It is a good time to be a Coug who likes to watch the other guys squirm. Boise State got a visit from WSU, and from the sound of it, the Cougs left the kind of impression that lingers on the blue turf long after the bus pulls out. This is the exact energy we want to see carry into the winter, especially when you look at how the rest of the athletic department is handling business.
The football team went on the road and handled themselves against a program that likes to think it owns the state of Idaho. Good. That kind of road win matters more than most, because it proves the roster can block out noise and execute when the stadium is full of people who want them to lose. It also sets a standard for the other teams wearing the flag. Speaking of which, you should check out how the Coug women's golf closes fall season with a trip to Hawai'i. That group is heading to paradise to wrap up its fall slate, and after watching the football team punch above its weight on the road, you have to like the momentum that trip carries. Meanwhile, the women's hoops team has its Pac-12 schedule locked in with announced tip times for the Coug women's hoops slate. That team is going to need the same road toughness the football team just showed, because conference play is never kind to visitors.
What really connects the dots here is the attitude. The football team did not go to Boise to hang around. They went to take something. That is the same approach that caught the eye of the coaching staff with Owen Eshelman, who walked in asking why, and WSU coaches took notice. It does not matter if you are a quarterback walking onto the Palouse or a whole team walking onto the Smurf Turf. The Cougs who succeed are the ones who show up with a question: why not us? That is not a recruiting slogan. That is a fact of how this place works. Pullman does not attract the five-star recruit who expects the red carpet. It attracts the kid who wants to prove something.
The takeaway is simple and worth texting your old roommate: the Cougs are learning how to win the games that have nothing to do with the scoreboard. The football team proved they can handle a hostile environment. The women's golf team is about to test itself against a field in Hawai'i. The women's basketball team knows exactly when it has to show up. Those are not separate stories. They are the same story about a program that does not flinch. Watch how the women's hoops team handles its first Pac-12 road trip. If they carry the same confidence the football team took to Boise, this winter is going to be fun.