Coug it

To "Coug it" is a tendency of the Washington State University Cougars football team to lose games via late-game collapses,[1] odds-defying losses, "snatching defeat from the jaws of victory",[2][3] and otherwise choking.[4][5]

The tendency has been observed since at least the 1983 season and the phrase appeared in the 1984 edition of Chinook, the WSU yearbook.[6] The concept was then popularized as "to Coug" by sportswriter John Blanchette in his Spokesman-Review column following the 1985 Cougars' 16–21 home loss to Arizona State in which they outgained the Sun Devils 445 yards to 217.[4][7][8]

Couging it has been a part of WSU athletics culture for decades[1][8] and the concept is frequently referenced in Pacific Northwest news media following a particularly embarrassing or surprising loss by the Cougars.[1] Washington State University administrators have run internal and external campaigns to downplay the concept,[8] and coaches, fans, and players have sought to reclaim the phrase via on-field success.[9]

Football

The Cougs were said to have Coug'd it by media outlets in the following college football games.

Season Opponent Result Notes
1975Washington[5]L 27–28WSU led 27–14 with three minutes to go, then gave up a 93-yard interception return and 78-yard touchdown pass. Head coach Jim Sweeney resigns after the game.[10]
1983UCLA[6]L 14–24"heart-breaker loss" that "took the joy out of being a Cougar."[6]
1985Arizona State[4]L 16–21Phrase "to Coug" popularized.
2001Washington[11]L 14–262001 Apple Cup. WSU entered the game with a 9-1 record and #9 ranking. Lost 14-26 that included three first and goal opportunities that resulted in zero points (Turnover on downs, fumble and interception.)
2003Notre Dame[12]L 26–29OTFirst ever game vs. Notre Dame. Led 19–0. Allowed 26 unanswered points in second half.
2005California[13]L 38–42Losing 28–10 at halftime; scored 28 unanswered points to lead 38–28. But then allowed two Cal touchdowns in final minutes.[14]
2012Colorado[1]L 34–35Led by 17 points last seven minutes, then gave up 3 touchdowns. 1–11 Colorado's only win of the season.
2013Colorado State[1]L 45–482013 New Mexico Bowl. WSU led by 15 points in the final minutes of the game.
2014California[15]L 59–60QB Connor Halliday sets NCAA FBS single-game passing record with 734 yards. Missed 19 yard go-ahead field goal with 15 seconds remaining.
2015Portland State[16]L 17–24Loss to an FCS team.
2016Eastern Washington[16]L 42–45Second consecutive loss to an FCS team. EWU's official Twitter account posted that their team "Eaged it."
2019UCLA[1]L 63–67Led 49–17 in the 3rd quarter. Gave up 50 second-half points.
2022Oregon[1]L 41–44Led 34–22 with 4 minutes remaining, then allowed 22 unanswered points.

The phrase is also used for embarrassing actions outside of game results, such as naming Martin Stadium after a Husky.[17]

Attempted reappropriation

WSU fans, players, and coaches have sought to reclaim the phrase.[7][18]

In 1997 quarterback Ryan Leaf said "It's fun to change the definition of something that was supposed to be so negative."[18] in the week prior to losing their first game of the season to Arizona State by blowing a 24–0 lead and giving up two fumbles for touchdowns in the final 3 minutes of the game.[19]

In 2005 head coach Bill Doba defined "Coug it" as "scoring at the end and winning the ballgame" in response to a reporter's question following a 38–42 loss to Cal in which the Cougars "came from behind to lose".[13][14]

At the Pac-12 Football Media Day in 2014, team captain Darryl Monroe said "I don’t understand where this impression of Coug'd it means you did something in a negative light" when asked about the team's collapse in the final minutes of the 2013 New Mexico Bowl.[9] "Coug'd it means completely dominated your opponent."[9]

