Washington State Cougars
Washington State Cougars at Wazzu is a file of 109 stories. The newest of them: “First 2027 Coug is a Bothell guard who chose Wazzu over the rest”, “Cougs and Redhawks to clash at Climate Pledge in December doubleheader”, and “One good half doesn't change what Duquesne was”. Jaylen McLaughlin dropped 50 in a game this summer, and now he's dropping a commitment on Wazzu. David Riley is doing something smart: getting the Cougs back in front of the Seattle crowd. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every Washington State Cougars story on Wazzu, newest first.
First 2027 Coug is a Bothell guard who chose Wazzu over the rest
Jaylen McLaughlin dropped 50 in a game this summer, and now he's dropping a commitment on Wazzu. The Bothell guard became the first 2027 Coug on Monday, picking Washington State over Arkansas State, Toledo, Eastern Washington, and Cal State Fullerton. That list might not scream blue blood, but McLaughlin is no afterthought. He's the No. 2 player in Washington in his class per 247 Sports, the No. 39 point guard nationally, and he averaged 29 points a game last season. For a program still rebuilding its prep pipeline, that's a get. McLaughlin is the fourth American high school recruit the Cougs have landed in two years. That number matters. It says the staff is making inroads where it counts, and it says kids from this state are starting to look at Pullman as a real option again. He calls himself a pure scorer, and the tape backs it up. The 50-point summer game. The 35-point AAU outing where he hit 10 threes. The 20-point, seven-assist night against Miami Triple Threat. This is a guard who can fill it up, and he's only a sophomore. If you want to know how fast things change in Cougar hoops, go read about the exhibition-only future of the Apple Cup series. That one stings. But landing a kid like McLaughlin is how you start making the sting matter less. Go Cougs.
Cougs and Redhawks to clash at Climate Pledge in December doubleheader
David Riley is doing something smart: getting the Cougs back in front of the Seattle crowd. On Dec. 19, Wazzu meets Seattle U at Climate Pledge Arena as part of a doubleheader that also features UW and Baylor. That's a good night of hoops in a building that deserves it. This is the third meeting in two seasons between the Cougs and Redhawks. They split last year, Seattle U won 69-55 at home, WSU answered 70-58 in Pullman. Those games had some juice. Riley and Seattle U coach Chris Victor worked together at Eastern Washington, and last season they even ran the same first play. Riley called it funny. He's right. That kind of history makes a mid-December game feel like more than a tune-up. Riley's roster is almost entirely new, 13 newcomers, including transfers from TCU, Wake Forest, UNLV, and Oregon. That's a lot of new faces to gel before conference play. A game like this, in front of Coug fans west of the mountains, is a chance to build something. For more on the schedule and what's ahead, check out our coverage of WSU and Gonzaga closing league play. That one's a Wednesday night showdown worth circling. Go Cougs.
One good half doesn't change what Duquesne was
One good half doesn't change what Duquesne was. The Cougars beat a bad FCS team that gives up yards like candy at a parade. Kirby Moore made adjustments, and credit where it's due, Caden Pinnick looked sharp after halftime, and Maxwell Woods and Kirby Vorhees ran like they meant it. That second half felt good. It should encourage you. But here's the honest part. Against FBS teams this season, WSU has one touchdown and four turnovers. That offense has looked thin. Arizona comes to Gesa Field as a 10½-point favorite, and that line exists for a reason. Tony Freeman is done for the year with an injury, and without him, the deep threat shrinks. This isn't a doom post. The offensive line shuffle and Moore's growing role in playcalling are real reasons to believe. Those changes should help win some Pac-12 games. But beating a Big 12 team in primetime? That's a taller ask. Prediction: Arizona 23, WSU 16. If you want more context on what's at stake with the kicking game, go read about Max Dean's migraines making punting a game-time call. Special teams might matter more than usual Saturday night. Go Cougs.
