| 1979 Washington State Cougars football | |
| Conference | Pacific-10 Conference |
|---|---|
| 1979 record | 3–8 (2–6 Pac10) |
| Head coach | Jim Walden (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | Martin Stadium, Joe Albi Stadium (Spokane) |
Seasons | |
| 1979 Pacific-10 football standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #2 USC † | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #11 Washington | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona State | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UCLA | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Washington State | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1979 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1979 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their second season under head coach Jim Walden, the Cougars compiled a 3–8 record (2–6 in Pac-10, ninth), and were outscored 366 to 241.[1][2]
The team's statistical leaders included Steve Grant with 1,565 passing yards, Tali Ena with 844 rushing yards, and Jim Whatley with 513 receiving yards.[3]
Martin Stadium's seating capacity was increased over the summer (track removed, field lowered) and hosted its first game of the season in mid-October for homecoming.[4][5] The 17–14 upset of UCLA was the Cougars' first win over the Bruins since 1958.[6][7]
The traditional Battle of the Palouse game with neighbor Idaho went on hiatus beginning with this season (the Vandals had moved down to Division I-AA in 1978); it was played in 1982 and 1989. When Idaho rejoined Division I-A, there was a ten-year resumption (1998–2007).
Schedule[]
| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 8 | Arizona | L 7–22 | 26,753 | |
| September 15 | Montana* |
| W 34–14 | 20,157 |
| September 22 | at No. 16 Ohio State* | L 29–45 | 87,495 | |
| September 29 | at Syracuse* | L 25–52 | 10,004 | |
| October 6 | at No. 1 USC | L 21–50 | 55,117 | |
| October 13 | UCLA | W 17–14 | 32,651 | |
| October 20 | at Arizona State | W 17–28 (forfeit win) | 70,729 | |
| October 27 | Oregon |
| W 26–37 (forfeit win) | 18,650 |
| November 3 | at Oregon State | W 45–42 | 21,500 | |
| November 10 | California |
| L 13–45 | 22,055 |
| November 17 | at No. 16 Washington | L 7–17 | 57,750 | |
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Roster[]
| 1979 Washington State Cougars football team roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Season summary[]
UCLA[]
Mike Snow blocked two field goals and deflected a pass in the end zone as Washington State upset UCLA in front of a record home crowd. Brian Sickler capped an 84-yard fourth quarter drive with a one-yard plunge as the Cougars completed a rally from a 14–7 halftime deficit.[12]
NFL Draft[]
Four Cougars were selected in the 1980 NFL Draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Gregor | S | 4 | 108 | San Diego Chargers |
| Tali Ena | RB | 11 | 292 | Seattle Seahawks |
| Ray Williams | WR/RB | 12 | 307 | Detroit Lions |
| Tyrone Gray | DB | 12 | 309 | St. Louis Cardinals |
References[]
- ↑ "1979 Washington State Cougars Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/washington-state/1979-schedule.html. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ↑ "2016 Media Guide". Washington State Cougars Athletics. p. 77. http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/wsu.sidearmsports.com/documents/2016/8/25/2016_Football_Media_Guide_Color.pdf. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ↑ "1979 Washington State Cougars Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/washington-state/1979.html. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ↑ Van Sickel, Charlie (October 12, 1979). "Major questions face WSU in UCLA clash". Spokane Daily Chronicle ((Washington)): p. 25. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TP1jAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LvkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6934%2C3986636.
- ↑ Barrows, Bob (October 13, 1979). "WSU: For both teams, it's a battle for survival". Lewiston Morning Tribune ((Idaho)): p. 1C. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XspeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YjIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5469%2C5121507.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Emerson, Paul (October 14, 1979). "Upset". Lewiston Morning Tribune ((Idaho)): p. 4D. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=X8peAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YjIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2812%2C5486197.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Van Sickel, Charlie (October 15, 1979). "Kicking, defense WSU keys". Spokane Daily Chronicle ((Washington)): p. 23. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HqQSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LvkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4942%2C4620397.
- ↑ "Wildcats vs. Cougars: probable offensive starters". Spokesman-Review ((Spokane, Washington)): p. 18. September 8, 1979. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=TfpPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IwgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3823%2C3682141.
- ↑ "Grizzlies vs. Cougars: probable starting lineups". Spokesman-Review ((Spokane, Washington)): p. 21. September 15, 1979. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=VPpPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IwgEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2985%2C7788370.
- ↑ "Starting lineups". Eugene Register-Guard ((Oregon)): p. 2C. October 27, 1979. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2gBWAAAAIBAJ&sjid=E-IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4286%2C1558930.
- ↑ Emerson, Paul (November 17, 1979). "Braggin' rights". Lewiston Morning Tribune ((Idaho)): p. 3C. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=6b1eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=DzEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2287%2C679730.
- ↑ Ocala Star-Banner. 1979 Oct 14. Retrieved 2018-Oct-28.
- ↑ Missildine, Harry (April 30, 1980). "Huskies popular in draft". Spokesman-Review ((Spokane, Washington)): p. C1. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=FvhLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wO4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=6484%2C7858174.
- ↑ "Tatum, Stanford QB big news in NFL draft". Spokesman-Review. Associated Press ((Spokane, Washington)): p. 25. May 1, 1980. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=_FVOAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Re4DAAAAIBAJ&pg=1863%2C142285.
- ↑ "NFL draft". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Associated Press ((Idaho)): p. 1C. May 1, 1980. https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=w5NfAAAAIBAJ&sjid=FDEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=2674%2C233945.
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