References
  1. Thorpe, Jacob (September 24, 2022). "Collapse aside, Washington State has proved it can play with anyone". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved September 27, 2022. Well, I guess Jake Dickert's immersion into Cougar culture is complete. As far as late-game "Coug it" collapses go, however, Saturday's deflating loss to Oregon doesn't even make the pantheon. Don't believe me? 2013 New Mexico Bowl. Colorado in 2012. Still not convinced? Go to YouTube and find the 2019 game against UCLA.
  2. Loh, Stefanie (November 11, 2017). Written at Salt Lake City. "Three impressions from No. 19 WSU's 33–25 win over Utah". The Seattle Times. Seattle. Retrieved September 27, 2022. You know what I'm talking about. We shall not refer to the phrase by name because you guys will blow up my inbox, but you know there's a term for what happens what the Cougs somehow let a lead piddle away and wrestle defeat from the jaws of victory.
  3. Jones, Jacob (March 4, 2021). "Can WSU afford to keep pouring millions into athletics while other departments shrink?". Inlander. Retrieved October 19, 2022. ...the university also has a reputation for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Even the most promising of teams have a tendency to "Coug it."
  4. Blanchette, John (October 27, 1985). Written at Pullman. "And now for a word about the Cougars". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane. Retrieved September 27, 2022. What we're looking for—a word, a phrase even, to sum up this misbegotten football season at Washington State University—can only be said one way. To Coug. Verb intransitive.
  5. Gastineau, Mike (2009). ""To Coug It"—The Wazzu Zen :: John Blanchette". The Great Book of Seattle Sports Lists. Running Press Adult. p. 102. ISBN 978-0762435227.
  6. Bull, Nathalie, ed. (1984). "That's The Way It Was – 1983/1984". Chinook 1984. Vol. 85. Pullman, Washington: Student Publications. Washington State University. p. 98. Football was sort of fun the first part of the season, but a loss to the University of Arizona and then a 24–14 heart-breaker loss to the UCLA Bruins took the joy out of being a Cougar. The term "Couged-it" became a password among the faithful and faithless.
  7. O'English, Mark (October 18, 2019). "All Over The Map: WSU mascots Squirt, Toodles, and Butch the Cougar". KIRO-FM (Interview). Interviewed by Feliks Banel. Retrieved September 27, 2022. Q: Where does the pejorative to 'Coug It' come from? A: "It seems to have come from a Spokane sportswriter, a man named John Blanchette, and he's still there today. There are arguments that this [phrase] existed before, and he just popularized it, but there was an October 26, 1985 game against Arizona State where we basically just controlled the game, demolished Arizona State, and then made a couple of really stupid errors that cost us the game." "The next day, Spokesman-Review sportswriter John Blanchette decided he was looking for 'a word a phrase even to sum up this misbegotten football season at Washington State University.' And 'that word 'to Coug, verb, intransitive,' and a tradition was born.' Yeah, I know. I kind of hate that myself. I'm actually of two minds, because at some level, this is us dealing with things with a sense of humor and claiming it a little bit as opposed to just suffering in silence. And to me, to 'Coug' something, you already have to have been doing great, and then something goes horribly awry at the end. So if you're 'Couging it,' you're already ahead of the game."
  8. Kelly, Brenna (November 28, 2013). "Decades-old phrase 'Coug'd It' still haunts Cougars". KREM. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved September 27, 2022. The phrase "Coug'd It" has been a part of Washington State University's culture for decades. But its origin remains a matter of debate – and controversy. Though it's unclear if Blanchette invented the phrase, several sportswriters in the Northwest, such as Art Thiel, Bud Withers, and Greg Witter, are convinced he popularized it. "It's amazing how much legs the phrase has had. It's stood the test of time somehow," said Withers, a Seattle Times reporter.
  9. Gemmell, Kevin (July 23, 2014). "Media Days takeaways: Day 1". ESPN. Retrieved September 28, 2022. Had a nice little chat with WSU linebacker Darryl Monroe about the fallout from the bowl game and what he thinks when he hears someone use the expression, "Coug'd it": "For me, Coug'd should mean you just went out there and dominated. I don't understand where this impression of 'Coug'd it' means you did something in a negative light. Maybe the Urban Dictionary should think about rewriting that definition to 'Coug'd it means completely dominated your opponent.'"