Boise owns September, but the Cougs are still a question mark
Boise State owns September. That much is clear. The Broncos are sitting at 3-1, holding the inside track for that Group of Six playoff berth, and they've got the resume equity to survive a slip in conference play. They averaged 237 rushing yards per game this month. That's almost identical to their 2024 playoff run. You don't need a spreadsheet to see that. The Cougs? We're a question mark. 1-3, and we haven't faced a single Group of Six team yet. That changes Saturday against Fresno State, and frankly, we need the answer. The Hotline's hunch is that what we saw against Arizona will be substandard. I hope they're wrong, but I'm not betting against the data. The rest of the league is sorting itself out. Oregon State looks like a real contender. Fresno State finishes fast, which is a problem for us. San Diego State is a mess. Colorado State can't stop anybody. If you want to know where the Cougs are headed, keep an eye on Trey Leckner's return. That story is worth a read. But the bigger question is whether this team can hang with the rest of the conference. We'll find out Saturday. Go Cougs.
Jim Walden brought the Cougs to a bowl after 50 years: gone at 88
Jim Walden walked into Pullman in 1978 and told a program that hadn't seen a bowl game since 1931 to get ready. He delivered. The 1981 Holiday Bowl ended a 50-year drought, and he did it with a style that made him unforgettable long after the final whistle. Walden died Thursday in Coeur d'Alene at 88, and if you're a Coug of a certain age, you can probably still hear his voice, first from the sideline, then from the broadcast booth next to Bob Robertson for 11 seasons. He went 44-52-4 at WSU, which doesn't sound like much until you remember what he was working with. Two Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards. Apple Cup wins in 1982, 1983, and 1985, including a 21-20 snow game in Seattle where the Huskies were heavy favorites and Don James called himself a "2,000-word underdog" just to get a jab in. Walden coached Jack Thompson and Mark Rypien, Rueben Mayes and Keith Millard. He coached the kind of players who made Pullman matter. He left for Iowa State, came back to the Palouse to call games, and never stopped being a Coug. The athletic department called him a "great Coug who deeply loved Washington State." That's the truth. If you want to know what one coach can mean to a place that doesn't get many second chances, start with Jim Walden. Go Cougs.
Cougs get Duke in Palm Springs for a November showdown
Washington State basketball is going to get a crack at Duke in Palm Springs this November, and that is not a sentence Coug fans get to read every year. In fact, it's the first time the program has ever scheduled the Blue Devils. David Riley's squad will tip off against Jon Scheyer's loaded roster on Nov. 21 at Acrisure Arena, and the Cougars will be the clear underdog. That's fine. That's when this program has always been most dangerous. Riley is basically building a new team again, 12 newcomers on the roster, and Duke is Duke. They lost Cameron Boozer to the NBA draft, but they return Cayden Boozer and Cameron Foster and added John Blackwell from Wisconsin and Drew Scharnowski from Belmont. They're a national title favorite. The Cougars are still figuring out who they are. This is the kind of game that gets your attention in November. Win or lose, it's a measuring stick. And if you want to remember what it felt like when the Cougs finally broke through after decades of waiting, go read our piece on Jim Walden, who died at 88. He brought the program to its first bowl in 50 years. That same stubborn, underdog pride is what Riley is banking on in Palm Springs. Go Cougs.
Wazzu's newest Coug comes from D-II, and he can fill it up
Pullman just watched its backcourt get a whole lot more interesting. Washington State landed Central Missouri transfer Lazerek Houston on Tuesday, and if you haven't seen the numbers yet, strap in. The 6-foot, 155-pound guard averaged 20.8 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists as a true freshman, shooting 46.2% from the floor and 37% from deep. That's not just filling it up; that's a full-blown breakout. Houston's debut was a 35-point eruption against Colorado School of Mines, and he added 11 assists and 4 steals for good measure. He cleared 30 points six more times, including a 34-point night against Northwest Missouri State. He's also a willing passer, dishing 12 dimes against Emporia State and 10 against Drury. The MIAA Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors are nice, but the fact that DraftExpress's D2 model ranked him as the top Division II player in the portal? That's the kind of résumé that travels. Can he make the leap? Wazzu has seen this movie before. Jaylen Wells came from Division II and turned into the No. 39 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Houston doesn't need to be that, but if he's half as productive, Riley's got something. He's the second addition of the offseason, joining Manhattan transfer Fraser Roxburgh, and with 12 players gone from last year's roster, the Cougars need every bucket they can get.
