeles, redshirt-freshman wideout Renard Bell and true freshman Jamire Calvin each reached milestones during the week two win over Boise State. Bell made seven catches for a team-high 107 yards for his first career 100-yard game while Calvin caught a 17-yard TD that started the fourth-quarter comeback. Against Nevada, the duo was at again as Bell tallied 113 receiving yards and Calvin corralled his second career TD. The southern California natives came up big in the win over No. 5 USC as Bell tallied a game-high 101 receiving yards and Calvin made three catches including a key 21-yard first down catch in the second half. Bell's first career TD catch came at Oregon, he added  another against Colorado before leaping to make an acrobatic 27-yard TD catch against No. 18 Stanford. Calvin answered Bell with the game-winning 11-yard TD catch to cap the fourth-quarter go-ahead TD drive late in the win over No. 18 Stanford. 

Bell owns 36 catches for 525 yards, a team-high 14.6 yards-per-catch, three touchdowns and three 100-yard games while Calvin has recorded 32 catches for 281 yards and three touchdowns. Both were named to the SB Nation Pac-12 All-Freshmen Team, Bell to the first team and Calvin to the second team.

YOUNG WIDEOUTS NOTCH FIRSTS

Two more young receivers have settled in started to contribute to the Air Raid. Redshirt-sophomore Brandon Arconado recorded his first career catch against Nevada, made his first career start (H) at California before catching his first career TD against Colorado. A true freshman broke out against Colorado and has helped take the Air Raid to new eights since. Tay Martin notched his first career TD with a 50-yard catch and run against CU and finished with four catches for 78 yards in the win. The Houma, La. native stayed hot with two more TD catches at Arizona, racing 49 yards for the second score. Martin came up big again in the win over Stanford, catching five passes for 40 yards including a diving 17-yard reception on a critical 3rd and 14 that allowed the drive to continue and saw the Cougars drive 94 yards for the go-ahead score. Martin added a 33-yard TD catch in the Apple Cup and enters the Holiday Bowl with 24 receptions for 315 yards and four touchdowns. Martin was named to the SB Nation Pac-12 All-Freshmen Second Team.

SWEET DOUBLES AS WIDEOUT/PUNTER

Junior wideout Kyle Sweet doubles as the Cougars starting Y receiver and punter. The Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. native started all 12 games at Y and is fifth on the team with 50 receptions for 481 yards and two touchdowns, including Luke Falk's Pac-12 record breaking 117th career TD pass at Utah. Sweet who punted, kicked off and kicked field goals in high school, took over the punting duties last season, averaging 38.2 yards-per-punt on 32 punts while recording seven 50-yard punts and putting nine inside the 20. In 2017, Sweet has averaged 38.4 yards-per-punt on 32 punts with six of 50+ yards including a long of 61 vs. Stanford and seven inside the 20.

O'CONNELL NAMED CONSENSUS ALL-AMERICAN

Offensive lineman Cody O'Connell was named to the All-American First Team by The Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News, and was named a Consensus All-American at right guard. He was named a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and CBS Sports, and to the All-Pac-12 Conference First Team. O'Connell, a unanimous All-American last season, is the first Cougar to earn All-America first-team honors in multiple seasons since kicker Jason Hanson (1989, 1991) and is the first player to earn first-team honors in consecutive seasons since running back Rueben Mayes (1984, 1985). The Wenatchee, Wash. native is the first Cougar offensive lineman in program history to earn first-team All-America honors in multiple seasons. O'Connell was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team after starting all 12 games at left guard for the nation's second-rated passing offense.

O-LINE ACCOLADES ADD UP

The Washington State offensive line has picked up a good number of accolades this season after producing the nation's No. 2 rated passing attack through the first 12 games. Redshirt-senior left guard Cody O'Connell capped his Cougar career earning All-America first-team honors for the second straight season along with a spot on the All-Pac-12 First Team. Redshirt-senior right tackle Cole Madison was named to the All-Pac-12 Second Team by the coaches and to the All-Pac-12 First Team by the Associated Press. Redshirt-junior left tackle Andre Dillard received All-Pac-12 honorable mention.

