FROM: WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA INFORMATION 1 SID: Rod Commons ([email protected]) ASSISTANTS: Linda Chalich, Craig Lawson, Jason Krump, Jason Hickman 509-335-COUG; FAX 509-335-0267 WEB: www.wsucougars.com September 9, 2002 Cougars Ranked 10th, Ohio State 6th In AP Poll FOOTBALL: WSU Set For Ohio State Showdown In Columbus WHO: #10 WSU Cougars (2-0 overall, 0-0 in Pac-10) vs. #6 Ohio State Buckeyes (2-0, 0-0 in Big Ten) WHAT: Non-Conference Football WHEN: Saturday, September 14; Kickoff 3:30 p.m. EDT; 12:30 p.m. PDT WHERE: Ohio Stadium (101,568, Grass), Columbus, Ohio TV: Live TV - ABC; FOX Sports Northwest will air the replay Sunday, 10:00 a.m., Sept. 15 2002 WSU RESULTS THE COACHES: WSU - Mike Price (Puget Sound ‘69) has a 74-74-0 (.500) record Record: 2-0; 0-0 [OPP REC] at WSU in 14 years and a career mark of 121-119-0 (.504) in 22 seasons at Weber 8/31 Nevada at Seattle (31-7) [0-1] State (1981-88; 46-44-0) and WSU (1989-present). OHIO STATE – The 9/7 Idaho (49-14) [0-2] Buckeyes are coached by Jim Tressel (Baldwin-Wallace ’75)…Tressell is 9-5 in his 9/14 @ Ohio State [2-0] two seasons at Ohio State and 144-62-2 in his 18-year career. 9/21 Montana State [1-1] WSU VS. OHIO STATE: The Cougars and Buckeyes have met seven times since the 9/28 @ California [2-0] first game in 1952, with OSU capturing all seven contests…the last meeting was in 10/5 USC [1-0] 1991, the only game played since Mike Price took over at WSU in 1989…the only 10/12 @ Stanford [0-1] game not played at Columbus was in 1974 when the two teams met in Seattle at 10/26 @ Arizona [1-0] Husky Stadium…the largest crowd to watch the two teams was 92,687 at the last 11/2 Arizona State [2-1] meeting in Columbus…the last time WSU played its third game of the year on the 11/9 Oregon [2-0] road and lost was at Ohio State in 1991…since then WSU has won three road games 11/23 Washington [1-1] played the third week of the season. 12/7 @ UCLA [1-0] Most WSU Points: 32, 1985 (32-48) Most OSU Points: 48, 1985 (48-32) Widest WSU Victory: None Widest OSU Victory: 44, 1984 (44-0) THIS WEEK: OHIO STATE Longest WSU Winning Streak: None Longest OSU Winning Streak: +7 Re cord: 2-0, 0-0 Last WSU Win: None Last OSU Win: 1991 (31-19) 8/24 Texas Tech (45-21) Last WSU Win Pullman: None Last OSU Win Pullman: None 9/7 Kent State (51-17) Last WSU Win Columbus: None Last OSU Win Columbus: 1991 (31-19) 9/14 Washington State WSU at Home: 0-0 OSU at Home: 6-0 9/21 @ Cincinnati WSU at Columbus: 0-6 OSU at Pullman: 0-0 9/28 Indiana WSU at Seattle: 0-1 OSU at Seattle: 1-0 10/5 @ Northwestern Mike Price vs. Ohio State: 0-1 Jim Tressell vs. WSU: 0-0 10/12 San Jose State WSU Streak: -7 OSU Streak: +7 10/19 @ Wisconsin 10/26 Penn State ABC TV/ESPN GAME DAY HEADED FOR COLUMBUS: The WSU-Ohio State 11/2 Minnesota football game will be telecast live by ABC Sports to more than half the 11/9 @ Purdue country…the announcers include Brent Musberger, Gary Danielson and Jack 11/16 @ Illinois Arute…in addition, ESPN’s College Game Day will originate from Columbus prior 11/23 Michigan to Saturday’s WSU-Ohio State game…Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Lee Corso will anchor the telecast…Herbstreit is no stranger to either Ohio State, where he NEXT WEEK: MONTANA ST. played, nor to WSU…in 1991 he quarterbacked the Buckeyes to a win over WSU 8/31 Saint Mary’s (27-24) and last year he touted WSU’s success from the start of the season…this will be 9/7 @ Stephen F. Austin (13-30) ESPN College Game Day’s first appearance at a Cougar game. 9/14 Adams State 9/21 @ Washington State WSU RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS: 9/28 Central Washington · P 2: Veteran Cougars have made 350 career starts 10/12 @Idaho State · P 3: WSU scoring streaks · P 3: Price and three WSU players headed to East-West Shrine Game 10/19 Weber State · P 5: Jason Gesser summary 10/26 @ Northern Arizona · P 6 Pac-10 and NCAA summaries 11/2 @ Sacramento State 11/9 Eastern Washington 2002 CAPTAINS: WSU - QB Jason Gesser (17), CB Marcus Trufant (45), RS Curtis 11/16 Portland State Nettles (18). OSU - FS Donnie Nickie (25) and SS Michael Doss (2)…an offensive 11/23 @ Montana captain