The night before the unusual Apple Cup, which was held at a neutral site and as a non-conference game for the first time in over 60 years, Kingston Fernandez had a special job.
Washington State head coach Jake Dickert wanted cigars for the coaching staff to celebrate if the Cougars won. He asked his assistant director of operations to make sure they had them ready.
“I texted him yesterday and said, ‘don’t tell any of the coaches, but be ready,’” Dickert said, with his celebratory cigar on the table in front of him.
Washington State won the Apple Cup on Saturday with a 24-19 victory over rival Washington, thanks to three total touchdowns from quarterback John Mateer and a crucial goal-line stand late in the game.
Mateer scored two rushing touchdowns and threw for another. The Cougars stopped Washington on a fourth-and-goal play from the 1-yard line with 1:07 left to secure the trophy for just the third time since 2008.
The trophy will be displayed on the third floor of the Washington State football complex. Dickert hopes it stays there permanently.
“I think we might retire this trophy. I think it’s a Pac-12 trophy. I think that might stay in our place a long time and we’ll bring a new one next year,” Dickert said.
With the recent changes in conference alignments, there was concern that the rivalry game could end, as Washington is moving to the Big Ten and Washington State’s future in the Pac-12 was uncertain. However, the Pac-12 is starting to rebuild with four new schools joining in 2026.
Winning the game felt especially important to the Cougars, given the recent changes and the uncertainty around their conference. Despite the crowd being mostly dressed in purple, the Cougars celebrated their victory on the field.
“Coach kept saying we worked 9 1/2 months for this moment, just trust our preparation and everything,” Mateer said, referring to last November’s 24-21 loss to the Huskies. “Looking back on those 9 1/2 months to come out here and perform, and it wasn’t our best, and we still got it done.”
Mateer ran for touchdowns of 23 and 25 yards and threw a 16-yard touchdown to Josh Meredith in the third quarter, giving the Cougars (3-0) a 24-16 lead. Mateer completed 17 of 34 passes for 245 yards and added 62 rushing yards.
The 25-yard touchdown run, made on third-and-20 in the last seconds of the first half, was a big momentum shift that gave the Cougars a 17-13 halftime lead. This touchdown capped a 91-yard drive, and Washington State stayed ahead from then on.
“End of the half and end of the game, we let up seven points on third-and-20 and we didn’t score on fourth-and-1 on the 1. That’s the story,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said.
The fourth-and-1 play Fisch mentioned will be remembered in Apple Cup history. The Huskies had advanced to the Washington State 10-yard line. On third-and-goal, Denzel Boston was stopped at the 1-yard line, setting up the final play.
After a timeout, the Huskies ran an option play to the short side of the field, but Jonah Coleman was stopped for a 2-yard loss.
“(Washington’s) not really a speed option team, for them to run that I was kind of surprised,” Washington State defensive lineman Andrew Edson said. “But, you know, we stopped it.”
Coleman, who had rushed for over 100 yards in the first two games of the season, was held to 75 yards on 14 carries.
Will Rogers threw for 314 yards and a touchdown for Washington (2-1), with Giles Jackson catching eight passes for 162 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
However, the Huskies had to settle for field goals on three occasions inside the Washington State 25-yard line, which made the difference.
“It’s never fun losing, especially to a rival, and just kind of feeling the pressure of the success some of my other teammates have had,” Rogers said. “I want to win, that’s all I really care about.”
