The head coach of the Cougars mentioned that he knows who the final opponent on the schedule is, but he won’t disclose that information.
JAKE DICKERT was asked a rather unusual question during the Cougar Football Hour on Thursday. A listener inquired what animals he would compare the play styles of John Mateer, Cooper Mathers, Kyle Thornton, Devin Kylany, and himself to. His responses? Remarkable.
John would be like a silverback gorilla,” Dickert said. “He runs over people… that’s just who he is. Would Mathers be like a giraffe? A bit awkward—he’s not going to like that comparison… I’ll give KT the lion; he’ll be okay with that. As for Kylany, he’s like the sweatiest animal in the jungle—maybe a hippo, since he spends all his time in the water and swamp. He may not live like a hippo, but that’s a fierce animal… As for myself, I’d be something scrawny, weak, and slow.”
Dickert added that he would convince Kylany to embrace the hippo analogy, emphasizing that whatever animal he would resemble as a football player wouldn’t be very impressive.
DICKERT RECOGNIZES that the unconventional 2025 Washington State football schedule isn’t perfect, but it’s what the Cougars have to work with. In a typical college football scenario, they wouldn’t play Oregon State twice in a single season. However, Dickert mentioned the need for adjustments and hinted that an announcement regarding the final game will be made soon.
“It’s not ideal by any means,” Dickert stated. “Next season, we’ll officially be an independent team for one last year. So we’re just one game away. I do know who that opponent will be, but I can’t reveal it just yet. Everything has been arranged, and the announcement will come in the next week or so. I’m grateful for our administration. I haven’t been focused on it too much, but I know we’ve done a fantastic job engaging with various conferences across the country
On Thursday, it was revealed that the Cougars will be traveling to face Colorado State on September 27 next season, which has shifted their previously scheduled game against Virginia to October 18. The major news came on Wednesday when Wazzu announced a home-and-home series with Oregon State for next season, with one game in Corvallis on November 1 and the other in Pullman on November 29.
Mathers was the weekly player guest on Thursday and has become a dependable red zone target for Mateer. Dickert shared the story of how Mathers transitioned from a linebacker to a tight end.
“Coop’s story is really interesting,” Dickert said. “When we recruited him, we didn’t fully realize his potential. He really dominated the defense during scout team practice. When I became head coach, I told Eric Morris that I had a fantastic tight end for him—right here. Morris said you guys didn’t have any tight ends, and I told him he was a linebacker. Then he went out and played like this; it’s been a lot of fun.”
Dickert also mentioned that one of the first people he talked to after taking over as interim head coach was Mathers’ father, who suggested that offensive tackle Jack Wilson would be a great addition to the field goal block team due to his height of 6’11”. Although Dickert never placed Wilson on the field goal block team, Mathers’ father still reminds him about that conversation.
Be the first to comment