2018 Washington State Cougars football team
The 2018 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team played their home games in Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington. They were led by 7th-year head coach Mike Leach and were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.[1]
| 2018 Washington State Cougars football | |
|---|---|
 | |
Pac-12 North Division co-champion Alamo Bowl champion | |
Alamo Bowl, W 28–26 vs. Iowa State | |
| Conference | Pac–12 Conference |
| North Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 10 |
| AP | No. 10 |
| 2018 record | 11–2 (7–2 Pac-12) |
| Head coach | Mike Leach (7th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Air raid |
| Defensive coordinator | Tracy Claeys (1st season) |
| Home stadium | Martin Stadium (Capacity: 32,952) |
Uniform | |
 | |
| 2018 Pac-12 Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 13 Washington xy$ | 7 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Washington State x | 7 | – | 2 | 11 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 6 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 5 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 4 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 1 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah xy | 6 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 5 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 4 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 4 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 3 | – | 6 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 2 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Washington 10, Utah 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 2018 season was one of the greatest in Washington State history. The Cougars won a school record-tying ten games, the first time they had won that many in the regular season since the Rose Bowl year of 2002. They also surged as high as seventh in major polling and went into the Apple Cup with a chance to clinch the Pac-12 North title and a shot at the Rose Bowl, but lost 28–15 to rival Washington in the snow in Pullman, a sixth consecutive loss to the Huskies. The 10–2 Cougars were invited to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio to play the Iowa State Cyclones. They won 28–26 for a school record 11th win.
Mike Leach's air raid offense was led by grad transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew, who led FBS in passing completions and attempts, and finished second in passing yards.[2] Minshew was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and was the recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He and offensive tackle Andre Dillard were named first-team all-conference. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Abraham Lucas was named to several national all-freshman teams, and was joined on the all-conference second-team by defensive end Logan Tago. Mike Leach was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second time of his career.
Previous season
The Cougars finished the 2017 season 9–4, 6–3 in Pac-12 play to finish in third place in the North Division. They were invited to the Holiday Bowl where they lost to Michigan State.
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rimington Trophy[3] | Frederick Mauigoa | C | JR |
| Chuck Bednarik Award[4] | Jalen Thompson | S | JR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[5] | Peyton Pelluer | LB | SR |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[6] | Gardner Minshew | QB | SR |
| Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award[7] | Gardner Minshew | QB | SR |
Pac-12 Media Days
The 2018 Pac-12 media days were held July 25, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Mike Leach (HC), Kyle Sweet (WR/P) & Jalen Thompson (S) represented Washington State at this event. The Pac-12 media poll was released with the Cougars predicted to finish in fifth place at Pac-12 North division.[8]
| Media poll (North) | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 249 (40) |
| 2 | Stanford | 198 (2) |
| 3 | Oregon | 178 (2) |
| 4 | California | 108 |
| 5 | Washington State | 98 |
| 6 | Oregon State | 45 |
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 12:30 p.m. | at Wyoming* | CBSSN | W 41–19 | 24,131 | ||
| September 8 | 8:00 p.m. | San Jose State* | P12N | W 31–0 | 26,141 | ||
| September 15 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 6 (FCS) Eastern Washington* |
| P12N | W 59–24 | 32,952 | |
| September 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at USC | ESPN | L 36–39 | 52,421 | ||
| September 29 | 3:00 p.m. | Utah |
| P12N | W 28–24 | 30,088 | |
| October 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at Oregon State | P12N | W 56–37 | 34,429 | ||
| October 20 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 12 Oregon | No. 25 |
| FOX | W 34–20 | 33,152 |
| October 27 | 4:10 p.m. | at No. 24 Stanford | No. 14 | P12N | W 41–38 | 39,596 | |
| November 3 | 7:45 p.m. | California | No. 10 |
| ESPN | W 19–13 | 32,952 |
| November 10 | 12:30 p.m. | at Colorado | No. 10 | ESPN | W 31–7 | 45,587 | |
| November 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Arizona | No. 8 |
| ESPN | W 69–28 | 22,400 |
| November 23 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 16 Washington | No. 7 |
| FOX | L 15–28 | 32,952 |
| December 28 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. No. 25 Iowa State* | No. 12 | ESPN | W 28–26 | 60,675 | |
| |||||||
Rankings
| Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||
| AP | NR | RV | RV | RV | NR | RV | RV | 25 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| CFP | Not released | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 13 | Not released | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game summaries
at Wyoming
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 4–2 | 2015 | W, 31–14 |
Washington State at Wyoming – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State | 10 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 41 |
| Wyoming | 2 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
at War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, WY
- Date: September 1
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C); Partly cloudy
- Game attendance: 24,131
- Referee: Kevin Hassell
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz, Aaron Murray, A.J. Ross
- wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
San Jose State
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 7–4–1 | 1996 | W, 52–16 |
San Jose State at Washington State – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose State | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Washington State | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
- Date: September 8
- Game time: 8:00 p.m. PDT
- Game attendance: 26,141
- TV announcers (P12N): Guy Haberman, Ryan Leaf, Cindy Brunson
- wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Eastern Washington
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 3–1 | 2016 | L, 45–42 |
Eastern Washington at Washington State – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 6 (FCS) Eastern Washington | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Washington State | 14 | 14 | 7 | 24 | 59 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
- Date: September 15
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT
- Game attendance: 32,952
- Referee: Steve Strimling
- TV announcers (P12N): Guy Haberman, Ryan Leaf, Cindy Brunson
- wsucougars.com Game Notes Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at USC
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 10–59–4 | 2017 | W, 30–27 |
