Huard: QB matchup is one to watch in Apple Cup
Sep 10, 2024, 8:11 AM | Updated: Sep 12, 2024, 11:23 am
Will Rogers of the UW Huskies runs out of the tunnel before a 2024 game. (Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
(Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
It’s just the second week of September, but the Apple Cup is already on the horizon.
Instant observations from UW Huskies’ 30-9 win vs E. Michigan
The UW Huskies and WSU Cougars square off in their annual rivalry clash this Saturday at Lumen Field, which marks the first Apple Cup played since the demise of the Pac-12 and the earliest installment ever of the 124-year-old rivalry game.
The matchup appears to be between two programs heading in different directions. UW has joined the Big Ten and kept its high-profile status playing in one of the nation’s toughest leagues. Meanwhile, WSU has been searching for a permanent home for its program and is still hanging on to hopes of a revitalized version of its bygone former conference.
However, this year’s Apple Cup is shaping up to be a competitive one between 2-0 squads, with Huskies favored by just four points.
Former UW Huskies quarterback and FOX College football analyst Brock Huard is excited to this year’s edition of the rivalry game. A big reason for that is the impressive early performances by both teams’ new starting quarterbacks – John Mateer at WSU and Will Rogers at UW.
‘This dude is Tebow-esque’
Mateer was a relatively unknown commodity heading in to the 2024 campaign. The redshirt sophomore spent last season backing up Cam Ward, a Heisman Trophy favorite who transferred to Miami in the offseason, and was named the Cougars’ starter just before this season.
He’s taken that role and run with it – literally.
Mateer piled up 197 rushing yards, a single-game program record for quarterbacks, while leading WSU to a 37-16 victory of Texas Tech this past weekend. His efforts included a 68-yard run, a rushing TD and 115 yards and one touchdown through the air. In two games, Mateer has completed 20 of 37 throws for 467 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions, while adding 252 yards and two TDs on 23 carries.
John Mateer's using his feet again early! 👀
📺 FOX | @CFBONFOX #GoCougs x @WSUCougarFB pic.twitter.com/JMYzQ1j9PK
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) September 8, 2024
Huard noted WSU’s lineage of great quarterbacks, which includes Jack Thompson, Drew Bledsoe, Ryan Leaf and more recently Gardner Minshew. But Mateer is a different breed of QB than those former standouts.
“They’ve had a lot of unbelievable throwers over there, but this dude is (Tim) Tebow-esque,” Huard said during his Blue 88 segment on Brock and Salk. “This guy is physical and is going to be a real pest for (UW head coach) Jedd Fisch. … Out of these first four at home, this is probably the toughest of them for the Huskies.”
The steady hand
Rogers is also in his first year as a starter with his team. He transferred to UW after spending the past four seasons as the starter at Mississippi State and is also replacing a standout signal-caller after the graduation of 2023 Heisman Trophy runner-up and first-round NFL draft pick Michael Penix Jr.
Rogers, a fifth-year senior, hasn’t had the type of gaudy performances through two weeks as Mateer, but he’s been an efficient and steady force while helping the Huskies win their first two games.
Will ➡️ Denzel 🙌
📺 @BigTenNetwork #AllAboutTheW pic.twitter.com/xz1Qt6sdDN
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) September 7, 2024
The Mississippi State transfer threw for 250 or more yards and completed at least 76.9% of his passes in both contests. In total, Rogers has completed 41 of 52 passes (78.8%) for 511 yards, five TDs and zero interceptions.
“He was awesome. He was on point,” Huard said referring to Rogers’ four-touchdown game last weekend against Eastern Michigan. “… He’s doing everything that you brought him in to do, and that is to not make mistakes, that’s to throw on time, to throw on target.”
Listen to the full Blue 88 segment at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6-10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
The Apple Cup
UW Huskies (2-0) vs. WSU Cougars (2-0)
• 12:30 p.m. Saturday
• Lumen Field (Seattle)
• WSU Radio Network Broadcast: Seattle Sports app, 710 AM, 770 AM (pregame at 10:30 a.m.)
• TV (streaming): Peacock
More on UW Huskies and WSU Cougars football
• Top 25 Watch: UW Huskies rise in Coaches Poll, still snubbed by AP
• WSU’s Dickert: What stands out about Cougars’ new starting QB
• Deadline passes for WSU, Oregon State to renew with Mountain West
• Former UW star Rome Odunze undergoes MRI on knee
