Recap and highlights: UW keeps perfect season alive, beats WSU 24-21 in final Apple Cup as Pac-12 foes
SEATTLE — Later this winter, when Cameron Ward turns on the film of his outing in Washington State’s 24-21 loss to No. 4 Washington Saturday afternoon, he may grimace. The quarterback is hard on himself, sometimes overly so, so he won’t like the mistakes he made.
He threw two interceptions. He took five sacks, some of which he ran into. He wasn’t entirely accurate.
He will mostly regret, though, the final drive of the game. He could not lead WSU down the field to take the lead. Washington did the honors. Kicker Grady Gross walked it off with a 42-yard field goal, good for a 24-21 Apple Cup win at the buzzer.
Moments prior, Washington got the ball back. The Huskies, initially facing a fourth-and-short in their own territory, called timeout and switched things up. On fourth down, receiver Rome Odunze broke loose for a 23-yard gain, a punch to the gut of WSU.
Washington State did lots to lose this one. The Cougars committed 10 penalties for 85 yards. They lost two turnovers. They submitted a few perplexing play calls, especially on third down, which is where they struggled against Washington’s pass rush.
Washington, its vaunted offense and all, was mostly held in check. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr., a Heisman Trophy frontrunner, completed 18 of 33 passes for 204 yards and one interception, snagged by WSU safety Jaden Hicks, who leapt up for an acrobatic snag in the opening moments of the second half.
Even UW receiver Rome Odunze, one of the nation’s leaders in receiving yards, had something of a pedestrian day by his standards. Granted, those are high standards. He hauled in 7 balls for 120 yards and two scores, one of which he secured in part because WSU cornerback Cam Lampkin slipped at the line of scrimmage, leaving Odunze wide open in the end zone.
Still, the Huskies got the best of the Cougs on a few occasions. They opened the scoring with a one-yard plunge from running back Dillon Johnson, who totaled 82 yards, and in the third quarter, Odunze snared his second touchdown pass by beating Lampkin on a 21-yard score.
The Cougs had a counter for nearly every swing. In the first frame, Ward laced one over the middle to receiver Josh Kelly, who carded 106 yards for the game. In the second, he lobbed one up to the corner of the end zone for receiver Kyle Williams, who somehow hauled it in, pinning it against his chest some milliseconds before he fell out of bounds.
It just wasn’t enough.
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Fourth quarter
0:00 – UW 24, WSU 21: Gross is good from 42 yards and the Huskies’ perfect season is intact. Last Pac-12 Apple Cup is one to remember, as somehow UW finds a way to survive as it has all year. Jackson sacked Penix to push the field goal back, but it didn’t matter.
1:15 – UW 21, WSU 21: Johnson is stuffed on a third-and-1 attempt and UW goes for it on fourth. Great trick play on the Huskies, who take the reverse for a 23-yard gain. UW closing in on field goal range.
2:00 – UW 21, WSU 21: Ward had a lot of room to run on third down, but he throws into tight coverage. Pass is incomplete and WSU punts to the UW 10. Time for Penix and the Huskies to try and win it.
4:52 – UW 21, WSU 21: Another stop by the Cougars. They have the ball on their 34 and the chance to take their first lead. This is a dream setup for the Cougars going into the last Pac-12 Apple Cup.
6:43 – UW 21, WSU 21: Victor hauls in a 8-yard TD to tie it up. WSU picked up a first down on a penalty during a field goal attempt to extend the drive. Huge mistake by the Huskies.
11:53 – UW 21, WSU 14: Cougs get the ball back quickly and start at their 36.
14:11 – UW 21, WSU 14: Back-breaker for the Cougars, as Ward’s pass is intercepted by Esteen after a couple of deflections. UW will take over at its 27. That’s Ward’s second pick of the day.
Third quarter
0:00 – UW 21, WSU 14: Odunze hauls in a back-shoulder catch for a 21-yard touchdown. He’s been the Huskies’ most valuable player today. Six catches for 110 yards and two TDs for Odunze.
4:30 – UW 14, WSU 14: Cougars drive stalls and Janikowski’s 50-yard field goal attempt misses short and to the left. WSU can’t capture its first lead of the game and UW takes over at its 33.
7:53 – UW 14, WSU 14: Another stop for the Cougs. The way this one is going, if WSU keeps it close, Ward is going to give them a chance to win. Cougs start at their own 30.
