WSU (3-0) defeated its long-time rival, the University of Washington Huskies (2-1), 24-19 Saturday in the 116th edition of the Apple Cup. The win, classified as a neutral site being played at Lumen Field in Seattle, the home of the Seahawks, has many immediate and future implications, raising and answering many questions.
The biggest question, perhaps, was whether WSU would receive national attention following the win over an undefeated rival that was receiving votes in the AP Poll the week prior. That question was quickly answered Sunday morning with the reveal of the week five AP Poll showing that Wazzu received 30 votes, effectively placing them as the No. 31 team in the country.
The performance was slightly sloppy, with UW committing 16 penalties to WSU’s six, and the Cougs fully embracing a “bend but don’t break” identity as a team defensively, WSU head coach Jake Dickert said.
“One of our defensive philosophies has always been, bend but don’t break. You saw that to the maximum Saturday. I mean redzone defense can make you feel great walking off that field. Our guys were nails in the redzone. To hold them to one big play, then four field goals. Sometimes, if you’re mentally sturdy and strong when they get down there it doesn’t matter,” Dickert said.
The definitive redzone stop was on the Huskies’ final offensive play, a speed option right with quarterback Will Rogers pitching the ball to running back Jonah Coleman who was tackled short of the endzone on fourth down by linebacker Kyle Thornton. The win again showed that despite yardage allowed, points are what matters.
WSU this season is allowing 464 yards per game, ninth worst in the nation, but also allowing just 21.67 points per game to their 43.67.
On the offensive end, the Cougs reaffirmed their week two identity with quarterback John Mateer willing them into the endzone on his feet twice, including running for a 25-yard touchdown on third and 20 on their final offensive play of the first half.
“John made a fantastic play on third and 20, you can’t even really count on that. All we were trying to do was get a field goal and that worked out well,” Dickert said.
Mateer is 16th in the country in rushing yards with 314 so far, but he leads all QBs, with Byrum Brown of the University of South Florida coming in second with 254. Mateer also has four rushing touchdowns.
For a team in the Cougs, however, that was top five in the nation a season ago in passing, it has been a bit of a struggle through the air the past two weeks. On the season Mateer has completed just 37 out of 70 passes, throwing for 245 yards, one touchdown and an interception, with another being dropped Saturday.
“The last two games have been a sporadic rhythm. We are a passing team, and that’s ok. We need to get rhythm in the pass game. And that’s the O-line to John, the tailbacks to receivers. It’s everything. We need to keep getting better,” Dickert said.
Another factor in the passing game is wide receiver Kyle Williams, who has caught a pass in all 40 games of his collegiate career so far, including against UW. Despite the streak, Williams had just three catches for 22 yards. He still leads the team in receiving this season with eight catches for 184 yards and three touchdowns, but his impact has been limited by injuries, Dickert said.
“Health is a big deal, Kyle played at about 70% maybe in that game [against UW] so we’ll have to build him back up,” Dickert said. “Kyle’s impact is felt not just in catching the ball. I think he had two or could have been three pass interferences called. We just need to get those rhythm passes going a bit more.”
In his place receiver Josh Meredith broke out and stepped up. Meredith, who had just six catches for 112 yards and one touchdown in his career, blew up for seven catches for 111 yards and a touchdown against UW. The rise of the redshirt junior could help answer questions about the receiving room and the passing game down the stretch.
Any questions about the Cougar offensive line, which is still missing starting right tackle Fa’alili Fa’amoe, were answered Saturday. Facing a Husky defense that had eight sacks through its first two games, the Cougs O-line, which had allowed just one sack through two games, surrendered only one in week three.
Fa’amoe is working back in, and should rotate in with the starting offensive line in week four against San Jose State University, but the starting unit weeks 1-3 made their presence known.
“Those guys played their asses off. A year ago we wouldn’t be able to hold up. [UW] brings it now. Our guys answered the call every step of the way. Hell of a job by our offensive line, neutralizing what I think is a pretty potent attack,” Dickert said.
Bigger than just the X’s and O’s, the win proved the Pac-12 Cougs can still contend, and defeat the Big 10 Huskies. Although it was one of many games in the Apple Cup’s illustrious history, it was potentially one of the most important, and all the more the reason to get behind the 2024 Cougs, Dickert said.
“If you can’t get behind this team, at this time, I don’t know what else more we can do. These guys stayed here for this moment. To bring that trophy back to Pullman, it’s gonna be in the third floor of the Cougar Athletic Complex,” Dickert said. “I think we might retire that trophy, I think this is a Pac-12 trophy.”
The win puts WSU in a spot they have been in recent years, with two power conference victories early in the season. With nine remaining games, WSU is still undefeated with a mix of favorability and opportunity left on the schedule.
The Cougs have four more home games, three of which are against opponents with a losing record. Five of Wazzu’s nine remaining games are against teams with a losing record.
They do still, however, face Boise State on the road. The Broncos have a 2-1 record, their only loss to the No. 9 ranked Oregon Ducks in Eugene. BSU received 62 votes in the most recent AP Poll.
Then there is of course a collision course in week 13 with the Oregon State Beavers in Corvallis, where they face the only other member of the current Pac-12. OSU is currently 2-1 with their only loss also coming to Oregon.
With such a schedule, WSU has a chance to win in every game remaining, while also having a chance to make a couple more statements along the way.
The final question that arises from the dust of Apple Cup no. 116 is about the game’s future. There are four remaining years on the current agreement, but the beyond is still unknown. The game is key to keep around, but possibly with a new trophy, Dickert said.
“We’ll bring a new [trophy] next year. Little Big 10, Pac-12, we’ll put the new score on it. So we might retire this one as the Pac-12 trophy,” Dickert said. “Look at that game, how do you not play this game? 116th time, what a rivalry, what a tradition. This cannot go away in college football.”
While the season is bigger than just one game, the 2024 Apple Cup win for the Cougs showed who they are at this point in the season, and what the game itself means and set the table for a potentially electric first season in the two-team Pac-12 for WSU.
