It’s A Fight To The Finish Here’s Why Your Team Wins Apple Cup

Past Apple Cups have been rehashed and recycled into watered-down cider.

We’ve heard from the heroes and the goats.

The various bowl implications of today’s football game have been analyzed more times than Brock Huard’s tender left ankle.

But what about the game itself?

Specifically, how will 11th-ranked Washington State beat No. 17 Washington, and vice versa?

At least four factors could play key roles:

1. The Quarterbacks

Some are calling Ryan Leaf the best in the country. Stanford took away the deep pass last week, so Leaf merely shredded the Cardinal with a maddening array of intermediate passes.

With a record-tying 31 touchdown passes and only nine interceptions this season, Leaf has made as many big plays as any quarterback in Pacific-10 Conference history.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pound junior gets rid of the ball much more decisively than he did last season, something the Huskies have noticed.

“What you seen in Ryan’s game is a primary three-step drop, get rid of the ball and he’s got answers right away,” UW coach Jim Lambright said. “So if you try to get pressure to him, he’s still getting the ball away real fast.”

Even when the pressure arrives, Leaf has often been able to avoid it by either stepping up in the pocket or throwing off defenders.

“I remember when Chris Claiborne blasted Leaf in the USC game,” WSU defensive tackle Leon Bender marveled. “He hit him so hard, and Leaf just bounced back and looked at him and threw the ball to Kevin McKenzie.

“Most quarterbacks will crumble if they get hit. Leaf, he’ll stay in there strong and make the play.”

Huard has been almost as efficient but less durable. The UW sophomore showed courage in last week’s 52-28 loss to UCLA, absorbing five sacks and staying in the game when things were out of hand.

Like the Bruins, the Cougars can be expected to put more emphasis on hassling Huard than stopping a running game that has been inconsistent since tailback Rashaan Shehee left the lineup with a knee injury.

“The best pass defense is a good pass rush, particularly against Washington,” WSU coach Mike Price said. “You have to get to Huard. You have to pressure him, you have to get him sacked, you have to move him.”

2. Special Teams

For a team that considers itself special, shouldn’t the Cougars defend punt and kickoff returns more consistently?

USC had a 95-yard kickoff return. Stanford had an 89-yard kickoff return and a 77-yard punt return.

Don’t be surprised if UW freshman Ja’Warren Hooker breaks a long one today. Hooker possesses world-class speed and returned a kickoff for a score against Arizona, although he has been limited this week by a sore knee.

WSU holds a decided advantage over UW in kicking and punting, but wind and rain often become equalizers. It was sunny and clear Friday, but conditions were expected to worsen by kickoff.

3. Coaching

The Cougars have been well-prepared this season with the exception of the Arizona State game, in which WSU fell behind 24-0. In WSU’s defense, the Sun Devils had an extra week to prepare, and the Cougars adjusted well enough to eventually take a 25-24 lead.

Offensively, WSU has shown admirable patience. Trailing 14-0 against UCLA, the Cougars stuck with their game plan and promptly scored 30 straight points.

Defensively, WSU has become a more effective blitzing team by making better use of personnel - basically, this means blitzing linebacker Brandon Moore and nobody else.

This week, Price’s biggest challenge has been to keep his team relaxed.

“We’re much more low-key than we’ve ever been for Apple Cup week,” Price said. “I just think that’s the right approach to take.”

While Price is up for several coach-of-the-year honors, Lambright and staff have come under heavy criticism this season. High expectations can do that.

Lambright’s judgment was questioned after the Huskies’ 27-14 home loss to Nebraska, although his team’s failed on-side kick probably had little to do with the outcome.

A month after the Nebraska loss, UW coaches were lauded for putting together a pass-happy game plan that thoroughly befuddled Arizona in a 58-28 UW victory.

If those two games offset, the Huskies’ performance against Oregon is more difficult to dismiss. UW played with little emotion, especially in the first half, and ultimately succumbed 31-28.

In an effort to fire up his team, Lambright brought in former stars Steve Emtman, James Clifford and Dave Hoffman to address the team Friday.

4. The Running Games

Shehee carried 26 times for 212 yards in the ‘95 Apple Cup. Strained knee ligaments will keep him out today, putting the Huskies at a severe disadvantage.

Maurice Shaw is a serviceable backup, but he lacks the breakaway threat.

WSU’s Michael Black, meanwhile, is completely healthy and coming off a 174-yard performance against Stanford.

