2020 Washington State Cougars football team

Last updated

2020 Washington State Cougars football
Washington State Cougars wordmark.svg
Conference Pac–12 Conference
DivisionNorth Division
Record1–3 (1–3 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Brian Smith (1st season)
Co-offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann (1st season)
Offensive scheme Run and Shoot
Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert (1st season)
Base defense 4–2–5
Captain Max Borghi, Abraham Lucas, Liam Ryan, Jahad Woods
Home stadium Martin Stadium
Seasons
←  2019
2021  →
2020 Pac-12 Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
North Division
Washington x  3 –1   3 –1  
Oregon y$  4 –2   4 –3  
Stanford  4 –2   4 –2  
California  1 –3   1 –3  
Washington State  1 –3   1 –3  
Oregon State  2 –5   2 –5  
South Division
No. 21 USC xy  5 –0   5 –1  
Colorado  3 –1   4 –2  
Utah  3 –2   3 –2  
Arizona State  2 –2   2 –2  
UCLA  3 –4   3 –4  
Arizona  0 –5   0 –5  
Championship: Oregon 31, USC 24
  • $ – Conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • Note: Due to COVID-19, the Pac-12 suspended the season on August 11, but later decided to begin play on November 6. In addition to the title game on December 18, the conference seeded all remaining teams for a game during that weekend. [1]
Rankings from AP Poll.

The 2020 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Nick Rolovich. The team played their home games in Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, and competed as members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

Contents

On August 11, 2020, the Pac-12 Conference initially canceled all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [2]

On September 24, the conference announced that a six-game conference-only season would begin on November 6, with the Pac-12 Championship Game to be played December 18. Teams not selected for the championship game would be seeded to play a seventh game. [3]

Schedule

Washington State had games scheduled against Utah State, Houston, and Idaho, but canceled these games on July 10 due to the Pac-12 Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [4]

Original 2020 Washington State Cougars schedule
DateOpponentSite
September 3at Utah State* Maverik Stadium • Logan, UT
September 12 Houston* Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
September 19 Idaho*Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA (Battle of the Palouse)
September 26at Oregon State Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR
October 3 California Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
October 10 Utah Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
October 17at Stanford Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
October 31 Arizona State Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
November 7at Colorado Folsom Field • Boulder, CO
November 14at UCLA Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA
November 21 Oregon Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
November 27 Washington Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA (Apple Cup)
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
November 77:30 p.m.at Oregon State
FS1 W 38–28—
November 144:00 p.m.No. 11 Oregon
FOX L 29–43—
November 217:30 p.m.at Stanford
FS1No Contest [5]
November 277:30 p.m. Washington
ESPN No Contest [6]
December 64:30 p.m.at No. 20 USC
FS1L 13–38—
December 121:00 p.m. California
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
FOXNo Contest [7]
December 1910:30 a.m.at Utah
FS1L 28–45

[8]

#WeAreUnited controversy

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, student athletes of the Pac-12 Conference formed a unity group to negotiate with the conference to get more fair treatment for student athletes ranging from COVID-19 safety protocols to racial equality messages under the threat of opting out of the fall season with the hashtag #WeAreUnited. [9]

On August 2, 2020, Washington State wide receiver Kassidy Woods alleged that head coach Nick Rolovich threatened his status on the team, while also being removed from the team chats and being told to clear out his locker. [10] Woods also released an audio conversation between him and Rolovich to the Dallas Morning News, where Rolovich was understanding of Woods opting out due to COVID-19 but was still critical of the unity group. [11] Rolovich said in a statement that the said conversation between him and Woods occurred before the release of the #WeAreUnited group's article, and Washington State spokesman Bill Stephens clarified that Woods did not lose his scholarship or has been cut from the team, while ESPN reported that no one has been cut, but is not allowed to participate in team activities if they choose to opt out due to safety reasons. [12] [13]

Personnel

Staff

NamePositionSeasons at
Washington State		Alma Mater
Nick Rolovich Head coach1 Hawaii (2004)
Brian Smith Offensive coordinator / running backs1 Hawaii (2005)
Jake Dickert Defensive coordinator / Linebackers1 Wisconsin–Stevens Point (2007)
Michael Ghobrial Special teams coordinator1 UCLA (2011)
Craig Stutzmann Co-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks1 Hawaii (2002)
Andre AllenWide receivers1 Ashford (2014)
Mark WeberOffensive line1 Cal Lutheran (1980)
A. J. Cooper Defensive ends1 North Dakota State (2006)
Ricky LogoDefensive tackles1 North Carolina State (1992)
Mark Banker Safeties1 Springfield (MA) (1978)
John RichardsonCornerbacks / recruiting coordinator1 North Dakota State (2010)
Dwain BradshawHead strength and conditioning coach1 Arizona State (2014)
Jason CverckoChief of Staff1 Connecticut (2011)

