Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Giving Them Silent Treatment No War Of Words Emerges As Rivals Prepare To Play For Bragging Rights

It has been all quiet on the western front all week.

And it remained that way Friday afternoon, even after Washington State bused in from the eastern front to make final preparations for today’s Apple Cup showdown against Washington.

Cougars coach Mike Price took the unusual step of closing his afternoon practice at Husky Stadium, the site of today’s 12:30 p.m. kickoff, to the media.

Price said he took the precaution to prevent one of his players from making a derogatory, off-the-cuff statement about archrival UW that might end up on the Huskies’ locker-room bulletin board.

The Cougars have done a splendid job of biting their tongues all week, and so has UW. And nobody seemed willing Friday to stir up any controversy on the eve of the 88th Apple Cup.

Which means the most intriguing comment of the week might have come from Ryan Leaf, WSU’s redshirt freshman quarterback, who spiced up his first college start by saying that Husky safety Lawyer Milloy’s aggressiveness might “be his demise.”

But even that seemed tame compared to the inflammatory rantings that usually punctuate Apple Cup week.

The reason behind the sudden flood of tact, stems partly from the fact that very little, beyond bragging rights, is at stake in today’s game.

The Huskies (5-1-1 in the Pacific-10, 6-3-1 overall) are probably headed to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, though coach Jim Lambright doesn’t seem to Cotton to the notion, as he’d rather go to Dallas on New Year’s Day.

And the Cougars (2-5, 3-7) are headed nowhere.

That makes Leaf the pregame story line - not because of what he said about Milloy, but because of what he did last week against Stanford.

The 6-foot-6, 228-pounder, came on in early relief of injured starter Shawn Deeds and threw for 273 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-24 loss. But there was a sense of renewed hope in the Cougars interview room following that game, and Price hopes it carries on this afternoon in front of an expected sellout crowd of over 74,000.

“I felt like he was very well prepared for that last game,” Price said of Leaf. “He was in what we call a high peak performance zone that players get into, and I want to make sure he gets in that zone again.”

Cougars linebacker Chris Hayes said Leaf probably “shocked everybody in the world” with his performance against the Cardinal.

“I know he shocked me,” admitted the senior co-captain. “Not with his ability, but with his performance. I never doubted his ability, but, personally, I thought he would be a little rusty.

“But he stepped up and played like the game-breaking quarterback I had spoken about earlier in the week. The last game-breaker I’ve seen like him was Troy Aikman and I think that I’ll be visiting a Rose Bowl team within the next couple of years.”

It would probably do wonders for Leaf’s confidence if the Cougars, who are 13-point underdogs, can spring the upset and beat the Huskies on the road for the first time since 1985.

But to do that, WSU will need to stop the big play defensively, put some pressure on Husky quarterback Damon Huard and shore up its inconsistent special teams play.

“And I’d like to see us get a good start and keep the crowd out of it,” Price said.

Price has refused all week to say whether he might use Chad Davis as a backup in today’s game. Davis lost his starting quarterback job last week because of an attitude problem.

Price announced earlier that Davis was being benched for the Cougars’ final two games. But the junior took snaps at practice this week and there is speculation that Price might renege on his decision if Leaf gets hurt and the Cougars still have a chance to win.

Key matchups

The Huskies’ pass rush destroyed UCLA last Saturday and the Cougars will need a career effort from its offensive line if it hopes to give Leaf the time he needs to pick at the Husky secondary.

When UW has the ball, look for WSU’s linebacking trio of James Darling, Chris Hayes and Johnny Nansen to put a shadow on Husky tailback Rashaan Shehee.

Players to watch

WSU running back Frank Madu is the fourth-leading rusher in the Pac-10 with an average of 84.4 yards per game and needs 156 to top the 1,000-yard mark.

UW has one of the hottest quarterbacks in the league in senior Damon Huard, who has thrown for 2,139 yards and 10 touchdowns and leads the Pac-10 in passing efficiency with a rating of 145.72.

Injury update

WSU comes in limping badly, yet only quarterback Shawn Deeds (separated shoulder) is listed as out.

Defensive tackle Gary Holmes remains doubtful because of a knee strain, but everyone else not previously sidelined for the season should be able to play.

“The question isn’t whether or not they will play,” Price said, “but for how long.”

Among the ailing are wide receiver Byrant Thomas (knee bruise), defensive backs Shad Hinchen (concussion) and Terrell Henderson (foot), offensive tackle Ricky Austin (ankle), defensive tackle Darryl Jones (neck) and Madu (ribs, concussion).

UW will one again be without tailback Leon Neal (turf toe), and fullback George Keiaho (knee) is doubtful. But fullback Mike Reed should play despite a thumb injury.

Third-and-shorts

WSU has not won a November road game since Price took over the program in 1989. …UW leads the Apple Cup series 55-26-6. … The only television coverage of today’s game will be provided by a closedcircuit telecast being beamed to WSU’s main campus in Pullman and its branch campuses in Richland, Spokane and Vancouver. … Cougar senior Jay Dumas needs just three punt returns to equal Kitrick Taylor’s career school record of 90.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Graphic: Apple Cup 1995