Published: Sunday, November 29, 2009
First Apple Cup shutout in 41 years
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Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
The Huskies’ Joshua Gage forces Cougar quarterback Marshall Lobbestael to fumble the ball in the fourth quarter. The Huskies recovered the ball.
SEATTLE — The University of Washington defense found a way to bring a little drama to the final moments of a one-sided Apple Cup on Saturday afternoon.
Despite a double-digit lead for the entire second half, the Huskies were motivated by a secondary goal of pitching a shutout. And they did just that, winning 30-0 over rival Washington State.
“It makes me feel so good to be a part of that,” junior defensive tackle Cameron Elisara said afterward. “It’s been so long.”
Longer than some of the current Huskies have been playing football.
The last time UW shut out an opponent was on Nov. 1, 1997, when the seventh-ranked Huskies beat USC 27-0 at Husky Stadium.
Even that game didn’t have the eye-popping numbers that WSU’s offense stumbled toward on Saturday. The Cougars (1-11) had 47 rushing yards, 163 total yards and punted seven times. WSU never got closer than the UW 33-yard line, and the one time the Cougars got that close, the Huskies sacked quarterback Kevin Lopina on fourth down.
This from a UW defense that had allowed at least 400 yards of offense to each of its previous seven opponents.
It marked the first Apple Cup shutout in 41 years, and the first time the Cougars have been shut out in the rivalry in 45 years.
“It means a lot,” Huskies safety Nate Williams said. “It says a lot about our character and the way we play. We just kept playing hard the whole game, we did everything right, and it worked out good.”
UW knocked two Cougars quarterbacks out of the game. Both of them were forced back into action, while sophomore fourth-stringer Dan Wagner saw his first action of the season.
The Huskies had four sacks and held WSU’s leading rusher, Dwight Tardy, to 37 yards on the ground.
“We had to do a good job of stopping the run, and stopping Dwight Tardy,” UW defensive coordinator Nick Holt said afterward. “We had a lot of respect for him.”
UW’s Williams said that Holt was pushing the defense to get the shutout for most of the afternoon.
“He was on us all game about that,” Williams said. “He talked about keeping the intensity into the game, and we were able to do it.”
Despite a double-digit lead for the entire second half, the Huskies were motivated by a secondary goal of pitching a shutout. And they did just that, winning 30-0 over rival Washington State.
“It makes me feel so good to be a part of that,” junior defensive tackle Cameron Elisara said afterward. “It’s been so long.”
Longer than some of the current Huskies have been playing football.
The last time UW shut out an opponent was on Nov. 1, 1997, when the seventh-ranked Huskies beat USC 27-0 at Husky Stadium.
Even that game didn’t have the eye-popping numbers that WSU’s offense stumbled toward on Saturday. The Cougars (1-11) had 47 rushing yards, 163 total yards and punted seven times. WSU never got closer than the UW 33-yard line, and the one time the Cougars got that close, the Huskies sacked quarterback Kevin Lopina on fourth down.
This from a UW defense that had allowed at least 400 yards of offense to each of its previous seven opponents.
It marked the first Apple Cup shutout in 41 years, and the first time the Cougars have been shut out in the rivalry in 45 years.
“It means a lot,” Huskies safety Nate Williams said. “It says a lot about our character and the way we play. We just kept playing hard the whole game, we did everything right, and it worked out good.”
UW knocked two Cougars quarterbacks out of the game. Both of them were forced back into action, while sophomore fourth-stringer Dan Wagner saw his first action of the season.
The Huskies had four sacks and held WSU’s leading rusher, Dwight Tardy, to 37 yards on the ground.
“We had to do a good job of stopping the run, and stopping Dwight Tardy,” UW defensive coordinator Nick Holt said afterward. “We had a lot of respect for him.”
UW’s Williams said that Holt was pushing the defense to get the shutout for most of the afternoon.
“He was on us all game about that,” Williams said. “He talked about keeping the intensity into the game, and we were able to do it.”
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