Washington State at USC – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State | 3 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 36 |
| USC | 7 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 39 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
- Date: September 21
- Game time: 7:35 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); clear skies
- Game attendance: 52,421
- Referee: Javarro Edwards
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill
- wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Utah
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 8–7 | 2017 | W, 33–25 |
Utah at Washington State – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Washington State | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
- Date: September 29
- Game time: 3:07 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C); partly cloudy
- Game attendance: 30,088
- Referee: M. Mothershed
- TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage
- wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Oregon State
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 52–47–3 | 2017 | W, 52–23 |
Washington State at Oregon State – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State | 14 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 56 |
| Oregon State | 14 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 37 |
at Reser Stadium, Corvallis, OR
- Date: October 6
- Game time: 6:10 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C); mostly clear
- Game attendance: 34,429
- Referee: Kevin Mar
- TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage
- wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Oregon
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 39–49–7 | 2017 | W, 33–10 |
Oregon at Washington State – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 12 Oregon | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 20 |
| No. 25 Washington State | 7 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 34 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
- Date: October 20
- Game time: 4:35 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C); clear
- Game attendance: 33,152
- Referee: Mark Duddy
- TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman and Holly Sonders
- wsucougars.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Stanford
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 27–40–1 | 2017 | W, 24–21 |
Washington State at Stanford – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Washington State | 14 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 41 |
| No. 24 Stanford | 14 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA
- Date: October 27
- Game time: 4:35 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C)
- Game attendance: 39,596
- Referee: Mike McCabe
- TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage
- gostanford.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
California
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 27–47–5 | 2017 | L, 37–3 |
California at Washington State– Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 10 Washington State | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
- Date: November 3
- Game time: 7:50 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C); cloudy, rain
- Game attendance: 32,952
- Referee: Kevin Mar
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill
- wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at Colorado
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 5–6 | 2017 | W, 28–0 |
Washington State at Colorado – Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10 Washington State | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Colorado | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
- Date: November 10
- Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C); mostly clear
- Game attendance: 45,587
- Referee: Chris Coyte
- TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
- wsucougars.com Game Notes cubuffs.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Arizona
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 16–27 | 2017 | L, 58–37 |
Arizona at Washington State– Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| No. 8 Washington State | 21 | 34 | 0 | 14 | 69 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
- Date: November 17
- Game time: 7:35 p.m.PDT
- Game weather: 29 °F (−2 °C); clear
- Game attendance: 22,400
- Referee: Mike McCabe
- TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
- wsucougars.com Box Score wsucougars.com Game Notes
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Washington
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 32–72–6 | 2017 | L, 41–14 |
Washington at Washington State– Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 16 Washington | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 28 |
| No. 7 Washington State | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
- Date: November 23
- Game time: 5:45 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C); snow
- Game attendance: 32,952
- Referee: Steve Strimling
- TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Bruce Feldman
- wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
vs. Iowa State (Alamo Bowl)
| Overall record | Last meeting | Result |
|---|---|---|
| First meeting | ||
Alamo Bowl– Game summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 25 Iowa State | 0 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 26 |
| No. 12 Washington State | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
- Date: December 28
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, and Tom Luginbill
- http://506sports.com/ncaaf.php
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Awards
| Player | Award | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Gardner Minshew | Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week[9] | September 17, 2018 |
| Travell Harris | Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week[10] | September 17, 2018 |
| Jahad Woods | Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week[11] | November 19, 2018 |
Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year: Gardner Minshew II
Pac-12 Coach of the Year: Mike Leach[12]
NFL Draft
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL Club |
| Andre Dillard | OT | 1 | 22 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Gardner Minshew | QB | 6 | 178 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
References
- "Cougars Announce 2018 Football Schedule". wsucougars.com. November 16, 2017. Retrieved November 16, 2017.
- "2018 College Football Year Summary". Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved June 18, 2019.
- "Rimington Trophy Press Release". May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2018.
- "2018 Bednarik Award Watch List". July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- "Wuerffel Trophy Unveils 2018 Watch List". July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
- "Watch List for 2018 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award ® Presented by A. O. Smith Announced". August 14, 2018. Retrieved August 17, 2018.
- "Semifinalists for 2018 Davey O'Brien Award announced". November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
- "Washington picked as Pac-12 favorite in preseason media poll". July 25, 2018. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
- "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week - Week 3" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week - Week 3" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
- "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week - Week 12" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- Pac-12.com. Retrieved 2018-Dec-27.
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