Cougs want to ‘Remember that feeling’

How can Washington State win after the bye week and avoid the failures of last year?

That’s the question that nearly every Coug who spoke to the press within the last two weeks answered and the question that the entire program has grappled with since the end of the 2023 football season.

Last year, Washington State started 4-0 and then lost six straight games following the bye week to finish the season one win shy of bowl eligibility for the first time in nearly a decade, excluding the pandemic season.

WSU left tackle Esa Pole said that the answer begins with the team’s mindset during the bye week, which was preceded by the Cougars’ 45-24 loss to Heisman contender Ashton Jeanty and the now-No. 17 Boise State Broncos on Sept. 28.

The Cougars (4-1) will next face Fresno State (3-2) at 4 p.m. Saturday (FS1) in Fresno, Calif.

“I feel like we didn’t approach the bye week the way we should’ve (last year),” Pole said. “As much as we want to win every game and we do not want anything in the ‘L’ column, I feel like (losing to Boise State) was good for us. It was a wake-up call and it had us approaching the bye week the way we should, knowing that we don’t want to taste the taste we had in Boise ever again.”

WSU coach Jake Dickert said that Pole’s statement is perhaps an admittance of “a false mindset last year,” but said that this year’s team is different.

“I just think this team has maybe a touch more urgency and focus to what they want to do,” Dickert said.

Minutes removed from the loss to Boise State, WSU team captain Kyle Thornton said that the 2024 Cougs were better prepared than last year’s team to finish the season strong because of their “belief” and “a belief in the response.”

“As a team this year, everything’s been about belief,” Thornton said. “Obviously, we showcased that (against San Jose State), but this week it’s a whole different type of belief. It’s a type of belief that ... we’re gonna get better off of this.”

Fellow team captain Fa’alili Fa’amoe spent the first month of the season recovering from injury and eased his way back onto the field against Boise State, rotating with Christain Hilborn, WSU’s three-year starter along the offensive line who started the year at right tackle.

With six healthy, starting-caliber linemen, Dickert said he would cement a starting five going into Fresno State.

As the line competes for playing time, Fa’amoe, who started every game for the Cougs last season, has been the voice of urgency, Pole said.

“After every practice this week and last week, (Fa’amoe) always said ‘We were in this position last year. Remember that, remember that feeling. Don’t let these days get away,’” Pole said.

Fa’amoe is one of WSU’s six team captains. He is generally soft-spoken, but his work speaks for itself, Pole said.

“He does lead through the way he fights,” Pole said. “The way he strains in practice, what he puts on film.”

Pole said that WSU’s offensive line coach, Jared Kaster, revaluated his approach to preparation for Fresno State by scaling back the opponent-specific prep early in the week and focusing on the fundamentals.

“Sometimes we get away from what we do best, and that’s just the base fundamentals — hat placement, hand placement, footwork — stuff like that,” Pole said.

The WSU offensive line allowed Cougar quarterback John Mateer to be sacked seven times by Boise State, more than half of their total allowed sacks through five games. Even with the Boise State game inflating WSU’s average sacks allowed to 2.6 per game, the Cougs are still on pace for their lowest total (31) since the 2021 team allowed 30 sacks.

The team captains’ concern for not repeating last year’s mistakes is shared by other leaders on the team.

Wide receiver Kyle Williams said that to avoid a drop-off like last year, the Cougs need to focus on what they can each individually do to help the team win.

Williams has helped Wazzu win by leading the Cougs in receiving, including a season-high 142 receiving yards on a season-high nine catches and one touchdown against BSU.

Williams had a front-row seat to the Cougars’ 2023 collapse. His return to Wazzu for his senior year has seen him lead the Cougs in receiving and make several crucial plays, such as his 38-yard haul in the final minute of regulation in a win versus San Jose State. Williams’ catch helped the Cougs get in field goal range and force overtime.

“Just doing our job, that’s what we preached,” Williams said of how WSU can avoid another losing streak. “Don’t try to be a hero, don’t try to do nothing that you’re not coached to do, just doing your one/eleventh.”

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.