The Washington Huskies are heading into the Apple Cup with one big question hanging over the matchup: what exactly will Washington State look like under Kirby Moore?
That uncertainty is part of the challenge for UW’s defense, which will open the season Sunday at 1 p.m. PT against the Cougars at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Washington rolled past WSU 59-24 in last year’s Apple Cup at Gesa Field in Pullman, but this version of the rivalry comes with a very different cast on the other sideline.
Moore is in his first season leading the Cougars, and the offense he’s bringing with him is expected to be a departure from what Washington has seen in recent years. The Huskies do have some familiarity with Washington State quarterback Caden Pinnick, though he’ll be working with a much different group around him than he had last season at UC Davis, where he lost to Washington 70-10.
Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said Tuesday that the Huskies are ready for the unknowns, even if the full picture of WSU’s offense is still coming into focus.
“I think we're as prepared as we will be,” Walters said in a weekly news conference Tuesday. “(Head coach Jedd Fisch) and the offensive staff have thrown everything at us from spring ball to the fall camp.
And it's definitely given us a good starting point on how to defend and attack multiple personnel groupings, multiple formations, different shift, different motions, run schemes, pass schemes. ... We've seen everything.
I think that is definitely advantageous from a defensive coordinator's standpoint.”
Walters enters his second season in the role at Washington, and he said the Huskies’ offseason work against Fisch’s offense has helped sharpen the defense for exactly this kind of opener.
The pace could also be different than what UW has dealt with in recent seasons. In Fisch’s first year in 2024, when Washington State stunned Washington 24-19 at Lumen Field in Seattle, the Cougars were coached by Jake Dickert, a defensive-minded head coach.
Last season, Jimmy Rogers, another defensive-minded coach, was in charge. Dickert is now at Wake Forest, and Rogers is the head coach at Iowa State.
Moore, by contrast, arrives from Missouri after three seasons as offensive coordinator. The Tigers ranked ninth, 20th and 44th nationally in points per game during his run there.
“In pursuit of Kirby Moore's vision the WSU offense is fitted as an up-tempo balanced attack,” The Lewiston Tribune’s WSU beat writer Sam Taylor said in a quote to Roundtable Sports. “With a stable of running backs and quick pass catchers, the Cougars will likely aim for balance.
However, the WSU defense has proven to be a thorn in their side throughout spring ball and fall camp. What exactly that means remains to be seen.”
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