Cougs set to start new chapter under Rogers
MIKE MAYNARD | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 1 month AGO
Cougars wide receiver Joshua Meredith running downfield during a game last season. The Cougs open their season at home against the Idaho Vandals Saturday night.
COURTESY PHOTO/WASHINGTON STATE ATHLETICS
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.
ARTICLES BY MIKE MAYNARD
Ross, Char sisters power Mavs past Vikings
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Mavericks (1-5) earned a much-needed win Tuesday as they defeated the Selah Vikings 2-0 at Lions Field. For Head Coach Alysha Overland, this moment wasn’t a matter of if, but when. “We definitely needed it; we were due for one,” Overland said. “We've been putting in a lot of hard work, even in the games we've been putting in hard work. Just haven't gotten the results. This one feels good. Feels like we're hopefully turning the corner now and putting the work that we're putting into practice into the game.” The Mavericks got on the board early, finding the back of the net within the first five minutes of the game. From there, they kept up the pressure in the attack, missing a couple shots on goal while preventing Selah from creating pressure of their own.
Huskies passing game difference maker in victory over Eagles
SEATTLE — The University of Washington Huskies (3-0) defended home field 48-16 against the Eastern Washington Eagles (1-3) Saturday in the final non-conference matchup of the season for both teams. “Thought we did some good things on offense today,” Huskies head coach Jedd Fisch said during the postgame press conference. “There was a couple times that I thought we had some opportunities that we didn’t execute (on), but I felt for the most part we played the type of offense I’d like us to play. Defensively, very disappointed in the penalties. That is not okay to have 100 yards in penalties and multiple drives were kept alive because of penalties. We're too talented on defense to let our emotions get the best of us.”
Basin volleyball roundup, Sept. 15-22
MOSES LAKE — As the end of September draws near, so does the first month of Basin volleyball. Many teams over the past week navigated stiff non-league games as they look to set themselves up for a strong second half to the 2026 season. See below how your favorite teams fared last week.