Battle of the Palouse

The Battle of the Palouse refers to an athletic rivalry in the northwest United States, between the Vandals of the University of Idaho and Cougars of Washington State University.

Palouse

Location in the United States

10km
6miles

Washington
State

Idaho

  

Locations of Washington State and Idaho on the Palouse

The two land-grant universities are less than eight miles (13 km) apart on the rural Palouse in the Inland Northwest; Idaho's campus in Moscow is nearly on the Idaho–Washington border, and Washington State's campus is directly west in Pullman, linked by Washington State Route 270 and the Bill Chipman Palouse Trail. The two schools' most prominent rivalry was in football, but in later years it has shifted to men's basketball.

Football

Battle of the Palouse

Idaho Vandals Washington State Cougars
Sport	College football
First meeting	November 17, 1894 130 years ago WSC, 10–0
Latest meeting	September 2, 2023 Washington State, 42-32
Next meeting	August 30, 2025
Statistics
Meetings total	92
All-time series	Washington State leads, 73–16–3 (.810)
Largest victory	Washington State, 84–27 (1975)
Longest win streak	Washington State, 20 (1928–1949)
Longest unbeaten streak	Washington State, 26 (1926–1953)
Current win streak	Washington State, 10 (2001–present)

Series history

The first game was played 130 years ago in November 1894 and resulted in a win for Washington State. The game in 1898 was not played because Idaho had an ineligible ringer from Lapwai, David McFarland, a recent All-American from Carlisle.^[1][2][3] The Vandals' first-ever forward pass was attempted against the Cougars in 1907: it was completed for a touchdown from a drop-kick formation in the fourth quarter and led to a 5–4 victory.^[4]

Washington State has dominated the local rivalry, holding a 73–16–3 (.810) lead; the record since 1926 is even more dominant, with a 58–5–2 (.908) advantage for the Cougars. The longest winning streak for Idaho was three games (1923–25), and has only five victories since that three-peat (1954, 1964, 1965, 1999, & 2000) and two ties (1927, 1950) to offset the 58 losses.

The games were skipped in 1969 and 1971, notably for Idaho as the 1971 Vandals posted one of the best records (8–3) in school history, while WSU was 4–7. The rivalry became increasingly one-sided as WSU dominated in the 1970s (except for 1974) and the original series ended, following the 1978 game.^[5] From 1979 to 1997, the game was played just twice (1982, 1989) until the 10-year renewal from 1998–2007. Since their last wins in 1999 and 2000, Idaho has been physically outmatched in most of the ten games; the game has been played three times since 2007, in 2013, 2016, and 2022.

As two schools are in close proximity, there was a tradition called Walkathon from 1938 to 1968; a week following the game, students of the losing school walked from their campus to the winners', then received rides back home from the winning side. This has frequently been misreported as students walking back to their own campus immediately following the game. In 1954, the walk made national news when about 2,000 students from Washington State College made the trek east from Pullman to Moscow after the Cougars lost to Idaho for the first time in 29 years.^[6][7][8][9]

In a span of less than five months, from November 1969 to April 1970, both schools' aged wooden stadiums (Idaho's Neale Stadium and WSU's Rogers Field) burned down due to suspected arson. The WSU–Idaho game in 1970 was dubbed the Displaced Bowl, which was held in Joe Albi Stadium in Spokane on September 19. The Cougars won the game (their only win that season), as well as the next ten against the Vandals.^[10] This was the first in the rivalry played on AstroTurf, which was new to Joe Albi that season.

In 1978, the NCAA split Division I football in two: I-A (now FBS) and I-AA (now FCS). Washington State was in Division I-A as part of the Pac-10 Conference and Idaho downgraded to I-AA as part of the Big Sky Conference, whose other football members moved up from Division II. In the late 1970s, I-A football programs were allowed 50% more scholarships and twice as many assistant coaches as I-AA teams.^[5] During the years they were in different divisions, the schools met only twice (1982 in Spokane and 1989 in Pullman). In 1996, Idaho moved back up to Division I-A in the Big West Conference, and Idaho and WSU rekindled their century-old rivalry. Since the rivalry was reinstated in 1998, every game has been played at Martin Stadium in Pullman, except for the matchup in 2003, which was played at Seattle's Seahawks Stadium. The last game played on the Idaho side of the border was 58 years ago in 1966, a come-from-behind 14–7 Cougar victory on a very muddy field to prevent a Vandal three-peat.^[11][12]

