Washington State’s 42-35 win over Washington on Saturday cemented Alex Brink’s place in Cougar lore as the first WSU quarterback to lead three wins over the Huskies.

Playing in his final college game, Brink threw for an Apple Cup-record 399 yards and a record-tying five touchdowns, including the game winner – a 35-yarder to a wide open Brandon Gibson in the final minute.

“It feels awesome right now to have that win personally, as a teammate for the seniors, and for our program,” Brink said. “It means so much to me. To be in a company like that of all of the great quarterbacks that have been here. It was awesome.”

On the other side of the field – and the other side of the emotional scale – was Corey Williams.

The Washington receiver had exploded into the consciousness of UW fans in his first Apple Cup, catching the 21-yard game-winner in 2003.

Saturday, in his final Apple Cup, Williams made a crucial error that may have turned the game more than any other.

With the score tied and six minutes remaining, Williams took a catch down to the WSU 28 – in field goal range. However, the ball popped loose while he was being tackled, and the Cougars recovered.

“He just dropped the ball,” UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. “He caught it, he was fighting for some yardage, and they just took it out of his hands.”

After Brinks’ final touchdown, all eyes shifted to UW quarterback Jake Locker, playing in his first Apple Cup and seeming on the verge of making a legendary debut of his own for much of the night.

Locker and the Huskies took over at midfield with 28 seconds left. They moved to the WSU 40 before Locker’s final desperation pass into the end zone was intercepted by Alfonso Jackson. As it turned out, Williams was the closest Husky to Jackson, but all he could do was give the Cougar one frustrated shove before walking off of the Husky Stadium turf for the final time, head down.

“(WSU) made the plays they had to make to win the football game,” UW coach Tyrone Willingham said. “I thought that we were in position to win the football game and possibly pull away, but we couldn’t make the plays or do the things that we needed to do to do that. It ends up being a very disappointing night.”

It was a game of ebb and flow, from first play to last.

Washington took the lead instantly as Louis Rankin returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown.

The UW lead soon grew to 10 points, and stayed there into the second quarter, before Washington State inched into the halftime lead, 21-20.

The Cougars’ lead peaked at eight early in the third quarter before Washington scored 15 straight.

However, the final run belonged to the Cougars, as Brink and Gibson connected on a 40-yard touchdown to pull even and then the 35-yarder to win.

“I was scared,” Gibson said of the final touchdown. “I looked at it, and said I will catch this ball, or the state of Washington will be upset with me. I looked it in and got a touchdown.”

Afterward, the Huskies seemed unsure how Gibson had gotten so open. Willingham called it a missed assignment. However, defensive coordinator Kent Baer said he would need to watch film to see what went wrong, and linebacker E.J. Savannah wasn’t sure either.

The result was a season-ending victory for Washington State (5-7 overall, 3-6 Pacific-10 Conference), which will now await word on whether head coach Bill Doba will return next season.

“I’m not going to resign,” he said. “I sure hope I’m back next year.”

Washington (4-8, 2-7) concludes its season next week, hoping to spoil the BCS chances of undefeated Hawaii. However, regardless of the result of that game, the Huskies are assured of at least a share of the Pac-10 basement in their third season of Willingham’s rebuilding program.

“I say (to our fans), stay with us,” Willingham said. “I still think this football team is going to grow and become a great football team.”

News Tribune staff writer Todd Milles contributed to this report.

Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808

don.ruiz@thenewstribune.com

blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports

Game in review

WASHINGTON STATE 42, WASHINGTON 35

Player of the game

Maybe Alex Brink will be remembered more for winning this Apple Cup than losing his share of heartbreakers in his three-plus years as a starter. The senior from Eugene, Ore., set an Apple Cup record by passing for 399 yards and five touchdowns, including a pair to Brandon Gibson in the final 7:29 to complete a come-from-behind victory. Brink moved into third on the Pacific-10 Conference career passing list with 10,913 yards, and became the first WSU quarterback to win three Apple Cups.

Husky of the game

Defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim energized the Washington defense with nine tackles. Four came behind the line of scrimmage, including two sacks.

