San Diego State
Wazzu keeps San Diego State in one place: 2 stories so far. The section currently leads with “Korey Schroeder on San Diego State: What the Cougs brought into the room” and “Riley's Third Year Brings 11 Road Games and a Jan. 3 Tip in Fresno”. Korey Schroeder walked into the San Diego State room and didn't just bring a playbook. David Riley's third season is here, and the schedule is a doozy. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every San Diego State story on Wazzu, newest first.
Korey Schroeder on San Diego State: What the Cougs brought into the room
Korey Schroeder walked into the San Diego State room and didn't just bring a playbook. He brought a history. The Cougs' new offensive line coach spent the last few years building lines that could move people, and now he's in the Mountain West trying to do it again for someone else. That stings a little, if we're being honest. You watch a guy like Schroeder develop talent in Pullman, and you want that work to stay in Pullman. But this is the business. Coaches leave. What matters is what they took with them, and what they left behind. Schroeder's tenure here wasn't flashy. It was grindy. He turned a bunch of guys who maybe weren't four-star recruits into a unit that could hold its own in the Pac-12. That's the Wazzu way. You don't get the blue-chips. You get the kids who want to work, and you teach them how to win the rep before the snap. He did that. If you want to hear more about how the Cougs are building behind the scenes, check our piece on the BECU pod with two WSU athletics staffers. It's a good look at the people who keep the machine running when the coaches walk out the door. Schroeder is San Diego State's problem now. Good for him. But we know what he brought into that room. We saw it here first. Go Cougs.
Riley's Third Year Brings 11 Road Games and a Jan. 3 Tip in Fresno
David Riley's third season is here, and the schedule is a doozy. Eleven nonconference games away from Pullman. That's the most since 1973-74, and it tells you exactly what athletic directors and coaches are dealing with in this new Pac-12. Money matters. You don't stack that many road games unless you have to. The conference slate starts Jan. 3 in Fresno. That feels weird, but it's real. And for the first time since 1917, there is no regular-season game against Washington. None. They'll play an exhibition in Seattle on Oct. 25, which is better than nothing, but it's not the same. There are bright spots. Gonzaga comes to Beasley on Jan. 6, a Wednesday during winter break. That's a weird time for a game, but it's still Gonzaga in Pullman. And the Cougs host Kirkland on Nov. 14, their first non-D-I opponent at home since 2015. That's a rarity worth noting. The middle of the schedule is a grind. Three of four on the road, including trips to Boise State, Colorado State, and Utah State. Then a brutal February stretch with Gonzaga and San Diego State on the road in the same week. That's a gut check. If you want a different kind of Cougar story, check out "For the Leaupepetele brothers, Sunday dinner looks a lot different now." It's a good reminder that the people around this program are as interesting as the scores. Go Cougs.