Around unique Apple Cup circumstances, WSU sees a chance to knock off arch-rival UW

PULLMAN — There may be no overstating the ways Washington State’s clash with rival Washington on Saturday afternoon, the 116th renewal of the Apple Cup, will be different.

Neutral-site game: check.

Nonconference tilt: check.

September game: check.

“We’re beyond past that,” WSU coach Jake Dickert said at the beginning of the week. “This is the Apple Cup.”

Maybe that does the best job of capturing the way the Cougars are approaching Saturday’s game, set for 12:30 p.m. on Peacock at the Seattle Seahawks’ Lumen Field. They may not be battling the Big Ten Huskies for a spot in the Pac-12 standings. They aren’t even playing the game at one of the teams’ home stadiums.

But to Dickert and WSU, that’s what’s special about this rivalry contest. You can change the circumstances around the game. You can’t do anything to the emotion behind it.

“Coach Dickert is really pushing me and pushing the players to, OK, this week is a big week,” WSU freshman running back Wayshawn Parker said. “We need to win this week, which is every week, but this week is the main week, because they don’t really respect us.”

It will be a meeting of two unbeaten squads. WSU has cruised to wins over FCS Portland State and the Big 12’s Texas Tech. UW has followed slow starts with electric finishes to beat FCS Weber State and FBS Eastern Michigan.

There’s also lots of new around both teams. The Cougars are breaking in a new quarterback in redshirt sophomore John Mateer, who broke the school record last week for single-game rushing yards by a quarterback, with 197. The Huskies are doing the same, bringing over Mississippi State transfer Will Rogers to replace Michael Penix Jr., the engine behind UW’s run to last year’s national championship game.

That came weeks after UW walked it off to beat WSU, using a last-second field goal to hold off an upset bid and secure a 24-21 win, ending the Cougs’ chances at a bowl game — their first time missing a bowl in a non-COVID season in nearly a decade.

“I don’t think they were expecting the way we were gonna play last year,” WSU edge rusher Nusi Malani said. “Them being as highly ranked, and them being the best O-line in the nation. We punched them in the mouth a little bit. That was just a dog fight until (they) came out victorious.”

Central to who comes out victorious on Saturday might be how WSU’s offense fares against UW’s defense, which has yet to allow a touchdown in two games this season, allowing just three points to Weber State and nine to Eastern Michigan. Under new defensive coordinator Steve Belechick, son of longtime NFL coach Bill Belechick, the Huskies have unleashed a new defensive scheme.

It’s caught the attention of Dickert, who doesn’t expect UW to look the same as it did in last year’s game.

“Very different defensively this year. Very attacking, packaging,” Dickert said. “I think they got eight sacks through the first couple games. They blitz 50% of the time. I think this is one of the most physical front sevens that I’ve seen in a while. And I think their defensive backs have been up to every challenge. They’re yet to give up a touchdown. So obviously our guys will be really excited to play.”

Mostly, Dickert has noticed, the Huskies won’t come out in the same rush-three, drop-eight coverage that the Cougars saw in spades last year. Teams gave WSU that look because they didn’t respect their rushing attack, committing more defenders to coverage, which in turn hampered the Cougs’ passing attack.

Washington State has done well to punish that defense this fall, even if it’s only been a couple games. In their win over Texas Tech last week, the Cougs totaled 301 rushing yards, just the sixth time in nearly a quarter century they’ve eclipsed that mark. Mateer registered 197 of those. Dickert saw the Red Raiders drop back in that rush-three look, and this time, his offense had the tools to punish it.

Can the Cougars do the same this week? That much might depend on how their offensive line does against the Huskies’ defense, which has racked up nine sacks this fall, including three from senior edge Zach Durfee. It’s a challenge for WSU’s front five, which has yet to allow a sack.

It will all unfold under far different circumstances than this game ever has. To the coaches and players on the field, though, those things don’t tend to matter as much.

“It’s so important,” said WSU safety Tyson Durant, a transfer from Akron. “All the guys have been talking about it since I even got here — like the day of. They’ve been talking — ‘we gotta win this game.’”