# 2018 Washington State Cougars football team

The 2018 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team played their home games in Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington. They were led by 7th-year head coach Mike Leach and were members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.
The 2018 season was one of the greatest in Washington State history. The Cougars won a school record-tying ten games, the first time they had won that many in the regular season since the Rose Bowl year of 2002. They also surged as high as seventh in major polling and went into the Apple Cup with a chance to clinch the Pac-12 North title and a shot at the Rose Bowl, but lost 28–15 to rival Washington in the snow in Pullman, a sixth consecutive loss to the Huskies. The 10–2 Cougars were invited to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio to play the Iowa State Cyclones. They won 28–26 for a school record 11th win.
Mike Leach's air raid offense was led by grad transfer quarterback Gardner Minshew, who led FBS in passing completions and attempts, and finished second in passing yards. Minshew was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year and was the recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He and offensive tackle Andre Dillard were named first-team all-conference. Redshirt freshman offensive tackle Abraham Lucas was named to several national all-freshman teams, and was joined on the all-conference second-team by defensive end Logan Tago. Mike Leach was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the second time of his career.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Rimington Trophy | Frederick Mauigoa | C | JR |
| Chuck Bednarik Award | Jalen Thompson | S | JR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | Peyton Pelluer | LB | SR |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award | Gardner Minshew | QB | SR |
| Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award | Gardner Minshew | QB | SR |

### Pac-12 media days

The 2018 Pac-12 media days were held July 25, 2018 in Hollywood, California. Mike Leach (HC), Kyle Sweet (WR/P) & Jalen Thompson (S) represented Washington State at this event. The Pac-12 media poll was released with the Cougars predicted to finish in fifth place at Pac-12 North division.
Media poll (North) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Washington | 249 (40) |
| 2 | Stanford | 198 (2) |
| 3 | Oregon | 178 (2) |
| 4 | California | 108 |
| 5 | Washington State | 98 |
| 6 | Oregon State | 45 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 12:30 p.m. | at Wyoming* | | War Memorial StadiumLaramie, WY | CBSSN | W 41–19 | 24,131 |
| September 8 | 8:00 p.m. | San Jose State* | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 31–0 | 26,141 |
| September 15 | 5:00 p.m. | No. 6 (FCS) Eastern Washington* | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 59–24 | 32,952 |
| September 21 | 7:30 p.m. | at USC | | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | ESPN | L 36–39 | 52,421 |
| September 29 | 3:00 p.m. | Utah | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 28–24 | 30,088 |
| October 6 | 6:00 p.m. | at Oregon State | | Reser StadiumCorvallis, OR | P12N | W 56–37 | 34,429 |
| October 20 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 12 Oregon | No. 25 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA (College GameDay) | FOX | W 34–20 | 33,152 |
| October 27 | 4:10 p.m. | at No. 24 Stanford | No. 14 | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | P12N | W 41–38 | 39,596 |
| November 3 | 7:45 p.m. | California | No. 8 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | ESPN | W 19–13 | 32,952 |
| November 10 | 12:30 p.m. | at Colorado | No. 8 | Folsom FieldBoulder, CO | ESPN | W 31–7 | 45,587 |
| November 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Arizona | No. 8 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | ESPN | W 69–28 | 22,400 |
| November 23 | 5:30 p.m. | No. 16 Washington | No. 8 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA (111th Apple Cup) | FOX | L 15–28 | 32,952 |
| December 28 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. No. 24 Iowa State* | No. 13 | AlamodomeSan Antonio, TX (Alamo Bowl) | ESPN | W 28–26 | 60,675 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings after October 30 released prior to gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||
Conference opponents not played this season: Arizona State, UCLA

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | — | RV | RV | RV | — | RV | RV | 25 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 10 |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 23 | 15 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 10 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 13 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### At Wyoming

