Huskies season ends with 40-13 loss in Apple Cup – and WSU’s biggest margin of victory in the rivalry’s history
Husky Stadium was flooded in crimson.
Washington State fans from every corner of the field made their way toward the purple W in the middle to celebrate the program’s biggest win in this rivalry’s history.
Quarterback Jayden de Laura waved and planted a WSU flag on the turf drawing more cheers from the ecstatic WSU crowd.
Somewhere in the middle of the chaos, the Apple Cup — now headed back to Pullman for the first time since 2012 — was lifted in the air.
Those were the lasting images as this Huskies football season, which fell well short of what most anticipated before it began in September, ended here Friday night in a 40-13 rout.
“It hurt,” Huskies sixth-year tailback Kamari Pleasant said. “This is a tradition, and we take pride in this game and this culture of this program, and taking that loss didn’t feel well.”
“It definitely sucks,” sixth-year tailback Sean McGrew added. “Never lost to them until tonight. And it being the last game, the last home game both of us, obviously you want to go out with a W, and go out with keeping that trophy here at home, because that’s where it belongs.
“But, I guess it’s just been a crazy season and it would have been nice to end on a positive note, but (stuff) happens and can’t change it now. So it’s definitely sad, but the young dudes will bounce back and they probably won’t let it happen again.”
There were many disappointing outcomes along the way this season. The ominous loss to Montana in the season-opener was the first in UW’s history to an FCS program. Michigan ran over the Huskies the next week in Ann Arbor.
Their only win by multiple possessions was over Arkansas State, and their combined four wins, which also included California, Arizona and Stanford, were against programs that are a combined 10-33 entering the final week of the regular season.
They couldn’t get past Oregon State or UCLA early on, and ended with these four straight losses to rival Oregon, Arizona State, Colorado and a final crushing loss to WSU — which ended their seven-game Apple Cup winning streak.
The Huskies (4-8) will finish short of a winning season for the first time since 2009.
They will finish short of bowl eligibility for the first time since that same season.
Following the changes earlier this month — when the program moved on from head coach Jimmy Lake and offensive coordinator John Donovan — they are in the midst of their search for the next coach to lead this program on from this season, which resulted in the worst finish since the Huskies went winless in 2008.
All of it ended here, with the field covered in crimson.
“We had high expectations for ourselves, and we came up short on about all of them,” McGrew said.
WSU (7-5) made sure the Huskies won’t soon forget this final loss. The Cougars — already bound for a bowl game and still in the running for a Pac-12 North title — scored early, often and never let up in this decisive win over the Huskies on a chilly November evening.
It was WSU’s first Apple Cup win since 2012.
It was the Cougars’ first win in Seattle since 2007.
It was also their largest margin of victory in this series — topping their previous best of 26 points in 1973, also inside this stadium.
And it never really seemed as close as the score showed early on.
“This is the Apple Cup,” UW interim head coach Bob Gregory said. “I mean, it hurts. Our kids are hurting in there. I’m hurting. You want to win football games, and this one’s a special one. So, it’s not easy, that’s for sure.”
When it was over, it was WSU — also guided by an interim head coach in Jake Dickert after the program parted ways with Nick Rolovich in October — that was celebrating a convincing win.
The Cougars outgained the Huskies, 454-200.
The conference’s leading passer — de Laura — finished an efficient 27-of-32 for 245 yards and connected with six different receivers, including three in Donovan Ollie (five catches, 68 yards), Calvin Jackson Jr. (six catches, 68 yards) and De’Zhaun Stribling (seven catches, 57 yards) who finished with 50-plus yards.
Meanwhile, Max Borghi led a rushing attack that picked up 5.1 yards per carry and collected 209 yards, finishing with 22 carries for a game-high 129 yards and a pair of scores. Deon McIntosh added another 49 yards and a touchdown on his 16 attempts.
