Dawgs'
D has shown some bite
Washington looks to extend Apple Cup victory
streak to six led by a defense that's holding opponents to 16.6 points per game
By DALE
GRUMMERT of the Lewiston Idaho Trib Nov 22, 2018
PULLMAN -
Washington Huskies coach Chris Petersen turned to his questioner and listened
intently, the furrows of his forehead deepening as he raised his eyebrows. Then
he nodded as he recognized the drift of the question.
"In
his execution of the spread offense -" the reporter began, clearly
referring to Washington State coach Mike Leach. "Obviously it's different
with each coach, but it's always been said that the spread is the great
equalizer for schools that weren't going to recruit four- and five-star guys -
(they) can even the playing field. Is there more to it than that?"
Petersen
took a breath and gave his nose a fidgety swipe.
"Loaded
question," you imagined him thinking. "Proceed with caution."
Yet the
question cuts to the heart of the Petersen vs. Leach era of the Apple Cup,
whose next edition kicks off at 5:30 p.m. Friday (FOX) at Martin Stadium in
Pullman. The winner between the No. 16 Huskies (8-3, 6-2) and the No. 7 Cougars
(10-1, 7-1) will claim the Pac-12 North title and face Utah next week for the league
championship.
Yes, it's
often been theorized that coaches such as Leach employ spread offenses to
mitigate a disparity in talent, believing that decentralizing the action allows
a team to prosper with finesse rather than hard-to-recruit girth and power.
Regardless
of how true that is, Leach's approach has failed miserably against the Huskies.
The Cougars rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat their intrastate rivals in
Leach's first year at the helm in 2012, but since then the Wazzu boss is 0-5 against
the Dawgs and getting outscored 189-71. The last four of those losses have come
against Petersen, by the remarkably consistent scores of 31-13, 45-10, 45-17
and 41-14.
Like an
increasing number of WSU opponents, the Huskies in these matchups choose to
blitz infrequently, deny the vertical passing game and try to tackle well in
space. Unlike many of those teams, the Dawgs have boasted enough size and
sizzle up front and enough speed in the secondary to make the plan sparkle.
Their
outlook was expressed saltily after the 2016 Apple Cup in Pullman by Jimmy
Lake, who has coached UW defensive backs for five years and is now the sole
defensive coordinator.
"This
is our favorite game of the year," he told the Seattle Times,
"because anytime an offense - when we know they're going to throw the ball
60 times, it really makes game-planning easy. ... I hope (the Cougars)
continually do exactly what they're doing because this is an awesome game to
play."
The
awesomeness for U-Dub is reflected in the statistics. During the Petersen
tenure, the Washington defense has forced 18 Cougar turnovers and collected 14
sacks. The Huskies' defensive line has pass-rushed so effectively that their
speedy coverage men have dominated the back end without needing to take many risks.
If Leach's
Air Raid is the equalizer, the Huskies' defense has been the guardian of
tradition. The Dawgs lead the Apple Cup series 72-32-6.
At a
glance, not much has changed this year for Washington, which is giving up only
16.6 points a game and hasn't allowed any opponent more than 30.
But there
are a few differences. The Dawgs' pro-style offense is less consistent. Their
defense has mustered only 17 sacks, third-fewest in the league. And they're not
likely to pad that stat against new WSU quarterback Gardner Minshew, who's
getting stellar protection that he's augmenting with quick feet.
These are
among the reasons WSU is favored (by 21/2 points) in the Apple Cup for the
first time since 2006.
After
deliberating a moment on the "equalizer" question, Petersen looked
back at the reporter and said, yes, there's more to it than that.
"There's
a lot of precision to this offense," he said of Leach's Air Raid.
"The really good coaches, the really special systems and styles, always
look very simple. Yet they do it at such a high level. He keeps it simple for
his guys, but there's a lot of detail and sophistication to get there."
In other
words, he sidestepped the question. He'll let the game itself do the answering.
COACH OF
THE YEAR? - Leach on Wednesday was named one of 18 semifinalists for the George
Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year award.
It's the
third straight year he's made it that far in the selection process.
