SNOWED UNDER
Cougars' grand
aspirations dashed in snowy loss to Huskies
By DALE GRUMMERT
Lewiston Tribune
Nov 24, 2018
PULLMAN -
At halftime, the operator of the giant video board at Martin Stadium flashed
the message, "Welcome to Snowbowl 2018."
The
clarification at the end was valid, because this was nothing like the Snowbowl
of 1992.
It was the
Huskies from rainy Seattle who found their footing at crucial times amid an
incessant Pullman snowstorm friday night, sullying a cherished Washington State
memory from 26 years ago and - by the way - dashing the Cougars' dearest dreams
of 2018.
Falling
behind by two touchdowns midway through the first half and failing to gather
enough traction for one of their trademark rallies, the No. 7 Cougars bowed
down to Washington on Friday night, 28-15, in an intrastate rivalry game that
decided the Pac-12 North champion.
It wasn't
the Snowbowl of Wazzu lore. It was the Apple Cup that plays out maddeningly in
the Cougars' collective unconscious.
"It's
very frustrating," WSU nickelback Hunter Dale said. "It's not how I
wanted to go out. But they came out there and they executed when we didn't
execute. And that's the outcome."
Again, the
Cougars couldn't stop Myles Gaskin. Again, they couldn't match their rivals in
football fundamentals. Again, they bid farewell to a chance for a conference
championship as they lost the Apple Cup for the sixth consecutive year. Also
out the window are the Cougs' long-shot hopes for a spot in the four-team
national playoffs.
In
addition, the Cougs kissed goodbye an eight-game overall winning streak and a
13-game home skein, dating back to their Apple Cup loss here two years ago.
The
expected rainfall began turning to snow a half-hour before kickoff, touching
off fond WSU memories of the 1992 Apple Cup, when Drew Bledsoe led the Cougars
to a 42-23 win at Pullman in what would eventually be called the Snowbowl.
But the
Cougars, whose Air Raid offense is predicated on accurate passes and quick-cut
downfield catch-and-runs, never looked wholly comfortable as the snowflakes
grew fatter and, in the second half, began swirling in the accelerating wind.
"They
do the same thing year in and year out, which is five years in a row now,"
UW defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said of the Cougars' offense. "It
makes it really easy to game-plan when an offense does the same thing every
year. Obviously, now with the conditions, and they can only do one thing, it
handcuffs you a little bit. Definitely to our advantage, and we took
advantage."
It was the
third straight year the Huskies (9-3, 7-2) have knocked Wazzu out of the Pac-12
title game, and this time the Dawgs, as in 2016, will be the North delegate
instead. They face Utah on Friday night for the league crown at Santa Clara,
Calif., while the Cougars (10-2, 7-2) wait until Dec. 2 to learn their bowl
destination.
"Adverse,
bizarre conditions," WSU coach Mike Leach said. "... Conditions like
that (have effects that) are kind of random, as far as where the ball goes. I
would say where it probably hurt our team the most is, you know, we're not
really big on the defensive front, and we rely on speed. And I think it
mitigated our speed, as far as cutting and weaving and moving.
"I do
think they blocked better than we did today," he said. "I think they
tackled better than we did. And they won."
Gaskin
bedeviled the Cougars for 170 rushing yards, including 80 on a back-breaking
touchdown run that produced the final score with 12:30 remaining. The Huskies'
senior running back, whose lateral moves give Wazzu fits, racked up a combined
362 ground yards in his final two Apple Cup.
"Half
our game plan was out the window by the end of the third quarter when it (the
snow) just kept coming down," Washington coach Chris Petersen said.
"The same thing I'm sure for Washington State on their side of the ball as
well. It was much different than I think everybody had planned on."
Petersen
defeated Leach for the fifth straight time since taking the Husky helm.
Gardner
Minshew, the grad-transfer quarterback from Mississippi who has galvanized a
Wazzu team picked in the preseason to place fifth in the North, met his match
in the eastern Washington snowfall, his first time playing in such conditions.
He completed 26 of 35 passes for 152 yards, no touchdowns and two
interceptions, including one late in third quarter by Ben Burr-Kirven.
Earlier,
the Huskies had extended their lead to 20-9 with a double pass, with receiver
Aaron Fuller catching an out from Jake Browning and then tossing downfield to
Hunter Bryant for a 22-yard TD.
The
Cougars' Willie Taylor later caused a fumble by Browning, recovered by Dillon
Sherman to set up a 1-yard scoring plunge by James Williams to make it 20-15.
Easop Winston Jr. was ruled to be beyond the end zone when he caught a pass on
the conversion try.
The snow
affected both teams early, but the Huskies found their footing first, producing
Gaskin touchdowns on back-to-back drives midway through the first half. Setting
them up were Browning's 48-yard pass to Andre Baccellia and Salvon Ahmen's
24-yard sweep.
Travell
Harris finally provided a spark to WSU with a 61-yard kickoff return, but the
Cougars still needed five minutes to skittishly travel 49 yards for Williams'
12-yard TD bolt to make it 14-7 with 33 seconds on the clock before halftime.
Cole
Dubots forced a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, and WSU's Dezmon Patmon
recovered on the Washington 27. But the Cougars squandered the opportunity when
Minshew heaved for the end zone on third-and-7 and Byron Murphy intercepted.
By late in
the second quarter, the yardage lines were invisible on the west side of the
field, though plows at halftime then removed much of the surface snow. The
field crew then used snow shovels to create marks at 5-yard intervals in the
second half.
But that
didn't help the Cougars to stay on their feet, see their way downfield, or
prevent their charmed season from going awry.
Washington
7 7 6 8 - 28
Washington
St. 0 7 8 0 – 15
First
Quarter
WAS-Gaskin
5 run (Henry kick), :08
Second
Quarter
WAS-Gaskin
5 run (Henry kick), :08
WST-J.Williams
11 run (Mazza kick), :33
Third
Quarter
WAS-H.Bryant
22 pass from Fuller (kick failed), 12:40
WST-J.Williams
1 run (pass failed), 4:44
Fourth
Quarter
WAS-Gaskin
80 run (Ahmed run), 12:30
WAS WST
First
downs 20 16
Rushes-yards
44-258 24-85
Passing
229 151
Comp-Att-Int
12-15-1 26-35-2
Return
Yards 6 95
Punts-Avg.
2-31.5 5-35.6
Fumbles-Lost
3-2 1-0
Penalties-Yards
6-47 4-21
Time of
Possession 32:55 27:05
INDIVIDUAL
STATISTICS
RUSHING-Washington,
Gaskin 27-170, Ahmed 9-88, Browning 6-5, N.Harris 0-0, (Team) 2-(minus 5).
Washington St., J.Williams 11-65, Borghi 5-20, Minshew 7-11, (Team) 1-(minus
11).
PASSING-Washington,
Fuller 1-1-0-22, Browning 11-14-1-207. Washington St., Minshew 26-35-2-151.
RECEIVING-Washington,
Baccellia 5-89, H.Bryant 3-108, Ahmed 2-22, Jones 1-12, Otton 1-(minus 2).
