WSU Made the Huskies Apple Pay for Goal Line Play That Didn't Work

The Apple Play.

On an overcast day at the Seahawks' Lumen Field, it was another form of Apple Pay.

The 2024 Washington-Washington State rivalry football game came down to one mano-on-mano game snap -- and the Huskies came in a distant second.

With just 1:07 left in the Apple Cup, after rushing up the field in a hurry to the WSU 1, Jedd Fisch called for a read option play to the right on fourth down for the win, to the short side of the field, to what turned out to be nowhere.

UW quarterback Will Rogers took the snap and six stutter steps to his right, running along the 5-yard line, with running back Jonah Coleman trailing him.

The first breakdown came when Husky right guard Enokk Vimahi, the Ohio State transfer, got pushed backward and into Rogers.

The next crack in the foundation appeared when center D'Angalo Titialii, the Portland State transfer, got moved off the line, as well, further complicating things for the quarterback.

Rogers, with WSU defenders all around him, looked panicked when he pitched the ball late, way too late, hopelessly late.

Watching this unfold, Cougars linebacker Kyle Thornton went from standing on the "R" in the Cougars logo in the end zone to shooting through an open lane to get to Coleman untouched. He left the veteran back sprawled on the artificial surface for a stunning 2-yard loss.

"That was one of those plays you wish it worked and you wish it had a different outcome, but it didn't," Fisch said.

After Thornton smothered Coleman, he jumped to his feet to wildly celebrate. UW offensive tackle Drew Azzopardi grabbed his own helmet with both hands in despair.

The Cougars won this one fairly and squarely because they stuffed the ball at the point of attack at the most crucial point of the game.

"It was a good play to call," tight end Quentin Moore said. "It is what it is the way it happened."

Jonah Coleman gets pulled down in the 2024 Apple Cup. | Skylar Lin Visuals

The Play.

The Cougars got a standing ovation for it.

The UW got panned by the critics.

Unsolicited, Fisch brought it up this week as a nightmarish moment that was unfortunate.

Yet if the situation arose on Saturday, the Husky coach probably wouldn't hesitate to call it again.

Washington State linebacker Kyle Thornton made the play of the game in the 2024 Apple Cup. | James Snook-Imagn Images

Only this time, Landen Hatchett would be at center, Geirean Hatchett at right guard and Quentin Moore at tight end and they would try to do a better job of clearing space and leading everyone into the end zone.

Demond Williams Jr. would be at quarterback for this crucial exchange, either following an escort to score or pitching to a much more muscular Coleman with no one in the way.

All but Coleman sat out The Play 12 months ago. They were either on the sideline or a couple of time zones away.

The younger Hatchett was still in recovery from a knee injury. The older Hatchett, was at Oklahoma, but out for the season with a biceps injury. Moore was nursing a knee injury from the season opener and unavailable. Williams was a freshman drawing limited snaps. Coleman simply didn't have a chance to make anything happen.

In 2024, the rebuilding Huskies won some surprising victories, beating Michigan and USC. However, this Cougars game was not one of them.

"Obviously, that last offensive play was one we'd like to have back," Landen Hatchett said.

This might have been the season's most disappointing snap, the biggest breakdown, the most unforgettable letdown.

When it comes to work and play, this was The Play that didn't work.

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