Grip on Sports: No, WSU’s loss wasn’t a good thing but, yes, the Apple Cup is still huge
A GRIP ON SPORTS • Where were we? Oh ya, talking about the Apple Cup. Well, at least that hasn’t changed. This year’s rivalry game between Washington and Washington State is for all the cider. (Sorry, that’s the best apple-related phrase I could come up with.) Read on.
••••••••••
• Just a thought. We miss our first Saturday writing in months and Washington State loses for the first time in almost as long. Coincidence? Ha. We laugh in the face of coincidence. Everyone – and by that I mean everyone – knows outside forces always play a part in the fortunes of sports teams.
A fan stands in a certain place in his basement for a game. His team wins. It means something. Another fan has a certain adult beverage before her team loses. She never drinks that type of vodka again. Such are the sacrifices we all make for our teams.
Now back to our regularly scheduled column.
• Washington State lost yesterday. The last time the Cougars lost a football game? Sept. 11, in Idaho. Against Boise State. Since then, WSU had won eight consecutive games. Until Saturday in Boulder.
The 38-24 defeat was immaterial in some ways, crucial in others and, thanks to the seven consecutive Pac-12 wins the Cougars posted prior, a bit surprising. We’ll take all those items in order.
Win or lose, Washington State was playing for the North Division title this Friday in the Apple Cup. No matter what happened on the field Saturday afternoon was going to change that.
The Cougars and Huskies are both 7-1 in Pac-12 play, tied atop the North. Friday’s winner in Pullman will play again a week from Friday against the South champion for the conference crown and, at the least, a Rose Bowl berth. (For Washington, back-to-back wins will more-than-likely put it in the college football playoffs.)
And yet Saturday’s loss in Boulder was important in a lot of ways for WSU. The Cougars could have built momentum for the Apple Cup. They could have set a school record for consecutive wins. They could have, heck, should have, shown the nation just how far they have come.
Instead the stubbed their toe. Heck, they broke one. Dropped passes, missed tackles, blown assignments. Yes, Colorado was the better team Saturday, especially in the second half. But WSU helped the Buffs immensely, especially in the first half.
Washington State could have easily been up 10 or more points at halftime. The Cougars could have sent a message early with a long touchdown pass to Robert Lewis. They could have – there’s that phrase again – jacked up the pressure so high the Buffs might have folded.
Instead there was the dropped Lewis bomb (and I know the Cougars scored on the drive, with Lewis making the catch, but a big play would have meant more in that situation, much more). There was a missed field goal. There was a failure on fourth down in Colorado territory. Yes, WSU led 17-14 at intermission, but he could have been so much more.
That’s not how the Cougars had been playing the past couple months. It was somewhat shocking. And it hurt later.
The Buffaloes were better in the second half. Better than their first half selves and better than the Cougars. After WSU scored to go up 24-21, Colorado answered with a length-of-the-field drive that took a little more than 2 minutes. That was that. Washington State never scored again and though the Buffs misfired a couple times, they always moved the ball the rest of the way.
So Colorado can win the South with a win over Utah this week. Ditto of the Cougars in the North. Neither task is easy. Nor should they be.
If you want to be a champion, you have to beat the best, win the big game. Colorado did that yesterday. Washington State gets one more chance.
•••
WSU: Jacob Thorpe was in scenic Boulder, home of one of the best atmospheres in college football and the worst press box wi-fi this side of Third-World University. He has his game story and a whole lot of accompanying items, include a story on the return of Robert Barber. There’s also a piece on River Cracraft’s role – the receiver was sorely missed yesterday as the Cougars struggled on third down – as well as a numbers piece, the coin toss (WSU lost that too), the players of the game, key moments and the scoring. There are also interviews with Mike Leach, Peyton Pelluer, Parker Henry, Jamal Morrow, Hercules Mata’afa and Luke Falk. … The Times’ Stefanie Loh was also in Boulder and has the game story and a sidebar. … The Buffaloes have one more regular season game left and, if they win, are the South champions. … On a happier note, the Cougar basketball team routed Montana in the Bahamas. It was not a good day for the Griz (see the Eastern section below).
Elsewhere in Pac-12 football, there two rivalry games this weekend and neither was close. Stanford the record-breaking performance of Christian McCaffrey, defeated California in the Big Game. And USC, which trailed early, routed UCLA in the Rose Bowl. The Trojans are now the biggest Utah fans in the United States. … We don’t really know who is the best in the Pac-12 right now, but we do know which team is the worst. That would be winless-in-conference Arizona, which was pounded by Oregon State. … The biggest upset yesterday? That would be Oregon’s review-aided win over Utah, knocking the Utes out of the Pac-12 South race. … Washington started slowly but that didn’t matter. The Huskies still pounded Arizona State and now are looking forward to the Apple Cup.
Gonzaga: We weren’t here yesterday to pass along the Gonzaga items after the win over Bryant. We’re not going to worry about old news but we will link John Blanchette’s column. … BYU has yet to lose either, defeating Coastal Carolina.
EWU: The Eagles didn’t make the FCS playoffs last season. This year they are undefeated in conference play and co-champions of the Big Sky. Jim Allen has this story on the turnaround. … Around the Big Sky in football, Montana State went into Missoula and rallied for a 24-17 win over the Griz. The rumblings about coach Bob Stitt are growing at UM. … UC Davis won the Northern California rivalry game with Sacramento State. … Weber State got past Idaho State 34-28. … Southern Utah hammered Northern Arizona 48-21. … Cal Poly outscored Northern Colorado 55-48.
Whitworth: The highly ranked Pirates opened their basketball season last night by getting past Minnesota’s St. Olaf, 70-69. Whitney Ogden has the story.
Chiefs: Not only did Spokane lose 6-4 to Kamloops, they also lost a couple players to injury. Josh Horton has the story from the Arena.
Preps: Deer Park moved on the State 1A football semifinals with a 24-6 win over Zillah at Gonzaga Prep. Greg Lee has that story. … Greg also covered West Valley’s 34-21 loss to Lynden. … Tyler Tjomsland has a photo report from the games. … St. George’s won the State 2B/1B soccer championships in boys and girls. … Pullman and Cheney did well in the State swimming championships last weekend.
Seahawks: The Eagles come to Seattle today and there is a lot to watch and a few keys. … As the Hawks get healthier, they are playing better. Just in time for their trusty November and December playoff run. … The gamble that is the Seattle offensive line seems to be paying off.
Sounders: Chad Marshall is a popular guy with his teammates.
•••
• Think about this. Saturdays with Washington State football are done, barring a trip to the Las Vegas Bowl. Even if the Cougars win the Apple Cup (on a Friday), they will play the Pac-12 title game on a Friday. The Rose Bowl would then be on a Monday, Jan. 2. The only Saturday bowl tie-in with the Pac-12 is in Las Vegas on Dec. 17. Until later …