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.
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
|
| Date
|
Opponent
|
Site
|
| September 3 |
at 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 26 |
at Oregon State |
Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR
|
| October 3 |
California |
Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
|
| October 10 |
Utah |
Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
|
| October 17 |
at Stanford |
Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
|
| October 31 |
Arizona State |
Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
|
| November 7 |
at Colorado |
Folsom Field • Boulder, CO
|
| November 14 |
at UCLA |
Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA
|
| November 21 |
Oregon |
Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
|
| November 27 |
Washington |
Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA (Apple Cup)
|
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|
| November 7 | 7:30 p.m. | at Oregon State | | | FS1 | W 38–28 | — |
| November 14 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 11 Oregon | | | FOX | L 29–43 | — |
November 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at Stanford | | | FS1 | No Contest [5] | |
November 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Washington | | | ESPN | No Contest [6] | |
| December 6 | 4:30 p.m. | at No. 20 USC | | | FS1 | L 13–38 | — |
December 12 | 1:00 p.m. | California | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA
| FOX | No Contest [7] | |
| December 19 | 10:30 a.m. | at Utah | | | FS1 | L 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
Rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes | Week |
|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
|---|
| AP | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | | |
|---|
| Coaches | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | | | | | |
|---|
| CFP | Not released | | | | | | Not released |
|---|
Game summaries
At Oregon State
| Game information
|
- First Quarter
- WSU – Travell Harris 29-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Blake Mazza kick), 3:50. Washington St. 7–0. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 2:44.
- Second Quarter
- OSU – Trevon Bradford 7-yard pass from Tristan Gebbia (Everett Hayes kick), 4:10. Tied 7–7. Drive: 15 plays, 93 yards, 7:27.
- WSU – Deon McIntosh 3-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 0:37. Washington St. 14–7. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 3:27.
- Third Quarter
- WSU – Jayden de Laura 5-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 12:10. Washington St. 21–7. Drive: 5 plays, 64 yards, 1:52.
- WSU – Travell Harris 28-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Blake Mazza kick), 8:20. Washington St. 28–7. Drive: 4 plays, 38 yards, 2:20.
- OSU – Jermar Jefferson 1-yard run (Everett Hayes kick), 3:27. Washington St. 28–14. Drive: 9 plays, 85 yards, 4:47.
- Fourth Quarter
- WSU – Blake Mazza 34-yard field goal, 11:59. Washington St. 31–14. Drive: 12 plays, 66 yards, 6:22.
- OSU – Jermar Jefferson 7-yard run (two-point conversion failed), 8:32. Washington St. 31–20. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:21.
- OSU – Jermar Jefferson 15-yard run (Tristan Gebbia–Trevon Bradford pass), 2:39. Washington St. 31–28. Drive: 14 plays, 90 yards, 2:52.
- WSU – Travell Harris 44-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 2:29. Washington St. 38–28. Drive: 1 play, 44 yards, 0:09.
|
- Top passers
- Top rushers
- WSU – Deon McIntosh – 18 rushes, 147 yards, TD
- OSU – Jermar Jefferson – 21 rushes, 120 yards, 3 TD
- Top receivers
- WSU – Travell Harris – 7 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD
- OSU – Trevon Bradford – 7 receptions, 78 yards, TD
|
|
Oregon
| Game information
|
- First quarter
- ORE – D.J. Johnson 13-yard pass from Tyler Shough (Camden Lewis kick), 6:48. Oregon 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 92 yards, 5:50.
- WSU – Lucas Bacon 18-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (two-point conversion failed), 3:00. Oregon 7–6. Drive: 6 plays, 77 yards, 3:48.
- WSU – Renard Bell 4-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Blake Mazza kick), 0:48. Washington State 13–7. Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 1:33.
- Second quarter
- WSU – Blake Mazza 39-yard field goal, 9:38. Washington State 16–7. Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 3:00.
- WSU – Blake Mazza 49-yard field goal, 0:24. Washington State 19–7. Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 6:19.
- ORE – CJ Verdell 3-yard run (Camden Lewis kick), 0:03. Washington State 19–14. Drive: 2 plays, 60 yards, 0:17.
- Third quarter
- ORE – Travis Dye 16-yard pass from Tyler Shough (Camden Lewis kick), 3:26. Oregon 21–19. Drive: 5 plays, 68 yards, 2:09.
- Fourth quarter
- ORE – Johnny Johnson III 2-yard pass from Tyler Shough (Camden Lewis kick), 14:19. Oregon 28–19. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:06.
- WSU – Blake Mazza 25-yard field goal, 9:59. Oregon 28–22. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 4:20.
- ORE – Travis Dye 71-yard pass from Tyler Shough (Tyler Shough run), 8:25. Oregon 36–22. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:34.
- WSU – Deon McIntosh 1-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 4:40. Oregon 36–29. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 3:45.
- ORE – Cyrus Habibi-Likio 1-yard run (Camden Lewis kick), 1:40. Oregon 43–29. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:00.
|
- Top passers
- ORE – Tyler Shough – 21/30, 312 yards, 4 TD, int
- WSU – Jayden de Laura – 25/39, 329 yards, 2 TD
- Top rushers
- ORE – C. J. Verdell – 18 rushes, 118 yards, TD
- WSU – Deon McIntosh – 18 rushes, 92 yards, TD
- Top receivers
- ORE – Jaylon Redd – 5 receptions, 99 yards
- WSU – Renard Bell – 10 receptions, 158 yards, TD
|
|
At USC
| Game information
|
- First Quarter
- USC – Amon-Ra St. Brown 7-yard pass from Kedon Slovis (Parker Lewis kick), 8:46. USC 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 2:50.