Future of rivalry

After ten years of the renewed rivalry, Vandal head coach Robb Akey, previously WSU's defensive coordinator, said in 2008 that he preferred the game not be played every year, instead saying he would prefer it as a "once-in-a-while thing."^[13] Only one game was played during Akey's tenure, in his first season in 2007, and he was fired in October 2012.^[14] The meeting in 2013 on September 21 was a one-year revival,^[15] and WSU won 56–6 in 2016. Because of the difficulty of scheduling as an isolated FBS independent, Idaho returned to FCS and the Big Sky in 2018. There was a meeting scheduled for 2020, but it was canceled due to complications arising from the COVID-19 pandemic; the teams played next in 2022, a 24–17 Cougar win. Future meetings are currently scheduled for 2025, 2027, and 2029.^[16]

Game results

Idaho victories

Washington State victories

Tie games

No. Date Location Winner Score 1 November 18, 1894 Moscow, ID Washington Agricultural 10–0 2 November 9, 1895 Pullman, WA Washington Agricultural 10–4 3 October 28, 1899 Pullman, WA Washington Agricultural 11–0 4 October 25, 1901 Moscow, ID Idaho 5–0 5 October 24, 1902 Pullman, WA Washington Agricultural 17–0 6 October 23, 1903 Moscow, ID Idaho 32–0 7 October 21, 1904 Pullman, WA Idaho 5–0 8 November 10, 1905 Moscow, ID Idaho 5–0 9 November 9, 1906 Pullman, WA Washington State 10–0 10 November 8, 1907 Moscow, ID Idaho 5–4 11 November 14, 1908 Pullman, WA Tie 4–4 12 November 5, 1909 Spokane, WA Washington State 18–0 13 October 21, 1910 Pullman, WA Idaho 9–5 14 October 20, 1911 Moscow, ID Washington State 17–0 15 October 18, 1912 Pullman, WA Idaho 13–0 16 October 17, 1913 Moscow, ID Idaho 3–0 17 November 7, 1914 Pullman, WA Washington State 3–0 18 October 30, 1915 Moscow, ID Washington State 41–0 19 November 4, 1916 Pullman, WA Washington State 31–0 20 November 3, 1917 Moscow, ID Washington State 19–0 21 December 7, 1918 Moscow, ID Idaho 7–6 22 November 1, 1919 Pullman, WA Washington State 37–0 23 October 15, 1920 Moscow, ID Washington State 14–7 24 October 21, 1921 Pullman, WA Washington State 20–3 25 October 20, 1922 Moscow, ID Washington State 18–9 26 October 19, 1923 Pullman, WA Idaho 14–0 27 October 17, 1924 Moscow, ID Idaho 19–3 28 October 17, 1925 Pullman, WA Idaho 7–6 29 November 6, 1926 Moscow, ID Washington State 6–0 30 November 11, 1927 Pullman, WA Tie 7–7 31 November 3, 1928 Moscow, ID Washington State 26–0 32 November 9, 1929 Pullman, WA Washington State 41–7 33 November 8, 1930 Moscow, ID Washington State 33–7 34 November 7, 1931 Pullman, WA Washington State 9–8 35 November 5, 1932 Pullman, WA Washington State 12–0 36 November 11, 1933 Moscow, ID Washington State 14–6 37 November 10, 1934 Pullman, WA Washington State 19–0 38 November 9, 1935 Moscow, ID Washington State 6–0 39 October 10, 1936 Moscow, ID Washington State 14–0 40 October 2, 1937 Pullman, WA Washington State 13–0 