Washington St., Borghi 7-49, J.Williams 7-30, C.Jackson 4-25, Sweet 3-19,
Martin 3-13, Winston 1-10, Patmon 1-5.
MISSED
FIELD GOALS-None.
::::::::::::::::
Minshew mania
put on ice
By Colton
Clark Lewsiton Tribune Nov 24, 2018
PULLMAN -
Gardner Minshew and his mustache have been the subjects of many a national news
segment, and for the countless fake-hair-lip-donning aficionados of the
Washington State football team, it felt like there was no end in sight for
Cougar triumphs, buttressed by that good-natured southern boy's string of
Heisman-worthy showings.
That is,
before the Mississippi-born-and-bred quarterback and his band of seventh-ranked
Cougars ran into a blizzard - and the Washington Huskies, too.
Minshew
went 26-of-35 for 152 yards and tossed two picks in WSU's demoralizing 28-15
Apple Cup loss to No. 16 UW on Friday night. That's less than half of his
now-second-worst passing yardage total (319 at Wyoming) and only about 39
percent of his season average 400 yards per game, which led the nation.
Until now,
perhaps.
Minshew
was a dark-horse Heisman trophy candidate, a designation that only seemed more
and more suitable as the season progressed, and as he fashioned a succession of
high-percentage and high-yardage totals beside superb touchdown-to-interception
ratios.
The
question of whether or not he'll receive an invite to that Dec. 8 New York
celebration of the nation's best NCAA football players is more up in the air
now than ever - and it was relatively uncertain, even before Friday.
What
happened? How did the ostensibly unshakable Wazzu leader falter against the
Chris Petersen-led Huskies, who now appear more than ever to have the Cougs'
number?
First, he
said he "didn't do enough to win" and recollected a "few
(errant) throws" and a third-down slide in the first quarter where he
"thought he had it, but I didn't." The very next rep - with WSU in
scoring position - Minshew couldn't reel in a bad snap, and the momentum (and
the ball) returned to the purple, where it stayed for all but just a few
minutes.
Minshew
never really appeared relaxed in what began as a drizzle and morphed into a
full-fledged snowstorm early in the second quarter. Despite his response of
"very rarely" when asked if his hometown of Brandon, Miss., ever sees
snow like that, Minshew contended that the blizzard had little to do with the
outcome.
"They
were playing in it too," he resolved. "It's all on us. It's not on
the weather or anything like that."
Still,
he'd never played in as icy a game as that - it was 70 degrees in his hometown
on Friday afternoon - and it showed. Yes, UW defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake
dialed up some exotic blitzes, which forced Minshew to shift around the pocket
to a heightened extent, but oftentimes, even when his hogs gave him space, he'd
misfire.
"When
you're in conditions like that, it's kinda a random game," WSU coach Mike
Leach said. "You slip or the other guy slips."
Minshew
was slipping, and it looked as though the pigskin slipped out of his hand a few
times, too - on three occasions, in particular. His first interception was
simply a late-half lob to the corner of the end zone, which was cut off by
Byron Murphy.
On the
second pick, he had time. Minshew slid in the direction of the near sideline,
turned right, then fired one astray, behind Dezmon Patmon, who was on an inside
hitch. UW linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven snagged it.
"That
was on me - bad on me," Minshew said.
Moreover,
there were two dropped interceptions - one on the first throw of the game and
one at the onset of the fourth quarter.
There's
also an argument to be made that this was easily the best defense (and overall
team) that WSU's faced this year. The Huskies, who frequently forced Minshew to
check out of reads, rank No. 10 nationally in scoring defense and boast the
28th-greatest passing ward in the country.
All things
considered, Minshew and WSU "did a lot of good things." He still
leads the NCAA in yards passing by about 400 and - until this weekend - was
tied for first in the FBS with 36 touchdown heaves. Additionally, Minshew still
sits top five in completion percentage (70.4).
And WSU's
got 10 wins for only the sixth time ever, so perhaps the legend of the
Mississippi Mustache will persist through this spoiled apple, to the Big Apple,
to bowl season and beyond.
"(Minshew's)
had a huge impact and he did it in a short amount of time," Leach said,
"which I think made it all the more impressive."
::::::::::::::::::::::
Cougar
band carries Huskies’ tune
WSU
musicians put rivalry aside and play UW’s fight song at Apple Cup after
accident sends band back to Seattle
By COLTON
CLARK of the Tribune of Lewiston
PULLMAN —
In the moments leading up to the Friday night kickoff of the nationally
significant, long-running, ardor-inducing Apple Cup rivalry football game
between No. 7 Washington State and No. 16 Washington, there were a few
instances of surprising solidarity.
Crimson
and purple paraded the soaked streets surrounding Martin Stadium — oftentimes
together, as part of some sort of “split household” paradigm.
There was
even a Pullman City Council member, Nathan Weller, who strolled merrily through
the downpour in his gray Cougs sweater while walking his lush, white dog, a
husky named Halo.
But the
pregame performance by the WSU band was the only point when the farmland
inhabitants and city dwellers stood and applauded in unison. The band aligned
to form a “W” across the field and played UW’s fight song, “Bow Down to
Washington,” to the best of its ability.
No matter
how well it performed, it was an admirable signal of sportsmanship toward the
56 absent Husky band members who’d been involved in a bus rollover (because of
an icy road) on Thursday night near George, Wash., while on their way to
Pullman, an accident that prevented them from attending Friday’s matchup.
According
to the Seattle Times, 47 of the 56 people on board were hospitalized, and two
remained there Friday. However, UW put out a news release stating that
“injuries are not believed to be life threatening,” and the Times reported that
the group returned home.
WSU
teaching assistant James Carter said he understands that “they’re all watching
the game together, so they’ll have that family experience still.”
“We were
having rehearsal (Thursday) night and we heard about it and got together as a
staff and said, ‘Listen, if they can’t make it, what can we do?’ ” said Troy
Bennefield, WSU’s director of athletic bands. “There were some logistical
things, in terms of timing ... but we thought, ‘All right, let’s learn that
fight song, ’cause if we do it, we’re gonna do it well.’ ”
There were
some things to work out first. The WSU band had never played the tune — in some
conferences, it’s tradition to play opponents’ fight songs in the absence of
bands — but Bennefield figured, “it’d be so easy to get a copy of that and do
it.”
When he
imparted the idea
, he said,
the students “didn’t bat an eye.” See, according to Bennefield and Carter, the
two bands share a “friendship-type of rivalry.” The teams and fervent fans
might utter some nasty remarks, but it’s “more playful than hateful” with the
musicians, noted Carter.
“We’re
close friends, and obviously, a lot of students are, too,” Bennefield said.
“(The students) are actually the ones that found out first through messages.
... We started getting texts, so we called out to their staff.”
The Coug
band arrived at Martin Stadium at 11:30 a.m. Friday and restructured its
rehearsal to include UW’s jam before it played “Washington, My Washington” and
the national anthem.
“The
hardest part is that there’s 200-plus individuals,” Carter said a few hours
prior to showtime. “The drum line got here pretty early and had to memorize the
music, but the band couldn’t. They’re gonna be looking at flip folders.”
