Huskies Aren't Perfect, Win an Apple Cup Grinder

The UW never trailed but couldn't get comfortable against the Cougars until it was over.

Freshman Derek Colman-Brusa had a decent debut for the Huskies. | Dave Sizer photo

Midway through the second quarter of Sunday's Apple Cup, University of Washington freshman defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa broke through to get his arms around Washington State's Leo Pulalasi and take him down for a 1-yard loss.

In his exuberance and in commemoration of his first big college play, Colman-Brusa excitedly jumped to his feet and threw a haymaker punch into the air.

By inches, he just missed connecting with an official running in to retrieve the football and spot it.

Only by luck was this man in the striped shirt not cold-cocked and hospitalized across the street at University of Washington Medical Center.

On Sunday at Husky Stadium, that was as close as the UW came to delivering a knockout in the 118th Apple Cup, settling for a 24-10 season-opening victory over the Cougars, deemed 23.5-point underdogs coming in.

On a brilliant sunny day with the American flag flapping in a light breeze in the East end zone, the Huskies for the longest time were more Michigan than LSU in putting away a lesser opponent in their season debut, ultimately not needing a. miracle.

But it was a grind.

Most of all, they missed a couple of first-half chippies that greatly slowed their progress, with Tyler Robles hooking a 29-yard field-goal to the left in the second quarter and Oregon transfer Jayden Limar getting stopped at fourth-and-1 on the WSU 1 to close the half.

Yes, there is plenty of work to be done in getting this 17th-ranked UW team to match its preseason hype.

Liberally subbing in players -- such as going with totally different defensive front fours on the game's first two series -- the Huskies suffered at times with some of their younger players.

Jacob Manu sacks WSU's Caden Pinnick and lets everyone know. | Dave Sizer phot

Second-year guard Champ Taulealea was called for holding penalties three times before 11 minutes were played. He shared time with Geirean Hatchett, the seventh-year senior, who would finish the game.

In the third quarter, freshman edge rusher Ramzan Fruean received an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for hitting WSU quarterback Caden Pinnick late after the Huskies had held him a yard short on a third-and-12 play.

Luckily for the Huskies, WSU was no better in its season-debut execution. Cougars' kicker Jack Stevens was short and wide on 52- an 32-yard field goals.

In the end, this rivalry game turned into a battle of dual-threat quarterbacks. Demond Williams Jr. hit on 24 of 35 passes for 268 yards and a score and rushed seven times for 61 yards and a TD.

For the Cougars, Pinnick was good on 16 of 25 passes for 142 yards and ran for 61 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Demond Williams Jr. rolls out looking for a receiver in the Apple Cup. | Dave Sizer photo

The UW got on the scoreboard first with 3:53 left in the first quarter when Robles made his first field-goal attempt, a 48-yarder.

The Huskies couldn't do better than three points because Demond Williams Jr. threw a floater over a wide-open Rashid Willilams in the end zone from his 31 and Taulealea was guilty of two of his holding infractions in the drive.

It took two freshmen working in concert together to supply the game's only touchdown through the first three quarters.

The aforementioned Colman-Brusa came barreling through with both arms raised, forcing WSU's Pinnick to throw the ball right to another UW first-year player, cornerback Jeron Jones, who intercepted the ball on the Cougars 30 and returned it nine yards.

Five plays later, Demond Williams Jr. put the first TD on the board with a 5-yard sprint to the left pylon. The play before, he put the Huskies at the 5 with a 16-yard keeper around the right side. With 10:09 to go in the secon quarter, the Huskies led 10-0.

There wouldn't be any more points scored until 10:15 remained in the game. Pinnick capped a nine-play, 62-yard drive to score on an 11-yard run, making it 10-7.

That seemed to loosen everyone up a bit as the Huskies came back and matched that six-pointer with one of their own aided by a flea flicker.

Demond Wiilliams Jr. handed off to Troy transfer Trey Cooley, got the ball back and hit a wide-open Rashid Williams for what appeared to be a 46-yard touchdown pass. However, the officials ruled the receiver stepped out on the 2.

Two plays later, it was Williams to Williams on a 1-yard TD pass and the Huskies went up 17-7 with 8:05 left to play.

Stevens finally connected on a field goal for the visitors, a 43-yarder with 4:30 left, and it was a seven-point game.

The UW wasn't willing to sit on the ball and moved 68 yards in five plays for Limar's 11-yard TD run to clinch things with 2:03 remaining.

His touchdown was set up by Chris Lawson's one-handed catch covering 37 yards, with a Cougar defender hanging all over him to put the in the red zone.

Limar, coming home after three years at Oregon, closed the scoring by leaping over a tackler after taking the handoff and jumping over another one at the goal line to score and wrap this one uip.

There was no knockout punch, but the UW will settle for a unanimous decision.