Cougars Open 2024 Hosting Portland State - Washington State University Athletics (2024)

PORTLAND STATE 0-0, 0-0 Big Sky) at WASHINGTON STATE (0-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
Noon, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024 • The CW
Gesa Field (32,952) • Pullman, Wash.

COUGARS KICK OFF 2024 HOSTING PORTLAND STATE
Washington State opens the 2024 season with a Saturday afternoon matchup against Portland State at Gesa Field. Kickoff is set for Noon on The CW.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE
Last season, Washington State went 5-7 including a 2-7 mark in Pac-12 Conference play while finishing third nationally in the country in passing (336.8) led by quarterback Cameron Ward who was fourth nationally in passing (311.3) and sixth in total offense (323.3). Wide receiver Lincoln Victor was sixth nationally with a Pac-12-best 89 receptions and edge Brennan Jackson was fourth in the league with 12.5 tackles-for-loss. Head coach Jake Dickert owns a 15-16 career record and begins his third full season. WSU has won it's last two season-openers; 24-17 vs. Idaho in 2022 and 50-24 at Colorado State last season.

COUGAR QUICK HITS
TEAM
• WSU had two Gesa Field sellouts in 2023 (Wisconsin, Oregon State), fourth in the last two seasons
• WSU had 3 players drafted in 2024, the most Cougar draft picks since 2005;
S Jaden Hicks (4th, Chiefs), Edge Brennan Jackson (5th, Rams), CB Chau Smith-Wade (5th, Panthers)
• WSU's 2024 roster features 49 newcomers including 15 transfers with 13 from four-year schools

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT (Player Notes Pages 9-11)
• QB John Mateer was named the starting quarterback; appeared in all 12 games last season, 3 rush TD, 2 pass TD
• WR Kyle Williams named to Biletnikoff Award Watch List, 2023 - 61 rec, 843 rec yds, 6 rec TD, 2 100-yard games
• LB Kyle Thornton was a Burlsworth Trophy Semifinalist in 2023 (top former walk-on), team-high 87 tackles
• P Nick Haberer was named to the Ray Guy Award Watch List for the 3rd straight season, 44.4 avg/punt in 2023
• OL Fa'alili Fa'amoe, DB Jackson Lataimua, Edge Nusi Malani, OL Esa Pole; Polynesian Player of the Year Watch List
• 2024 Reese's Senior Watch List (Fa'amoe, DB Kapena Gushiken, Malani, Edge Syrus Webster, Williams)
• RT Fa'alili Fa'amoe was named to watch lists for The Outland Trophy, Lombardi, Polynesian, Reese's Senior Bowl

SERIES HISTORY
The Cougars lead the all-time series with Portland State 3-1 after posting a 44-24 win over the Vikings in 2021. PSU opened the 2015 season with a 24-17 win in Pullman while the Cougars claimed the first two meetings of the series, 48-9 in 2008 and 59-21 in 2014, both meetings in Pullman. Portland State went 5-6 last season including a 4-4 mark in Big Sky Conference play.

RECORD BOOK WATCH (PAGE 7)
- Kicker Dean Janikowski's 231 career points are tied for 5th-most points by a kicker in WSU history
- Janikowski's 35 career made field goals are 6th-most in WSU history
- Janikowski's 126 career made PAT are sixth-most in WSU history
- Janikowski's 76.1 career field goal percentage (35-46) is the 4th-best FG% in WSU history
- Punter Nick Haberer is 8th in WSU history with 157 career punts, 7th with 6,768 career punt yards

WILLIAMS NAMED TO BILETNIKOFF AWARD WATCH LIST
Cougar wideout Kyle Williams was named to the 2024 Biletnikoff Award Watch List. The Biletnikoff Award annually recognizes the college football season's outstanding FBS receiver. Any player, regardless of position (wide receiver, tight end, slot back, and running back) who catches a pass is eligible for the award. Williams is one of 50 pass catchers up for the award given to the season's most outstanding FBS receiver. The senior Inglewood, Calif. caught 61 passes for 843 yards and six touchdowns while starting all 12 games in his first season at WSU last season. Williams had a season-high 174 yards and a touchdown in the win over No. 14 Oregon State, had five catches for 102 yards at No. 9 Oregon and caught five passes for 85 yards and a touchdown in the Apple Cup at No. 4 Washington. Williams enters his senior season fourth in the country among active players with 2,411 career receiving yards, seventh with 178 career receptions and No. 15 with 15 career touchdowns.

FA'AMOE NAMED TO OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH
Washington State right tackle Fa'alili Fa'amoe was named to the 2024 Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List. Fa'amoe is one of 75 returning standout interior linemen up for the award given to the best interior lineman in college football. The redshirt-junior started all 12 games at right tackle last season after being named to the Preseason Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Watch List. Fa'amoe, a native of Pago Pago, American Samoa switched from defensive line to offensive line prior to the 2022 season and has started 19 consecutive games, all at right tackle. Former Cougar right tackle Abraham Lucas was a three-time Outland Trophy Watch List selection (2019-21), former WSU left guard Cody O'Connell was a finalist in 2016 and former defensive tackle Rien Long won the award in 2002.

