4+ week, 14+ hour ago (756+ words) In the latest edition of the "Elliss Bowl," Christian Elliss" New England Patriots edged out Kaden Elliss" Atlanta Falcons 24-23 and the Los Angeles Chargers" Daiyan Henley had a huge game just days after family tragedy to highlight area connections in Week 9 of the NFL. The two Elliss brothers, both former Idaho Vandals, each had five tackles in the game, but Christian left the Sunday contest with a hip injury designation. In another game, former Washington State star Henley bested his former Cougar quarterback Cam Ward when his Los Angeles Chargers beat the Tennessee Titans 27-20. Henley"s big nine-tackle, one-sack day came the day after he received some tragic news. Henley"s brother, Jabari Henley, was shot and killed Friday night. Daiyan Henley chose to play Sunday in honor of his brother. After Henley sacked the Titans" Ward in the second…...

4+ week, 6+ hour ago (428+ words) The Pac-12 opener belonged to the Beavers. Washington State quarterback Zevi Eckhaus took six sacks and threw two interceptions, Cougar kicker Jack Stevens missed a 32-yard fourth-quarter field goal and WSU lost to Oregon State 10-7 on Saturday in Corvallis, Ore. The Cougar defense's best efforts could not redeem a torrential downpour of offensive missed opportunities and mistakes. WSU punted seven times, turned the ball over on downs and missed a field goal, while Oregon State punted 10 times. Eckhaus completed 13-of-24 passes for 146 yards. Josh Meredith led WSU receivers with four catches for 44 yards. WSU running back Kirby Vorhees scored the Cougars' lone touchdown off a 3-yard second-quarter dive to put WSU up 7-3. That score held until the Beavers found just enough offense in the form of a four-play, 64-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Senior running back Anthony Hankerson…...

19+ hour, 10+ min ago (236+ words) The Cougars are going bowling. With their season on the line, first-year Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers led his Cougar football team to a 32-8 win over Pac-12 rival Oregon State in the two schools" regular-season finale on Saturday at Gesa Field. The win was Wazzu"s sixth of the season and grants WSU bowl game eligibility. WSU wide receiver Tony Freeman set a single-game school record with 169 punt return yards, senior linebacker Caleb Francl generated two turnovers and the Cougar offense scored 13 second-half points to put the unofficial "Pac-2" championship on ice. On defense, Francl forced a fumble and grabbed his second interception in as many weeks in the first half, cornerback Colby Humphrey made a juggling act of an interception and the Cougars racked up six sacks. WSU used two Jack Stevens field goals to take a 6-0 lead in…...

3+ week, 2+ hour ago (861+ words) MOSCOW " The Idaho Vandals" last win against the UC Davis Aggies was in 1997. The Vandals" 28-14 loss to the No. 11 Aggies on Saturday in the P1FCU Kibbie Dome was their sixth straight to UCD and keeps a 28-year drought running. Idaho (4-6, 2-4 Big Sky) failed to get much going against UC Davis (7-2, 5-1) offensively during key moments, which led to the Vandals" downfall. Idaho struggled mightily on conversion downs, going just 1-of-11 on third downs and 2-of-6 on fourth downs. Idaho coach Thomas Ford Jr. said that even though he and the team realize their playoff hopes are effectively over after their sixth loss, he was pleased with the team"s resolve and how it continued to keep fighting. Idaho"s defensive success and the UC Davis offense The Vandals" defense allowed 28 points to UC Davis, but held strong for most of the second…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (256+ words) Washington State fired athletic director Anne McCoy after 18 months on the job, the school announced Wednesday. McCoy served as interim AD in the wake of former AD Pat Chun's decision to take the same position at University of Washington, starting in March 2024, and the school hired her as its full-time athletics steward in June 2024. Jon Haarlow, WSU's assistant VP and chief operating officer, will serve as interim AD, according to the press release. WSU will conduct a national search for its next athletic director. The Seattle Times' Percy Allen first reported that McCoy was "out" as AD. McCoy hired football coach Jimmy Rogers, men's basketball coach David Riley, swimming coach Russ Whitaker, women's golf coach Kevin Tucker and retained women's basketball coach Kamie Ethridge through a contract extension. The longtime Pullman resident had worked for WSU athletics in various capacities…...