OFFENSIVE LINE BULKED UP

Not only have the Cougars produced big offensive numbers, finishing the last couple seasons among the nation's passing leaders, WSU has produced bigger offensive linemen. The size of the front five has gone up each season with the 2017 offensive line averaging 322.6 pounds after averaging the same number last season. In prior years WSU average 288.6 in 2012, 288.2 in 2013, 309.4 lbs in 2014 and nearly 310 lbs in 2015. 

COUGAR OFFENSIVE LINE "BONE" AWARDS  

Each week, Washington State coaches give out the "Bone Award" to the offensive lineman who performs the best during the previous game. Right tackle Cole Madison led the way with four BONE AWARDS this season. The awards in 2017: Montana State: B.J. Salmonson; Boise State: Cole Madison; Oregon State: Cole Madison; Nevada: Andre Dillard; USC: Andre Dillard; at Oregon: Cole Madison; at California: None; Colorado: B.J. Salmonson; at Arizona: None; Stanford: Cody O'Connell; at Utah: Cole Madison

DEFENSE CONTINUES TO MAKE STRIDES UNDER GRINCH IN YEAR 3

The Cougar defense has turned into a force under third-year defensive coordinator Alex Grinch, who was named a semifinalist for the Broyles Award (given to the nation's top assistant) this season. The Cougars enter the Holiday Bowl with the No. 15 ranked defense (313.6) in the country, fifth in the country with 98 tackles-for-loss and sixth in the country with 27 takeaways. The Speed D owns the country's eighth-rated passing defense (167.4) and a pair of shutouts (Montana State, Colorado), the first time WSU has had two shutouts in a season since 1981.

TAKEAWAYS=VICTORY

Defensive coordinator Alex Grinch has emphasized the need to force turnovers and get the ball back to the Air Raid offense. The Speed D owns 27 takeaways in 2017 including four against Boise State, two that were returned for touchdowns and one week later a fumble was returned for a touchdown over Oregon State. WSU intercepted three passes against Nevada, forced two turnovers against USC, three at Oregon, three more at Arizona before making its only takeaway against No. 18 Stanford, a game-clinching interception. At Utah, the Cougars forced seven turnovers (4 INT, 3 FUM), the most since recording seven against UCLA in 2003. The 27 turnovers lead the Pac-12 and are sixth-most in the country while the 13 fumble recoveries also lead the Pac-12 and are seventh-most in the nation and the 14 interceptions are fourth in the conference. In three seasons under Grinch, the Cougars are 19-4 when forcing multiple turnovers in a game. 

SPEED D HIGHLIGHTS IN 2017

- Montana State, first shutout since 2013, holding MSU to 143 yards of total offense, the fewest yards allowed since 2004 (125 vs. Colorado), and surrendered just 28 yards passing, the fewest since 1994 (18 at Oregon State)

- Boise State, had four takeaways, two returned for touchdowns (FUM, INT)

- Oregon State, recovered two fumbles, returned one for a touchdown, allowed 199 passing yards

- Nevada, allowed 151 yards of total offense while recording five sacks, 3 takeaways

- USC, allowed 327 yards of total offense, their lowest since facing Alabama to open the 2016 season, Sam Darnold went 15-of-29 for 164 yards, INT, fumble, sacked twice 

- at Oregon, 3 takeaways, 11 TFL's, 4 sacks, allowed 10 points and 277 yards for total offense after Oregon entered game averaging 537.4 ypg and a national-best 49.6 ppg

- at California, 9 TFL's, 2 sacks (both Hercules Mata'afa), allowed 106 rushing yards

- Colorado, shutout, 6 TFL's, 3 sacks, held CU to season-lows in total offense (174), rushing yards (80), passing yards (94) and just 2.0 yards-per-carry

- at Arizona, 3 turnovers (2 FUM, 1 INT), 8 tackles-for-loss

- Stanford, 1 INT, 11 TFL's, 2 sacks, held Stanford to season low in total offense (198) and Bryce Love to  season-low 69 yards on 15 carries (52 coming on run)

- at Utah, 7 takeaways (4 INT, 3 FUM), held Utah to 62 rushing yards and a 4-of-12 on 3rd down

- at Washington, held UW to 93 passing yards, recorded four TFL and one sack

SPEED D ADDS UP SACKS AND TFL'S

The Cougar defense opened 2017 with eight tackles-for-loss including three sacks against Montana State, 1.5 from Hercules Mata'afa. Against Boise State, Mata'afa tallied three more TFL's and Frankie Luvu recorded 2.5 sacks and recovered a fumble. WSU added three more sacks against Oregon State, tallied nine TFL's against Nevada including five sacks and added five more TFL's and two sacks against USC. In the win at Oregon, the Speed D recorded 11 TFL's with five sacks and later tallied nine TFL's at California including a pair of sacks from Mata'afa. WSU had three sacks against Colorado, eight TFL's at Arizona, 11 against No. 18 Stanford and 11 TFL's including eight sacks at Utah, tied for the third-most in WSU history. The Cougars enter the Holiday Bowl fifth in the country with 98 tackles-for-loss and No. 11 in the country with 37 sacks.