Cut mid-flight, Isaac Jones lands on his feet in Detroit
Isaac Jones got cut mid-flight. Not a metaphor. The Kings tapped him on the shoulder at 30,000 feet and told him he was waived. That is brutal. Jones sat in that seat for the rest of the flight, texted his wife, and didn't sleep. Two days of waiting on the phone. Detroit called. The fit makes too much sense. Jones is a Spanaway kid who worked at a pipe supply store, grinded through Wenatchee Valley, Idaho, and then WSU, where he helped drag the Cougs to their first NCAA tournament in 16 years. He plays with grit. The Motor City is the right place for that engine. He's 26 now, the oldest guy on Detroit's Summer League roster, and he's still out there averaging 17 and eight. He's working on his three-point shot, taking four in a game. The Pistons want him to shoot. That's the next step. Jones still follows both of his former schools on the Palouse. He's planning to hit Pullman in August for an alumni tournament. He was happy to see Idaho make the tournament too. That's a guy who doesn't forget where he came from. If you want to read about another unusual path from the region, check out the story on Noah Riley's route from Whitworth to the NFL. Different sport, same kind of persistence. Go Cougs.
Trey Leckner's return is suddenly a Saturday question for Cougs
Trey Leckner's foot healed faster than the schedule said it would, and that's a small win in a 1-3 start that's felt heavier than the record. The Cougars' best pass-catching tight end is a game-time decision Saturday against Fresno State, per Kirby Moore, who's been cautious with him all month. Leckner was supposed to miss the first half of the season. Instead, he's back at practice, full-go, and ready to give an offense that's turned the ball over seven times a much-needed safety valve. That's the thing about this group: they've got backs, they've got receivers, but they haven't had a reliable middle-of-the-field target since Leckner went down. Jack Pedersen has filled in admirably, five catches, one score, mostly against Duquesne, but he's not the same mismatch. Moore said it himself: they want both guys on the field, and that's a problem for Fresno State's defense if Leckner's actually healthy. Elsewhere, Jalil Tucker's status remains a shrug emoji. He's dressed and warmed up the last two weeks but hasn't played since the Apple Cup. The silver lining? Jack Bal made the most of his shot against Arizona, picking off a pass and taking it back 25 yards for a score while logging a career-high 67 snaps. If Tucker can't go, you ride Bal again and hope the secondary doesn't bend too far. Moore also defended his clock management before halftime last week, and honestly, he's got a point. You don't give Noah Fifita extra chances.
Another Duck lands in Pullman as Cougs snag Jamari Phillips
Another Duck lands in Pullman. That's three now, if you're counting, and the Cougs just added Oregon transfer guard Jamari Phillips. He's a 6-foot-4, 190-pound guard who saw the floor in 40 games across two seasons with the Ducks. Last year he averaged 2.7 points in 11 minutes a night. His best night? A nine-point showing against UCLA in 31 minutes. Not eye-popping, but the kid was a four-star prospect out of high school. Kansas, Arizona, UCLA, Louisville all wanted him. WSU's former staff offered him too. Now he's a Coug. Phillips is the ninth addition this spring for David Riley's rebuild. The roster is essentially a new team. Eleven players are on board for 2026-27, including the Eastern Washington transfer Casey Jones who just got back from a church mission. That's the kind of detail you only get in Pullman. They needed bodies. Twelve players left, including ten to the portal. Ace Glass is at Vanderbilt. Eemeli Yalaho committed to NC State. ND Okafor to Ole Miss. That's a lot of production walking out the door. But Riley keeps saying the incoming talent is stronger than last year's. We wrote about that in "David Riley says next year's roster has more talent walking in than last year's." Worth a read if you want the full picture on how he's thinking about this. Phillips won't carry the offense by himself. But he's another Power 4 body with upside. And for a program that lost basically everyone, that's a start.