2+ week, 5+ day ago (627+ words) The sun sets on a brilliant September Pullman day and a sold-out crowd of approximately 33,000, mostly adorned in crimson and gray and some in blue and orange, is on its feet at Gesa Field. The Cougar Marching Band's "Jaws" crescendos into the Washington State Fight Song, LED lights wash the field in a sea of crimson, giving way to the Cougar football team's typical pyrotechnical-enhanced entrance. The video board is brand new and not missing pixels and PA announcer and Pullman fixture Glenn Johnson's voice booms over a brand new sound system. That is what could be an apt description of a future meeting between Pac-12 opponents and Pacific Northwest neighbors WSU and Boise State as soon as next football season. The WSU Board of Regents will vote Friday in Seattle on a proposal to finance an upgrade to Gesa…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (1051+ words) KAMIAH " Logos quarterback Baxter Covington didn't have any doubts about what his team was capable of even though his last trip to Kamiah didn't go his way. With that loss in the past, and glory on the horizon, Covington took the Knights' first offensive snap from scrimmage and raced 69 yards into the end zone for Logos' first points 19 seconds into an Idaho Class 2A semifinals football game at Kamiah. "I love it when we score on the first play," Covington said. "It's super demoralizing for the other team. And yeah, I just trusted my boys." Covington's four touchdowns and the Knights' nearly 400 yards rushing boosted Logos to a 44-18 win over Kamiah on Friday. With the win, Logos (9-2) will face Kendrick (11-0) in the 2A state championship next week. The last time Logos of Moscow visited Kamiah (9-2), the Knights were in "a bit of…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (434+ words) The Big Sky Conference reprimanded and fined Idaho football coach Thomas Ford Jr. for "commenting publicly about officiating," the conference announced Tuesday. Ford had criticized the conference's admitted missed call late in the Idaho-Sacramento State game, which the Vandals dropped 23-20 on Saturday. The first-year Idaho coach received a $2,500 fine and was informed that "a repeat of such behavior could result in a more severe penalty," according to the Big Sky's statement posted to its X account. Big Sky officials called Sac State tight end Jordan Williams in bounds on a play in which his foot was visibly out of bounds. Upon review, officials stuck by their decision and the Hornets scored the go-ahead touchdown from the 2-yard line with under 10 seconds left in the game, one play later to clinch the win. The Big Sky suspended multiple officials who worked…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (858+ words) In case you weren't convinced by several stout showings in hostile road environments, this Washington State defense is pretty good. Pretty good doesn't do them justice; the Cougars' defensive personnel " 1 through 11 and several players deep " is pretty great. For the third straight game and sixth time this season, the Cougars accomplished their declared goal of allowing fewer than 14 points. And for the third straight game, WSU kept its opponent to 10 or fewer points. Yes, WSU faced a Louisiana Tech team down a starting quarterback and in dire straits with two rotating backups leading the offense. The signal-caller issue helps explain why WSU beat LA Tech 28-3 on Saturday at Gesa Field, but it does not tell the whole story. The Cougars allowed just three points, fewer than 200 total yards, just about 60 passing yards and turned away the Bulldogs on eight of…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (1153+ words) Junior linebacker and team captain Dylan Layne is known as a leader of the Idaho defense and the Vandal football team as a whole. Layne is known as one of, if not the smartest, player on the defense. Early in fall camp, Idaho defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Cort Dennison said that Layne really impressed him. "Dylan Layne's doing a great job, one of the smartest players I've ever coached in my 13 years of coaching," Dennison said. This is Layne's first year of starting full-time. In his first year as a starting linebacker, the junior has made some noise as the Vandals' top defensive contributor. Layne leads the team with 66 total tackles and 24 solo tackles. He is also second on the team in pass breakups (five) and third in tackles for loss (five). Growing up with a twin Layne is…...