PULLMAN, Wash. — Football fans got their first look at the 2023 Washington State Cougars Saturday afternoon at the team's annual Crimson and Gray spring game at Martin Stadium in Pullman.
It wasn't quite a sellout, but that's expected. This is a spring game, so naturally, it won't draw a crowd like a regular season game. But there were still a good amount of students cheering on their Cougars and enjoying the sunshine.
WSU fans want to see their team play in their 8th straight bowl game this season. One of the big question marks going into the season was how WSU's offense would look under newly hired offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. The 27-year-old had one of the best offenses in the country at Western Kentucky last season, and he is trying to implement that here in Pullman.
So far, so good.
The Cougars had a number of explosive plays downfield with a few touchdowns in the mix. One of the biggest criticisms from last year was WSU's inability to have big plays downfield.
It's still early, but after Saturday's spring game, you can already see glimpses of what this offense can be.
It wasn't just QB Cam Ward making plays. Backup QB John Mateer was also driving teams downfield.
Take Saturday with a grain of salt because the coaches won't show us the entire playbook in a spring game, but there were some impressive plays.
Cougs fans could be licking their lips at what a fully renovated offense could look like.
Former Coug and current @Seahawks Offensive Tackle Abe Lucas is soaking in the spring game this afternoon. He’ll be back on the field soon when Seattle opens up OTA’s pic.twitter.com/wTDgTh8GqZ
Julian Mininsohn is the Sports Director at 4 News Now. Julian joins the 4 News Now team after spending four years as a Sports Anchor/Reporter for KEZI 9 News in Eugene, Oregon, where he covered the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers. Julian’s time in Oregon brought him to the Rose Bowl sidelines, the NCAA Tournament press boxes and some of the biggest Division 1 football games. He also covered playoff runs for the Portland Trail Blazers and Timbers. In addition to his duties at live events, Julian has earned praise for his storytelling. On everyone’s radar were Julian’s special features on Oregon athletes, chronicling the intersection between sports and life. Prior to his time in Eugene, Julian served as Sports Director for KKCO/KJCT-TV in Grand Junction, Colorado. He covered the JUCO World Series, Winter X Games and the Colorado Rockies farm team. As host of a weekly high school sports show in both Grand Junction and Eugene, Julian spotlighted football and basketball prep games. He also anchored the highly- rated Athlete of the Week program, featuring local sports stars of the future. Always the journalist, Julian has worked in a broad spectrum of sports media. He was a regular guest on Eugene’s Fox Sports radio show and a contributor to the radio broadcast of Oregon’s premier sports analyst and columnist, John Canzano. Originally from Long Beach, California, Julian attended the University of La Verne near Los Angeles. Before graduating with honors in 2015, he was the on-air talent at the school’s radio station and producer of television programming for the university. If that was not enough, Julian was co-editor of the campus newspaper and a featured author for the University of La Verne magazine. Julian served as a contributing writer for the Lakers and Dodgers Nation online content. He was a production assistant with the award-winning KABC-7 sports team in Los Angeles, working along-side the renowned sports anchor Rob Fukuzaki. During that time, Julian interviewed such legends as Kobe Bryant and Vin Scully. Julian is excited to be in the Inland Northwest. Although he is an ardent fan of all competitive athletics, Julian still finds time away from the studio and sidelines for a good movie or some pick-up basketball. Have a story idea? Julian would love to hear from you at jmininsohn@kxly.com