41 November 12, 1938 Moscow, ID Washington State 12–0 42 November 11, 1939 Pullman, WA Washington State 21–13 43 November 2, 1940 Moscow, ID Washington State 26–0 44 November 8, 1941 Pullman, WA Washington State 26–0 45 November 14, 1942 Moscow, ID #14 Washington State 7–0 46 September 29, 1945 Moscow, ID Washington State 43–12 47 October 27, 1945 Pullman, WA Washington State 21–0 No. Date Location Winner Score 48 October 5, 1946 Pullman, WA Washington State 32–0 49 October 4, 1947 Moscow, ID Washington State 7–0 50 October 30, 1948 Pullman, WA Washington State 19–14 51 October 15, 1949 Moscow, ID Washington State 25–13 52 October 28, 1950 Pullman, WA Tie 7–7 53 November 10, 1951 Moscow, ID #17 Washington State 9–6 54 November 1, 1952 Pullman, WA Washington State 36–6 55 October 17, 1953 Moscow, ID Washington State 30–13 56 October 23, 1954 Pullman, WA Idaho 10–0 57 October 15, 1955 Moscow, ID Washington State 9–0 58 October 6, 1956 Moscow, ID Washington State 33–19 59 November 16, 1957 Pullman, WA Washington State 21–13 60 October 11, 1958 Moscow, ID Washington State 8–0 61 October 24, 1959 Pullman, WA Washington State 27–5 62 November 12, 1960 Moscow, ID Washington State 18–7 63 October 14, 1961 Pullman, WA Washington State 34–0 64 November 17, 1962 Moscow, ID Washington State 22–14 65 November 2, 1963 Pullman, WA Washington State 14–10 66 October 24, 1964 Moscow, ID Idaho 28–13 67 October 2, 1965 Pullman, WA Idaho 17–13 68 October 22, 1966 Moscow, ID Washington State 14–7 69 November 11, 1967 Pullman, WA Washington State 52–14 70 September 21, 1968 Spokane, WA Washington State 14–7 71 September 19, 1970 Spokane, WA Washington State 44–16 72 October 7, 1972 Pullman, WA Washington State 35–14 73 September 29, 1973 Pullman, WA Washington State 51–24 74 September 21, 1974 Pullman, WA Washington State 17–10 75 November 15, 1975 Pullman, WA Washington State 84–27 76 October 2, 1976 Pullman, WA Washington State 45–6 77 November 12, 1977 Pullman, WA Washington State 45–17 78 September 16, 1978 Pullman, WA Washington State 28–0 79 September 11, 1982 Spokane, WA Washington State 34–14 80 September 2, 1989 Pullman, WA Washington State 41–7 81 September 19, 1998 Pullman, WA Washington State 24–16 82 September 18, 1999 Pullman, WA Idaho 28–17 83 September 23, 2000 Pullman, WA Idaho 38–34 84 August 30, 2001 Pullman, WA Washington State 36–7 85 September 7, 2002 Pullman, WA #11 Washington State 49–14 86 August 30, 2003 Seattle, WA Washington State 25–0 87 September 18, 2004 Pullman, WA Washington State 49–8 88 September 1, 2005 Pullman, WA Washington State 38–26 89 September 9, 2006 Pullman, WA Washington State 56–10 90 September 15, 2007 Pullman, WA Washington State 45–28 91 September 21, 2013 Pullman, WA Washington State 42–0 92 September 17, 2016 Pullman, WA Washington State 56–6 93 September 3, 2022 Pullman, WA Washington State 24–17 Series: Washington State leads 73–17–3

