PULLMAN — Paul Wulff, minutes removed from his 32nd loss in three years as coach at Washington State, said he is uncertain if he will be brought back for a fourth season.
“I feel very comfortable (with his efforts at WSU), but it’s not my decision,” Wulff said at his post-game press conference.
Wulff, who has two years left on a contract that pays him $600,000 a year, said athletic director Bill Moos has not told him when he will tell Wulff if he will be retained.
“We’re getting a lot better,” Wulff said. “People inside this building understand that. We all know where we started and where it’s at.”
“I love what he’s doing,” junior offensive guard B.J. Guerra said. “Everyone’s buying in. We support him 100 percent.”
Asked if he expects to return next season, Chris Ball smiled and said, “You never know in my profession.” Ball has been WSU’s assistant head coach, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach the past three seasons.
The Cougars have lost more games the past three years than any other team in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Washington State has finished last in the Pacific-10 Conference the past two years, and WSU’s 25 conference losses (in 27 games) are the most in Pac-10 history.
After going 5-7 in Bill Doba’s final year as ahead coach in 2007, the Cougars finished 2-11 (1-8 Pac-10) in 2008, 1-11 (0-9) in 2009 and 2-10 (1-8) this year.
WSU finished last in the Pac-10 the past two seasons, but Wulff said, “I don’t know if I’ve been around a team that improved as much as this team.”
The Cougars started five freshmen much of the season.
Attendance has dropped since Wulff returned to his alma mater after a highly successful run as head coach at Eastern Washington. The Cougars drew a season-high 30,157 fans Saturday in freezing temperatures.
“I’d like to thank our fans,” Wulff said. “I thought that was a first-rate effort on their part. They’ve been great all year.”
Wulff saw little if any of the ugliness that broke out at the end of the game.
Dozens of items, ranging from snowballs to chunks of crusted ice to plastic bottles at least partly filled with liquid, were thrown at Washington players and fans by spectators occupying the side of the Martin Stadium grandstand occupied largely by Washington State students.
A few snowballs and/or chunks of crusted ice were thrown at injured Husky Semiski Tokolahi when he was carted off the field in the fourth quarter. At least two scuffles broke out between young male Husky and Cougar fans. Two young men wearing Husky colors were seen being escorted out of the stadium by police. Several Husky fans down on the field flashed obscene gestures at Cougar fans in the stands.
