From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Battle of the Palouse

American college sports rivalry

Field	Value
wide	yes
name	Battle of the Palouse
team1	Idaho Vandals
team1logo	Idaho Vandals logo.svg
team2	Washington State Cougars
team2logo	Washington State Cougars wordmark.svg
sport	College football
firstmeeting	November 17, 1894
WSC, 10–0
mostrecent	August 30, 2025
Washington State, 13–10
nextmeeting	September 4, 2027
total	94
series	Washington State leads,

largestvictory	Washington State, 84–27 (1975)
longeststreak	Washington State, 20
(1928–1949)
longestunbeatenstreak	Washington State, 26
(1926–1953)
currentstreak	Washington State, 11
(2001–present)

|USA | mark-coord1 = | label-pos1 = right | label-color1 = black State | mark-coord2 = | label-pos2 = left | label-color2 = black 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.

The two land-grant universities are less than 8 mi 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

WSC, 10–0 Washington State, 13–10

(1928–1949) (1926–1953) (2001–present)

Series history

The first game was played 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. 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.

Washington State has dominated the local rivalry, holding a lead; the record since 1926 is even more dominant, with a 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. 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.

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. 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.

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." Only one game was played during Akey's tenure, in his first season in 2007, and he was fired in October 2012. The meeting in 2013 on September 21 was a one-year revival, 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.

Game results

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.
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. 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.

Coaching records

Since 1919

Idaho

Head coach	Team	Games	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties
Ralph Hutchinson	Idaho	1	1919	0	1	0
Thomas Kelley	Idaho	2	1920–1921	0	2	0
Matty Mathews	Idaho	4	1922–1925	3	1	0
Charles Erb	Idaho	3	1926–1928	0	2	1
Leo Calland	Idaho	6	1929–1934	0	6	0
Ted Bank	Idaho	6	1935–1940	0	6	0
Francis Schmidt	Idaho	2	1941–1942	0	2	0
Babe Brown	Idaho	3	1945–1946	0	3	0
Dixie Howell	Idaho	4	1947–1950	0	3	1
Babe Curfman	Idaho	3	1951–1953	0	3	0
Skip Stahley	Idaho	8	1954–1961	1	7	0
Dee Andros	Idaho	3	1962–1964	1	2	0
Steve Musseau	Idaho	3	1965–1967	1	2	0
Y C McNease	Idaho	1	1968–1969	0	1	0
Don Robbins	Idaho	3	1970–1973	0	3	0
Ed Troxel	Idaho	4	1974–1977	0	4	0
Jerry Davitch	Idaho	1	1978–1981	0	1	0
Dennis Erickson (a)	Idaho	1	1982–1985	0	1	0
Keith Gilbertson	Idaho	0	1986–1988
John L. Smith	Idaho	1	1989–1994	0	1	0
Chris Tormey	Idaho	2	1995–1999	1	1
Tom Cable	Idaho	4	2000–2003	1	3
Nick Holt	Idaho	2	2004–2005	0	2
Dennis Erickson (b)	Idaho	1	2006	0	1
Robb Akey	Idaho	1	2007–2012	0	1
Paul Petrino	Idaho	2	2013–2021	0	2
Jason Eck	Idaho	1	2022–2024	0	1
Thomas Ford	Idaho	1	2025–	0	1

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
Gus Welch	Washington State	4	1919–1922	4	0	0
Albert Exendine	Washington State	3	1923–1925	0	3	0
Babe Hollingbery	Washington State	17	1926–1942	16	0	1
Phil Sarboe	Washington State	6	1945–1949	6	0	0
Forest Evashevski	Washington State	2	1950–1951	1	0	1
Al Kircher	Washington State	4	1952–1955	3	1	0
Jim Sutherland	Washington State	8	1956–1963	8	0	0
Bert Clark	Washington State	4	1964–1967	2	2	0
Jim Sweeney	Washington State	6	1968–1975	6	0	0
Jackie Sherrill	Washington State	1	1976	1	0	0
Warren Powers	Washington State	1	1977	1	0	0
Jim Walden	Washington State	2	1978–1986	2	0	0
Dennis Erickson	Washington State	0	1987–1988
Mike Price	Washington State	6	1989–2002	4	2	0
Bill Doba	Washington State	5	2003–2007	5	0
Paul Wulff	Washington State	0	2008–2011
Mike Leach	Washington State	2	2012–2019	2	0
Nick Rolovich	Washington State	0	2020–2021
Jake Dickert	Washington State	1	2021–2024	1	0
Jimmy Rogers	Washington State	1	2025–	1	0

