1979 Washington State Cougars football team
1979 Washington State Cougars football | |
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Conference | Pacific-10 Conference |
Record | 3–8 (2–6 Pac-10) |
Head coach |
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Home stadium | Martin Stadium, Joe Albi Stadium |
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Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 2 USC $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 11 Washington | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 9 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arizona | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oregon | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
California | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Stanford | 3 | – | 3 | – | 1 | 5 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arizona State † | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
UCLA | 3 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Washington State | 2 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oregon State | 1 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1979 Washington State Cougars football team was an
The team's statistical leaders included Steve Grant with 1,565 passing yards, Tali Ena with 844 rushing yards, and Jim Whatley with 513 receiving yards.[4]
Martin Stadium's seating capacity was increased over the summer (track removed, field lowered) and hosted its first game of the season in mid-October for homecoming.[5][6] The 17–14 upset of UCLA was the Cougars' first win over the Bruins since 1958.[7][8]
The traditional Battle of the Palouse game with neighbor Idaho went on hiatus beginning with this season (the Vandals had moved down to Division I-AA in 1978);[9] it was played in 1982 and 1989. When Idaho rejoined Division I-A, there was a ten-year resumption (1998–2007).
Schedule
Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
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September 8 | Arizona | L 7–22 | 26,753 | ||
September 15 | Montana* |
| W 34–14 | 20,157 | |
September 22 | at No. 16 Ohio State* | L 29–45 | 87,495 | ||
September 29 | at Rich Stadium | L 25–52 | 10,004 | ||
October 6 | at No. 1 USC | L 21–50 | 55,117 | ||
October 13 | UCLA | W 17–14 | 32,651 | [7][8] | |
October 20 | at Sun Devil Stadium | W 17–28 (forfeit win) | 70,729 | ||
October 27 | Oregon |
| W 26–37 (forfeit win) | 18,650 | |
November 3 | at Oregon State | W 45–42 | 21,500 | ||
November 10 | California |
| L 13–45 | 22,055 | |
November 17 | at No. 16 Washington | L 7–17 | 57,750 | ||
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Roster
1979 Washington State Cougars football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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Fallen teammate
During an evening practice on August 22, senior defensive tackle Hayward "Spud" Harris of Tacoma collapsed during a non-contact drill. He could not be revived by the training staff, was rushed by ambulance to Pullman Memorial Hospital, and was pronounced dead an hour after arrival.[14][15][16][17]
Season summary
UCLA
On homecoming weekend, Mike Snow blocked two field goals and deflected a pass in the end zone as Washington State upset UCLA 17–14 in front of a record home crowd in the newly-expanded Martin Stadium. Brian Sickler capped an 84-yard fourth quarter drive with a one-yard plunge as the Cougars rallied from a 7–14 halftime deficit.[7][8][18]
Senior safety Don McCall recorded two interceptions, seven tackles, and a fumble recovery.
NFL Draft
Four Cougars were selected in the
Player | Position | Round | Overall | Franchise |
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Bob Gregor | S | 4
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108 | San Diego Chargers |
Tali Ena | RB | 11
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292 | Seattle Seahawks |
Ray Williams | WR/RB | 12
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307 | Detroit Lions |
Tyrone Gray | DB | 12 | 309 | St. Louis Cardinals |
References
- ^ "2017 Media Guide" (PDF). thesundevils.com. ASU Athletics. p. 127. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- ^ "1979 Washington State Cougars Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). WSUCougars.com. Washington State Cougars Athletics. p. 77. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ "1979 Washington State Cougars Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
- ^ Van Sickel, Charlie (October 12, 1979). "Major questions face WSU in UCLA clash". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 25.
- ^ Barrows, Bob (October 13, 1979). "WSU: For both teams, it's a battle for survival". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1C.
- ^ a b c Emerson, Paul (October 14, 1979). "Upset". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 4D.
- ^ a b c Van Sickel, Charlie (October 15, 1979). "Kicking, defense WSU keys". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 23.
- ^ Van Sickel, Charlie (September 18, 1978). "WSU-Idaho rivalry ends none too soon". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 27.
- ^ "Wildcats vs. Cougars: probable offensive starters". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 8, 1979. p. 18.
- ^ "Grizzlies vs. Cougars: probable starting lineups". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). September 15, 1979. p. 21.
- ^ "Starting lineups". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). October 27, 1979. p. 2C.
- ^ Emerson, Paul (November 17, 1979). "Braggin' rights". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 3C.
- ^ "Lineman collapses, dies". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). August 23, 1979. p. 1.
- ^ "'Spud' Harris, WSU football player, dies". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). August 22, 1979. p. 1C.
- ^ "WSU football team shocked by death". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. August 23, 1979. p. 43.
- ^ "Hayward Harris: 1958–1979". Daily Evergreen. (Pullman). (Washington State University). September 20, 1979. p. 41.
- ^ "Wash St. 17, UCLA 14". Ocala Star-Banner. (Florida). Associated Press. October 14, 1979. p. 3C.
- ^ Missildine, Harry (April 30, 1980). "Huskies popular in draft". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
- ^ "Tatum, Stanford QB big news in NFL draft". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. May 1, 1980. p. 25.
- ^ "NFL draft". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. May 1, 1980. p. 1C.
External links
- Game program: Arizona vs. WSU at Spokane – September 8, 1979
- Game program: UCLA at WSU – October 13, 1979
- Game program: California at WSU – November 10, 1979