During the
snow-laden performance, the southeast corner of the stadium featured a collage
of purple, which actually commended what WSU had to offer. There also were
eight rows left empty for the absent Huskies — WSU athletic director Pat Chun
tweeted Friday afternoon that the seats would be reserved for “our friends from
the west side,” though his profile picture featured the word “Purple” with a
slash cutting through it.
Regardless,
Bennefield recognized the “spirit of sportsmanship” from the outpouring of
support he observed from the WSU band and students via social media. Some even
attempted late-night trips to George to accompany the Huskies and offer food
and provisions, but city officials asked for restraint because the roads were
still dangerous.
“It’s a
good reminder that these things transcend sports, these things transcend
rivalries,” Bennefield said. “People will get back to the game, but it’s a
reminder that we’re all in this together — we’re all Northwesterners, we’re all
Washingtonians and it’s Thanksgiving. We’re all blessed to be here, play a game
and support our schools.”
:::::::::::::::
Sled
Dawgs: Myles Gaskin runs wild over WSU in snow as Huskies win sixth straight
Apple Cup
Originally
published November 23, 2018 at 8:55 pm Updated November 23, 2018 at 11:18 pm
By Adam
Jude
Seattle
Times
PULLMAN —
Some dropped to the turf and made snow angels. Some scooped up a handful of the
soft stuff and started a snowball fight. Some stopped for selfies in the
crimson end zone.
The
Huskies played their favorite game of the year Friday evening, and then they
lingered on the Martin Stadium field, in a snowstorm, and had more fun.
Myles
Gaskin, Jake Browning and the Huskies’ senior class finished their careers with
a perfect ledger against rival Washington State, leading the No. 16 Huskies to
another Pac-12 North title and keeping alive their Rose Bowl hopes with a 28-15
victory over the No. 7 Cougars in the 111th Apple Cup.
“This
feels amazing, knowing they can’t mess with us,” UW senior safety JoJo McIntosh
said amid the postgame celebration. “We run this state. This is our house. We
run Washington.”
The
Huskies (9-3, 7-2 Pac-12) will play for their second conference championship in
three years when they meet South division champ Utah next Friday in Santa
Clara, Calif. The winner advances to the Rose Bowl.
Chris
Petersen improved to 5-0 head-to-head in the coaching matchup against Mike
Leach, and the Huskies won their sixth consecutive Apple Cup by again shutting
down the nation’s most prolific passing attack.
The
Huskies have largely had the same defensive script against WSU’s Air Raid
offense.
“They do
the same thing year in and year out. This is five years in a row now,” UW
co-defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said. “So it makes it really easy to
game-plan when an offense does the same thing every year. Obviously, now with
the (snow) conditions, and they can only do one thing — that handcuffs you a
little bit. So it was definitely to our advantage. And we took advantage of
it.”
Lake said
he was surprised Leach hasn’t made any adjustments to WSU’s offensive plan
coming into the Apple Cup.
“But
knowing what I read about the head football coach here, he does things a little
bit different way,” Lake said. “So hopefully he remains here for a long time.
That would be awesome.”
Gaskin’s
80-yard touchdown run with 12:30 left in the game gave the Huskies some
much-needed breathing room and moved him over the 1,000-yard rushing mark for
the fourth time in his career — the first Pac-12 player to ever achieve that
feat.
The senior
from Lynnwood rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries, and he
finished his career with 550 yards and 10 touchdowns in four Apple Cups.
“Myles,
what do you say? That guy can do it all,” Petersen said. “He is the ultimate
competitor. When you need something good to happen he is the guy that is going
to get it done.”
The
Cougars (10-2, 7-2) came into the game with a chance to win their first Pac-12
North title and bolster their College Football Playoff resume. The Huskies
dashed those hopes while also putting a major dent in Gardner Minshew’s Heisman
Trophy bid.
A steady
snowfall began in the second quarter and continued throughout the rest of the
night, making the Martin Stadium turf look much like an ice-skating rink.
The
conditions didn’t do WSU’s Air Raid attack any favors, but, then, the Huskies
have become conditioned to bullying Leach’s offense.
The
Huskies often rushed just three defenders and dropped eight into coverage,
limiting Minshew to a lot of checkdowns and underneath passes for short gains.
The Cougars’ 15 points and 237 yards of total offense were both season lows.
Their longest play: 22 yards.
Minshew,
who entered the game leading the nation in passing and threw for a school-record
seven touchdown passes in the Cougars’ 69-28 victory over Arizona last week,
was intercepted twice, lost one fumble and was held to 152 yards passing
(hitting 26 of 35 attempts) for a quarterback efficiency rating of 99.3, both
season lows. He didn’t have a touchdown pass and the Huskies also sacked him
twice.
But UW’s
three turnovers — and poor special teams — helped the Cougars stay close.
Gaskin
spun away from a would-be tackle for a 5-yard touchdown run, giving the Huskies
a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
The
Cougars’ Travell Harris returned the ensuing kickoff 50 yards, setting up the
Cougars’ first scoring drive. WSU covered 49 yards on 11 plays, with James
Williams taking a delayed handoff and running 11 yards for a touchdown. That
got the Cougars to 14-7 down with 33 seconds left in the half.
Max
Richmond lost a fumble on the Huskies’ kickoff return, giving Minshew a chance
to tie from the UW 24-yard line with 28 seconds left. But UW’s Byron Murphy
helped the Huskies escape when he intercepted a Minshew pass in the right
corner of the end zone.
The
Huskies extended their lead to open the third quarter when receiver Aaron Fuller
threw a double-pass touchdown to sophomore tight end Hunter Bryant, his first
touchdown catch of the season. That came one play after Bryant’s 59-yard
reception from Browning on third-and-16 from the UW 29.
But UW’s
extra-point try was blocked and WSU’s Hunter Dale returned it some 90 yards to
give the Cougars two points, making the score 20-9.
Browning
later lost a fumble that the Cougars recovered at the UW 23. Five plays later,
Williams dived in on a 1-yard touchdown run to get WSU to 20-15 with 4:44 left
in the third.
The
Cougars wouldn’t score again, and the Huskies were able to kill the final 8:47
off the clock with a 14-play, 76-yard drive, all run plays.
In the
midst of the all the snow angels and snowball fights, there was a brief
presentation on a makeshift stage in the east end zone. Petersen was handed the
Governor’s Trophy and raised it aloft.
The
Huskies then played tribute to the UW Marching Band, which was not in
attendance after one of the band’s buses rolled on its side Thursday during the
trip east.
“We’ve
been thinking about ’em. We played this game for those guys,” Petersen said. “I
will tell you, we sang the fight song at the end there for the band, with no
music. And I’ve never heard our guys sing louder and better since I’ve been here.
And I mean that sincerely.”
::::::::::::::
Myles
Gaskin, Jake Browning play the greatest hits in yet another Apple Cup romp over
WSU
Originally
published November 23, 2018 at 10:16 pm Updated November 23, 2018 at 10:32 pm
By Larry
Stone
Seattle
Times columnist
Jake
Browning was not the designated folk hero entering this Apple Cup, not the
national darling who had ballads written about him and fake mustaches in his
image pasted on just about every face — male and female — in the Palouse.
