Washington State outlasts Washington, reclaim Apple Cup

SEATTLE — Lumen Field was the site of the Apple Cup between the University of Washington and Washington State making it the first meeting since Washington left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.

John Mateer rushed for two touchdowns and threw to Josh Meredith for a 16-yard touchdown in a 24-19 victory over the Huskies and reclaiming the cup. The Cougars’ defense held the line and the Huskies failed to score on 4th and goal from the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars were first on the board after Dean Janikowski made a 44-yard field goal, taking a 3-0 lead with 9:03 left in the first quarter. Washington earned 7 after QB Will Rogers connected with Giles Jackson for a 31-yard touchdown. At the end of the first quarter, the Cougars were up 10–7 after John Mateer rushed 23 yards to score with 5:08 left on the clock.

In the second quarter, Washington kicker Grady Gross kicked a 44 and 42-yard field goal regaining the lead over Washington State before John Mateer rushed for 25-yard and closing out the first half ahead with the Cougars up 17-13.

The Huskies opened the third quarter with a 24-yard field goal, staying close to the Cougars. The Cougars took a 24-16 lead over the Huskies after John Mateer passed to John Meredith for a 16-yard touchdown and PAT. The Huskies closed out the third quarter with a 43-yard field goal with the Huskies trailing the Cougars 24-19.

In the fourth quarter, Thaddeus Dixon intercepted a John Mateer pass on 2nd and 4 at the Cougars 47 and returned it for 21-yards. However, the Huskies were not able to capitalize and were forced to punt the ball with 6:07 left in the fourth. After a quick first down, the Cougars failed to reach the end zone and were forced to punt the ball and give it back to the Huskies with 3:45 left in the game. The Huskies’ final opportunity to take the lead started with them marching down the field from their own 31-yard line. With 3rd and goal at the Cougars 10-yard line, Will Rogers hit Denzel Boston for a 9-yard gain before Stephen Hall shoved him out at the 1-yard line. With 1:12 left in the game, the Huskies went for it on fourth down but the Cougars defense denied the Huskies a chance to take the lead. After the turnover on downs, the Huskies exhausted all their timeouts but were unable to stop the clock, ending in a Cougars victory.

Washington was favored by 4 1/2 points, according to BetMGM College Football Odds.

The future of the Apple Cup has been a hot topic since the Pac-12′s collapse, forcing this year’s game to move to a neutral site in September.

While the rivalry is scheduled to continue through the 2028 season as a non-conference matchup, uncertainty remains, particularly from Washington State.

The game is set to return to campus sites next year.

The takeaway

Washington State: The Cougars will lament some of their fourth-quarter execution on offense. Mateer threw one interception, nearly threw another, and the Cougars threw incomplete on third-and-10 with 3:46 left. Not only did Washington State not get a first down, but the clock stopped.

Washington: After being fairly clean with penalties the first two games, Washington’s discipline was awful. The Huskies were called for 16 penalties — third-most in school history — for 135 yards. Several were critical calls that kept drives alive for the Cougars.