Instant observations from WSU’s 24-19 Apple Cup win over UW

It was an Apple Cup much different than most, but the end result was another exciting clash between bitter in-state rivals.

Recap | WSU defense comes through | UW coach: ‘I made a bad call’ | WSU coach: Time to retire trophy, keep it in Pullman? 

The WSU Cougars came up with massive fourth-down stop inside their own 2-yard line to hold off the UW Huskies 24-19 on Saturday at Lumen Field. Here’s five instant observations from 116th edition of the Apple Cup:

• WSU has something special at QB: If football fans in the Pacific Northwest were still unfamiliar with John Mateer, that certainly is not the case anymore. WSU’s starting quarterback put on a show against the Huskies using both his arm and legs to lead the Cougars down the field while accounting for nearly all of the team’s offensive success. After rushing for nearly 200 yards last week against Texas Tech, Mateer was regularly spied by UW’s defense, which was effective early but still couldn’t stop the dual-threat signal-caller. The redshirt sophomore’s ability on the run was on full display when bounced a keeper up the middle to the left side and raced through the Huskies defense for a 25-yard touchdown run to put the Cougs up 17-13 just before the half. Perhaps the most impactful way Mateer used his athleticism was to extend plays behind the line of scrimmage and allow his receivers to get open for chunk plays in the middle of the field. Mateer wasn’t all that efficient as passer – he completed 17 of 34 throws – but many of his completions picked up big chunks and keyed a WSU offense that relied on those plays to give the Huskies problems. He finished with over 300 total yards and three touchdowns (two rushing).

• Jedd Fisch gets into his bag, for better and worse: UW’s offense was almost boringly good in their first two games against lesser opponents Weber State and Eastern Michigan. The Huskies produced in those games, but it felt like we didn’t see much of what new head coach Jedd Fisch is working with as far as creativity in play calling. He went to his bag a whole lot more against the Cougs. UW’s first scoring drive was a good example of that, as the Huskies moved down the field with a screen pass to Jonah Coleman on a play-action misdirection, a fly-sweep shovel pass and an RPO that froze WSU’s defense long enough to allow tight end Keleki Latu to get behind the defense on a seam route. However, there were times when it felt like Fisch tried to do too much, like when freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. came in for second and third down as the Huskies were attempting to put points on the board just before the half. The decision resulted in a punt, and allowed WSU to put up a quick touchdown heading into the intermission. But perhaps the most puzzling call was to run a speed option on fourth-and-goal from inside the 2-yard line with Will Rogers at quarterback when he had just had success bringing Williams in to run options plays earlier on the drive.

• Penalties derail Huskies: A week after being flagged eight times for 100 yards, penalties were an Achilles’ heel for UW again in the Apple Cup. The Huskies committed an absurd 16 penalties for 135 yards compared to just six for 45 by the Cougs. And there were plenty of big situations where those penalties bit the Dawgs. That included a whopping three facemasks called on UW in the second quarter alone, a defensive holding call that extended an eventual WSU TD drive on what would have been a sack and third-and-long, and two false starts during a drive that stalled out inside the WSU 10 and ended with a UW field goal. The costly penalties continued in the fourth quarter with Rogers being called for intentional grounding and a false start soon after on fourth-and-6 while trailing 24-19, which forced a punt when UW had originally lined up to go for it. If the problem with penalties persists, there’s a good chance the Huskies will find themselves on the wrong end of close games frequently.

• Cougs bend but don’t break: The WSU defense gave up plenty of yards – 452 compared to 381 allowed by UW – but tended to buckle down when it mattered most (with a little help from the penalties mentioned above). The Huskies moved the ball at least 48 yards on six separate drives, all of which ended in scores. However, WSU surrendered just four field goals and one touchdown on those drives. UW’s only drive that reached the red zone? You guessed it, field goal. That ability to allow three points instead of seven proved to be the major difference in a game decided by five points.

• Yes, this was the Apple Cup: The buzz (or lack thereof) heading into this year’s edition of the rivalry clash was noticeable. The Apple Cup, a non-league game held at a neutral site in September? Yep, and the atmosphere at what was a pretty full Lumen Field was actually great with one half of the stadium decked out in purple and gold and another in crimson and grey. Heck, it even felt like a Pac-12 game with the amount of penalties and late-game stoppages for reviews and official’s timeouts.

Video: Caple’s reaction to WSU’s Apple Cup win over UW Huskies

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