Bad, OK, but Apple Cup win will help broken year

Breaking down the Apple Cup Washington (0-10, 0-7 Pac-10) at Washington State (1-10, 0-8) , noon today  •  Martin Stadium, Pullman  •  FSN  •

DON RUIZ; don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com
Last updated: November 22nd, 2008 10:22 AM (PST)

The 101st football meeting of Washington and Washington State, at noon today at Martin Stadium, will continue that tradition as the Cougars’ Paul Wulff coaches his first Apple Cup on the same day the Huskies’ Tyrone Willingham coaches in the rivalry for the final time.

Wulff is a newcomer only to the Apple Cup sideline. He experienced the rivalry on the field as the Cougars’ starting center from 1986-89.

Wulff went 1-3 in those games, losing 44-23 in 1986 under Jim Walden, losing 34-19 in 1987 under Dennis Erickson, winning 32-31 in 1988 under Erickson, and losing 20-9 in 1989 under Mike Price.

“There’s a lot more on my mind now than there was as a player, that’s for darn sure,” said Wulff, who was hired at WSU’s 31st head coach on Dec. 10, 2007, replacing Bill Doba. “You appreciate it more now as a coach because you’ve been down the road as a player and you have more years of being around it. ... I think the intensity will be a lot more now. It’s fun. It’s fun to be part of it. It’s fun to play football on that day, and we want to have fun doing it.”

On the Washington side, Willingham typically deflects any attention generated from the midseason announcement that he will be replaced at the end of the season.

“The situation with me is never important as I approach our football team,” he said. “It’s not about me; it’s about the Husky football team, the Husky football program. Our guys recognize and will recognize as I speak with them ... that it is a special game. I’ll try to give them certain things to let them understand and embrace the tradition of the Apple Cup.”

Willingham is 1-2 as an Apple Cup coach. His first UW team in 2005 lost, 26-22; his second won, 35-32, in Pullman; and the Huskies gave up two late touchdowns last season in falling, 35-28.

That turned out to the first loss in an ongoing 12-game losing streak that the Huskies will take into today’s game.

Finally, the losses piled high enough to cost Willingham his job, effective after UW’s season-ending game Dec. 6 at California.

Washington takes an 0-10 season record and 0-8 in the Pacific-10 Conference into this game, while WSU is 1-10 overall and 0-8 in the league.

By the numbers, they are the two worst teams in the Pac-10 and two of the worst in the nation. But neither wants to be known as the worst major college team in the state, and that is one of the things at stake this afternoon.

“It’s still the Apple Cup,” UW senior Mesphin Forrester said. “It’s been played for over 100 years, like Coach Willingham said. It’s a huge deal out here. ... It’s the Apple Cup, plus we haven’t won yet, so that’s a double.”

Forrester will be among 19 Huskies facing the Cougars for the last time, a group that also includes center Juan Garcia, linebacker Trenton Tuiasosopo and kicker Ryan Perkins.

This will also be the final Apple Cup and the final Martin Stadium appearance for a Cougars senior class led by wide receiver Brandon Gibson. They are trying to become the fourth WSU class to take three games from the Huskies.

“The Apple Cup is still a crazy game,” Gibson said. “And anything can happen.”

A win today wouldn’t erase all the disappointment for either side, but it sure would beat the alternative.

“It’s everything,” WSU freshman quarterback T.J. Levenseller said. “It’s still the most important thing to the Cougar football team, every year. To the players, it still matters more than anybody knows. It’s been important from Day 1.”

Staff reporter Ryan Divish contributed to this report.

Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808

blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports

It’s the 101st meeting between the two teams, dating back to 1900. Washington leads 64-30-6. The Huskies also hold a slim 15-12-1 advantage in games in Pullman, including a 35-32 victory over the Cougars in 2006. The coaches WSU’s Paul Wulff is in his first year coaching his alma mater after coaching Eastern Washington the past eight seasons. He played in four Apple Cups for the Cougars in the late 1980s, winning one. For Washington coach Tyrone Willingham, this will be his last Apple Cup. In his fourth year at UW, Willingham lost his job at midseason but will remain on through the end of the year. He is 11-34 as head coach of the Huskies and 1-2 in Apple Cup games.

Last season The Cougars won, 42-35, in Seattle. Quarterback Alex Brink decimated a young Huskies secondary, throwing for 399 yards and five touchdowns, including a 35-yard pass to Brandon Gibson with 31 seconds left for the go-ahead score. UW quarterback Jake Locker ran for two touchdowns and 103 yards, and threw for 224 yards and a score, but two interceptions proved costly.

