WSU Cougar Football: 5 Things We Want to See This Season

I almost woke up this morning cheering thanks to a dream I was having about Washington State football.  Thus I thought with the season rapidly approching and my trip to Seattle to watch the Cougs take on Rutgers right around the corner, it is about time as a Cougar fan to talk about things I’d like to see this season.

5: Strong Opening Showing

It’s no secret.  Everyone wants to see their team come out and take their opening weekend game by-storm.  What makes this game uniquely important for the Cougars, is a combination of the rest of their schedule and the stage it would set for the upcoming weeks.

If WSU comes out stronger than people expect and beat Rutgers convincingly there could be a huge week 4 matchup looming in Pullman with Oregon coming to town.  We’re talking Lee Corso and the College Gameday crew type of HUGE.  Not to overlook Nevada but I truly believe if the Cougs take down Rutgers, their non-conference schedule will yield a 3-0 start.

Now it might take the Cougs proving a little more for Gameday to actually show up, but once again this is something I’d just like to see.

4: New Star on Defense

With the departure of Deone Bucannon, Nolan Washington and Damante Horton, the Cougars secondary has been left with a huge question mark.

This year I would LOVE to see someone bring a fresh sense of excitement in the secondary.  Whether that be Daquawn Brown elevating his play or one of these new, untested cornerbacks or safties stepping up and shocking people, this is almost something I need to see if the Cougs are to be successful.

3: BIG Stage for the Apple Cup

Now, the Apple Cup is always a big deal to anyone with an association to either UW or WSU so this may seem obvious.

I’m talking about a big national stage, you know, the one other people would care about.  There is so much rich tradition and history with both these schools, it would be awesome to see this rivalry come back to significance on a national level, especially with it being in Pullman this year.

2: Special Feature on ESPN

Having been insignificant for so long, 99% of Cougar news and headlines is pure analysis of whether or not the Cougs will get blown out in the “BIG games”.

We forget that WSU is one of the most unique situations for a college athelete to play big conference ball at.  Thus we assume that every player just comes in, plays football and leaves and we don’t realize the incredible life stories they bring to the Palouse.

It would be nice for WSU to see a big enough stage for one of these stories to be told in an ESPN special (you know, like Bishop Sankey’s grandfather last year).

1: Connor Halliday Leave a Mark

Although this may be obvious to anyone that has read my articles before, I’m always rooting for Connor.  I would like to see Halliday grow up, avoid the turnover bug and log an incredible year.

Ever since Connor stepped on the field as a wide-eyed, redshirt freshman vs ASU on a late night, icy stage, I’ve been a Connor Halliday fan.  It’s great to see him finally getting attention for his numbers but I would love to see him take this team to high places this year and finally be recognized for his ability to elevate a team and lead.  This may be what I look forward to most.

Go Cougs!