Washington Wins Everywhere on Boxing Day: Cougars

The dude revered as America's Daddy shares a holiday in February these days.

But this year, his namesakes made Boxing Day his own.

• The Capitals warmed DC's cockles at home with a 3-1 victory over Montréal;
• The Wizards did their bit for the trifecta in Brooklyn, besting the Nets, 111-96;
• The Redskins made it one by going up the I-95 and beating the bumbling Eagles, 38-24;
• The Huskies carried the heritage Deep in the Hearta by stopping Southern Mississippi, 44-31; and
• The Cougars capped a successful day in West Texan snow by edging the Miami Hurricanes, 20-14.

Five Washingtons. Five triumphs. Never before in history has this happened. Kinda cool.

This was the first time since 1983 that the District of Columbia had three of its own all win on the same day. The State of Washington's two FBS entries won twice on the same day in 2015, albeit in non-cons where they should have.

If ever there was an ideal situation for Mike Leach, it's in Pullman at Washington State University. The Cougars have been a perennial-but-feisty underdog for decades with a reputation for being as wide open as the surrounding Palouse.

Where else is a season with an opening loss to FCS Portland State combined with an upset of Oregon viewd as par for the course?

But the unflappable Leach seems to have steadied the ship, turning virtually any quarterback with a healthy arm into a passing sensation. Not only that, but the dude they call the Pirate is actually assembling a reliable defense, which saved the day in snowy El Paso at the Sun Bowl:

The takeaway here -- besides the Cougs being more accustomed to snow than the 'Canes -- is that this was just another game in Leach's mind.

But that's a level or two higher than most observers view as par for the course at Wazzu.