will be chosen later this week. FROM: WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY MEDIA INFORMATION 2 SID: Rod Commons ([email protected]) ASSISTANTS: Linda Chalich, Craig Lawson, Jason Krump, Jason Hickman 509-335-COUG; FAX 509-335-0267 WEB: www.wsucougars.com September 9, 2002 COUGS BOAST STARTING EXPERIENCE: WSU fields DERTING SETS WSU RECORDS: Will Derting, in the 2002 an experienced team in 2002, with 34 players having started season opener, set a pair of WSU interception records when at least one game…collectively they made 350 career he stepped in front of a Nevada pass near the Cougar starts…the Cougar defense boasts 146 career starts by 15 endzone and returned it 98 yards…it was the longest return players, including 75 by six linemen, 16 by five linebackers, in WSU history, breaking the mark of 93 by Lionel Thomas and 51 by four defensive backs…on offense eight linemen against UCLA in 1969…his 98 return yards in a game also made 109 starts, five receivers made 45 starts, and four bettered the previous mark of 96 yards by Frank Miyaki backfield players had 33 starts, a total of 187: against Idaho in 1945. DEF. STARTERS POS CAREER ‘02 ‘01 ’00 ’99 ’98 WSU IN PAC-10 RANKINGS: Among Cougar leaders in the Isaac Brown DE 3 2 1 latest Pac-10 football rankings, Jason Gesser leads the Tomasi Kongaika DT 12 6 6 league in passing efficiency…he also is ranked fourth in Rien Long DT 18 2 12 4 completions, sixth in total offense and seventh in passing Fred Shavies DE 25 2 11 11 1 yards…Jonathan Smith is first in scoring and fifth in Tai Tupai DT 19 1 12 6 rushing….Kyle Basler is third in punting…Will Derting is Jeremey Williams DT 2 1 1 second in interceptions…Sammy Moore is second in kickoff Ira Davis LB 3 1 2 returns. Will Derting LB 1 1 Al Genatone LB 10 2 7 1 WSU IN NCAA RANKINGS: Among the WSU players Don Jackson LB 1 1 ranked nationally by the NCAA, Jason Gesser is ninth in Kevin Sperry LB 1 1 pass efficiency…Jonathan Smith is fourth in scoring…Kyle Erik Coleman FS 8 2 5 1 Basler is 10th in punting…Will Derting is fourth in Jason David CB 14 2 12 interceptions. Marcus Trufant CB 27 2 7 11 7 Virgil Williams SS 2 2 SUPPLEMENTAL NOTES (taken from WSU’s supplemental TOTALS: 146 22 69 41 14 0 release): WSU is 41-31 at home since Mike Price took over in 1989 and 34-44 on the road…the Cougars, since 1980, OFF. STARTERS POS CAREER ‘02 ‘01 ’00 ’99 ’98 average 25.8 points per game and have scored 30 or more Calvin Armstrong OL 11 2 9 points 91 times in the last 251 games…the Cougs are +1 in Tyler Hunt C 23 2 10 11 turnover margin this year, but -32 during Mike Price’s 14 Billy Knotts OL 4 1 3 seasons at WSU…the 1994 and 2001 Price teams are the Sam Lightbody OL 1 1 only ones to finish the year ahead in turnovers. Phil Locker OL 20 2 5 10 3 Josh Parrish OL 21 2 12 7 WSU LIMITS LONG RUNS: For the second straight week Derrick Roche OL 28 2 12 11 3 WSU has not allowed a run of more than 18 Mike Shelford C 1 1 yards…Nevada’s longest rush was 15 yards, but they had six Troy Bienemann TE 2 2 rushing play’s between 10-15 yards…Idaho had just two Mike Bush WR 14 2 12 runs 10 or longer, an 11 yarder and an 18 yarder…WSU has Devard Darling WR 2 2 allowed eight runs 10-19 yards and none 20 or longer in the Collin Henderson WR 24 12 8 4 first two games. Jerome Riley WR 3 2 1 Jason Gesser QB 24 2 12 9 1 SMITH GOES FOR 121 YARDS: Jonathan Smith rushed for Matt Kegel QB 2 2 121 yards against Idaho, the first 100+ game since John John Tippins RB 6 2 4 Tippins went for 100 against Montana State 10/18 last Allen Thompson RB 1 1 year…his 121 yards is the most since Dave Minnich’s 195 TOTALS: 187 22 93 61 11 0 against Oregon State 10/6 last year. He also scored three touchdowns against Idaho…the last WSU back to rush for KICKERS POS CAREER ‘02 ‘01 ’00 ’99 ’98 three touchdowns in a game was Deon Burnet with four Kyle Basler P 2 2 rushing scores against Louisiana-Lafayette in Drew Dunning PK 15 2 12 1 1999…Smith’s five rushing touchdowns in two games is the TOTALS: 17 4 12 1 most since James Matthews rushed for five in two GRAND TOTALS: 350 48 174 103 25 0 consecutive games in 1982 - of course he had all five in one game to set the WSU record.