That was
Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew, who earned all his accolades
honestly with a heartwarming backstory and a season worthy of Heisman
consideration.
Myles
Gaskin’s brilliance, meanwhile, has been so consistent, so reliable, that it
has almost — but not quite — come to be taken for granted. Though never by the
Huskies, who have felt keenly this year what life is like without Gaskin at
full strength.
On Friday,
under brutal conditions, it was Browning, Gaskin and the Huskies emerging from
the Apple Cup as the victor, which has become something of an annual tradition.
No
quarterback on either side of this 111-year-old rivalry had ever won four
straight Apple Cups — not until Browning accomplished that feat with the
Huskies’ 28-15 victory at Martin Stadium. No running back in Pac-12 history has
ever rushed for 1,000 yards four seasons in a row — not until Gaskin went over
that benchmark on a stunning 80-yard run in the fourth quarter that sealed the
Husky victory.
“It always
sucks to lose to the Cougs … I’ve heard,’’ Browning said with the impeccable
timing of, oh, his sensational 48-yard strike to Andre Baccellia that set up
the Huskies’ first score. “I’m glad I don’t have to experience it.”
Gaskin
finished with 170 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries, giving him 550
yards and 10 touchdowns in his four games against the Cougs. Asked where the
80-yard run ranked in the pantheon of Gaskin’s greatest hits, Browning replied,
“That ranks as No. 1 now because it just happened. It’s pretty hard to keep
track of all the great plays after four years.”
Neither
snow nor rain or gloom of night could keep Washington from its appointed
rounds: Beating the Cougars in the Apple Cup. This was the Huskies’ sixth
straight triumph, giving Chris Petersen his fifth straight Apple Cup without a
blemish. It was the fourth in a row for Browning, Gaskin and the rest of the
seniors, and the Huskies celebrated with a cathartic release of emotions when
time expired.
Browning
raised his arms in triumph. Tackle Kaleb McGary and tight end Drew Sample made
snow angels — massive snow angels — before Sample lifted up Gaskin off the
ground for a heartfelt hug. Before long, a snowball fight broke out near the
end zone as some players slid along the ground like a bunch of grade-school
kids on a snow day.
That was
all sandwiched around the presentation of the Apple Cup and a hearty rendition
of “Bow Down to Washington” by players and Husky fans. Earlier in the day,
Washington State’s band had played that same song — which they hastily learned
in the morning — in a heartwarming display of sportsmanship and kinship after
the Husky band was unable to attend because of Thursday’s bus accident.
This game
was not as lopsided or worry-free for the Huskies as recent ones against
Washington State, but the statistics show their undeniable dominance. They
outgained WSU, 487 to 237, and held Minshew far below his average, a season-low
152 passing yards with two interceptions. Tellingly, the Huskies outgained WSU
258-85 on the ground, which was vital under the at-times treacherous
conditions.
“I’m from
California. This is not Sacramento weather,’’ Browning said. “I think it made
it hard, but we were able to run the ball and they weren’t. That was the big
difference, and that’s a tribute to Myles Gaskin and Salvon (Ahmed) and O-line
and tight ends and our receivers. Basically everyone but me. All I did was hand
the ball off.”
Browning
has been criticized, questioned, doubted and maligned to a degree far out of
proportion to his remarkable success as the Huskies’ quarterback. And he
provided some cause for more wincing on Friday — an interception in the end
zone after the Huskies had driven all the way to the WSU 11 on their first
possession, and a fumble on a sack in the second half.
But
history will treat him kindly, and so will the recounts of this game. Browning
had numerous moments of brilliance — particularly the long pass to Baccellia that
was as pretty as any ball he’s ever thrown, and a 59-yard connection to tight
end Hunter Bryant on 3rd and 16 that set up another score on a double-pass from
Aaron Fuller to Bryant.
And
history will gush over Gaskin, who has earned a special chapter in Apple Cup
lore.
“I’m
super-thankful,’’ Gaskin said to a trail of reporters as he jogged off the
field. “I’m thankful to the O-line for always doing it, thankful to Coach Pete
and his program, thankful for my parents. It took a village.”
Asked to
put into words this fourth straight Apple Cup victory, Gaskin exclaimed, “We
balled out!” before letting out a primal scream and sprinting away from the
scrum, headed to the jubilant locker room.
The game,
played in a picturesque but unwieldy snow flurry, came close to living up to
the hype. It was tense until the end, though the Cougars could never get the
breakthrough they needed. Both teams had immense motivation — a Pac-12 North
title and berth in the Pac-12 title game the prize for the winner, with the added
bonus for Washington State of keeping alive its hopes of making the national
playoffs.
Those
hopes are now dashed, while Washington, in a season that has been marked by
disappointments and blemishes, suddenly has a vast and prestigious prize
squarely in its sights: Its first Rose Bowl appearance since Jan. 1, 2001. That
would now be theirs with a win next Friday over Utah in the Pac-12 title game.
It’s vindication, perhaps, but Browning has never gone down that road.
“I don’t
really care what everyone thought when we lost, and I don’t really care what
everyone thinks when we won,” Browning said. “I’m happy for this team, happy to
get back to Santa Clara and play in the Pac-12 championship.”
As
Browning spoke on the field, bedlam was breaking out all around as the Huskies
savored the special satisfaction of celebrating the Apple Cup on enemy turf.
“It’s
pretty sweet,’’ Browning admitted. “I don’t want to say anything about it, but
it’s nice.”
::::::::::::::
WSU
football
Art Thiel:
In night full of randomness, Huskies keep course as Washington State sputters
in snow
UPDATED:
Fri., Nov. 23, 2018, 11:54 p.m.
By Art
Thiel of sportspressnw.com for the Spokane Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN –
With just about everything ahead of the game going in Washington State’s
direction – 10-1 record, good health, home field, the best quarterback Mike
Leach has had at WSU, a top-25 defense to go with the nation’s top passing
attack that helped put up 69 points a week earlier – he had no counter for the
Huskies.
They are
North Division champions after the 28-15 triumph on Friday night in the snow
globe of Martin Stadium because they do their stuff better under coach Chris
Petersen than the Cougars do their stuff under Leach.
As it seems
it shall always be. Forever and ever. Amen.
Yes, it
was a tad closer than the four previous Apple Cups (award juice boxes and
orange slices here). But that was largely a function of UW special teams
screw-ups as opposed to the meat of the game.
When what
Leach termed “bizarre conditions” descended upon the game – others who have
witnessed a few more of the previous 110 games between the teams might term it
just another Friday in November – he had no alternate gear. No chains to put on
the offense. No gravel to throw under the defense.
As a
result, a sixth consecutive win in the series happened for Washington, as does
a match against Utah on Friday in Santa Clara, California, for the Pac-12
championship and a shot at the Rose Bowl.
“Things
become kinda random, as far as where the ball goes,” Leach said of the
conditions.
That’s
mostly true. But randomness happens in every game, and coaches are paid big
coin to have answers prepared.
