Apple Cup preview: WSU a heavy underdog against undefeated Washington

Nov. 25—The last time Washington State played the Apple Cup in Seattle, the Cougars defeated Washington by their largest margin in the series' 115-game history in 2021.

That 40-13 win at Husky Stadium, which ended with quarterback Jayden de Laura planting Ol' Crimson at midfield surrounded by adoring WSU fans, cemented the head coaching job for then-interim coach Jake Dickert.

Two years later, Dickert and the Cougs will be hard-pressed to repeat that historic moment.

No. 4 Washington (11-0, 8-0 Pac-12) has national title aspirations and is currently riding an 18-game winning streak going back to Oct. 8 of last year.

Meanwhile, WSU (5-6, 2-6) has lost to three of the bottom-five teams in the conference in the last four weeks.

The Apple Cup kicks off at 1 p.m. today (FOX) at Husky Stadium.

"Everywhere you go, when I first got here and when I first took this job, they said one thing: Win the Apple Cup," Dickert said during his weekly radio show. "It just says exactly what it means to everybody."

Penix powers the Husky offense

No quarterback in the Football Bowl Subdivision has thrown for more passing yards this season than Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.

The senior and Heisman hopeful leads the FBS with 3,695 yards to go along with 30 touchdowns (third in FBS), seven interceptions and a 66.5% completion rate.

In last year's Apple Cup, Penix threw for 485 yards and three TDs.

"Obviously he's a first-round (NFL draft) talent that just throws some balls that you look at the film and shake your head at, and a bunch of receivers that go up and get it," Dickert said.

Not all Penix

It's not all the Penix show.

Much of the QB's success comes thanks to a stellar offensive line that has allowed just seven sacks this season.

He also has top-tier weapons at his disposal, like wide receiver Rome Odunze (11 TDs, 109.6 yards per game) and running back Dillon Johnson (11 TDs, 101.4 total yards per game).

The Husky offense is an "aggressive" pro-style, with lots of shifts, motions and deep pass attempts.

Cougars finally have some momentum

After six straight weeks of losses, WSU finally got back on the right track last week with a surprising 56-14 victory against Colorado.

Between edge Brennan Jackson's two fumble-return touchdowns and quarterback Cam Ward's 288 passing yards and four total touchdowns, the Cougars were finally clicking in all three facets — something that was severely lacking during their losing streak.

The WSU offense will try its best to expose a Huskies team that allows 401.5 yards per game, which ranks No. 8 in the Pac-12.

Apple Cup by the numbers

15.5: How many points UW is favored by according to draftkings.com.

1900: The year the first Apple Cup was played, a 5-5 tie in Seattle.

75-33-8: The all-time series record in favor of UW.

Seven: The bowl streak that's on the line for WSU, which needs a win to guarantee an eighth straight bowl game. That's the second-longest bowl streak in the Pac-12 (Utah).

51-33: The score in last year's Apple Cup in Pullman, a UW victory.

What they're saying about the rivalry

"It's just a rivalry game. We have them in high school, we have them (here), but this one definitely is a little bit more special, it's a little bit more meaningful and it's one that we've gotta get." — WSU safety Jaden Hicks

"This game is really big, not just because they're an undefeated team but just for the community alone. We've been playing the Apple Cup for, what, the 115th meeting? So it's not only big for this team but for (everyone)." — WSU WR Lincoln Victor

"We've gotta go into a really tough environment and steal a win. It's going to take our guys performing the way they're capable of performing and playing with an effort and energy level that's going to rival our opponent's — WSU coach Jake Dickert.

Wiebe may be contacted at (208) 848-2260, swiebe@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @StephanSports.