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 10 | 3 | 7 | 21 | 41 |
| Cowboys | 2 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 19 |
at War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, WY
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C); Partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 24,131
* Referee: Kevin Hassell
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz, Aaron Murray, A.J. Ross
* wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – Blake Mazza 24 yard field goal, 9:57 (WSU 3–0)
WSU – James Williams 2 yard TD pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick good), 3:28 (WSU 10–0)
WY – Jevon Bigelow safety, 1:35 (WSU 10–2)
Second quarter
WY – Nico Evans 8 yard TD run (Cooper Rothe kick good), 12:23 (WSU 10–9)
WSU – Blake Mazza 41 yard field goal, 8:37 (WSU 13–9)
WY – Avante' Cox 23 yard TD run (Cooper Rothe kick good), 5:07 (WY 16–13)
Third quarter
WY – Cooper Rothe 30 yard field goal, 8:48 (WY 19–13)
WSU – Max Borghi 6 yard TD pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick good), 3:51 (WSU 20–19)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Easop Winston 7 yard TD pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick good), 10:55 (WSU 27–19)
WSU – Max Borghi 14 yard TD run (Blake Mazza kick good), 5:50 (WSU 34–19)
WSU – James Williams 3 yard TD run (Blake Mazza kick good), 0:44 (WSU 41–19)
Top passers
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 38/57, 319 yards, 3 TD, int
WY – Tyler Vander Waal – 8/20, 229 yards, int
Top rushers
WSU – James Williams – 16 carries, 82 yards, TD
WY – Nico Evans – 18 carries, 89 yards, TD
Top receivers
WSU – Jamire Calvin – 5 receptions, 82 yards
WY – Austin Conway – 3 receptions, 18 yards
Top defenders
WSU – Skyler Thomas – 9 tackles
WY – Logan Wilson – 12 tackles, 1 TFL :

### San Jose State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cougars | 14 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: September 8
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 26,141
* TV announcers (P12N): Guy Haberman, Ryan Leaf, Cindy Brunson
* wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – Tay Martin 15 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 12:55 (WSU 7–0)
WSU – Tay Martin 36 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 5:45 (WSU 14–0)
Second quarter
WSU – Blake Mazza 36 yd FG, 5:48 (WSU 17–0)
WSU – Gardner Minshew 1 yd run (Blake Mazza kick), 0:00 (WSU 24–0)
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
WSU – James Williams 3 yd pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 4:39 (WSU 31–0)
Top passers
SJSU – Montel Aaron – 13/25, 52 yards
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 34/51, 414 yards, 3 TD, 2 int
Top rushers
SJSU – Malike Roberson – 12 carries, 33 yards
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 9 carries, 32 yards, TD
Top receivers
SJSU – Josh Oliver – 5 receptions, 51 yards
WSU – Travell Harris – 6 receptions, 83 yards
Top defenders
SJSU – A. J. Keene – 7 tackles
WSU – Skyler Thomas – 9 tackles :

