WSU’s Jake Dickert reminisces on 2021 Apple Cup win — and how things have changed since

Mostly, Jake Dickert remembers the emotion. Washington State’s head man can recall lots about his group’s 2021 Apple Cup victory, from the Cougars’ three interceptions to the Huskies’ young hand at quarterback, but two years later, what sticks with him most is something else entirely.

“What I really remember in the game is just the pure joy,” Dickert said. “It took an hour to get these guys off the field. The equipment guys are like, come on, we gotta go. I said, no we don’t. Let them enjoy it. And obviously breaking the streak meant a lot to our fan base and our football program in general. So it meant a lot, and it was a fun kind of jumpstart to our career here.”

That win, Washington State’s last in the series, came with lots of superlatives for WSU: It was the first Apple Cup victory for Dickert, who just weeks prior had assumed the interim head coaching role. It snapped the Cougs’ seven-game skid in the rivalry. And it was WSU’s first win in Seattle since 2007, when former QB Alex Brink led a last-second rally to scrape by.

Back then, just two calendar years ago, Washington State’s universe looked worlds different. It was business as usual for the Cougs, members of the Pac-12, winners of three of four to cap the regular season. It was hardly a perfect season – WSU dropped its season-opener to Utah State, then fell short to Central Michigan in the Sun Bowl – but it did include what everyone in the crimson and gray laundry wants every year.

A win over UW.

How things change. We know WSU’s story by now: One of two teams left out of the Pac-12, now working to rebuild the conference alongside Oregon State, the Cougs are still looking for a conference home. They worked with Washington to extend the Apple Cup another five years, but with the Huskies headed to the Big Ten after this academic year, Saturday’s game will be the final installment of the game as a conference affair.

Which is why it bears revisiting all the reasons Washington State remembers so fondly its last trip to Seattle, where moments after that 40-13 win, Husky Stadium became home to a horde of Cougs. Former quarterback Jayden de Laura planted a WSU flag in the turf. A throng of crimson-and-white clad fans rushed the field, ready to bathe in ecstasy.

“My first year here, obviously going to Seattle and winning it and storming the field,” WSU receiver Lincoln Victor said. “You could see the hope in people’s eyes, and really see the impact of what a game can truly do to a community, to a university and to a state as well. So not only is this for bragging rights man, this is just, at the end of the day, it’s which team wants it more.”

Can Washington State repeat? The Cougs may be staring at their tallest task in this series in some time. The Huskies, ranked No. 4 in the College Football Playoff rankings, are 11-0. They roster a Heisman candidate and a group of receivers who rank among the country’s best. If they aren’t ironclad, they sure come close.

That may make Washington State’s challenge tougher. With a win, though, it might give Dickert and the Cougs even more time to celebrate on the field.