10:29 – UW 14, WSU 14: Ward is sacked on back-to-back plays and the Cougars are forced to punt. WSU QB holding onto the ball too long there trying to extend the play.
Washington starts at its 15 after a 50-yard punt.
14:13 – UW 14, WSU 14: Penix throws a jump ball and WSU’s Hicks rips it out of McMillan’s arms for an interception. Perfect start to the second half for the Cougars, who start at their 32 with a chance to take their first lead.
Second quarter
0:08 – UW 14, WSU 14: Incredible throw and catch from Ward to Williams, who gets a foot in the front corner of the end zone. Big mistake by UW to let Williams get behind them on third-and-long with time running down.
Cougars get the quick stop and quick score to tie it up before halftime. Ward doing what he needs to for WSU to pull off the upset, he’s 17 of 24 for 208 yards and two TDs.
UW will receive the second half kickoff.
1:06 – UW 14, WSU 7: Cougs get a quick stop and they’ll get the ball back with one timeout to work with. Ward and WSU start at their 40.
3:08 – UW 14, WSU 7: Ward is stopped short on third down. Big possession here for the WSU defense with UW getting the ball first after halftime.
5:37 – UW 14, WSU 7: Huskies go play action on a third-and 1. Cougars bite and Odunze runs wide open for a 40-yard TD pass. UW capitalizes on Ward’s interception.
7:13 – UW 7, WSU 7: Ward throws it right to Dixon for an interception on third-and-long. Costly turnover for the Cougars sets UW up at midfield.
11:12 – UW 7, WSU 7: Ball sailed on Penix on third down and the Huskies’ 43-yard field goal is no good. Penix hasn’t been sharp so far, just 7 of 13 for 60 yards. Looked like his elbow dropped on the third down attempt.
13:18 – UW 7, WSU 7: Cougars stuffed on a fourth down QB sneak. Tough break, after WSU’s third down pass was stopped just shy of the line to gain.
UW takes over at its 45.
First quarter
2:15 – UW 7, WSU 7: How about that for an answer? Ward delivers three straight big passes, capped by a 21-yard TD to Kelly.
WSU goes 76 yards in five plays, taking just 1:34. Ward is 6 of 9 for 84 yards.
3:54 – UW 7, WSU 0: Johnson punches in a 1-yard TD run and the Huskies strike first. Easy 9-play, 51-yard drive for UW. Penix 4 of 7 for 50 yards, including a 22-yard pass to Odunze.
8:53 – WSU 0, UW 0: Ward escapes the pocket on second and third down after he can’t find a receiver. Another three-and-out for WSU. Huskies start near midfield.
10:00 – WSU 0, UW 0: Cougars defense gets off the field after three-straight Penix incompletions. UW’s Heisman hopeful opens 1 of 4 for 12 yards.
Cougars start at their 11, after the Huskies punt takes a friendly roll.
12:46 – WSU 0, UW 0: Cougars start with a trick play and then are backed up with a false start leading to a three-and-out. Not a great opening possession for WSU, which will likely need a lot of points today.
Huskies take over at their 31.
15:00 – WSU 0, UW 0: Huskies win the toss and defer to the second half. WSU will start with the ball.
Pregame
When Washington and Washington State line up for the last edition of the Apple Cup as a Pac-12 Conference game today, it’s hard to say which team it matters to more.
For Washington: Another step toward the program’s second College Football Playoff berth and the first unbeaten run into the Pac-12 title game.
For Washington State: To be the ultimate spoiler, and continue its streak of bowl eligibility as the Cougars move into an uncertain future.
That will be determined when the Cougars (5-6, 2-6 Pac-12) and No. 4 Huskies (11-0, 8-0) kickoff at 1 p.m. today at Husky Stadium in Seattle. Fox 28 will carry the broadcast.
UW played a slew of close games in conference play, most recently a 22-20 win at Oregon State last week.
WSU is coming off a big win over Colorado, snapping a six-game losing streak and serving as the Cougars lone bright spot since September. Maybe they’ll have one more.
Series history
Washington has dominated the all-time series against Washington State with a 75-33-6 record. The Cougars snapped a seven-game Huskies streak when they won in 2021, but UW eased to a 51-33 win last year in Pullman.
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