Washington State’s dream season came to an end in the Apple Cup that looked like a winter wonderland.
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
That’s what fans had to be saying as they watched Washington and Washington State play the Apple Cup in what looked like the inside of a snow globe.
The snowy conditions were ideal for the Huskies who got the win and will play Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Senior running back Myles Gaskin had 170 yards and three touchdowns, including the last one that went for 80 yards and put the game away.
Gaskin’s score made it a 28-15 and that would be all the scoring for the night. The score came after Washington State mounted a rally to make it a five-point game.
The prolific Cougars offense led by Heisman candidate Gardner Minshew was quiet all night as the Washington defense combined with the wintry conditions took away their downfield passing attack. With Minshew limited, the Huskies defense could stack the line of scrimmage and dare them to beat them with the run game.
That was not what Washington State does well and stopping the run is what Washington does do well. The Cougars were limited to 85 rushing yards while the Huskies ran wild for 258 to control the clock and the game.
This marks the sixth straight win for Washington in the Apple Cup and is their second Pac-12 North division title since 2011. The Huskies will meet Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game next Friday night.
For Washington State, this is a crushing defeat. They were the No. 8 team in the country and was the biggest game in Pullman in several years. But like previous good seasons, it all came down to the Apple Cup and like many times before, it ended with a loss to the hated rivals.
Minshew leads the nation in passing with 392 yards per game, but he only had 152 yards in the loss and didn’t throw a touchdown for the first time all season. This comes one game after he threw a school-record seven touchdowns. He will still likely receive an invite to the Heisman ceremony, but the dream season for the Cougars has come to an all-too-familiar end with their rival having bragging rights once again.