PULLMAN – This Saturday, the Washington State Cougars football team returns to the gridiron when they host FCS-opponent, the Idaho Vandals.  

According to a statement by WSU athletics, Washington State is led by first-year head coach Jimmy Rogers, who coached South Dakota State the past two seasons, highlighted by an FCS National Championship in 2023.  

The Cougars went 8-5 last season and earned a trip to the Holiday Bowl for the program's eighth bowl game in the last nine full seasons. The Cougars' eight wins were the most since the 11-2 campaign in 2018. The 2025 roster features just three returning starters on offense and 75 newcomers.   

As they prepare for the first game, the Cougars are set to have a new starting quarterback in the opening game of the season. This will be the third consecutive season where the Cougars are starting a new quarterback, Cam Ward in 2023 and John Mateer in 2024.  

Zevi Eckhaus was a Bryant transfer before 2024 and started the 2024 Holiday Bowl, throwing for 363 passing yards and four total touchdowns.  

Jaxon Potter, a redshirt sophomore and 2023 signee, made his debut last season vs Hawaii, throwing 2-2 for 26 yards.  

Julian Dugger, a redshirt freshman transferring from the University of Pittsburgh. He played in the 2024 bowl game, throwing for 72 passing yards and two touchdowns. He also had 88 rushing yards and one touchdown.  

Ajani Sheppard, redshirt sophomore and Rutgers transfer, played one game in 2023 and four in 2024, where he had a 20-yard rush against Wisconsin.  

According to their statement, the Cougars lead the all-time series against Idaho 73-17-3 and have won the last 10 meetings, including the last matchup, 24-17 to open the 2022 season. Idaho's last win in the series was a 38-34 win in 2000. WSU's last meeting against a team from the Big Sky Conference was a 70-30 win over Portland State in last year's season-opener. 

Washington State opens the 2025 season Saturday night, hosting Idaho at Gesa Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.