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Photo Gallery: WSU football earns bowl eligibility after beating ASU, 28-18

Jack Ellis/CougCenter

The Washington State Cougars (6-4 overall, 3-4 conference) earned bowl eligibility with their sixth win of the season against the Arizona State Sun Devils (3-7, 2-5) on a sunny but brisk November contest in Pullman. ASU was practically asleep for the first 45 minutes, not achieving 100 total yards until early in the fourth quarter. Despite scoring three touchdowns late to stay close, a big first half for the WSU offense shut down any serious concerns of a comeback.

Seven straight bowl appearances (excluding 2022) for Washington State University is a major testament to the dedication and commitment to excellence by the athletic department and AD Pat Chun, as any Coug fan knows that this program has been starved of consistency for quite some time now. The culture that Coach Dickert is infusing in his program is impossible to ignore, as players supporting each other on social media and repeating his mantras on social media has become commonplace. The standard has been set with WSU football, and good days are ahead regardless of how conference realignment ultimately unfolds.

GOLD STAR - After Nakia Watson returned from injury two weeks ago, there were questions about if he would be 100% right away. Well the sophomore running back hasn’t missed a beat, setting a career high with 3 rushing touchdowns and recording his third +100 yard rushing game of the season (including Stanford and Idaho). Watson has revitalized what was once the worst rushing team in the conference, and figures to be an impact player going forward should he remain healthy.

UP NEXT - With bowl eligibility achieved, WSU can now focus solely ahead as they round out the 2022 campaign against two familiar opponents. This Saturday features ex-Coug Jayden de Laura leading the Arizona Wildcats after a momentous upset of UCLA that keeps their postseason hopes alive, followed by the Apple Cup in Pullman for the first time since 2018. These two games will ultimately tell the story of the season, for better or for worse.

CougCenter was in Martin Stadium covering the game’s biggest moments and plays. Enjoy!

Missed previous photo galleries? Check them out below!

9/3 - WSU versus Idaho

9/17 - WSU versus Colorado State

9/24 - WSU versus Oregon

10/27 - WSU versus Utah