HERCULES NAMED CONSENSUS FIRST TEAM ALL-AMERICAN

Defensive lineman Hercules Mata'afa was named a Consensus First-Team All-American by SI.com, Walter Camp Foundation, Associated Press, The Sports News, ESPN.com, CBS Sports and SB Nation. The redshirt-junior from Lahaina, Hawaii and All-Pac-12 First Team selection is WSU's first consensus All-American defensive player since defensive lineman Rien Long in 2002. Mata'afa is the first Cougar defensive player to earn All-America honors since Deone Bucannon in 2013 and is the first-team All-America defensive lineman since Rien Long in 2002. Mata'afa was named to the All-Pac-12 Conference First Team after leading the Pac-12 with 21.5 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks, and also recorded 43 tackles with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Mata'afa started all 12 games, recorded multiple tackles-for-loss eight times and earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week following the win at Utah after making eight tackles, five for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

MATA'AFA NAMED POLYNESIAN COLLEGE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Hercules Mata'afa was named the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, the Polynesian Hall of Fame announced Dec. 12. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding Polynesian college football player that epitomizes great ability and integrity. University of Oregon and Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota was selected as the inaugural recipient of the award in 2014, Notre Dame and Baltimore Ravens offensive lineman Ronnie Stanley was selected as the recipient in 2015, and University of Colorado quarterback Sefo Liufau was selected as the recipient in 2016. Mata'afa is the first Cougar defensive player to win a national award since safety Deone Bucannon was named the Elite Defensive Back Award by the College Football Performance Awards in 2013. Quarterback Luke Falk won the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation's top former walk-on, earlier this month. Cougar legendary quarterback Jack Thompson was selected into the inaugural Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Class in 2014. "On behalf of the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Board of Directors and Selection Committee, we congratulate Hercules on this historic accomplishment," said Jesse Sapolu, Chairman and Co-Founder.  "He had an outstanding season and truly represents the very best of our Polynesian culture." The formal presentation of the Award will be held at the Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Celebration Dinner (January 19, 2018), along with being recognized during the Polynesian Bowl (January 20, 2018) on Oahu, Hawai`i.

HERCULES NAMED SEMIFINALISTS FOR BEDNARIK AWARD, WALTER CAMP AWARD (PAGES 25-27)

Prior to the season, defensive lineman Hercules Mata'afa was named to the Bednarik Award and Nagurski Award Watch Lists, both given to the country's top defensive player. Mata'afa was named one of 18 semifinalists for the Bednarik and one of 15 Players to Watch for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. Last season, the All-Pac-12 second team selection finished fifth in the league with 13.5 tackles including a team-high five sacks. The redshirt-junior opened 2017 with 1.5 sacks against Montana State, added three TFL's in the win over Boise State and had tallied 2.5 sacks against Nevada. Mata'afa added two more TFL's against No. 5 USC, had a pair of sacks at California, another sack against Colorado,  two more for loss at Arizona and 1.5 against  No. 18 Stanford. Mata'afa wrecked Utah, setting a career high with five TFL, three sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, tying for the most TFL in WSU single-game history. The Lahaina, Hawaii native enters the Holiday Bowl  leading the Pac-12 with 21.5 TFL and 9.5 sacks, fifth and ninth-most in the country, respectively. Mata'afa's 21.5 TFL are tied for the second-most in WSU single-season history, trailing DeWayne Patterson's record of 22 in 1993. Mata'afa also enters the bowl season as the Pac-12's active leader in career tackles-for-loss (46.0) and career sacks (21.5), second in WSU history for TFL and tied for fifth-most in sacks.