### Eastern Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 6 (FCS) Eagles | 0 | 10 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Cougars | 14 | 14 | 7 | 24 | 59 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: September 15
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 32,952
* Referee: Steve Strimling
* TV announcers (P12N): Guy Haberman, Ryan Leaf, Cindy Brunson
* wsucougars.com Game Notes Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – James Williams 1 yard TD run (Blake Mazza kick), 9:27 (WSU 7–0)
WSU – Easop Winston 14 yard TD pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 1:45 (WSU 14–0)
Second quarter
EWU – Roldan Alcobendas 37 yard field goal, 12:11 (WSU 14–3)
WSU – Travell Harris 100 yard kickoff return (Blake Mazza kick), 11:56 (WSU 21–3)
WSU – James Williams 2 yard TD run (Blake Mazza kick), 2:14 (WSU 28–3)
EWU – Andrew Boston 26 yard TD pass from Gage Gubrud (Roldan Alcobendas kick), 0:39 (WSU 28–10)
Third quarter
EWU – Zach Eagle 34 yard TD pass from Gage Gubrud (Roldan Alcobendas kick), 11:41 (WSU 28–17)
WSU – James Williams 8 yard TD run (Blake Mazza kick), 4:37 (WSU 35–17)
EWU – Dennis Merritt 44 yard TD pass from Gage Gubrud (Roldan Alcobendas kick), 3:54 (WSU 35–24)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Blake Mazza 44 yard field goal, 14:05 (WSU 38–24)
WSU – Tay Martin 21 yard TD pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 9:47 (WSU 45–24)
WSU – Max Borghi 6 yard TD run (Blake Mazza kick), 8:24 (WSU 52–24)
WSU – Robert Lewis 6 yard TD pass from Trey Tinsley (Blake Mazza kick), 1:21 (WSU 59–24)
Top passers
EWU – Gage Gubrud – 14/36, 231 yards, 3 TD, 3 int
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 45/57, 470 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
EWU – Sam McPherson – 17 carries, 72 yards
WSU – James Williams – 6 carries, 19 yards, 3 TD
Top receivers
EWU – Zach Eagle – 4 receptions, 73 yards, TD
WSU – Tay Martin – 13 receptions, 149 yards, TD
Top defenders
EWU – Ketner Kupp – 7 tackles, sack, 2 TFL
WSU – Hunter Dale – 10 tackles :

### At USC

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 3 | 21 | 6 | 6 | 36 |
| Trojans | 7 | 10 | 7 | 15 | 39 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 7:35 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); clear skies
* Game attendance: 52,421
* Referee: Javarro Edwards
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill
* wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
USC – Vavae Malepeai 3 yard run (Michael Brown kick), 12:56 (USC 7–0)
WSU – Blake Mazza 50 yard field goal, 7:19 (USC 7–3)
Second quarter
WSU – James Williams 4 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 13:29 (WSU 10–7)
USC – Tyler Vaughns 9 yard pass from JT Daniels (Michael Brown kick), 12:23 (USC 14–10)
WSU – Easop Winston 28 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 9:55 (WSU 17–14)
WSU – Dezmon Patmon 7 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 1:39 (WSU 24–14)
USC – Michael Brown 26 yard field goal, 0:00 (WSU 24–17)
Third quarter
WSU – Max Borghi 13 yard run (run failed), 10:21 (WSU 30–17)
USC – Michael Pittman 50 yard pass from JT Daniels (Michael Brown kick), 9:03 (WSU 30–24)
Fourth quarter
USC – Amon-Ra St. Brown 30 yard pass from JT Daniels (Michael Brown kick), 14:31 (USC 31–30)
WSU – Easop Winston 4 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (pass failed), 10:15 (WSU 36–31)
USC – Vavae Malepeai 2 yard run (Tyler Vaughns pass from JT Daniels), 8:03 (USC 39–36)
Top passers
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 37/52, 344 yards, 3 TD
USC – JT Daniels – 17/26, 241 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
WSU – James Williams – 17 carries, 54 yards, TD
USC – Vavae Malepeai – 13 carries, 78 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
WSU – Easop Winston – 6 receptions, 143 yards, 2 TD
USC – Tyler Vaughns – 7 receptions, 64 yards, TD
Top defenders
WSU – Peyton Pelluer – 12 tackles, sack, 2 TFL
USC – Cameron Smith – 15 tackles, 2 TFL :

