# 2021 Washington State Cougars football team

The 2021 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Nick Rolovich for the first seven games of the season. Rolovich was fired on October 18 after refusing to comply with Washington's COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert took over as the team's interim head coach for the reminder of the season. He was announced as the Cougars 34th head coach following their Apple Cup victory in November. The team played their home games in Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, and competed as members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.
After finishing the regular season with an overall record of 7–5, the Cougars accepted an invitation to the Sun Bowl, to face the Miami Hurricanes. On December 26, the Hurricanes announced that they would not be able to play, due to COVID-19 issues; organizers stated that they would try to secure a replacement team to face the Cougars. On December 27, the Central Michigan Chippewas were named as the Sun Bowl replacement team. The Chippewas had originally been scheduled to face the Boise State Broncos in the Arizona Bowl, until the Broncos had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues and the Arizona Bowl was canceled.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 8:00 p.m. | Utah State* | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | L 23–26 | 24,944 |
| September 11 | 3:00 p.m. | Portland State* | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 44–24 | 22,651 |
| September 18 | 12:30 p.m. | USC | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | FOX | L 14–45 | 24,714 |
| September 25 | 11:30 a.m. | at Utah | Rice–Eccles StadiumSalt Lake City, UT | P12N | L 13–24 | 51,483 |
| October 2 | 2:30 p.m. | at California | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | P12N | W 21–6 | 40,286 |
| October 9 | 1:00 p.m. | Oregon State | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 31–24 | 24,157 |
| October 16 | 4:30 p.m. | Stanford | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | ESPNU | W 34–31 | 26,171 |
| October 23 | 12:30 p.m. | BYU* | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | FS1 | L 19–21 | 22,541 |
| October 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at Arizona State | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ | FS1 | W 34–21 | 46,136 |
| November 13 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 3 Oregon | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | ESPN | L 24–38 | 52,327 |
| November 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Arizona | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 44–18 | 22,541 |
| November 26 | 5:00 p.m. | at Washington | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA (Apple Cup) | FS1 | W 40–13 | 68,077 |
| December 31 | 9:00 a.m. | vs. Central Michigan* | Sun Bowl StadiumEl Paso, TX (Sun Bowl) | CBS | L 21–24 | 34,540 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP PollAll times are in Pacific time |||||||

## Game summaries
### vs Utah State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Aggies | 3 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 26 |
| Cougars | 0 | 6 | 14 | 3 | 23 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: September 4, 2021
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C) Sunny
* Game attendance: 24,944
* Referee: Mike Cuttone
* TV announcers (P12N): Jordan Kent (Play-by-Play), Bob Davie (Analyst)
Game information :
First Quarter
USU – Connor Coles 23-yard field goal, 4:40. Utah State 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 3:53.
Second Quarter
WSU – Dean Janikowski 35-yard field goal, 14:57. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 57 yards, 4:43.
USU – Patrick Joyner Jr. 0-yard safety, 11:08. Utah State 5–3.
WSU – Dean Janikowski 26-yard field goal, 0:54. Washington State 6–5. Drive: 6 plays, 19 yards, 1:28.
Third Quarter
USU – Connor Coles 39-yard field goal, 11:40. Utah State 8–6. Drive: 10 plays, 50 yards, 3:12.
WSU – Max Borghi 64-yard run (Dean Janikowski kick), 10:47. Washington State 13–8. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:46.
USU – Connor Coles 28-yard field goal, 7:23. Washington State 13–11. Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 3:18.
WSU – Donovan Ollie 12-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Dean Janikowski kick), 4:01. Washington State 20–11. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:16.
Fourth Quarter
WSU – Dean Janikowski 27-yard field goal, 12:11. Washington State 23–11. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 4:45.
USU – Calvin Tyler Jr. 2-yard run (Connor Coles kick), 5:25. Washington State 23–18. Drive: 14 plays, 70 yards, 6:38.
USU – Deven Thompkins 7-yard pass from Logan Bonner (Logan Bonner–Derek Wright pass), 0:11. Utah State 26–23. Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 2:51.
Top passers
USU – Logan Bonner – 17/24, 143 yards, TD, int
WSU – Jayden de Laura – 12/22, 155 yards, TD
Top rushers
USU – Calvin Tyler Jr. – 14 rushes, 84 yards, TD
WSU – Max Borghi – 11 rushes, 86 yards, TD
Top receivers
USU – Deven Thompkins – 8 receptions, 94 yards, TD
WSU – Calvin Jackson Jr. – 7 receptions, 91 yards :

