Washington State's pass rush could give Washington problems in the Apple Cup

The Cougars have a formidable edge attack that could trip up the Huskies in Week 1

Utah State quarterback Bryson Barnes (16) tries to get the ball off under pressure from Vanderbilt defensive lineman Linus Zunk (95) during the third quarter at FirstBank Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The 2026 college football season will be unlike any other in Washington State history, with a new head coach, a new quarterback, a new-look conference, and a new date for the program's long-standing rivalry with Washington.

The Apple Cup, which has historically been played in late November, is instead how WSU will kick off the new season, with the matchup slated for a 1:00 PM start in Seattle on Sunday, Sep. 6.

The Huskies, who debuted at No. 17 in the preseason AP Poll, cruised past the Cougars last year, 59-24, after scoring 28 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.

A big part of UW's success in this matchup in 2025 was ball security, as the Huskies recorded zero turnovers - something the Cougars will no doubt try to correct this time around.

Living on the EDGE

Aug 30, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Idaho Vandals defensive end Matyus McLain (89) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Washington State's standout group in fall camp was the EDGE rushers, who managed to generate tons of pressure and force turnovers in the team's intrasquad scrimmages.

New defensive coordinator Trent Bray has been encouraged by the defense as a whole this fall, but it's clear the pass rush will be a strength for WSU in the new-look Pac-12 in 2026.

The team is expected to go into Week 1 with Vanderbilt transfer Linus Zunk and Idaho transfer Matyus McLain starting on the edges, and both wreaked havoc on WSU's offense during camp.

Zunk, who was named a team captain earlier this week, spent three years in the SEC at Vanderbilt, recording 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks in 35 career games. Meanwhile, McLain was named Honorable Mention All-Big Sky last year at Idaho, where he racked up 13.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks, while also forcing a fumble - which came against the Cougs in late August.

The duo will be joined by another team captain in the middle, Kaden Beatty, who is back after recording seven tackles in seven games last year playing on the interior defensive line.

Washington's young offensive line faces a major test

Dec 13, 2025; Inglewood, CA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Demond Williams Jr. (2) | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This group is more than capable of catching the Huskies off guard in Week 1, especially with a young offensive line set to start for Jedd Fisch in Seattle.

True freshman Kodi Greene sits atop the depth chart at left tackle for the Huskies, although the last freshman OL starter for UW - John Mills - was a Freshman All-American last year at left guard.

Still, with a redshirt freshman at right guard in Champ Taulealea and a newcomer to the system in right tackle Drew Azzopardi, this is an area WSU could make Washington uncomfortable next Sunday.

UW quarterback Demond Williams completed nearly 70% of his passes last year, along with a stellar 25-to-8 TD-to-INT ratio, but if the Cougars can regularly get into the backfield and flush him out of the pocket, it will go a long way toward coach Kirby Moore's team pulling off a big-time upset in Week 1 - and starting the rebirth of the Pac-12 off with a bang.