The 2021 Washington State Cougars football team represented Washington State University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They were led by second-year head coach Nick Rolovich for the first seven games of the season. Rolovich was fired on October 18 after refusing to comply with Washington's COVID-19 vaccination mandate. Defensive coordinator Jake Dickert took over as the team's interim head coach for the remainder of the season. He was announced as the Cougars 34th head coach following their Apple Cup victory in November. The team played their home games in Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, and competed as members of the North Division of the Pac-12 Conference.
After finishing the regular season with an overall record of 7–5, the Cougars accepted an invitation to the Sun Bowl, to face the Miami Hurricanes. On December 26, the Hurricanes announced that they would not be able to play, due to COVID-19 issues; organizers stated that they would try to secure a replacement team to face the Cougars. On December 27, the Central Michigan Chippewas were named as the Sun Bowl replacement team. The Chippewas had originally been scheduled to face the Boise State Broncos in the Arizona Bowl, until the Broncos had to withdraw due to COVID-19 issues and the Arizona Bowl was canceled.
Schedule
Game summaries
vs Utah State
vs Portland State
vs USC
At Utah
At California
vs Oregon State
vs Stanford
vs BYU
At Arizona State
At No. 3 Oregon
vs Arizona
At Washington
This was the Cougars' first victory over the Huskies since 2012, and their first at Husky Stadium since 2007.
Sun Bowl
Awards Travell Harris Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week September 13, 2021 Brennan Jackson Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week October 4, 2021 George Hicks III Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week October 11, 2021 Liam Ryan Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week October 11, 2021 Brennan Jackson Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week October 18, 2021 Ron Stone Jr Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week November 1, 2021 Jahad Woods Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week November 22, 2021 Armani Marsh Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week November 28, 2021 Dean Janikowski Pac-12 Special Teams Player of the Week November 28, 2021 Jayden de Laura Pac-12 Freshman of the Week November 28, 2021
Staff NamePositionSeasons at Washington StateAlma materNick RolovichHead coach (fired October 18)2Hawaii (2004)Brian SmithAssociate head coach / offensive coordinator / running backs2Hawaii (2005)Jake DickertHead coach (hired December 2) / defensive coordinator / Linebackers (until October 18)2Wisconsin–Stevens Point (2007)John RichardsonAssistant head coach / Cornerbacks / recruiting coordinator (fired October 18)2North Dakota State (2010)Craig StutzmannCo-offensive coordinator / quarterbacks (fired October 18)2Hawaii (2002)Kyle KrantzSpecial teams coordinator1Northern Colorado (2009)Andre AllenWide receivers2Ashford (2014)Mark BankerSafeties2Springfield (MA) (1978)A. J. CooperDefensive ends2North Dakota State (2006)Ricky LogoDefensive tackles (fired October 18)2North Carolina State (1992)Mark WeberOffensive line (fired October 18)2Cal Lutheran (1980)Dwain BradshawHead strength and conditioning coach2Arizona State (2014)Jason CverckoChief of Staff2Connecticut (2011)
Rankings
Team Poll Pre Wk2 Wk3 Wk4 Wk5 Wk6 Wk7 Wk8 Wk9 Wk10 Wk11 Wk12 Wk13 Wk14 FinalWashington State AP NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR C NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR CFP Not released NR NR NR
+ Legend Improvement in ranking Drop in ranking Not ranked previous week No change in ranking from previous week RV Received votes but were not ranked in Top 25 of poll
References