# 2022 Washington State Cougars football team

The 2022 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars played their home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, and competed as members of the Pac–12 Conference. They were led by head coach Jake Dickert, in his second season.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 6:30 p.m. | Idaho* | Martin StadiumPullman, WA (Battle of the Palouse) | P12N | W 24–17 | 25,233 |
| September 10 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 19 Wisconsin* | Camp Randall StadiumMadison, WI | FOX | W 17–14 | 74,001 |
| September 17 | 2:00 p.m. | Colorado State* | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 38–7 | 23,611 |
| September 24 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 15 Oregon | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | FOX | L 41–44 | 33,058 |
| October 1 | 2:30 p.m. | California | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 28–9 | 23,021 |
| October 8 | 4:30 p.m. | at No. 6 USC | Los Angeles Memorial ColiseumLos Angeles, CA | FOX | L 14–30 | 63,204 |
| October 15 | 6:00 p.m. | at Oregon State | Reser StadiumCorvallis, OR | P12N | L 10–24 | 28,735 |
| October 27 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 14 Utah | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | FS1 | L 17–21 | 21,179 |
| November 5 | 12:30 p.m. | at Stanford | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | P12N | W 52–14 | 26,515 |
| November 12 | 12:30 p.m. | Arizona State | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 28–18 | 24,039 |
| November 19 | 11:00 a.m. | at Arizona | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | P12N | W 31–20 | 40,717 |
| November 26 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 13 Washington | Martin StadiumPullman, WA (Apple Cup) | ESPN | L 33–51 | 33,152 |
| December 17 | 12:30 p.m. | vs. Fresno State* | SoFi StadiumInglewood, CA (LA Bowl) | ABC | L 6–29 | 32,405 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after November 1) - Released prior to gameAll times are in Pacific time |||||||

## Game summaries
### vs Idaho

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vandals | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Cougars | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: September 3, 2022
* Game time: 6:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 25,233
* Referee: Steven Strimling
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): J. B. Long (play-by-play), Ryan Leaf (analyst)
| Statistics | IDHO | WSU |
| First downs | 13 | 19 |
| Total yards | 273 | 366 |
| Rushes/yards | 34–61 | 25–138 |
| Passing yards | 212 | 228 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 21–32–2 | 26–41–0 |
| Time of possession | 36:35 | 23:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Idaho | Passing | Gevani McCoy | 21/32, 212 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Idaho | Rushing | Anthony Woods | 9 carries, 50 yards |
| Idaho | Receiving | Jermaine Jackson | 6 receptions, 113 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 26/41, 228 yards, 3 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 18 carries, 117 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Donovan Ollie | 7 receptions, 67 yards |

### at No. 19 Wisconsin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 17 |
| No. 19 Badgers | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
at Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, WI
* Date: September 10, 2022
* Game time: 12:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Cloudy, 68 °F (20 °C); Wind at N8 MPH
* Game attendance: 74,001
* Referee: Reggie Smith
* TV announcers (FOX): Jason Benetti (play-by-play), Brock Huard (analyst), Allison Williams (sideline)
| Statistics | WSU | WISC |
| First downs | 10 | 22 |
| Total yards | 253 | 401 |
| Rushes/yards | 22–53 | 44–174 |
| Passing yards | 200 | 227 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–28–2 | 18–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 21:58 | 38:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 17/28, 200 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 10 carries, 33 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | Renard Bell | 2 receptions, 49 yards |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Graham Mertz | 18/31, 227 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Braelon Allen | 21 carries, 98 yards |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Keontez Lewis | 2 receptions, 62 yards |

### vs Colorado State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Cougars | 21 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 38 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: September 17, 2022
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 23,611
* Referee: Kevin Boitmann
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)
| Statistics | CSU | WSU |
| First downs | 14 | 21 |
| Total yards | 249 | 442 |
| Rushes/yards | 31–37 | 28–143 |
| Passing yards | 212 | 299 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–35–1 | 24–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:37 | 27:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Colorado State | Passing | Clay Millen | 25/35, 212 yards, TD, INT |
| Colorado State | Rushing | Avery Morrow | 8 carries, 28 yards |
| Colorado State | Receiving | Ty McCullouch | 4 receptions, 57 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 24/34, 299 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 8 carries, 74 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Donovan Ollie | 7 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TD |

### vs No. 15 Oregon

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 15 Ducks | 3 | 6 | 6 | 29 | 44 |
| Cougars | 10 | 7 | 10 | 14 | 41 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: September 24, 2022
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Partly cloudy, 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 33,058
* Referee: Mike McCabe
* TV announcers (FOX): Tim Brando (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (analyst)
| Statistics | ORE | WSU |
| First downs | 28 | 27 |
| Total yards | 624 | 428 |
| Rushes/yards | 32–178 | 25–53 |
| Passing yards | 446 | 375 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 34–45–1 | 37–48–2 |
| Time of possession | 28:58 | 31:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oregon | Passing | Bo Nix | 33/44, 428 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Oregon | Rushing | Bucky Irving | 11 carries, 81 yards |
| Oregon | Receiving | Troy Franklin | 5 receptions, 137 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 37/48, 375 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 12 carries, 36 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | De'Zhaun Stribling | 5 receptions, 84 yards, TD |