DEAN JANIKOWSKI NAMED TO WUERFFEL TROPHY WATCH LIST, MORE THAN A KICK
Kicker Dean Janikowski was named to the 2024 Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Watch List. Janikowski is one of 111 nominees up for College Football's premier award for community service and one of the most meaningful award in collegiate sports. The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy is named after Danny Wuerffel, the 1996 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback from the University of Florida who parlayed his success on the football field into a lifetime of service. The Allstate Wuerffel Trophy embodies Wuerffel's commitment to being a humanitarian, while honoring student-athletes who are inspired to serve others and make positive impacts on society. Last season, Janikowski was perfect on 44 PAT attempts and went 10-of-15 on field goal attempts. In the classroom, Janikowski was named to 2023 Pac-12 Fall Academic Honor Roll with a 4.00 GPA while working towards his MBA and was a William V. Campbell Trophy Semifinalist, give to the nation's best scholar athlete.

Off the field, Janikowski started a pledge called "More than a Kick" in 2021 where donations were made for each field goal and PAT by Janikowski and the donations go to helping children with cancer, in honor of his mom, Heather, who passed away from cancer. To date, More Than A Kick has raised over $37,000. Janikowski later started the Heather Janikowski Foundation and began another event called "Kicking Cancer" with an annual goal of raising $30,000 to support the Seattle Children's Hospital Cancer Research Center and those affect by cancer in the Pullman/Spokane area. The foundation has raised more than $88,000 towards Kicking Cancer. Janikowski also donated $2500 to former WSU basketball student-athlete Myles Rice, who was diagnosed with cancer and missed the entire 2022-23 season, he donated $15,000 to Molly Rice, who was an art teacher in nearby Colfax, Wash. for over 20 years and made additional donations of 5,000, $10,000 and $15,0000 have been distributed to individuals in the Pullman community. Janikowski also organizes in hometown of Fallbrook "Do It For Her 5k" and "Monserrate Memorial Hike," both raising money for Heather Janikowski Foundation.

On campus, at local Pullman church, Saint Thomas Moore Catholic Church, Janikowski helped run "Boot Camp" with current WSU football player Hudson Cedarland, which is a bible study with other members of the football team and in 2021 joined with then-teammates Liam Ryan and Abe Lucas (current member of Seattle Seahawks) in shoveling snow for elderly who were snowed in.

NICK HABERER NAMED TO RAY GUY AWARD WATCH LIST
Punter Nick Haberer was named to the 2024 Ray Guy Award Watch List for the third straight season Haberer, a senior from Sunshine Coast, Australia, averaged 44.4 yards-per-punt last season, recording a long of 62, five went 50-plus yards and 14 were put inside the 20. Haberer was All-Pac-12 Conference Honorable Mention in 2022.

THREE COUGS SELECTED IN 2024 NFL DRAFT
Washington State had three draft picks in 2024, safety Jaden Hicks went to the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round while Edge Brennan Jackson and cornerback Chau Smith-Wade each went in the fifth round to the Rams and Panthers, respectively. It was the most Cougar draft picks since the 2005 draft with Karl Paymah (3rd, Denver), Calvin Armstrong (6th, Philadelphia) and Hamza Abdullah (7th, Tampa Bay). WSU has had five defensive players selected in the last three drafts; Watson in the seventh by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, linebacker Daiyan Henley in the third round to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023.

ALL-PAC-12 CONFERENCE
Five Washington State Cougars earned 2023 All-Pac-12 Conference honors led by edge Brennan Jackson's selection to the second team. Jackson was placed on the All-Pac-12 Second Team while safety Jaden Hicks, edge Ron Stone Jr., wide receiver Lincoln Victor and quarterback Cameron Ward were each named honorable mention.

JARED KASTER NAMED OFFENSIVE LINE COACH
Washington State University Head Football Coach Jake Dickert announced March 1 that Jared Kaster had been named the Cougars offensive line coach. Kaster spent the 2023 season at Austin Peay, serving as co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach. Following the 2023 campaign, Kaster briefly served as the offensive line coach at UTEP, before joining Coach Dickert's staff. During the 2023 season, Kaster helped the Governors to their second-straight conference title, and first in the United Athletic Conference. He helped guide an offense averaged 34.1 points per game, ninth in the FCS and first in the UAC, while its 427 yards per game of total offense ranked second in the conference. During his one season at Austin Peay, the Governors produced six all-conference players on offense, including three offensive linemen. Kaster arrived at Austin Peay after spending five seasons (2018-22) at Houston Christian. During the 2019 slate, Kaster's offensive line helped the Huskies rack up 462.6 yards of total offense per game, ranking 12th in the FCS and second in the Southland Conference. Prior to joining the HCU staff, Kaster was the offensive line assistant and offensive quality control for head coach Kliff Kingsbury at his alma mater, Texas Tech, in 2016 and 2017. He played four seasons for the Red Raiders from 2012-2015, where he was voted one of five team captains in 2015 and earned All-Big 12 Honorable Mention three times at center. He started 37-straight games to finish his career.

