# 2023 Washington State Cougars football team

The 2023 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University in the Pac–12 Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Cougars were led by Jake Dickert in his third year as head coach. They played their home games at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington. The Washington State Cougars football team drew an average home attendance of 28,023 in 2023.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 4:00 p.m. | at Colorado State* | | Canvas StadiumFort Collins, CO | CBSSN | W 50–24 | 31,497 |
| September 9 | 4:30 p.m. | No. 19 Wisconsin* | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | ABC | W 31–22 | 33,024 |
| September 16 | 2:00 p.m. | Northern Colorado* | No. 23 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | W 64–21 | 23,595 |
| September 23 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 14 Oregon State | No. 21 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | FOX | W 38–35 | 33,024 |
| October 7 | 12:00 p.m. | at UCLA | No. 13 | Rose BowlPasadena, CA | P12N | L 17–25 | 35,437 |
| October 14 | 4:00 p.m. | Arizona | No. 19 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | L 6–44 | 26,155 |
| October 21 | 12:30 p.m. | at No. 9 Oregon | | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | ABC | L 24–38 | 58,886 |
| October 28 | 5:00 p.m. | at Arizona State | | Mountain America StadiumTempe, AZ | P12N | L 27–38 | 47,284 |
| November 4 | 6:00 p.m. | Stanford | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | P12N | L 7–10 | 24,385 |
| November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | at California | | California Memorial StadiumBerkeley, CA | ESPN2 | L 39–42 | 38,155 |
| November 17 | 7:30 p.m. | Colorado | | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | FS1 | W 56–14 | 27,869 |
| November 25 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 4 Washington | | Husky StadiumSeattle, WA (Apple Cup) | FOX | L 21–24 | 71,312 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at Colorado State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 7 | 10 | 12 | 21 | 50 |
| Rams | 3 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 24 |
at Canvas Stadium • Fort Collins, Colorado
* Date: September 2nd
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. MST/4:00 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: SW at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 31,497
* Referee: Jeff Dahle
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play), and Corey Chavous (analyst)
| Statistics | Washington State | Colorado State |
| First downs | 30 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 556 | 357 |
| Rushes–yards | 90 | 37 |
| Passing yards | 466 | 320 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 38-50-1 | 28-44-2 |
| Time of possession | 37:40 | 22:20 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 27-49,451 yards, 3 TDs |
| Washington State | Rushing | Cam Ward | 13 rushes, 40 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | Lincoln Victor | 11 receptions, 168 yards |
| Colorado State | Passing | Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi | 13-20, 210 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT |
| Colorado State | Rushing | Avery Morrow | 11 rushes, 29 yards |
| Colorado State | Receiving | Justus Ross-Simmons | 5 receptions, 123 yards, TD |

### vs No. 19 Wisconsin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Badgers | 3 | 6 | 13 | 0 | 22 |
| Cougars | 7 | 17 | 0 | 7 | 31 |
at Martin Stadium, Pullman, Washington
* Date: September 9, 2023
* Game time: 6:30 p.m.
* Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C); Sunny; Wind at NE6 MPH
* Game attendance: 33,024
* Referee: Tyler Wadekamper
* TV announcers (ABC): Mark Jones (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst), and Quint Kessenich (sideline)
| Statistics | Wisconsin | Washington State |
| First downs | 20 | 19 |
| Plays–yards | 69–368 | 68–333 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–91 | 34–86 |
| Passing yards | 277 | 247 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 25–40–0 | 22–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:32 | 30:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Tanner Mordecai | 25/40, 278 yards, 1 TD |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Chez Mellusi | 12 rushes, 49 yards, 1 TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Will Pauling | 5 receptions, 78 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 20/32, 212 yards, 2 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Cam Ward | 17 rushes, 43 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Lincoln Victor | 7 receptions, 55 yards, 1 TD |

### vs Northern Colorado

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bears | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 23 Cougars | 22 | 21 | 14 | 7 | 64 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: September 16, 2023
* Game time: 2:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 81 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SW 8 mph
* Game attendance: 23,595
* Referee: Gary Reed
* TV announcers (P12N): Matt Chazanow (play-by-play) and Michael Bumpus (analyst)
| Statistics | NCU | WSU |
| First downs | 17 | 33 |
| Total yards | 366 | 718 |
| Rushes/yards | 31–158 | 36–229 |
| Passing yards | 208 | 489 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 18–30–0 | 29–38–1 |
| Time of possession | 29:11 | 30:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Northern Colorado | Passing | Jacob Sirmon | 16/24, 171 yards, 2 TD |
| Northern Colorado | Rushing | David Afari | 17 carries, 116 yards |
| Northern Colorado | Receiving | Blake Haggerty | 6 receptions, 70 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 20/26, 327 yards, 4 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Dylan Paine | 7 carries, 71 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | Lincoln Victor | 6 receptions, 119 yards, 2 TD |