Key stats

Washington State rolled up 509 yards of total offense, becoming the third team to top 500 yards against Washington this season. … WSU averaged 7.7 yards per play. … The Huskies converted two of four fourth-down attempts. … Washington dominated time of possession, 35:05 to 24:55.

Turning point

With the scored tied late in the fourth quarter, Washington receiver Corey Williams caught a pass at the WSU 28 – already in field-goal range. However, the ball popped free as he was being tackled, and Washington State recovered.

Gibson gone?

Gibson, a Rogers High graduate, finished his junior season in grand style, setting WSU’s single-season receiving mark. His six-reception, 137-yard, two-TD outing gave him 1,180 yards this season, eclipsing the old mark held by Nakoa McElrath (1,163 set in 2001). After the game, Gibson said he was waffling on his earlier decision to return for his senior year. “I’ll be honest, I’m putting my papers in (to the NFL draft) and see where it puts me, and I’ll go from there.”

Big start

Washington senior Louis Rankin returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. It was the first kickoff-return TD of his career, the first for a score for UW since Roc Alexander did it against Idaho in 2001, and the first time UW returned a game-opening kickoff for a TD since Ja’Warren Hooker did it against Arizona in 1997. It also was Washington’s longest kickoff return against Washington State.

New middle threat

Replacing WSU tight end Jed Collins’ 52 receptions was nearly impossible, but junior-college transfer Devin Frischknecht gave his best effort. He recorded career highs in catches (five) and yards (88). His 41-yard TD reception with 1:04 to go in the first quarter was the longest catch of his career. “Jed is really a hard guy to replace. I just did my job, ran the routes and Brink got it to me,” Frischknecht said.

Agony to victory

Nobody felt worse about the penalty than WSU safety Alfonso Jackson. The sophomore came up to make sure UW receiver Marcel Reece wasn’t going to catch what he thought was a tipped pass, and leveled him high. Jackson was flagged for a 15-yard penalty for a late hit with 6:25 remaining in the third quarter, which aided the Huskies’ drive for a TD. “I put that one on me. I knew I’d have to make a play, to get that one back,” Jackson said. He did by intercepting Jake Locker’s Hail Mary pass in the end zone to end the game.

Jet speed in the Jet City

Cougars true freshman Jeshua Anderson might go on to catch many TD passes. But his two receiving scores this season have come in Seattle – one on a 39-yard catch against San Diego State at Qwest Field in September and the other on a 28-yarder in the third quarter Saturday.

Turned loose

Last season, Andy Mattingly’s younger brother was so distraught after the Cougars’ Apple Cup loss, he didn’t go to elementary school in Spokane the next Monday. This time, there’ll be no hanging his head – the sophomore linebacker was electric with eight tackles, a forced fumble and his first career interception. He even took the WSU flag and staked it in one of the Huskies end zones after the game. “Hopefully it’s still standing,” he said.

Quote

“It’s totally frustrating for me as a senior. It’s not the way I wanted to go out here. It’s one of those games where you can look back and say shoulda, woulda, coulda. My hat’s off to the Cougs. They came in here and got it done, and we didn’t. And I thought they handled themselves with class after the game and I respect the guys.” – UW senior defensive end Jordan Reffett

Extra points

UW quarterback Jake Locker’s 103 rushing yards gave him the modern Pacific-10 Conference record for rushing yards by a QB. Locker has run for 910 yards this season, passing UCLA’s Jeff Dankworth, who ran for 815 in 1976. … Locker’s 12 rushing TDs ties Mark Brunell for the most by a Huskies QB. Senior Anthony Russo led UW with five catches, and he has caught at least one pass in 36 straight games. … Rankin became the fifth Husky to top 1,000 yards for career kickoff returns. He has 1,106. … Twenty-two UW seniors were honored at Senior Day, marking their final game at Husky Stadium. … UW game captains were Juan Garcia, Greyson Gunheim, Rankin and Reffett.

Up next

Washington State’s season ended at 5-7 overall and 3-6 in the Pac-10. Washington (4-8, 2-7) concludes its season at 6:30 p.m. Saturday with an out-of-conference visit to undefeated Hawaii.

Don Ruiz and Todd Milles, The News Tribune

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