Washington State doesn’t need a careful, measured start in this one. According to Coug great Mkristo Bruce, the Cougars have to come out swinging against Washington and stay on the gas from the opening snap.
Bruce, who is serving this season as the weekly insider on WSU’s path to victory, said this is not the kind of game where the Cougars should try to ease quarterback Caden Pinnick into anything. There are other weeks for that. This one calls for pressure, urgency and a full-throttle approach if Washington State wants to pull the upset.
His first concern is straightforward: keep Husky quarterback Demond Williams bottled up. Bruce called it a classic “pick your poison” situation, noting that Williams can hurt defenses with his arm or his legs.
If the Cougars have to choose, Bruce said they should make him throw. Williams’ quickness and shiftiness outside the pocket make him difficult to track, and Bruce pointed out that while he’s a capable passer, he no longer has Denzel Boston to throw it up to this year.
Bruce also said he would not be surprised if Keith Brown is used as a spy on Williams, with the pocket needing to be pushed from the middle.
The second key is mental as much as physical: play without fear. Bruce said all the pressure sits on Washington, which has talked itself into believing it can be a playoff team.
WSU enters as the heavy underdog, and Bruce framed that as a freedom of sorts for the Cougars. If they lose, they were expected to lose.
If Washington loses, the fallout is far bigger. He also noted that UW is 29-4 at home since 2022, but said that only sets the stage for WSU to play spoiler.
Bruce wants the Cougars to hit Williams early and keep hitting him. He pointed to last year’s results, when Washington’s losses came with Williams under heavy duress.
In those games, he was sacked 17 times. The numbers told the story: in Husky wins, Williams had 28 touchdowns and just two interceptions; in losses, he had three touchdowns and six picks.
Bruce said the goal is to get him uncomfortable, force happy feet and make him feel pressure in the pocket. He also said WSU’s secondary looked strong in camp, but the defensive line has to prove it can finish the job.
Then comes the mindset piece: attack, attack, attack. Bruce said this is not the time for a gradual introduction to new coaches and new players.
From kickoff, Washington State needs to act like the hunter, not the hunted. He said the Cougars have to bring a smash-mouth edge, match energy and play with the kind of intensity that can set the tone immediately.
In his words, it’s “smash them in the face type of game.” Bruce also tied that urgency to the bigger picture around the Apple Cup, saying WSU needs this win and that there is more riding on it than “just another game.”
His final key is to go after Washington’s youth in the trenches. Bruce noted that the Huskies are expected to start true freshmen Kodi Greene at left tackle, Derek Colman-Brusa at defensive tackle and Ramzak Fruean at EDGE.
His advice for WSU was direct: send Linus Zunk and Matyus McLain hard at Greene on defense, and run right at Colman-Brusa and Fruean on offense. Bruce said the Cougars may not have much film to study on those young linemen, but experience and pressure can still swing the matchup.
He suggested mixing speed rushes, bull rushes and spin moves, then leaning on the crowd and the atmosphere to make those freshmen think twice.
Bruce, one of the most prolific sack masters in WSU history, finished his college career as a first-team All-Pac-10 selection and a second-team AP and Walter Camp All-American. The former quarterback from Renton started 34 consecutive games at defensive end for Washington State.
In Other News...
Washington State Just Got A Rare College GameDay Honor
College GameDay marked its 500th on-the-road episode during the 2026 season opener with a familiar piece of Washington State history front and center. Host Rece Davis used the milestone broadcast to unveil the College GameDay Hall of Fan, and the first induction went to Ol' Crimson, the Cougars flag that has become one of the show's most recognizable traditions.
For Washington State fans, it was the kind of nod that carries real meaning because Ol' Crimson's run has stretched across more than two decades and well over 300 episodes. The flag has turned up in all sorts of places over the years, and its long journey eventually included a 2018 stop on the Washington State campus, making this latest honor feel like a full-circle moment for a program that has long claimed the flag as its own. [Read more 🡒]
Apple Cup Tradition Just Took A Hit WSU Fans Will Notice
The Apple Cup carried a different feel this year, and Washington State fans noticed it before the second half even got underway. The Cougars band did not take part in the halftime show, breaking a long-standing tradition that has been part of the rivalrys rhythm for years. Washington State officials said the change came down to logistical and experiential concerns, while both schools have been dealing with the practical realities of moving a full band to a road game in an increasingly expensive college sports landscape.
Washington pointed to Big Ten conference rules and cost considerations as part of the explanation, underscoring how much even a classic rivalry has to bend to modern travel and budget constraints. Both schools have acknowledged the financial and operational strain around band travel and placement at games, but the absence of Washington States band was still a noticeable shift for a matchup built on pageantry as much as points. [Read more 🡒]
Washington States Apple Cup Upset Hopes Rest On One Tough Balancing Act
Washington State heads into the Apple Cup needing more than just emotion and rivalry energy to make this thing interesting. The Cougars have to find a way to bother Demond Williams Jr. enough to keep Washington from settling in, and that starts with a defensive front that has to make life difficult across the line of scrimmage. At the same time, WSU cannot let this turn into a one-sided pressure game on its own quarterback, because the Cougars will need enough of a running presence to keep the offense balanced and give Caden Pinnick some room to operate.
Pinnicks assignment is just as tricky in a setting that rarely forgives hesitation. Washingtons defense brings enough strength to make the Cougars work for every clean look, and the atmosphere at Husky Stadium adds another layer for a quarterback still trying to settle in. For WSU, the formula is simple to describe and hard to pull off: create enough disruption on one side, avoid getting overwhelmed on the other, and hope the game stays close long enough for the upset talk to feel real. [Read more 🡒]