Injury report Out for WSU – QB Gary Rogers, QB Marshall Lobbestael, RB Chris Ivory, RB Chantz Staden. Out for UW – QB Jake Locker, S Darin Harris, RB Chris Polk, KR Jordan Polk, RB Brandon Yakaboski, OL Casey Bulyca. Quarterback Neither team comes into the game with the quarterback who started the season. After replacing Jake Locker, who broke his thumb and was lost for the season, Ronnie Fouch played well initially but has been on the decline of late (11 interceptions). For WSU, Kevin Lopina has battled myriad injuries all season, but even when he has been healthy he has struggled. Lopina has yet to throw a TD pass this season and has 10 interceptions.

EDGE: EVEN

Running backs Neither team has been able to gain much consistency, or yardage, from the position mostly because of inexperience and injuries. UW uses a few different backs with the trio of Terrence Dailey, Brandon Johnson and Willie Griffin. WSU will go with junior Dwight Tardy, who has been banged up all season, and possibly Logwone Mitz, who’s battling a sprained shoulder.

EDGE: EVEN

Receivers WSU’s Brandon Gibson will be the best receiver on the field without question. But the other receivers around him have been inconsistent, although Jeshua Anderson has had bright moments. UW’s receiving corps is composed of all underclassmen, with only D’Andre Goodwin having any Apple Cup experience.

EDGE: COUGARS

Offensive line Neither team has gotten much consistency from its offensive front, but the Huskies, with center Juan Garcia, have more experience and greater size. The Cougars’ counterparts have been brutalized by injuries, and Wulff has never really round a steady lineup.

EDGE: HUSKIES

Defensive line Again it’s a matter of beat-up and injured experienced players vs. healthy underclassmen. The Cougs have only a handful of healthy defensive linemen, but they are all veterans and capable. The Huskies have only one upperclassman and the rest are underclassmen, but the one junior is the best on the field in Daniel Te’o-Nesheim.

EDGE: HUSKIES

Linebackers What was supposed to be a veteran group for WSU has become young because of injuries and poor play, with only MLB Greg Trent as a constant. UW’s backers, led by Trenton Tuiasosopo, have a little more experience and better health.

EDGE: HUSKIES

Defensive backs Neither unit has been great, but they’ve been better than last season. UW seems to have fewer coverage breakdowns than last season despite the loss of senior Darin Harris. Nagging injuries to CB Tyrone Justin and S Alfonso Jackson could be an issue for WSU

.

EDGE: HUSKIES

Special teams This has been the one bright and most consistent aspect for WSU this season, thanks to P Reid Forrest and return man Chantz Staden, but now Staden is lost for the season with a torn knee ligament. UW kicker Ryan Perkins doesn’t have a big leg, but he is more accurate than anyone the Cougs have.

EDGE: HUSKIES

Intagibles One team has won one game (against an FCS team) and the other hasn’t won period. So the search for intangibles and momentum continues. But the fact that the game is at Martin Stadium, and the weather should be cold and crisp, are factors that could favor WSU.

EDGE: COUGARS

TNT pick The wind and cold could hit Pullman today, which really doesn’t help either team greatly with their anemic offenses. But the Cougs have the best playmaker on the field in Gibson, and he has a knack for playing well in the Apple Cup.

WINNER: WSU, 14-10

Prime numbers

Washington State

9Kevin Lopina (QB), 6-3/228, Jr.

Needs to get the offense going early and make good decisions.

18Nico Grasu (K), 6-1/195, Soph.

Distance isn’t a problem, but accuracy can be.

29Kevin Norrell (WR/KR), 5-9/180, Fresh.

He will handle kickoff and punt returns for first time this season.

69Kenny Alfred (C), 6-2/300, Sr.

He must help keep Daniel Te’o-Nesheim out of the backfield.

93Kevin Kooyman (DE), 6-6/247, Jr.

Cougs need some sort of pass-rush from the finally healthy DE.

Washington

8Ronnie Fouch (QB), 6-1/203, Fresh.

When teams bring pressure, he struggles – but WSU pass rush isn’t fierce.

15Jermaine Kearse (WR), 6-1/180, Fresh.

UW’s best deep threat bigger and stronger than WSU corners.

19Matt Moseley (CB), 5-10/180, Jr.

He may have the duty of trying to stop WSU’s Brandon Gibson

57Trenton Tuiasosopo (LB), 6-2/243, Sr.

Solid if not flashy, his last Apple Cup has plenty of personal meaning.

66Daniel Te-o-Nesheim (DT), 6-4/263, Jr.

UW’s best pass rushing threat must be a factor in the game.

Ryan Divish, The News Tribune

Originally published: November 22nd, 2008 12:39 AM (PST)