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Seattle, WA - The Washing State Cougars (8-3, 6-2) come on over to the green side of the state for another Apple Cup. They are looking for their first 10 win season since 2003. The Huskies (5-6, 3-5), on the other hand, are looking to get bowl eligible.
Where: Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington
When: Friday, November 27, 2015
12:30 p.m. Pacific
TV Info: FOX, Joe Davis (play-by-play), Brady Quinn (analyst)
and Kris Budden (sidelines) providing the commentary.
Radio Info: KOMO AM-1000/FM-97.7; Sirius (81) and XM (81)
Game-Week Previews: Our Game Week Coverage; and their Game Week Coverage for
the game. (Just about everything you'll need to read before you catch the game.)
How to Watch and Listen to the Huskies:
Audio Stream: TuneIn Radio
Video Stream: Fox Sports Go
History
Washington has a stranglehold on the Apple Cup. They lead the series at 69-32-6. They Huskies have won the last two games. They've also won five of the last six meetings. Last year UW travelled over to Pullman and smoked the Cougars 31-13. The Cougars didn't even get onto the scoreboard until there were five minutes left in the 4th quarter.
Numbers
Cougar Offense
3.16 - Yards gained per rush attempt.
3.18 - Number of sacks the Cougs are surrendering per game.
7 - Number of rushing plays to go over 20 yards this season.
37 - Number of rushing attempts on third down.
41.1 - Third down completion rate.
57 - Number of pass attempts per game.
64 - Rush attempts on second down.
84.36 - Number of rushing yards per game.
145 - Number of rushes on first down.
407 - Number of passing yards per game.
Cougar Defense
5.06 - Yards given up per rush.
10 - Interceptions this season.
12 - Passing TD's allowed.
20 - Rushing TD's allowed.
46.01 - Opponents' third down completion percentage.
59 - Longest rush allowed this season.
59.6 - Opponents' completion percentage on first down.
63.7 - Opposing QB's completion percentage.
195.82 - Rushing yards they surrender each game.
Cougar Special Teams
0 - Number of extra points Cougar kicker Erik Powell has missed this season (in 46 tries).
2 - Number of punts opponents have returned for TDs (Rutgers & Arizona).
2- Number of kickoffs opponents have returned for TD's (Rutgers & Oregon State).
16.27 - Number of yards the Cougs give up, on average, when the other side gets to return a punt.
31 - Number of yards they give up per punt return on the road this season.
Questions Needing Answers
Offense:
Can the offense put together 2 consecutive good showings/complete games? Can the lack of turnovers last week turn into a trend? How will the line hold up to the pressure form Wazzu's front 7? How quickly will the O-line be able to get to the second level in run blocking?
Defense:
How will the defensive secondary hold up to the Cougar passing attack? How many times will the defense need to get to the Coug QB to rattle him?
Miscellaneous:
Will Pettis be able to have a punt return for a touchdown in two consecutive? How much of a factor will the crowd be? What cartoon character does Mike Leach most resemble?
Conclusion
This game is a pick 'em for me. This Cougar defense is very opportunistic, but they also have a tendency to get gashed on the run big time. They have held two teams to under a hundred yards rushing in a game, but have given up over 200 yards rushing in six games. If the Huskies can eat up a bunch of clock, and then finish those drives with touchdowns, they should be able to keep just ahead of the Cougs on the scoreboard. Look for the Huskies to run the ball often in the early parts of this game, to open up the intermediate and long passing game.
As for the Cougar offense, they can score in a hurry. So, building an early lead will be imperative. But, as we learned in the Arizona State game, that early lead isn't everything. The Huskies need to keep the Cougs from scoring touchdowns, and they need to get to the young Cougar quarterback.
I am worried that the Huskies will come out slow in this game. Hopefully not. I look forward to downing an entire bottle of TUMS during this one. I'll predict a one score game that will come down to the very last series, yet again.
More Info
Pre-Game Dots
- Check out this article on Neel Salukhe a UW senior who doubles as a walkon wide receiver and a microbiology major.
- This is a two-part series on how Coach Leach takes care of his team's academics. The first one is on academic support for the student-athletes, and the second one touches on what happens when the grades get too low for comfort.
Vegas Odds
According to VegasInsider, the Huskies are 6.5 point favorites heading into this contest. I think that's a little bit high, but, who knows. The advanced stats seem to be saying otherwise. The point total is set at 54 points, which seems a bit low. But what do I know? I've never bet money on anything, ever.