LUVU LIGHTS IT UP

Senior All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention selection Frankie Luvu has been a force at the RUSH linebacker spot this season and made the most of his final game in Martin Stadium. Luvu tallied 2.5 sacks in week two against Boise State, added two TFL's at Oregon and recorded two sacks in the win over Colorado. Luvu came up big in the win over Stanford, his final home game, making three tackles and clinching the win with an interception on the final drive, his first career INT. What made it even more special was that Luvu's parents, Veresa and Ia (ee-ah), had made the trip from Pago Pago, American Samoa for senior day, it was his dad's (Veresa) first trip to the mainland. Luvu, who entered the season with seven career TFL's and 1.5 career sacks, comes into the Holiday Bowl third on the team with 10.5 tackles-for-loss (tied for No. 12 in the Pac-12) and with 6.5 sacks (tied for ninth in the Pac-12).

LINEBACKERS LEAD THE WAY

The Cougar linebackers filled up the stat sheet the past two seasons led by two-time All-Pac-12 honorable mention MIKE Peyton Pelluer who finished fifth in the Pac-12 last season with 93 tackles including 7.5 for loss, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. WIL linebacker Isaac Dotson finished 2016 fourth on the team with 64 stops including six for loss. Both Dotson and Pelluer produced big numbers in the week two win over Boise State as Pelluer made a team-high 14 tackles to go along with a game-changing 36-yard interception return for touchdown while Dotson made a career-high 10 stops. Dotson missed the previous four games before making four stops in a start at  Utah and added seven tackles in the Apple Cup.

FRESHMEN BACKERS STEP UP

Redshirt-freshman Jahad Woods started at WIL linebacker the final nine games and came up big, highlighted by the game-high nine tackles against USC, forcing a fumble on his sack of Sam Darnold that was recovered by WSU to clinch the win. In the win at Oregon, Woods made seven more stops including 1.5 for loss, added six tackles against Colorado before making three tackles-for-loss and corralling a tipped pass for his first career interception at Arizona. The San Diego native made a game-high eight tackles including 1.5 for loss against No. 18 Stanford and added another eight stops and sack at Utah. Woods enters the Holiday Bowl second on the team with 61 tackles and 11 for loss including 2.5 sacks. Fellow redshirt-freshman linebacker Justus Rogers, a converted quarterback last fall, stepped in at MIKE linebacker and started four games before Dotson returned at Utah. Rogers posted nine-tackle games against California and Colorado, made six stops against No. 18 Stanford including 2.5 for loss with his first career sack and added two more sacks at Utah. The Bellevue, Wash. native owns 42 tackles, 6.5 for loss including three sacks. Walk-on redshirt-freshman linebacker Dillon Sherman has contributed as well, tallying 18 tackles in a backup role with four stops coming on kickoff. Sherman recovered a fumble during the comeback win over Boise State and made his first career sack in the win at Oregon.

THOMPSON TURNS THINGS UP

Sophomore safety Jalen Thompson, an ESPN.com True Freshman All-American last season and All-Pac-12 second-team selection this year, took huge steps as a sophomore. Thompson opened 2017 with a team-high seven stops and recorded his first career interception against Montana State, added eight tackles against Boise State, made nine tackles against Oregon State and picked off two passes against Nevada. Thompson added four stops against USC and made a career-high 10 tackles and fumble recovery against Colorado. Thompson tallied six tackles including 1.5 for loss against Stanford before doing a little bit of everything in the win at Utah, making five tackles, recovering two fumbles before intercepting Utah's hail mary to seal the game. The Downey, Calif. native leads the team with 69 tackles including 5.5 for loss, three fumble recoveries and his team-best four INT are tied for third in the Pac-12. 

DALE LOCKS IN AT THE NICKEL

Junior Hunter Dale settled into the NICKEL position after two-time All-Pac-12 selection Shalom Luani moved on to the Oakland Raiders. Dale recorded a sack in the win over USC but produced his best game at Oregon, recording a career-high nine tackles, three for loss including a sack and a forced fumble. The New Orleans native added another TFL at California, five more tackles including a pass breakup against Colorado, batted down a pair of passes in the win over Stanford before picking off his first career pass in the win at Utah. Dale enters the Holiday Bowl with 44 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble.