### vs California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Golden Bears | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 9 |
| Cougars | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: October 1, 2022
* Game time: 2:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 23,021
* Referee: Michael Mothershead
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)
| Statistics | CAL | WSU |
| First downs | 13 | 21 |
| Total yards | 311 | 415 |
| Rushes/yards | 25–32 | 25–72 |
| Passing yards | 279 | 343 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 24–37–0 | 27–40–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:31 | 28:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| California | Passing | Jack Plummer | 23/33, 272 yards |
| California | Rushing | Jaydn Ott | 17 carries, 70 yards, TD |
| California | Receiving | Jeremiah Hunter | 6 receptions, 109 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 27/40, 343 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 14 carries, 52 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Renard Bell | 8 receptions, 115 yards, TD |

### at No. 6 USC

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| No. 6 Trojans | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 27 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles, CA
* Date: October 8, 2022
* Game time: 4:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear, 80 °F (27 °C)
* Game attendance: 63,204
* Referee: Francisco Villar
* TV announcers (FOX): Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)
| Statistics | WSU | USC |
| First downs | 17 | 23 |
| Total yards | 316 | 369 |
| Rushes/yards | 29–144 | 40–181 |
| Passing yards | 172 | 188 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 19–32–0 | 15–29–0 |
| Time of possession | 27:12 | 32:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 19/32, 172 yards, 2 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Jaylen Jenkins | 13 carries, 130 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Jaylen Jenkins | 2 receptions, 54 yards |
| USC | Passing | Caleb Williams | 15/29, 188 yards, 2 TD |
| USC | Rushing | Travis Dye | 28 carries, 149 yards, TD |
| USC | Receiving | Mario Williams | 4 receptions, 82 yards, 2 TD |

### at Oregon State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Beavers | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Reser Stadium • Corvallis, OR
* Date: October 15, 2022
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 79 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 28,735
* Referee: Steven Strimling
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)
| Statistics | WSU | ORST |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Total yards | 368 | 344 |
| Rushes/yards | 20–23 | 47–203 |
| Passing yards | 345 | 141 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–54–1 | 12–24–1 |
| Time of possession | 25:05 | 34:55 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 25/54, 345 yards, TD, INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Jaylen Jenkins | 6 carries, 42 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Robert Ferrel | 5 receptions, 131 yards |
| Oregon State | Passing | Ben Gulbranson | 12/24, 141 yards, TD, INT |
| Oregon State | Rushing | Damien Martinez | 16 carries, 111 yards |
| Oregon State | Receiving | Jack Velling | 4 receptions, 63 yards |

### vs No. 14 Utah

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Utes | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Cougars | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: October 27, 2022
* Game time: 7:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Rainy, 45 °F (7 °C)
* Game attendance: 21,179
* Referee: Francisco Villar
* TV announcers (FS1): Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Petros Papadakis (analyst)
| Statistics | UTAH | WSU |
| First downs | 19 | 14 |
| Total yards | 344 | 264 |
| Rushes/yards | 42–169 | 19–42 |
| Passing yards | 175 | 222 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–27–0 | 27–31–0 |
| Time of possession | 35:07 | 24:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Utah | Passing | Bryson Barnes | 17/27, 175 yards, TD |
| Utah | Rushing | Jaylon Glover | 20 carries, 76 yards, TD |
| Utah | Receiving | Dalton Kincaid | 7 receptions, 56 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 27/31, 222 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Cam Ward | 12 carries, 28 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | De'Zhaun Stribling | 4 receptions, 66 yards, TD |

### at Stanford

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 21 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 52 |
| Cardinal | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Stanford Stadium • Stanford, CA
* Date: November 5, 2022
* Game time: 12:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Cloudy, 59 °F (15 °C)
* Game attendance: 26,515
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Michael Bumpus (analyst)
| Statistics | WSU | STAN |
| First downs | 25 | 19 |
| Total yards | 514 | 337 |
| Rushes/yards | 38–306 | 28–71 |
| Passing yards | 208 | 266 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–34–0 | 25–42–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:11 | 29:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 16/32, 176 yards, 2 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 16 carries, 166 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | Orion Peters | 3 receptions, 50 yards, TD |
| Stanford | Passing | Tanner McKee | 23/40, 236 yards |
| Stanford | Rushing | Mitch Leigber | 11 carries, 23 yards |
| Stanford | Receiving | Benjamin Yurosek | 8 receptions, 90 yards |

### vs Arizona State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Sun Devils | 0 | 0 | 6 | 12 | 18 |
| Cougars | 13 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: November 12, 2022
* Game time: 12:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 38 °F (3 °C)
* Game attendance: 24,039
* Referee: Chris Coyte
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Lincoln Kennedy (analyst)
| Statistics | ASU | WSU |
| First downs | 18 | 19 |
| Total yards | 333 | 356 |
| Rushes/yards | 34–121 | 35–137 |
| Passing yards | 212 | 219 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–33–1 | 22–37–0 |
| Time of possession | 33:13 | 26:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arizona State | Passing | Emory Jones | 15/23, 186 yards, 2 TD |
| Arizona State | Rushing | Xazavian Valladay | 21 carries, 134 yards, TD |
| Arizona State | Receiving | Xazavian Valladay | 6 receptions, 55 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 22/37, 219 yards, 2 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 20 carries, 116 yards, 3 TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | De'Zhaun Stribling | 5 receptions, 64 yards |

