Washington State Cougars On SI

RECAP: Cougars Win 2024 Apple Cup 24-19, Move To 3-0

In the first post Pac-12 rivalry game, the Huskies and Cougars put on a classic that ends in a huge win for Washington State.

John Severs

Sep 14, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer (10) carries the ball against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Sep 14, 2024; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer (10) carries the ball against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
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The first Apple Cup in the post Pac-12 world was a lot of things. It was an amazing quarterback duel between John Mateer and Will Rogers. It was the Huskies shooting themselves in the foot giving the Cougars the chance to pull off some big plays. But to Washington State fans, it'll be an instant classic, as the Cougars defeated the Huskeis 24-16 to move to 3-0.

The Cougs got on the scoreboard first, with a Dean Janikowski field goal, before Washington responded on the next drive. It only took Will Rogers 4 passes to get from the Washington State 25 to the end zone, culminating in a 31 yard pass to a wide open Giles Jackson to give the Huskies a 7-3 lead.

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Quarterback John Mateer wasted no time in answering back for the Cougars. Mateer's ability to make plays outside the pocket shined on the next drive, with big passes to Kris Huston and Tony Freeman getting WSU into scoring position. After a pass interference call got the Cougars to the Washington 23, Washington State's O-Line opened up a huge hole for Mateer, and he took the ball all the way to the Washington end zone for a touchdown and a 10-7 Cougar lead.

The Huskies looked to respond quickly. A pair of Will Rogers completions to Denzel Boston got the Huskies back into Cougar territory, but a dropped snap on third down ended the drive and Washington was forced to settle for a field goal, tying the game 10-10 at the end of the first quarter.

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The Huskies would take the lead back with another field goal a few drives later, but as the first half wound down the Cougars had the ball and enough time to make something happen. The drive started inside the Cougars 10, but Mateer connected with Josh Meredith on a 24 yard pass to give WSU some breathing room. Penalties continued to be the Huskies Achilles' Heel, as a pass interference call got Washington State down to the Washington 15.

Mateer was then sacked, forcing a third and 25. That was when John Mateer made some magic happen. On the next play Mateer kept the ball for a quarterback draw, and Washington State's offensive line gave him plenty of room to work with. Some amazing downfield blocking from the Cougar receivers gave him even more room, and Mateer dove into the end zone to give Washington State a 17-13 lead at the half. Incredible playcalling from Jake Dickert and company.

On the first drive of the second half, Washington kicked a field goal to get within one, but penalties continued to vex the Huskies. A defensive holding call extended the next WSU drive, and that was all Mateer and the Cougars needed to work with. They drove down the field, and then Mateer connectd with Josh Meredith for a touchdown and a 24-16 lead.

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The Huskies added another field goal as the third quarter expired, but struggled to come up with big offensive plays. With 8 minutes the Washington defense came up with their biggest play of the game, picking off John Mateer giving the Huskies a chance to take the lead late in the game, but the offense couldn't deliver.

Washington State's next few drives went nowhere, and with 3 minutes left Washington finally got a good drive together. Will Rogers hit a 45 yard pass to Giles Jackson, and a pair of runs got them to first and goal at the 10. After three plays, the Huskies had 4th and 1, with just over a minute left in the game. Rogers tried to take the ball outside on a QB run, but the Cougars brought him down short of the goal, sealing the win for Washington State.

Washington State continue their season on Friday, September 20 against San Jose State on The CW.

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John Severs
JOHN SEVERS

Having grown up in Pocatello, home of the Idaho State Bengals, John Severs is a lifelong fan of small schools that don't always deliver a lot of wins. Prior to writing for Sports Illustrated, John covered the Beavers for SB Nation's Oregon State blog Building the Dam, with a focus on baseball and women's basketball. When he's not watching college sports he spends most of his time reading, playing video games and annoying cats.

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