  10. Missildine, Harry (December 1, 1975). "Cougar Coach Jim Sweeney resigns". The Spokesman–Review. Spokane. Retrieved October 27, 2022. Beginning in 1974, when WSU went 2–9 and continuing this season, as the Cougars went 3–8, an amazing succession of late-fourth-quarter and "last possession" errors went against WSU. Culminating in the incredible turns of events in the last three minutes against Washington in Seattle two Saturdays back as UW won 28–27, no fewer than 10 games which seemed securely in WSU's grasp, over those last two seasons, went the other way.
  11. Barron, Chris (November 18, 2001). "Cougs turn in a typical big-game performance". Kitsap Sun. Retrieved October 3, 2022. Saturday's 26–14 loss marked the ultimate Coug. Whenever Washington State had a chance to get back into the game, it Couged it. Big time.
  12. Withers, Bud (September 7, 2003). Written at South Bend, Indiana. "WSU had history in its grasp—then 'Couged' it". The Seattle Times. Seattle. Retrieved September 28, 2022. Here's the simple explanation: They Couged it. They were marvelous for a half and miserable for most of the second.
  13. Smith, Craig (October 26, 2005). "Football notebook". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved September 27, 2022. A reporter asked Doba Tuesday, Has anyone mentioned the word 'Coug it' to you this week?" "You," Doba replied. Reporter: "Is that something you guys try to stay away from, that kind of talk?" Doba: "Yes, obviously. I would hope that that word would never, never appear again." The general definition of "Coug it" is to blow an excellent chance to win. Doba had a fresh twist on it. "'Coug it' means scoring at the end and winning the ballgame," the coach said.
  14. Kasses, Glenn (October 23, 2005). "Cougars come from behind to lose". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  15. Quinton, Sean (November 25, 2015). "With the WSU Cougars' success, it's time to redefine 'Coug'd it'". The Seattle Times. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  16. Bookey, Mike (September 8, 2016). "Inside the Upset: How Eastern Washington took down the WSU Cougars". Inlander. Retrieved September 29, 2022. In the parlance of our region, some thought the Cougs, for the second straight year, "Couged it" in their home opener against an FCS school. But EWU's official Twitter account took a more positive spin, saying the team simply, "Eaged it."
  17. Moore, Jim (May 10, 2005). "Go 2 Guy: 'The big ugly secret' of WSU's stadium". The Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2022. Did Washington State Coug it when it named Martin Stadium 35 years ago? Or is everyone all right with the fact that Clarence D. Martin was a Husky? Gene Miller isn't. The '68 Wazzu grad wants to rename it Randall Johnson Stadium in honor of the 90-year-old Coug who designed the WSU logo in 1936. On the city of Cheney's Web site, Miller discovered that Martin, Washington's governor from 1932–40, graduated from the U Dub in 1906.
  18. Grummert, Dale (October 30, 1997). Written at Pullman. "Another dreary November?; Cougars confront, if not dwell, on issue of traditional late-season swoon". The Lewiston Tribune. Lewiston, Idaho. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022. Symbolic of this effort is their redefinition of the verb, "to Coug," coined by a sportswriter several years ago to describe the school's tendency to crumble in tense situations. Players and coaches are saying "to Coug" now means precisely the opposite. "Fourth down, 1-yard line against UCLA – we make the stop. That's Couging it," Leaf explained. "It was the same thing at USC. Four minutes to go, I hit Kevin (McKenzie), he makes a one-handed grab and Shawn (McWashington) gives a block to Coug it." "The same thing happened Saturday," Leaf said of a 35–34 overtime victory over Arizona. "A two-point play, and LeJuan Gibbons and Duane Stewart Couged it. "It's fun to change the definition of something that was supposed to be so negative."
  19. "Sun Devils Turn Over a Leaf in Pac-10". The Los Angeles Times. November 2, 1997. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
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