Washington

Washington State Football: Keys to Victory at Oregon State

Published

1 year ago

November 22, 2024

Washington State Football: Keys to Victory at Oregon State

The Cougars suffered just their second loss of the year last weekend against New Mexico and, by many accounts, it was a shocker. Ranked well within the Top 25 and playing a team with a losing record, albeit on the road, WSU was expected to win. Now at 8-2 Jake Dickert’s squad is tasked with bouncing back and they might have the perfect opportunity to do just that against an Oregon State unit that has been in a tailspin as of late.

Here’s what Washington State needs to do on Saturday to avoid a second straight defeat and get back on the right track.

Move Past Last Week

First and foremost, the Cougs need to forget the loss last weekend. The New Mexico debacle is over and done with, and it ought to be treated as such. Dwelling on the misfortunes that plagued them a week ago will only spell bad news against an Oregon State squad that is desperately looking to salvage whatever it can from a season. If WSU comes into this one and lets that loss give them a disadvantage in any aspect, that might be all OSU needs to get a leg up. Essentially, they can’t let the Lobos beat them twice.

In order to mentally rebound from the toll of their second loss the best thing for WSU might be to get back to the basics in all phases of the game. The offense needs to rediscover and reaffirm what has made it so competitive all year. The defense has to wash their collective minds of the poor showing in Albuquerque. If Dickert can get the team back to what they were before last week… and there’s no reason to believer he can’t… they’ll be just fine.

Tackle, Tackle, Tackle

It’s no secret that one of the main issues last weekend for the Cougars was an inability to bring ball carriers down. Some of that can be blamed on the dynamic play of Deveon Dampier but a lot of it can be attributed to not wrapping up and failing to be sound in their tackles across the board. A repeat of that showing against Beavers playmakers such as Anthony Hankerson or Trent Walker could again yield some ugly results.

Fortunately for Washington State, they have the right guys to fix those errors. Senior linebacker Kyle Thornton is one of the best out there when it comes to making stops. He has 53 tackles this season (36 solo) and has been the enforcer for the team in the middle of the field for several seasons. Redshirt Sophomore “Buddah” Al-Qudah is also excellent in this department with a team-leading 58 stops. If these two can do what they are best at and get everyone else to follow suit, the Cougs will find a lot more success this Saturday.

Keep the Chains Moving

A surefire way to keep OSU on its toes is to keep its defense tired and to do that, Washington State needs some long, sustained drives. Moving the sticks, especially on third down, will help that happen. The Beavers allow their opponents to convert 45% of the third downs they attempt and, while that rate is somewhat high, the Cougars should aim for much more than that. Getting the Oregon State defense fatigued will go a long way.

John Mateer and company need to make sure, when they do get into third down scenarios, that they are manageable. Positive pushes on early downs is a must. Whether it be Mateer running himself, completing short and high-percentage throws to his pass catchers or strong rushes from running back Wayshawn Parker, the offense needs to stay on schedule. Little things like this will make all the difference against a foe that is struggling.

Washington

Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt

Published

6 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Holdout Democrats leave WA House support for income tax in doubt

The votes weren’t there yet late Wednesday for Democrats’ income tax bill in the Washington state House.Democratic members are withholding support for the proposed income tax on millionaires, saying they want to see if a new version of the controversial legislation, possibly due out Thursday, will satisfy their concerns.

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Washington

Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI

Published

19 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Bill strengthening Washington child sex abuse material laws focuses on consciousness, AI

SEATTLE — A bill aimed at tightening Washington’s laws on child sex abuse material is headed to Gov. Bob Ferguson’s desk after clearing the Legislature unanimously.

King County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion said 2ESSB 5105 passed the House unanimously Tuesday night after the Senate unanimously approved it on Jan. 28, 2026.

SEE ALSO | Washington exempts clergy from reporting abuse learned in confession after settlement

Manion called the measure one of her public safety legislative priorities.

