Huskies looking for 1st Apple Cup home win 3 years
SEATTLE (AP) - No matter how much the new staff and players at Washington try to ignore last year, the stain of a winless season will forever be punctuated by an Apple Cup loss last November to rival Washington State - a game that dropped the Huskies to their lowest point in school history.
Jake Locker was a spectator for that defeat, stuck back in Seattle with a cast on his right hand watching the biggest embarrassment of Washington's winless season play out.
"It was tough. It was just another wild game that went down to the end and it's hard to be on the losing end of those," Locker said.
Now comes Saturday's 102nd matchup between Washington and Washington State, again with both programs scuffling at the bottom of the Pac-10. The fleeting bowl hopes for Washington (3-7, 2-6) evaporated two weeks ago with a loss at Oregon State, while it's been another year for the Cougars (1-10, 0-8) of blowout losses and mounting fan frustration.
An underlying backstory is the future of Locker and that Saturday could be his final chance to beat his rival before leaving Washington. Locker is only a junior, but NFL draft pundits continue to taut Locker as potentially the first quarterback drafted if he departs after this season.
It's a topic everyone at Washington wants to push aside until after the Dec. 5 season finale against California. But having lost to the Cougars on a last-second touchdown as a freshman, then watching last year's late meltdown and eventual double overtime loss has Locker determined to make sure the losing streak to the Cougars ends now.
"Those different things that come along with the atmosphere around the game makes it a little bit different," Locker said. "It doesn't put any more importance on it, it doesn't put any more of a will to win I don't think, but it definitely makes it a little bit different."
Last year the Cougars pulled out a most unlikely victory in a most hideous of matchups. It was the first game in Pac-10 history to feature two 10-loss teams and while it turned out to be competitive and entertaining, it was hardly well played.
Washington State trailed 10-3 with less than a minute remaining when a blown coverage by Washington's secondary let Jared Karstetter slip free for a 48-yard completion with 24 seconds left. That setup Nico Grasu's 28-yard field goal to force overtime, and Grasu won it in the second OT with a 37-yarder after Washington's Ryan Perkins missed from 37.
While it continued a streak of close Apple Cup matchups - only once in the last 14 games has the game been decided by more than 10 points - it also gave the Cougars a chance at an unprecedented third consecutive win over the Huskies on Saturday.
"You don't need any more (motivation)," Washington defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim said. "That's good enough, just beating the Cougs, that's enough motivation for us."
But this beleaguered Washington State squad will have a hard time extending the streak. If fans thought the Cougars were awful last year during a 2-10 first season under coach Paul Wulff, the Cougars are even more putrid this year.
Beset by countless injuries that's led to 13 different freshmen starting this season, Washington State is bringing up the basement in 12 of 14 statistics tracked by the Pac-10. They rank 112th or lower in the country in rushing offense, passing efficiency, total offense, scoring offense, rushing defense, pass defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense and scoring defense.
Many disgruntled WSU fans - tired of the seven games lost by more than 40 points since Wulff took over and his 1-16 Pac-10 record - are ready for a change. But Wulff believes the Cougars are pointed toward improvement despite the struggles.
"The coaches are doing a good job," WSU running back Dwight Tardy said. "We are going in the right direction. Next year is going to be good."
If anything, Wulff's team got a little added motivation this week when Washington tight end Kavario Middleton popped off that the Huskies would score at least 50 on the Cougars. Wulff said his team will be fully aware of Middleton's comments before they take the field in Seattle.
It might not have any benefit. Washington holds a clear talent advantage at every position, even despite struggles against at Oregon State. WSU's best hope would appear to be control the clock on offense and keep Locker a spectator again.
How feasible that is remains to be seen.
"I'm confident we are going to play hard and play as well as we can play," Wulff said. "We feel we could go and play and play extremely well and execute some things and come away with a win."
Jake Locker was a spectator for that defeat, stuck back in Seattle with a cast on his right hand watching the biggest embarrassment of Washington's winless season play out.
"It was tough. It was just another wild game that went down to the end and it's hard to be on the losing end of those," Locker said.
Now comes Saturday's 102nd matchup between Washington and Washington State, again with both programs scuffling at the bottom of the Pac-10. The fleeting bowl hopes for Washington (3-7, 2-6) evaporated two weeks ago with a loss at Oregon State, while it's been another year for the Cougars (1-10, 0-8) of blowout losses and mounting fan frustration.
An underlying backstory is the future of Locker and that Saturday could be his final chance to beat his rival before leaving Washington. Locker is only a junior, but NFL draft pundits continue to taut Locker as potentially the first quarterback drafted if he departs after this season.
It's a topic everyone at Washington wants to push aside until after the Dec. 5 season finale against California. But having lost to the Cougars on a last-second touchdown as a freshman, then watching last year's late meltdown and eventual double overtime loss has Locker determined to make sure the losing streak to the Cougars ends now.
"Those different things that come along with the atmosphere around the game makes it a little bit different," Locker said. "It doesn't put any more importance on it, it doesn't put any more of a will to win I don't think, but it definitely makes it a little bit different."
Last year the Cougars pulled out a most unlikely victory in a most hideous of matchups. It was the first game in Pac-10 history to feature two 10-loss teams and while it turned out to be competitive and entertaining, it was hardly well played.
Washington State trailed 10-3 with less than a minute remaining when a blown coverage by Washington's secondary let Jared Karstetter slip free for a 48-yard completion with 24 seconds left. That setup Nico Grasu's 28-yard field goal to force overtime, and Grasu won it in the second OT with a 37-yarder after Washington's Ryan Perkins missed from 37.
While it continued a streak of close Apple Cup matchups - only once in the last 14 games has the game been decided by more than 10 points - it also gave the Cougars a chance at an unprecedented third consecutive win over the Huskies on Saturday.
"You don't need any more (motivation)," Washington defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim said. "That's good enough, just beating the Cougs, that's enough motivation for us."
But this beleaguered Washington State squad will have a hard time extending the streak. If fans thought the Cougars were awful last year during a 2-10 first season under coach Paul Wulff, the Cougars are even more putrid this year.
Beset by countless injuries that's led to 13 different freshmen starting this season, Washington State is bringing up the basement in 12 of 14 statistics tracked by the Pac-10. They rank 112th or lower in the country in rushing offense, passing efficiency, total offense, scoring offense, rushing defense, pass defense, pass efficiency defense, total defense and scoring defense.
Many disgruntled WSU fans - tired of the seven games lost by more than 40 points since Wulff took over and his 1-16 Pac-10 record - are ready for a change. But Wulff believes the Cougars are pointed toward improvement despite the struggles.
"The coaches are doing a good job," WSU running back Dwight Tardy said. "We are going in the right direction. Next year is going to be good."
If anything, Wulff's team got a little added motivation this week when Washington tight end Kavario Middleton popped off that the Huskies would score at least 50 on the Cougars. Wulff said his team will be fully aware of Middleton's comments before they take the field in Seattle.
It might not have any benefit. Washington holds a clear talent advantage at every position, even despite struggles against at Oregon State. WSU's best hope would appear to be control the clock on offense and keep Locker a spectator again.
How feasible that is remains to be seen.
"I'm confident we are going to play hard and play as well as we can play," Wulff said. "We feel we could go and play and play extremely well and execute some things and come away with a win."