Game notes

The Rose Bowl race, one more time: WSU goes to Pasadena if the Cougars win today and if UCLA beats USC today and/ or Arizona State loses next weekend against Arizona. UW has been eliminated, but the Huskies could potentially go to a better bowl than the Cougars with a win today… . UW tight end Cameron Cleeland will return to the starting lineup after missing the UCLA game with a sprained knee. … UW freshman fullback Pat Coniff is expected to play after suffering a concussion two weeks ago… . Huard, safety Nigel Burton and offensive lineman Aaron Dalan were named to the Pac-10 all-academic team, as was WSU offensive lineman Jason McEndoo.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color photo Staff illustration by Milt Priggee 2 graphics: 1. WSU at UW 2. The race to the Rose Bowl

MEMO: These sidebars appeared with the story: SCHEDULES, RESULTS

WSU (9-1, 6-1) UCLA W 37-34 USC W 28-21 Illinois W 35-22 Boise St. W 58-0 Oregon W 24-13 Cal W 63-37 Arizona W 35-34 (OT) Arizona St. L 31-44 SW Louisiana W 77-7 Stanford W 38-28 Nov. 22 at UW

Washington (7-3, 5-2) BYU W 42-20 San Diego St. W 36-3 Nebraska L 27-14 Arizona St. W 26-14 California W 30-3 Arizona W 58-28 Oregon St. W 45-17 USC W 27-0 Oregon L 31-28 UCLA L 52-28 Nov. 22 vs. WSU

A LOOK BACK: APPLE CUP SCORES 1900 - Tie, 5-5 1901 - WSU, 10-0 1902 - UW, 16-0 1903 - UW, 10-0 1904 - UW, 12-6 1907 - WSU, 11-5 1908 - Tie, 6-6 1910 - UW, 16-0 1911 - UW, 30-6 1912 - UW, 19-0 1913 - UW, 20-0 1914 - UW, 45-0 1917 - WSU, 14-0 1919 - UW, 13-7 1921 - WSU, 14-0 1922 - UW, 16-13 1923 - UW, 24-7 1924 - UW, 14-0 1925 - UW, 23-0 1926 - WSU, 9-6 1927 - UW, 14-0 1928 - UW, 6-0 1929 - WSU, 20-13 1930 - WSU, 3-0 1931 - UW, 12-0 1932 - Tie, 0-0 1933 - WSU, 17-6 1934 - Tie, 0-0 1935 - UW, 21-0 1936 - UW, 40-0 1937 - Tie, 7-7 1938 - UW, 26-0 1939 - WSU, 6-0 1940 - UW, 33-9 1941 - UW, 23-13 1942 - Tie, 0-0 1945 - UW, 6-0 1945 - WSU, 7-0 1946 - UW, 21-7 1947 - UW, 20-0 1948 - WSU, 10-0 1949 - UW, 34-21 1950 - UW, 52-21 1951 - WSU, 27-25 1952 - UW, 33-27 1953 - WSU, 25-20 1954 - WSU, 26-7 1955 - UW, 27-7 1956 - UW, 40-26 1957 - WSU, 27-7 1958 - WSU, 18-14 1959 - UW, 20-0 1960 - UW, 8-7 1961 - UW, 21-17 1962 - UW, 26-21 1963 - UW, 16-0 1964 - UW, 14-0 1965 - UW, 27-9 1966 - UW, 19-7 1967 - WSU, 9-7 1968 - WSU, 24-0 1969 - UW, 30-21 1970 - UW, 43-25 1971 - UW, 28-20 1972 - WSU, 27-10 1973 - WSU, 56-26 1974 - UW, 24-17 1975 - UW, 28-27 1976 - UW, 51-32 1977 - UW, 35-15 1978 - UW, 38-8 1979 - UW, 17-7 1980 - UW, 30-23 1981 - UW, 23-10 1982 - WSU, 24-20 1983 - WSU, 17-6 1984 - UW, 38-29 1985 - WSU, 21-20 1986 - UW, 44-23 1987 - UW, 34-19 1988 - WSU, 32-31 1989 - UW, 20-9 1990 - UW, 55-10 1991 - UW, 56-21 1992 - WSU, 42-23 1993 - UW, 26-3 1994 - WSU, 23-6 1995 - UW, 33-30 1996 - UW, 31-24 (OT) 1997 - WSU at UW

WASHINGTON STATE’S TWO-DEEP

Offense SE 81 Chris Jackson 6-2 200 Sr 82 Nian Taylor 6-1 187 Jr LT 79 Rob Rainville 6-5 305 Jr. 75 Jon Ottenbreit 6-6 285 So. LG 66 Jason McEndoo 6-5 293 Sr 72 Mickey Long 6-4 303 Jr C 62 Lee Harrison 6-2 266 Sr. 71 Cory Withrow 6-4 272 Sr. 55/97 Mark Nason 6-3 253 Sr. RG 71 Cory Withrow 6-4 272 Sr. 77 Mike Sage 6-2 319 Jr. RT 76 Ryan McShane 6-6 305 Sr. 70 Reed Raymond 6-9 304 Fr. TE 20 Love Jefferson 6-2 255 Jr. 86 Brenden Marshall 6-5 251 Jr. SB 8 Shawn Tims 5-11 182 Sr. 9 Kevin McKenzie 5-11 183 Sr. QB 16 Ryan Leaf 6-6 238 Jr. 13 Steve Birnbaum 6-4 209 So. RB 5 Michael Black 5-11 208 Sr. 1 DeJuan Gilmore 5-8 195 So. FL 45 S. McWashington 5-11 186 Sr. 81 Chris Jackson 6-2 200 Sr. PK 27 Rian Lindell 6-3 231 So.