• Both were members of the Pacific Coast Conference; the Battle of the Palouse was a conference game from 1922 through 1958.
• Idaho was a division below WSU in 1967–68 (College division) and 1978–95 (Division I-AA); Idaho returned to FCS in 2018.
• Prior to 1959, WSU was WSC.^[17][18]
• The only one to serve as head coach for both programs is Dennis Erickson, who lost to the Cougars twice while at Idaho (1982, 2006);
  the game was not played when he was at WSU (1987, 1988).
• The 1918 game was non-varsity, composed of Student Army Training Corps (SATC) players.^[19] After the Armistice of November 11
  ending World War I, a limited schedule was played; Idaho defeated Washington State's SATC team 7–6 in Moscow on December 7.^[19][20][21]

Coaching records

Since 1919

Idaho

Head Coach	Team	Games	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
Ralph Hutchinson	Idaho	1	1919	0	1	0	.000
Thomas Kelley	Idaho	2	1920–1921	0	2	0	.000
Matty Mathews	Idaho	4	1922–1925	3	1	0	.750
Charles Erb	Idaho	3	1926–1928	0	2	1	.167
Leo Calland	Idaho	6	1929–1934	0	6	0	.000
Ted Bank	Idaho	6	1935–1940	0	6	0	.000
Francis Schmidt	Idaho	2	1941–1942	0	2	0	.000
Babe Brown	Idaho	3	1945–1946	0	3	0	.000
Dixie Howell	Idaho	4	1947–1950	0	3	1	.125
Babe Curfman	Idaho	3	1951–1953	0	3	0	.000
Skip Stahley	Idaho	8	1954–1961	1	7	0	.125
Dee Andros	Idaho	3	1962–1964	1	2	0	.333
Steve Musseau	Idaho	3	1965–1967	1	2	0	.333
Y C McNease	Idaho	1	1968–1969	0	1	0	.000
Don Robbins	Idaho	3	1970–1973	0	3	0	.000
Ed Troxel	Idaho	4	1974–1977	0	4	0	.000
Jerry Davitch	Idaho	1	1978–1981	0	1	0	.000
Dennis Erickson (a)	Idaho	1	1982–1985	0	1	0	.000
Keith Gilbertson	Idaho	0	1986–1988
John L. Smith	Idaho	1	1989–1994	0	1	0	.000
Chris Tormey	Idaho	2	1995–1999	1	1		.500
Tom Cable	Idaho	4	2000–2003	1	3		.250
Nick Holt	Idaho	2	2004–2005	0	2		.000
Dennis Erickson (b)	Idaho	1	2006	0	1		.000
Robb Akey	Idaho	1	2007–2012	0	1		.000
Paul Petrino	Idaho	2	2013–2021	0	2		.000
Jason Eck	Idaho	1	2022–	0	1		.000

• Won first attempt: Stahley (1954), Musseau (1965), Cable (2000)
• Won final attempt: Mathews (1925), Andros (1964), Tormey (1999)
• Only Idaho coach with more than one win was Mathews, with three straight (1923, 1924, 1925)

Washington State

Head Coach	Team	Games	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
Gus Welch	Washington State	4	1919–1922	4	0	0	1.000
Albert Exendine	Washington State	3	1923–1925	0	3	0	.000
Babe Hollingbery	Washington State	17	1926–1942	16	0	1	.971
Phil Sarboe	Washington State	6	1945–1949	6	0	0	1.000
Forest Evashevski	Washington State	2	1950–1951	1	0	1	.750
Al Kircher	Washington State	4	1952–1955	3	1	0	.750
Jim Sutherland	Washington State	8	1956–1963	8	0	0	1.000
Bert Clark	Washington State	4	1964–1967	2	2	0	.500
Jim Sweeney	Washington State	6	1968–1975	6	0	0	1.000
Jackie Sherrill	Washington State	1	1976	1	0	0	1.000
Warren Powers	Washington State	1	1977	1	0	0	1.000
Jim Walden	Washington State	2	1978–1986	2	0	0	1.000
Dennis Erickson	Washington State	0	1987–1988
Mike Price	Washington State	6	1989–2002	4	2	0	.667
Bill Doba	Washington State	5	2003–2007	5	0		1.000
Paul Wulff	Washington State	0	2008–2011
Mike Leach	Washington State	2	2012–2019	2	0		1.000
Nick Rolovich	Washington State	0	2020–2021
Jake Dickert	Washington State	1	2021–	1	0		1.000

• Last tie was in 1950, overtime began in 1996 in Division I-A (none through 2022)
• Two games were played in 1945; no games in 1943, 1944, 1969, 1971
• After 1978, except for resumption of 1998–2007, games were scheduled intermittently (1982, 1989, 2013, 2016, 2022, 2025)

Men's basketball

Battle of the Palouse

Idaho Vandals Washington State Cougars
Sport	College basketball
First meeting	January 13, 1906 118 years ago Washington State, 28–11
Latest meeting	November 11, 2024 Washington State, 90–67, in Pullman
Next meeting	TBD
Statistics
Meetings total	279
All-time series	Washington State leads, 169–110 (.606)
Largest victory	Washington State, 109–61 (November 18, 2021)
Longest win streak	Washington State, 12 (1915–1917)
Current win streak	Washington State, 6 (2018–present)

Although the Battle of the Palouse in football waned by the 1980s, Idaho and Washington State men's basketball teams have played each other annually since 1906 in a series that continues.^[22][23][24] From 1922 through the 1958–59 season, both were members of the Pacific Coast Conference, and both were independents for the next several years after it disbanded.^[25][26] Four games per season were played in these years, sometimes five; during the Gus Johnson season of 1962–63, Idaho won four of five.