The
Cougars appeared to be catching on to a countermeasure. With 40 seconds left in
the first half and trailing 14-0 with the ball at the UW 11-yard line, WSU
crossed up the Huskies’ defense with a straight-ahead give to running back
James Williams, who blew into the end zone unharmed. No pass in the flat, no
fade to the corner, no shovel pass.
That was
the first first-half touchdown against Washington in what seemed like since
Drew Bledsoe was in diapers.
That’s
about where original thinking ended. WSU managed a season-low 237 yards of
offense when it mostly declined to run the ball despite QB Gardner Minshew
struggling with slippery footing. The Cougars’ only scoring drives came from 49
and 23 yards, directly the result of UW miscues.
The
Huskies could not have been more delighted to see an absence of craftiness.
“I mean,
we know what type of offense we’re playing,” UW defensive coordinator Jimmy
Lake said. “They do the same thing year in and year out. This is five years in
a row now, and so it makes it real easy to game-plan.
“With the
conditions, they can only do one thing. It handcuffs (them) a little bit. So it
was definitely to our advantage. And we took advantage of it.”
Were you
surprised they couldn’t adjust?
“It does
surprise me,” Lake said. “But knowing what I read about the head football coach
here, he does things a little different way. So hopefully he remains here a
long time. That would be awesome.”
Shots, as
they say, fired.
Lake’s
back of the hand may have breached Petersen’s protocols about trash talk, but
it was hard to argue with the accuracy. The Cougars have won four in a row over
Oregon, three in a row over Stanford, and should have had two in a row over USC
but for some controversial officiating in September’s loss to the Trojans at the
Coliseum.
Asked
whether conditions dictated a change in play calling, Leach said, “It’s tough
to, because all of it was somewhat random. It kinda restricted things. It was
hard for anybody to go way downfield.
“But they
did ambush us with a couple of explosives.”
That they
did. The result was the Huskies needed only 12 completions to achieve 229 yards
passing, while the Cougars needed 26 to get 152. As always with Gaskin, they
had a solution for all conditions and terrain – 170 yards in 27 carries. That
gave him 550 for his four Apple Cups.
Leach did
own up, with a standard response to a defeat.
I do think
they blocked better than we did and tackled better than we did,” he said. “They
won.”
The
Huskies indeed won. It was the one thing that wasn’t random.
::::::::::::::::
TV Take:
Washington State, broadcast team slip up in Apple Cup loss to Huskies
UPDATED:
Sat., Nov. 24, 2018, 12:05 a.m.
By Vince
Grippi
Spokane
S-R
There used
to be something to the idea of Washington State having an advantage when it
snows in Pullman during the Apple Cup.
But maybe
not when the Cougars’ quarterback is from Mississippi and frozen precipitation
is as unusual as not having receivers running free.
Both
happened Friday in Washington’s sixth consecutive Apple Cup victory, this one
28-15 in a snow-covered Martin Stadium.
For those
watching at home on Fox’s broadcast, the weather wasn’t a factor. It was the
combination of Joe Davis, Brady Quinn, Bruce Feldman and the Fox production
that made it tougher to watch.
What they
saw …
• It
wasn’t just the many times Davis, on play-by-play, and former Notre Dame
quarterback Quinn mixed up Washington and Washington State. It wasn’t just the
lack of replays on iffy plays. It wasn’t just the mistakes on the graphics on
timeouts and down-and-distance. And it wasn’t just the talking over referee
Steve Strimling’s announcements.
It was all
of it – and more.
That being
said, Quinn does deserve some sort of award for something he shared late in the
first half. It was the best description of Washington State’s passing attack
heard this season.
“Their
tendency is to pass,” Quinn said, “but they don’t have a tendency to go to one
particular player.”
• The
person making those decisions is Gardner Minshew, the from-out-of-nowhere
quarterback who leads the nation in passing, mustache hype and, until Friday,
decision-making. Actually, though, Minshew does come from somewhere. South of
the Mason-Dixon line.
Where snow
is an anomaly.
Yes,
Minshew has spent the fall in Pullman. But the weather has been mild, with
Friday’s snow the first real one to hit the city this year. So it was new to
Minshew, and it looked like it. Especially as conditions – including wind –
changed in the second half.
He seemed
to struggle finding receivers. He seemed uncertain of his footing. He seemed
out of sorts. Of course, part of that could be Washington’s defense, which has
done that to Cougars quarterbacks the past five years, all UW wins. This year,
it held Minshew to 152 yards on 26-of-35 passing. More important, no
touchdowns.
“The
slickness on the football is going to play a factor in your grip,” Quinn said.
That seemed to be a factor in the six turnovers, including Minshew’s two
interceptions and a Jake Browning third-quarter fumble that led to a WSU
touchdown.
• Even
more slipped away from the Cougars in this one, including a chance for the
Pac-12 title game, any playoff hopes and Minshew’s Heisman candidacy.
Davis put
it into perspective with 2 minutes remaining.
“What a
frustrating thing for Washington State,” he said. “This was supposed to be the
year it would be different.”
“You
wonder too, without these conditions, how this game could have been different,”
Quinn said. It’s a question Cougar fans may be asking themselves for the next
365 days.
Minshew
might be asking himself that as well. As he walked off the field, the Fox
cameras caught him with tears in his eyes. He may be new to this rivalry, but
his reaction showed he gets it.
What we
saw …
•
Washington State’s defense is built on speed. It’s even part of its nickname.
But the conditions slowed defenders down. It’s harder to change direction and
react when it’s slick. The Huskies took advantage, using counter plays to
attack WSU’s aggressiveness. The best example was Myles Gaskin’s 80-yard
fourth-quarter touchdown run that clinched it. It was part of his 170 yards on
27 carries.
“I
wouldn’t be surprised if Washington doesn’t come back to that same play they
utilized for that Gaskin’s touchdown,” Quinn said at one point. “That counter
play. You have this sort-of fast defense for Washington State, a little bit of
misdirection, especially with how bad the footing is. It might catch Washington
State’s defense overpursuing.”
The UW
offense did a much better job dealing with the snow, wind and rain than the
Cougars. The numbers: Washington had 487 yards of total offense, WSU 237.
As Quinn
explained, it wasn’t just UW’s size advantage, it was also its personnel,
mentioning the tight ends and run-heavy packages.
• If you
turned on Fox at 5:30 and saw the last minute or so of the Michigan State-Texas
basketball game, hope you didn’t panic. There was no chance you were missing
the kickoff.
Though the
game had been scheduled for, supposedly, a 5:30 p.m. start for months, the
“real” kickoff time was 5:45. That’s what’s called “Fox Time” in the business.
That’s the
term given to the network’s penchant for starting later than the listed time.
For years, it was 10 minutes. Lately, it’s grown by another five. It’s a given.
So when a
promo for the game came on at 5:30 and the broadcast still hadn’t checked in
with Davis, Quinn and Feldman in Pullman, you didn’t have to hyperventilate.
But if you
yelled “Get to the (a word of emphasis here) Apple Cup!” at 5:39, you were not
alone.