### vs Portland State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Cougars | 7 | 23 | 7 | 7 | 44 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: September 11, 2021
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C) Sunny
* Game attendance: 22,651
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV announcers (P12N): Greg Heister, Lincoln Kennedy
Game information :
First Quarter
WSU – Calvin Jackson Jr. 22-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Dean Janikowski kick), 9:42. Washington State 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 2:05.
Second Quarter
PRST – Davis Alexander 1-yard run (Cody Williams kick), 10:25. Tied 7–7. Drive: 12 plays, 79 yards, 6:15.
WSU – Jayden de Laura 10-yard run (Dean Janikowski kick), 9:10. Washington State 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 46 yards, 1:05.
WSU – Deon McIntosh 16-yard run (Dean Janikowski kick), 5:12. Washington State 21–7. Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 2:11.
PRST – Cody Williams 46-yard field goal, 3:07. Washington State 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 2:05.
WSU – Travell Harris 19-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (kick failed), 1:07. Washington State 27–10. Drive: 6 plays, 73 yards, 1:59.
WSU – Dean Janikowski 23-yard field goal, 0:00. Washington State 30–10. Drive: 5 plays, 34 yards, 0:30.
Third Quarter
WSU – Max Borghi 1-yard run (Dean Janikowski kick), 2:13. Washington State 37–10. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:20.
Fourth Quarter
PRST – Beau Kelly 39-yard pass from Davis Alexander (Cody Williams kick), 6:34. Washington State 37–17. Drive: 6 plays, 56 yards, 2:57.
WSU – Travell Harris 13-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Dean Janikowski kick), 2:02. Washington State 44–17. Drive: 8 plays, 43 yards, 4:29.
PRST – Nate Bennett 3-yard pass from Davis Alexander (Cody Williams kick), 0:23. Washington State 44–24. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:39.
Top passers
PRST – Davis Alexander – 27/49, 293 yards, 2 TD, int
WSU – Jayden de Laura – 21/29, 303 yards, 3 TD, int
Top rushers
PRST – Davis Alexander – 13 rushes, 62 yards, TD
WSU – Deon McIntosh – 8 rushes, 64 yards, TD
Top receivers
PRST – Beau Kelly – 10 receptions, 152 yards, TD
WSU – Travell Harris – 6 receptions, 80 yards, 2 TD :

### vs USC

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 0 | 7 | 28 | 10 | 45 |
| Cougars | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: September 18, 2021
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: -
* Referee: Chris Coyte
* TV announcers (FOX): Joe Davis (play-by-play) and Brock Huard (analyst)