:::
Snow, wind
could add more drama to 111th Apple Cup as Huskies, Cougars play for Pac-12
North title
Originally
published November 22, 2018 at 11:17 am Updated November 22, 2018 at 1:06 pm
The
Cougars are favored, by 2.5 points, going into the Apple Cup for the first time
since 2006. Is No. 8 Washington State primed to get its first win over the
Huskies in four years?
By Adam
Jude, Seattle Tim
Courtesy
of the National Weather Service, here is the latest forecast for
Friday night in Pullman:
Rain and
snow, becoming all snow after midnight. Low around 30. Breezy, with a west wind
17 to 21 mph, with gusts as high as 33 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New
snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible.
As if the
tensions and the implications and the anticipation weren’t enough, the elements
could add another layer of drama to the 111th Apple Cup between the No. 7
Cougars and No. 16 Huskies. Kickoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Friday for a FOX
national broadcast.
#16
HUSKIES vs. #7 COUGARS
Friday,
Nov. 23 | 5:30 p.m. | Martin Stadium
This ought
to be fun.
“Last game
of the year, playing for a Pac-12 North (title) to get to the championship —
that’s the Apple Cup,” UW co-defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski said.
Indeed,
for the third year in a row the Apple Cup has major stakes for both programs —
with a division title and a spot in next week’s Pac-12 championship game on the
line. For the Cougars (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12), there’s still hope of a College
Football Playoff berth, just as it was for the Huskies two years ago in
Pullman.
This is
the third time year in a row — and just the eighth time ever — in which both
teams have been ranked in The Associated Press Top 25 for the matchup.
The
Cougars are favored, by 2.5 points, going into the Apple Cup for the first time
since 2006. The Huskies have won the last six Apple Cups against a ranked WSU
team (2001, 2002, 2003, 2015, 2016, 2017).
A victory
over Washington could be the signature statement the Cougars need to truly
vault them in the playoff discussion.
“It’s
huge,” WSU quarterback Gardner Minshew said. “Take the rivalry out of it. We’re
playing for the Pac-12 North, playing to keep our playoff hopes alive. So it’s
huge for our team. At the beginning of the year, we set out saying we wanted to
win the Pac-12 and this is just another step in that journey.”
For the
Huskies (8-3, 6-2), the season hasn’t quite played out as many had hoped in
August, when UW was a top-10 team and expected to be the Pac-12’s best shot at
contending for a playoff spot.
But
playing for a Pac-12 title and a potential Rose Bowl berth? Those are no small
consolation prizes for the Huskies and a senior class that is looking to remain
undefeated against the Cougars.
“We don’t
need any extra motivation to play those guys in general, especially if it’s for
the Pac-12 championship,” senior cornerback Jordan Miller said.
Minshew, a
Mississippi native who spent the past two years playing at East Carolina,
didn’t know anything about the Apple Cup before arriving on the Palouse this
summer.
“Coming up
here, you learn fast about how much people care about it and how much it means
to everybody,” he said this week. “There’s definitely some bitter feelings
there. This is one that means a lot to people. Even coming into the year, this
is one everybody had circled: ‘We want to do all these great things, but we
want to be Washington.’ And that’s something that’s stuck (with) me and
something that means a lot to these guys.”
Minshew
leads the nation in passing and has vaulted into the Heisman Trophy race. He
leads the Pac-12’s No. 1 scoring offense against UW’s No. 1 scoring defense.
The Huskies again have one of the top passing defenses in the country, having
allowed just nine touchdown passes in 11 games and just 5.9 yards per pass
attempt.
“They’ve
had a lot of success against us these last few years, but one of the biggest
things we’re saying is it’s not the past few years,” Minshew said. “Each year
is a new year, each game is a new game. We’re a new team. So we’re looking
forward to the challenge of playing them. …
“I think
we’re playing with kind of a different spirit than a lot of the teams in the
country right now. We take a lot of pride in how we’re playing.”
::::::::::::::::::
WSU
football
Husky fans
in Spokane plan trip down Palouse ahead of Apple Cup matchup
Thu., Nov.
22, 2018
The
Spokesman-Review/ by Kip Hill
There are
at least a few Spokane residents who haven’t been caught up this fall in the
Minshew Madness, nor reveled in every offbeat joke at a Mike Leach presser.
