Christian Caple

SEATTLE – Washington State will return to Pullman early this morning with a handful of nicks and bruises to tend to. Quarterback Connor Halliday is the most notable of the bunch, as he limped off the field in the third quarter of WSU’s 55-17 loss to No. 5 Stanford on Saturday favoring his left hip area.

SEATTLE – Talk of an upset had already subsided by the time Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday trudged to the CenturyLink Field locker room, favoring his left leg, trainers helping him walk, more than eight minutes remaining in the third quarter. Sophomore running back Teondray Caldwell followed him, accompanied by a noticeable limp.

No. 5 Stanford bruised its way to a 55-17 victory over Washington State on Saturday night in Seattle. The difference between the Cougars and Cardinal was obvious.

SEATTLE – A victory for Washington State’s football team over No. 5 Stanford on Saturday would signal more than just an upset over one of the nation’s best teams. It would also give the Cougars their fourth consecutive win and their first 4-1 start in a decade.

A victory for Washington State’s football team over No. 5 Stanford on Saturday would signal more than just an upset over one of the nation’s best teams.

PULLMAN – Open the newspaper, John Laufasa told his children, and find an NFL game that interests you. Pick the team you think will win. Now sit in front of the television, watch the game, and if you’re right, you’ve earned yourself $5.

Open the newspaper, John Laufasa told his children, and find an NFL game that interests you. Pick the team you think will win. Now sit in front of the television, watch the game, and if you’re right, you’ve earned yourself $5.

PULLMAN – He’s talking about the matchup between his offensive line and Washington State’s defensive line a year ago, and Stanford coach David Shaw says something he hasn’t said often during his two seasons in charge of the Cardinal. “When we were on offense and they were on defense,” Shaw said, “I thought they took it to us. I think they played extremely hard, I think they played extremely well, and they matched our desire to run the ball with their desire to not let us run the ball. I think it was probably one of our top two most difficult days to run the ball. I thought they matched up very well.”

Stanford rolled through its first two opponents, San Jose State and Army, with relative ease but without the kind of eye-popping statistics and point totals seen this season in other nonconference games between top-10 programs and weaker opponents. Prior to Arizona State’s matchup with the Cardinal last week, ASU coach Todd Graham speculated that perhaps Stanford wasn’t showing its entire arsenal against either of its first two foes.

Stanford rolled through its first two opponents, San Jose State and Army, with relative ease but without the kind of eye-popping statistics and point totals seen this season in other nonconference games between top-10 programs and weaker opponents.

PULLMAN – With a game against No. 5 Stanford waiting this weekend, there can’t be anyone happier than Washington State cornerback and Seattle native Nolan Washington that this game is being played at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. Right?

Connor Halliday has no problem speaking truths that others won’t, so it was not surprising that Washington State’s quarterback most adequately summarized the magnitude of his team’s next game.

PULLMAN – Washington State’s defensive players could feel the end zone against their backs, lined up against Idaho with the Vandals looking at a 1st-and-goal from WSU’s 2-yard line in the final minute of the fourth quarter. Idaho rushed. It lost a yard. It passed. The ball fell incomplete. Then it tested the middle of the Cougars’ defensive line. Two yards, to the 1. Then again up the middle on fourth down. Nothing, a ferocious goal line stand giving the ball back to WSU and sent the few remaining fans in Martin Stadium into a frenzy.

Washington State’s defensive players could feel the end zone against their backs, lined up against Idaho with the Vandals looking at a 1st-and-goal from WSU’s 2-yard line in the final minute of the fourth quarter. The Cougars held firm and posted a 42-0 victory.

PULLMAN – If it wasn’t already obvious based on who was playing where during Washington State’s preseason football camp, it’s rather clear now, through three games, that the Cougars won’t rely this season on nearly as many freshmen as they did in 2012. Seventeen such players (redshirt freshmen included) saw the field last season. That number finds its way into Mike Leach’s mouth on a regular basis, typically as a reference point when evaluating WSU’s growth in a number of areas.

If it wasn’t already obvious based on who was playing where during Washington State’s preseason football camp, it’s rather clear now, through three games, that the Cougars won’t rely this season on nearly as many freshmen as they did in 2012.

PULLMAN – As Washington State readied for its Sept. 7 game against Southern California, quarterback Connor Halliday was monitoring the preparations of another school, too. Ferris High School opened its season against Central Valley on Sept. 6, and coach Jim Sharkey’s cellphone lit up frequently with text messages from Halliday, the fourth-year WSU junior and former Saxon.