Related Links
Story Links
THE GAME: The Washington football team (9-2 overall, 6-2 Pac-12) wraps up the regular season with the 114th version of the Boeing Apple Cup, Saturday night vs. Washington State (7-4, 4-4). Kickoff at Martin Stadium is 7:30 p.m. and the game will air on ESPN. UW has won five in a row and holdS an outside chance at making the Pac-12 Championship Game, depending on the combined results of four games this weekend. The Huskies are No. 12 in the AP Top 25 and No. 12 in the USA Today coaches’ poll.
QUICK HITTERS: Head coach Kalen DeBoer has led UW to nine wins, more than any first-year coach in Husky history … Washington is 3-0 vs. ranked teams in 2022 … Michael Penix Jr. broke multiple UW records in the win over Arizona, including most notably, the marks for single-game passing yards (516), completions (36) and total offense (529) … Penix enters this week No. 1 in the nation in passing yards and passing yards per game; and No. 2 in total offense and No. 3 completions per game … Penix has passed for 300 or more yards in nine of 11 games this season (and 298 in another) … Penix is No. 2 in UW history in single-season passing yards, with 3,869 … WR Rome Odunze notched four straight 100-yard receiving games this year (games 4-7), making him the first in UW history to do that … he got a fifth 100-yard game (non-consecutive) vs. OSU … through 11 games, the Huskies have had nine 100-yard receiving performances, from four different players: Rome Odunze (5), Jalen McMillan (2), Giles Jackson, & Ja’Lynn Polk … UW has scored on its first possession in 10 of 11 games this season … UW has gone 3-and-out just 11 times in 121 offensive possessions this year … nine true freshmen have played for the UW this season: DL Jayvon Parker, CB Jayvion Green, PK Grady Gross, WR Denzel Boston, S Tristan Dunn, EDGE Lance Holtzclaw, LB Austin Harnetiaux, LB Griffin Miller & TE Ryan Otton … UW enters the WSU game first in the NCAA-FBS in passing offense, first downs and third-down conversion percentage, as well as No. 5 in total offense & No. 7 in scoring offense … the Huskies are first in fewest fumbles lost, second in sacks allowed and sixth in turnovers lost … Peyton Henry has broken the UW career scoring record, with 384 points … he broke the record held by fellow placekicker Jeff Jaeger (380, 1983-86).
TELEVISION: The Boeing Apple Cup game will air on ESPN, with Clay Matvick, Rocky Boiman and Dawn Davenport calling the action. Fans with the proper subscription can also watch at ESPN.com/watch.
RADIO: All Washington football games will air on the Washington Sports Network from Learfield, with Tony Castricone (play by play), former Husky tight end Cameron Cleeland (analyst) and former UW basketball player Elise Woodward (sidelines) on the call. Radio coverage begins four hours before kickoff on the network’s flagship station – Seattle’s SportsRadio KJR 93.3 FM – with “Husky Gameday” live from The Zone for Husky home games. Statewide coverage on the 12-station Washington Sports Network begins two hours before kickoff. The entire broadcast is available worldwide on the Huskies Gameday mobile app and the Varsity app. The UW broadcast of this game will also air on SiriusXM channel 81. Additionally, the Husky Football Coaches Show airs each Wednesday during the season, at 6:00 p.m. PT.
HUSKIES vs. COUGARS HISTORY: The Washington-Washington State series dates back to 1900, when the teams played to a 5-5 tie in Seattle. Washington holds a commanding 74-33-6 edge in the 113-game series, including a 41-16 record in Apple Cup games (1963-present). The UW is 42-16-5 against WSU in games played in Seattle, Washington is 12-7 in games played in WSU’s Martin Stadium as the first UW-WSU game wasn’t played there until 1982. UW is 32-15-1 in away games in the series, including games played in both Spokane and Pullman. The Huskies have won 17 of the last 23 Apple Cups, and had a seven-game win streak broken last year. No Apple Cup was played in 2020 due to the pandemic. It was the first break in the series since World War II, when WSU didn’t field a team for two seasons (1943-44).