WSU never trailed, scoring on its first two possessions to build a double-digit lead over the Huskies for the first time since its 2004 win in Pullman.
For a moment, it seemed UW’s defense would force a quick three-and-out on the Cougars’ game-opening drive. Bralen Trice brought down Borghi in the backfield on the first play from scrimmage, and a short gain on second down suddenly had WSU in a third-and-long situation.
But, de Laura found Ollie for a long gain over the middle, completed two more passes on the drive, and Borghi carried twice more — the second time breaking free for a 32-yard touchdown.
It was the first of the Cougars’ eight scoring drives.
Dean Janikowski’s 31-yard field goal made it at 10-point advantage on WSU’s next series after the Huskies managed to stall the drive in the red zone.
UW made another timely stop on the next drive after WSU marched down to set up first-and-goal from the 1. Jackson Sirmon and Alex Cook both made tackles in the backfield. Still, Janikowski pushed the lead to 13-0 with 6:32 left in the half on a 25-yard attempt.
The first three drives for the Huskies were less productive. Five-star true freshman Sam Huard, who last spring set the state’s career passing record at Kennedy Catholic High School, made the first start of his career — and was given a warm welcome from the crowd when he was announced pregame — but UW went three-and-out twice, followed on the third drive by Huard’s first career interception trying to find Jalen McMillan on third-and-long. Gonzaga Prep product Armani Marsh hauled in the pass for the first of his two interceptions of the game.
When the first quarter was over, WSU was outgaining UW, 153-2.
When the half was over, that number hadn’t improved much, the Cougars still outpacing the Huskies, 255-63.
Still, it was somehow a one-score game.
UW finally found the end zone on its final drive of the half, with Pleasant picking up the Huskies’ first first down on fourth-and-inches with less than five minutes left in the second quarter. Huard threw for another first down on UW’s biggest play of the half — a 29-yard completion down the sideline to Ja’Lynn Polk — before Pleasant scored on a 10-yard touchdown run to make it 13-7 by the break.
But, WSU piled on more points in the second half, and offensive miscues continued to cost the Huskies.
“We didn’t sustain drives,” Gregory said. “We needed to stay on the field longer offensively and get some drives going.”
Their chance to take a lead on the opening drive of the third quarter was squandered by a quick three-and-out.
The Cougars then ripped off four consecutive scoring drives, and added an interception returned for a touchdown to seal the win.
Borghi capped an efficient drive with a 1-yard score on WSU’s first possession of the half to push the lead to 20-7 midway through the third quarter. Janikowski added another field goal from 41 yards the next drive. McIntosh’s 2-yard touchdown seconds into the fourth quarter made it 30-13, and while that certainly seemed to put the game out of reach, WSU wasn’t done. Janikowski a 39-yarder — his fourth field goal of the game — on the next drive.
Marsh then intercepted another Huard pass on the first play of UW’s next possession, and this time returned it for a 28-yard score with 8:23 to play, pushing WSU to the 40-point mark in this series for the first time since 2007.
Huard — who finished 17-of-31 passing for 190 yards — threw four total interceptions, including the three in the second half, as the Cougars pulled away. Two in the third quarter were snagged by Derrick Langford and Bellevue product Justus Rogers before the Rogers touchdown.
UW’s only score in the second half was early in the fourth quarter, when Huard capped a drive with a 16-yard pass to Rome Odunze, who made a one-handed grab in the end zone. The touchdown pass was the first of Huard’s career.
“I think he showed some flashes,” Gregory said. “And the four turnovers kill you, and we didn’t get any turnovers on defense. And they weren’t all his fault by any means. But, I hope Husky Nation can see this guy’s got a very bright future in front of him. I think you’re in good hands.”
Odunze led the Huskies in receiving with three catches for 69 yards and the touchdown. UW’s rushing attack netted a season-low 10 yards led by Pleasant’s 34 on eight attempts.
This story was originally published November 26, 2021 at 8:24 PM.