Several
dozen of those Inland Northwest fans who claim the purple and gold, rather than
the crimson and gray, will pack into a charter bus downtown Friday afternoon,
ready to make the 75-mile trek to cheer for the underdog Washington Huskies in
the 111th edition of the Apple Cup.
“I’ve had
people calling this week to see if there’s room, which is great,” said
Stephanie Fleisher, a 2008 graduate of the University of Washington who serves
as assistant director of Spokane and Eastern Washington relations for the
school. “We have Husky fans coming from Southern California to ride the bus.”
Such road
trips have been infrequent in recent years, said Steve Lamberson, a local
attorney and UW alumnus from 1978. Lamberson estimated he’d been to 40 Apple
Cups over the years, including the contests in the early and middle 2000s when
the two teams taking the field hadn’t performed anywhere close to the two
top-15 powers that will battle Friday night.
“From 2000
to 2015 – we called them the dark years,” Lamberson said.
“The
Huskies just went through numerous coaches.”
The
Huskies won 10 of those 15 contests but fell in the 2008 game in Pullman to
round out the first winless season in Pac 12 play in 28 years. Known
colloquially as the “Crapple Cup,” because Washington State’s victory only
pushed them to two wins on the season, most Husky fans say now they’re just
happy Friday’s game will take on some meaning.
“I’m glad
we’re a long way from that scenario,” said Mark Ostersmith, a 1990 graduate of
UW who now is the chapter lead for the school’s alumni association in Spokane.
Ostersmith
won’t be watching the game in Pullman – he has Thanksgiving plans with the
in-laws. But don’t count the Spokane native among those who hope for a close
contest. Even with the compelling story of WSU’s breakout star quarterback, and
a season that has defied all expectations for the Cougars, Ostersmith wants a
blowout.
“Some
people say, ‘I just want it to be a good game,’ ” he said. “To heck with that,
I want to win by 40 every time.”
That
sentiment is shared by father and son Jay and Brayden Underwood, who will both
be traveling to Pullman on Friday, but not on the alumni bus. The pair said
they wanted a big Husky win, but acknowledged that WSU had earned its national
prominence by performing at a high level all year.
“I live
here, so I’m one of those Husky fans that, I don’t always root for the Cougars
but I have actually rooted for them this year and it’s been a lot of fun,” said
Jay Underwood. “I am envious.”
“I’m
optimistic that the Cougs aren’t really as good as they look, and that the
Huskies – ” Jay Underwood continued, before his son cut him off on the phone
line.
“Well,
we’re really only a few plays away from having the same record as them,”
Brayden Underwood, a 2016 graduate of the university who now lives in Seattle,
said. “It’s all just kinda crazy how college football works in that sense. For
me, I don’t know if I’d say I’m envious.”
Most Husky
fans agreed while there’s some good-natured ribbing between the two fan bases
in Spokane, it’s not as difficult to cheer for their alma mater in Eastern
Washington as in other rivalries.
“One thing
the Cougars and Huskies share in common is their hatred for Oregon,” said Jay
Underwood. “But I think there’s no denying that the Cougar/Husky rivalry is
bigger than that, we just don’t like to admit it.”
Lamberson
said in his many visits to Pullman over the years as a Husky fan he’s never
faced any unreasonable heckling.
“It’s
hostile, in a good-natured, good-spirited way,” Lamberson said.
Ostersmith
remembered back to growing up as a Husky fan in Spokane, and how his brother,
Sean Smith, reacted following a Cougar upset victory. He estimated it was the
1982 contest, when Washington State knocked off the heavily favored,
fifth-ranked Husky squad 24-20 in Pullman to deny the favorites a trip to the
Rose Bowl.
“All these
Cougs came out of the woodwork,” Ostersmith remembered, laughing. “And my
brother wrote this poem, ‘Ode to the Closet Coug.’ I think it was therapeutic
for him.”
The Husky
faithful all agreed making a clear prediction in what promises to be an Apple
Cup for the ages was difficult.
“I hope
it’s a blowout,” Ostersmith said. “But, if you asked me, gun to my head, I have
no clue how this game is going to go.”
::::::::::::::::::
Once a
Coug, always a Coug
Cornerback
will take field for final time after being doubted, fighting through adversity
Kevin
Molton, Darrien’s dad, said his son is looking forward to taking on UW in the
Apple Cup and is desperate for a victory. “I think he wants it as bad as
anything he’s ever wanted in his life,” he said.
