The Boeing Apple Cup - A recent history (2025)

Play of the Game/Turning Point -Rome Odunze's 23-yard run on 4th-and-1 from the Husky 29. Washington's offense had been inconsistent at best during the game. Facing 4th-and-1 from their own 29, Washington head coachKalen DeBoermade the gutsy call to go for it.Michael Penix Jr.took the snap from the shotgun, faked a handoff toDillon Johnsonand then turned and flipped the ball to Odunze who got around the right side and went 23 yards down the field to the WSU 28. After a first down and a big roughing the passer penalty, Gross was able to come on and hit his game-winner as time ran out.

Offensive Player of the Game -WRRome Odunze.The veteran wideout had seven catches for 120 yards and two scores in addition to his 23-yard run that helped set up Washington's game-winning field goal.

Defensive Player of the Game -LBCarson Bruener.For the second-straight game, Bruener led the way after putting up 14 tackles.

Handouts To The Standouts -RBDillon Johnsontotaled 82 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries; WRJalen McMillancaught his first pass since week three against Michigan State. He finished the game with five receptions for 26 yards; SDominique Hamptonhad eight stops on the day; LBAlphonzo Tuputalahad six tackles, one sack and a tackle-for-loss; LBEdefuan Ulofoshionotched five tackles and a sack; DBMakell Esteenhad three tackles, a sack and an interception; EDGEBralen Tricefinished with three tackles and a sack; EDGESekai Asoau-Afoahad three tackles and a sack as well; DBThaddeus Dixonfinished with a tackle and his first career interception; Gross missed his 43-yard attempt earlier in the game but redeemed himself with his clutch 42-yard field goal to end the game.

Key Stat -Washington recorded five sacks on the day. It is their biggest total of the season and they came at critical points in the game.

Needs Work -Washington was just 6 of 14 on the day on third down. The Cougars were just 7 of 17.

The Bottom Line -This team just keeps making plays when they need them most. The defense has times when it needs to pick up the offense and vice versa and somehow, some way, they are able to do it. Washington is now 12-0 for only the second time in program history and they are headed to the Pac 12 Championship Game to figure out who will represent the conference in the College Football Playoffs. Heading into the season, we though it had a chance to be special and so far, that presumption has proven to be correct. Enjoy this Husky fans. It doesn't happen very often.

In a series that dates back to 1900, there had never been more than 83 points scored. The record set back in 1976, but it would fall on Saturday at Martin Stadium in the 114th Apple Cup as the Huskies left the Palouse with a 51-33 win over the Cougars.

Michael Penix Jr.started the game a little shaky, missing some open receivers with high throws, but he settled down and finished the night 25 of 43 for 484 yards and three touchdowns along with an interception as he led Washington to their 10th win of the season. The junior signal-caller also had 34 yards rushing and two touchdowns as well.

Washington's offense was nearly unstoppable on the night, totaling 703 yards and getting explosive scoring plays of 26, 47, 30, 75 and 40 yards.

The Cougars would start the scoring, taking the opening kickoff and marching 42 yards in eight plays, but they had to settle for a 50-yard field goal byDean Janikowski.

The teams exchanged punts, but then Penix seemed to find his range, driving the Huskies 44 yards in four play and finding Ja'Lynn Polk alone for a 26-yard touchdown catch and run.

The first half was marked by seven lead-changes as each team got big play after big play.

A big reason that Washington State was able to extend drives was the legs of quarterbackCameron Ward.

He wriggled out of several near sacks and threw two touchdowns passes in the second quarter -- 34 yards toRobert Ferreland 15 yards to tailbackNakia Watson-- but his efforts were matched by Penix who completed a 47-yard scoring pass toRome Odunze.

Penix also was the recipient of a double-pass and took it in from 30 yards out. It was called a run because the second pass from wideoutJalen McMillanwas backwards. He also added a four yard touchdown run on a read-option that capped Washington's first half scoring.

The Huskies entered the locker room at the half up just one point, 28-27, and it seemed like this game could come down to who had the ball last, but the Washington defense was able to make the necessary adjustments and allowed just six points in the second half and none in the final 15 minutes to get the win.

While the outcome seemed inevitable by seeing that the Huskies didn't allow the Cougars to score, it belies the outstanding drive that Washington executed midway through the fourth quarter to seal the game.