Rankings

Ranking movements
Legend:██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516Final
AP ——————————
Coaches RV—————————
CFP Not releasedNot released

Game summaries

At Oregon State

Washington State Cougars (0–0) at Oregon State Beavers (0–0)
Period1234Total
Cougars77141038
Beavers0771428

at Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon

Game information

Oregon

Oregon Ducks (1–0) at Washington State Cougars (1–0)
Period1234Total
No. 11 Ducks7772243
Cougars13601029

at Martin Stadium • Pullman, Washington

  • Date: November 14, 2020
  • Game time: 4:00 p.m. PST
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Chris Coyle
  • TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando (play-by-play) & Spencer Tillman (analyst)
Game information

At USC

Washington State Cougars (1–1) at USC Trojans (3–0)
Period1234Total
Cougars060713
No. 20 Trojans2873038

at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California

  • Date: December 6, 2020
  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Scattered clouds, 64 °F (18 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Steven Strimling
  • TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis
  • Reference
Game information

At Utah

Washington State Cougars (1–2) at Utah Utes (2–2)
Period1234Total
Cougars7210028
Utes07142445

at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, Utah

  • Date: December 19, 2020
  • Game time: 10:30 a.m. PST
  • Game weather: Partly cloudy, 38 °F (3 °C)
  • Game attendance: 0
  • Referee: Mark Duddy
  • TV: FS1
  • Reference
Game information

Awards

PlayerAwardDate
Jayden de Laura Pac-12 Freshman of the Week [14] November 9, 2020
Ayden HectorPac-12 Freshman of the Week [15] November 16, 2020

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Rolovich</span> American football player and coach (born 1979)

Nicholas Robert Rolovich is an American former football coach and player. He was most recently the head football coach at Washington State University (WSU). Rolovich majored in economics at the University of Hawaii, and received a master's degree at New Mexico Highlands University. He was a quarterback with the Las Vegas Gladiators in the Arena Football League (AFL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Cougars football</span> Football team of Washington State University

The Washington State Cougars football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the FBS and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference (Pac-12). Known as the Cougars, the first football team was fielded in 1894.

The 2014 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2014 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by third-year head coach Mike Leach and played their home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington. They were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season with a 3–9 overall record and a 2–7 mark in conference play to finish in a tie for fifth place in the North Division.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Washington State Cougars football team</span> American college football season

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.

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The 2019 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by eighth-year head coach Mike Leach, the Cougars competed in the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference, and played their home games on campus at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington.

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The 2020 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by third-year head coach Jonathan Smith. The team played their home games on campus at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon, as a member of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

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The 2021 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Nick Rolovich for the first seven games of the season. Rolovich was fired on October 18 after refusing to comply with Washington's COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert took over as the team's interim head coach for the reminder of the season. He was announced as the Cougars 34th head coach following their Apple Cup victory on November. The team played their home games in Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, and competed as members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.

The 2022 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars played their home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, and competed as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They were led by head coach Jake Dickert, in his second season.

The 2023 Oregon State Beavers football team represented Oregon State University in the Pac–12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Jonathan Smith, the Beavers played their home games on campus at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, Oregon.

The 2023 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University in the Pac–12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars were led by Jake Dickert in his third year as head coach. They played their home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington.

References

  1. ↑ Pac-12 Conference. "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved September 24, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ "Pac-12 Conference postpones all sport competitions through end of calendar year". pac-12.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". pac-12.com. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Washington State-Stanford Football Game Cancelled". wsucougars.com. November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Boeing Apple Cup Update". wsucougars.com. November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Washington State-California Football Game Canceled". wsucougars.com. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  8. ↑ "2020 Washington State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  9. ↑ Bumbaca, Chris. "Group of Pac-12 athletes unite, threaten opt out unless athletes' demands of conference are met". USA Today. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  10. ↑ Peter, Josh. "Washington State player says head coach threatened his status over Pac-12 unity group". USA Today. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  11. ↑ Blum, Sam. "Full transcript: Washington State coach Nick Rolovich critical of PAC-12 unity statement in conversation with WR Kassidy Woods". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  12. ↑ Evans, Jace. "Washington State coach Nick Rolovich attempts to clarify position on #WeAreUnited group". USA Today. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  13. ↑ Rittenberg, Adam. "Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich tells WR Kassidy Woods joining unity group would create 'an issue'". ESPN. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 1" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 2" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
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