### vs No. 14 Oregon State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Beavers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 | 35 |
| No. 21 Cougars | 14 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 38 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, Washington
* Date: September 23
* Game time: 4:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 33,024
* TV announcers (FOX): Jeff Levering (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst)
* Spread: • Odds to win: •
| Statistics | Oregon State | Washington State |
| First downs | 25 | 27 |
| Plays–yards | 73–440 | 65–528 |
| Rushes–yards | 39–242 | 30–106 |
| Passing yards | 198 | 422 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 17–34–1 | 29–35–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:33 | 28:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Oregon State | Passing | DJ Uiagalelei | 17/24, 198 yards, TD, INT |
| Oregon State | Rushing | Deshaun Fenwick | 11 carries, 101 yards, 3 TD |
| Oregon State | Receiving | Silas Bolden | 5 receptions, 76 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 28/34, 404 yards, 4 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 8 carries, 46 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Kyle Williams | 7 receptions, 174 yards, TD |

### at UCLA

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 13 Cougars | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Bruins | 0 | 9 | 3 | 13 | 25 |
at Rose Bowl • Pasadena, CA
* Date: October 7, 2023
* Game time: 12:01 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 89 °F (32 °C)
* Game attendance: 35,437
* Referee: Mike McCabe
* TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (analyst)
| Statistics | WSU | UCLA |
| First downs | 11 | 24 |
| Total yards | 216 | 471 |
| Rushes/yards | 19–12 | 53–181 |
| Passing yards | 204 | 290 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 20–40–2 | 22–44–2 |
| Time of possession | 21:45 | 38:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 22/44, 290 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 11 carries, 25 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Kyle Williams | 8 receptions, 85 yards |
| UCLA | Passing | Dante Moore | 22/44, 290 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| UCLA | Rushing | Carson Steele | 30 carries, 141 yards |
| UCLA | Receiving | Moliki Matavao | 3 receptions, 76 yards |

### vs Arizona

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Wildcats | 10 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 44 |
| No. 19 Cougars | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: October 14, 2023
* Game time: 4:07 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 67 °F (19 °C)
* Game attendance: 26,155
* Referee: Matthew Richards
* TV announcers (P12N): Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (analyst)
| Statistics | ARIZ | WSU |
| First downs | 26 | 12 |
| Total yards | 516 | 234 |
| Rushing yards | 37–174 | 22–35 |
| Passing yards | 342 | 199 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 34–43–0 | 23–33–2 |
| Time of possession | 38:39 | 21:21 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Arizona | Passing | Noah Fifita | 34/43, 342 yards |
| Arizona | Rushing | Rayshon Luke | 10 carries, 71 yards, TD |
| Arizona | Receiving | Jonah Coleman | 4 receptions, 98 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 22/30, 192 yards, INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Dylan Paine | 3 carries, 23 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Nakia Watson | 5 receptions, 88 yards |

### at No. 9 Oregon

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 3 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 24 |
| No. 9 Ducks | 3 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at Autzen Stadium • Eugene, OR
* Date: October 21
* Game time: 12:30 p.m.
* Referee: Cravonne Barrett
* TV announcers (ABC): Bob Wischusen, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath
| Statistics | WSU | ORE |
| First downs | 21 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 71–495 | 57–541 |
| Rushes–yards | 22–57 | 32–248 |
| Passing yards | 438 | 293 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 34–49–0 | 18–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 32:54 | 27:06 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 34/48, 438 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Cam Ward | 11 carries, 30 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Lincoln Victor | 16 receptions, 161 yards |
| Oregon | Passing | Bo Nix | 18/25, 293 yards, 2 TD |
| Oregon | Rushing | Bucky Irving | 15 carries, 129 yards, 2 TD |
| Oregon | Receiving | Tez Johnson | 6 receptions, 94 yards, TD |

### at Arizona State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 7 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 27 |
| Sun Devils | 7 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
at Mountain America Stadium • Tempe, AZ
* Date: October 28, 2023
* Game time: 5:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: NE 5 mph
* Game attendance: 47,284
* Referee: John Love
* TV announcers (P12N): Roxy Bernstein, Lincoln Kennedy
| Statistics | WSU | ASU |
| First downs | 26 | 25 |
| Total yards | 403 | 509 |
| Rushes/yards | 21–88 | 39–235 |
| Passing yards | 315 | 274 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 35–50–0 | 19–26–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:13 | 30:47 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cameron Ward | 35/50, 315 yards, TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Cameron Ward | 12 carries, 35 yards, 2 TD |
| Washington State | Receiving | Kyle Williams | 8 receptions, 77 yards |
| Arizona State | Passing | Trenton Bourguet | 19/26, 274 yards |
| Arizona State | Rushing | Cam Skattebo | 11 carries, 121 yards, TD |
| Arizona State | Receiving | Jalin Conyers | 4 receptions, 90 yards |