::::::::::::::::::::
WSU
football
Analysis:
Washington thrives in ‘random’ Apple Cup as Washington State falls short of
Pac-12 North title
UPDATED:
Fri., Nov. 23, 2018, 11:51 p.m.
By Theo
Lawson S-R Spokane
PULLMAN –
One by one, the Washington Huskies spilled from the sideline to the turf. In
bright purple pants and gold helmets, they slid through the white slush
covering the green turf in Pullman.
Some skied
through the frost layer on their bellies while others fell onto their backs,
creating snow angels on top of a barely visible Cougars logo at midfield. Just
about every UW player took this opportunity to go on a joyride through the snow
after a sixth consecutive victory over Washington State – and a second Pac-12
North championship in three years.
The
Cougars, and their division title hopes, were frozen out in the 111th Apple Cup
– 28-15 this time by a Husky team that reinforced it can still beat WSU by
running the ball downhill and by playing an aggressive, physical brand of
defense that seems to be the perfect match for Mike Leach and his high-volume
throwing offense.
Giant
snowflakes that grew to the size of Post-It notes probably didn’t help the
Cougars or their graduate transfer quarterback, and for the first time since he
took the reins of Washington State’s starting job, Gardner Minshew failed to
throw a touchdown pass.
“I think
that the conditions like that, it becomes kind of random, as far as where the
ball goes and what’s sorted out and who reacts where,” Leach said. “… When
you’re in conditions like that, it’s kind of a random game, either you slip or
the other guy slips.”
Minshew’s
Heisman Trophy campaign took a dent – maybe the only one of the season – as the
East Carolina transfer threw two interceptions, fumbled once and had a season-low
152 passing yards. Minshew and the Cougars were outgained 487-237 by a UW team
that went to its bread and butter 27 times throughout the course of the game.
“I felt
like we didn’t do enough to win, specifically on offense,” Minshew said. “I
felt like we had our chances, I just keep going back in my mind looking at
plays, and I’m definitely disappointed.”
Myles
Gaskin, the most valuable UW player in at least three of these last four Apple
Cups, finished with 27 carries for 170 yards and scored three more touchdowns,
becoming the first running back in Pac-12 Conference history to rush for 1,000
yards in four seasons.
“Myles
Gaskin, what can you say?” UW coach Chris Petersen said. “… He’s the ultimate
competitor. When you need something good to happen, he’s going to get it done.”
Gaskin, a
senior tailback, has rushed 100 times for 550 yards and 10 touchdowns in four
games against the Cougars. Gaskin was up to 67 yards by halftime of Friday’s
game and had only 17 in the second half when he effectively sealed the Huskies’
win, breaking free for an 80-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter to make it
28-15.
“On that play, he made a good cut and followed
his blockers,” WSU safety Skyler Thomas said. “I came down my gap, he came
inside my gap and he just made a good cut. He’s a good running back and he’s
explosive, so once he got to that crease he was gone.”
UW led
14-7 at halftime and threatened to pull away in the early stages of the third
quarter. A long strike from quarterback Jake Browning to tight end Hunter
Bryant gained 59 yards, and a nifty double pass saw Browning throw laterally to
Aaron Fuller, who then heaved a 22-yard touchdown to Bryant in the end zone.
It
would’ve been another 14-point lead for UW, but the Huskies’ PAT was blocked
and Hunter Dale ran it back the other way for a defensive 2-point conversion to
give the Cougars two points and make it 20-9.
The
Cougars still had a fighting chance – something they’ve not been able to say
three quarters into their last four Apple Cup losses.
WSU forced
its third turnover of the game when Willie Taylor III strip-sacked Browning,
allowing Dillon Sherman to recover the ball on the Huskies’ 23-yard line. The
Cougars worked quickly on their next drive and the second touchdown of the game
from James Williams, a 1-yard end zone plunge, cut UW’s advantage to 20-15.
Twice, WSU
had chances to take its first lead of the game. But Minshew was intercepted by
UW linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven on the first drive and the Cougars were foiled on
their next one.
Gaskin
spoiled everything for WSU with his 22nd carry of the game, crushing the
Cougars’ dreams as he jolted through a hole and ran off into the snow, scoring
his third touchdown 80 yards later.
“Very
disappointed,” Minshew said, “ ’cause we had a lot riding on this game. Big
goals that we had set for ourselves, that kind of depended on the outcome of this
game and we just felt like we let each other down, and we all wanted to win for
each other but at the end of the day we couldn’t do it.”
The
Cougars finish the regular season 10-2 and 7-2 in Pac-12 play. They’ll still
play in their best bowl game of the Leach era, with a chance to become the
first 11-win team in school history.
But they
won’t have the opportunity the Huskies have. UW (9-3, 7-2) will play Utah in
the Pac-12 championship game with a chance to head to its first Rose Bowl since
2001.
::::::::::::::::
‘Exactly the same’ Washington State offense
held in check by hard-hitting Washington defense
UPDATED:
Fri., Nov. 23, 2018, 11:54 p.m.
By Josh
Wright
for Spokesman-Review
PULLMAN –
After another no-doubt Apple Cup victory, a few Washington Huskies slid
headfirst on to the snowy Martin Stadium field. A few others made snow angels.
Then there
was UW defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, who dodged several snowballs but
didn’t hold back about Washington State coach Mike Leach after the Huskies’
28-15 win over the Cougars on Friday night.
“It does
surprise me,” the North Central grad said when asked if he thought Leach would
add a wrinkle to his Air Raid offense to counteract the stout Washington
defense. “But knowing what I read about the head football coach here, he does
things a little different way, so hopefully he remains here a long time. That
would be awesome.”
Later he
added that the Cougars’ game plan was “exactly the same” as in years past. The
result was also the same, as Washington won for the sixth consecutive time over
WSU – all by double digits – to punch a ticket to the Pac-12 title game.
“It makes
it real easy for us,” Lake said. “Next year, maybe he’ll throw a little
curveball. But it makes it very easy when you know what you’re going to get, so
it’s awesome.”
The
whiteout conditions after the first quarter forced the archrivals to adapt. For
Gardiner Minshew and the Cougs’ usually potent aerial attack, that meant going
almost exclusively to short swing passes and dump-offs to tailbacks James
Williams and Max Borghi.
Minshew
managed just 152 yards on 26-of-35 passing. He was intercepted twice and could
have been picked off twice more.
“They were
disciplined in their zones and they came up and tackled well,” Minshew said. “I
think that makes for a tough opponent.”
Huskies
coach Chris Petersen said his offensive staff tossed out half its plays when
the snow really started to stick. The nonstop snow seemed to impact the Cougars
more.
But not
the Washington defense.
“It
didn’t, actually,” Lake said. “I mean, we know what type of offense we’re
playing. They do the same thing, year in and year out. This is five years in a
row now, and so it makes it real easy to game-plan.
“And so
now with the conditions, and they can only do one thing, it handcuffs you a
little bit. So it was definitely to our advantage. And we took advantage of it.”
Minshew’s
longest throw of the night was a short toss to Borghi, who rambled 22 yards.
