College GameDay host Rece Davis does Pullman

With the hardware making its arrival on Wednesday, it was time on Thursday for the on-air talent that makes ESPN’s College GameDay go to start filtering in. First up: Rece Davis.

Davis got to see where he’ll be working on Saturday, stopping by the construction site that is occupying what is usually a corner of the RV lot outside Beasley Coliseum and taking a few minutes to visit with the Washington State Cougars baseball team — Davis’ son, Chris, is an outfielder at Princeton. Then it was on to the Coug, and finally to Zeppos for Mike Leach’s coach’s show with Matt Chazanow.

Before moving on, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that Davis’ pants were 100% on point.

Of course, this was the highlight.

Davis’ biggest challenge of the day is one that many of us have faced before: Where on earth to find a little bit of wall space to sign your name at The Coug??

Good idea having him sign the bar, since that’s not ever going to get painted over. Next stop: Coach’s show. You can watch the whole thing! Rece joins the show at roughly the 17:00 mark.

If you listen up to the 30:45 mark, you’ll hear about the challenges GameDay sometimes has in securing the guest picker. In this case, they thought they had someone locked down (Klay Thompson?), but that they’re now going in another direction.

Most of the rest of the GameDay crew will be rolling into Pullman today — there will be a media scrum with the TV personalities at 1:30 p.m. Expect to see lots more pictures and video after that.

Soccer

Before we get on to the football links, I guess we should pass along that the soccer team lost its fourth consecutive match. It’s been quite the freefall for the Cougs, who are now starting their third-string goalkeeper and will likely fall out of the top 25 after this weekend. They were ranked as high as No. 7.

ASU soccer uses big second half to upset No. 22 Washington State
ASU soccer scored three goals over a 10-minute span in the second half Thursday for a 3-1 win over No. 22 Washington State.

Late Woes Cost the Cougars in Tempe - Washington State University
TEMPE, Ariz. – In a rough final 20 minutes of action in Tempe, Ariz. the No. 22 ranked Washington State soccer team (10-4-0, 3-4-0) suffered a late game loss to Arizona State (7-5-1, 2-3-1) as the Sun Devils scored three unanswered goals to take a 3-1 win Thursday afternoon.

GameDay Links

After 15 years of waving the Cougars flag, Washington State finally gets ESPN 'College GameDay' | OregonLive.com
The ESPN "College GameDay" visit to Pullman on Saturday could be unlike any setting ever for college football's version of Woodstock.

College GameDay goes to WSU: Chris Fowler talks Ol' Crimson
At long last, ESPN's wildly popular pregame show will make an appearance in Pullman. Former host Chris Fowler reflects on 15 years of the school flag flying behind the GameDay set.

Going to GameDay? Sleep in a van for $363 or a frat house for $866 | krem.com
Though the Ol' Crimson flag has flown more than 200 times on College GameDay, the show is making its way to the Palouse for the first time as the Cougs take on the University of Oregon ducks. Some Airbnb users are offering some more unconventional places to stay for the weekend.

WSU flag will wave Saturday in Pullman on ESPN’s ‘College GameDay,’ but the streak won’t stop there | The Seattle Times
Week after week, the WSU flag waved behind the set, with the goal soon becoming to get the ESPN show to come to Pullman. On Saturday, that will happen for the first time.

For this Washington State alum, it’s a long road to GameDay | The Spokesman-Review
It was almost midnight on Saturday in Virginia when the text message flashed across Travis Crawford’s screen. It was concise – just seven words – and an order from longtime friend Jeffrey Mohn: “Get your stuff and get to Pullman.”

Actual Game Links

Will Oregon be able to pressure Gardner Minshew, who has dramatically cut down WSU's sacks allowed? | OregonLive.com
Despite leading the country with 54 pass attempts per game No. 25 Washington State has given up just five sacks entering Saturday's game with No. 12 Oregon

Biggest questions surrounding Oregon-Washington State - DuckTerritory.com

Oregon Ducks counting on old man Justin Hollins | NBC Sports Northwest
Outside linebacker Justin Hollins is quietly leading the Ducks while crushing quarterbacks and climbing NFL draft boards at an alarming rate.

Mailbag: 5 answers to your Duck-Cougar questions | NBC Sports Northwest
Let's get to your questions regarding No. 12 Oregon vs. No. 25 Washington State.

WSU's Willie Taylor, from tiny Georgia town, overlooked no more
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE of Georgia, there is a growing faction of fans focused on the Washington State football team.

Can Oregon Ducks prevent Washington State defensive line from 'wreaking havoc'? | OregonLive.com
The tactics Washington State employs are meant to stress and confuse opposing offensive linemen

Before he became famous, Oregon’s Justin Herbert threw first collegiate passes at Martin Stadium | The Spokesman-Review
Justin Herbert hadn’t yet grown out his hair, and certainly not his arm, the last time the Oregon Ducks visited Washington State.