Another Late Night Letdown as Cougs Can't Finish the Job at Gesa
That 14-0 lead felt like something, didn't it? Caden Pinnick punched one in on the ground, then Jackquintin Ball jumped a route and took it to the house. Gesa was loud. The old ghosts were stirring. Then Arizona remembered it had Noah Fifita and Tre Spivey, and the whole thing flipped. The Cougs hung around. Pinnick found Branden Ganashamoorthy for a 46-yard score late, cutting it to seven with seven minutes left. That's the part that stings. The defense got a stop, then couldn't push Arizona out of field goal range. Michael Salgado-Medina drilled a 51-yarder with two minutes left, and that was that. 34-24. This was the best effort of the year, which tells you where the bar is. Pinnick is now up to five turnovers in four games. The offensive line gave up three more sacks. The run game still isn't there. The secondary got torched for seven passes of 15-plus yards. All of that adds up to 1-3 and a lot of the same questions. The good news? Pac-12 play starts next week against Fresno State. First meeting in Pullman since 1994. The bad news is the same problems keep showing up. If you want to dig into how the offense left plays on the field, our story on Moore's unit has the details. Go Cougs.
Cougs add a 6-8 forward who likes to score
The Cougs just added a 6-8 forward who likes to score, and that's a good thing for a roster that lost 12 players. Ronnie Harrison, out of East Texas A&M, put up 14.7 points and 6.1 boards last season, shooting 53% inside the arc. He's not a three-point gunner, 30% from deep, but he gets buckets from everywhere else. He also blocks shots and picks pockets, so the two-way stuff is there. Harrison is the fourth addition this spring for David Riley and his staff. He joins Manhattan's Fraser Roxburgh, TCU's RJ Jones, and Central Missouri's Lazerek Houston, who averaged over 20 points as a true freshman. That's some serious scoring depth. Harrison mostly played power forward and center for the Lions, so he gives Riley flexibility up front. The Cougs are essentially rebuilding. Of last season's team, only Dominik Robinson and walk-on Dio Blakely return. Ace Glass is gone to the SEC, and we wrote about that in "Ace Glass trades Crimson for Gold as fourth Coug exits Pullman." That one stung, but Harrison is the kind of get that helps you move on. He's a Dallas kid who started at Tarleton State before finding his groove at East Texas A&M. He became their top scorer in a hurry. Now he's a Coug. For a team that needed bodies and buckets, this is a solid pickup. Go Cougs.
After 108 years, Cougs-Huskies hoops goes exhibition only
For the first time since 1917, the Cougs and Huskies won't play a regular-season basketball game. That streak, 301 games, is on pause. Instead, they'll meet for an exhibition in Seattle this October. It feels wrong to type that. Both coaches agreed to a two-year extension after the Pac-12 fell apart, but talks for this season fell through. David Riley wanted to keep it going. Danny Sprinkle said it wasn't that important to him, then later said he'd keep it if it benefitted UW. He's 2-0 in the rivalry, so maybe that colors his view. It colors mine too. This one stings because the game would have been fascinating. The Huskies poached two of Riley's former guys, LeJuan Watts and Steele Venters, out of the portal. Watts played for Riley at WSU last year before bouncing to Texas Tech and then to UW. Venters followed Riley from Eastern Washington to Gonzaga and now to Seattle. That's a lot of subplots for an exhibition. The nonconference slate still has some juice, Duke in Palm Springs, LSU on the road, and Eastern Washington in Spokane. And the athletic department made a smart hire in Tyler Mariucci from Fresno State, a guy who knows how to raise money in a new conference. That matters more than ever. For more on how Cougs are making moves in basketball, check out our piece on Riley's mystery big man, Mohamed Sankhe. Big French kid, 6-10, and the last piece of the roster. Go Cougs.