ALLEN BROWN NAMED CORNERBACKS COACH
Washington State Head Football Coach Jake Dickert announced March 5 the addition of Allen Brown as the Cougars cornerbacks coach. Brown arrived in Pullman having spent the 2023 season in a quality control role at the University of Florida, working with the defensive backs. In his one season in Gainesville, Brown worked with Jordan Castell, who was recognized with Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-America honors. He joins Florida after spending the 2022 season at Cal in the role of quality control - defense. Brown coached at his alma mater, Eastern Washington University from 2019-21 as the cornerbacks coach / defensive pass game coordinator. During his time with the Eagles, the program had five all-conference defensive backs and a freshman All-America selection in Tre Weed. EWU concluded the 2021 season ranked No. 7 in the country after making it to the second round of the FCS playoffs. Brown was a safety for EWU from 2009-13, was a three-time all-conference selection and was part of the 2010 FCS national championship team. He is a 2009 graduate of Foss High School in Tacoma, Wash., where he was a wide receiver and defensive back in football and also competed in basketball and track and field. His high school and EWU teammate was Nick Edwards, who is WSU's wide receivers coach.

INTERIM TAG REMOVED, ANNE MCCOY TO LEAD WASHINGTON STATE ATHLETICS
WSU President Kirk Schulz removed the interim tag and named Anne McCoy as the WSU Director of Athletics, it was announced June 25. McCoy, who spent the previous three months as Interim Director of Athletics, officially becomes the 15th person to lead Cougar Athletics and the first woman to hold the position. McCoy is no stranger to WSU, serving a variety of roles on the senior administrative team since arriving in 2001 as associate director of athletics for internal operations. McCoy, who was hired by former Cougar Athletic Director Jim Sterk, has risen within the athletic department. Most recently, she served as senior deputy director of athletics and senior woman administrator (SWA) before assuming the interim director of athletics title in March of this year. Throughout her time on WSU's senior leadership team, McCoy has been actively involved with all facets of the department, having a role in all head coaching hires since her arrival, including all current head coaches. McCoy has played a role in each area of Cougar Athletics during her tenure and served in a supervisory capacity for every WSU sport. Most recently, McCoy served as WSU's interim director of athletics since late March of 2024. In the span of three months in the interim role, McCoy secured the hiring of WSU Men's Basketball Head Coach David Riley, Head Swimming Coach Russ Whitaker and Head Women's Golf Coach Kevin Tucker, extending the contract of Women's Head Basketball Coach Kamie Ethridge, secured a home for baseball and women's swimming through affiliate membership with the Mountain West Conference for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, and was involved with the Pac-12 Conference' securing a media rights agreement with the CW Network and FOX for the 2024 football season.

WASHINGTON STATE ALUM CHRIS KING RETURNS TO PULLMAN AS VOICE OF THE COUGS
WSU Athletics and Learfield's Washington State Sports Properties have announced Washington State alumnus Chris King as the new "Voice of the Cougs." King will take over play-by-play duties for Cougar Football, Men's Basketball and Baseball beginning with WSU Football's season opener against Portland State on Aug. 31. King returns to Pullman – where he graduated from the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication in 2009 – after gaining 13 years of Division I broadcasting experience in neighboring Idaho. After two years announcing women's basketball at Boise State, King became the men's basketball broadcaster for the Idaho Vandals in 2013 before adding football broadcasting duties in 2021. In addition to his play-by-play role, he also hosted weekly hour-long coaches shows and created and hosted the Vandal Insider Podcast. In addition to his time calling college football and basketball, King also has extensive baseball experience, broadcasting Minor League Baseball for the Tri-City Dust Devils from 2012-2021. Away from the radio booth he has worked in a communications role with the West Coast League since 2016, most recently as the league's deputy commissioner. King has twice been honored as the Idaho Sportscaster of the Year (2017, 2023) by the National Sports Media Association for his work with the Vandals. Originally from Marysville, Wash., King is married to the former Carly Johnson, a native of Lake Forest Park, Wash., and they have a two-year old son, Cam. Carly, also a WSU graduate, was a member of the Cougar Rowing team from 2010-2014. The three currently reside in Pullman.

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Cougars Open 2024 Hosting Portland State - Washington State University Athletics (2024)

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