RUN-IT-BACK-ROB ADDS ANOTHER

Senior safety Rob Taylor has backed up his nickname "Run-it-back-Rob" with a couple touchdown returns for the Cougars. In his first season at WSU last year, the City College of San Francisco transfer earned Pac-12 Special Team Player of the Week after his 100-yard kickoff return in the win at Arizona State, WSU's first kickoff return for score since 2003. Taylor was at it again against Boise State, scooping up a fumble after a sack and scrambling seven yards for the Cougars first touchdown of the game. Taylor picked off his first career pass against Nevada and added an interception and fumble recovery in the win at Oregon. At California, the San Leandro, Calif. native made a career-high 11 tackles before tallying six tackles and recovered a fumble at Arizona. In the win at Utah, Taylor forced a fumble and picked off a pass and comes into the Holiday Bowl third on the team with 56 tackles, three interceptions and a Pac-12-best three fumble recoveries.  

ERIK POWELL CLIMBING THE CHARTS (Pages 20-27)

Kicker Erik Powell rebounded from a tough start last season after missing his first five field goals, hitting nine of his last 10 attempts including both attempts in the Holiday Bowl. The Vancouver, Wash. native opened 2017 connecting from 40 yards in the win over Montana State and added two more against Boise State, coming through with a 23-yarder in the second overtime. In the win over No. 5 USC, Powell came up big once again, connecting on field goals of 44, 33 and 32 yards including the final one proving to be the game-winner with 1:40 remaining. Powell was at it again in the win at Oregon, connecting on all four of his field goal attempts (25, 52, 47, 29) and added another 52-yarder at California the following week. Powell stayed hot with a career-long 56-yard field goal at Arizona, the longest by a Cougar since Andrew Furney's 60-yarder against Eastern Washington in 2012. Powell added a 41-yarder against Stanford and four more field goals in the win at Utah. The lefty earned All-Pac-12 Conference second-team honors after going 19-of-23 including 8-of-10 from 40+ plus yards with three makes of 50+ yards (52, 52, 56). His 101 total points are tied for sixth in WSU single-season history. Powell owns 50 career field goals, 312 career points and a 72.5 career field goal percentage, all third in WSU history. 

POWELL EARNS TWO STRAIGHT PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS, ADDS A THIRD

Kicker Erik Powell earned two straight Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week awards following the USC and Oregon wins. The redshirt-senior from Vancouver, Wash. picked up his third accolade after the win at Utah. Powell hit all three of his field attempts (44, 33, 32) in the win over USC with the 32-yarder proving to be the game-winner with 1:40 remaining. At Oregon the following week, Powell connected on all four of his field goal attempts (25, 52, 47, 29) with the 52-yarder being a career high to help the Cougars beat Oregon for the third straight season. Powell was the first Cougar to earn the award in consecutive weeks since Rueben Mayes in 1984 (Oct. 20, Oct. 27). Powell became the first Cougar to earn three special teams awards in a season after hitting four field goals in the win at Utah (44, 32, 28, 33) and all three extra points. Other Cougars to earn three special teams weekly honors in their career were punter Kyle Basler and kicker Drew Dunning while kicker Jason Hanson claimed the most with four.

SPECIAL FORCES PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Each week, Cougar special teams coach Eric Mele selects a Special Forces Player of the Week who made the biggest impact. The awards for 2017:

Montana State: Dillon Sherman, 3 units, tackle on kickoff, drew penalty

Boise State: Erik Powell, 2 FG (20, 23), 54-yard punt, two kickoff touchbacks

Oregon State: Gerard Wicks, 3 units, 2 knockdowns on kickoff, fumble recovery

Nevada: Kickoff team, 8 kickoffs, 5 tackles, 3 TB, 19.2 yards allowed, 19 players

USC: Erik Powell, 3 FG (44, 33, 32), game-winning FG, 3 TB

at Oregon: Field Goal Unit, 4 FG (25, 52, 47, 29), 3-for-3 PAT

at California: None

Colorado: Keith Harrington, first man down on four punts, two tackles on punt coverage

at Arizona: None

Stanford: Erik Powell, 41-yard field goal, 3-for-3 PAT, two tackles on kickoffs

at Utah: Erik Powell, 4 FG (44, 32, 28, 33), 3-for-3 PAT, seven touchbacks on eight kickoffs

at Washington: None

INSIDE THE HOT START

WSU started the season 6-0 for the first time since 2001 and was just the seventh 6-0 start in program history (1906, 1915, 1930, 1992, 1997, 2001). The Cougars opened the season with 30+ points in six straight games for the first time since 2001. 

