Statement made, message delivered

PULLMAN – Since you asked, no, it wasn’t the Worst Apple Cup in History.

But it was the Best Worst Apple Cup in History.

It didn’t change the records – well, one team’s record, slightly – or the national disdain and certainly not the capacity for the deprecating one-liner, which actually seemed to expand as the 101st football meeting of Washington State and the University of Washington inched along Saturday afternoon.

Then just before four bells, the Punchline Bowl changed back into the Apple Cup – with tension and drama and pride, all resistant to ridicule.

And shortly after that, it became the Miracle on Stadium Way.

OK, make it the minor miracle – like the rubbing two sticks together to get the first spark of fire.

To the giddy Wazzu students who spilled over the railings at Martin Stadium when the last of Nico Grasu’s three field goals drifted through the uprights to make the Cougars 16-13 double-overtime winners, there was nothing minor about it. The celebration that followed was as unbridled and delirious as anything that’s ever been set off by, oh, knocking the Huskies out of the Rose Bowl.

Making the hated ones settle for a consolation bowl is temporary currency. Furthering their unprecedented humiliation – the Huskies are now on the brink of a 0-12 season – is a winning lottery ticket that can be willed to future Cougar generations.

Let them enjoy the moment over the Thanksgiving holiday week. But when classes resume a week from Monday, their professors might consider a refresher on subtext.

Bottom line, the game turned on three missed Husky field goals of 40, 28 and 37 yards and UW cornerback Quinton Richardson letting Jared Karstetter sneak by him in the expiring seconds – which on the brain-cramp gauge ranks just below last year’s Husky gaffe of being in two different defenses and leaving the best player on the field uncovered for the winning TD.

But here’s what really happened:

The Cougs went for it on fourth down. The Huskies didn’t.

One team had its eye on the future. The other was looking over its shoulder – at its miserable season, at the coach who should have excused himself by now and at the Screw-Up Express about to run it over.

With 64 seconds remaining and the Huskies at the WSU 36-yard line looking at 3 yards for a first down and the Cougars’ demise, UW coach Tyrone Willingham lined up his offense – then called time out and sent in the punter. The Huskies had averaged nearly 4 yards a rush, but Willingham traded what would have been at the least a statement and likely the game for 16 yards in net field position.

It wasn’t unanimous. Tailback Terrance Dailey reported that offensive coordinator Tim Lappano wanted to go for it. So did the players.

“It just sucks as a competitor,” said tight end Michael Gottlieb. “You want to be the one out there to have it in your control.”

Minutes later in the overtime, the Cougars were fourth-and-1. Rather than the percentage call of a field goal, WSU coach Paul Wulff sent Logwone Mitz rumbling for the needed yard. The Cougars would settle for three when they stalled three plays later – Wulff is bold, not stupid – but the signal had been sent.

“It told me the coaches have confidence in us,” said quarterback Kevin Lopina. “In the huddle, Kenny (Alfred) said, ‘We’ll get the push, just get the first down.’ ”

It was a snapshot, but Wulff was seeing a bigger picture.

“That’s a growing deal for this football team,” he said. “We’ll tell them now, ‘It’s fourth-and-1 in the Apple Cup and we went for it – and you got it. You can get it.’ When you make decisions, sometimes it’s for the future of the program. I felt that was a little bit of a statement for our kids. And if we didn’t make it, maybe we come back and use that as another motivating tool in the off-season. But we got it – so we can still use it as a motivating tool.”

Wulff has taken considerable heat in his first season, for the embarrassing scores and for insisting a loss is a loss, by six points or six touchdowns. He’s played freshmen over seniors, benched starters for wavering effort, stayed steadfast to a plan. On Saturday, he revealed that his staff spent time this week with former WSU basketball coach and renowned program builder Dick Bennett – in town to visit son Tony and watch that team play.

“It reaffirmed the things I believe in,” Wulff said, “and how you do things.”

On Saturday, the Huskies started more freshmen and sophomores – 14-10 – but Wazzu’s were the biggest playmakers on the field. Louis Bland. Tyree Toomer. Karstetter. And they played to win.

“It’s a very bright future here,” Toomer said. “Not just because of this game. Next year is going to be night and day – you guys will forget all about (this) year. The young guys on this team do not like this feeling and we don’t want to go through this again.”

Oh, they will – at least in stages. Wulff knows as much. He also knows a message was delivered Saturday.

Not incidentally, an Apple Cup was won – whether it was the best, the worst or the best worst.