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Dec. 27—”Carry him to the media!” Washington State offensive line coach Jared Kaster shouted as four underclassmen lifted senior left tackle Esa Pole off the field on Saturday following his final practice in Pullman.
Pole said the operation was Kaster’s idea.
“Coach Kaster said I’m the only senior on the O-line, and it’s my last time off the field,” Pole said. “He said he doesn’t want my foot touching any part of this field.”
After his news conference, Pole got right back on his four-teammate carriage and left Rogers Field as a Coug for one final time.
In the 26 days since their last game, over 30 players, including quarterback John Mateer entered the transfer portal, several assistant coaches took other jobs and Jake Dicket left Pullman for Wake Forest.
On Monday, the Cougs flew to San Diego and today, Pole and the 97 other Cougs who made the trip will play one more game.
WSU (8-4) faces No. 21 Syracuse (9-3) in the DirecTV Holiday Bowl at 5 p.m. today (FOX) at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.
A crossroads for the Cougs
The Cougar football team that runs into Snapdragon Stadium today will look dramatically different than the one that beat San Diego State in the same stadium in October and lost to lowly Wyoming 15-14 on Nov. 30 at Gesa Field.
More than 30 Cougs — including 14 starters — have entered the transfer portal, some walk-ons who knew that it was going to be increasingly difficult to secure a roster spot and some starters and frequent contributors who received significant name, image and likeness opportunities from bigger schools. Others, like defensive tackle David Gusta and wide receiver Josh Meredith, entered in the days after Dickert left.
WSU athletic director Anne McCoy named Pete Kaligis as the team’s acting head coach on Dec. 18, hours after Dickert left. Kaligis said he was honored to be trusted with…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/wsu-ready-face-no-21-131600778.html
Author : Lewiston Tribune, Idaho
Publish date : 2024-12-27 13:16:00
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