Eleven third downs, zero conversions
Washington State went 0-for-11 on third down at Husky Stadium on Sunday. That number, more than any other, explains a 24-10 Apple Cup defeat.
The in-state rivalry has been running for more than a century. The 17th-ranked Huskies came in as favorites and opened their season without ever really being pushed.
Demond Williams Jr. ran the show. The quarterback went 24-of-35 for 268 yards and a touchdown, and led the team on the ground too, 61 yards on seven carries.
His biggest snap did not come through the air. Third-and-9 from his own 33 with 2:33 on the clock, he took off for 21 and kept the drive breathing. Jayden Limar cashed it in from 11 yards out at 2:18.
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Two Cougars giveaways, minutes apart
Washington held the Cougars to 242 total yards and took the ball away three times.
Jeron Jones picked off Caden Pinnick early in the second quarter and handed the offense possession on the Washington State 21. Five plays later Williams walked it in himself. 10-0.
Next possession, Kirby Vorhees put it on the ground at his own 24 after a four-yard carry. Two turnovers deep in their own half inside a few minutes. Nothing pretty about any of it.
The Cougars had their opening
Pinnick got them back within three, 10-7, on an 11-yard scramble with 10:15 remaining. He finished 16-of-25 for 142 yards and matched Williams’ 61 rushing yards.
Washington’s answer took two plays. Williams found Chris Lawson for 29, then hit Rashid Williams on a flea flicker for 44 down to the 2. A one-yard throw to that same Rashid Williams on the next snap pushed the lead back to ten, and the Cougars never got close again.
Kickers made a mess of the afternoon at both ends. Jack Stevens missed from 52 in the first quarter, then from 32 in the third, before finally getting one through from 42 with 4:30 left. Tyler Robles pushed a 29-yarder wide for Washington, and Limar was stuffed at the goal line on the last play of the half. Head coach Jedd Fisch threw his headset to the turf over that one.
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