### Utah

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Utes | 14 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Cougars | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: September 29
* Game time: 3:07 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 30,088
* Referee: M. Mothershed
* TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage
* wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
UTAH – Tyler Huntley 24 yard run (Matt Gay kick), 8:22 (UTAH 7–0)
WSU – Tay Martin 4 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 5:07 (TIE 7–7)
UTAH – Zack Moss 6 yard run (Matt Gay kick), 1:07 (UTAH 14–7)
Second quarter
WSU – Gardner Minshew 10 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 11:47 (TIE 14–14)
WSU – Dezmon Patmon 65 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 9:03 (WSU 21–14)
UTAH – Tyler Huntley 1 yard run (Matt Gay kick), 6:01 (TIE 21–21)
Third quarter
UTAH – Matt Gay 41 yard field goal, 10:39 (UTAH 24–21)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Easop Winston 89 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 4:14 (WSU 28–24)
Top passers
UTAH – Tyler Huntley – 12/20, 118 yards
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 31/56, 445 yards, 3 TD, int
Top rushers
UTAH – Zack Moss – 30 carries, 106 yards, TD
WSU – James Williams – 5 carries, 13 yards
Top receivers
UTAH – Britain Covey – 4 receptions, 22 yards
WSU – Easop Winston – 4 receptions, 115 yards, TD
Top defenders
UTAH – Chase Hansen – 7 tackles, 2 TFL
WSU – Peyton Pelluer – 13 tackles, sack, 1.5 TFL :

### At Oregon State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 14 | 14 | 7 | 21 | 56 |
| Beavers | 14 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 37 |
at Reser Stadium, Corvallis, OR
* Date: October 6
* Game time: 6:10 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C); mostly clear
* Game attendance: 34,429
* Referee: Kevin Mar
* TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage
* wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – Renard Bell 6 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 13:44 (WSU 7–0)
WSU – Tristan Brock 5 yard blocked punt return (Blake Mazza kick), 12:32 (WSU 14–0)
OSU – Jermar Jefferson 6 yard run (Jordan Choukair kick), 6:16 (WSU 14–7)
OSU – Jermar Jefferson 6 yard run (Jordan Choukair kick), 1:21 (TIED 14–14)
Second quarter
WSU – Tay Martin 38 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 13:42 (WSU 21–14)
OSU – Jordan Choukair 32 yard field goal, 8:35 (WSU 21–17)
OSU – Jermar Jefferson 3 yard run (Jordan Choukair kick), 4:47 (OSU 24–21)
WSU – James Williams 15 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 0:34 (WSU 28–24)
Third quarter
OSU – Jermar Jefferson 1 yard run (Jordan Choukair kick failed), 12:10 (OSU 30–28)
WSU – Max Borghi 1 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 6:37 (WSU 35–30)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Travell Harris 3 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 14:22 (WSU 42–30)
WSU – Tay Martin 27 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 9:06 (WSU 49–30)
WSU – Max Borghi 30 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 1:11 (WSU 56–30)
OSU – B.J. Baylor 4 yard run (Jordan Choukair kick), 0:35 (WSU 56–37)
Top passers
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 30/40, 430 yards, 5 TD
OSU – Conor Blount – 15/21, 172 yards
Top rushers
WSU – James Williams – 10 carries, 56 yards
OSU – Jermar Jefferson – 25 carries, 138 yards, 4 TD
Top receivers
WSU – Tay Martin – 8 receptions, 119 yards, 2 TD
OSU – Trevon Bradford – 8 receptions, 68 yards
Top defenders
WSU – Peyton Pelluer – 11 tackles, TFL
OSU – Jalen Moore – 8 tackles :

### Oregon

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 12 Ducks | 0 | 0 | 17 | 3 | 20 |
| No. 25 Cougars | 7 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 34 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: October 20
* Game time: 4:35 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C); clear
* Game attendance: 33,152
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman and Holly Sonders
* wsucougars.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – James Williams 24 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 4:30 (WSU 7–0)
Second quarter
WSU – Renard Bell 16 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (rush failed), 12:22 (WSU 13–0)
WSU – Easop Winston 6 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 2:59 (WSU 20–0)
WSU – Max Borghi 15 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 0:41 (WSU 27–0)
Third quarter
ORE – Justin Herbert 8 yard run (Adam Stack kick), 11:54 (WSU 27–7)
ORE – Adam Stack 32 yard field goal, 6:58 (WSU 27–10)
ORE – Jaylon Redd 11 yard pass from Justin Herbert (Adam Stack kick), 0:36 (WSU 27–17)
Fourth quarter
ORE – Adam Stack 23 yard field goal, 6:38 (WSU 27–20)
WSU – Dezmon Patmon 22 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 3:40 (WSU 34–20)
Top passers
ORE – Justin Herbert – 25/44, 270 yards, TD
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 39/51, 323 yards, 4 TD, 2 int
Top rushers
ORE – C. J. Verdell – 12 carries, 55 yards
WSU – James Williams – 9 carries, 53 yards, TD
Top receivers
ORE – Jake Breeland – 4 receptions, 63 yards
WSU – Dezmon Patmon – 6 receptions, 81 yards, TD
Top defenders
ORE – Kaulana Apelu – 14 tackles
WSU – Jalen Thompson – 7 tackles :

