Friday night’s 30-27 upset win over fifth-ranked USC thrust WSU into a national limelight that continued to shine throughout the weekend as the Cougars climbed to No. 11 on the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.
Here’s a sampling of reactions from around the country along with a quick video recap of game highlights.
ASSOCIATED PRESS: “With the national stage to themselves, the Cougars showed they were legitimate, stopping USC star quarterback Sam Darnold and pulling off their first regular-season win over a top-five opponent in a quarter-century.”
ESPN: “WSU’s win against the Trojans will go down as an upset, but it never felt that way. Wazzu was simply the better team … ”
SBNation: “The most significant game of the week was Washington State’s 30-27 victory over USC.”
WASHINGTON POST: “The school likely will be fined after the students rushed the field – it is against the rules in the Pacific-12 – but I’m guessing no one in Pullman really cares.”
LOS ANGELES TIMES: “The Trojans’ winning streak ended at 13, all the elements that were fraying at the edges in their previous four wins this season unraveling enough on Friday to leave them regretful and sad-voiced while seemingly all of Pullman sang and fist-pumped around them.”
SEATTLE TIMES: “This wasn’t just the win of the season — it was the win of the Mike Leach era. And not just because the Cougs beat a top-five team for the first time in 25 years, but because, in one game, they gave their identity a complete makeover.”
SPOKESMAN-REVIEW: “For two halves, it was a blow-for-blow battle between one of the Pac-12’s emerging powers and the league’s most storied program.”
Check out Friday’s highlights in this great recap from WSU Athletics Sports Video.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tLAyetT4Lo&w=560&h=315]
NEXT UP: The undefeated Cougars embark on their first road game of the season, traveling to Eugene for a Saturday showdown with Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12).