Washington State has a 168–110 (.604) lead in the series through the November 2023 game in Pullman, which the Cougars won 84–59. Idaho had taken three of the previous four; the Vandals' win in December 2014 was their first over the Cougars since 2002 and the first in Pullman since 1989.^[22][27]

The rivalry in basketball reached its peak in the early 1980s, when alumnus Don Monson was Idaho's head coach and WSU was led by George Raveling.^{[28][29][30][31]} The game in early December 1982 at the Kibbie Dome in Moscow established a new attendance record of 11,000 for an Idaho home game; the Vandals won in overtime for their third straight win over the Cougars and 37th consecutive win at home.^{[32][33][34][35]} Idaho was coming off a 27–3 season in 1982 in which it was ranked in the top ten and reached the Sweet Sixteen (and Monson was named Kodak coach of the year). The Cougars went on to finish second in the Pac-10 in the 1983 regular season,^[36] and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, falling to #1 seed Virginia in Boise to finish at 26–6.^[37] Both coaches left at the end of the season; Monson for Oregon and Raveling for Iowa.

Game results

Since 1950: Washington State leads, 76–49 (.608)

Idaho victories

Washington State victories

No. Date Location Winner Score 1 January 28, 1950 Moscow Washington State 63–40 2 February 10, 1950 Pullman Idaho 51–50 3 March 3, 1950 Moscow Washington State 39–34 4 March 4, 1950 Pullman Idaho 50–453OT 5 January 12, 1951 Moscow Idaho 43–42 6 January 13, 1951 Pullman Washington State 41–40 7 February 23, 1951 Pullman Washington State 51–40 8 February 24, 1951 Moscow Idaho 48–46 9 January 12, 1952 Pullman Washington State 62–46 10 January 14, 1952 Moscow Idaho 57–49 11 February 1, 1952 Pullman Idaho 57–52 12 February 2, 1952 Pullman Idaho 62–55 13 February 3, 1953 Pullman Idaho 71–53 14 January 30, 1953 Moscow Idaho 69–51 15 February 17, 1953 Pullman Idaho 72–69 16 February 24, 1953 Moscow Idaho 75–62 17 January 19, 1954 Moscow Idaho 71–53 18 January 29, 1954 Pullman Washington State 71–61 19 February 16, 1954 Moscow Idaho 45–42 20 February 23, 1954 Pullman Washington State 56–44 21 December 29, 1954 Seattle Washington State 64–56 22 January 18, 1955 Pullman Washington State 53–39 23 January 28, 1955 Moscow Idaho 75–73OT 24 January 29, 1955 Pullman Washington State 68–60 25 February 22, 1955 Moscow Idaho 77–59 26 March 9, 1956 Moscow Idaho 78–62 27 March 10, 1956 Pullman Idaho 78–61 28 January 15, 1957 Pullman Washington State 73–70 29 January 22, 1957 Moscow Idaho 69–57 30 January 17, 1958 Pullman Idaho 85–67 31 January 18, 1958 Moscow Washington State 77–69 32 January 16, 1959 Moscow Idaho 56–55 33 January 17, 1959 Pullman Washington State 61–53 34 December 8, 1959 Pullman Washington State 61–53 35 December 29, 1959 Portland Idaho 75–74 36 February 13, 1960 Pullman Washington State 61–53 37 February 20, 1960 Moscow Washington State 77–69 38 December 9, 1960 Moscow Idaho 56–55 39 December 10, 1960 Pullman Washington State 64–56 40 January 28, 1961 Moscow Idaho 85–67 41 February 21, 1961 Pullman Washington State 77–63 42 December 30, 1961 Portland Idaho 75–74 43 January 9, 1962 Pullman Washington State 65–60 44 February 2, 1962 Moscow Idaho 75–66 45 February 3, 1962 Pullman Washington State 63–62 46 February 27, 1962 Moscow Idaho 65–60 47 December 20, 1962 Moscow Idaho 94–57 48 December 29, 1962 Portland Idaho 64–63 49 January 8, 1963 Pullman Idaho 75–67 50 January 15, 1963 Moscow Idaho 72–65 51 February 1, 1963 Pullman Washington State 66–57 52 December 10, 1963 Pullman Washington State 85–68 