No. 17 Washington defeats Washington State 24-10 on September 6 in Apple Cup

No. 17 Washington defeated Washington State 24-10 on Sunday, September 6, at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The 118th meeting of the rivalry saw the Huskies carry a 10-0 lead into the fourth quarter before outscoring the Cougars 14-10 down the stretch to secure the win, per ESPN.

Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. completed 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards and a touchdown without an interception, per Sporting News, and led the team with 61 rushing yards. Williams scored on a 5-yard keeper in the second quarter after Jeron Jones intercepted Washington State quarterback Caden Pinnick at the 21-yard line. He added a key 29-yard completion to receiver Chris Lawson on a fourth-quarter drive, and the Huskies later executed a flea-flicker to connect with receiver Rashid Williams for a 44-yard gain down to the 1-yard line that set up a touchdown reception, per Sporting News. Jayden Limar capped the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run with 2:18 remaining.

Washington gained 402 total yards and converted four of 12 third-down attempts, per Sporting News. The team was penalized 12 times for 130 yards and came away with points on four of six trips inside the red zone. Coach Jedd Fisch acknowledged that the performance fell short of standards, stating per ESPN: "I thought Washington State had a really good plan, played really hard, did a nice job. Very challenging Week 1 to really make sure that we kind of knew what we wanted to get done. We felt like we didn't play at the level we would like to play at, but we also are very happy with the victory."

Washington State, in its first season under coach Kirby Moore, was held to 242 total yards and was 0-11 on third-down conversions, per ESPN and Sporting News. Caden Pinnick, a transfer from UC Davis, made his debut for the Cougars and completed 16 of 25 passes for 142 yards with two interceptions, per Sporting News. He rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown, including an 11-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter that cut Washington's lead to 10-7 with 10:15 remaining. Pinnick said, per ESPN: "I've got to get better with the preparation and getting the guys ready for third downs. You're not going to win a lot of games going 0-11, and ultimately taking care of the ball, that falls on me."

Washington forced three turnovers, recorded three sacks and limited the Cougars with defense anchored by interceptions from Jeron Jones, Isaiah Ward and Alex McLaughlin late in the fourth quarter, per Sporting News. Washington State missed a 52-yard field goal on its opening possession and a 32-yard attempt in the third quarter, per Sporting News and ESPN. A scoreless third quarter allowed Washington State to stay within reach before the Huskies' fourth-quarter barrage ended the threat.

Washington improved to 9-4 last season with a 38-10 win over Boise State in the LA Bowl. Washington State finished 7-6 last season. The Huskies bolted the Pac-12 for the Big Ten, while the Cougars remained part of the reconstructed conference that now includes Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State. Receiver Tony Freeman was injured in the first half for Washington State and did not return, per ESPN.