2021 Washington State Cougars football team

Last updated

2021 Washington State Cougars football
Washington State Cougars wordmark.svg
Sun Bowl, L 21–24 vs. Central Michigan
Conference Pac–12 Conference
DivisionNorth Division
Record7–6 (6–3 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinator Brian Smith (2nd season)
Co-offensive coordinator Craig Stutzmann (2nd season)
Offensive scheme Run and shoot
Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert (2nd season)
Base defense 4–2–5
Home stadium Martin Stadium
Seasons
  2020
2022  
2021 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf.Overall
Team W L  W L 
North Division
No. 22 Oregon xy  7 2   10 4  
Washington State  6 3   7 6  
Oregon State  5 4   7 6  
California  4 5   5 7  
Washington  3 6   4 8  
Stanford  2 7   3 9  
South Division
No. 12 Utah xy$  8 1   10 4  
UCLA  6 3   8 4  
Arizona State†  0 3   0 5  
USC  3 6   4 8  
Colorado  3 6   4 8  
Arizona  1 8   1 11  
Championship: Utah 38, Oregon 10
  • $ Conference champion
  • x Division champion/co-champions
  • y Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

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 remainder of the season. He was announced as the Cougars 34th head coach following their Apple Cup victory in 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.

Contents

After finishing the regular season with an overall record of 7–5, the Cougars accepted an invitation to the Sun Bowl, to face the Miami Hurricanes. On December 26, the Hurricanes announced that they would not be able to play, due to COVID-19 issues; organizers stated that they would try to secure a replacement team to face the Cougars. [1] On December 27, the Central Michigan Chippewas were named as the Sun Bowl replacement team. [2] The Chippewas had originally been scheduled to face the Boise State Broncos in the Arizona Bowl, until the Broncos had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues and the Arizona Bowl was canceled. [3] [4]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentSiteTVResultAttendance
September 48:00 p.m. Utah State * P12N L 23–2624,944
September 113:00 p.m. Portland State *
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
P12NW 44–2422,651
September 1812:30 p.m. USC
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
FOX L 14–4524,714
September 2511:30 a.m.at Utah P12NL 13–2451,483
October 22:30 p.m.at California P12NW 21–640,286
October 91:00 p.m. Oregon State Dagger-14-plain.png
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
P12NW 31–2424,157
October 164:30 p.m. Stanford
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
ESPNU W 34–3126,171
October 2312:30 p.m. BYU *
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
FS1 L 19–2122,541
October 3012:00 p.m.at Arizona State FS1W 34–2146,136
November 137:30 p.m.at No. 3 Oregon ESPN L 24–3852,327
November 196:00 p.m. Arizona
  • Martin Stadium
  • Pullman, WA
P12NW 44–1822,541
November 265:00 p.m.at Washington FS1W 40–1368,077
December 319:00 a.m.vs. Central Michigan * CBS L 21–2434,540

[5]

Game summaries

vs Utah State

Utah State Aggies vs Washington State Cougars - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Aggies3261526
Cougars0614323

at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

  • Date: September 4, 2021 [6]
  • Game time: 8:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) Sunny
  • Game attendance: 24,944
  • Referee: Mike Cuttone
  • TV announcers (P12N): Jordan Kent (Play-by-Play), Bob Davie (Analyst)
Game information

vs Portland State

Portland State Vikings vs Washington State Cougars - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Vikings01001424
Cougars7237744

at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

  • Date: September 11, 2021
  • Game time: 3:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C) Sunny
  • Game attendance: 22,651
  • Referee: Mark Duddy
  • TV announcers (P12N): Greg Heister, Lincoln Kennedy
Game information

vs USC

USC Trojans vs Washington State Cougars - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Trojans07281045
Cougars770014

at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

  • Date: September 18, 2021
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
  • Game attendance: -
  • Referee: Chris Coyte
  • TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (analyst)

At Utah

Washington State Cougars at Utah Utes - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cougars067013
Utes0731424

at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT

  • Date: September 25, 2021
  • Game time: 11:30 a.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, Wind: 3 west, Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C)
  • Game attendance: 51,483
  • Referee: Stephen Strimling
  • TV announcers (P12N): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)
Game information

At California

Washington State Cougars at California Golden Bears - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cougars1407021
Golden Bears60006

at California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA

  • Date: October 2, 2021
  • Game time: 2:30 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C)
  • Game attendance: 40,286
  • Referee: Francisco Villar
  • TV announcers (P12N): Matt Chazanow (play-by-play), Alex Brink (analyst), Jessamyn McIntyre (sideline)

vs Oregon State

Oregon State Beavers vs Washington State Cougars - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Beavers0107724
Cougars03141431

at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

  • Date: October 9, 2021
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
  • Game attendance: 24,157
  • Referee: Mike McCabe
  • TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Yogi Roth, (analyst)
Game information

vs Stanford

Stanford Cardinal vs Washington State Cougars - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cardinal13301531
Cougars0207734

at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

  • Date: October 16, 2021
  • Game time: 4:30 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
  • Game attendance: 26,171
  • Referee: Micheal Mothershed
  • TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason
Game information

vs BYU

BYU Cougars vs Washington State Cougars - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
BYU Cougars707721
WSU Cougars706619

at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

  • Date: October 23, 2021
  • Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy; 51 °F (11 °C), Winds SE 7 mph
  • Game attendance: 22,541
  • Referee: Kevin Hassell
  • TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus, Mark Helfrich
Game information