### At Utah

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
| Utes | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 24 |
at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Salt Lake City, UT
* Date: September 25, 2021
* Game time: 11:30 a.m. PDT
* Game weather: Sunny, Wind: 3 west, Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C)
* Game attendance: 51,483
* Referee: Stephen Strimling
* TV announcers (P12N): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)
Game information :
First Quarter
No scoring plays
Second Quarter
WSU – Dean Janikowski 39-yard field goal, 10:34. Washington State 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 58 yards, 5:55.
UTAH – Ja'Quinden Jackson 2-yard run (Jadon Redding kick), 4:14. Utah 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:18.
WSU – Dean Janikowski 20-yard field goal, 0:00. Utah 7–6. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 4:14.
Third Quarter
WSU – De'Zhaun Stribling 26-yard pass from Jarrett Guarantano (Dean Janikowski kick), 13:40. Washington State 13–7. Drive: 2 plays, 21 yards, 1:15.
UTAH – Jadon Redding 28-yard field goal, 9:15. Washington State 13–10. Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 4:25.
Fourth Quarter
UTAH – T.J. Pledger 20-yard run (Jordan Noyes kick), 4:43. Utah 17–13. Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 3:59.
UTAH – Clark Phillips III 54-yard interception return (Jordan Noyes kick), 2:19. Utah 24–13.
Top passers
WSU – Jarrett Guarantano – 25/36, 248 yards, TD, 3 INT
UTAH – Cameron Rising – 13/23, 137 yards
Top rushers
WSU – Deon McIntosh – 13 carries, 59 yards
UTAH – T.J. Pledger – 10 carries, 117 yards, TD
Top receivers
WSU – De'Zhaun Stribling – 6 receptions, 93 yards, TD
UTAH – Cole Fotheringham – 3 receptions, 33 yards :

### At California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Golden Bears | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at California Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, CA
* Date: October 2, 2021
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 40,286
* Referee: Francisco Villar
* TV announcers (P12N): Matt Chazanow (play-by-play), Alex Brink (analyst), Jessamyn McIntyre (sideline)

### vs Oregon State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Beavers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
| Cougars | 0 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 31 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: October 9, 2021
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 24,157
* Referee: Mike McCabe
* TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Yogi Roth, (analyst)
Game information :
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
OSU – Chance Nolan – 11/25, 158 yards, 2 INT
WSU – Jayden de Laura – 7/15, 48 yards, INT
Top rushers
OSU – B. J. Baylor – 18 rushes, 145 yards
WSU – Deon McIntosh – 13 rushes, 65 yards
Top receivers
OSU – Champ Flemings – 2 receptions, 38 yards
WSU – Travell Harris – 8 reception, 147 yards :

### vs Stanford

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinal | 13 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 31 |
| Cougars | 0 | 20 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: October 16, 2021
* Game time: 4:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 68 °F (20 °C)
* Game attendance: 26,171
* Referee: Micheal Mothershed
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown, Hutson Mason
Game information :
First quarter
STAN – Benjamin Yurosek 45-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 11:10. Stanford 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:50.
STAN – Joshua Karty 51-yard field goal, 4:45. Stanford 10–0. Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards, 1:10.
STAN – Joshua Karty 32-yard field goal, 0:13. Stanford 13–0. Drive: 8 plays, 33 yards, 3:36.
Second quarter
WSU – Travell Harris 32-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Dean Janikowski kick), 13:24. Stanford 13–7. Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards, 1:49.
WSU – Calvin Jackson Jr. 31-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (kick blocked), 9:21. Tied 13–13. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 2:58.
WSU – De'Zhaun Stribling 10-yard pass from Jayden de Laura (Dean Janikowski kick), 3:07. Washington State 20–13. Drive: 1 play, 10 yards, 0:07.
STAN – Joshua Karty 31-yard field goal, 0:39. Washington State 20–16. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:28.
Third quarter
WSU – Max Borghi 2-yard run (Dean Janikowski kick), 4:34. Washington State 27–16. Drive: 7 plays, 66 yards, 3:29.
Fourth quarter
STAN – Tanner McKee 1-yard run (Tanner McKee run), 14:06. Washington State 27–24. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 5:28.
STAN – Austin Jones 8-yard pass from Tanner McKee (Joshua Karty kick), 7:32. Stanford 31–27. Drive: 11 plays, 85 yards, 5:28.
WSU – Max Borghi 2-yard run (Dean Janikowski kick), 1:30. Washington State 34–31. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 1:56.
Top passers
STAN – Tanner McKee – 23/32, 273 yards, 2 TD
WSU – Jayden de Laura – 17/30, 289 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
STAN – Nathaniel Peat – 10 rushes, 27 yards
WSU – Max Borghi – 17 rushes, 89 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
STAN – Benjamin Yurosek – 5 receptions, 99 yards, TD
WSU – Lincoln Victor – 2 receptions, 73 yards :

