One last Pac-12 football game will be played in Seattle, Washington. For the last 64 years Husky stadium has been a premier venue for the conference of champions. On Saturday we get one last ride. And in perfect fashion it will be Washington vs. Washington State, an Apple Cup classic close the chapter.
The series isn’t over, and neither is the Huskies season. WSU’s season hinges on winning this game.
No matter the outcome UW will play for the Pac-12 title in a rematch against Oregon. The College Football Playoffs stand on the horizon, and the Cougars will be doing their best to crush those dreams.
Here’s what to watch for as the Huskies look to keep the Apple Cup trophy on the shores of Lake Washington.
Last Leg of the Race: The Heisman trophy is down to it’s final stages. The three horse race is tight as can be and Michael Penix can win it. The QB1 will have all of Seattle behind him with the Cougars in town.
Last year in Pullman, Penix threw for almost 500 yards and led the Huskies to shoot-out win. This year it shouldn’t be that close, but Penix will look similar. With the Heisman trophy in reach Michael Penix will be the star of the show.
The Cougars have looked vulnerable through the air and have gotten torched in recent games. In his last game at Husky Stadium Michael Penix and the crew will be looking for one last explosion. A worthy send off from the Husky faithful awaits, with a win.
Creating Chaos: The Huskies defense has been up and down all season. At times they’ve looked like one of the top units in the country, and at times there have been questions if they could stop anyone. As of late they have looked the former.
The defensive line has been stepping up in the big moments and making plays when they are needed. This line has one more chance to get into a real rhythm before they absolutely need to make plays.
WSU has allowed their fair share of sacks this season and Bralen Trice and Co. should be looking to capitalize on this opportunity. The pressures will be there, that is without a doubt, but against great teams, that won’t be enough.
Physicality: There were questions about the physical side of this offense at the start of the season. But sitting here today there is not a doubt about their capabilities. The offensive line has played out of their minds as Penix has only been sacked seven times.
Troy Fautanu has played himself into a possible first round pick, as he has been one of the best tackles in CFB this year. Despite plenty of mixing and matching on the interior Dillon Johnson has hand plenty of space to work with and has been a forceful runner.
His explosion against USC is the best example of just what he can do when given the opportunity. The offensive line pushing up field, and Dillon Johnson lowering his shoulder will be big for the Huskies on a cold day.
Hitting Stride: The Huskies have been absolutely stacked at the receiver position all season, but with a mass of injuries we are yet to see what a full wide receiver room looks like. Rome Odunze has been feasting in pretty much every game this year, likening comparisons to A.J. Brown, Jalen McMillan has been lethal when he is on the field, but an early knee injury has kept him on the sideline for most of the year.
Ja’Lynn Polk has stepped up and filled the role of wide receiver 1b flawlessly. Germie Bernard is the team’s Deebo Samuel when it comes to receiving and rushing the ball–and he’s a punishing blocker.
With the exception of Giles Jackson who DeBoer is trying to save a year of eligibility by not playing him in the final regular season game, the Huskies are going to be looking to get all their weapons involved heading into post-season play.
Air Guard: The Cougars are not losing games because they can’t throw the ball. The WSU pass attack has been one of the Pac-12’s best, trailing just Washington and Oregon.
Cam Ward has thrown the ball well, and also protected it. Ward has only thrown five interceptions all season and has thrown for over 3,000 yards. The Huskies on the other hand are a top-10 defense in the nation in terms of interceptions.
That matchup will be important, especially as last season the Cougars dominated the turnover battle. Jabbar Muhammad will be looking to follow up his big game against Oregon State with an equally impressive performance in Seattle.
Final Analysis:
Washington State has nothing to lose, needing a victory to become bowl-eligible. Once sitting at 13th in the nation, WSU lost 6 in a row but three losses were by a touchdown or less. Only 15th ranked Arizona blew them out 44-6. The weather is on the side of a high-scoring affair and so is the situation for the Cougars who will throw every thing at UW from the kickoff to the final whistle.
