The day after Thanksgiving is known as Black Friday, but for Washington collegiate football fans, it’s known for the Apple Cup! For you Oregon collegiate football fans, the Apple Cup is our equivalent of your Civil War – the annual matchup that caps off the regular college football season between the in-state rivals, the University of Washington (UW) Huskies and the Washington State University (WSU) Cougars. As a proud UW Husky alumna, this was my first time attending the Apple Cup, and first time being in the new Husky Stadium, which was packed with 71,753 in attendance.
The game was a close one: slow at first, with a single Husky field goal scored at the end of the first quarter; then it was tied going into the half, but eventually opened up in the third quarter when the Huskies pull away and took the win, 27-17.
Here are some highlights:
1. A Little Slice of Apple Cup History
For the record, out of 106 meetings since 1900, UW leads the all-time series, 68—32—6, and holds the longest streak with eight wins. However, WSU took the 2012 cup in a close game, winning in overtime 31-28.
One of the things I love most about sports is team history, and that was prominently featured during Friday’s game with highlight reels of past Apple Cups. One such highlight was of the 1975 game, led by QB Warren Moon under the Dawg-father, head coach Don James in his first Apple Cup. The black and white footage showed the Huskies overcame a 13 point deficit to win in dramatic fashion with a touchdown pass from Moon to WR Spider Gaines, with only two minutes left, leading to the Huskies’ victory, 28-27. It was a reminder of what was at stake for the young Huskies to live up to and possibly a precursor of what was to come that afternoon.
2. The Sankey Show
Junior RB Bishop Sankey had a phenomenal game with 34 carries for 200 yards and one TD – a key TD that put the Huskies up in the third quarter and stayed for good. It was during the game that Sankey broke the Huskies’ all-time single season record for most rushing yards (1,775 yards), previously held by RB Corey Dillon in 1996 (1,695 yards). By putting up those numbers, he also became the Pac-12 rushing leader for the season, with 306 carries and 18 TDs in 12 games (second place went to Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey with 322 carries for 1,716 yards and 17 TDs in 11 games).
It should be noted that UW Junior TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins was also impressive as the game’s top receiver, with two receptions for 52 yards and one TD in the third quarter.
3. End of the Season, End of the Price Era
With this win, the Huskies end the 2013 regular season with a winning record of 8-4 and possibly an invitation to a post-season bowl. The end of the season also means saying goodbye to 14 seniors on the roster, including QB Keith Price.
Price was hampered with injuries this season, including a shoulder injury sustained against UCLA that kept him from playing against OSU, the week before the Apple Cup. But thankfully, he was able to complete his collegiate career by not only playing in his last Apple Cup, but being instrumental in the Huskies’ offensive surge. The first half was slow going for Price, but he pulled together some nice drives and completed 15 of 20 passes for 181 yards with one TD and had 14 carries for 23 yards with one TD – the last TD of the game. His final game mirrored his overall career as a Husky, with highs and lows, but he goes out on top and Husky fans will always remember that.
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