53 December 1, 1964 Moscow Idaho 76–54 54 December 15, 1964 Pullman Washington State 75–70 55 December 21, 1965 Moscow Washington State 101–86 56 January 21, 1966 Pullman Washington State 115–91 57 December 21, 1966 Moscow Idaho 49–47 58 January 28, 1967 Pullman Washington State 73–60 59 December 12, 1967 Moscow Washington State 71–54 60 January 27, 1968 Pullman Washington State 75–45 61 November 30, 1968 Pullman Washington State 87–62 62 January 4, 1969 Moscow Washington State 53–50 63 December 12, 1969 Pullman Washington State 84–63 No. Date Location Winner Score 64 January 31, 1970 Moscow Washington State 53–48 65 December 11, 1970 Moscow Washington State 74–67 66 January 30, 1971 Pullman Washington State 91–70 67 December 13, 1971 Moscow Washington State 77–59 68 January 15, 1972 Pullman Washington State 82–60 69 December 12, 1972 Pullman Idaho 68–53 70 January 19, 1973 Moscow Washington State 78–61 71 February 27, 1974 Moscow Idaho 74–70 72 January 28, 1975 Pullman Washington State 76–70 73 January 21, Jan 1976 Moscow Washington State 84–67 74 January 3, 1977 Spokane Washington State 80–66 75 January 18, 1978 Spokane Washington State 69–67 76 January 2, 1979 Moscow Washington State 64–51 77 January 9, 1980 Spokane Washington State 63–57 78 December 1, 1980 Spokane Idaho 65–51 79 December 9, 1981 Pullman Idaho 68–48 80 December 4, 1982 Moscow Idaho 62–58OT 81 December 10, 1983 Pullman Washington State 82–69 82 December 4, 1984 Moscow Idaho 77–56 83 December 4, 1985 Pullman Washington State 78–57 84 November 29, 1986 Spokane Idaho 59–56 85 January 5, 1987 Moscow Washington State 66–64OT 86 November 28, 1987 Spokane Washington State 53–49 87 February 2, 1988 Pullman Idaho 56–43 88 November 29, 1988 Moscow Washington State 50–40 89 December 14, 1989 Pullman Idaho 56–52 90 December 1, 1990 Moscow Idaho 67–60 91 December 5, 1991 Pullman Washington State 81–49 92 December 9, 1992 Moscow Idaho 65–63 93 December 7, 1993 Pullman Washington State 70–51 94 December 16, 1994 Moscow Idaho 87–77 95 December 16, 1995 Pullman Washington State 66–54 96 December 13, 1996 Moscow Washington State 68–59 97 December 14, 1996 Pullman Washington State 69–57 98 February 11, 1997 Moscow Idaho 73–66 99 December 10, 1997 Pullman Washington State 63–52 100 December 20, 1998 Moscow Washington State 84–69 101 November 27, 1999 Pullman Washington State 70–65 102 November 29, 2000 Moscow Washington State 74–57 103 December 4, 2001 Pullman Washington State 81–55 104 December 4, 2002 Moscow Idaho 62–58 105 December 20, 2003 Pullman Washington State 62–55 106 November 30, 2004 Moscow Washington State 37–36 107 November 26, 2005 Pullman Washington State 63–37 108 December 9, 2006 Moscow Washington State 66–54 109 November 16, 2007 Pullman Washington State 74–43 110 December 16, 2008 Moscow Washington State 55–41 111 December 9, 2009 Pullman Washington State 76–64 112 November 16, 2010 Pullman Washington State 88–71 113 December 7, 2011 Moscow Washington State 66–64 114 November 28, 2012 Pullman Washington State 64–55 115 December 7, 2013 Moscow Washington State 67–66 116 December 3, 2014 Pullman Idaho 77–71 117 December 10, 2015 Moscow Idaho 78–74 118 December 7, 2016 Pullman Washington State 61–48 119 December 6, 2017 Moscow Idaho 91–64 120 December 5, 2018 Pullman Washington State 90–70 121 December 4, 2019 Moscow Washington State 78–65 122 December 9, 2020 Pullman Washington State 61–58 123 November 18, 2021 Moscow Washington State 109–61 124 November 6, 2023 Pullman Washington State 84–59 125 November 11, 2024 Pullman Washington State 90–67 Series: Washington State leads 76–49