After the Cougars had downed a punt at the Washington three, Penix, nursing an eight-point lead, calmly led the Huskies on a 15-play, 94-yard drive that ate up over six minutes off the clock. It ended whenPeyton Henrycame on and hit his only field goal attempt on the night, this one from 20 yards, giving the visitors an 11-point lead with 5:02 remaining in the game.

With the Cougars' offense now one-dimensional, the Husky pass-rush was able to get home a couple of times and they forced Washington State to turn the ball over on downs with 2:25 remaining.

At that point, the record from 1976 was still intact and seemed out of jeopardy, but tailbackWayne Taulapapawho finished the night with 126 yards, found a gaping hole off the right side and took it all the way in for a 40 yard touchdown, setting the record after Henry added the extra point.

Because of Penix's big night, the Huskies had several receivers put up big numbers.

Odunze finished with five catches for 157 yards and a touchdown and also posted a five-yard touchdown run. McMillan had six catches for 150 yards including a 75-yard catch and run for a touchdown on the first offensive play from scrimmage in the second half.

Ja'Lynn Polk added four catches for 82 yards and his touchdown as well.

Coming into he game, the Cougars were ranked 26th in the country as they were allowing just 119 yards on the ground. Washington topped that number by nearly 100, finishing with 218 on the night.

As we noted, Taulapapa led the way with 126 yards and a touchdown while Cameron Davis finished with 55 yards on six carries.

It was a struggle early on for the Husky defense, but they were able to tighten things up at halftime, surrendering just 129 yards of offense and six points to the Cougars in the final 30 minutes.

The Huskies were led by linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala's nine tackles, while cornerbackMishael Powellchipped in with eight and three players -- cornerbackJordan Perryman, safetyAlex Cookand EDGEZion Tupuola-Fetui-- finished with six.

Washington's front seven harrassed Ward all night long and were able to get home six times.

Jeremiah Martin finished with two sacks while Tupuola-Fetui,Bralen Trice, Kris Moll andJayvon Parkereach registered one.

Coming into the 113th Apple Cup, the Washington Huskies were riding a seven-game winning streak. That ended on Saturday night at Husky Stadium as Washington State made an emphatic statement with a 40-13 win over an out-gunned Washington team.

WSU quarterbak Jayden de Laura, playing in his first Apple Cup, had an outstanding game, going 27 of 32 for 245 yards and rushing for 31 yards on three carries as he helped lead the Cougars to 454 yards of total offense and 33 offensive points. Tailback Max Borghi was too much for the Husky defense most of the night, carrying the ball 22 times for 129 yards and two scores.

While the Cougar offense was impressive all night, their defense had their moments too, forcing four turnovers, all interceptions, and held Washington to just 63 yards of offense in the first half and 200 total on the night including just 10 on the ground.

Washington fans and those around the program had been clamoring to see what freshman quarterback Sam Huardcould do when he had the reigns of the Husky offense. They got their wish and they were rewarded with a shaky performance as the freshman struggled to generate much in the way of offense and also threw four interceptions.

He finished the night 17 of 31 for 174 yards with a touchdown and four interceptions.

Washington State had several opportunities to put their foot on the throat of Washington in the first half, dominating the time of possession -- 20:36 to 9:24 -- and yardage -- 255 to 63 -- but penalties and the inability to punch the ball in from inside the Husky 10 resulted in them scoring just 13 points in the first 30 minutes.

The Husky offense managed just 63 yards in the first half, not posting their first first down of the night until there was 4:33 left in the second quarter. They were able to muster some points just before the end of the half as tailback Kamari Pleasant gave the Husky faithful something to cheer about when he went over from 10 yards out to draw them within six and just 1:43 remaining in the half.

The Cougars were able to get enough yards to give kicker Dean Janikowski a chance at a long field goal, but his 48-yard attempt went wide to the left and sent the teams into the locker room with Washington State leading 13-7.

Washington took the opening kickoff of the second half and were able to do nothing with it as Huard threw incomplete to Ja'Lynn Polkon 3rd-and-4.

de Laura and the Cougars took over at their own 22 and marched it 78 yards in 10 plays, finishing off with a one-yard touchdown run for Borghi.

Deon McIntosh added another touchdown after Huard threw his third interception of the night, extending the Cougars' lead to 30-7 just 37 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Huard did manage to throw his first touchdown pass as a Husky quarterback, finding Rome Odunzefor a one-handed, 16-yard touchdown, but it was too little, too late as Washington added a field goal and a 28-yard interception return by defensive back Armani Marsh to get the 40-13 win.

