Washington vs. Washington State. The five greatest Apple Cup games of the last 35 years
The 111th edition of the Apple Cup is just hours away and if the build up for the latest showdown can match the hype, it will be the latest in a handful of Apple Cup classics.
Here are five games that stand out as the greatest Apple Cup games of the last 35 years:
1985
In what is probably the coldest Apple Cup, the Cougars threw a monkey wrench into the Huskies plans for a possible trip to the Rose Bowl.
Three Mark Rypien touchdowns were the difference in a 21-20 victory over the Huskies in Husky Stadium. On fourth down, Huskies quarterback Chris Chandler connected with Lonzell Hill on a 50-yard TD that appeared to give the Huskies a game-tying score with under a minute remaining. Head coach Don James decided to go for the win but the Huskies missed a two-point conversion that allowed Washington State to escape with the victory.
1992
Maybe the most iconic play in the most iconic game in Apple Cup history, if you’re a Washington State fan.
The setting, a cold a snowy day in Pullman. The play, a deep pass from Drew Bledsoe to Phillip Bobo for a touchdown that helped break a three-game winning streak by Washington. While the game was not as close as the 42-23 score indicated, it was a big play in a snowglobe-setting that most defines this rivalry.
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1997
How is this for signficance: Ryan Leaf leads Cougars to first Rose Bowl since 1931.
The scenario was pretty simple for the Cougars, win and get some help from either UCLA or Arizona and you go to the Rose Bowl. A year after the first-ever Apple Cup game to go to overtime — won by UW — Leaf and the Cougs got a measure of revenge.
With just over four minutes left in the third quarter, Ryan Leaf connects with Chris Jackson on a 50-yard score that would give the Cougars a 10-point lead and help seal a trip to the Rose Bowl.
2002
Washington couldn’t reach the Rose Bowl in 2002 so they had to use the other option, completely wreck their arch rivals path to a national championship game. With less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Cougars were running the clock out but decided to throw a pass. That was a bad idea as Matt Kegel was intercepted by Nate Robinson.
On the ensuing drive, the Huskies would kick a game-tying field goal to force overtime. After trading field goals in the first two OT sessions, Washington State needed a TD to win but instead what unfolded but was one of the strangest plays in Apple Cup history. Kai Ellis’ interception ends the game.
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2012
This was the year of the biggest Apple Cup comeback.
Down 18 in the fourth quarter, the Cougars used an 18-point blitz to force overtime. Washington could not convert what would’ve been a game-winning field goal from 35 yards sailed wide.
In overtime, Huskies quarterback Keith Price is intercepted by WSU’s Toni Pole, which sets up Andrew Furney for the game-winning 27-yard field goal, giving the Cougars a 31-28 win.
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This story was originally published November 23, 2018 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Washington vs. Washington State. The five greatest Apple Cup games of the last 35 years."