Giving thanks, WSU Cougars style

Happy Thanksgiving Cougar fans! Here is a Cougar-centric list of things I’m thankful for this year:

-The Prince of Power: Hercules Mata’afa, the best defensive player in the Pac-12

-Mike Leach (because duh)

-The women’s soccer team for making the sweet 16.

-The women’s volleyball team for once again competing well in the nation’s toughest conference.

-The Cougar men’s basketball team for starting 3-0.

-The women’s basketball team for having it’s best era of sustained success that I can remember.

-The football senior class who brought the program back from the depths.

-Bill Moos, who jump-started the athletic department before heading to corn country.

-Alex Grinch for being one of best defensive minds in the country.

-Marty Lees for continuing to bring the baseball program back to relevance.

-Great Cougar alumni everywhere you go

-The Cougar flag appearing everywhere, especially in October in Tempe

-The Coug, Stubblefields, and Valhalla

-Sella’s Calzones

-The fantastic tailgating scene in the RV lot

-An amazing Friday night win over USC

-The late night comeback for the ages against Boise State

-Mr. Cougar himself, Jack Thompson

-University leadership pushing for WSU to world class in all areas

-Klay Thompson repping WSU like a champ

-Mullet guy

-”We always find our way back home”

-Zzu crew

-Another bowl game

-A chance to beat UW for the Pac-12 North championship

It’s been a banner year to be a Coug fan! Enjoy the holiday!

Apple Cup Links

Before losing cancer battle, Ben Cushing inspired Cougars, Huskies to band together | The Seattle Times
Washington State student and rabid Cougars fan Ben Cushing died Oct. 2 after battling a rare form of lymphoma. Beyond the story of a young man’s courage in battling “the rarest of the rarest” form of cancer, the ordeal transcends the Apple Cup rivalry so prevalent this week.

Steve Christilaw: A recipe for success on the playing field | The Spokesman-Review
That long history of success Mike Leach has when it comes to playing the Huskies? Just keep repeating this mantra: “They have to win one sometime. They have to win one sometime.”

Washington State at Washington | Lindy's Sports
GAME SNAPSHOT KICKOFF: Saturday, 8 ET SITE: Husky Stadium, Seattle, Wash. TV: FOX SERIES: Washington leads 71-32-6 and has won seven of the past eight meetings

Could The Apple Cup be a defensive deadlock? All signs point to maybe. | The News Tribune
Washington State’s defense could be the most challenging and potentially most dangerous unit UW will face all season.

College football picks: Ohio State-Michigan, Alabama-Auburn | SI.com
Andy Staples picks Washington: This feels like a much better matchup for the Cougars than the past two years (when they’ve lost by an average of 31.5 points), but Washington’s defensive personnel (good corners and a big, quick line) is built to slow offenses like Washington State’s.

Q&A: Cougars Hall of Famer Paul Sorensen on a huge Apple Cup matchup | Bloglander
When Paul Sorensen hit an opponent on the football field, he delivered a powerful blow. A Cougar for just two seasons after transferring from a Northern California...

Cougs and Huskies updates from Apple Cup week | KREM.com
Keep up with us here as we live blog ahead of the big game!

WSU’s senior class turned the program around, but they need an Apple Cup win to cement their legacy | The Seattle Times
WSU's senior class set the goal of winning a Pac-12 championship. They know that to do that, they have to first beat the odds and take down the Huskies

Recruiting!

Washington State Cougars Land a Commitment from 3-Star Receiver Kassidy Woods
Washington State landed a commitment from 3-star Texas WR Kassidy Woods on Wednesday afternoon.