The points are the most scored on Washington in 89 games and the first time the Cougars have scored 40 points in an Apple Cup since 2007 when they scored 42.

As the clock ticked down the final seconds, Washington State fans stormed the field in celebration as Washington's football players and coaches walked, heads bowed, to the locker room.

Washington used Washington State's ball control against them, coming up with two fourth-quarter turnovers to salt away a 31-13 win in the 112th Apple Cup, played Friday afternoon at Husky Stadium.

It's the seventh-straight win for the Huskies in the series and 17th of the last 22, as WSU Head Coach Mike Leach continues to search for his first victory over UW Head Coach Chris Petersen. A Holiday Bowl representative was in the Husky Stadium press box Saturday, as UW is one of the Pac-12 teams to play in San Diego on December 27th.

"I'm happy for the seniors," Petersen said post-game. "It was good team ball today. The defense, great job once again. It's not about yards, it's about points. We had some turnovers in some real timely situations. They did a good job holding the ball, dinking and dunking, eating a lot of clock, but when it came time to score points, there wasn't a lot of points on their side."

Trent McDuffie's 30-yard interception and return set up a Peyton Henry 22-yard field goal with 6:35 remaining, giving the Huskies (7-5, 4-5) a three-score lead that Washington State (6-6, 3-6) could not overcome.

The ensuing WSU drive pushed all the way to the UW 15-yard line, but no further, as Washington's three-man pressure eventually got to WSU quarterback Anthony Gordon, who threw the ball into the end zone on fourth down but it wasn't near any Cougar receivers.

It was a constant theme, as Washington was determined not to let Gordon throw deep on them, dropping seven and eight players into coverage. As a result, they allowed Gordon to settle for easier, shorter throws, but it also ate up a ton of clock. As such, he completed 48 of 62 passes for 308 yards and no touchdowns. But he did throw two costly second-half interceptions, and he was sacked five times.

Junior outside linebacker Joe Tryon, once committed to Washington State before signing with the Huskies, had two of the sacks, and Ryan Bowman and Edefuan Ulofoshio evenly split up the other three sacks.

Senior linebacker Brandon Wellington finished off his UW career in style, leading UW in tackles with 16, while defensive back Elijah Molden had 14 tackles and an interception. Ulofoshio finished the game with 12 tackles.

"I thought our guys were patient, they tackled well," Petersen said. "To get some sacks rushing three and mixing it up...I think we got 'em five times, which was humongous. They don't give up a lot of sacks. But for us to get to them, that was a big part of the game."

Mike Leach didn’t care to get into a conversation with @JPBlanchette about why #WSU can’t beat #UW despite having success against other teams with top-10 recruiting classes. Leach gets pretty fiery here. pic.twitter.com/fLa17dLJI0

— Theo Lawson (@TheoLawson_SR) November 30, 2019

The Huskies were led offensively by junior quarterback Jacob Eason, who had a very efficient game in his first Apple Cup. The Lake Stevens product was 15-22 for 244 yards and one touchdown, a 16-yard pass to Terrell Bynum that finished off a 10-play, 72-yard drive in the second quarter that gave Washington their first lead of the game at 14-10.

Two Richard Newton touchdowns, one in the second quarter and one in the third quarter, capped of a run of 21-straight points for the Huskies, giving them a 28-10 lead early in the second half. The Huskies were led on the ground by junior Salvon Ahmed, who had 16 carries for 85 yards.

It wasn't all positive coming out of the gate for Washington, who rather easily surrendered a 13-play, 81-yard opening drive to the Cougars. WSU running back Max Borghi was coming up good on his promise to 'score a lot' in the game, punching through with a one-yard burst. As it turned out, that was the last time Borghi would come close to finding the end zone. He finished with 12 catches for 58 yards and 10 runs for 50 yards.

The Huskies' nerves were tested even more on UW's first offensive possession. Eason was sacked on the first play of the game, leading to a three-and-out series. But Washington was able to make some defensive adjustments and forced their own three-and-out.

On the ensuing possession, Eason hit Bynum for a 57-yard bomb that led to a three-yard quarterback 'sneak' over Washington State's A-gap to tie the game with 3:53 left in the first quarter.

The Cougars, again more than happy to dink and dunk while the Huskies were taking away the deep pass, drove 64 yards on 16 plays in a drive that took up over 7 minutes of clock, eventually scoring three points on a Blake Mazza 28-yard field goal with 11:32 left to halftime.