WSU hoops lands a big body from Northwestern, its seventh portal pickup
Tyler Kropp started 10 games for Northwestern as a true freshman, scored 11 points and grabbed nine boards in a win at USC, and now he's a Coug. That's the kind of frontcourt depth WSU needed, and it's the seventh portal pickup for David Riley's overhauled roster. Kropp is listed at 6-9, 230 pounds, and played mostly center for the Wildcats. That didn't give him tons of scoring chances, but he showed what he could do in high school: Ohio's No. 2 player, 1,095 career points, and the school rebounding record. He also played for Argentina's U19 team in the FIBA World Cup last summer and put up 21.7 points and 9.7 boards a game. That's real production. The Cougars have now added ten players for next season, which is good because 12 guys left. Ten of them hit the portal. One went pro in Spain. Another ran out of eligibility. That's a lot of turnover, but Riley is stacking bodies with purpose. Kropp is a big body who already proved he can hang in a Power 4 league. He'll get more chances to show what he can do on offense here. If you want the full picture of how this roster is coming together, our story on Ladji Dembele signing on gives you another look at the frontcourt plan. Go Cougs.
Moore's offense showed some pulse, but the Cougs still left plays on the field
Three offensive touchdowns in three games against FBS teams. Six turnovers. Seven total giveaways. That's not a Power 4 problem. That's a self-inflicted wound problem, and it's the story of this Cougar season so far. Kirby Moore's offense showed a pulse Saturday against Arizona, especially on that opening 11-play, 71-yard touchdown drive where Caden Pinnick looked like he knew what he was doing. The quarterback keeper, the blocks, the finish. That's the offense we were hoping to see. Then it vanished. The third quarter was brutal. Three points, two three-and-outs, four punts, three sacks. Arizona turned a three-point deficit into a four-point lead and never looked back. The defense held up its end. The offense didn't. Pinnick is making bad decisions, not just Power 4 athletes making great plays. The interception into triple coverage against Duquesne. The fumble while trying to throw while being dragged down. The slide a yard short of a first down. Those aren't talent gaps. Those are judgment gaps. Moore said it starts with him. That's the right answer. But the fix has to show up against Fresno State next week. If these problems are about competition, they'll ease up. If they're about Pinnick's decision-making, they won't. We've got more on Moore's postgame comments in "Moore puts it plain after Cougs let early lead slip in Pullman." Worth a read. For now, the Cougs are what we thought: 1-3, right on schedule. The question is whether they're better than the schedule. Go Cougs.
Moore faces his old team as a new Pac-12 era begins in Pullman
Wazzu's own Kirby Moore gets a chance to turn around a 1-3 start Saturday night, and the storylines are too good to ignore. He's facing Fresno State, the program that gave him his first FBS job as receivers coach and offensive coordinator from 2017-22. That's the kind of drama that makes a Palouse fall evening worth the walk to Gesa Field. The Cougs are coming off a loss to Arizona that had a few bright spots, safety Jackquintin Bal's pick-six, punter Max Dean averaging 40 yards despite migraines, but also a whole lot of slog. WSU put up zero points in the third quarter. Caden Pinnick took his 10th sack of the season. The offense has turned the ball over seven times now, which is 119th in the country. That's not a stat you text home about. Fresno State, meanwhile, is rolling. They're 3-1 with the Pac-12's best defense so far, allowing just 19 points a game. Cornerback Simeon Harris has three interceptions already. Moore knows the challenge: "That's gonna be really important, to make sure we take care of the football." He's not wrong. If you want to dig into how WSU's defensive snaps piled up in that Arizona loss, our piece on "Second-half snaps tell the story of WSU's defensive breakdowns" lays it out. Go Cougs.