Last year, the Cougars broke a seven-game losing streak in the series, with a 40-13 win at Husky Stadium. In 2019 in Seattle, an efficient Washington offense led the way in a 31-13 Husky win. Jacob Eason was 15-for-22 for 241 yards and a TD. WSU passed for 308 yards and gained 27 first downs, but rushed for only 31 and scored just one touchdown. In 2018, Washington won, 28-15, in snowy Pullman, limiting the high-flying WSU offense to just 237 yards. Myles Gaskin’s 80-yard TD run was the highlight. In 2017 in Seattle, the Huskies built a 34-0 lead en route to a 41-14 win as Gaskin rushed for 192 yards and four TDs on 25 carries. In 2016 in Pullman, Jake Browning completed 22-of-29 passes for 292 yards and three TDs and the UW led 28-3 after one quarter, in a 45-17 UW win. In 2015, Gaskin ran for 138 yards and two TDs, and the Huskies got interception returns for scores from Sidney Jones and Azeem Victor in a 45-10 win.
In 2014 in the Palouse, Dwayne Washington rushed for 135 yards, including TD runs of 60 and 51 yards, to lead the UW to a 31-13 win. The Huskies held the Cougars scoreless until five minutes into the fourth quarter. In 2013 in Seattle, the Huskies overcame a 10-3 halftime deficit in a 27-17 victory. Bishop Sankey led the Dawgs with 200 rushing yards on 34 carries while Keith Price completed 15-of-20 for 181 yards.
In 2012 in Pullman, WSU overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime, then won 31-28 in OT. In 2011 at CenturyLink Field, the UW won, 38-21, behind 291 yards and three TD passes from Price. In 2010, Washington beat the Cougars, 35-28, in a tightly-contested game in Pullman. The winning score came on a 27-yard pass from Jake Locker to Jermaine Kearse with 44 seconds remaining. In 2009, the Huskies posted the first Apple Cup shutout since 1964 with a 30-0 win over the Cougars at Husky Stadium, breaking a two-game losing streak in the series.
In 2008 in Pullman, the Cougars prevailed, 16-13, in double overtime. The year before at Husky Stadium, Alex Brink passed for 399 yards and hit Brandon Gibson with a pair of fourth-quarter TDs to lead WSU to a 42-35 win. The Huskies broke another two-game losing streak with a 35-32 win in Pullman in 2006. In 2005 at Martin Stadium, the Cougars beat the Dawgs, 28-25, behind a solid performance from Brink, who threw for two TDs and ran for another.
Before that, in 2003, UW pulled a third-straight upset (by AP ranking) in the series when an unranked Husky team notched a 27-19 win over No. 8 Washington State. In 2002 in Pullman, in a game that surely ranks as one of the most memorable ever in the series, Washington shocked the No. 3 Cougars with a triple-overtime, 29-26 win, despite trailing by 10 with only 4:30 to play. In 2001, when the two teams met at Husky Stadium, the 16th-ranked Huskies upset the No. 9 Cougars with a 26-14 win.
DAWGS AND THE NORTHWEST: Washington’s most-played rivalries are against the other three other northwest Pac-12 schools. The Huskies have faced Washington State 113 times, Oregon in 114 games and Oregon State on 107 occasions. Washington owns the advantage in all three series. The Huskies lead the Ducks 61-48-5, Washington State 74-33-6 and Oregon State 68-35-4. Combined, Washington has a 203-116-15 (.630) record against its northwest rivals. Washington has played all three of the Northwest teams in a season on 92 prior occasions. Over those 92 seasons in which Oregon, OSU and WSU were all on the UW schedule, the Dawgs have swept all three 30 times. In the meantime, the Huskies have lost to all three in the same season on only eight occasions.
APPLE CUP FACTS: A few notes on the Apple Cup, proudly presented by Boeing:
• This year’s game will be the 114th meeting between UW and WSU. The Huskies lead 74-33-6. The series began in 1900, when the teams played to a 5-5 tie.
• The UW-WSU game wasn’t called the “Apple Cup” until 1963. Prior to 1963, the two teams played for the Governor’s Trophy (1931-61).