- USC – Amon-Ra St. Brown 22-yard pass from Kedon Slovis (Parker Lewis kick), 5:11. USC 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 34 yards, 2:20.
- USC – Amon-Ra St. Brown 4-yard pass from Kedon Slovis (Parker Lewis kick), 2:33. USC 21–0. Drive: 1 play, 4 yards, 0:06.
- USC – Amon-Ra St. Brown 2-yard pass from Kedon Slovis (Parker Lewis kick), 0:44. USC 28–0. Drive: 4 plays, 31 yards, 1:40.
- Second Quarter
- USC – Tyler Vaughns 35-yard pass from Kedon Slovis (Parker Lewis kick), 7:11. USC 35–0. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:51.
- WSU – Travell Harris 5-yard run (kick failed), 0:28. USC 35–6. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:43.
- Third Quarter
- USC – Parker Lewis 48-yard field goal, 11:53. USC 38–6. Drive: 8 plays, 16 yards, 3:07.
- Fourth Quarter
- WSU – Renard Bell 6-yard pass from Gunner Cruz (Blake Mazza kick), 1:37. USC 38–13. Drive: 16 plays, 93 yards, 10:38.
|
- Top passers
- WSU – Jayden de Laura – 18/29, 134 yards, 2 int
- USC – Kedon Slovis – 25/32, 287 yards, 5 TD
- Top rushers
- WSU – Deon McIntosh – 10 rushes, 65 yards
- USC – Kenan Christon – 3 rushes, 11 yards
- Top receivers
- WSU – Renard Bell – 11 receptions, 76 yards, TD
- USC – Drake London – 5 receptions, 92 yards
|
|
At Utah
| Game information
|
- First Quarter
- WSU – Max Borghi 8-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 4:34. Washington State 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 57 yards, 4:26.
- Second Quarter
- WSU – Deon McIntosh 11-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 8:31. Washington State 14–0. Drive: 7 plays, 88 yards, 4:01.
- UTAH – Britain Covey 91-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Jadon Redding kick), 3:37. Washington State 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 95 yards, 0:58.
- WSU – Jamire Calvin 8-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Blake Mazza kick), 1:51. Washington State 21–7. Drive: 4 plays, 75 yards, 1:46.
- WSU – Jayden de Laura 3-yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 1:21. Washington State 28–7. Drive: 1 play, 3 yards, 0:04.
- Third Quarter
- UTAH – Ty Jordan 5-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 6:09. Washington State 28–14. Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 4:39.
- UTAH – Bryan Thompson 9-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 0:55. Washington State 28–21. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:38.
- Fourth Quarter
- UTAH – Ty Jordan 33-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 12:01. Tied 28–28. Drive: 7 plays, 70 yards, 2:15.
- UTAH – Ty Jordan 13-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 6:29. Utah 35–28. Drive: 2 plays, 13 yards, 0:12.
- UTAH – Jadon Redding 44-yard field goal, 2:37. Utah 38–28. Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 3:37.
- UTAH – Clark Phillips III 36-yard interception return (Jadon Redding kick), 2:06. Utah 45–28.
|
- Top passers
- WSU – Jayden de Laura – 17/28, 204 yards, TD, int
- UTAH – Jake Bentley – 7/14, 153 yards, TD, int
- Top rushers
- Top receivers
- WSU – Jamire Calvin – 7 receptions, 104 yards, TD
- UTAH – Britain Covey – 6 receptions, 134 yards, TD
|
|
Awards
| Player
|
Award
|
Date
|
| Jayden de Laura
|
Pac-12 Freshman of the Week[14]
|
November 9, 2020
|
| Ayden Hector
|
Pac-12 Freshman of the Week[15]
|
November 16, 2020
|
References
- ^ "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ "Pac-12 Conference postpones all sport competitions through end of calendar year". pac-12.com. August 11, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
- ^ "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". pac-12.com. September 24, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
- ^ Bromberg, Nick (July 10, 2020). "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
- ^ "Washington State-Stanford Football Game Cancelled". wsucougars.com. November 20, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
- ^ "Boeing Apple Cup Update". wsucougars.com. November 22, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
- ^ "Washington State-California Football Game Canceled". wsucougars.com. December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- ^ "2020 Washington State Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ Bumbaca, Chris. "Group of Pac-12 athletes unite, threaten opt out unless athletes' demands of conference are met". USA Today. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Peter, Josh. "Washington State player says head coach threatened his status over Pac-12 unity group". USA Today. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Blum, Sam (August 3, 2020). "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.
- ^ Evans, Jace. "Washington State coach Nick Rolovich attempts to clarify position on #WeAreUnited group". USA Today. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ Rittenberg, Adam (August 3, 2020). "Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich tells WR Kassidy Woods joining unity group would create 'an issue'". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 2" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
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| Venues | |
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| Bowls & rivalries | |
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| Culture & lore | |
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| People | |
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| Seasons | |
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