The 1996 Washington State Cougars football team was an American football team that represented Washington State University in the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season . Led by eighth-year head coach Mike Price , the Cougars compiled a 5–6 record (3–5 in Pac-10, tied for fifth), and were outscored 317 to 314.[ 1] [ 2] In late October, Washington State was at 5–2 (3–1, Pac-10),[ 3] but lost their final four games, all in conference.
The team's statistical leaders included Ryan Leaf with 2,811 passing yards, Michael Black with 948 rushing yards, and Kevin McKenzie with 626 receiving yards.[ 4]
Date Time Opponent Site TV Result Attendance August 31 12:30 p.m. at No. 5 Colorado * ABC L 19–3751,481
September 14 at Temple * W 38–3410,169
September 21 4:00 p.m. No. 25 Oregon ABC W 55–4430,124
September 28 San Jose State * Martin Stadium Pullman, WA W 52–1624,195
October 5 6:00 p.m. at Arizona L 26–3447,405
October 12 1:00 p.m. at Oregon State W 24–326,722
October 19 7:15 p.m. No. 19 California Martin Stadium Pullman, WA PSN W 21–1827,182
October 26 7:15 p.m. USC Martin Stadium Pullman, WA PSN L 24–2933,111
November 9 12:30 p.m. at UCLA ABC L 14–3840,421
November 16 12:30 p.m. at Stanford L 14–3830,280
November 23 3:30 p.m. No. 12 Washington FX L 24–31 OT 37,600
*Non-conference game HomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Pacific time
1996 Washington State Cougars football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
[ 5] [ 6] [ 7]
^ "1996 Washington State Cougars Schedule and Results" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016 .
^ "2016 Media Guide" (PDF) . WSUCougars.com . Washington State Cougars Athletics. p. 77. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 21, 2016. Retrieved October 24, 2016 .
^ "USC at WSU" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). October 26, 1996. p. 1B.
^ "1996 Washington State Cougars Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 24, 2016 .
^ "WSU at Colorado: WSU starters" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). August 31, 1996. p. 4B.
^ "Matchups: starting lineups" . Eugene Register-Guard . (Oregon). September 21, 1996. p. 4D.
^ "California at WSU" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). October 19, 1996. p. 4B.
^ Grummert, Dale (April 20, 1997). "Darling a second round pick" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). p. 1B.
^ Meehan, Jim (April 20, 1997). "Local stars get draft-day call into NFL" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.
^ "Carpenter chosen by Arizona" . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). Associated Press. April 21, 1997. p. 1B.
^ Meehan, Jim (April 21, 1997). "Seahawks choose three more players" . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). p. C1.