### at Arizona

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 7 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
| Wildcats | 0 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 20 |
at Arizona Stadium • Tucson, AZ
* Date: November 19, 2022
* Game time: 11:00 a.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 40,717
* Referee: Francisco Villar
* TV announcers (Pac-12 Network): Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst)
| Statistics | WSU | ARIZ |
| First downs | 22 | 19 |
| Total yards | 354 | 441 |
| Rushes/yards | 37–161 | 22–84 |
| Passing yards | 193 | 357 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–36–0 | 28–46–4 |
| Time of possession | 33:00 | 27:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 25/36, 193 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Cam Ward | 8 carries, 59 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | Donovan Ollie | 3 receptions, 53 yards |
| Arizona | Passing | Jayden de Laura | 28/46, 357 yards, TD, 4 INT |
| Arizona | Rushing | Michael Wiley | 7 carries, 50 yards |
| Arizona | Receiving | Dorian Singer | 9 receptions, 176 yards, TD |

### vs No. 13 Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 13 Huskies | 7 | 21 | 7 | 16 | 51 |
| Cougars | 10 | 17 | 6 | 0 | 33 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: November 26, 2022
* Game time: 7:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 32 °F (0 °C)
* Game attendance: 33,152
* Referee: Matthew Richards
* TV announcers (ESPN): Clay Matvick (play-by-play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), Dawn Davenport (sideline)
| Statistics | WASH | WSU |
| First downs | 30 | 28 |
| Total yards | 703 | 433 |
| Rushes/yards | 24–218 | 36–75 |
| Passing yards | 485 | 358 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 25–43–1 | 34–53–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:32 | 33:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington | Passing | Michael Penix Jr. | 25/43, 485 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Washington | Rushing | Wayne Taulapapa | 13 carries, 126 yards, TD |
| Washington | Receiving | Rome Odunze | 5 receptions, 157 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 33/52, 322 yards, 2 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 15 carries, 73 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | Robert Ferrel | 4 receptions, 71 yards, TD |

### vs Fresno State (LA Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 |
at SoFi Stadium • Inglewood, California
* Date: December 17, 2022
* Game time: 12:30 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 66 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 32,405
* Referee: Lee Hedrick
* TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (color), Molly McGrath (sideline)
| Statistics | FRES | WSU |
| First downs | 27 | 13 |
| Total yards | 501 | 182 |
| Rushes/yards | 32–221 | 28–45 |
| Passing yards | 280 | 137 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 24–36–0 | 22–32–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:43 | 27:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Fresno State | Passing | Jake Haener | 24/36, 280 yards, 2 TD |
| Fresno State | Rushing | Jordan Mims | 18 carries, 209 yards, 2 TD |
| Fresno State | Receiving | Nikko Remigio | 5 receptions, 84 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 22/32, 137 yards, INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 14 carries, 33 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | Robert Ferrel | 10 receptions, 66 yards |

## Awards

| Player | Award | Date |
| Renard Bell | Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week | September 12, 2022 |
| Jarrett Kingston | Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week | September 12, 2022 |
| Daiyan Henley | Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week | September 19, 2022 |
| Jaylen Jenkins | Pac-12 Freshman of the Week | October 10, 2022 |
| Jaden Hicks | Pac-12 Freshman of the Week | November 7, 2022 |
| Brennan Jackson | Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week | November 14, 2022 |

## Staff

| Name | Position | Seasons at Washington State | Alma mater |
| Jake Dickert | Head coach | 3 | Wisconsin–Stevens Point (2007) |
| Brian Ward | Defensive coordinator / Linebackers | 1 | McPherson (2001) |
| Pete Kaligis | Assistant head coach / defensive tackles | 1 | Washington (1994) |
| A. J. Cooper | Edges / defensive run game coordinator | 3 | North Dakota State (2006) |
| Ray Brown | Cornerbacks | 1 | East Central (2009) |
| Jordan Malone | Safeties / Nickels | 3 | Minnesota State (2006) |
| Eric Morris | Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks | 1 | Texas Tech (2008) |
| Clay McGuire | Offensive line | 6 | Texas Tech (2004) |
| Mark Atuaia | Running backs | 1 | BYU (1996) |
| Joel Filani | Wide receivers | 1 | Texas Tech (2006) |
| Nick Whitworth | Tight ends / special teams coordinator | 1 | Idaho State (2001) |
| Dwain Bradshaw | Head strength and conditioning coach | 3 | Arizona State |
| Brent Vernon | Chief of Staff | 1 | Mizzou (2008) |

## 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 | | | | | | | | |
| Coaches | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | | | | | | | | |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | | | | | | | Not released |