Patterson: Apple Cup nail-biter we all hoped for never materialized

Published 8:00 pm Friday, November 25, 2016

PULLMAN — Dante Pettis and John Ross didn’t conduct your typical postgame interview.

Rather than answering questions from the press individually, the University of Washington receiving duo instead gave more of a group performance piece. Decked out like Jake and Elwood from Blues Brothers movie fame as they faced the media sporting their sunglasses, their answers were just as prone to generate laughter as they did insight into Friday’s Apple Cup game between the Huskies and the Washington State Cougars.

It was the kind of playful approach that only happens after a confident performance and a comfortable victory.

Did anyone see this coming?

What was supposed to be perhaps the greatest confrontation in series history, this year’s Apple Cup between Washington and Washington State was less of a contest and more of a coronation as the Huskies dominated the Cougars 45-17 at Martin Stadium. For all the hype and anticipation heading into the game, given the unusually high stakes, Washington made sure there was never any doubt about which team would prevail.

This was just the third time in their 109 meetings that the Huskies and Cougars played with a championship on the line for both schools. The winner of Friday’s game advanced to next week’s Pac-12 championship game against either Colorado or USC, depending on how Colorado fares Saturday against Utah. And with both teams being ranked in the top 25 and featuring explosive offenses, the expectation was that we were in for something special. Predictions by the media on which team would win were split down the middle, and everyone thought it would be a competitive game.

However, the nail-biter everyone was hoping for never materialized. The Huskies raced out to a 28-3 lead in the first quarter and were never seriously threatened again. The final score ended up being nearly identical to last year’s, when Washington prevailed 45-10 — in a game which Washington State effectively tanked as quarterback Luke Falk sat out injured. Falk was present Friday, but his presence didn’t make any difference.

Alas, this is nothing new for Apple Cups when everything is on the line. The two previous occasions when both teams had a shot at a title also resulted in less-than-memorable games — Washington blew the Cougars out 40-0 in 1936 when the winner earned a Rose Bowl berth, and the Huskies prevailed again in 1981 by winning a nondescript 23-10 game when both teams entered the day with a chance of reaching the Rose Bowl.

With it all up for grabs again Friday, the Huskies yet again put their little brothers from across the state in their place.

Were the Huskies surprised by the ease of their victory?

“No,” said receiver Dante Pettis, one of the game’s stars as he caught two touchdown passes and also completed a 50-yard pass on a trick play. “We’ve worked ever since January for this. It doesn’t really surprise me at all.”

It could have been more tense at the end. The Cougars had three possessions end without points after driving inside the Washington 10-yard line. Twice Washington State turned the ball over on downs when stuffed at the goal line, and Falk also had an ill-advised pass intercepted by D.J. Beavers in the end zone. Convert any of those into touchdowns and it may have been a more interesting game down the stretch.

But the truth is the Huskies put this one away with a first-quarter blitz that left the crowd of 33,773 at Martin Stadium — as well as the players and coaches on the WSU sideline — in a state of stunned disbelief. Washington scored touchdowns on each of its first four possessions, using a quick-strike offense that included a 61-yard touchdown pass from Jake Browning to Pettis and Pettis’ 50-yard pass to Darrell Daniels.

Yes, the Cougars missed some chances. But those chances didn’t come until after Washington State found itself in a hole so big it could have been bored by Big Bertha.

“I thought we came out tight, felt like we needed to do extra,” Cougars coach Mike Leach said. “I thought rather than do our job we resorted to some extra-special thing known only to us as an individual to do something.

“What comes out of it is basically that mess you saw out there today.”

The upshot for Washington is the Huskies remain firmly in the national championship hunt. The Huskies came into the week ranked No. 5 in the College Football Playoff standings, with the top four teams advancing. However, No. 2 Michigan and No. 3 Ohio State face one another Saturday in what amounts to a knockout game. Friday’s dominating victory on the road against a ranked foe in a rivalry game indicates Washington is worthy of its ranking. If the Huskies win next week’s Pac-12 championship game in Santa Clara, Calif., they should be in.

But on Friday that was merely a footnote to another Apple Cup smashing.

One of these days there will be a meaningful Apple Cup game that matches the hype. One of these days there will be a winner-takes-all thriller that has the fans of both teams on their feet in the final seconds, screaming their throats hoarse and nibbling their fingernails to the nub.

This wasn’t that year. But the Huskies won’t apologize. If it means a chance at a conference title, they’re more than happy to upset everyone’s expectations.

For more on the Seattle sports scene, check out Nick Patterson’s Seattle Sidelines blog at cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet/tag/seattle-sidelines, or follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.