### vs BYU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| BYU Cougars | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| WSU Cougars | 7 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 19 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: October 23, 2021
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: Cloudy; 51 °F (11 °C), Winds SE 7 mph
* Game attendance: 22,541
* Referee: Kevin Hassell
* TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus, Mark Helfrich
Game information :
First quarter
WSU – Max Borghi 11-yard run (Dean Janikowski kick), 9:36. Washington State 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:24.
BYU – Lopini Katoa 3-yard run (Jake Oldroyd kick), 9:36. Tied 7–7. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 3:25.
Second quarter
No scoring
Third quarter
BYU – Tyler Allgeier 11-yard run (Jake Oldroyd kick), 9:48. BYU 14–7. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:12.
WSU – Max Borghi 1-yard run (2-point pass from Nick Haberer incomplete after Haberer dropped the snap), 5:08. BYU 14–13. Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 4:34.
Fourth quarter
BYU – Tyler Allgeier 2-yard run (Jake Oldroyd kick), 14:59. BYU 21–13. Drive: 11 plays, 81 yards, 5:02.
WSU – Max Borghi 1-yard run (2-point pass from Lincoln Victor incomplete), 4:14. BYU 21–19. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:59.
Top passers
BYU – Jaren Hall – 15/20, 143 yards
WSU – Jayden de Laura – 26/37, 257 yards, INT
Top rushers
BYU – Tyler Allgeier – 32 carries, 191 yards, 2 TD
WSU – Max Borghi – 18 carries, 83 yards, 3 TD
Top receivers
BYU – Neil Pau'u – 6 receptions, 70 yards
WSU – Travell Harris – 7 receptions, 60 yards :

### At Arizona State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 14 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 34 |
| Sun Devils | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, AZ
* Date: October 30, 2021
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. PDT
* Game attendance: 46,136
* Referee: Matthew Richards
* TV announcers (FS1): Cory Provus, Mark Helfrich

### At No. 3 Oregon

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
| No. 3 Ducks | 14 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 38 |
at Autzen Stadium, Eugene, OR
* Date: November 13, 2021
* Game time: 7:40 p.m.
* Game weather: 57,858 °F (32,126 °C); Sunny;
* Game attendance: 52,327
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, Stormy Buonantony
Game information :
First quarter
(3:51) ORE – Travis Dye 1-yard run, Camden Lewis kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:45; Oregon 7–0)
(2:04) ORE – Travis Dye 11-yard pass from Anthony Brown, Camden Lewis kick (Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 1:40; Oregon 14–0)
Second quarter
(6:52) WSU – De'Zhaun Stribling 14-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 6 plays, 46 yards, 2:16; Oregon 14–7)
(0:11) WSU – Jayden de Laura 1-yard run, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 12 plays, 73 yards, 4:38; Oregon 14–14)
Third quarter
(12:52) ORE – Anthony Brown 17-yard run, Camden Lewis kick (Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 2:08; Oregon 21–14)
(2:54) ORE – Camden Lewis 22-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 91 yards, 7:03; Oregon 24–14)
Fourth quarter
(8:31) WSU – Dean Janikowski 34-yard field goal (Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 1:57; Oregon 24–17)
(5:52) ORE – Byron Cardwell 27-yard run, Camden Lewis kick (Drive: 5 plays, 66 yards, 2:39; Oregon 31–17)
(2:07) ORE – Byron Cardwell 22-yard run, Camden Lewis kick (Drive: 4 plays, 32 yards, 1:46; Oregon 38–17)
(0:09) WSU – Travell Harris 2-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 1:58; Oregon 38–24)
Top passers
WSU – Jayden de Laura – 20/36, 280 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
ORE – Anthony Brown – 17/22, 135 yards, TD
Top rushers
WSU – Deon McIntosh – 9 carries, 57 yards
ORE – Anthony Brown – 17 carries, 123 yards, TD
Top receivers
WSU – Travell Harris – 8 receptions, 109 yards, TD
ORE – Johnny Johnson III – 3 receptions, 43 yards :

