2021 Apple Cup: Washington State at Washington, injuries, tv, odds, more
Ed Stein
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Welcome to the 2021 Apple Cup. This year the Washington Huskies host the Washington State Cougars host. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
PNWS presents what you need to know as the Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars square off in the 2021 Apple Cup. Whether you are going to see the game live or watching it on television, we have Washington State football fans covered.
Details
Who: Washington State Cougars (6-5 overall, 5-3 Pac-12) at Washington Huskies.
Where: Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium – Seattle, WA.
When: Friday, November 26, 2021 – 5:00 PM. PST.
TV: FS1. Announcers: Alex Faust and Petros Papadakis.
Weather: Afternoon showers taper off, leaving cloudy skies and a wet track. There will be very light winds at kickoff, and the temperature should be close to 50 degrees without much of a dropoff as the game goes on.
Line: Washington State -1. Over/Under: 45 (Odds Shark).
Interesting Trends
After a slow 1-3 start to 2021, the Cougars have won five of their last seven games (all vs. Pac-12). Additionally, It’s been even better for those who bet on Washington State. The Cougs covered seven of eight overall and six of seven against the Pac-12.
Recent history shows Washington owns this series. They won seven in a row and 10 of the last 11, including six straight in Seattle.
Injury Report
Washington State Cougars
Out – WR Renard Bell (ACL), WR Brandon Gray (undisclosed). Questionable – DB Armauni Archie (undisclosed). Probable – Calvin Jackson Jr. (undisclosed).
Washington Huskies
Out – RB Richard Newton (knee), LB Ryan Bowman (shoulder), OL Jaxon Kirkland (undisclosed), LB Eddie Olofoshio (arm), WR Ja’Lynn Polk (chest), DL Sam Taimani (undisclosed), DB Cam Williams (undisclosed), TE Quentin Moore (undisclosed). Questionable – Alex Cook (concussion).
Outlook
We covered what’s at stake for both teams in a recent article (see link below).
This game is definitely strength on strength. Both teams do better throwing the ball than running it and are also better at defending the air than the ground.
For Washington, they need to get the ball out of quarterback Dylan Morris‘ hands as soon as possible and let those dynamic receivers like Terrell Bynum, Rome Odunze, and Cade Otton do their damage after the catch.
Defensively, UW has to find a way to do what they struggled with all season, which means they not only stuff the run but also get heat on the quarterback. That means they need to rely on their talented defensive backs to cover one on one against a deep group of wideouts.
While the team’s strengths match up fairly evenly, Washington State has an advantage in two areas where they execute better than Washington. First, the Cougs can gain yardage with the run, behind seniors Max Borghi and Deon McIntosh. Both rushers also are fantastic receivers out of the backfield. That should open the field for QB Jayden de Laura to operate.
The other area WSU has an advantage in is putting pressure on the quarterback. It’s not their forte, but with Kirkland out for this match-up, Cougars sack leaders Ron Stone Jr., Jahad Woods, and Brennan Jackson will come after Morris.
Sorry Huskies fans, the Cougars have too on the line to let this opportunity pass them by.
Related Story: 2021 Apple Cup – What’s at stake
How do you think this year’s Apple Cup game will play out? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.