Rain-snow mix could fall on Washington, Washington State during Friday’s Apple Cup

PULLMAN – Mother nature could play a factor in yet another Apple Cup game.

There’s a 70 percent chance No. 7 Washington State and No. 16 Washington will meet under rainy skies Friday night when the Evergreen State rivals kick off the 111th Apple Cup at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN) at Martin Stadium.

According to Weather.com, it’ll almost certainly be a wet afternoon on the Palouse, with a 90 percent chance of rain. Weather services say there’s a 70 percent chance of rain come Friday evening, but the forecast also calls for a rain-snow mix and snow accumulations of less than one inch.

Cold rain pounded the Cougars and Huskies in last year’s game, which was played on a cloudy Saturday night at UW’s Husky Stadium. Winds of 10-15 miles-per-hour are projected for the upcoming Apple Cup, with a low temperature of 30 degrees.

“The thing I think is sort of exciting is in the history of (the Apple Cup), the weather conditions have always been different,” WSU coach Mike Leach said Monday. “So that even brings another element and nuance to things, really.”

WSU fans have fond memories of the 1992 rivalry game widely known as the “Snow Bowl.” On top of a thick white blanket, Drew Bledsoe threw a memorable second-half touchdown pass to Phillip Bobo, who dove to track down the ball before sliding through the snowy slush in the back of the end zone. The Cougars beat the Huskies 42-23 in one of the most notable cold-weather games in Apple Cup history.