### vs Arizona

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 0 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 18 |
| Cougars | 7 | 14 | 16 | 7 | 44 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, WA
* Date: November 19th, 2021
* Game time: 6:10 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Light snow, 32 °F (0 °C)
* Game attendance: 22,541
* Referee: Matthew Richards
* TV announcers (P12N): JB Long, Maurice Jones-Drew
Game information :
First quarter
(7:11) WSU – Max Borghi 26-yard run, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 8 plays, 55 yards, 3:28; Washington State 7–0)
Second quarter
(4:28) WSU – Travell Harris 8-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards, 3:13; Washington State 14–0)
(2:22) ARIZ – Boobie Curry 11-yard pass from Will Plummer, Tyler Loop kick (Drive: 5 plays, 90 yards, 1:59; Washington State 14–7)
(1:26) WSU – Calvin Jackson Jr. 43-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:56; Washington State 21–7)
Third quarter
(10:07) WSU – Max Borghi 2-yard run, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 6 plays, 69 yards, 2:36; Washington State 28–7)
(8:54) WSU – Team safety (Washington State 30–7)
(7:10) WSU – Travell Harris 31-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 4 plays, 60 yards, 1:40; Washington State 37–7)
(2:39) ARIZ – Tyler Loop 42-yard field goal (Drive: 11 plays, 51 yards, 4:31; Washington State 37–10)
Fourth quarter
(12:16) ARIZ – Michael Wiley 27-yard pass from Will Plummer, Will Plummer two-point pass to Dorian Singer (Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 3:11; Washington State 37–18)
(8:37) WSU – Calvin Jackson Jr. 78-yard pass from Jayden de Laura, Dean Janikowski kick (Drive: 2 plays, 78 yards, 0:17; Washington State 44–18)
Top passers
ARIZ – Will Plummer – 23/42, 206 yards, 2 TD, INT
WSU – Jayden de Laura – 13/23, 259 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
ARIZ – Drake Anderson – 8 carries, 92 yards
WSU – Max Borghi – 16 carries, 139 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
ARIZ – Michael Wiley – 8 receptions, 87 yards, TD
WSU – Calvin Jackson Jr. – 4 receptions, 133 yards, 2 TD :

### At Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 10 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 40 |
| Huskies | 0 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 13 |
at Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
* Date: November 26th, 2021
* Game time: 5:10 p.m.
* Game attendance: 68,077
* Referee: Michael Mothershed
* TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust, Petros Padadakis
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Top passers
WSU – Jayden de Laura – 27/32, 245 yards
UW – Sam Huard – 17/31, 190 yards, TD, 4 INT
Top rushers
WSU – Max Borghi – 22 carries, 129 yards, 2 TD
UW – Kamari Pleasant – 8 carries, 34 yards, TD
Top receiving
WSU – Donovan Ollie – 5 receptions, 68 yards
UW – Rome Odunze – 3 receptions, 69 yards, TD :

