Single most important factor to win the Apple Cup...
- Thread starter cr8zyncalif
- Start date
I’ll bite. How about a healthy dose of hate and disdain for those mother scratchers!
Treat it as more than just another game...because it is.
Run the ball between the tackles and make them actually defend the run game.
How has nobody mentioned defense? The last 5 games we've allowed 45, 45, 41, 28, 31.
The 28 we allowed was in a driving snow storm in Pullman. Other than that, they've scored over 30 in 8 of the last 11 games, and in just about every game, we've found ourselves down by 10+ after the first 20 minutes.
The 28 we allowed was in a driving snow storm in Pullman. Other than that, they've scored over 30 in 8 of the last 11 games, and in just about every game, we've found ourselves down by 10+ after the first 20 minutes.
A big chunk of those point totals can be laid at the feet of an inept offense.
I agree....although I think a lot of that has to do with the fact our offensive posessions were short lived.
I think putting up more than 7 points in the first quarter combined with a better D coordinator will help here.
Our defense has been an absolute wreck in the Apple Cup over the past 7 games. We routinely gave up chunk running plays, deep passes, and generally speaking, couldn't get their offense off of the field.
In these cases, I'm not sharing blame with our offense because the defense has been a no-show in the opening minutes of every game. 4 of the losses came at the hands of Jake Browning. We were laughably bad at defending Chris Peterson's inside trap plays.
The offense deserves blame of their own, but when your defense gets trucked to the tune of 20+ points in the first quarter, it's hard for me to give them a pass.
In these cases, I'm not sharing blame with our offense because the defense has been a no-show in the opening minutes of every game. 4 of the losses came at the hands of Jake Browning. We were laughably bad at defending Chris Peterson's inside trap plays.
The offense deserves blame of their own, but when your defense gets trucked to the tune of 20+ points in the first quarter, it's hard for me to give them a pass.
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UW defense is not what Peterson’s defenses were in the past. They still have some players at LB and DB, but their d-line isn’t all that. The last couple of year there run defense has been below average at best. I believe if we have a chance at winning the apple cup it all starts with not allowing their defense look like the all-stars of the past and that begins with our run game.
On that point, there's no way they are better losing Kwiatkowski and replacing him with Gregory. It's only a matter of how impactful it will be.
Petersen would use deep pass against the weak secondary to gain the lead (or extend it in rare times it got close), then he ran the ball to hold the lead.
It is reverse of the script Oregon was using on offense vs WSU
Lots of good points above. I will add: prep for it ALL season. Devote a little practice time each week on it. Despite his flaws, Walden took that game seriously and thought about it all year.
I had a notion that we consistently gave up 30+ points to the mutts, but after checking the record it was proven to be false. Most of the games were under 30 points with a couple of stinker 50 bombs sprinkled in.
The biggest factor in losing to the mutts has been a lack of scoring, which would be more of a tip of the cap to their defense(s) than anything else.
I just think the best way to deal with a bully...and they have been the bully... is to punch them in the mouth and give them a taste of their own medicine(and steal their milk money)
Get them on their heels for once.
Last Applecup, while we score first, they made us earn every single yard. They kept everything in front of them and then made some adjustments.
If we are smart and pound the ball, that should open up some big play opportunities...and I think we will see some players on defense actually making plays.
And as has been stated before, hopefully we won't show up looking like we were just taking bong hits in Spicoli's van.
Get them on their heels for once.
Last Applecup, while we score first, they made us earn every single yard. They kept everything in front of them and then made some adjustments.
If we are smart and pound the ball, that should open up some big play opportunities...and I think we will see some players on defense actually making plays.
And as has been stated before, hopefully we won't show up looking like we were just taking bong hits in Spicoli's van.
Barbara Hedges was our best hope of that ever happening...
Maybe make slight adjustments to the game plan so the defensive coordinator doesn’t just dust off the same game plan from 2013
Would love to see this, but I'm guessing UW offense will be heavy run, or at least around 50/50, while our defense will bet better against the pass then run. But what do I know? Especially this time of the year and after that mess of a covid year.
