PULLMAN, Wash. — The Washington State Cougars are preparing to face Portland State in the team's season opener.
"There's so much excitement in the building just knowing it's here," head coach Jake Dickert said. "You can talk about it being here, you can visualize it being here in January, when you're working out in the snow, this is why you do it. To finally be here, there's so much excitement for our team, our coaching staff, hopefully our university, our fan base, just all coming. The sights and sounds of football are here, and what an opportunity that's afforded to us."
Dickert calls week one a "rules and principles" game. Since they can't reliably study and predict the opposing team at the start of a new season, week one focuses on correcting their own mistakes.
"The greatest teams learn from week one to week two," Dickert said. "I want our guys out there playing at max capacity, not thinking, and making really correctible mistakes. I think you get in trouble in game one when you're not communicating, not playing with great effort, you're overthinking the situation. There will be plenty of adjustments during the game, but that can't hinder us from playing at max capacity."
The Cougars head into the season still with a lot of unknowns. There's the overarching question of where Washington State will end up after most of the teams formerly in the Pac-12 moved to other conferences. On a deeper level, it's a younger squad than in past years, and although they're confident in their depth chart, there may still be a lot of movement and opportunity to prove what the team is all about.
"Our identity will be on display," Dickert said. "2023 is wiped. If you played in 2022, that is gone. This team's identity and blueprint will be on display, and that is still yet to be created. It's an exciting piece for a coach because you think you know what you have, you've worked so hard for a desired outcome, now see what team you actually have out on the field against a different colored jersey."
Likely starting cornerback Jamorri Colson is out for several weeks. Fall camp standout Ethan O'Connor will start at cornerback opposite team captain Steve Hall on Saturday.
The Cougars take on Portland State at Gesa Field on Saturday. Kick off is set for noon.
