Pair of WSU Cougars added to Biletnikoff award watchlist

Connor Halliday's name will go down in the record books next to those 734 passing yards from Saturday, but he had to throw those balls to someone, right?

Isiah Myers was placed on the Biletnikoff award watchlist, the award honoring the best receiver in the nation, at the beginning of the season and two more Cougar wide outs were added to the watchlist after Saturday's game. River Cracraft and Vince Mayle are both having career seasons, thanks in part to their 172 yard and 263 yard performances, respectively, on Saturday.

Sophomore River Cracraft is 11th nationally in total receiving yards with 576 and owns 3 games with over 100 receiving yards. Meanwhile, senior Vince Mayle, who set a school record for receiving yards through his performance last week, is 4th nationally with 703 yards and has also tallied up 3 games with more than 100 yards.

The award will cut down it's watchlist to 10 semifinalists on November 17, 3 semifinalists on November 24th and will announce the winner during the College Football Award Show on ESPN on December 11th. The official WSU release can be seen here. Myers, Mayle and Cracraft can be seen on ESPN Friday night as they take on Stanford. I'd be willing to bet they don't come close to their performance from last weekend.

Football

Cougars fire special teams coach - Spokesman.com - Oct. 7, 2014
PULLMAN – Mike Leach didn’t wait until practice to make significant changes to Washington State’s special teams, dismissing coordinator Eric Russell two days after the Cougars gave up two kickoff returns for touchdowns and missed a potential winning 19-yard field goal in WSU’s 60-59 loss to California on Saturday. "We made a change at special teams, and while I think a great deal of coach Russell, but we wanted to split the special teams up among the assistants and the way he’s most effective is with him running the whole thing," Leach said. "He’s a great coach. Yeah, I decided to make a change at special teams."

WSU goes back to the Santa Margarita well - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Oct. 7, 2014
Evidently there are a lot of crimson and gray sweatshirts walking up and down the halls at California's Santa Margarita High. And why not, a pair of graduates start for Washington State – center Riley Sorenson and receiver River Cracraft.

Roundup: Changes on WSU football staff | Pac-12
After his special teams unit gave up a pair of long kickoff returns for touchdowns and missed a late field goal, Washington State coach Mike Leach shook up the coaching staff Monday.

It's not your granddad's Wazzu anymore - SportsLink - Spokesman.com - Oct. 7, 2014
What was it we said yesterday? That college football was a tough game, physically and mentally? We didn't realize how tough. Read on.

Stanford football notes: No holida[y] trying to stop Cougars' Halliday - San Jose Mercury News
If one likes the forward pass, Stanford Stadium is the place to be Friday evening.

The College Football Massacre: How 6 Undefeated Teams Lost on 1 Day
But, no, college football decided to stage an after party in Pullman, Washington. There, the country’s two most prolific passers, Washington State’s Connor Halliday and California’s Jared Goff, staged—again, depending on your perspective—the most epic or most obscene passing display the game has ever seen.

Soccer and Swimming

Cardinal shuts out Cougars - San Jose Mercury News
Chioma Ubogagu scored in the 84th minute to give third-ranked Stanford a 1-0 victory over visiting Washington State on Sunday in a matchup of the top two defenses in collegiate women's soccer.

Swimming Debuts in Los Angeles - Washington State University Official Athletic Site
The Cougars will face USC and UCLA, Thursday Oct. 9 and Friday, Oct. 10, respectively.