Here are my quick takeaways from Washington’s 28-15 victory over Washington State….
1. Apple Cup dominance
After Friday night’s 28-15 victory, Washington now leads the series 73-32-6. The Huskies have won six straight Apple Cups dating back to 2013. Under Chris Petersen, UW is 5-0 against the Cougars. In the five victories, UW has won all games by 10 or more points and have outscored WSU 190-69. It’s been all Huskies in this rivalry and even more so since the arrival of coach Petersen.
2. Jimmy Lake and Pete Kwiatkowski draw up another perfect game plan
Once again Jimmy Lake and Pete Kwiatkowski put a stop to Mike Leach’s air raid offense. The Huskies game plan was to drop eight in coverage most of the game and stay disciplined in the secondary. And they executed the game plan perfectly. Washington State averaged just four yards per play and 5.8 yards per completion. Heisman contender QB Gardner Minshew passed for just 152 yards and threw two interceptions.
The tandem of Jimmy Lake and Pete Kwiatkowski have absolutely shutdown Washington State’s air raid offense since arriving at UW. In five matchups against WSU, the Cougars have failed to score 20 points. The highest they have reached is 17 points. It’s pretty clear that the UW coaching staff knows how to stop this offense.
3. Myles Gaskin comes up big
Myles Gaskin is healthy again it showed last night. The senior rushed for 170 yards and three touchdowns in his final Apple Cup. Gaskin also had an 80-yard TD that sealed UW’s sixth straight Apple Cup.
Friday night, Gaskin became the first player in Pac-12 history to rush for 1,000 yards in all four years of his college career. Gaskin also became the 10th player in FBS history to rush for 1,000 yards in all four seasons.
Gaskin will go down as the greatest running back to come out of UW. What a career it’s been for No. 9.
4. Hello Hunter Bryant
Washington missed Hunter Bryant this season who missed much of the year with an injury. But Bryant is back and it showed in a big way Friday night. The 6-foot-2, 224-pound sophomore had 108 yards receiving and a touchdown. Bryant had just three receptions but he averaged 36 yards per reception.
With Bryant back the dynamic of Washington’s offense has changed in a good way. The Huskies have a red zone threat that can also be a deep threat. Hunter Bryant is arguably UW’s best receiver/tight end.
5. Pac-12 Championship bound
Washington will face Utah next Friday night in Santa Clara for the Pac-12 Championship. The game is at 5 p.m. on FOX. The winner is likely heading to the Rose Bowl.
Washington beat Utah 21-7 back on September 15. The Huskies defense held the Utes to 261 total yards of offense and forced three turnovers. Myles Gaskin carried the ball 30 times for 143 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Next week’s matchup will be a little different. The Utes have lost starting quarterback Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss with season ending injuries. Utah faces BYU tonight at 7 p.m. on FS1.
