“Rogers…pitch…Didn’t get it…They stopped him,” rang out broadcaster Paul Bermeister’s voice over television sets across the state last year. A year after the former PAC-12’s collapse, the Washington State Cougars got the get-back on the Huskies, stopping running back Jonah Coleman from taking the lead in the final moments.

The two teams are facing different sets of energy entering the 117th battle for the Apple Cup. Washington State faced North Texas, led by former Cougar offensive coordinator Eric Morris, in Denton, Texas last week, losing 59-10. The Huskies, on the other hand, come off a bye week, having seen two high-scoring matchups against Colorado State and UC Davis weeks prior.

UW leads the all-time series 76-34-6.

Coleman is very high on head coach Jimmy Rogers’ radar, with the early darkhorse Heisman candidate already close to 300 yards with just two games under his belt and two Big Ten offensive player of the week awards.

“We got to play with our hair on fire and be physical and play with the right emotions and intensity for 60 minutes,” said Rogers regarding Coleman and his fellow back Adam Mohammed.

The Huskies’ run game is seeing elite production this year, thanks to seven returning linemen compared to the previous year’s zero. 

“They’ve been much improved at the O-Line position,” Rogers said.

Stopping the run is not just limited to the backs. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Demond Williams is known to use his legs when needed, achieving 282 rushing yards in his freshman season with limited playing time.  

“The quarterback is extremely twitchy,” said Rogers. “I think the quarterback’s elite.”

Williams is also dangerous in the air. Last year, the sophomore sat behind Will Rogers, but when given the opportunity, he proved to be a phenomenal passer, throwing for just under 1,000 yards and boasting a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 8-1, along with an elite passer rating of 176.9. Williams, this season, is continuing his passing momentum with a rating of 165.1.

UW’s defense is off to a rapid start, being ranked in the NCAA’s top twenty. Three of their players have already exceeded 10+ tackles, one of which is former Coug linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah, who is tied with safety Mark Esteen at eleven apiece. 

The Cougs have also seen defensive success, excluding last week’s UNT game. Against Idaho, they allowed just 10 points and held the Vandals to just 51 passing yards, and when the Aztecs came to town, they stopped their fast-paced high-tempo offense, allowing just 13 points while allowing 3.6 yards per play.

Standouts on the defensive side of the ball include defensive lineman Isaac Terrell, who looks to add to his sack count currently at 1.5, Matthew Durrance, who is up to 18 tackles already, one of which forced a fumble, and Colby Humphrey, with 14 total tackles and a broken up pass. 

A shakeup at quarterback is possible, with Jaxon Potter’s starting role up in the air and up for grabs.

“Right now, it’ll be open this week,” Rogers said.

Fans have been vocal about redshirt senior quarterback Zevi Eckhaus wanting to see him take the field. His last start was against Syracuse in the Holiday Bowl, throwing for 363 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 52-35 loss.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Duggar has seen the field in all three games for the Cougs so far.

“Well, Julian’s gotta progress his decision-making process as far as like not just premeditating his throws, he knows this,” Rogers said.

Wide receiver, and captain, Josuha Meredith looks to repeat having a day at the office against Washington. Last year, he racked up 111 yards on seven receptions and snagged a touchdown halfway into the third quarter.

A compatriot of Meredith is Tony Freeman, who’s also seeing early success with 154 yards through three games, leading to a 9.6 average per catch and a 51.3 per game.

Rogers made it clear that the past is in the past and the entire focus is on Saturday’s game.

“The team knows that we’re better than that, I can promise you that,” Rogers said. “There’s no magic wand that’s gonna bail us out right now.”

The 117th edition will start at 4:30 p.m. Saturday in Pullman’s own Martin Stadium.