Defense WE 90 Dorian Boose 6-6 282 Sr. 87 Rob Meier 6-5 249 So. T 95 Gary Holmes 6-7 316 Jr. 93 Delmar Morais 6-3 257 Jr T 91 Leon Bender 6-5 299 Sr. 96 Taeao Salausa 6-4 270 Jr. SE 46 Shane Doyle 6-3 254 Sr. 99 Jonathan Nance 6-4 215 Jr. WLB 22 Brandon Moore 6-1 220 Sr. 44 Grady Emmerson 6-0 192 So. MLB 43 Todd Nelson 6-3 236 Sr. 51 Austin Matson 6-2 225 Fr. SLB 34 Steve Gleason 5-11 215 So. 42 Tom Wagner 6-1 204 Jr. RCB 6 Dee Moronkola 5-9 194 Jr. 28 Jermaine Hunsaker 5-9 184 Fr. SS 29 Torry Hollimon 5-11 199 So. 18 Bryant Thomas 6-1 203 Sr. FS 19 Lamont Thompson 6-5 183 Fr. 15 Alex Tinsley 5-11 192 Fr. LCB 2 Ray Jackson 6-1 210 Sr. 3 LeJuan Gibbons 5-9 178 So. P 12 Jeff Banks 6-0 179 Sr.

Special Teams Long Snaps: Jason McEndoo Holder: David Muir Punt Returns: Shawn Tims Kickoff return: Kevin McKenzie Captains: Cory Withrow, Dorian Boose

WASHINGTON’S TWO-DEEP

Offense SE 24 Jerome Pathon 5-11 180 Sr. 4 Ja’Warren Hooker 5-11 165 Fr. WT 67 Tony Coats 6-7 300 Jr. 69 Kurth Connell 6-5 295 So. WG 76 Benji Olson 6-4 310 Jr. 51 Brad Hutt 6-3 285 Jr. C 77 Olin Kreutz 6-4 290 Jr. 55 Petrocelli Kesi 6-4 330 Sr. SG 71 Chad Ward 6-5 310 Fr. 54 Matt Fraize 6-4 295 Fr. ST 75 Aaron Dalan 6-7 320 Jr. 70 Ben Kadletz 6-2 310 Jr. TE 84 Jeremy Brigham 6-6 260 Sr. 85 Cameron Cleeland 6-4 275 Sr. QB 7 Brock Huard 6-5 220 So. 11 Marques Tuiasosopo 6-1 200 Fr. TB 32 Maurice Shaw 6-1 210 So. 18 Jason Harris 6-0 205 Jr. FB 47 Pat Conniff 6-1 220 Fr. 26 Anthony Hicks 6-0 230 So. FL 22 Fred Coleman 6-1 190 Sr. 43 Mijo Austin 6-2 185 Fr. HB 36 Mike Reed 6-0 215 Sr. 21 Joe Jarzynka 5-7 165 So. PK 19 Nick Lentz 5-11 170 Fr.

Defense SLB 46 Jason Chorak 6-4 255 Sr. 66 Chris Lang 6-6 265 Jr. DE 95 Jabari Issa 6-6 300 So. 76 Ryan Julian 6-6 248 Fr. DT 78 Mac Tuiaea 6-6 290 So. 95 Jabari Issa 6-6 300 So. NT 67 Sekou Wiggs 6-4 280 Sr. 55 T.J. Jackson 6-3 265 Fr. ILB 27 Marques Hairston 6-2 235 So. 58 Gary Shavey 6-2 215 Sr. ILB 17 Lester Towns 6-3 240 So. 4 Jeremiah Pharms 6-1 235 Fr. WLB 40 Jerry Jensen 6-2 230 Sr. 23 Todd Johnson 6-2 210 Sr. ROV 8 Nigel Burton 5-9 180 Jr. 3 Kyle Roberts 5-11 190 Sr. FS 7 Tony Parrish 5-11 205 Sr. 13 Brendan Jones 5-11 185 Jr. CB 1 Jermaine Smith 5-11 195 So. 10 Toure Butler 5-9 160 Fr. CB 25 Mel Miller 5-11 190 So. 12 Omare Lowe 6-0 175 Fr. P 15 Sean O’Laughlin 6-0 190 Jr.

Special Teams Holder: Ryan Chicoine Long snapper: Bryan Pittman Kickoff return: Jerome Pathon Punt return: Jerome Pathon