Keep in mind, he came in averaging 393.2 passing yards per game.
Meanwhile,
the Cougars’ running game never got on track.
“I think
that (when the weather changed), I think it changed everything for the
offenses,” Petersen said. “They were trying to spread us and run the ball, or
spread us out and run crossing routes. It was just hard to throw it past 10, 15
yards.”
UW
quarterback Jake Browning only threw for 207 yards, but he uncorked a couple of
well-timed deep throws. Senior running back Myles Gaskin went wild again for
the Huskies, rushing for 170 yards and three TDs.
With an
80-yard TD dash early in the fourth quarter, Gaskin eclipsed 1,000 yards
rushing, becoming the first Pac-12 player to do so in four seasons.
Last year,
Gaskin galloped for 192 yards and four TDs in the Apple Cup.
The
Huskies’ dominant ground game paired well with a defense that’s keyed in every
year against Leach’s offense.
Who
deserves the credit for that? For UW leading tackler Ben Burr-Kirven, it’s
Lake.
“Coach
Lake’s got a sneaky good game plan against these guys,” said Burr-Kirven, a
senior linebacker who had 10 tackles and an interception. “He knows what he’s
doing. He puts in so much time behind the scenes. Everybody knows Coach Lake’s
a great coach, but nobody really knows.”
::::::::::::::::::::
Grip on
Sports: If Albert Einstein were still around and a college football fan, he
would wonder why the Cougars insist on playing Washington the same way year
after year – and expect a different result
Sat., Nov.
24, 2018, 8:57 a.m.
By Vince
Grippi
Spokane
S-R
A GRIP ON
SPORTS • Snakebit might be the right term to use concerning Washington State’s
recent Apple Cup loses but only if you consider the Cougars seem to have
decided to jump into a pit of rattlers – without boots.
• Bad luck
can be self-inflicted. For example, the bad luck Washington State had for the
first few years of Mike Leach’s coaching tenure in season openers. It seemed
really random and odd, until this week.
Then
sixth-year linebacker Peyton Pelluer spilled the beans in an interview with our
Theo Lawson. It seems the Cougars never really game-planned for the games. That
they just went out and played, according to Pelluer, and never practiced
against what they expected to face. Boom, upset losses. Then Leach changed his
tune, the Cougars began getting better prepared and, boom, wins.
Which
brings us to Friday night, the latest in a handful of Chris Petersen Apple Cup
wins.
After the
Huskies prevailed 28-15, Jimmie Lake, who played his high school football at
North Central and his college ball in Cheney, let everyone in on a secret. The
Huskies have the key to stopping Leach’s offense.
OK, it’s
not much of a secret. What was secret was the disdain the UW defense has for
Leach’s Air Raid. Such attitudes rarely see the glare of the television lights,
but they did yesterday.
It was
downright disrespectful. (And if you want to see how disrespectful, read Josh
Wright’s story and this and this from the other side of the state.)
But the
Huskies have earned the right to say what they want. They have dominated
Leach’s teams each year since Petersen was hired. It’s ugly and, if Lake is to
be believed, not going to change.
• Speaking
of ugly, the myth of Washington State’s snow supremacy vanished in a white cloud
last night.
To be good
in playing in adverse conditions, as snow is for the Air Raid offense, you have
to have some experience with it. It was just the Cougars (bad) luck their
outstanding quarterback, Gardner Minshew, hadn’t played in the stuff before. At
least not as a Cougar.
Heck, it’s
been such a mild fall, WSU hasn’t even practiced in it.
Remember
when Napoleon Kaufman and the Huskies showed up for the Snow Bowl and were
discombobulated by the whole frozen precipitation thing?
“UW’s
speedy running back Napoleon Kaufman was neutralized on the ice, Washington
receivers looked intimidated amidst the snowflakes and only gritty Husky
quarterback Mark Brunnel looked up to the challenge,” former Moscow-Pullman
Daily News columnist Harry Missildine wrote back in 1992.
The tables
turned yesterday. Instead of looking like his usual jovial self, Minshew seemed
a bit tight and unsure, even before the game began. When it started, the UW
defense kept him from ever getting comfortable. Heck, his first pass hit Husky
safety Taylor Rapp in the hands. He dropped it, but a tone was set.
If Minshew
had grown up in, say, Walla Walla or Pullman, or had a winter under his pads to
gain experience throwing the ball in such conditions, things might have been
different.
On the other
side, Washington State’s speed advantage against the UW offense disappeared in
a storm of slips and slides, taken aback by the lack of footing. Again, let’s
harken back to 1992, when the Cougars were built for the elements.
After that
game Mike Price had this to say: “We’re a pretty good snow team. I thought it
would be a negating factor for our defense because they’re so fast.”
Size and
strength won out over speed then. It did yesterday as well.
• If there
was one group who had a poorer first half than the Cougars, then it would have
to be the always maligned Pac-12 officiating crew.
There was
one stretch that might be used by conference fans to illustrate their
frustration with another area that hasn’t improved under commissioner Larry
Scott’s oversight. (And we won't even mention the missed targeting call in the
USC game that may have changed the course of the season for the conference.)
At the end
of the first quarter, there was an untimed down following a facemask call on
Tay Martin on the play that should have ended the period. This was one play Fox
did show a replay. What it showed, and announcers Brady Quinn and Joe Davis
commented upon, was Jordan Miller first hit Martin with two hands to the face,
which is illegal. It wasn’t called, though Martin’s response was.
On the
ensuing untimed play, Max Borghi caught a short pass over the middle and was
taken to the ground by linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven – with a facemask involved.
There was no flag.
After the
Huskies received the punt, Ahmed Salvon took the ball down to the 18, where he
stepped out of bounds. Except the ball was marked at the 16. Again, Fox showed
the replay. And it was obvious the ball showed have been two yards further upfield
– to everyone but the replay official, who did not buzz in.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
SNOW
CLEARING
According
to Spokane S-R: WSU used a tractor and a pickup-snow plow to remove the snow
from the field at halftime. During halftime, after the WSU Marching Band
performed, plow crews cleared yard lines and end zones.
:::::::::::::
What They're Saying: Lake Mocks Mike
Leach & WSU Again Edition
By Braden Johnson, Cougfan.com 11/14/2018
PULLMAN -- On one hand,
Washington State's sixth straight loss to UW on Friday spelled the end of its
Rose Bowl hopes and also the Pac-12's shot at returning to the College Football
Playoff. A familiar script - one that Huskies defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake
giddily talked about after the game - played out, with UW dropping eight,
out-muscling the Cougs off the ball and methodically wearing down the clock in
the Huskies' 28-15 win. Here is
what they're saying, far and wide, about the Cougars’ latest Apple
Cup blunder:
“We know what type of offense we’re playing.
They do the same thing year in and year out. This is five years in a row
now. So it makes it really easy to gameplan when an offense
does the same thing every year ... “But knowing what I read about the head
football coach here, he does things a little different way. So hopefully he
remains here a long time. That would be awesome.” -- Jimmy Lake
“When what Leach termed “bizarre conditions”
descended upon the game – others who have witnessed a few more of the previous
110 games between the teams might term it just another Friday in November – he
had no alternate gear. No chains to put on the offense. No gravel to throw
under the defense.” -- Art Thiel, Sportspress Northwest
“The Cougs just can’t get it done.