SPEED D, FALK LEADS COUGARS TO ROAD WIN AT UTAH

The Washington State defense forced seven turnovers and Luke Falk threw three touchdown passes in the 33-25 win at Utah. The Speed D picked off four passes and forced three fumbles to record the most takeaways since 2003 and Falk broke Matt Barkley's Pac-12 record for career touchdown passes with his one-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. WSU matched a season-high with 11 tackles-for-loss, recorded eight sacks, the most since 2006, and held Utah to just 62 rushing yards while kicker Erik Powell hit four field goals for the Cougars.

FOURTH-QUARTER COMEBACK LEADS COUGARS PAST NO. 18 STANFORD

The Cougars used a fourth-quarter comeback to knock off No. 18 Stanford 24-21 for the second straight season. Luke Falk threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns, breaking the Pac-12 career passing yards record along the way as WSU won back-to-back meetings against the Cardinal for the first time since 2006-07. The defense recorded 11 tackles-for-loss and held Stanford to a season-low 198 yards of total offense including Bryce Love to a season-low 69 yards on 15 carries. Falk engineered an 11-play 94-yard scoring drive, capped by an 11-yard touchdown pass to Jamire Calvin for the go-ahead score. The Speed D clinched the win with an interception with under a minute to play.

SPEED D SHUTS OUTS COLORADO, SECOND SHUTOUT OF THE SEASON

Washington State recorded its second shutout of the season with a 28-0 victory over Colorado. The last time the Cougars posted two shutouts in a season was 1981 when WSU recorded three. WSU last shut out a conference opponent in 1981, 21-0 at No. 22 UCLA. The Cougars held Colorado to season lows in total offense (174), passing yards (94), rushing yards (80) including 2.0 yards-per-carry. WSU rushed for a season-high 194 yards while Luke Falk tossed three TD passes including the first career TD catches for Tay Martin (50 yards) and Brandon Arconado (18 yards).

COUGARS NOTCH THIRD STRAIGHT OVER DUCKS

Washington State posted a 33-10 victory over Oregon in Eugene to claim its third straight meeting against the Ducks for the first time since 1982-84. The Cougars also recorded back-to-back wins in Eugene for the first time since 1982 and 1984. Luke Falk threw for 282 yards and three touchdowns, Erik Powell kicked four field goals (25, 52, 47, 29) while the defense forced three turnovers, recorded 11 tackles-for-loss with four sacks, held Oregon to its lowest point total since 2009 and just 277 yards of total offense after entering the week averaging 537.4 yards-per-game.

COUGARS KNOCK OFF NO. 5 USC

Washington State received big plays from all three phases to post a 30-27 win over No. 5 USC in Pullman. It was WSU's first win over a Top-5 team since beating No. 5 Texas in the 2003 Holiday Bowl and first over a Top-5 team in the regular season since beating No. 5 Washington in the 1992 Apple Cup, also in Pullman. WSU saw running back Jamal Morrow rush for 91 yards and score two touchdowns (1 rush, 1 rec) while Luke Falk threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns. The Cougar defense held USC to just 327 yards of total offense, its lowest output since its 2016 opener against Alabama. WSU recorded five tackles-for-loss, picked off Sam Darnold once and forced a fumble off of Jahad Woods' strip-sack to seal up the win. Kicker Erik Powell connected on all three of his field goal attempts (44, 33, 32) with the last coming as the game-winner with 1:40 remaining.

THE COMEBACK

Down 31-10 to Boise State midway through the fourth quarter, Washington State rallied with 21 points in the final eight minutes to send the game into overtime. Redshirt-sophomore quarterback Tyler Hilinski got things going with a 17-yard touchdown strike to freshman Jamire Calvin to make it 31-17. Four plays later, Peyton Pelluer picked off an errant BSU pass and raced 39 yards for the score, cutting the deficit to 31-24. With under three minutes left in regulation, WSU was forced to punt but Erik Powell's punt landed on a Bronco blocker and redshirt-freshman Dillon Sherman jumped on the fumble. Three plays later, Hilinski found Morrow for a six-yard touchdown pass, evening the game at 31. In the third overtime, Hilinski again hit Morrow in the flat and Morrow scampered 22 yards before leaping over the left corner of the end zone for the game-winner. WSU matched the largest fourth-quarter comeback set back in 1984 after WSU trailed 42-21 to start the final period, scored 28 points behind a touchdown run from Mark Rypien, one from Rueben Mayes, a  53-yard scoring pass from Rypien to Mayes and finally a 22-yard touchdown run by Mayes to win 49-42 at Stanford. 

