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Articles
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An Apple COREonation Huskies crowned twice, as NW and AC champs By: Malamute, 22 November 2003
The Huskies needed a win after consecutive losses to Arizona and California to avoid a non-losing regular season and have a chance for a post-season bowl game. The win ensures that Washington (6-6, 4-4) closes out its 27th straight year without have a regular losing season. Furthermore, the Huskies have a slim shot at bowl (see below), and they can take satisfaction that they knocked the eighth-ranked Cougars (9-3, 6-2) out of the Rose Bowl and any other BCS bowl for that matter, in one of the Cougars' bitterest of defeats. Considering that QB Cody Pickett didn't have a running game to support his effort, this Apple Cup may be one of his greatest games. The Caldwell Cowboy, who is 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, has to be one of the most agile, athletic quarterbacks of his size ever to play in the Pac-10. His footwork rivals that of Fred Astaire and he can avoid a rush like Houdini, both of them smallish legends out of Hollywood's walk of fame. Pickett is as big and tough as the legendary John Wayne, and almost as talkative. In its last three games, the Huskies have averaged 71 yards on the ground, while its opponents have averaged 261.3 yards. The Cougars held a 19-14 lead with 4:57 left in the game and the script was set for one of Pickett's come-from-behind, Hollywood finishes. Add a new member to the cast: freshman wide receiver Corey Williams out of Las Vegas. Finishing off an 73-yard drive, Pickett, with a pump fake and a tight spiral, hit Williams coming off a bubble screen near the endzone for 21 yards and a touchdown to seal the Cougs' fate. "It felt good. It was right there," Pickett said. "He did a great job because he caught it near the 2 and then got into the end zone. I didn't have the best view, but I saw the ref's hands go up. It was a great feeling." UW linebacker Marquis Cooper closed out the scoring when he intercepted QB Josh Swogger on a 30-yard touchdown return with 14 seconds left on the clock. The Cougs suffered 5 picks and two lost fumbles, numbers that usually dictate a loss. Surrendering 5 turnovers, the Huskies finished +2 in turnovers in a sloppily played game, in part, its sloppiness dictated by the cold weather, which any golfer will tell you, does a number on timing, tempo, and rhythm. However, I'm not a football player, just a golfer. Not meant to be mean-spirited, it can be said that the Cougars ended the game with Swogger, while the Huskies broached some swagger. Ugh, a painful pun, even for me. Sorry, Cougar fans, at least we didn't say you Couged it. However, it could have been a far different outcome if QB Matt Kegel hadn't had to leave the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. The Cougs sorely missed their senior quarterback's leadership, as they did last year in the Apple Cup, when senior quarterback Jason Gesser suffered a high-ankle sprain. The Apple Cup is one of the greatest rivalries in all of college sports, and each and every game over the past few years has been a thriller. Both the Cougars and Huskies are class football teams. At the game's end, the UW fans danced on the "W" at midfield, in another such celebration, the first one triggered by Oregon's Keith Lewis, who said the Ducks would be dancing on the "W" after an expected win over the Huskies in Seattle this year. After that game, the Huskies' players danced on the "W." Lewis' quote was a response to the Huskies' excessive celebration in Eugene the year before, after the Dawgs beat the Ducks 42-14. No one gets a 15-yard penalty for excessive celebration after a football game. College Football News Projections for the Pac-10: Dec 24, Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas) (Mountain West #2
versus Pac-10 #5), New Mexico versus Oregon State A Gilbyism (grumpy, old coaches): Asked why he had his quarterback take a knee with 40 seconds left in the first half and with three timeouts and good field-position, Michigan coach Lloyd Carr answered, “Now why would you ask a dumb question like that? "I was just curious Coach," questioner Todd Harris answered. As he walked away, Carr glanced over his shoulder at Harris and then walked off the field. The halftime announcers all agreed that Carr’s answer was uncalled for.
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On a cold,
bitter night in
Seattle, the Washington Huskies came from behind in the fourth quarter to
beat the Washington State Cougars 27-19. It was the UW's seventh-straight
win over its northwest rivals and its sixth-straight win in the Apple Cup.