After wins by both the women’s and men’s basketball teams and a devastating loss in the 2014 Apple Cup, the weekend proved to be a roller coaster for WSU Athletics.

Last Saturday, the Cougars faced their rival, the Washington Huskies in a fan-packed Martin Stadium for the 2014 Apple Cup.

On his radio show called “Cougar Calls”, WSU Athletic Director Bill Moos spoke of the stadium’s atmosphere of that freezing Saturday night in Pullman.

“Our fans really answered the call,” Moos said. “I wanted to make sure that they knew I appreciated it and the players appreciated it.”

WSU fell with a final score of 31-13, marking the second consecutive Apple Cup loss for the Cougars.

“It was an interesting game and there was high emotion, which was evident by the squaring off before kickoff,” Moos said. “Usually when something like that happens, in my experience, big plays can happen.”

When asked about the numerous dropped passes by the Cougar offense, Moos said there is no room for excuses.

“You can say the football was hard and all that kind of thing,” Moos said. “We practiced in it all week and it’s the same ball that Washington was using.”

Cougar Athletic Fund Assistant Director of Development Jason Gesser, a guest on Cougar Calls and former Cougar quarterback, discussed the climax of the game.

“The Apple Cup, although it didn’t turn out in our favor,” Gesser said. “The loudest cheer and the biggest roar of the night was the Steve Gleason hall of fame induction.”

Steve Gleason was once a Cougar football player himself and a professional football player with the New Orleans Saints. At just 37 years old, Gleason has been battling ALS since 2011.

WSU football evolution continues through staffing changes by Head Coach Mike Leach and his team.

Leach fired Defensive Coordinator Mike Breske and outside linebacker Coach Paul Volero Sunday night.

“It’s not to say that he (Breske) wasn’t the right coach, it’s to say that he wasn’t the right fit,” Gesser said. “He’s going to move on and he’ll be a great coach at another school.”

Gesser added that football success is determined by how tightly-knit the offense and defense are with each other and understanding the philosophies of how they marry up.

“I truly do think that the game has changed and the philosophy has changed,” Gesser said. “If you are having total offense and you’re moving the ball down the field, you’re going to win games one way or another.”

The Cougar women’s basketball team won on the road against Maryland last week with a final score of 70-64.

Women’s basketball head coach June Daugherty spoke of the team’s success on the road.

“I’m very proud of our program and our players,” Daugherty said. “It’s early in the season and we’re progressing pretty nicely.”

The team’s next road match-up is this Thursday against UC Santa Barbara.

WSU women’s soccer Head Coach Steve Nugent was also a guest on Cougar Calls, and discussed his inaugural season.

When asked about the devastating loss in the NCAA tournament last month, Nugent has nothing but pride for his team.

“The players have done such a great job of buying into our culture and the way we want to do things with the soccer ball,” Nugent said. “It’s not easy when you’ve had three coaches in your year of the last four years asking you to do it different ways.

During Nugent’s first year as the WSU women’s soccer Head Coach, he led his team to a 10-5-4 record.