PELLUER NAMED TO WUERFFEL TROPHY WATCH LIST

Linebacker Peyton Pelluer was named to The Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. Pelluer was among the 109 players named to the watch list for The Wuerffel Trophy, known as "College Football's Premier Award for Community Service." Named after 1996 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel from the University of Florida, the Wuerffel Trophy is awarded to the FBS player that best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Pelluer is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, twice named to the First Team, and has been involved with a number of community service projects through WSU Athletics.

PELLUER NAMED PAC-12 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Linebacker Peyton Pelluer was named the Pac-12 Conference Defensive Player of the Week after making a team-high 14 tackles and keyed a fourth-quarter comeback with his 36-yard interception return for a touchdown in the 47-44 triple overtime win over Boise State. Pelluer's touchdown cut the BSU lead to seven and WSU eventually tied it with 1:44 left in regulation before winning in triple overtime. It was the redshirt-senior's second career interception and his 14 stops were his eighth career double-digit tackle effort. Pelluer, a native of Sammamish, Wash., led a defense that forced four turnovers and scored two touchdowns (Robert Taylor 7-yard fumble return for TD) for the first time since 2013. Pelluer earned his first career player of the week honor and is the Cougars first defensive player of the week accolade since Shalom Luani earned the award in 2015 after his two-interception game against Oregon State.

POWELL, WOODS EARN PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS

Kicker Erik Powell and linebacker Jahad Woods each garnered Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week awards after the win over USC. Powell was named the Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week and Woods as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, the first time WSU claimed two conference weekly honors in the same week since Erik Coleman did so in 2003. Coleman earned both Pac-10 Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week following the Cougars 31-13 win over No. 12 UCLA (10 tackles, 2 INT, 2 FF). Powell earned his first career weekly accolade after connecting on all three of his field attempts (44, 33, 32) with the 32-yarder proving to be the game-winner with 1:40 remaining. Woods earned his first career weekly accolade after making a game-high nine tackles and forcing a fumble on his sack of Sam Darnold that was recovered by Derek Moore to seal up the win. Woods, a redshirt-freshman from San Diego, was part of a Cougar defense that tallied five tackles-for-loss, forced two turnovers and held the Trojans to a season-low 327 yards of total offense. 

COLLEGE GAMEDAY RECORD

Dating back to the beginning of the 2004 season, ESPN's College GameDay has had the WSU flag appear throughout the show. The streak reached 208 after the appearance at the ACC Title game in Charlotte. 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." WSU recognized the GameDay flag wavers in a pregame ceremony prior to the Montana State game in 2010. In addition to the flags that fly, there is a traveling flag signed by the holders after each episode. The traveling flag is retired after each season, the first of which is hanging in WSU's Alumni Center.

POLYNESIAN PIPELINE

The Washington State roster has seen an influx in Polynesian players since Mike Leach and his coaching staff arrived in 2012. The 2017 roster has 11 players who are of Polynesian decent including four who list their hometown from American Samoa. 

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Four Cougars share a unique bond with their dads and/or grandpa, each have worn the crimson a gray. Redshirt-junior left tackle Andre Dillard's dad, Mitch was an offensive lineman and tight end for the Cougars in the late 1980's; redshirt-senior linebacker Isaac Dotson's dad, Michael was an All-American wrestler for WSU from 1983-86; redshirt-senior linebacker Peyton Pelluer's dad, Scott also played linebacker for the Cougs, matching Peyton's No. 47 from 1977-80; Peyton's grandpa, Arnie played end for WSU in the mid 1950's and his great grandpa, Carl Gustafson, played flanker in the 1920's; and freshman quarterback John Bledsoe's dad, Drew Bledsoe played at WSU from 1990-92, was the No. 1 overall pick by the New England Patriots in the 1993 NFL Draft and played 14 seasons.