### At Stanford

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Cougars | 14 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 41 |
| No. 24 Cardinal | 14 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
at Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA
* Date: October 27
* Game time: 4:35 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C)
* Game attendance: 39,596
* Referee: Mike McCabe
* TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson, Yogi Roth, Jill Savage
* gostanford.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
STAN – J. J. Arcega-Whiteside 18 yard pass from K. J. Costello (Jet Toner kick), 11:09 (STAN 7–0)
WSU – James Williams 5 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 8:17 (TIED 7–7)
WSU – Max Borghi 4 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 5:23 (WSU 14–7)
STAN – Cameron Scarlett 2 yard run (Jet Toner kick), 1:22 (TIED 14–14)
Second quarter
STAN – Kaden Smith 10 yard pass from K. J. Costello (Jet Toner kick), 9:25 (STAN 21–14)
STAN – Houston Heimuli 1 yard pass from K. J. Costello (Jet Toner kick), 1:04 (STAN 28–14)
WSU – Blake Mazza 23 yard field goal, 0:00 (STAN 28–17)
Third quarter
WSU – James Williams 3 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 10:32 (STAN 28–24)
STAN – Jet Toner 40 yard field goal, 6:16 (STAN 31–24)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Tay Martin 7 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 12:26 (TIED 31–31)
WSU – Renard Bell 3 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 4:28 (WSU 38–31)
STAN – J. J. Arcega-Whiteside 25 yard pass from K. J. Costello (Jet Toner kick), 1:25 (TIED 38–38)
WSU – Blake Mazza 42 yard field goal, 0:19 (WSU 41–38)
Top passers
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 40/50, 438 yards, 3 TD
STAN – K. J. Costello – 34/43, 323 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
WSU – James Williams – 8 carries, 30 yards, 2 TD
STAN – Bryce Love – 6 carries, 71 yards
Top receivers
WSU – Dezmon Patmon – 10 receptions, 127 yards
STAN – J. J. Arcega-Whiteside – 10 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TD
Top defenders
WSU – Peyton Pelluer – 7 tackles, sack, TFL
STAN – Sean Barton – 10 tackles, 0.5 TFL :

### California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| No. 10 Cougars | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: November 3
* Game time: 7:50 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C); cloudy, rain
* Game attendance: 32,952
* Referee: Kevin Mar
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill
* wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – Blake Mazza 29 yard field goal, 10:35 (WSU 3–0)
Second quarter
CAL – Malik McMorris 2 yard pass from Chase Garbers (Greg Thomas kick), 11:00 (CAL 7–3)
WSU – Max Borghi 5 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 6:47 (WSU 10–7)
CAL – Greg Thomas 42 yard field goal, 0:36 (TIED 10–10)
WSU – Blake Mazza 36 yard field goal, 0:01 (WSU 13–10)
Third quarter
CAL – Greg Thomas 46 yard field goal, 2:04 (TIED 13–13)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Winston Easop, Jr. 10 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza rush failed), 0:32 (WSU 19–13)
Top passers
CAL – Chase Garbers – 15/26, 127 yards, TD, int
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 35/51, 334 yards, TD, int
Top rushers
CAL – Chase Garbers – 11 carries, 67 yards
WSU – Max Borghi – 6 carries, 33 yards, TD
Top receivers
CAL – Vic Wharton III – 4 receptions, 47 yards
WSU – Easop Winston Jr. – 7 receptions, 92 yards, TD
Top defenders
CAL – Jordan Kunaszyk – 9 tackles, sack, 1.5 TFL
WSU – Peyton Pelluer – 10 tackles, 0.5 sack, 1.5 TFL :

