UW players talk about ‘extra passion’ that comes with an Apple Cup game

SEATTLE – Denzel Boston has played in two Apple Cups during his young career. Washington’s sophomore wide receiver has never walked away without the trophy.

Boston, playing in his third season at Washington, knows there’s regional pride at stake. He has friends at Washington State who’ve been telling him this is the year the Huskies will lose the Apple Cup.

“I tell them, ‘While I’m here, we ain’t losing to no Cougs,’ ” Boston said.

Boston, fifth-year linebacker Carson Bruener, defensive coordinator Steve Belichick and offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll spoke during UW’s Tuesday media availability in the new team room at Husky Stadium, which is also the home to the Apple Cup trophy case.

Washington and Washington State will play the 116th Apple Cup at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Lumen Field. It’s the first meeting between the cross-state rivals since the Huskies joined the Big Ten, leaving the Cougars in the two-team Pac-12.

“I’ve never not seen the trophy in the case, so it’s definitely a personal thing,” Boston said. “I don’t want to see it empty.”

Bruener, however, does know how it feels to lose the Apple Cup.

The Redmond, Washington, native and Husky legacy arrived before the 2020 season, but the Apple Cup was canceled that season after Washington State fell below the minimum number of available scholarship players because of COVID-19.

Bruener played in the 2021 Apple Cup a year later, which Washington lost 40-14 at Husky Stadium. He watched the Cougars celebrate on his home field and saw former Washington State quarterback Jayden De Laura – who eventually transferred to Arizona and played for UW coach Jedd Fisch – plant a WSU flag on the Washington logo.

“I won’t forget the moment when it got taken away from us and we had to sit here for a whole entire year looking at that empty (trophy) case,” Bruener said. “It was not fun. It didn’t sit well with me.”

Bruener subsequently played in the 2022 and 2023 editions of the rivalry, including a 14-tackle performance during the past season, as Washington was victorious in both games. He said losing in 2021 helped motivate him.

“Every time we’ve played them, I remember that moment,” Bruener said. “It brings that extra aggression, that extra passion, to the game when I think about it.”

Boston and Bruener, as Puget Sound locals, have a deep understanding of the Apple Cup’s importance. But UW’s roster includes 44 new scholarship players who haven’t spent as much time embedded in UW’s culture.

Carroll said the coaching staff has leaned on players like Boston and Bruener to help explain the game’s meaning to new arrivals. Boston mentioned the importance of winning this season’s Apple Cup for players like Bruener, who will exhaust his eligibility upon the completion of this season.

Bruener admitted it can be difficult to put the Apple Cup into context for players who’ve never experienced it. His approach has been to tell his teammates about seeing UW and WSU play as a fan, when he was growing up in the area long before he wore the purple and gold.

“That trophy means a lot to me,” Bruener said. “The history between these two teams and all of that, so being able to keep it here is very important to me.”