The Times 

Ken Graham: FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dreaming of Apples

 


Before I begin, a couple of caveats: First, I’m a proud graduate of the University of Washington, and I prefer my apples purple and gold. And second, you can probably tell that this column is about football, so if that’s not your thing, you might want to move on to the Mitt Romney article.

It’s been fun to watch a successful Washington State Cougar football team this year and see their fans get all excited. It’s sort of like when your kid brother gets better grades than you do one semester – you’re proud of him, but you know he’ll never really be as smart as you are.

This year’s Apple Cup game between the Cougars and the Huskies starts Friday at 12:30 p.m. at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

The Cougars are 8-3 going into the game and ranked 20th in the country. They have a chance to go to an important bowl game.

They have the top-ranked passing offense in the nation under fourth-year coach Mike Leach. Quarterback Luke Falk has thrown for an astonishing 4,266 yards this season, completing 71 percent of his passes. Receivers Gabe Marks and Dom Williams will both likely finish the season with more than 1,000 yards receiving.

The rebuilding Huskies are 5-6 under second-year coach Chris Peterson, and they have the 52nd-best passing offense. They feature a freshman quarterback and a freshman running back who are both playing like seniors.

Despite their lackluster record, the Huskies have the top-rated defense in the Pac-12. And despite their vaunted passing game, the Cougars’ total offense is ranked only fourth in the Pac-12.

The Apple cup has been played 107 times, going back to 1900. (That game, played in Seattle, ended in a 5-5 tie.)

The Huskies lead the series 69-32-6. They’ve won five out of the last six contests.

Because of delayed mail delivery due to the Thanksgiving holiday, it’s likely that the game will be over by the time you read this. (Unless you’re one of the smart people who reads this online.)

But it’s Tuesday as I write this and I’m going to stick my neck out and predict a Husky win by three.

Happy Thanksgiving Cougar fans!

 

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