Brock Huard’s Apple Cup keys: Ground game will be crucial for No. 6 Huskies vs No. 23 WSU

No. 6 Washington (10-1, 7-1) at No. 23 Washington State (8-3, 7-1)

• Where: Martin Stadium, Pullman
• Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Friday
• TV: FOX
• Line: Huskies by 6

Washington at a glance: The Huskies bounced back last week from their only defeat of the season, ripping Arizona State 44-18 at home. UW isn’t exactly flying high into Pullman, however, as some of the issues that plagued it in its loss to USC lingered on against the Sun Devils. Chief among them was quarterback Jake Browning’s sudden lack of accuracy, which resulted in a pair of interceptions for the second straight game. The good news is that the defense was able to mount a decent pass rush for the first time in weeks thanks to some help from safety blitzes, and the offense found its groove in the second and third quarters. Still, the last two weeks have been far from UW’s best this year, leaving plenty of reason for consternation in Husky Nation before the Apple Cup.

Washington State at a glance: It might have been safe to say that the Cougars were one of the hottest teams in the country a week ago, as they rolled into Boulder, Colo. winners of eight straight. The No. 9 Buffaloes put a stop to that, though, holding WSU scoreless over the final 18 minutes of game time to defeat the Cougs 38-24. Regardless, WSU has had a remarkable year thanks to a surprisingly balanced offense and a stingy defense that even rivals that of the Huskies. Junior quarterback Luke Falk is third in the FBS with 3,935 passing yards, while the trio of Gerard Wicks, Jamal Morrow and James Williams has rejuvenated a long dormant WSU rushing attack. On defense, the Cougars are best in the Pac-12 and 24th in the country against the run, allowing just 129.7 yards per game on the ground, usually forcing opponents to try to match the Air Raid. Wazzu’s record will tell you the story on how that often works out.

Overview: This will be one of the biggest Apple Cups of all-time, with both teams ranked in the Top 25 of all three major polls. More important, though, is the fact that in the 109th meeting between the two rivals, Friday will mark just the second time in history that the game will settle a championship. The winner will take the Pac-12 North title and go on to play for the conference championship a week later.

Huard’s key No. 1 for UW: Get Luke Falk where he’s uncomfortable – out of the pocket. This will be Falk’s first Apple Cup appearance, but I don’t think there is any advantage gained on either side by the fact that he missed this game a season ago due to injury. Both of these coaches, systems and players know each other very well and what each side wants and needs to do to win. If the Huskies don’t move Falk off his spot with their creative four-man rushes, they won’t take any raid out of the Cougs’ air attack.

Huard’s key No. 2: Win the ground game on both sides of the ball. Wazzu’s ability to run the ball effectively this season in addition to their usual Air Raid attack has put opposing defenses in a real numbers bind, which often allows the Cougs the kind of matchups in their passing game they seek. As for WSU’s defense, Colorado did what few others have this season, and that’s run the ball on the Cougs. WSU has been the conference’s best at stopping the run and Colorado employed a quarterback run/read-option plan that UW does not have in its playbook. That said, if the Huskies do not find production in their power run game and play-action passes, it is difficult to imagine a way they win on the road.

Huard’s key No. 3: Be ready for anything. “Whatever it takes” is often the message this time of the year from coaches, and rightfully so. Rivalry games often bring out the best and most unpredictable of finishes. These aren’t only the two best teams in the Pac-12 North, they are two of the most balanced teams in all phases of the game, thus either is equipped and built to win in a variety of ways.

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