Last tie was in 1950, overtime began in 1996 in Division I-A (none through 2025)
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, 2027)

Men's basketball

Vandals](idaho-vandals-men-s-basketball)

Washington State, 28–11 Idaho, 83–81, in Pullman

(November 18, 2021) (1915–1917) (2025–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. 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. 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 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.

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. 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. 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, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, falling to #1 seed Virginia in Boise to finish at 26–6. Both coaches left at the end of the season; Monson for Oregon and Raveling for Iowa.

Game results

Other sports

The "Battle of the Palouse" is also contested in men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, and women's soccer.

In women's basketball, WSU leads at ; the most recent meeting was in December 2008, a 53–50 Cougar win in Moscow. 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.

In volleyball, Washington State leads the series through 2019. The series started 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:

2008: Idaho Classic, Moscow (Idaho won 3–0)
2009: Nike Cougar Challenge, Pullman (Washington State won 3–2)
2010: Nike Cougar Invitational, Pullman (Idaho won 3–0)
2012: Idaho Nike Invitational, Moscow (Idaho won 3–2)
2013: Cougar Invitational, Pullman (Washington State won 3–0)
2014: Cougar Challenge, Pullman (Washington State won 3–1)-- Since 2000, WSU leads
| September 19, 2000 | Moscow | Idaho | 1 | Washington State | 3 | October 30, 2001 | Pullman | Idaho | 1 | Washington State | 3 | October 8, 2002 | Moscow | Idaho | 0 | Washington State | 3 | October 28, 2003 | Pullman | Idaho | 3 | Washington State | 2 | October 12, 2004 | Moscow | Idaho | 3 | Washington State | 1 | September 10, 2005 | Pullman | Idaho | 3 | Washington State | 0 | September 13, 2006 | Pullman | Idaho | 1 | Washington State | 3 | September 15, 2006 | Moscow | Idaho | 3 | Washington State | 0 | August 28, 2007 | Pullman | Idaho | 0 | Washington State | 3 | September 5, 2008 | Moscow | Idaho | 3 | Washington State | 0 | September 11, 2009 | Pullman | Idaho | 2 | Washington State | 3
| August 28, 2010 | Pullman | Idaho | 3 | Washington State | 0
| August 25, 2012 | Moscow | Idaho | 3 | Washington State | 2
| September 19, 2013 | Pullman | Idaho | 0 | Washington State | 3
| September 18, 2014 | Pullman | Idaho | 1 | Washington State | 3
| September 5, 2015 | Moscow | Idaho | 0 | Washington State | 3
| September 10, 2016 | Pullman | Idaho | 0 | Washington State | 3
| September 7, 2019 | Portland, OR | Idaho | 0 | Washington State | 3
Source:
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 , after the 1980 season. 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).

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. The sport was dropped by Idaho in 1954, and discontinued by the NCAA after 1960.

