WSU vs. No. 17 Washington starting lineups for 2026 Apple Cup

See who WSU and No. 17 Washington are starting

Sep 6, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars quarterback Caden Pinnick (12) carries the ball against the Washington Huskies during the first quarter at Husky Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

SEATTLE — Call it the early-bird Apple Cup to kick off the Kirby Moore coaching era at Washington State University.

Both by date and time.

The intra-state rivalry college football game between the WSU Cougars and the Washington Huskies hits the third consecutive season being held in September - but first as a season opener. Included in that was the Huskies' 59-24 victory in Pullman.

The Huskies hold a 77-34-6 advantage in the series, including a 44-18 mark when the series was dubbed the Apple Cup.

Moore, who grew up 160 miles away in Prosser, Wash., was hired Dec. 12 as the Cougars' new coach after spending three seasons as the offensive coordinator. It is his first head-coaching position at any level.

During the offseason, Moore brought in 50 newcomers, including 29 players who transferred from four-year programs elsewhere. One of those was starting quarterback Caden Pinnick, who starred at UC Davis as a freshman.

WSU returns 24 letter winners from last season's 7-6 squad, but only four starters - wide receiver Tony Freeman, running back Kirby Vorhees and offensive linemen Jonny Lester and Ashton Tripp - all of whom prepped at high schools in eastern Washington.

Prior to kickoff, the UW released its depth chart days in advance. WSU, on the other hand, did not release its two-deep prior to kickoff.

Here are the full starting lineups for WSU and Washington for the Apple Cup: 

WSU offense

Left tackle: Ashton Tripp

Left guard: Chris Lino

Center: Noah Dunham

Right guard: Nick Bakken

Right tackle: Jonny Lesterr

Tight end: Jack Pedersen

Quarterback: Caden Pinnick

Running back: Kirby Vorhees

Wide receiver: Tony Freeman

Wide receiver: Daniel Blood

Wide receiver: Darrius Clemons

Washington offense

Left tackle: Kodi Greene

Left guard: John Mills

Center: Kolt Dietrich

Right guard: Champ Taulealea

Right tackle: Drew Azzopardl

Tight end: Decker DeGraaf

Quarterback: Demond Williams Jr.

Running back: Quaid Carr

Wide receiver: Christian Moss

Wide receiver: Dezmen Roebuck

Wide receiver: Rashid Williams

WSU defense

Defensive end: Linus Zunk

Defensive tackle: Paul Hutson III

Defensive tackle: Jirah Leaupepetele

Defensive end: Matyus McLain

Linebacker: DJ Warner

Linebacker:d Keith Brown

Linebacker: Eduwa Okundays

Nickel: Jamarey Smith

Cornerback: Jaliil Tucker

Cornerback: Khamari Terrell

Safety: Jeremiah Bernard

Safety: Jaylen Thomas

Washington defense

Defensive end: Jacob Lane

Defensive tackle: Elinnelis Davis

Defensive tackle: Derek Colman-Brusa

Defensive end: Ramzak Fruean

Linebacker: Zaydrius Rainey-Sale

Linebacker: Jacob Manu

Nickel: Rahshawn Clark

Cornerback: Dylan Robinson

Cornerback: Emmanuel Karmley

Safety: Rylon Dillard-Allen

Safety: Alex McLaughlin