11 Cougs make Week 1 NFL rosters

While the Washington State Cougars were busy racking up touchdowns against the New Mexico State Aggies, many of their former teammates were settling in after the final NFL Week 1 rosters were set.

Not all of the Cougs had it go there way, but pending further changes, there will be 12 Cougs on NFL sidelines on Sunday.

Deone Bucannon and Joe Dahl are the veterans of the group. Dahl recently signed an extension with the Detroit Lions and Bucannon should be in line for a significant role on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense.

Frankie Luvu once again made the New York Jets’ 53-man roster. Hercules Mata’afa, Daniel Ekuale and Cole Madison all made the active roster for Week 1 for the first time. This will be the first time Mata’afa (Minnesota Vikings), Ekuale (Cleveland Browns) and Madison (Green Bay Packers) are on the active roster for a regular season game.

Andre Dillard’s place is secure with the Philadelphia Eagles and Gardner Minshew will open the season as the backup quarterback with the Jacksonville Jaguars, while Jalen Thompson will kick off his rookie season with the Arizona Cardinals.

River Cracraft initially made the Denver Broncos’ 53-man roster, but he was waived Sunday night and has not yet been re-signed by anyone. The Broncos’ practice squad seems like the most likely bet.

Luke Falk did not make the active roster in New York, but did join the Jets’ practice squad. The Jets only kept two quarterbacks, so Falk could receive a promotion should an injury occur.

Destiny Vaeao landed on injured reserve with the Carolina Panthers after missing the preseason with a quad injury.

James Williams was waived following a brief stint with the Detroit Lions. Logan Tago and Shalom Luani were both released by the Seattle Seahawks. Vince Mayle was released by the Los Angeles Chargers. All four have not yet landed on another roster or practice squad.

*****

Football:

Analysis: What we learned from WSU Cougars’ 58-7 win over New Mexico State | The Seattle Times
Saturday’s 58-7 win over New Mexico State was an ideal starting point for the Cougars.

Tailgate tradition resumes in Pullman as Washington State season kicks off | The Spokesman-Review
“It’s really difficult to be a Cougar fan,” Kay Miller said, referring to the travel as well as the ever-moving target that is the kickoff time. But for nearly three decades she and husband Mike have made it work, and their optimism about Washington State’s football team might have never been higher.

Tennessee football: Vols fans turning on Jeremy Pruitt are being ridiculous
What about Mike Leach? All of Vol Nation now is back on the train that Tennessee football should have allowed Currie to hire Leach before letting Phillip Fulmer establish a coup and take over.

College football - Scores, Top 25 updates, Week 1 highlights, Mack Brown gets down
QB Anthony Gordon, a fifth-year senior making his first career start, was just about flawless (29-for-35, 420 yards, five TDs, no INTs), and by this time next week he could already be near the 1,000-yard mark (WSU plays FCS Northern Colorado). After flirting with the College Football Playoff deep into last season, Gordon's debut gives hope to Cougars fans that they'll again be in the mix for the Pac-12 title

Behind Enemy Lines:

Love leads San Jose State to 35-18 win in opener | WTOP
Josh Love threw for two touchdowns and ran for another and San Jose State opened the season with a 35-18 victory over Northern Colorado on Thursday night.

Soccer:

No. 23 Washington State scores six first-half goals, routs James Madison | The Spokesman-Review
Makamae Gomera-Stevens scored a goal just 21 seconds into the match and the 23rd-ranked Washington State Cougars (3-0) breezed to a 6-3 nonconference victory over the James Madison Dukes (1-2) on Sunday in Pullman.