References

Brown, Bruce. (August 20, 1975). "Another View". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
(August 21, 1975). "For the record; Idaho, Wash. St. game erased". Lakeland Ledger.
(August 22, 1975). "Just forget it". Spokesman-Review.
(October 22, 1959). "WSU-Idaho series has sparkling past". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
(January 21, 1978). "WSU-Idaho grid series diminishes". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
(August 2025). "Become a University of Idaho Tradition Keeper". Student Alumni Relations Board - University of Idaho.
(October 25, 1954). ""Win Made Us Ball Club," says Skip Stahley". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
(1955). "WSC walks". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
(November 3, 1959). "Battle of the Palouse - Walkathon". Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections.
Fry, Richard B.. (March 17, 2004). "The Smilin' Irishman". Cougfan.com.
(October 23, 1966). "Mud replaces turf in football's annual Battle of Palouse in Moscow". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
(October 24, 1966). "Kennedy en route to a TD". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
(April 15, 2008). "Cougars: Akey talks of commitment at Idaho". The Seattle Times.
Murphy, Brian. (October 21, 2012). "Vandals fire Akey after 1-7 start". Idaho Statesman.
(May 1, 2012). "Cougars add Idaho to 2013 football schedule". Washington State University Athletics.
Kelley, Kevin. (June 28, 2022). "Idaho to play at Washington State in 2027 and 2029".
(February 4, 1959). "New name for WSC near O.K.". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
(August 5, 1959). "New name near for State College". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
(Spring 1919). "Football: 1918 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
(December 7, 1918). "Moscow plans for W.S.C. game". Spokesman-Review.
(December 8, 1918). "Idaho wins first game from WSC in five years". Spokesman-Review.
(November 6, 2014). "All-time opponents: Idaho". Washington State University Athletics.
(December 5, 2011). "Battle of the Palouse". University of Idaho Athletics.
(September 9, 1999). "Cougars Slated For Four Fox Sports Net TV Games". Washington State University Athletics.
"Washington State Cougars Index".
"Idaho Vandals Index".
(December 3, 2014). "Vandals win!". University of Idaho Athletics.
(December 2, 1980). "Vandals dump WSU 65-51 for first win over Cougs since '74". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
Ramsdell, Paul. (December 10, 1981). "Chasing a rainbow". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
Missildine, Harry. (December 10, 1981). "'Carbon copy' UI runs over Cougs". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
Bull, Andy. (December 13, 1981). "Double trouble". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
Devlin, Vince. (December 3, 1982). "George bristles over '81 UI win". Spokane Chronicle.
Killen, John. (December 4, 1982). "Idaho vs. WSU". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
Devlin, Vince. (December 6, 1982). "For Cougs, it was a foul night". Spokane Chronicle.
Killen, John. (December 5, 1982). "Vandals nip Cougars in OT, 62-58". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
Devlin, Vince. (March 13, 1983). "Cougar hopes collapse". Spokesman-Review.
Devlin, Vince. (March 20, 1983). "Cavs find WSU no pushover". Spokesman-Review.
(October 2016). "Men's Basketball 2016-2017". Washington State University Athletics.
(February 27, 2003). "Vandal women lose Battle of the Palouse". Idaho Vandals.
(September 19, 2000). "WSU Claims 3-1 Volleyball Victory At Idaho". Washington State.
(September 8, 2002). "Cougars Take Soccer Battle Of The Palouse". Washington State Cougars.
(2017). "All-time records against: Idaho". Washington State University Athletics.
(August 30, 2017). "2017 soccer". University of Idaho Athletics.
"All-time records versus opponents". Washington State University.
(September 18, 2014). "WSU Takes 3-1 Win over Idaho at Cougar Challenge". Washington State University.
''2014 Washington State Volleyball'', pp. 47-48.
Goodwin, Dale. (May 13, 1980). "Baseball's 'out' at Idaho". Spokesman-Review.
(May 1, 1980). "Vandals sack Washington State 13-4". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
(May 1, 1980). "Vandals' Wulff blast downs WSU 13-4". Spokesman-Review.
(May 1, 1980). "Gonzaga, Cougars in stretch drives". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
(April 17, 1980). "Deadlock". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
(April 17, 1980). "Cougars face Huskies after wild 13-13 tie". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
(February 12, 1950). "Vandal boxers batter Cougars to take fourth straight victory". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
(February 13, 1950). "Vandal boxers swamp Cougars". Spokesman-Review.
(June 9, 1954). "Vandals drops ring program". Eugene Register-Guard.
(June 9, 1954). "Money reasons cause Idaho to drop boxing". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
(January 13, 1961). "Boxing breakup began eight years ago". Spokesman-Review.

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

college-basketball-rivalries-in-the-united-states college-football-rivalries-in-the-united-states idaho-vandals-football washington-state-cougars-football idaho-vandals-men's-basketball washington-state-cougars-men's-basketball

Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Battle of the Palouse — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report