A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | CH | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9
| 1997 Washington State Cougars football | |
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Pac-10 co-champion | |
| Conference | Pacific-10 Conference |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 9 |
| AP | No. 9 |
| Record | 10–2 (7–1 Pac-10) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Jim McDonell (4th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Bill Doba (4th season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Home stadium | Martin Stadium |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Washington State + | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 5 UCLA + | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 14 Arizona State | 6 | – | 2 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Washington | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arizona | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USC | 4 | – | 4 | 6 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon | 3 | – | 5 | 7 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stanford | 3 | – | 5 | 5 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| California | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oregon State | 0 | – | 8 | 3 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1997 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1997 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their ninth season under head coach Mike Price, the Cougars went 10–1 in the regular season (7–1 in Pac-10), won the conference championship,[1] lost to #1 Michigan in the Rose Bowl,[2][3][4] and outscored their opponents 483 to 296.[5][6] They played their home games on campus at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, and were ninth in the final rankings.
The team's statistical leaders included Ryan Leaf with 3,968 passing yards, Michael Black with 1,181 rushing yards, and Chris Jackson with 1,005 receiving yards.[7] Freshman defensive back Lamont Thompson led the team with 6 interceptions.[8]
The Rose Bowl appearance was the first for Washington State in 67 years;[1][9] the next was five years later.[10][11]
Leaf decided to forgo his remaining season of eligibility (1998) and entered the 1998 NFL draft,[12][13] where he was the second overall selection.[14][15][16]
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 30 | 12:30 pm | UCLA | ABC | W 37–34 | 26,000 | ||
| September 13 | 3:30 pm | at No. 23 USC | FSN | W 28–21 | 51,655 | ||
| September 20 | 9:30 am | at Illinois* | No. 19 | ESPN2 | W 35–22 | 47,131 | |
| September 27 | 2:00 pm | Boise State* | No. 15 |
| W 58–0 | 34,131 | |
| October 4 | 1:00 pm | at Oregon | No. 15 | W 24–13 | 43,516 | ||
| October 18 | 2:00 pm | California | No. 13 |
| W 63–37 | 35,739 | |
| October 25 | 12:30 pm | Arizona | No. 10 |
| ABC | W 35–34 OT | 31,137 |
| November 1 | 7:00 pm | at No. 20 Arizona State | No. 10 | FSN | L 31–44 | 73,644 | |
| November 8 | 2:00 pm | Southwestern Louisiana* | No. 16 |
| W 77–7 | 32,345 | |
| November 15 | 2:00 pm | Stanford | No. 14 |
| W 38–28 | 40,306 | |
| November 22 | 12:30 pm | at No. 20 Washington | No. 11 | ABC | W 41–35 | 74,268 | |
| January 1, 1998 | 2:00 pm | vs. No. 1 Michigan* | No. 8 | ABC | L 16–21 | 101,219 | |
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Conference opponent not played this season: Oregon State
Rankings
| Week | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP | — | — | — | — | 19 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 9 |
| Coaches Poll | — | — | — | — | 20 | 14 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 15 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
Roster
| 1997 Washington State Cougars football team roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||