Cougars Hold Off Huskies, Take Big Bite of the Apple

Jedd Fisch's team falls 24-19 after late rally fails.

Giles Jackson gets behind the WSU secondary to catch a 31-yard touchdown pass. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Washington State football team came out in such a big hurry at Lumen Field, running no-huddle plays as fast as it could, it was as if the Cougars were determined to make it back to the Palouse in time for the Saturday frat parties.

When the fast-paced 116th Apple Cup was done, the Cougars certainly felt like celebrating long into the night after emerging from an exhaustive four quarters and a last-minute stop with a 24-19 victory over their big-city rivals in a mostly full stadium.

It was entertaining, compelling and an endurance test. It also was Jedd Fisch's first Husky loss in three tries with only Big Ten competition from here on out.

With just over a minute to play, everything came down to a fourth-and-goal play from the 1. Jonah Coleman took an option pitch from Will Rogers and got stuffed by for a yard loss, as simple as that. It was game, set and match for WSU.

"That's on me," Fisch said. "I made a bad call. We didn't execute the call. We lost the game. I'm the play-caller. I'm responsible."

WSU (3-0) relied on its new dual-threat flavor at quarterback, elusive Texan John Mateer, to run for a pair of touchdowns and throw for a third as they captured their first Apple Cup victory in three seasons. Mateer threw for 245 yards, completing 17 of 34 passes, and ran 16 times for 62 yards.

"I felt our guys answered the call every step of the way," Cougars coach Jake Dickert said.

The UW (2-1) not only had trouble containing Mateer, Fisch's team couldn't finish drives, settling for four Grady Gross field goals. The Huskies similarly hurt themselves with a crush of penalties, committing 16 infractions for 135 yards.

Rogers finished with 23 completions in 31 attempts for 314 yards and a score, while Coleman ran 14 times for 75 yards.

"It's no fun losing, especially to a rival," Rogers said. "I'm kind of feeling the pressure of some of the success some of my other teammates have had."

WSU had the Huskies backpedaling from the first series, moving 66 yards only to run out of downs on the Husky 9. On fourth-and-2, linebacker Carson Bruener dropped freshman running back Wayshawn Parker for a 1-yard loss.

As has been the case, the Huskies went 3-and-out on their first offensive series, slow starters again.

WSU's Tony Freeman kept the pressure on by returning the punt 33 yards to the Husky 29, where the Cougars would open the scoring with Dean Janikowski's 44-yard field goal with 8:58 left in the quarter.

WSU's Tony Freeman returns a punt 33 yards in the Apple Cup while Sebastian Valdez gives chase. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Realizing they had to pick up the pace to keep up, the Huskies responded with a searing four -play, 75-yard drive, capped by a looping 31-yard TD pass to Giles Jackson. Putting the UW ahead 7-3 at the 7:16 mark, Giles beat WSU cornerback Ethan O'Connor on a post route, toe-tapping in the end zone to make it count.

Back came the hell-bent Cougars, moving 72 yards in six plays for Mateer's 23-yard scramble to the end zone and a 10-7 lead with 4:16 left in the opening quarter. The quarterback eluded Jayvon Parker at the line of scrimmage and cut back on defensive backs Thaddeus Dixon and Jordan Shaw near the goal line and was in.

Huskies quarterback Will Rogers (7) hands the ball off to Jonah Coleman (1) during the first half of the Apple Cup. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Huskies, your serve.

They responded with Gross' 44-yard field goal one play into the second quarter to knot the score at 10.

After forcing a punt, the Huskies used another Gross field goal, this one from 42 yards away, to reclaim the lead at 13-10 with 9:10 remaining in the half.

Finally, this frenetic game hit a lull.

WSU's Janikowski missed a 26-yard field goal and the Huskies went four-and out and punted.

With two minutes left in the half, the Cougars had another electric score left in them. They moved 91 yards in six plays, with Mateer doing the honors once more. On 3-and-20 from the UW 25, after getting sacked by linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala, Mateer shook it off and scrambled into the end zone without much trouble.

The talented player from Little Elm, Texas, put his head down and ran up the middle, veered to the left and avoided the diving tackle by Huskies' Dixon at the 15 and scored with 21 seconds until intermission. The Cougars were up 17-13 at the break, which everyone needed.

After they came back, WSU seemed more rested. While they gave up a 25-yard Gross field goal to cut their lead to one, the Cougars roared back with a determined drive to put what would be enough distance between themselves and the UW.

They took advantage of a holding call on UW nickel Jordan Shaw to extend a drive on third-and-18, got up the field on Parker's 37-yard scamper and used Mateer's arm to finish things off with an 18-yard TD pass to Josh Meredith. With 5:54 left in the third quarter, WSU was up 24-16.

Yet the quarter couldn't close until Gross kicked another field goal for the hometown team. He converted his fourth kick in as many tries, from 43 yards out, with no time showing on the clock. It was 24-19 entering the final 15 minutes. It would stay that way.

The Huskies seemingly had a chance to shake off their uneven play when Dixon intercepted a deep ball by Mateer, intended for Kyle Williams, and returned it to the UW 39. The clock read 8:14 left. They stalled out.

Cornerback Ephesians Prysock seemingly came up with an interception on the WSU 37 with 3:52 left, but it was ruled incomplete after hitting the ground.

The UW still had once last bid to pull this one out, getting the ball back and moving into scoring position on a 45-yard pass to Jackson. Once the Huskies got close for its last play from the 1, the initial call was to Jackson. They didn't like how things looked and called timeout. They didn't like it any better when the second option didn't work.

The UW now regroups and prepares for its first Big Ten league game against Northwestern next weekend at Husky Stadium.

"We'll make the corrections," Fisch said. "We tell the truth. Sundays are for telling the truth."

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