By DYLAN
GREENE, Evergreen editor-in-chief
November 22,
2018
It’s rare
when a football player arrives on a campus and starts from the very get-go. But
senior cornerback Darrien Molton did and he hasn’t surrendered the role since.
He wasn’t
just given the starting spot though, he had to earn it and Darrien’s dad, Kevin
Molton, said that is something his son has done his whole life.
“This
kid’s a workaholic,” Kevin said. “With me, anything and everything I’ve asked
him to do, he did it.”
But his
journey to Pullman didn’t come without a few bumps in the road.
In high
school, Darrien hit a growth spurt that he admitted may have been too fast for
his size. This caused Darrien to develop Osgood-Schlatter disease, an injury
due to repetitive use that causes knee pain in growing adolescents and could
lead to a lump developing above the kneecap.
Darrien
had to miss half of a season to fully recover from the injury, but he got
through it. Then three games into his senior season, Darrien had to get his
gallbladder removed.
By the
time he went in to have it removed, it was severely infected which extended
Darrien’s timeline to fully recover. This led to Darrien missing the rest of
his senior season.
Darrien
said doctors wanted him to be cautious before deciding to return to the field.
“They
didn’t want me to come back to fast because if I would’ve got hit or something
like that in my stomach, it could’ve been real bad,” he said.
Despite
the surgery, teams continued to show interest in Darrien, particularly WSU.
Kevin recalls when Head Coach Mike Leach, linebackers coach Ken Wilson and
former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch came to their home in California for a
visit.
Kevin said
they all had a shocked look on their face when they saw Darrien and how small
he was.
“I don’t
think they believed he could be as good as he was just based on his size,” he
said.
At the
time, Darrien was still recovering from having his gallbladder removed and
Kevin said his son lost up to 25 pounds during the process.
But Kevin
said coach Wilson had watched Darrien’s tape and seen him play in person and
knew what he was capable of.
The
coaches told Darrien it was going to take some time for him to get acclimated
to playing in college and basically told him he might have to redshirt his first
season.
But Kevin
wanted to make sure they would give Darrien a chance to compete for a spot
regardless. Wilson reassured him they would.
“No one
knew [Darrien] like I did,” Kevin said.
His dad
was right because once Darrien stepped foot on campus everyone took notice.
Darrien weighed in at 160 pounds when he arrived in Pullman, but that didn’t
hold him back.
Kevin said
Darrien called him within the first week and told him he was going to play that
season. Kevin was encouraged to hear that everything was going well, but he
didn’t make much of it because the Cougars didn’t have any pads on.
Then
Darrien and the team made the annual trip down to Lewiston for fall camp and
Kevin lost contact with his son for about nine days while they were cut off from
the outside world.
Kevin went
to bed that first night Darrien was in Lewiston at 6 p.m. because he was so
nervous and was just hoping to hear something positive about his performance at
camp.
The next
morning, Kevin woke up to a text that asked him if he had seen what his son had
done. Darrien had three interceptions on the first day.
Of course,
Kevin had no idea what was going on because he was in California and had no way
to reach his son. But on the third day of camp, Wilson sent a photo of Darrien asleep
on a bench and told Kevin that his son was getting reps at nickel.
Day-by-day,
Darrien worked his way from the bottom of the depth chart to taking snaps as
the starting cornerback.
Kevin said
it was exciting to receive messages every day about how well his son was doing
and how quickly Darrien was working his way past players that had more
experience, but it wasn’t surprising.
“I know a
football player when I see one,” he said. “My eyes tell me that [Darrien] can
play football not some scoreboard.”
So Darrien
started at a cornerback in his freshman season and his performance on the field
showed his worthy of it. Pro Football Focus named Darrien one of the top two
true freshmen cornerbacks in the nation after the 2015 season.
Now
heading into his final home game in a Cougar uniform, Kevin recognizes how much
Darrien has grown as a player and a person during his time in Pullman.
“I can
tell you first hand that this has been the most incredible experience and ride
of a lifetime,” he said. “Not only for Darrien but our entire family because …
he’s given us something that most people could only dream of.”
