It wasn't the best of times for Nolan Washington and the Washington State University football team.

The Cougars were coming off a crushing 55-17 defeat at the hands of Stanford at CenturyLink Field in Seattle this past Saturday, which came on the heels of three-straight wins including a stunning 10-7 victory at USC on Sept. 7.

"But that was a couple weeks ago," said Washington, a senior cornerback from Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien. "What matters now is we lost this game."

Washington and the Cougars were not surprised at how good the Stanford Cardinal from Palo Alto, Calif. is, however.

"Stanford is a great team," said Washington as he stood in the hallway between the interview room and the locker room after the game. "They didn't make a lot of mistakes. We made mistakes and they capitalized on them."

And Washington enjoyed the chance to play in the Cougars' annual "Seattle Game," where they play one of their home games at CenturyLink instead of at their usual haunts in Pullman near the eastern border of the state.

"Being from Seattle makes it more exciting," Washington said. "I have a lot of friends and family here."

This year the Cougars will also be in Seattle for the annual Apple Cup game against the University of Washington Huskies.

That game will take place Friday, Nov. 29 at 12:30 p.m. at refurbished Husky Stadium.

Washington stands at 5-feet, 11 inches and 182 pounds. He has played three previous varsity seasons for Washington State University after one redshirt season.

His speed as well as his ability to start at cornerback at a Division I school have gained the attention of scouts for National Football League teams.

"He's on the radar," pointed out one scout who was present at Saturday's game.

But no matter what the future holds for Washington, he is happy to be a senior member of the Cougars now.

He was even one of two players who made the Washington State University program cover for the Stanford game.

Washington feels that WSU was the right place for him to go.
"I wouldn't change it," Washington said of his decision to play for the Cougars. "I've learned a lot."

Aside from playing cornerback, Washington gets in on special teams, including the punting and kickoff squads.

"It's fun," he said. "If I'm on special teams it's fun or if I'm at cornerback. Whatever the team needs is what I do."