{
  "id": 9244449,
  "title": "How WSU's Maxwell Woods has emerged so quickly in the Cougars' running back room",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/how-wsus-maxwell-woods-has-emerged-so-quickly-in-the-cougars-running",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-23T02:01:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/wsus-maxwell-woods-emerged-quickly-020100809.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Pullman, Washington — Max Woods has quickly emerged as a key player in Washington State's running back corps, leading the team in rushing yards during their first win of the season. Hailing from a suburb of Minneapolis, Woods is a Midwest native who has been drawing comparisons to the popular burger chain, Culver's, after expressing his desire to see one open in Pullman. The quarterback of the Cougars, Kirby Moore, has praised Woods' versatility and ability to make quick, elusive plays. In a game against Kansas State, Woods and running back Kirby Vorhees combined to rush for over 200 yards, combining to score 316 rushing yards. Since joining WSU as a redshirt freshman, Woods has amassed 153 yards on 20 carries, an impressive average of 7.7 yards per rush. His skills have caught the attention of coaches and fans alike, with Moore expressing his trust in Woods' abilities and the potential for more opportunities as the season progresses.",
  "summary": "Sep. 22—PULLMAN — Mostly, Maxwell Woods misses Culver's. He may be starring in Washington State's running back room, helping the Cougars record oodles of yards in their first win of the season last weekend, but he's a Midwest kid at heart. So a couple weekends ago, when WSU was in the Midwest to take on Kansas State, the burger chain was on his mind. Manhattan has had one for a few years. But ...",
  "key_points": [
    "Max Woods leads WSU in rushing yards this season.",
    "Quarterback Kirby Moore praises Woods' versatility.",
    "Woods has 153 yards on 20 carries, averaging 7.7 yards per rush."
  ],
  "editors_take": "Max Woods' emergence as a leading rusher gives the Cougars a versatile threat and bolsters quarterback Kirby Moore's confidence in the team's backfield, potentially unlocking more opportunities as the season progresses.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}