### vs Stanford

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinal | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
| Cougars | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: November 4, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
* Game attendance: 24,385
* Referee: Jeff Dahle
* TV announcers (P12N): Roxy Bernstein, Michael Bumpus
| Statistics | STAN | WSU |
| First downs | 18 | 16 |
| Total yards | 217 | 245 |
| Rushes/yards | 38–75 | 24–4 |
| Passing yards | 142 | 241 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 16–32–1 | 24–40–1 |
| Time of possession | 34:25 | 25:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Stanford | Passing | Ashton Daniels | 15–31, 115 yards, INT |
| Stanford | Rushing | Justin Lamson | 20 carries, 54 yards, TD |
| Stanford | Receiving | Sam Roush | 7 receptions, 61 yards |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 24–40, 241 yards, TD, INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Djouvensky Schlenbaker | 13 carries, 34 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Josh Kelly | 4 receptions, 82 yards, TD |

### at California

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 7 | 14 | 3 | 15 | 39 |
| Golden Bears | 14 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 42 |
at California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, CA
* Date: November 11, 2023
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game attendance: 38,155
* Referee: Mark Duddy
* TV: ESPN2
| Statistics | WSU | CAL |
| First downs | 32 | 16 |
| Plays–yards | 97-483 | 51-327 |
| Rushes–yards | 37-125 | 36-177 |
| Passing yards | 358 | 150 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 35-60-1 | 14-21-0 |
| Time of possession | 35:45 | 24:15 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 34/59, 354 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Leo Pulalasi | 11 carries, 66 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Josh Kelly | 9 receptions, 130 yards, TD |
| California | Passing | Fernando Mendoza | 14/21, 150 yards, 2 TD, |
| California | Rushing | Jaydn Ott | 27 carries, 167 yards, TD |
| California | Receiving | Jeremiah Hunter | 3 receptions, 45 yards |

### vs Colorado

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buffaloes | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Cougars | 21 | 21 | 14 | 0 | 56 |
at Martin Stadium • Pullman, WA
* Date: November 17, 2023
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. PST
* Game weather: Sunny, 38 °F (3 °C)
* Game attendance: 27,869
* Referee: Chris Wiggins
* TV announcers (FS1): Tim Brando, Spencer Tillman
| Statistics | COL | WSU |
| First downs | 15 | 23 |
| Total yards | 255 | 469 |
| Rushes/yards | 41–91 | 32–127 |
| Passing yards | 164 | 342 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–27–1 | 20-33–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:25 | 30:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Colorado | Passing | Shedeur Sanders | 6/10, 86 yards, 1 TD |
| Colorado | Rushing | Sy'veon Wilkerson | 13 carries, 49 yards, 1 TD |
| Colorado | Receiving | Travis Hunter | 4 receptions, 82 yards, 1 TD |
| Washington State | Passing | Cam Ward | 18/30, 288 yards, 2 TD |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 8 carries, 47 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Josh Kelly | 6 receptions, 130 yards |

### at Washington

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cougars | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 4 Huskies | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at Husky Stadium • Seattle, Washington
* Date: November 25
* Game time: 1:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 45 °F (7 °C) • Wind: NE 5 mph
* Game attendance: 71,312
* Referee: Matthew Richards
* TV announcers (FOX): Jason Benetti, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
| Statistics | WSU | WASH |
| First downs | 22 | 17 |
| Plays–yards | 76–381 | 63–306 |
| Rushes–yards | 27–64 | 30–102 |
| Passing yards | 317 | 204 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 32–49–2 | 18–33–1 |
| Time of possession | 32:41 | 27:19 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Washington State | Passing | Cameron Ward | 32/48, 317 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT |
| Washington State | Rushing | Nakia Watson | 11 carries, 64 yards |
| Washington State | Receiving | Josh Kelly | 8 receptions, 106 yards, TD |
| Washington | Passing | Michael Penix Jr. | 18/33, 204 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Washington | Rushing | Dillon Johnson | 21 carries, 82 yards, TD |
| Washington | Receiving | Rome Odunze | 7 receptions, 120 yards, 2 TD |

## Awards

| Player | Award | Date |
| Ron Stone Jr. | Pac-12 Defense & Defensive Line Player of the Week | September 11, 2023 |
| Cam Ward | Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week | September 25, 2023 |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | 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 | 23 | 21 | 16 | 13 | 19т | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | | |
| Coaches | RV | RV | RV | 24 | 17 | 14 | 19 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | | |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | | Not released |