That's when the Huskies settled down on offense and Eason went to work with two-straight drives that resulted in touchdowns to put UW ahead before halftime.

Play of the Game/Turning Point - Myles Gaskin's 80-yard touchdown run. With Washington hanging on to a five point lead and close to five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Gaskin took a handoff on 3rd-and-1 from the Husky 20, got a good block from tight end Jacob Kizer and outran the Washington State defense on his way to an 80-yard touchdown the essentially locked up the game for the Dawgs.

Offensive Player of the Game - RB Myles Gaskin. Gaskin became the first Pac 12 tailback to eclipse 1,000 yards four times in his career by rushing for 170 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries.

Defensive Player of the Game - LB Ben Burr-Kirven. There was part of me that wanted to get against the grain on this one and pick someone like Joe Tryon or Greg Gaines or Levi Onwuzurike who got consistent pressure on Gardner Minshew, but it's hard to argue when a guy posts 10 tackles and an interception on the night.

Handouts To The Standouts - Quarterback Jake Browning threw an early interception and fumbled deep in Washington territory, but he still had a solid night and hit some big throws, finishing with a very respectable 207 yards while hitting on 11 of his 14 pass attempts; tailback Salvon Ahmed had nine carries for 87 yards including a couple of runs for key first downs as Washington salted the game away with a nine-minute drive to end the game; wide receiver Andre Baccellia was the leading receiver for the Huskies on the night, hauling in five receptions for 89 yards; tight end Hunter Bryant had to most receiving yards -- 108 -- on three catches for a touchdown; wide receiver Aaron Fuller was shut down most of the night, but did manage to throw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Bryant; even with Jared Hilbers going down with an injury, Washington's offensive line still managed to keep Browning upright, allowing just one sack, and paving the way for 258 yards rushing; linebacker Brandon Wellington had eight tackles on the night, finishing second on the team; cornerback Byron Murphy had a key interception late in the first half to stamp out a Washington State scoring opportunity; defensive tackles Greg Gaines and Levi Onwuzurike didn't put up big numbers, Gaines did post a sack and also forced an intentional grounding penalty, but they were consistently in Minshew's face, forcing bad throws including an interception; Joe Tryon had three tackles, two tackles-for-loss and a sack.

Key Stat - Washington went 6 of 10 on third down while Washington State went just 4 of 13 and that was a big reason why Washington was able to force the Cougars into so many punts.

Needs Work - The Huskies had three turnovers and that is something that just cannot happen. Sure, the conditions weren't ideal, but no matter what ball-security is the key to winning games.

The Bottom Line - If ever the Cougs were going to beat Washington, this seemed like the year it was going to happen. Minshew was a darkhorse Heisman candidate, the Cougars flew around on defense and looked like a team ready to make a run at a conference title. Washington stepped up and said "we're tired of hearing about Washington State" and never trailed on the night. Now their thoughts will turn to Utah, a team they beat back in September, but who is a completely different team and they have the chance to win the conference and play in the Rose Bowl for the first time in nearly two decades. Considering how the season has gone with inconsistent play and injuries, I don't know if you could ask for much more from this team.

Play of the Game/Turning Point - Keishawn Bierria's forced fumble on Luke Falk in the second quarter. With Washington's offense faltering a bit after taking a 7-0 lead on the first drive of the night, senior linebacker Keishawn Bierria came all the way across the field to force a fumble on Luke Falk who appeared ready to gain a first down. The ball was recovered by Austin Joyner at the Washington State 28 and two plays later, Jake Browning plunged in from two yards out to give the Huskies a 14-0 lead.

Offensive Player of the Game - RB Myles Gaskin. The junior tailback who could be playing his final game at Husky Stadium, went out with a bang, carrying the ball 25 times for 192 yards and four touchdowns.

Defensive Player of the Game - DT Vita Vea. Yeah, he had just two tackles, but he also had half a sack and he generally was unblockable up front. His ability to draw double teams, allowed his teammates to run free and get after Falk in the passing game.

Handouts To The Standouts - LB Ben Burr-Kirven finished with a team-leading seven tackles and also had an interception; S Ezekiel Turner had six tackles and an interception; CB Byron Murphy, playing in just his fifth game of the season and only is second Pac 12 game, had five tackles, one tackle-for-loss and a team-leading three pass breakups; Bierria had four tackles and he forced a key fumble (see above) that was the turning point of the game; DT Levi Onwuzurike had three tackles and a sack; LB Benning Potoa'e had three tackles and a sack on the night; S Jojo McIntosh had just two tackles, but his interception in the first quarter was big and stopped the Cougars' offensive momentum; Salvon Ahmed had 82 yards on nine carries; freshman WR Ty Jones had two receptions for 23 yards on the night and led the Huskies in yards receiving; P Joel Whitford had four punts and averaged 45.5 yards per attempt with two of them downed inside the 20; K Tristan Vizcaino hit on both of his field goal attempts, from 44 and 34 yards out, and also made all five of his extra point attempts.

Key Stat - Four turnovers -- three interceptions and a fumble-- really were the difference in the game.

Needs Work - It's hard to say anything here because Washington played almost the perfect game in all three phases.

The Bottom Line: Washington State had everything to play for in this game, but the Huskies looked like the team who had the most to lose and they came out and were physically dominant from the opening kickoff to the final gun. Chris Petersen and his staff are now 4-0 against their cross-state rivals and have outscored the Cougars 162 to just 54. I think it's safe to say, the Huskies have figured out how to stop the Air Raid offense.

Turning Point/Play of the Game: Washington's goal line stand late in the third quarter and subsequent 10-play, 98-yard drive to go up 42-17 early in the fourth quarter. With the Huskies leading 35-17, Washington State was set up with a 1st-and-Goal at the UW four yard line. After three plays netted three yards, Cougars head coach Mike Leachdecided to go for it and called a running play. Washington's Greg Gaines, Budda Baker, Ben Burr-Kirven and Elijah Qualls bowed up and held strong at the point of attack, stopping WSU's Gerard Wicks at the two and shutting down any chance the Cougars had of making things interesting.

Offensive Player of the Game: Jake Browning was sharp from the get-go and finished 21 of 29 for 292 yards with three touchdowns on the day.

Defensive Player of the Game: Baker had one of his best games as a Husky in what many think is likely his final Apple Cup. The junior safety was all over the place and finished with a team-leading eight tackles, two tackles-for-loss and one interception.

Handouts to the standouts: Washington subbed several players along the offensive line, but the five starters -- Trey Adams, Jake Eldrenkamp, Coleman Shelton, Andrew Kirkland and Kaleb McGary -- and sub Nick Harris all had very good games, keeping Browning upright (no sacks) and paving the way for 168 yards vs. one of the best run defenses in the conference; Lavon Coleman totaled 82 yards and two touchdown on 10 carries; Myles Gaskin had tough sledding most of the day, but still managed to run for 50 yards and a touchdown; Dante Pettis hauled in three receptions for 86 yards and two scores and he also had a key completion to TE Darrell Daniels for 50 yards on Washington's first drive; John Ross III led the Huskies with eight receptions for 80 yards and a touchdown while also rushing for 37 yards on two carries; Chico McClatcher posted six receptions for 80 yards; Taylor Rapp finished with four tackles, a forced fumble setting up Washington's second touchdown and he also made a beautiful play knocking away what would have been a sure touchdown to Gabe Marks in the second quarter; JoJo McIntosh finished second on the team with six tackles; DJ Beavers, starting his second-straight game for the injured Azeem Victor, racked up four tackles and a forced fumble; Damion Turpin had two tackles and a sack in the game.

Stat of the game: Washington got four turnovers (three picks, one fumble) and they also held Washington State to 7 of 15 on third downs and just 1 of 4 on fourth down.

Needs work: Washington had nine penalties for 75 yards with four of them coming on infuriating false start calls.

Bottom Line: Hey Husky fans, your team is 11-1 and champs of the Pac 12 North. On paper, Washington was the better team and they came out focused and ready to go. Washington State couldn't match up with the Husky wideouts and the play calling reflected that. Now it's on to the conference championship game. Celebrate for 24 hours and start to dial it in on Colorado or USC. Huge win for the Huskies, but they have bigger and better things on the horizon.

Turning Point/Play of the Game: After Washington State scored their only touchdown of the game, to bring the score to within 14 at 24-10 with over four minutes left in the third quarter, people began to get a bit antsy. However, the Huskies answered with an 11-play, 84-yard drive that was capped by RB Myles Gaskin’s second touchdown of the day to give Dawgs a commanding 31-10 lead with 14:55 left in the game.