### At Colorado

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Cougars | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
| Buffaloes | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Folsom Field, Boulder, CO
* Date: November 10
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 57 °F (14 °C); mostly clear
* Game attendance: 45,587
* Referee: Chris Coyte
* TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
* wsucougars.com Game Notes cubuffs.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
CU – Travon McMillian 3 yard run (Tyler Francis kick), 4:14 (CU 7–0)
Second quarter
WSU – Blake Mazza 39 yard field goal, 13:37 (CU 7–3)
WSU – Max Borghi 28 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 8:31 (WSU 10–7)
Third quarter
WSU – Renard Bell 1 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 10:56 (WSU 17–7)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Gardner Minshew 10 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 14:27 (WSU 24–7)
WSU – James Williams 3 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 3:46 (WSU 31–7)
Top passers
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 35/58, 335 yards, 2 TD
CU – Steven Montez – 20/35, 199 yards
Top rushers
WSU – James Williams – 17 carries, 60 yards, TD
CU – Travon McMillian – 9 carries, 73 yards, TD
Top receivers
WSU – Dezmon Patmon – 8 receptions, 103 yards
CU – Laviska Shenault – 10 receptions, 102 yards
Top defenders
WSU – Jahad Woods – 5 tackles, 2 FF, FR
CU – Davion Taylor – 11 tackles, TFL :

### Arizona

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 7 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 28 |
| No. 8 Cougars | 21 | 34 | 0 | 14 | 69 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: November 17
* Game time: 7:35 p.m.PDT
* Game weather: 29 °F (−2 °C); clear
* Game attendance: 22,400
* Referee: Mike McCabe
* TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
* wsucougars.com Box Score wsucougars.com Game Notes
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – James Williams 1 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 10:44 (WSU 7–0)
WSU – Max Borghi 1 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 7:38 (WSU 14–0)
ARIZ – Shawn Poindexter 24 yard pass from Khalil Tate (Lucas Havrisik kick), 3:19 (WSU 14–7)
WSU – Calvin Jackson 27 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 0:19 (WSU 21–7)
Second quarter
WSU – Dezmon Patmon 11 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 12:03 (WSU 28–7)
ARIZ – Tony Ellison 37 yard pass from Khalil Tate (Lucas Havrisik kick), 10:43 (WSU 28–14)
WSU – Calvin Jackson 6 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza rush failed), 7:08 (WSU 34–14)
WSU – Kainoa Wilson 0 yard fumble recovery (Blake Mazza kick), 7:04 (WSU 41–14)
WSU – James Williams 9 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 3:22 (WSU 48–14)
WSU – Tay Martin 50 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 0:10 (WSU 55–14)
Third quarter
ARIZ – Shun Brown 2 yard pass from Khalil Tate (Lucas Havrisik kick), 12:18 (WSU 55–21)
ARIZ – Shawn Poindexter 14 yard pass from Khalil Tate (Lucas Havrisik kick), 1:02 (WSU 55–28)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Jamire Calvin 2 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza rush failed), 12:37 (WSU 62–28)
WSU – Easop Winston 9 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza rush failed), 7:06 (WSU 69–28)
Top passers
ARIZ – Khalil Tate – 18/30, 294 yards, 4 TD, int
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 43/55, 473 yards, 7 TD
Top rushers
ARIZ – J. J. Taylor – 20 carries, 69 yards
WSU – Max Borghi – 8 carries, 50 yards, TD
Top receivers
ARIZ – Shun Brown – 8 receptions, 37 yards, TD
WSU – Tay Martin – 7 receptions, 124 yards, TD
Top defenders
ARIZ – Colin Schooler – 13 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 2.5 TFL
WSU – Jahad Woods – 11 tackles, 0.5 TFL, FF, FR :

### Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 16 Huskies | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 28 |
| No. 7 Cougars | 0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 5:45 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 38 °F (3 °C); snow
* Game attendance: 32,952
* Referee: Steve Strimling
* TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Bruce Feldman
* wsucougars.com Game Notes wsucougars.com Box Score
Game information :
First quarter
WASH – Myles Gaskin 5 yard run (Peyton Henry kick), 0:08 (WASH 7–0)
Second quarter
WASH – Myles Gaskin 5 yard run (Peyton Henry kick), 5:37 (WASH 14–0)
WSU – James Williams 11 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 0:33 (WASH 14–7)
Third quarter
WASH – Hunter Bryant 22 yard pass from Aaron Fuller (Peyton Henry kick blocked), 12:40 (WASH 20–7)
WSU – Hunter Dale PAT return, 12:40 (WASH 20–9)
WSU – James Williams 1 yard run (Gardner Minshew pass failed), 4:44 (WASH 20–15)
Fourth quarter
WASH – Myles Gaskin 80 yard run (Salvon Ahmed rush), 12:30 (WASH 28–15)
Top passers
WASH – Jake Browning – 11/14, 207 yards, int
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 26/35, 152 yards, 2 int
Top rushers
WASH – Myles Gaskin – 27 carries, 170 yards, 3 TD
WSU – James Williams – 11 carries, 65 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
WASH – Hunter Bryant – 3 receptions, 108 yards, TD
WSU – Max Borghi – 7 receptions, 49 yards
Top defenders
WASH – Ben Burr-Kirven – 10 tackles, FR, int
WSU – Peyton Pelluer – 10 tackles, 1.5 TFL :

### Vs. Iowa State (Alamo Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 25 Cyclones | 0 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 26 |
| No. 12 Cougars | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
* Date: December 28
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), Indoors
* Game attendance: 60,675
* Referee: John O'Neil
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy and Tom Luginbill
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – Renard Bell 22 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 6:55 (WSU 7–0)
Second quarter
WSU – Gardner Minshew 7 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 6:08 (WSU 14–0)
ISU – Brock Purdy 9 yard run (Connor Assalley kick), 4:26 (WSU 14–7)
WSU – Dezmon Patmon 9 yard pass from Gardner Minshew (Blake Mazza kick), 1:02 (WSU 21–7)
ISU – Connor Assalley 50 yard field goal, 0:00 (WSU 21–10)
Third quarter
ISU – David Montgomery 8 yard run (Connor Assalley kick), 12:11 (WSU 21–17)
ISU – Connor Assalley 23 yard field goal, 1:04 (WSU 21–20)
Fourth quarter
WSU – Max Borghi 10 yard run (Blake Mazza kick), 10:24 (WSU 28–20)
ISU – Brock Purdy 1 yard run (pass failed), 4:02 (WSU 28–26)
Top passers
ISU – Brock Purdy – 18/27, 315 yards, 2 int
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 35/49, 299 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
ISU – David Montgomery – 25 carries, 124 yards, TD
WSU – Gardner Minshew – 6 carries, 16 yards, TD
Top receivers
ISU – Hakeem Butler – 9 receptions, 192 yards
WSU – Dezmon Patmon – 6 receptions, 76 yards, TD
Top defenders
ISU – Marcel Spears Jr. – 8 tackles, 0.5 sacks
WSU – Peyton Pelluer – 10 tackles, sack :

## Awards

| Player | Award | Date |
| Gardner Minshew | Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week | September 17, 2018 |
| Travell Harris | Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week | September 17, 2018 |
| Jahad Woods | Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week | November 19, 2018 |
Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year: Gardner Minshew II Pac-12 Coach of the Year: Mike Leach

## NFL draft

Washington State had two players selected in the 2018 NFL Draft.
| Player | Position | Round | Overall | NFL club |
| Andre Dillard | OT | 1 | 22 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| Gardner Minshew | QB | 6 | 178 | Jacksonville Jaguars |