Washington walked out of the 118th Apple Cup with a 24-10 win over Washington State, but it came with plenty of frustration attached. The Dawgs were sloppy, uneven and at times tough to watch, even while finding enough in the fourth quarter to put the game away.
The offense never really settled in until late. It took a 6/6, 115-yard fourth quarter from Demond Williams and company to finally get things moving, and before that the unit spent long stretches stuck in neutral.
The line struggled to generate push, which was especially glaring near the goal line. New starters Kodi Greene and Champ Taulealea had some adjustment room, but the expectation was much higher for Mills and Azzopardi, and the front simply did not hold up the way it needed to.
That lack of execution showed up in the play-calling too. Washington leaned on screens when things got messy, but those plays rarely produced much.
Some of Williams’ decisions added to the frustration, since he seemed to be hunting for the explosive play instead of taking the easier options. Even when the big shot was there, he missed Rashid Williams behind the target.
Fisch and Williams appeared to be trying to prove the leap had already happened, and it came off forced.
Fisch’s own frustration was obvious after Washington State stuffed the Dawgs on fourth down. He threw his headset, then said in his halftime interview, “if you can’t get one yard on the goal line, you don’t deserve the points”.
The penalties were just as maddening. Washington was flagged 12 times for 130 yards, a number that can’t hold up in Big Ten play.
Champ Taulealea took two holding penalties on the Huskies’ second drive, and when those were combined with a Demond Williams delay of game, a promising march got pushed out of the red zone and ended in a 48-yard field goal. There was more of the same later, including the Ramzak Fruen late hit and the Lawson taunt near the end of the game.
RDA drew special heat for a rough day that included four penalties and a targeting call. The lack of discipline stood out, especially in a game where Washington State never really found much explosiveness.
The style may be aggressive, but there has to be some limit on the damage. It also raises the obvious question for the staff: how many mistakes can they live with before changes are made?
Still, there were positives on defense. Fruen finished with 3 tackles and a pass deflected, a solid start for the freshman after his earlier mistake.
DCB added 3 tackles and a pass deflected as well, looking the part at 6’5” and 295 pounds. Jeron Jones intercepted Pinnick on the deflection by DCB and the turnover led to a touchdown drive, while Alex McLaughlin sealed the game with his third interception in two Apple Cups.
Jacob Manu turned in a heavy-hitting night with 11 tackles and 1 sack, and Emmanuel Karnley posted 5 tackles and a pass deflection in his Husky debut. The defense gave Washington a real foundation to build on, and if that side keeps playing like this, it will keep the Dawgs in games.
Even so, the bigger questions remain on offense and discipline. A win is a win, but this one left plenty to clean up. The next three weeks will say a lot about what this team actually is.
In Other News...
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The Sunday college football tripleheader gave plenty of reasons to keep an eye on the broader national picture, but for Washington fans, the most relevant takeaway came closer to home with the Apple Cup result. The Huskies handled Washington State 24-10 in a game that was far cleaner on the scoreboard than it was on the field, with Washington piling up 130 penalty yards but still finding enough composure to keep control.
Even with that result in the rearview, the rest of the day offered a reminder that the Huskies are still part of a shifting conversation about what the race around them might look like. Ole Miss got a major performance from Trinidad Chambliss, Notre Dame kept Wisconsins offense in check, and Louisvilles Lincoln Kienholz was strong enough to spark a real quarterback debate in his own building. For Washington, the interest now is less about the outcome of one rivalry game and more about how these kinds of performances shape the path ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Suddenly Has A Running Back Problem It Cant Ignore
Washingtons backfield took a significant hit in the Apple Cup, when Quaid Carr and Jayden Limar both went down with injuries against Washington State. The timing is rough for a Huskies offense that had been trying to settle into a rhythm, and now the running back room suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did just a week ago.
The immediate challenge is depth, and Washington will have to lean on Trey Cooley, Brian Bonner and a few other backs to keep the position moving forward. Carr is headed for surgery, while both players are expected to miss an extended period, leaving the Huskies to piece together a rotation without knowing exactly when either runner might be available again. [Read more 🡒]