### Sun Bowl

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 21 |
| Chippewas | 13 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
at Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
* Date: December 31st, 2021
* Game time: 9:00 a.m. PST
* Game weather: Rain • Temperature: 46 °F (8 °C)
* Game attendance: 34,540
* Referee: Larry Smith
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (Analyst), and Jamie Erdahl (Sideline)
* Box score
Game information :
First quarter
6:51 CMU – Marshall Meeder 49-yard field goal. Drive: 6 plays, 51 yards, 2:20. Central Michigan 3–0
2:18 CMU – Marshall Meeder 52-yard field goal. Drive: 7 plays, 36 yards, 3:15. Central Michigan 6–0
0:57 CMU – Lew Nichols III 1-yard rush, Marshall Meeder kick good. Drive: 3 plays, 23 yards, 1:21. Central Michigan 13–0
Second quarter
1:48 CMU – Joel Wilson 15-yard pass from Daniel Richardson, Kalil Pimpleton conversion pass from Richardson. Drive: 3 plays, 9 yards, 0:46. Central Michigan 21–0
Third quarter
4:02 WSU – Travell Harris 5-yard run, Dean Janikowski kick good. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:05. Central Michigan 21–7
2:24 WSU – De'Zhaun Stribling 5-yard pass from Victor Gabalis, Dean Janikowski kick good. Drive: 6 plays, 23 yards, 1:23. Central Michigan 21–14
Fourth quarter
9:11 CMU – Marshall Meeder 43-yard field goal. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 1:26. Central Michigan 24–14
3:13 WSU – Lincoln Victor 16-yard pass from Victor Gabalis, Dean Janikowski kick good. Drive: 4 plays, 86 yards, 1:39. Central Michigan 24–21
Top passers
WSU – Victor Gabalis – 11/23, 180 yards, 2 TD
CMU – Daniel Richardson – 16/29, 193 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
WSU – Nakia Watson – 15 carries, 58 yards
CMU – Lew Nichols III – 28 carries, 120 yards, TD
Top receivers
WSU – Lincoln Victor – 4 receptions, 88 yards, TD
CMU – JaCorey Sullivan – 6 receptions, 73 yards :

## Awards

| Player | Award | Date |
| Travell Harris | Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week | September 13, 2021 |
| Brennan Jackson | Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week | October 4, 2021 |
| George Hicks III | Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week | October 11, 2021 |
| Liam Ryan | Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week | October 11, 2021 |
| Brennan Jackson | Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week | October 18, 2021 |
| Ron Stone Jr | Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week | November 1, 2021 |
| Jahad Woods | Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week | November 22, 2021 |
| Armani Marsh | Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week | November 28, 2021 |
| Dean Janikowski | Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week | November 28, 2021 |
| Jayden de Laura | Pac-12 Freshman of the Week | November 28, 2021 |

## Staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at Washington State | Alma mater |
| Nick Rolovich | Head coach (fired October 18) | 2 | Hawaii (2004) |
| Brian Smith | Associate head coach / offensive coordinator / running backs | 2 | Hawaii (2005) |
| Jake Dickert | Head coach (hired December 2) / defensive coordinator / Linebackers (until October 18) | 2 | Wisconsin–Stevens Point (2007) |
| John Richardson | Assistant head coach / Cornerbacks / recruiting coordinator (fired October 18) | 2 | North Dakota State (2010) |
| Craig Stutzmann | Co-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks (fired October 18) | 2 | Hawaii (2002) |
| Kyle Krantz | Special teams coordinator | 1 | Northern Colorado (2009) |
| Andre Allen | Wide receivers | 2 | Ashford (2014) |
| Mark Banker | Safeties | 2 | Springfield (MA) (1978) |
| A. J. Cooper | Defensive ends | 2 | North Dakota State (2006) |
| Ricky Logo | Defensive tackles (fired October 18) | 2 | North Carolina State (1992) |
| Mark Weber | Offensive line (fired October 18) | 2 | Cal Lutheran (1980) |
| Dwain Bradshaw | Head strength and conditioning coach | 2 | Arizona State (2014) |
| Jason Cvercko | Chief of Staff | 2 | Connecticut (2011) |

## Rankings

| Team | Poll | Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 |
| Washington State | AP | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| Washington State | C | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
| Washington State | CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | NR | NR | NR |
Legend :
| | Improvement in ranking |
| | Drop in ranking |
| | Not ranked previous week |
| | No change in ranking from previous week |
| RV | Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll |