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Washington State got impressive week 2 win ahead of Apple Cup vs Washington Huskies

By Ethan Lee

Sep 7, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer, right, is caught from behind by Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (10) in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State Cougars won 37-16. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback John Mateer, right, is caught from behind by Texas Tech Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (10) in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. Washington State Cougars won 37-16. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images / James Snook-Imagn Images
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It’s Apple Cup week, folks. Both the Washington Huskies and the Washington State Cougars are heading into their annual rivalry game unbeaten after two weeks of football. Both the Huskies and Cougars managed to handle FCS foes in week one.

But in week two, things got interesting over in Pullman. The Cougars welcomed the Texas Tech Red Raiders to town and handed Mike Leach’s first head coaching assignment a convincing 37-16 beating. Washington State wasn’t perfect, but the Cougars sure showed some potential.

And that’s going to set the stage for a fascinating Apple Cup. 

Washington State Cougars handled Texas Tech in week 2 ahead of Apple Cup matchup

After Washington took care of business against the Eastern Michigan Eagles, Washington State faced Texas Tech in a bit of a bizarre game. And while Wazzu has been known for throwing the ball around a bit the past few seasons, it was actually their rushing attack that dominated the Red Raiders and led the Cougars to victory in week two.

The Cougars demonstrated that they can be versatile and take advantage of Wazzu quarterback John Mateer’s athleticism as he ran for 197 yards and a touchdown on an impressive 21 carries. Now, Mateer wasn’t great through the air, he only threw for 115 passing yards, but that wasn’t too necessary for the Cougars to find success.

The Huskies will need to account for Mateer’s rushing ability this coming Saturday. That’s something that could cause problems in the Apple Cup.

Also, it’s interesting that Texas Tech only scored 16 points. I’m not sure if that’s a “Texas Tech forgot to pack the offense on this road trip” thing or what. But it was a problem for the Red Raiders that they couldn’t put up more points than Portland State managed to on the Cougars’ porous defense in week one.

What will we see from Will Rogers and the Huskies' offense against this unit?

Should the Washington Huskies be worried about the Apple Cup this season?

The game is in Seattle this season, but it won’t be happening in Husky Stadium. Instead, Lumen Field gets the distinct pleasure of hosting this game.

With this contest coming up, how worried should the Washington Huskies be? It’d be nice to get this game at home, but that’s just not happening. It’d be nice if Wazzu struggled a bit more against Texas Tech, but that didn’t happen. 

Is it even worth worrying about this one?

I don’t know if “worry” is the right way to frame it, to be completely honest. It’s hard to tell just how good both of these teams are. There are just too many unknowns between both the Huskies and the Cougars with the changes that have taken place over the offseason. 

Right now, Washington has appeared to be a more complete team, as both the offense and defense have looked consistent for the Huskies. Washington State’s offense does appear to be a bit more potent though, and that’s something that will be worth watching in this game.

Especially if Washington gets off to a slow start as we saw in the first two weeks. Now, there’s a good chance that trend doesn’t materialize in this matchup, but it is something to pay attention to.

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