Source:^[38]

Other sports

The "Battle of the Palouse" is also contested in men's and women's basketball,^[39] women's volleyball,^[40] and women's soccer.^[41]

In women's basketball, WSU leads at 26–13 (.667); the most recent meeting was sixteen years ago in December 2008, a 53–50 Cougar win in Moscow.^[42] In soccer, Idaho began its program in 1998 and the teams first met in 1999. They have played twelve times, most recently in 2015, and the Cougars have won eleven straight; the sole Vandal victory came in 1999.^[43]

In volleyball, Washington State leads the series 44–21 (.677) through 2019.^[44][45] The series started 48 years ago in 1976, and they often met multiple times per season in the first decade. In recent years, the series has been played as part of invitational tournaments hosted by the schools:^[45][46] Since 2000, WSU leads 11–7 (.611):

Idaho victories

Washington State victories

No. Date Location Winner Score 1 September 19, 2000 Moscow Washington State 3–1 2 October 30, 2001 Pullman Washington State 3–1 3 October 8, 2002 Moscow Washington State 3–0 4 October 28, 2003 Pullman Idaho 3–2 5 October 12, 2004 Moscow Idaho 3–1 6 September 10, 2005 Pullman Idaho 3–0 7 September 13, 2006 Pullman Washington State 3–1 8 September 15, 2006 Moscow Idaho 3–0 9 August 28, 2007 Pullman Washington State 3–0 10   September 5, 2008 Moscow Idaho 3–0 No. Date Location Winner Score 11 September 11, 2009 Pullman Washington State 3–2 12 August 28, 2010 Pullman Idaho 3–0 13 August 25, 2012 Moscow Idaho 3–2 14 September 19, 2013 Pullman Washington State 3–0 15 September 18, 2014 Pullman Washington State 3–1 16   September 5, 2015 Moscow Washington State 3–0 17 September 10, 2016 Pullman Washington State 3–0 18   September 7, 2019 Portland, OR Washington State 3–0 Series: Washington State leads 11–7

Source:^[44]

• Met twice in 2006 (split), did not play in 2011, 2017, or 2018.

In baseball, the rivalry was at its strongest in the 1960s, when both made multiple appearances in the NCAA postseason. Idaho discontinued its program 44 years ago, after the 1980 season.^[47] The Vandals won the final meeting in the series in late April to end the Cougars' 13-year unbeaten streak at 42 games (forty wins and two ties due to darkness).^{[48][49][50][51][52]}

Boxing was also part of the rivalry as both had prominent national programs: Washington State won the national title in 1937 and Idaho took three (1940, 1941, 1950), the last shared with Gonzaga. In a UI–WSC dual meet in 1950, over five thousand attended at the Vandals' Memorial Gym.^[53][54] The sport was dropped by Idaho in 1954,^[55][56] and discontinued by the NCAA after 1960.^[57]