10 COUGARS EARN PAC-12 ALL-ACADEMIC HONORS 

Nine Ten Washington State football student-athletes received Pac-12 Conference All-Academic honors. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point-average and appear in at least 50 percent of their team's games. The 10 selections are tied for the most in program history (2009) and the Cougars have had at least five players earn all-academic recognition every season under head coach Mike Leach. Wideout Brandon Arconado and linebacker Peyton Pelluer were both named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team, the first career honor of Arconado and fourth career accolade for Pelluer who has earned his third straight second-team honor. Eight Cougars received honorable mention; Nick Begg, Tristan Brock, Kyle Celli, Taylor Comfort, Isaac Dotson, Luke Falk, Dezmon Patmon and Trey Tinsley. Arconado earns his first career academic accolade after posting a 3.38 GPA and has yet to declare a major. Pelluer earned his fourth straight all-academic honor after earning first team honors as a freshman and second team honors the last three seasons. Pelluer has also earned CoSIDA All-District VIII first team accolades the last two seasons. The Sammamish, Wash. native owns a 3.36 cumulative grade-point-average while majoring in humanities and history. Pelluer is just the third Cougar in program history to be a four-time all-academic selection, joining Riley Fitt-Chappell (2002-05) and Matt Mullennix (2004-05, 2007-08). Begg earns his first career all-academic honor after producing a 3.18 GPA while majoring in marketing. The redshirt-junior defensive lineman recorded five tackles while appearing in all 12 regular season, recording his first career sack at Washington. Brock earned his second career all-academic honor after receiving honorable mention last season. The redshirt-sophomore defensive lineman owns a 3.09 GPA and has not declared a major. Brock recorded one tackle while appearing on special teams in 11 games. Celli earns his first career all-academic honor after posting a 3.02 GPA while majoring in strategic communication. The redshirt-junior longsnapper has started all 12 games and recorded five special teams tackles. Comfort earns his first career all-academic honor after posting a 3.24 GPA while majoring in criminal justice and criminology. The redshirt-junior defensive lineman appeared in all 12 games, mostly on special teams and recorded one tackle. Dotson earns his third all-academic honor after receiving honorable mention the last two seasons. The Bellevue, Wash. native owns a 3.11 grade-point-average while majoring in humanities. Falk also earns his third all-academic honor after receiving honorable mention the last two seasons. The Logan, Utah native owns a 3.22 GPA while majoring in humanities. Patmon earned his first career all-academic honor after producing a 3.08 GPA and has yet to declare a major. The sophomore wideout from San Diego appeared in all 12 games and tallied 31 receptions for 341 yards. Tinsley earned his first career all-academic honor after producing a 3.05 GPA while majoring in public relations. The redshirt-sophomore from Lake Forest, Calif. appeared in all 12 games as the field goal holder.

STEVE GLEASON RECRUIT SUITE IN COUGAR FOOTBALL COMPLEX

WSU announced the naming of the Steve Gleason Recruit Suite, inside the Cougar Football Complex in 2016. Gleason, the Washington State Athletic Hall of Famer who played football and baseball in a Cougar uniform from 1995-99, was on hand as the room all future Cougar football players will walk through was named in his honor. The opportunity arrived courtesy of Cougar alumnus Glenn Osterhout's naming donation of $250,000. With his pledge, Osterhout, a 1983 graduate who is a certified financial planner in Bellevue, was presented the opportunity to name the recruiting room inside the Cougar Football Complex.

COUGAR FOOTBALL BROADCAST TEAM

Hall of fame announcer Bob Robertson is in his 51st season calling Cougar football games, and according to a nation-wide survey of sports information directors, is the longest tenured radio announcer in the country with the next closest being Bill Hillgrove who has announced 47 straight seasons at Pitt. Robertson began calling WSU games in 1964 and with the exception of a three-year period in 1969-71, has been calling Cougar games ever since. Robertson now hosts the Cougars pre, halftime and postgame shows, while also providing analysis during the games. Matt Chazanow is in his third season as the play-by-play voice for Cougar football, men's basketball and baseball broadcasts. Joining Chazanow and Robertson in the booth for his fourth season will be Cougar legend Jason Gesser who quarterbacked WSU to the 2001 Sun Bowl and 2003 Rose Bowl. Returning for her sixth season as the sideline reporter is Jessamyn McIntyre, an executive producer for 710 ESPN Seattle.