Offensive Player of the Game: You have to give it to Gaskin who was a workhorse, toting the rock 32 times for 138 yards and two touchdowns. The freshman because the first true freshman to rush for over 1,000 yards and his 10 touchdowns also were a program record for a freshman.

Defensive Player of the Game: CB Sidney Jones had six total tackles to go along with an interception he took back 69 yards for a score and he also had three pass breakups on the day.

Handouts to the standouts: DB Kevin King led the Huskies with nine tackles and two tackles-for-loss while also forcing a fumble and generally being a physical presence on the shorter passes that Washington State threw; LB Keishawn Bierria had eight tackles, a tackle-for-loss and he also forced the first turnover of the day, setting the tone for the defense; Both CB Darren Gardenhire and LB Azeem Victor had defensive touchdowns, padding Washington’s fourth-quarter lead; Defensive ends Joe Mathis and Will Dissly and LB Cory Littleton each had sacks. Mathis and Dissly’s also forced fumbles that were recovered by the Huskies; Other than taking two sacks he probably shouldn’t have and throwing a pick, QB Jake Browning was an efficient 14 of 20 for 203 yards; WR Jaydon Mickens had one of his better games, leading the team with five receptions for 81 yards; freshman WR Isaiah Renfro had two receptions for 51 yards including a 43-yarder that he almost took to the house; TE Drew Sample did not have a catch, but he had several key blocks on big runs.

Key stat: Washington forced seven turnovers and should have had eight were in not for a terrible reversal of a fumble call. The Huskies also had three defensive touchdowns, two on interception returns and one on a fumble return.

Needs work: Washington had 10 penalties for 80 yards. That can’t happen against good teams if you want to win.

The Bottom Line: The Huskies needed to come out and play their best game of the season and that’s exactly what happened. Their cross-state rivals came in ranked and with a bit of a chip on their shoulder as they were not favored, but the Huskies gave them no room to breathe. Now it’s onto bowl game preparations and hopefully another win as they head into the offseason. This was arguably the best win of the season and one of the most complete games for the Huskies in quite some time.

Turning Point/Play of the Game: With time winding down in the first half and Washington up just 7-0, Washington State QB Luke Falk dropped back at his own seven and hit WR Vince Mayle for a nice 20 yard gain, however, freshman S Budda Baker came up and put his shoulder right on the ball, jarring the ball loose at the Cougar 27. John Timu eventually recovered and five plays later, Cyler Miles hit Kasen Williams from six yards out, giving Washington a 14-0 lead as they headed into the locker room

Offensive Player of the Game: RB Dwayne Washington’s two big touchdown runs, the first coming from 51 yards out on the second play of the first half of the Dawgs and his second a 60-yarder on the second play of the second half, were really back-breakers for the Cougars’ defense who played pretty well for a majority of the evening. Washington finished the night with 13 carries for 125 yards in addition to the two scores.

Defensive Player of the Game: Senior DL Evan Hudson had one of his best games as a Husky. He had half a sack, forced Falk to retreat into another sack and he had two tackles-for-loss, three tackles and numerous times where he helped collapse the pocket and force Falk off of his spot.

Handouts to the standouts: The Huskies got good performances from several players on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the entire starting defensive line ended up with a sack each. DT Danny Shelton had four tackles and half a sack; BUCK DE Hau’oli Kikaha totaled four tackles and half a sack on the evening; DE Andrew Hudson came on a stunt and got to Falk and finished with 1.5 sacks along with five tackles; CB John Ross had two pass breakups, an interception and three tackles; S Kevin King had a big interception on Washington State’s first drive of the second half in Husky territory, ending a scoring threat to go along with four tackles; Budda Baker tied for the team-lead with seven tackles to go along with the forced fumble and a pass breakup; TE Joshua Perkins had just three receptions, but they were all huge as two converted 3rd-and-long situations into first downs and the third reception resulted in an 18-yard touchdown; WR Kasen Williams hauled in three passes for 25 yards and had a six-yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 14-0 lead; Korey Durkee had four punts, dropping all of them inside the 20, while averaging 43 yards per punt and two that traveled further than 50 yards.

Stat of the game: Washington State came into the game averaging 489 yards per contest through the air. The Husky defense held the Cougars to 355 yards, 134 yards under their average, showing their dominance up front yet again and they were beaten for just one play over 25 yards. Another important stat worth mentioning is the fact that Washington held their cross-state rivals to just 1 of 10 on third downs. Now some of those helped out by drops by the Cougar wideouts, but you still cannot say much bad about the way the defense played on a down they have struggled with at times this season.