At Arizona State

Washington State Cougars vs Arizona State Sun Devils - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cougars14140634
Sun Devils0701421

at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ

  • Date: October 30, 2021
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. PDT
  • Game attendance: 46,136
  • Referee: Matthew Richards
  • TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus, Mark Helfrich

At No. 3 Oregon

Washington State Cougars vs Oregon Ducks - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cougars01401024
No. 3 Ducks140101438

at Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR

  • Date: November 13, 2021
  • Game time: 7:40 p.m.
  • Game weather: 57,858 °F (32,126 °C); Sunny;
  • Game attendance: 52,327
  • Referee: Mark Duddy
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony
Game information

vs Arizona

Arizona Wildcats vs Washington State Cougars - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Wildcats073818
Cougars71416744

at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA

  • Date: November 19th, 2021
  • Game time: 6:10 p.m. PST
  • Game weather: Light snow, 32 °F (0 °C)
  • Game attendance: 22,541
  • Referee: Matthew Richards
  • TV announcers (P12N): JB Long, Maurice Jones-Drew
Game information

At Washington

Washington State Cougars vs Washington Huskies (Apple Cup) - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cougars103101740
Huskies070613

at Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA

  • Date: November 26th, 2021
  • Game time: 5:10 p.m.
  • Game attendance: 68,077
  • Referee: Michael Mothershed
  • TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust, Petros Padadakis
Game information

This was the Cougars' first victory over the Huskies since 2012, and their first at Husky Stadium since 2007.

Sun Bowl

Washington State Cougars vs Central Michigan Chippewas (Sun Bowl) - Game summary
Quarter1234Total
Cougars0014721
Chippewas1380324

at Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX

Game information

Awards

PlayerAwardDate
Travell HarrisPac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week [7] September 13, 2021
Brennan JacksonPac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week [8] October 4, 2021
George Hicks IIIPac-12 Defensive Player of the Week [9] October 11, 2021
Liam RyanPac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week [10] October 11, 2021
Brennan JacksonPac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week [11] October 18, 2021
Ron Stone JrPac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week [12] November 1, 2021
Jahad WoodsPac-12 Defensive Player of the Week [13] November 22, 2021
Armani MarshPac-12 Defensive Player of the Week [14] November 28, 2021
Dean JanikowskiPac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week [15] November 28, 2021
Jayden de LauraPac-12 Freshman of the Week [16] November 28, 2021

Staff

NamePositionSeasons at
Washington State
Alma mater
Nick Rolovich Head coach (fired October 18)2 Hawaii (2004)
Brian Smith Associate head coach / offensive coordinator / running backs2 Hawaii (2005)
Jake Dickert Head coach (hired December 2) / defensive coordinator / Linebackers (until October 18)2 Wisconsin–Stevens Point (2007)
John Richardson Assistant head coach / Cornerbacks / recruiting coordinator (fired October 18)2 North Dakota State (2010)
Craig Stutzmann Co-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks (fired October 18)2 Hawaii (2002)
Kyle Krantz Special teams coordinator1 Northern Colorado (2009)
Andre Allen Wide receivers2 Ashford (2014)
Mark Banker Safeties2 Springfield (MA) (1978)
A. J. Cooper Defensive ends2 North Dakota State (2006)
Ricky Logo Defensive tackles (fired October 18)2 North Carolina State (1992)
Mark Weber Offensive line (fired October 18)2 Cal Lutheran (1980)
Dwain Bradshaw Head strength and conditioning coach2 Arizona State (2014)
Jason Cvercko Chief of Staff2 Connecticut (2011)

Rankings

TeamPollPreWk
2
Wk
3
Wk
4
Wk
5
Wk
6
Wk
7
Wk
8
Wk
9
Wk
10
Wk
11
Wk
12
Wk
13
Wk
14
Final
Washington State AP NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNR
C NRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNRNR
CFP Not releasedNRNRNR
Legend
  Improvement in ranking
 Drop in ranking
 Not ranked previous week
 No change in ranking from previous week
RVReceived votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll

References

  1. Adelson, Andrea (December 26, 2021). "Miami out of Sun Bowl against Washington State due to COVID-19 issues in football program". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  2. Sallee, Barrett (December 27, 2021). "Central Michigan to play Washington State in Sun Bowl after Miami pulls out due to COVID-19 issues". CBS Sports . Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  3. Glasspiegel, Ryan (December 27, 2021). "Dave Portnoy announces Boise State out of Barstool Bowl due to COVID-19". New York Post . Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  4. "UPDATE: Arizona Bowl canceled for 2021". KOLD-TV . December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021 via MSN.com.
  5. "2021 Washington State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
  6. Clark, Colton (September 4, 2021). "Cougars collapse: WSU surrenders two late scores to Utah State in crushing defeat". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  7. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 2" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on September 13, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  8. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 5" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on October 4, 2021. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  9. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 6" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  10. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 6" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on October 11, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2021.
  11. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 7" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  12. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 9" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on November 1, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  13. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 12" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on November 22, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
  14. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 13" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  15. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 13" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  16. "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 13" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Archived from the original on November 29, 2021. Retrieved November 28, 2021.