• Washington has played just 12 overtime games in its history (overtime didn’t start until 1996 in college football). Four of those 12 games have come against WSU: 1996 (UW win), 2002 (UW win), 2008 (WSU win), 2012 (WSU win).
• The last seven times that the Cougars were ranked in the AP top 25 heading into an Apple Cup, the Huskies have won the game (2001-02-03-15-16-17-18).
• The Huskies have never lost more than two games in a row to WSU. On the other hand, UW has had 9 streaks of three or more wins in the series.
• From 1955 through 1981, the Apple Cup was played in Seattle (odd-numbered years) or Spokane (even-numbered years), rather than Seattle and Pullman.
PENIX MAKING HIS MARK: Ten games through the regular season, UW quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has already made numerous impressions in the Husky football record book. Here’s a look at some of the school records he’s already set, and where he stands on various single-game and single-season top-10 lists, through 10 games:
UW Single Game
1st in Pass Yds.: 516 vs. Arizona
1st in Pass Comp.: 36 vs. Arizona; at Cal
1st in Total Offense: 529 vs. Arizona
1st in Consec. 300-Yd. Pass Games (8)
2nd in Consec. 200-Yd. Pass Games (9)
7th in Pass Yds.: 408 at Oregon
T-7th in Pass Comp.: 33, twice
T-7th in Pass TDs: 4, four times
9th in Pass Att.: 53 at Arizona State
T-10th in Comp. Pct.: .818 vs. Arizona
T-10th in Pass Att.: 52 vs. Oregon State
UW Season
1st in Pass Yds./Game: 351.7
1st in Comp./Game: 27.7
2nd in Pass Att./Game: 41.5
2nd in Yds./Att.: 8.47
2nd in Passing Yards: 3,839
2nd in Completions: 305
2nd in Attempts: 457
2nd in 200-Yd. Games: 11
3rd in Pass Efficiency: 154.0
3rd in TD Passes/Game: 2.36
3rd in Comp. Pct.: .667
4th in Passing TDs: 26
100-YARD RECEIVERS: Washington has had four different receivers record a 100-yard game this season, and it happened over the span of just three games – games two, three and four vs. Portland State (Jalen McMillan, 127; Giles Jackson, 105), Michigan State (Ja’Lynn Polk, 153) and Stanford (Rome Odunze, 161 … Odunze also had 116 at UCLA; 115 at ASU; 169 vs. Arizona; and 102 vs. Oregon State). Including this season, only 19 times in UW history have the Huskies had four, 100-yard receiving games over the course of a single season, but in 15 of those cases, those performances were by three or fewer different players. Only four times in UW history have four different players posted a 100-yard receiving game in a single season. Among those four years (1949, 2001, 2002 and 2011), on only one occasion did four different players record a 100-yard game over a three game stretch, in the middle of the 2001 season. They were:
Reggie Williams, 101, vs. USC (game 4)
Todd Elstrom, 112, vs. UCLA (game 5)
Paul Arnold, 138, vs. Arizona (game 6)
Patrick Reddick, 102, vs. Arizona (game 6)
EXPERIENCE AND YOUTH: Thanks in part to the extended eligibility that resulted from the pandemic, Washington’s 2021 roster is remarkable for both its youth and its experience, all at once. The roster includes 18 individuals who have started at least one game on offense, and another 18 on defense. All totaled, those 35 players (one of them, Alex Cook, has started on offense and defense) have started 248 games (147 on offense, 101 on defense). And, that doesn account for the handful of veteran transfers who were mulit-year starters at their previous school, and also doesn’t account for specialists, who are also seasoned starters at their positions.
All that said, the UW roster includes just 12 players in their final year of available eligibility: CB Jordan Perryman, LB Cam Bright, EDGE Jeremiah Martin, S Alex Cook, WR Brennan Holmes, PK Peyton Henry, OL Jaxson Kirkland, OL Henry Bainivalu, OL Corey Luciano, P Kevin Ryan, LB Kristopher Moll and RB Wayne Taulapapa. Of the 114 players on the current roster, 55 are listed as freshmen (17) or redshirt freshmen (38), while 27 more are sophomores. That means that 82 of 114 players (72 percent) have three or more years of eligibility remaining, entering the 2022 season.