Needs work: Washington left several points on the field. They finished with three red zone attempts and three scores, but they settled for one 18-yard field goal and they had a turnover just outside of the redzone, their only turnover of the night, resulting in a missed opportunity for at least a field goal. The Huskies also had two instances where they started drives inside Washington State territory and neither resulted in points. That cannot happen going forward and definitely needs to get more attention from the coaches.

Bottom line: The Huskies played one of their best games of the season. Their defense was stifling, limiting one of the most prolific offenses in the country to just 376 total yards and 13 points, all of which came with Washington’s backups in the game. This vaults Washington into their bowl game prep with a lot of momentum coming off two-straight wins and three-straight solid performances. Finishing Chris Petersen’s first season as the leader of the program at 8-5 with a chance to win nine games for the second-straight year is huge and something that the program can use to build off of down the road.

Turning Point/Play of the Game (Part 1): With more than five minutes remaining and Washington leading 20-17, Washington State QB Connor Halliday, on first down, dropped back from his own 28 and threw behind his wide receiver. Husky CB Greg Ducre dove to the ground and came up with an interception, giving Washington a the ball back on the Cougar 37 with just under five minutes remaining. The Huskies went on to score the game-securing touchdown seven plays later while taking over three minutes off the clock.

Turning Point/Play of the Game (Part 2): Facing 3rd-and-5 from their own 20 early in the third quarter, Washington QB Keith Price dropped back and found RB Bishop Sankey with a host of blockers in front of him and he raced 40 yards for a much needed first down. The play seemed to ignite the Husky offense and Price capped off the drive by finding Austin Seferian-Jenkins five plays later for an 18-yard touchdown pass.

Turning Point/Play of the Game (Part 3): It was a record-setting carry for Sankey as he took a handoff from Price, cut it up inside and dashed seven yards for the go-ahead touchdown that gave Sankey the career rushing touchdown lead with 35 (breaking Napoleon Kaufman's record of 34) and also got past Corey Dillon for the single-season rushing yardage record (1,695 yards) in the process as well.

Offensive Player of the Game: When you break 17 and 19-year old records, it's your day and so, our player of the game goes to Sankey who finished with 200 yards and a touchdown as well as a huge 40-yard reception as well in leading Washington to the win over the Cougars.

Defensive Player of the Game: There just cannot be an dispute here…junior DE Hauoli Kikaha had a monster game when Washington needed him the most as he finished with a team-leading 11 tackles, two sacks and 2.5 tackles-for-loss in the 27-17 win over Washington State.

Handouts to the standouts: Price didn't put up huge numbers and actually looked awful in the first half, but he rebounded and finished the day 15 of 20 for 181 yards with a touchdown and an interception and carried the ball 14 times for 23 yards and scored the game-clinching touchdown, a two-yard naked bootleg, with 2:08 left; Seferian-Jenkins only had two receptions, but they went for 52 yards and one of them was an 18-yard touchdown early in the third quarter to tie the game; P Travis Coons dropped three of his six punts inside the 20 yard line, pinning the Cougars deep in their own end, forcing them to go the long field in order to put up points; LB Travis Feeney played physically and finished with six tackles (five solo), a sack and a tackle-for-loss; S Sean Parker had a quite nine tackles (six solo), ½ a tackle-for-loss and a pass breakup; DE/LB Cory Littleton was huge early on, getting several pressure on Halliday and finished the day with seven tackles (four solo), a sack and 1.5 tackles-for-loss; Ducre finished with two tackles, but it was his fourth-quarter interception of Halliday that really helped him make this list; John Timu had four tackles (two solo) and an interception of Halliday to seal the game for the Dawgs.

Stat of the Game: Last season, Washinton State's massive and active defensive front seven held the Huskies to just 75 yards on the ground. On Friday, the Huskies finished with 224 yards on the ground and that really did make a huge difference in the game in the waning moments. Another one worth mentioning is the fact that the Huskies held WSU to just 4 of 16 on third down, allowing their defense to get off the field in the second half.

Needs work: Washington State was 2 for 2 inside the red zone and that is an area the Huskies have been pretty good at, so it was a bit surprising. Still, Washington were able to get off the field more often than not and they only allowed the Cougars two chances inside the 20.