See also

• List of NCAA college football rivalry games

References

1. Brown, Bruce (August 20, 1975). "Another View". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. p. 45.
2. "For the record; Idaho, Wash. St. game erased". Lakeland Ledger. Florida. Associated Press. August 21, 1975. p. 3B.
3. "Just forget it". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. August 22, 1975. p. 31.
4. "WSU-Idaho series has sparkling past". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Idaho. October 22, 1959. p. 13.
5. "WSU-Idaho grid series diminishes". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. Associated Press. January 21, 1978. p. 10.
6. "Become a University of Idaho Tradition Keeper". Student Alumni Relations Board - University of Idaho. p. 3/7. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
7. ""Win Made Us Ball Club," says Skip Stahley". Spokane Daily Chronicle. Washington. October 25, 1954. p. 17.
8. "WSC walks". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1955. p. 26. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
9. "Battle of the Palouse - Walkathon". Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections. (video). November 3, 1959. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
10. Fry, Richard B. (March 17, 2004). "The Smilin' Irishman". Cougfan.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
11. "Mud replaces turf in football's annual Battle of Palouse in Moscow". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). (photos). October 23, 1966. p. 14.
12. "Kennedy en route to a TD". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). (photo). October 24, 1966. p. 18.
13. "Cougars: Akey talks of commitment at Idaho". The Seattle Times. April 15, 2008. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
14. Murphy, Brian (October 21, 2012). "Vandals fire Akey after 1-7 start". Idaho Statesman. Boise. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
15. "Cougars add Idaho to 2013 football schedule". Washington State University Athletics. May 1, 2012. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
16. Kelley, Kevin (June 28, 2022). "Idaho to play at Washington State in 2027 and 2029". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved June 28, 2022.
17. "New name for WSC near O.K." Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). February 4, 1959. p. 2.
18. "New name near for State College". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). August 5, 1959. p. 18.
19. "Football: 1918 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. (1920 junior class, volume 17). Spring 1919. p. 117.
20. "Moscow plans for W.S.C. game". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). December 7, 1918. p. 1, part two.
21. "Idaho wins first game from WSC in five years". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). December 8, 1918. p. 1, part two.
22. "All-time opponents: Idaho", 2014-15 Washington State Basketball, Washington State University Athletics, pp. 36–37, November 6, 2014
23. "Battle of the Palouse". University of Idaho Athletics. December 5, 2011. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
24. "Cougars Slated For Four Fox Sports Net TV Games". Washington State University Athletics. September 9, 1999. Archived from the original on February 16, 2015. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
25. "Washington State Cougars Index".
26. "Idaho Vandals Index".
27. "Vandals win!". University of Idaho Athletics. December 3, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
28. "Vandals dump WSU 65-51 for first win over Cougs since '74". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). December 2, 1980. p. 1C.
29. Ramsdell, Paul (December 10, 1981). "Chasing a rainbow". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
30. Missildine, Harry (December 10, 1981). "'Carbon copy' UI runs over Cougs". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). p. 41.
31. Bull, Andy (December 13, 1981). "Double trouble". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 8C.
32. Devlin, Vince (December 3, 1982). "George bristles over '81 UI win". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. 19.
33. Killen, John (December 4, 1982). "Idaho vs. WSU". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
34. Devlin, Vince (December 6, 1982). "For Cougs, it was a foul night". Spokane Chronicle. (Washington). p. 23.
35. Killen, John (December 5, 1982). "Vandals nip Cougars in OT, 62-58". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). p. 1B.
36. Devlin, Vince (March 13, 1983). "Cougar hopes collapse". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
37. Devlin, Vince (March 20, 1983). "Cavs find WSU no pushover". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. D1.
38. "Men's Basketball 2016-2017" (PDF). Washington State University Athletics. (media guide). October 2016. p. 37. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
39. "Vandal women lose Battle of the Palouse". Idaho Vandals. February 27, 2003. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
40. "WSU Claims 3-1 Volleyball Victory At Idaho". Washington State. September 19, 2000. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
41. "Cougars Take Soccer Battle Of The Palouse". Washington State Cougars. September 8, 2002. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
42. "All-time records against: Idaho" (PDF). 2017-18 Women's Basketball: Record Book. Washington State University Athletics. 2017. p. 12.
43. "2017 soccer" (PDF). University of Idaho Athletics. (media guide). August 30, 2017. pp. 30, 41–43. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
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46. 2014 Washington State Volleyball, pp. 47-48.
47. Goodwin, Dale (May 13, 1980). "Baseball's 'out' at Idaho". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 19.
48. "Vandals sack Washington State 13-4". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 1, 1980. p. 1C.
49. "Vandals' Wulff blast downs WSU 13-4". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 1, 1980. p. 26.
50. "Gonzaga, Cougars in stretch drives". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). May 1, 1980. p. 35.
51. "Deadlock". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). April 17, 1980. p. 1B.
52. "Cougars face Huskies after wild 13-13 tie". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). April 17, 1980. p. 33.
53. "Vandal boxers batter Cougars to take fourth straight victory". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. February 12, 1950. p. 8.
54. "Vandal boxers swamp Cougars". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). February 13, 1950. p. 111.
55. "Vandals drops ring program". Eugene Register-Guard. (Oregon). Associated Press. June 9, 1954. p. 8D.
56. "Money reasons cause Idaho to drop boxing". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). Associated Press. June 9, 1954. p. 9.
57. "Boxing breakup began eight years ago". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). Associated Press. January 13, 1961. p. 16.

External links

• College Football Data Warehouse Archived August 8, 2016, at the Wayback Machine – Idaho opponents: vs. Washington State

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