The Ball is the Boss: Moore's First Pac-12 Test is About Holdin' On
Saturday night in Pullman, the Cougs finally get to play a game that counts in the Pac-12 standings. It's been nearly three years. Problem is, Fresno State is coming to town, and they take the ball away for a living. Plus-seven turnover margin. Sixth-best in the country. Meanwhile, Caden Pinnick has lost five turnovers in four games. That math doesn't add up. Kirby Moore is walking a tightrope. He has to tell his quarterback to protect the ball without making him afraid to throw it. That's a fine line, and Moore knows it. He's been saying all week that every play has a life of its own. That's coach-speak for "don't force it, but don't freeze up either." The ground game might not help. Kirby Vorhees is a gametime decision with an upper-body injury, and the running backs haven't cracked 100 yards against an FBS team all year. The good news? Trey Leckner could finally debut at tight end. That's a weapon they haven't had yet. Defensively, they have to slow down Jayden Mandal and Rayshon Luke, who just put up 167 yards on 11 carries. That's a problem. This game won't decide the season, but it'll tell you a lot. Lose, and you're staring at 1-4 with Utah State and Oregon State on the road. The bowl streak starts looking shaky. Win, and you're 1-0 in conference play with a pulse. If you want the deeper numbers, check out our piece on Pinnick's five turnovers.
Another big body joins the Cougs as Ladji Dembele signs on
Ladji Dembele is a 6-foot-8, 255-pound forward who played five games for UNLV last year because of an injury. He's now a Coug. That makes eight offseason commitments for David Riley, and this one looks like the first true big man in the group. Dembele spent two years at Iowa before that, starting 21 games his second season, and he played for Mali's U-19 team at the 2021 World Cup. He's from Newark, originally, by way of Mali and Spain. The guy has been around. What matters here is what Riley is building. The Cougs lost 12 players, including 10 to the transfer portal. Ace Glass is at Vanderbilt. Eemeli Yalaho is headed to NC State. ND Okafor to Ole Miss. That's a lot of turnover. But Riley keeps signing bodies. Tyler Kropp is listed at 6-9 but has a thinner frame, so Dembele gives them the center they needed. That matters when you're starting almost from scratch. We wrote the other day about Jamari Phillips coming in from Oregon, and about Riley saying this roster has more talent walking in than last year's. That quote ages well with each signing. Dembele isn't a star on paper, 5.2 points at UNLV, 4.5 at Iowa, but he's a veteran who has played Power 4 minutes and knows what a real frontcourt looks like. For a team that returns two players, that kind of experience is worth more than the stat line. Go Cougs.
Washington wine didn't happen by accident. Cougs helped build it
You don't have to dig deep into Washington wine country to taste the Cougar in the glass. That's because WSU didn't just show up to the harvest, it helped plant the roots. For decades, the university has worked shoulder-to-shoulder with growers and producers across the state, turning what could have stayed a scrappy regional hobby into an economic powerhouse. That's not luck, and it's not happenstance. It's the result of patient, hands-on work in the vineyards and the labs, the kind of quiet persistence that doesn't make for flashy headlines but sure makes for a good bottle. The wine industry here doesn't owe everything to Pullman, but it owes a lot. And it's worth saying plainly: Cougs built this, and we're not shy about it. The same spirit that drives our ag research, the kind that makes the Palouse a little smarter every season, shows up in the vines. If you want to see how that same practical innovation plays out elsewhere, our piece on WSU's smarter corn fields is worth a click. But today, raise a glass to the growers, the researchers, and the decades of grit that made Washington wine a name you actually hear outside the state. It didn't happen by accident. It happened because Cougs showed up, got their hands dirty, and stayed. Go Cougs.