Not when it really matters. Not when something tangible is on the line. For the
third consecutive year, they came into the Apple Cup needing a win to advance
to the Pac-12 title game. And for the third year in a row, UW beat them by at
least two scores.” --Matt Calkins, The Seattle Times
“With Washington's win in the Apple Cup, the
Pac-12's playoff hopes are over, as the conference champion (Washington or
Utah) will have three losses.” -- Heather Dinich, ESPN
“UW has this one just about sewn
up. Huskies are better equipped to play in these conditions and, again, had a
better Apple Cup game plan.” -- Kyle Bonagura, ESPN
“So, instead of Wazzu representing the North
Division in the conference championship game next Friday, coach Chris Petersen
and company spoiled the Cougars' season and tossed the Pac-12's hopes of
representation in the College Football Playoff in the garbage.” -- Brad
Shepard, Bleacher Report
“This was more competitive than previous Apple
Cups and deeply impacted by the weather, but the end result, and the means
to that end, were the same as the past four in the Petersen v Leach era.
Washington’s defense shut down the Air Raid, its running game produced the
biggest play of the game (and a few huge first downs in the final eight
minutes), and WSU fell far short of the turnover-free game it
needed." -- Jon Wilner, The Mercury News
And regardless of score the story of @Minshew4Heisman remains
the most magical of this season and in many years. Congrats to @WSUCougFB @Coach_Leach & their entire program,
as what they have accomplished this year will always be remembered. – Yogi Roth
“It was the Huskies from rainy Seattle who
found their footing at crucial times amid an incessant Pullman snowstorm Friday
night, sullying a cherished Washington State memory from 26 years ago and - by
the way – dashing the Cougars’ dearest dreams of 2018.” --
Dale Grummert, The Lewiston Tribune
“There used to be something to
the idea of Washington State having an advantage when it snows in Pullman
during the Apple Cup. But maybe not when the Cougars’ quarterback is from
Mississippi and frozen precipitation is as unusual as not having receivers
running free.” -- Vince Grippi, The Spokesman-Review
"The weather definitely mitigated the
speed and downfield passing game that has made @WSUCougFB so dynamic this year. Just not
physical enough to win that type of ball game. Great season none the less, but
very bitter pill yet again to swallow. #GOCOUGS" -- Ryan Leaf
“Washington State, on the other hand, lives
and dies by the pass. On Friday, it came back to bite them. As a result of his
team's air raid offense, WSU quarterback and Heisman hopeful Gardner Minshew
threw the ball 35 times. Though he completed 26 of those passes, he had two
interceptions and no touchdowns. Despite the heinous weather,
the Cougs only ran the ball 24 times, and managed just 85 yards.” -- Aaron
Alter, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
“Browning's 4-0 record was capped off with
78-percent completion rate (11 of 14) for 207 yards, no touchdowns and the lone
interception. He was nearly perfect in the first half with his only
incompletion being the red-zone pick, and then came back to help engineer two
second-quarter touchdown drives in those extreme conditions." --
Alexis Mansanarez, Sporting News
“In the biggest game on
the Paloose in about a decade, Minshew Magic -- as they've been
calling the effect quarterback Gardner Minshew has had on Pullman this
fall -- turned out to be the same old show for Mike Leach and Washington
State.” -- Joel Anderson, ESPN
“Chris Petersen walked away from the
party happening in the end zone where the Apple Cup was being passed around by
his players for the sixth straight year. He reached down and grabbed a chunk of
the snow that blanketed the turf of Martin Stadium and fired back at the
snowballs being flung his way from his two sons. There was plenty of
celebrating by Washington’s coach and his players — snow angels, snowball
fights — after the Huskies continued their dominance over Washington State in
an Apple Cup the purple and gold won’t soon forget.” --Tim Boot, The
Associated Press
Gardner Minshew walked into a program that
didn’t know him, and also didn’t know how much they needed him. His emotion
tonight will never be forgotten. He loves this team and it’s mutual. I’m very
lucky to have seen this 2018 @WSUCougFB up close and personal #GoCougs" --
Jessamyn McIntyre
“It was a hard-fought game by both
teams. I thought they blocked better than us and they tackled better than
us.” -- Mike Leach
“I heard it sucks to lose to the Cougs.
I’m glad I won’t have to experience it.” -- Jake Browning
“I felt like we didn’t do enough to win,
specifically on offense. I felt like we had our chances, I just keep going back
in my mind looking at plays, and I’m definitely disappointed.” --
Gardner Minshew
“I was just taking every second I could in
Martin Stadium while I was still out there, just thinking of all the great
times that we’ve had as a team here and how blessed I am to be able to be a
part of this team.” -- Kyle Sweet
:::::::::::::
COUG WOMEN’S
BASKETBALL
::Next WSU
women’s basketball game tips off 3:30 o’clock in the afternoon Saturday Nov. 24
in the Cal State Northridge (CSUN) Matadome. The Cougars take on Jacksonville
State.::
Information
from WSU Sports Info
Washington
State 19 11 13 9 52
Cal State
Northridge (CSUN) 10 16 18 21 65
WSU fall
to Matadors, 65-52, in Cougs’ first road game of season.
NORTHRIDGE,
Calif. - Playing on the road for the first time in 2018-19, Washington State
women's basketball (1-4) fell to CSUN (2-3) at the Matadors' own Warner Center
Marriot Thanksgiving Basketball Classic Friday night.
Behind a
12-2 run to start the fourth quarter, the Matadors broke open what was a
one-point contest heading into the final frame to win take their home opener
against the Cougars. Prior to the run, the Cougars had their chances to put the
host team away early, building a lead as large as 14 points early in the second
quarter thanks to the sharp-shooting of Chanelle Molina and Alexys Swedlund,
who eventually combined for 33 of WSU's 52 overall points.
Despite
the early fireworks, the Cougars could not take advantage of their early
advantages as a handful of mistakes let the Matadors creep back into the game
to pull within four as the two teams went into the halftime break. In the
second half, the Matadors would press their own advantage on the offensive
glass, outscoring WSU 15-2 in second-chance points. In the fourth, the Matadors
found their groove hitting 8-of-10 from the floor with 10 points coming in the
paint and six off of Cougar turnovers.
The Cougs
fell for the first time in four games to CSUN in the first game between the two
at Northridge.
WSU
finished the game outshooting the Matadors 39.7% (23-of-58) to 38.9%
(28-of-72).
Chanelle
Molina led the Cougars with 20 points, her second 20-point effort of the season
and fourth-straight game in double-figures. She also added seven assists and
tied her career-high of seven rebounds.
Alexys
Swedlund finished her night with 13 points while Borislava Hristova added 12
points for her fifth-straight game in double-figures to begin the season.
The
Matadors were led by Channon Fluker's 24 points and 14 rebounds, her 59th
career double-double. Serifina Maulupe added 13 points.
#
