Coug It

Coug It is a slang term common to the sports culture of the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, best defined as 'snatching defeat from the almost certain clutches of victory'. The term was coined by fans of Washington State University as a bit of self-deprecating humor to shrug off an unfortunate loss by one of its underdog athletic teams, most notably its football team who on several occasions during the Jim Sweeney era, lost in the final minutes through a reversal of fortune, mistake, or bad judgment (see Apple Cup 1975). The phrase is now popular with fans of other Pac-10 institutions, especially those of the University of Washington, University of Oregon, and Oregon State University and newspaper sports editors in reference to any close Washington State University athletic team loss not just games that are lost in the final minutes when a win was almost certain.

=Examples= ;Football
*In the 1975 Apple Cup, WSU led 27-14 with 3 minutes left in the game. WSU attempted a fourth-and-one conversion at the UW 14-yard line rather than a field goal. The resulting pass was intercepted by UW's Al Burleson and returned 93 yards for a touchdown. After a WSU three-and-out, Warren Moon's tipped pass was caught by Spider Gaines for a 78 yard TD reception and a dramatic 28-27 Washington win. WSU Head Coach coach Jim Sweeney resigned a week later, leaving with a 26-59-1 record.

*1982 game with Oregon State, when the Beavers attempted a 45 yard field goal which would have tied the game (no overtimes back in those days). OSU misses, but Cougs have 12 men on the field. After a five yard penalty allows the Beavers to re-kick, they make the field goal, resulting in a tie.
*During four weeks of the 2000 season, WSU lost three games in overtime.

*In the 2001 Apple Cup, competing for a BCS bowl-berth, WSU loses 26-14.
*In the 2002 Apple Cup held in Pullman, #3 WSU was leading 20-10 with under 4 minutes left in the game, however the Washington Huskies rallied to force overtime and eventually a controversial 29-26 win in 3 OTs.
*In 2003, WSU vs Notre Dame, which was trailing 19-6 entering the fourth quarter, rallied to defeat WSU 29-26 in OT by outscoring WSU 23-7 over the final periods.

*In the 2003 Apple Cup, WSU (ranked No. 8) entered the game with a 9-2 record and a shot at the Rose Bowl while the Huskies, at 5-6, were trying to avoid their first losing season since 1976. [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/huskies/148633_acup17.html] WSU had a six-point lead until true freshman Corey Williams caught a diving pass in the end zone with 1:10 remaining in the game, which gave UW a 20-19 lead after a successful PAT. On the ensuing drive the Huskies' Marquis Cooper intercepted a pass by WSU quarterback Josh Swogger and returned it 38 yards for a touchdown, which after a successful PAT resulted in a final score of 27-19. [http://gohuskies.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/112203aaa.html]

*In 2004, WSU gave up 27 fourth-quarter points in Pullman to Oregon in a 41-38 defeat.
*In 2005, WSU vs Oregon State, WSU had a halftime lead of 30-16. With 6:50 left in the game WSU was still up 33-30, however Oregon State scored the final 14 points to win the game 44-33.
*In 2005, WSU vs California, WSU up 38-35 until 1:50 was left on the clock at which time California scored a touchdown to win 42-38.

*In 2005, WSU vs UCLA, WSU was up by 17 points in the fourth quarter at home. UCLA forced overtime and won 44-41.

*In 2006 WSU had a 6-3 record entering November, needing only one win to clinch a bowl berth. While favored by 16 1/2, 2 1/2, and 10 1/2 against Arizona, at Arizona State, and Washington respectively, they lost all three games by a combined score of 109-63 and were denied a bowl berth.

*In the 2008 home opener, while showcasing $27 million [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008157397_coug04.html] in improvements to Martin Stadium, new head coach Paul Wulff leads the team to a 66-3 loss to Cal. This is the worst defeat in the history of the program. [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2008163552_wsugame07.html]

* Favored by 2 1/2 points against Baylor in week 3 of the 2008 season, WSU loses 45-17, pushing the cumulative scoring margin to a program-worst 150-33.

;Men's Basketball
*In 2004, WSU was leading #1, undefeated Stanford 61-56 with 25 seconds to play. However, a series of plays, including a four-point play by Stanford, a WSU turnover and a 3 point basket at the buzzer led Stanford to 63-61 victory.
*In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, #3 seed and 13th-ranked WSU led Vanderbilt 33-25 at halftime and by 10 in the second half, only to lose in two overtimes. The Cougars were the only #3 seed to fail to advance out of the second round.

=External links= wiktionary|Coug it
* [http://washington.scout.com/2/532017.html Article mentions 'Coug It' in relation to 2001 Apple Cup]
* [http://www.furrygoat.com/2004/10/the_seahawks_co_1.html Mention of 'Coug It' in reference to Seattle Seahawks]
* [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/93934_drill02.shtml Seattle P-I Newspaper Article]
* [http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/moore/223538_moore10.html Seattle P-I Newspaper Article]
* [http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2002/Columnists/MZ/Weekly_Affirmation/Weekly_Affirmation.htm College Football News makes mention of 'Coug It']
* [http://archive.tri-cityherald.com/SPORTS/riley/riley480.html Tri-City Herald Newspaper Article]
* [http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/story/5289638p-4798132c.html Tacoma News Tribune Article]
* [http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/cougars/2002058947_coug10.html Seattle Times Article]
* [http://stadiumway.wordpress.com/2008/08/09/should-coug-fans-boycott-dissmores/ WordPress.com]

References