UW’s Myles Gaskin rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns, Jake Browning ran for a score, and the Huskies (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12) secured consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 1990-91.
They gathered in one corner of the field, a dozen of the happiest guys in Husky Stadium forming a semicircle around the Governor’s Trophy, posing for pictures, their gleeful smiles as genuine as it gets.
This has become a tradition for Washington’s defensive backs, like a family’s holiday photo shoot under the most perfect of conditions.
For the Huskies’ defense, a game against Washington State again became their favorite day of the year.
By the numbers
72-32-6
All-time UW record against Washington State in the series. The Huskies have won 15 of the past 20 Apple Cups.
No. 15 Washington made this just another rotten Apple Cup for Luke Falk, who was tormented one last time in the Huskies’ thorough dismantling of the No. 14 Cougars, 41-14, before a sold-out crowd of 71,265 at Husky Stadium.
“It’s definitely our favorite game,” said UW senior safety Ezekiel Turner, who had one of the Huskies’ three interceptions off Falk, and was one of the dozen players lingering on the Husky Stadium turf, exchanging hugs and posing for pictures. “The ball was flying wild everywhere and guys were just coming up hitting everywhere. It was definitely fun to be a part of. It’s always fun whippin’ up on the Cougs.”
UW’s Myles Gaskin rushed for 192 yards and four touchdowns, Jake Browning ran for another score, and the Huskies (10-2, 7-2 Pac-12) secured consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 1990-91.
In losing the Apple Cup for a fifth consecutive year, the Cougars (9-3, 6-3) also lost out on a chance to claim their first Pac-12 North title.
In their four Apple Cup showdowns, Chris Petersen’s Huskies have outscored Mike Leach’s Cougars 162-54 overall and 90-13 in first half.
“It’s the most important game of the year, and we wanted to come out and show what we could do,” UW senior center Coleman Shelton said. “It’s crazy. It’s something I’ll remember the rest of my life, for sure. I can’t really describe it right now. It’s awesome.”
The Huskies’ rarely sent more than three rushers after Falk, and still got to the Washington State senior quarterback for five sacks, one lost fumble and those three interceptions.
Washington State finished with minus-24 yards rushing, the fewest rushing yards by either team in 110 Apple Cups.
UW’s win means Stanford will play USC in the Pac-12 championship game this week. (The Huskies and Stanford both finished 7-2 in conference, but Stanford advances to the championship game because of its victory over UW earlier this month.)
The first Apple Cup featuring both teams ranked in the top 15 didn’t live up to the billing. The Huskies led 24-0 at halftime, forcing three first-half turnovers, including a forced fumble caused by senior linebacker Keishawn Bierria in his final game at Husky Stadium.
In what was supposed to be a showdown of the Pac-12’s top two defenses, Washington’s was the only one to hold true to form. Turner, Jojo McIntosh and Ben Burr-Kirven had interceptions for the Huskies.
For the fourth year in a row, the Huskies’ defense stymied WSU’s vaunted Air Raid attack. WSU’s Mike Leach has never been shut out in his 16 seasons as a head coach, and that streak was in jeopardy until the 9:01 mark of the fourth quarter, when Jamal Morrow scored on a 2-yard touchdown run.
Playing in a steady downpour, Falk never looked comfortable against a heavy pass rush from UW’s Vita Vea, Greg Gaines, et al. The Pac-12’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes was once again stymied by the Huskies.
In three career starts against the Huskies, Falk has thrown eight interceptions against four touchdowns.
As good as UW’s defense was, Gaskin was just as impressive. The junior running back scored from 2 yards out to cap a terrific opening possession for the Huskies, an 11-play, 75-yard drive that ate up 5:35 off the clock.
That gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.
Washington State hasn’t scored a first-quarter touchdown against the Huskies since 2007.
Browning surged in from 1 yard out early in the second quarter to make it 14-0. Gaskin added his second touchdown, also from 2 yards, later in the second quarter, and Tristan Vizcaino’s 44-yard field goal made it 24-0 at halftime.
Gaskin’s sensational 26-yard touchdown run, capped by a dive to the right pylon, made it 34-0 in the third quarter.
Just when it seemed it couldn’t get any worse for the Cougars, star defensive tackle Hercules Mata’afa was ejected in the third quarter for targeting Browning’s head on a helmet-to-helmet hit.
Depending on what happens in the Pac-12 championship game next week, the Huskies are likely looking at a trip to the Alamo Bowl in San Antonio on Dec. 28.
| Myles to go | |||
| Husky RB Myles Gaskin’s rushing stats in his three Apple Cups: | |||
| Year | Att./yds | Avg. | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 32/138 | 4.3 | 2 |
| 2016 | 16/50 | 3.1 | 1 |
| 2017 | 25/192 | 7.7 | 4 |
| Totals | 73/380 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Myles to go | |||
| Husky RB Myles Gaskin’s rushing stats in his three Apple Cups: | |||
| Year | Att./yds | Avg. | TD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 32/138 | 4.3 | 2 |
| 2016 | 16/50 | 3.1 | 1 |
| 2017 | 25/192 | 7.7 | 4 |
| Totals | 73/380 | 5.2 | 7 |