The WSU Cougars have six wins for the first time since 2006. They have secured bowl eligibility. However, they have not beaten their biggest rivals yet this season. 

For the 106th time, the Cougars and the Washington Huskies will play each other in the Apple Cup rivalry game. Yet, according to WSU Head Coach Mike Leach, the hype of the game and last year’s win shouldn’t make too much of a difference on the game itself. 

“You’re already doing the best you can for every game you play so you just go out there, do the same things, play hard, and play the best you can,” Leach said. 

The Huskies are uncertain who will start at quarterback for them in the game. Keith Price, the normal starter, injured his shoulder against UCLA, but he is practicing this week as if he expects to start against the Cougars. 

Price has thrown 19 touchdowns and only has four interceptions, while completing more than 64 percent of his passes. 

If he cannot start or play against WSU, Cyler Miles will replace him. In the seven games he has played, Miles has four touchdowns to two interceptions, and has shown he can use his legs with 170 net yards rushing. 

The Huskies’ running backs showed they could all use their legs in their game against Oregon State last week. The team is coming off of a 69-27 blowout of the Beavers. In that blowout, the Huskies scored seven rushing touchdowns, and leading rusher Bishop Sankey produced three of those. 

Sankey ranks third in the NCAA with 1,575 rushing yards, and is tied for third place in the nation with 17 rushing touchdowns. 

The Cougars have shown this season that they can shut down their opponents’ star players, including another top rusher, Ka’Deem Carey of the Arizona Wildcats.

Sankey is just the next obstacle for the Cougar defense. 

“I feel he’s a huge key to their offense,” senior safety Deone Bucannon said. “I feel he kind of sets the tempo. They feed off of him. If he’s out there shredding the defense, he’s getting the looks that he needs, the offensive line is working for him. I feel the offense rallies over that.”

WSU has found a way to stop opposing receivers as well. The defense has picked off 14 passes as a whole this season, and senior cornerback Damante Horton has returned three for touchdowns. 

In this matchup, the Cougars will have to cover wide receivers Jaydon Mickens and Kevin Smith, and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, all of whom have at least four receiving touchdowns on the season. 

But, the Cougars have not struggled to score points this season, either. They have averaged 31 points per game and recently improved their running game to balance the passing attack. Quarterback Connor Halliday is also coming off of a performance against Utah that included four touchdown passes and no interceptions, which has caused greater disparity between his scores and turnovers. 

However, the Huskies have held their opponents to an average of 24 points per game, meaning the Cougars could face some adversity. 

“I think the most impressive thing about (the Huskies) is that they’re steady in all phases. They don’t have one thing that jumps out at you,” Leach said. “There’s not one single thing, it’s more that they’re all really good steady players and play together good.”

As rivalries usually go, this weekend’s game should bring plenty of drama and action.

When the clock hits 12:30 p.m. on Black Friday, the stage will sit ready for the latest chapter of the Apple Cup. It’s a dichotomy for the ages: cats versus dogs, crimson versus purple, Cougars versus Huskies.