Apple Cup 2025: Washington’s keys to the game, how to watch and prediction
Washington (2-0) at Washington State (2-1)
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Martin Stadium, Pullman
TV: CBS
Latest line (via ESPN Bet): Washington -20.5, Total 53.5
All-time series: Washington leads 76-34-6
UW key players
QB Demond Williams Jr.: 69.4% completions, 480 pass yards, 34 completions, 49 attempts, 2 pass TD, 21 carries, 132 rush yards, 1 rush TD
WR Denzel Boston: 10 catches, 142 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
LB Taariq “Buddah” Al-Uqdah: 11 tackles, 1 TFL
EDGE Jacob Lane: 7 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack
WSU key players
QB Jaxon Potter: 70.5% completions, 604 yards, 67 completions, 95 attempts, 4 pass TD, 3 INT
QB Zevi Eckhaus: 1 game, 70% completions, 72 yards, 7 completions, 10 attempts
S Matthew Durrance: 18 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble
EDGE Isaac Terrell: 6 tackles, 3 TFL, 1.5 sacks, 1 PBU, 1 safety
Who do the Cougars start at quarterback?
Through three games, Washington State has played three quarterbacks: sophomore Jaxon Potter, redshirt freshman Julian Dugger and fifth-year senior Zevi Eckhaus.
Potter, a third-year sophomore from Southern California, initially won the quarterback competition. He was solid through the Cougars’ first two games, throwing for 465 yards and four touchdowns as Washington State beat FCS-opponent Idaho and future Pac-12 conference rival San Diego State.
But Potter endured a disastrous start against North Texas, throwing three interceptions. He was pulled at halftime and did not return.
Dugger, a 6-foot-3, 208-pound quarterback, transferred to Washington State from Pittsburgh before the season. He’s played in all three WSU games, but has almost exclusively been used for his rushing ability. Dugger has attempted just three passes – completing none – while carrying the ball 13 times for minus-5 yards.
Eckhaus entered the season as the presumed favorite to start. He played three seasons at Bryant, an FCS school in Rhode Island, before transferring to WSU in 2024. Eckhaus backed up John Mateer, the Cougars’ Apple Cup hero, before erupting for 363 yards passing and four total touchdowns during the 2024 Holiday bowl against Syracuse in place of Mateer, who transferred to Oklahoma. He made his first appearance of the 2025 season against North Texas, completing seven of his 10 pass attempts for 72 yards.
Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers announced all three will compete in an “open” quarterback competition after the North Texas loss. Rogers even added sophomore Ajani Sheppard, a Rutgers transfer who hasn’t appeared in 2025, to WSU’s quarterback depth chart Monday. Rogers then announced Wednesday evening that the Cougars had chosen their starter Sunday, contradicting his own earlier statement.
UW defensive coordinator Ryan Walters said the Huskies have watched game film of all four potential Cougar starters Tuesday. He added maintaining gap discipline and keeping receivers in front of the secondary will be important as UW feels out WSU’s offense under whoever is named the starter. Husky coach Jedd Fisch said the Huskies will have a plan for all of the Cougars’ options.
“We’ll be ready,” Walters said. “They do a good job of trying to be balanced and getting their playmakers the ball in space. They’ve been able to establish the run game and put it in the air. So we have to do our jobs.”
Forcing turnovers
Washington State unraveled against North Texas before halftime. The Cougars committed five turnovers – three interceptions by Potter, a fumble by Dugger and a fumble by running back Kirby Vorhees – en route to a 59-10 defeat. Speaking Monday, Fisch tried to downplay UW’s odds of matching that number during the Apple Cup.
“That’s hard to really assess,” Fisch said. “It’s very hard to get five takeaways in a game.”
Creating turnovers was one of the main goals for Walters and the 2025 UW defense. It’s something the Washington defensive coordinator did well during his time at Illinois. The Fighting Illini forced 32 turnovers in 2022, leading the country. It is also an area where Washington struggled in 2024. The Huskies created 14 turnovers under former defensive coordinator Steve Belichick. They ranked 98th nationally in turnovers gained.
Through two games playing under Walters, the Huskies have tallied two turnovers. Sixth-year safety Makell Esteen grabbed an interception against Colorado State before senior cornerback Tacario Davis registered his first pick as a Husky against UC Davis. UW might have had a third interception of the season, but senior cornerback Ephesians Prysock dropped a pass thrown right at him by Aggie backup quarterback Grant Harper during the third quarter.
“We’ve definitely got to catch the ball when it’s thrown to us,” Walters said.
However, Walters said he’s been most disappointed by the lack of attempts to force fumbles from his defense. The Huskies forced six fumbles in 2024, ranking 71st nationally.
Washington’s opponents have been credited with two fumbles this season. Neither were caused by the Huskies. The first was the short kickoff against Colorado State that was technically muffed when it bounced off the chest of Rams linebacker Drew Rodriguez before he fell on the ball. The other was also during a kickoff, this time against UC Davis when Aggie returner Samuel Gbatu Jr. muffed a fair catch but quickly recovered the ball.
“That’s a scenario we’ve been focused on,” Walters said. “For sure.”
Road troubles
Washington has played 15 games during Fisch’s tenure. The Huskies haven’t lost a home game.
They’ve also never won on the road.
UW’s struggles away from home were apparent throughout the past season. On Montlake, the Huskies scored 28.83 points in six games. They averaged 147.17 yards rushing and 266.67 yards passing under the cantilevered roofs of Husky Stadium.
Away from home – including neutral site games at Lumen Field and the Sun Bowl – Washington averaged 18.71 points in seven games. The Huskies averaged 113 yards rushing and 257.43 yards passing.
Washington’s defense had similar home-and-road splits. The Huskies surrendered just 13 points, 113.5 yards rushing and 158.83 yards passing in their six home games, against 33.57 points, 203.29 yards rushing and 173.14 yards passing during their seven road or neutral -site games.
Of course, it’s fair to point out Washington played better teams away from Husky Stadium. UW played Oregon, Penn State and Indiana on the road. All three finished the season ranked in the final AP poll, while Louisville received votes. None of UW’s home opponents finished the season ranked. Michigan was the closest, receiving votes but missing out on the final poll.
Andy Yamashita’s prediction
Washington reclaims the Apple Cup.
If these two teams played during Week 3, the prediction might have been tricky. Washington had comfortably beaten two less-talented teams. Washington State was coming off a strong performance against San Diego State, a decent Mountain West team projected to finish four places behind the Colorado State team UW defeated 38-21. But WSU’s disastrous loss to UNT while UW was idle makes this an easier selection.
My biggest question was whether Rogers and WSU had enough talent to compete with a Power 4 opponent entering the Cougars second season since being left for dead by the old Pac-12. Jake Dickert’s 2024 Washington State team was clearly still capable of competing, evidenced by the transfer portal relentlessly picking it apart after the season ended. Getting blown out by UNT, a team projected to finish eighth in the American Conference by one media poll, doesn’t inspire a confident answer.
Prediction: Huskies 49, Cougars 23