Kevin said
he’s been proud of his son’s ability to fight through obstacles throughout his
career.
“He’s had
adversity,” he said, “but he’s always come back stronger and better than ever
and with a positive attitude because he works hard.”
Darrien
said at the end of season he hopes he can look back and know he left it all out
on the field. He also wants to be recognized as one of the top corners in the
conference.
Darrien’s
final chance to play at Martin Stadium will be Friday when WSU takes on UW in
the Apple Cup. The 21-year-old has not been on the field for a Cougar victory
over the Huskies in his career. He has one last chance and his dad knows it.
“As a
54-year-old man, I want to suit up and help him get over the hump,” Kevin said.
“I think he wants it as bad as anything he’s ever wanted in his life.”
Kevin said
he thinks Darrien has already started to imagine what it will be like to step
off the field at Martin Stadium for the final time and knows it will be special
for him.
“I think
the memories that he’s built there and the time he’s shared there,” he said,
“it’s probably going to be really sad for him leaving because I can already
tell that it’s starting to hit him and we’re just trying to keep focused on …
once you’re a Coug, you’re always going to be a Coug.”
:::::::::::::::::
WSU
football
Two minute
drill: Keys to a potential victory for Washington State against Washington in
the Apple Cup
UPDATED:
Thu., Nov. 22, 2018, 4:06 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson of Spokane’s Spokesman-Review
Don’t take
your eyes off …
The most
valuable player of Washington State’s season will also have to be the Cougars’
top performer – or at least one of them – in this Apple Cup. WSU might not need
the mind-numbing passing stats from No. 16, but Gardner Minshew’s leadership
and calming presence in the huddle could be valuable if the Cougars find
themeslves in an early hole. If he can keep WSU in the game, Minshew’s poise in
the fourth quarter might come in handy as well. In each of their 11 games this
year, the Cougars have either gone into the fourth quarter with a victory
essentially in hand, or they’ve put themselves in a position to win late. That
wasn’t the case in 2017, when WSU’s four losses came by an average margin of
26.7 points. Minshew has led three winning scoring drives in the fourth quarter
this season (Utah, Stanford, Cal) and has only squandered one opportunity
(USC). If the Cougars are still in this game toward the end, they should feel
all right about their chances.
When
Washington has the ball …
“Browning
takes the snap, hands off to Gaskin.” If you want to make a Washington State
fan uneasy, those eight words will usually do the trick. Myles Gaskin, the
senior running back from Lynnwood, Washington, is playing in his final Apple
Cup and it can’t come any sooner for the Cougars. They might have to stomach
one more big game from the small but powerful tailback, who’s averaged 5.8
yards per carry in his three games against WSU and could hit 500 career yards
against the Cougars with just 120 in his Apple Cup finale. But Gaskin isn’t the
only back that should frighten WSU. Salvon Ahmed is getting into the end zone
just as much as his backfield mate this season, but with significantly fewer
touches. Both players have seven rushing touchdowns, but Ahmed, a sophomore,
has 103 fewer attempts.
When WSU
has the ball …
Lighting
up the scoreboard early has been a key to the Cougars’ success, especially
given the lulls they’ve had in the third quarter. In the first period, WSU is
outscoring its opposition 107-65. Tack on the 153-82 disparity in the second
quarter and the Cougars have outscored foes 260-147 in the first half. It would
mark a major breakthrough if WSU can keep this trend going. The Cougars have
been outscored a whopping 90-13 in the first half of the rivalry game since Chris
Petersen got to UW – including 49-6 in the first quarter – and the Huskies have
scored 12 first-half touchdowns compared to one for WSU during that same span.
Tossing a punch in the first quarter could be what finally gives the Cougars an
edge in the rivalry game.
Did you
know?
Both radio
broadcast booths – UW’s and WSU’s – will look a little bit different this Apple
Cup. For the first time since 1979, former Huskies play-by-play broadcaster Bob
Rondeau, who retired after the 2017 season, won’t be on the call for the annual
rivalry game. And likewise, legendary Cougars broadcaster Bob Robertson won’t
be inside the Wazzu booth for the first time since 1971. Robertson, who’d most
recently been an analyst, announced his own retirement in mid-October.
#