WSU's corn fields got smarter, and the AI didn't even need a Palouse sunrise
There's something almost poetic about a corn field that doesn't need a perfect Palouse sunrise to do its job. Washington State's AgWeatherNet has been out there quietly collecting data, and now the AI is taking that information and turning it into something farmers and ranchers can actually use. Automation, insights, better decisions, all coming out of the same ground we walked on. That's the part that gets me. This isn't some far-off tech hub story. This is WSU doing what WSU does: solving real problems for real people who work the land. The system has been around, feeding weather data into the machine, but now the machine is smart enough to talk back. It's not just telling you it's dry; it's helping you figure out what to do about it. You don't have to be a farmer to appreciate that. You just have to know how hard that work is, and how much a little foresight can save a season. The fact that this is coming out of Pullman, from the same university that taught us to think critically and show up early, makes it feel like home. It's easy to get caught up in scores and Saturdays. But this is the other side of Wazzu, the part that doesn't make the highlight reel but keeps the lights on. Smart corn, smarter systems, and a university that refuses to stay in the lab when it can help the field. Go Cougs.
WSU's old reactor know-how is writing the next chapter
The old WSU nuclear reactor in the basement of the Dodgen Research Facility hasn't been critical since the early 2000s, but its brain trust never really left the building. Now that brain trust is writing the next chapter. Washington State University is stepping back into the nuclear conversation, this time with the kind of know-how you only get from decades of hands-on work. The reactor may be shut down, but the expertise isn't. WSU will help shape what comes next for nuclear energy, building on a foundation most schools can't claim. This isn't a flashy pivot. It's a return to something Pullman has always done well: work that matters, quietly, and then suddenly everyone notices. It fits a pattern across this university. The WSU College of Nursing just reported that nearly half its students are first-generation, and they're built different. That's not a coincidence. WSU pulls from communities that show up ready to work, whether it's in a hospital or a research lab. The nuclear story deserves your attention. It's not about nostalgia for the old reactor. It's about what that experience makes possible now. When the country needs answers on clean energy, WSU already has the people who know the questions. Go Cougs.
WSU's vet hospital treats animals from emergency to rehab and home again
Your dog ate something it shouldn't have. Your cat took a bad fall. The horse colicked at midnight. Where do you go? For a lot of us, the answer has always been the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. It's not just an emergency room for the Palouse's four-legged residents. It's the whole deal, from the moment an animal rolls in scared and hurting, through surgery and treatment, all the way to the day it goes home. That continuum of care matters. It means the same team that stabilized your pet knows what happened in the middle of the night, and they're the ones guiding the recovery. It's a level of trust you can't fake. This is the kind of work Washington State does quietly, year after year, without a lot of fanfare. The same place patching up a ranch dog is training the next generation of veterinarians. It's practical. It's necessary. And it's pure Pullman. If you want to see another side of that same WSU grit, we've got a story about our scientists digging in to save honey bees from the brink. Same university. Different species. Same stubborn refusal to let things die. Go Cougs.
Your diploma is still a Coug, even if you haven't set foot on campus since 2003
Your diploma is still a Coug, even if you haven't set foot on campus since 2003. The WSU Global Campus just got ranked among the top online programs in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, in multiple categories. That's not a surprise to anyone who's ever tried to finish a degree while working a full shift or raising kids. WSU built this thing for people who don't have the luxury of quitting life to go back to school. It's easy to forget that Pullman isn't the only place Cougs are made. Thousands of us earned the same degree from a kitchen table or a library computer. This ranking says the university hasn't forgotten you either. The same rigor, the same faculty, the same land-grant mission, just delivered to wherever you are. WSU has always been good at showing up where it matters. The same practical drive that put the Cosmic Crisp® in your grocery store and helped build Washington's wine industry is what makes the Global Campus work. It's not flashy. It's just effective. If you've been thinking about finishing what you started, or you know someone who should, this is your sign. The university earned the recognition. You earned the degree. 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.