Key Takeaways from WSU's Apple Cup Loss

WSU fell to UW 59-24 in this year's Apple Cup. While the final result was a massive disappointment WSU kept the game competitive before allowing 28 unanswered points in the 4th quarter. It is a small consolation but outside of Ole Miss and maybe Virginia WSU shouldn't play a team with as much talent as UW had. 


Zevi Eckhaus is QB1 

While Zevi Eckhaus did have 3 turnovers (2 interceptions and a fumble) the offense looked the best it has this year with him commanding it. Jimmy Rogers seems to agree, as after the game he announced that Zevi Eckhaus would be the WSU starting QB for the rest of the season. 


I believe that this is the correct decision. Zevi was under pressure all game but he threw for 277 yards, completed 26/37 pass attempts and had 3 total touchdowns. Zevi provides more with his legs than Jaxon Potter which keeps the defense a little bit more honest. He also seems to have the respect of the team which is also an important aspect of being QB1. 


Defense Didn't Get a Single Stop 

This probably is not a surprise when you give up 59 points but the WSU defense did not come away with a single stop in the Apple Cup. Yes you read that right, the biggest success the defense had was holding UW to a field goal right before halftime. 


While this is obviously not good, to be honest I am not sure that this is about our defense but more about how good UW’s offense is. The WSU defense looked undersized all night, and struggled to get consistent pressure on Demond Williams even when sending blitzes at him. The WSU defense also struggled to set the edge all night. 


If the WSU defense struggles again next week against Colorado State then I believe it will definitely be time to panic. I am just not quite in panic mode yet with the defense even though they have given up 59 points 2 games in a row. 


Run Game Continues to Disappoint 

While Zevi looked pretty good, the Cougs are still struggling mightily to establish the run game. WSU ran the ball 28 times last night but came away with only 27 rushing yards. That is less than 1 rushing yard per rushing attempt far from good enough. 


I am not quite sure what the answer is for the offense to get on track in the run game. Should they just abandon it completely and go back to a more pass heavy offense the rest of the year? Or should the staff continue to establish the run even when its not working because it is part of their system? I am not sure what the right answer is but it will be interesting to watch as the season progresses. 


Looking Ahead 

WSU Football will travel to Fort Collins to face future Pac12 Colorado State next week. Colorado State is coming off of a home loss to UTSA and sits at 1-2 on the season. Colorado State head coach Jay Norvell may be starting to feel his seat warm up a little bit so it will be interesting to see what type of Colorado State team comes to play against the Cougs next week.


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