The 117th rendition of the Apple Cup, saw the Washington Huskies drop their cross-state rivals in record-setting fashion, scoring 59 points. Washington has won 3 of the last 5 Apple Cups and of the past 12. Despite convincing wins in each game, UW remains unranked.
Here’s a look at the Winners and Losers from the 2025 Apple Cup.
WINNERS:
Jonah Coleman–He was Washington’s leading receiver, tied with Denzel Boston with 6 receptions. He and Boston both finished up with over 100 yards. Coleman also had 59 yards on 12 carries. He will give Ohio State something to think about on every play. He leads the nation in both rushing touchdowns with 9 and touchdowns overall with 10 scores. Additionally, he leads Power 4 schools with 174 all-purpose yards a game.
Demond Williams, Jr.— On the first play of the game the true sophomore signal caller was sacked. On second and 18 re responded by hitting Denzel Boston for a 25-yard gain. The few times that the Williams, Jr. was faced with adversity he rose to the occasion and produced a big play with either his arm or his legs–but always with his brain. He has completed 73.5-percent of his passes this season.
Omari Evans–The Penn State transfer made his first appearance since the move from University Park. He was moved around the formation early on in the game, but late in the 4th quarter, on 3rd down Williams, Jr. found a wide Evans open 12 yards down field and the former high school track star did the rest. The 59-yard score was his first touch of the season having sat out the first 2 games with an injury.
Statisticians–For the first 3 quarters very few balls hit the turf, making the statistician’s job easy. Williams, Jr. completed 84-percent of his passes going 16-19 for 298 yards and 4 TDs. Cougar QB Zevi Eckhaus started the game hot as well hitting on 21 of his first 24 passes before finishing the game 4 of 12.
Alex McLaughlin–sometimes transferring from a smaller school doesn’t exactly translate to a Power 4 school. In the case of the Northern Arizona University transfer, his 2 interceptions against WSU, including a Pick 6, showed that he belongs at this level. The 6-2, 210 junior safety certainly looks the part, but the 2024 FCS All-American also plays the part. In the season opener he had 8 tackles and has 16 on the season through 3 games.
LOSERS:
The fans–this game often determined the fate of each program. That’s a thing of the past. What the game will become in the future is merely be bragging rights for the state. Going forward the program disparity will likely be apparent with the Cougars being forced to punch up a weight group.
The Apple Cup went from being one of the team’s Super Bowl to being a pre-season match up. The high-stakes regular season-ender will be greatly missed.
Jim Moore–he left Martin Stadium with a nauseous feeling in his stomach–a recurring feeling dating back to when he first chose to be a Coug. Last year after UW dropped the Cougars in basketball last December, a game he guaranteed that WSU would crush the Huskies, he had this to say:
“God I hate Husky fans, and it’s not sports hate, it’s actual hate, a severe extreme of dislike. The classic example of kicking us while we’re down. Never mind that I would have said the same thing if I were in his purple-and-gold shoes — that’s what a rivalry is all about. As I recall, when the Huskies went 0-12 in 2008, I wasn’t feeling sorry for them, I was just disappointed that they didn’t have a 13th game so they could have gone 0-13.”
The feeling got worse as the Huskies put up a record number of points in the series of 59 and he posted on X that he’s “Officially reached the point of being sick and tired of walking out of Martin Stadium and feeling like s**t. No mas. #GoCougs” The “No mas” is what Roberto Duran famously said when he threw in the towel against “Sugar” Ray Leonard in 1980.
In the new pay-for-play era of college football the margin will likely widen between the school, leaving Moore with a pit in his stomach mucho más.