“People who peddle in the misery of sexually abused children must be held accountable,” Manion said. “I am grateful for the work of Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Laura Harmon – both in prosecuting these cases and advocating for these legal fixes – and Senators Tina Orwall and Manka Dhingra for championing this legislation.”

Manion’s office said the current state law has gaps that can prevent prosecutors from holding offenders accountable in some cases.

Under current law, prosecutors cannot charge defendants for creating images of child sex abuse unless the child victim was conscious or knew they were being recorded.

The office also said that possessing sexually explicit fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors is not considered child sex abuse material under Washington law.

The bill would update RCW 9.68A.040 to remove the requirement that a child be aware of an abusive recording. It would also update the definition of child sex abuse material to include fabricated (AI) images of non-identifiable minors.

The legislation would also increase the statute of limitations to 10 years for depiction crimes. Manion’s office said the current statute of limitations is three years, and argued that because the images can remain online indefinitely, victims can be re-traumatized for decades.

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Washington

Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Utah Starts Road Trip with Win in Washington | Utah Mammoth

Both of Utah’s power play units scored in the win. Sergachev scored his 10^th goal of the season on the power play 13 and a half minutes into the first period. Peterka scored his 21^st of the season, on the man-advantage, in the final two minutes of the middle frame.

Peterka has three power play goals in the 2025-26 campaign while Sergachev has matched a career-high with five power play goals this season. Overall, Utah’s power play has scored six goals in the last six games. That output matches the Mammoth’s total from their previous 18 games (per Mammoth PR). Tourigny discussed what’s changed with the team’s performance in recent games.

“(The) puck gets in,” Tourigny laughed. “But, no, I think there’s a number of things. The most important thing is we’re aggressive. We’re attacking.

“…If you look at our goal, the first one, it’s a direct play to the net and then on the loose puck recovery we take a shot with traffic and we score,” Tourigny continued. “On the second one, it’s a slot pass, a great shot by (Peterka). I think we had that attack mindset.”

Guenther, who is on the Mammoth’s top power play unit, agreed with Tourigny’s assessment of attacking more.

“I think just attacking, less predictable,” Guenther explained. “Shooting it more, I think (it is) just work really. Trying to play like a 5-on-5 mindset but on the (power play).”

The Mammoth made several line changes for tonight’s game and the new lines started to find chemistry, despite it being the first game with these changes.

“I like them,” Tourigny said of the changes. “Obviously (Guenther) got a goal, but Cooley’s line was really good. I was looking at the expected goals at the end, I think they were above 90%. So that’s pretty, pretty awesome. Then I think (Barrett Hayton’s) line worked really hard. They’re heavy on pucks and they play well defensively. I did like (Michael Carcone’s) line in (the) previous three games, and I did like them again tonight.”

When Washington pushed back with a power play goal and multiple close chances in the third period, Utah fought hard against the momentum swing to secure the win.

“I thought we did a pretty good job,” Keller explained. “Weathering the storm as much as we could. They’re a great veteran team. They made it hard on us. They pressured us all over the ice, but I was proud of the way we fought there towards the end.”

Utah’s bench was positive and calm throughout the game, especially late in the third. This helped the Mammoth through the momentum swings. Keller, who had two assists in the win, was one of the key voices for the Mammoth.

“He’s one of the guys who was really positive on the bench,” Tourigny explained. “(All the players) were but (Keller) was really vocal. He was really good energy on the bench. So that was really good.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

Guenther had two points in the win (1G, 1A) and the forward has earned a team-high nine points (5G, 4A) through six road games in 2026. He has become the third Mammoth skater to reach the 50-point mark this season (28G, 23A) and established a new career-high in goals.

Sergachev has 18 power play points this season (5G, 13A) and is tied with Keller for the team lead this season.

Keller has recorded multiple primary assists in a game for the seventh time this season and the 27^th time in his NHL career. He has now tallied multiple points in four of his last six contests (2G, 8A), with three multi-assist outings over that span.

The Mammoth continue their five-game road trip in Philadelphia on Thursday night. Game time is 5 p.m. MT and available to watch on Mammoth+ and Utah16.

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