Preview: Everything at stake for Cougs in Apple Cup
Located inside the Washington State football complex is a glass enclosure where, when it's in the possession of the crimson and gray, the Apple Cup trophy resides.
It's been five years since the trophy has called Pullman home, and reclaiming ownership on Friday when No. 7 Washington State hosts No. 16 Washington (5:30 p.m., Fox) at Martin Stadium would add an electrifying chapter to a season already unlike no other in the Cougars' history.
A year that began with tragedy could end with unexpected triumph if the Cougars (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12, No. 8 CFP) can end their five-game Apple Cup skid and extend their current 13-game home winning streak. The winner will play in the Pac-12 championship game against Utah as the North Division champ, and for the Cougars, there still remains the outside possibility of landing in the College Football Playoff with two more wins and a lot of chaos.
The Cougars are No. 8 in the latest CFP standings unveiled Tuesday night (the fourth straight week WSU has been eighth), while Washington is No. 16.
Washington State even being mentioned in the CFP conversation is astonishing. The season has provided joy and excitement to a program shrouded in sadness less than a year after the death of Tyler Hilinski.
"I'd like to make jokes, but Mike Leach is awesome for college football and what he's all about,” Washington coach Chris Petersen said. “But at the end of the day I don't think there's too many people that have not been impressed with what he's done over there because they have been through a lot. It's impressive."
Gardner Minshew is a big reason why the Cougars — who were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 North in the conference’s preseason poll — have a chance to land in the conference title game. The grad transfer from East Carolina with the well-groomed mustache has mastered most of Leach's offense in just a few months on campus and become the national leader in passing.
More so, he brought a joy and swagger the Cougars desperately needed. But the Cougars will have to be more than Minshew to get the Apple Cup back in their possession.
In order to beat UW, Minshew and the Cougs offense must get the better of a solid Huskies defense ranked first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (16.6 ppg) and No. 2 in total defense (318.0 ypg), rushing defense (125.2) and passing defense (192.8). In short, this could be the best defense the Cougars have faced all season.
“They are a very good defensive team with one of the best secondarys in the country,” Minshew said. “They’re super talented and they’re super disciplined. But it’s a challenge I think we’re ready for. I’ll take my guys against anybody. We have a bunch of guys that can catch balls. I trust them against DB we’re going to face. We just have to execute our game and not get too caught up in what they’re doing.”
During Washington State’s seven-game winning streak, Minshew is 251-for-361 (.695) for 2,778 yards (396.9 ypg) and 25 TDs. Minshew has been well protected during the last seven games, getting sacked just six times in 361 pass attempts, Ten different Cougars have caught at least 15 passes over the last seven games, while five different players caught at least 25 passes. During the seven-game streak, Minshew’s 2,778 passing yards are more than 85 FBS teams have thrown for all season.
Somewhat lost in the buildup has been what is still at stake for Washington. It's fair to say the season has been a disappointment after the Huskies (8-3, 6-2, No. 16 CFP) began the year with playoff aspirations only to stumble three times. But beating the Cougars would continue their in-state dominance and give Washington a chance at reaching the Rose Bowl. It's not the playoff, but Pasadena isn't a bad place to spend New Year's Day.
A decade, ago the Apple Cup was the laughingstock of college football when the 1-10 Cougars faced the 0-10 Huskies in a game remembered affectionately as the Crapple Cup. Now for the second time in three years, the Pac-12 North title is on the line.
Here's what else to watch for in the 111th Apple Cup:
PROTECT THE 'STACHE: Washington's ability to get pressure on Washington State's quarterbacks in previous Apple Cups has caused major problems for the Air Raid. Last year Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea took over the game and Washington State's offense struggled. Vea is gone, Washington's pass rush has been a concern all season and the Cougars have been exceptional protecting Minshew, who has been sacked just nine times in 11 games.
GROUND GASKIN: One of the best games of Myles Gaskin's career at Washington came in last year's matchup when he rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns. The senior needs 94 yards rushing to become the first player in Pac-12 history with four 1,000-yard rushing seasons in his career and appears fully healthy after missing time earlier in the season with a shoulder injury. But Washington State's defense has been stingy against the run, allowing 3.79 yards per rush.
CATCH AND RUN: The combo of running backs James Williams and Max Borghi is a huge part of the Washington State offense. Combined, the pair have 109 receptions. Williams' 69 catches are tied for 18th nationally regardless of position. The use of Borghi and Williams is an extension of the Cougars' run game, which itself has been very good this season. The use of the running backs in the pass game will mean a busy day for Washington linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, second in the country with 145 tackles (13.2 tackles per game). Burr-Kirven leads all Pac-12 players with 10 or more tackles in a game nine times this season.
MEMORIES OF '97: There are many parallels between this Washington State team and the 1997 one. Both were led by a charismatic quarterback and had a dynamic pass offense. Both had a solid defense. And both rose up in a season when it was Washington entering the year as part of the national championship conversation. That 1997 Washington State team beat the Huskies in the Apple Cup to go to the Rose Bowl. Can these Cougars match the accomplishment?
PREDICTIONS:
Athlon: “Washington State coach Mike Leach's only Apple Cup win came in his first crack at the rivalry six years ago. His teams are winless against Chris Petersen-coached squads, making Friday one opportunity for the Cougars to end a dubious trend. This Washington State seems to be built differently, having won games while rolling up huge offensive numbers (69-28 last week against Arizona) and surviving nail-biting defensive struggles (19-13 over Cal earlier this month). But Washington is built differently now, too, compared to a few weeks ago. The Huskies team that lost to Oregon and Cal last month was without Hunter Bryant, Trey Adams, Jordan Miller, D.J. Beavers and Shane Bowman. All are back for the Apple Cup. Washington should be up to the challenge that Washington State poses. Expect an excellent game that matches the intensity of the legendary 1997 Apple Cup.”
CollegeFootballNews.com: “On the first drive of the game, USC lined up and blasted away on Washington State with the running game. The Trojans weren’t able to keep it going on the ground, but that set the early tone in the win. Utah was able to run for 204 yards in a loss, and Stanford averaged over five yards per carry, but no one has lined up and slugged this Cougar team. That’s what Washington is going to do from the start. Washington State will strike quickly, the crowd will be in it, and it’ll look like everything will be going perfectly, and then Washington will slowly stay in it with a few methodical drives to hang around. The Huskies have been in plenty of games this year when they’ve had problems on third downs, got hit for too many completed passes, and struggled a bit to get points on the board, and yet they’ve still been able keep games tight and the score low. All of the pressure will be on the Cougar side of the field, and it’ll show late as Browning comes up with a fourth quarter scoring drive to take the lead, the D will stop Minshew twice, and it’ll be the Huskies taking the Apple Cup and going off to play in the Pac-12 Championship.”
WEEK 13 PAC-12 SCHEDULE (Nov. 23-24)
Fri., Nov. 23
Oregon at Oregon State, 1 p.m. (FS1)
Washington at Washington State, 5:30 p.m. (Fox)
Sat., Nov. 24
Stanford at UCLA, Noon (Pac-12 Network)
Arizona State at Arizona, 12:30 p.m. (FS1)
Colorado at California, 4 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)
Notre Dame at USC, 5 p.m. (ABC)
BYU at Utah, 7 p.m. (FS1)
(All times Pacific)
PAC-12 NORTH STANDINGS (As of Nov. 22)
Washington State 7-1 (10-1)
Washington 6-2 (8-3)
Stanford 4-3 (6-4)
Oregon 4-4 (7-4)
California 3-4 (6-4)
Oregon State 1-7 (2-9)
(AP contributed to this story)
