2020 Washington State Cougars football team
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.
| 2020 Washington State Cougars football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Pac–12 Conference |
| North Division | |
| 2020 record | 1–3 (1–3 Pac-12) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Brian Smith (1st season) |
| Co-offensive coordinator | Craig Stutzmann (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Run and Shoot |
| Defensive coordinator | Jake Dickert (1st season) |
| Base defense | 4–2–5 |
| Captain | Max Borghi, Abraham Lucas, Liam Ryan, Jahad Woods |
| Home stadium | Martin Stadium (Capacity: 32,952) |
| 2020 Pac-12 Conference football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| North Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington x | 3 | – | 1 | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 4 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon y$ | 3 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 2 | – | 5 | 2 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 21 USC xy | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 3 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah | 3 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 2 | – | 2 | 2 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 3 | – | 4 | 3 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 0 | – | 5 | 0 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Oregon 31, USC 24 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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]
Previous season
The Cougars finished the season 6–7, 3–6 in Pac-12 play to finish tied for fifth in the Northern Division. They were invited to play in the Cheez-It Bowl, where they lost to Air Force 31–21. On January 9, head coach Mike Leach departed the program to accept the vacant head coaching position at Mississippi State.[4][5] Less than a week later, athletic director Pat Chun hired Hawaii head coach Nick Rolovich.[6][7]
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.[8]
| 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 | — | |
| December 6 | 4:30 p.m. | at No. 20 USC | FS1 | L 13–38 | — | ||
| December 19 | 10:30 a.m. | at Utah | FS1 | L 28–45 | |||
| |||||||
#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.[10]
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.[11] 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.[12] 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.[13][14]
Personnel
Staff
| Name | Position | Seasons at Washington State |
Alma Mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Rolovich | Head Coach | 1 | Hawaii (2004) |
| Brian Smith | Offensive Coordinator / Running Backs | 1 | Hawaii (2005) |
| Jake Dickert | Defensive Coordinator / Linebackers | 1 | Wisconsin–Stevens Point (2007) |
| Michael Ghobrial | Special Teams Coordinator | 1 | UCLA (2011) |
| Craig Stutzmann | Co-Offensive Coordinator / Quarterbacks | 1 | Hawaii (2002) |
| Andre Allen | Wide Receivers | 1 | Ashford (2014) |
| Mark Weber | Offensive Line | 1 | Cal Lutheran (1980) |
| A. J. Cooper | Defensive Ends | 1 | North Dakota State (2006) |
| Ricky Logo | Defensive Tackles | 1 | North Carolina State (1992) |
| Mark Banker | Safeties | 1 | Springfield (MA) (1978) |
| John Richardson | Cornerbacks / Recruiting Coordinator | 1 | North Dakota State (2010) |
| Dwain Bradshaw | Head Strength and Conditioning Coach | 1 | Arizona State (2014) |
| Jason Cvercko | Chief of Staff | 1 | Connecticut (2011) |
Rankings
| Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||
| AP | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CFP | Not released | Not released | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Game summaries
at Oregon State
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cougars | 7 | 7 | 14 | 10 | 38 |
| Beavers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
- Date: November 7, 2020
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
- Game attendance: 0
- TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) & Petros Papadakis (analyst)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Oregon
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 11 Ducks | 7 | 7 | 7 | 22 | 43 |
| Cougars | 13 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 29 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, Washington
- Date: November 14, 2020
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. PST
- Game attendance: 0
- Referee: Chris Coyle
- TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando (play-by-play) & Spencer Tillman (analyst)
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
at USC
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cougars | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| No. 20 Trojans | 28 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 38 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
- Date: December 6, 2020
- Game time: 4:30 p.m. PST
- Game attendance: 0
- Referee: S. Strimling
- TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust, Petros Papadakis
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
California
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Bears | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| Cougars | - | - | - | - | 0 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington
- Date: December 12, 2020
- Game time: TBD
- Game attendance: 0
- TV: TBD
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Awards
| Player | Award | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Jayden de Laura | Pac-12 Freshman of the Week[15] | November 9, 2020 |
| Ayden Hector | Pac-12 Freshman of the Week[16] | November 16, 2020 |
References
- Pac-12 Conference. "Pac-12 announces resumption of football, basketball & winter sports seasons". Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved 24 September 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.
- Mickanen, Dylan. "Reports: Mike Leach hired as Mississippi State head coach". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- Sallee, Barrett. "Mississippi State hires Washington State's Mike Leach to be next head coach". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- Shapiro, Michael. "Report: Washington State to Hire Hawaii's Nick Rolovich as Head Coach". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- Thamel, Pete. "Sources: Washington State finalizing deal to hire Hawaii's Nick Rolovich as next football coach". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- Bromberg, Nick. "Pac-12 follows Big Ten's lead and won't play non-conference games in 2020". Yahoo News. Retrieved 10 July 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. "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. "Washington State football coach Nick Rolovich tells WR Kassidy Woods joining unity group would create 'an issue'". ESPN. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 1" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
- "Pac-12 Football Players of the Week – Week 2" (Press release). Pac-12 Conference. Retrieved November 16, 2020.