The Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars meet Saturday for the 107th time in the Apple Cup.
Washington’s win in the 2013 Apple Cup gave them eight wins in head coach Steve Sarkisian’s final season at UW. Can they do the same for Chris Petersen in his first year at the helm? (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
This year’s game is Washington head coach Chris Petersen’s first taste of one of college football’s longest-tenured rivalries, and he’ll try to end the season on a high note after an up-and-down campaign on Montlake.
The Huskies (7-5 overall, 3-5 in Pac-12) entered the 2014 season with great expectations after luring Petersen away from Boise State, with some tabbing the Dawgs as possible surprise candidates for a Pac-12 North title.
But inconsistent play on offense — particularly from first-year starter Cyler Miles at quarterback — left Washington with a stagnant offense for much of the season, and off-the-field problems with several players meant Petersen spent more time than he’d like dealing with disciplinary issues — culminating with the dismissal of star cornerback Marcus Peters earlier this month.
That, combined with a secondary starting as many as three true freshmen, negated standout efforts from some of the brightest stars to play at UW in some time, including all-time sacks leader Hau’oli Kikaha — a finalist for the Lombardi and Butkus awards — and Shaq Thompson, who starred at both linebacker and running back for the Huskies this season. But a victory on Saturday would give Washington eight wins for just the second time since 2001 and propel them into bowl season with a two-game Pac-12 winning streak after dropping four of their previous five.
It’s been a disappointing season for Washington State, where head coach Mike Leach and the Cougars (3-8 overall, 2-6 in Pac-12) looked to capitalize on their first bowl appearance in a decade last year, but fell flat in 2014. Things might have been different if record-setting senior quarterback Connor Halliday hadn’t broken his leg against USC on Nov. 1, but it’s WSU’s 101st-ranked defense that’s been the culprit for the Cougs’ struggles.
The step backward has some questioning whether Leach is the long-term solution in Pullman, but there are reasons to be excited, most notably the play of redshirt freshman Luke Falk at quarterback. The 6-foot-4, 208-pounder has completed more than 66 percent of his passes for 1,504 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions since taking over from Halliday, and beating the Huskies in his first Apple Cup would help ease the pain Cougs fans endured all season and create some buzz for next season.
Saturday’s game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1, 710 AM ESPN radio (WSU broadcast) and 1000 AM/97.7 FM KOMO radio (UW broadcast).
Check out the gallery to read about some of the most memorable moments in Apple Cup history, plus a recap of recent matchups.
Visit seattlepi.com for more Washington Huskies news. Contact sports reporter Stephen Cohen at stephencohen@seattlepi.com or @scohenPI.
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