The Washington Huskies travel to Pullman to take on their hated rivals the Washington State Cougars on Friday, November 25th. The inter-state battle is set to start at 3:30 p.m. ET and Fox Sports 1 will be showing the game. Entering this contest, the Huskies are -6 point favorites and the games total is at 64.
The all-time series in the Apple Cup favors Washington, 70-32-6. The Huskies have won the last three times these to schools have squared-off, including last year’s 45-10 clash in Seattle.
#6 Washington (10-1):
A week after getting upset by the USC Trojans 26-13, The Huskies rebounded with a huge 44-18 win over fellow PAC-12 program Arizona State. Washington went into halftime with a 24-0 lead and held Arizona State to only a field goal through the first three quarters.
Jake Browning has been outstanding for most of the year, but he’s stumbled in the past few weeks. In the triumph over the Sun Devils, quarterback Jake Browning completed 27 tosses for over 330 yards and two scores but threw another two interceptions. For the season, Browning has completed almost 200 passes for 2,870 yards with 37 scores and seven picks.
Running back Myles Gaskin kept the chains moving in the ground game. The Huskies’ tailback jolted for 127 yards and a touchdown on just 16 carries against the sun Devils. Throughout the season, Gaskin has 182 carries for 1,130 yards and nine trips to the promised land.
Two stellar wide outs handle to pass catching responsibilities in Seattle. John Ross and Dante Pettis are the one-two punch for the Huskies when Jake Browning is throwing the ball around on Saturdays. Combined, they have tallied almost 1,700 with 110 catches and an impressive 27 scores.
Defensively, the Huskies have been strong all season long. Washington’s secondary sits 30th in the country, allowing only 195 yards against them through the air. Both safeties play a very physical brand of football. Most important of all, the Huskies are 12th in the nation, surrendering only 17.9 points a game.
#22 Washington State (7-3):
The Cougars suffered their first PAC-12 loss of the year against the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday, 38-24. It was also the Cougars’ first loss in over two months, when they lost to Boise State, 31-28.
Quarterback Luke Falk has been a consistent force for the Cougars all season. In the loss to Colorado, the Washington State rifleman went off for 325 yards, three scores and a pick. All totaled, he has completed over 380 passes for over just under 4,000 yards with 36 touchdowns and only seven picks.
The Cougars like to pass the football first then run it after softening up the other team’s secondary. When they do move the rock via the ground, they look to three tail backs to get the job accomplished.
The trio in Washington State’s back field has collected over 1,500,yards and have reached the back of the end zone an impressive 21 times in 2016. Red zone threat Gerald Wicks, has only 78 carries on the year but 11 of those have been for scores.
Quarterback Luke Falk likes to spread the ball around to a plethora of athletes. He throws to his wide receivers and running backs quite frequently. Eight players have caught at least 20 passes and four of those have at least caught 40 or more. Running back Jamal Morrow has 43 of those catches for five touchdowns.
The Cougars defense has been a little better than average in 2016. They are 28th in the country against the run, allowing 130 yards per game. Unfortunately, defending the pass has been an adventure in 2016, as they rank 117th in the country against the pass, yielding over 278 yards per contest.
Trends and Notes:
The Huskies are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
The Cougars are 9-2 ATS in their last 11 home games.
The Over is 6-0 in the the Huskies last 6 road games.
The Over is 4-1 in the Cougars last 5 games overall.
The Favorite is 5-2 ATS in their last 7 meetings.
Game Predictions:
The Washington Huskies will need this victory if they have any hope for playing for a national title. One more loss and Washington would be out of the mix. The Huskies rebounded nicely last week and will bring their “A” game to Pullman.
Washington State may have lost last week at Colorado but they have been solid all season long. The Cougars have had this game circled on their calendar since the start of the season. A PAC-12 title could be theirs if they can win out and get a little help.
In this year’s version of the Apple Cup, a whole lot is on the line for both programs. The Huskies seen just how vulnerable the Cougar’s secondary is last week, and Jake Browning will expose that for all it’s worth. Yes, Washington State will score, but the Husky defense will be too much for quarters of work. Take the Huskies early at -3 halftime and play that over 64 as both teams will score enough points to hit it.