Us having LESS at stake on the game than them. Think about it. Other than in 1997 recent history, when have the COUGS won that game with the reverse situation? That's all I have to say about that.
Walden needed something to hang his hat on. It was his mythical NW championship to salvage otherwise disappointing seasons. Ironically, in his best season Walden lost the AC and it cost him a Rose Bowl berth. I'm sure the fan base would have been content to keep losing the AC if they were piling up wins elsewhere on the schedule.
It's a great game for westside fans who get bragging rights for a year, but it honestly doesn't mean much toward our program goals. The state doesn't produce enough talent for it to matter if UW gets first pick of the HS kids in the state. It matter more (recruiting wise) to beat Utah, the California schools, and to a lesser extent the Arizona's. Strangely enough, since 2001 the Cougs are 0-9 in the AC in years where we have gone to a bowl. In years where we've stayed home for the holidays we have gone 5-5.
With all due respect, the offense rolling over and wetting themselves every year had plenty to do with the defense sucking. 3 and outs/turnovers are brutal for a smaller defense taking on a bludgeoning running team.
I dunno for me it’s coaching. Yeah they’ve got more talent across the board but lake literally laughing at Leach is a dead giveaway. Our coaches over the years have screwed the pooch often in the AC.
WSU is not a school that has the margin for error to be coached poorly and still win. Coaching matters.
Perhaps, but there's a yin-yang affect. The defense, many times in Pullman, allowed UW to break off huge plays on basic off tackle calls. We need the damn defense to NOT allow 21 points in the first quarter.
I know I'm being Captain Obvious here, with this reply. But people blaming the offense/defense/coaching/whatever seem to be overlooking the fact that college football is a TEAM game.
Offense, defense, special teams, coaching, athleticism/ability/smarts of players, (even fans to a very small degree - crowd noise, atmosphere, etc)...ALL enter into the equation.
Some teams can get away with one of the parts not being up to snuff.
Some teams/schools have such a dominant aspect of one of the parts that it covers for the others.
But a place like WSU needs a good measure of the more important elements (offense/defense/special teams/coaching) all operating at high levels to win games like the Apple Cup.
One aspect may outweigh another at some point in the scenario, but that's just chicken vs egg , chasing your own tail, circular type debate.
The truth is - except in rare exceptions, we need all elements of the puzzle to be pulling their weight to win the biggest games.
Agree to some extent, but the question was what is the "single most important factor to win the apple cup".
Since when is he team that is 3-5 in conference a “big game “? If I am correct that was their conference record in 15 and they killed us.
Well. It’s supposed to be a big game, isn’t it? Apple Cup “rivalry”, “bragging rights”, etc. THE MUTTS sure seem to always look at it as a big game, don’t they? Their coaches plan that way and their team seems to always come out and play that way.
A whole lot of COUGS feel that way too, unless I miss my guess, regardless of season records by either team.
I think there can be other games in any season that are also “big games”. But the AC has been right up there every year….for all the decades that THIS COUG has been following the sport.
Hopefully you didn't take that comment as disrespectful. Just saying people are stating that their belief that the performance of the offense or defense or certain aspects of the offense or defense is the biggest factor to win the apple cup because that was the question.
Agree with what you said. Would add there are other factors like match-up, talent, injuries, weather, etc. And when it come to the previous apple cups I think UW had more talent, was better prepared and it was a terrible match up for us both offensively and defensively.
The Huskies under Petersen cared a lot more. They lost an extra game or two almost every year because they were spending valuable game prep time worried about us rather than that weeks opponent. Of course by the time the AC rolled around they knew our game plan forward and backward.
I expect Jimmy Lake to do something similar. Maybe not in year one where he hasn't seen our playbook, but after he's seen us for a year. Time will tell if the run and shoot can be booked or not. I suspect it can especially since we tend to be pretty beat up by the time the AC rolls around.
Hey thanks for bringing back football talk. Really enjoying it.
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