Apple Cup air raid: Top five performances by a Washington State quarterback against the Huskies

Some of Washington State’s greatest quarterbacks had their finest moments in the Apple Cup.

Here are five of the top Apple Cup performances by a Cougar quarterback.

Alex Brink, 2007

Brink’s last game in a WSU jersey was his best, passing for 399 yards and five touchdowns as the Cougars clipped Washington 42-35 at Husky Stadium. Brink, the only WSU quarterback to win three Apple Cups, found a wide-open Brandon Gibson on a 35-yard scoring strike in the final minute.

Ryan Leaf, 1997

Leaf passed 358 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another to lead 11th-ranked Washington State to a Rose Bowl-clinching 41-35 win over No. 17 Washington at Husky Stadium, the Cougars’ first berth to Pasadena in 67 years. Both touchdowns passes were to Chris Jackson.

Drew Bledsoe, 1992

At snowy Martin Stadium, Bledsoe spearheaded a 29-point third quarter onslaught and the Cougars upset fifth-ranked Washington 42-23. Bledsoe passed for 260 yards and two touchdowns, including a 44-yard scoring strike to Phillip Bobo who made the catch while sliding into a snow bank.

Timm Rosenbach, 1988

Rosenbach’s late fourth-and-goal keeper lifted Washington State to a 32-31 comeback win at snowy Martin Stadium. Rosenbach passed for 148 yards, breaking WSU’s then-single-season record (3,097 yards).

Mark Rypien, 1985

Rypien capped a nine-play, 84-yard drive with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kitrick Taylor in the fourth quarter, and the Cougars edged the Huskies 21-20 at Husky Stadium. Rypien, a Shadle Park graduate, passed for three touchdowns for WSU, which beat Washington for the third time in four years.