Chris Petersen hopes Huskies have extra home-field advantage vs. Washington State in Apple Cup

With Washington still needing one more win for bowl eligibility, head coach Chris Petersen told “Brock and Salk” that Huskies fans could play a big role in Friday’s Apple Cup against 20th-ranked Washington State.

“I think and I’m hoping that the stadium is going to feel quite different, different than maybe it felt all year long playing a home game,” he said. “(It’s) a rivalry game and I’m excited for the kids to feel that.”

Petersen, who was hired as the Huskies’ coach in December of 2013, said one of the reasons he came to UW is the fanbase.

“I’ve played back in the day a few times against Washington here at home … and there’s nothing like it,” he said. “When this place is rocking and there’s passion and energy in here, it is a huge advantage. And that’s what we’re hoping for on Friday is that this place is packed again and we’ve got the Husky faithful out there and they bring it, because it does help and it does change the game.

“I think teams can deal with the weather, those types of things … (but) one of the hardest things to deal with is noise. It just really is. Over time it just wears you, it hurts execution, snap count and all those types of things.”

Here’s more of what Petersen told “Brock and Salk” on Tuesday:

• Petersen said the Huskies’ defensive scheme won’t change regardless of who plays quarterback for
WSU, noting that backup Peyton Bender is plenty capable of running the Cougars’ spread offense. Petersen: “They do a good job of coaching that quarterback over there. But it’s a completely a different animal than we’ve seen all season … I think it’s different how much they throw it, how effective the throw it. One thing they’re doing a little bit different is … they’re running it more and they’re running it effective. It is just different. It really is. People are always trying to figure out the best way slow them down and stop that passing game and nobody really does it.”

• Petersen said WSU’s quick turnaround shows the fine-line between a good record and a bad one. The Cougars lost their season opener to Portland State but have since won eight of their last 10. “That’s just the league that we play in. You’re just splitting hairs,” Petersen said. “You can be right there and you win a couple games, you get some momentum … they’ve won some tight games and they’re playing with confidence now. I look at our team and we’re a handful of plays away from having a significantly different record. Now, with that being said, there’s a tremendous amount of work that goes into taking care of all those details to be able to get over the hump.”

• Despite the competitive heat between the UW and WSU, Petersen said he has a good relationship with Cougars coach Mike Leach. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to know him,” Petersen said. “He thinks completely different than me. He’s really smart and has got a great sense of humor. Every time I’m around him I always leave with a smile on my face and enjoy being around him.”

• Petersen pointed to the Huskies’ secondary as a huge key to beating their rivals. “They’re going to complete passes but we’re going to have to cover those guys tightly,” he said. “And when they complete the ball we’ve got to be able to tackle them so there’s not a bunch of run after the catch. So how I think how our DBs compete and make plays on the ball is going to be really critical because the one thing we definitely know coming into this is they’re going to throw it and throw it a lot and that’s what they do and do it well.”

• Petersen said he won’t be changing his team’s strategy to keep up with WSU’s offense. “We have to do what we think we do best, that gives us the best chance of scoring points,” he said. “I think we change our strategy … you can hurt yourself. But the one thing we do know against these guys, we’re going to have to score some points. There’s no question about it because that’s what they do. And that’s what you have to do in this conference. I think you have to score 30 points a game to have a chance to really win in this conference.”

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