The pressure in this Apple Cup is squarely on Mike Leach

[justafan]

Leach is playing with house money at this point. UW has and always will have way more talent and it's not even close. If anyone should be feeling the heat it should be a disappointing UW squad.

The Huskies can still win the Pac-12 Championship and go to the Rose Bowl. That's disappointing?

That's the trouble with the CFP, if you have a good team and you drop out of contention then you are a disappointment? It's ridiculous.

If your suppose to compete for a national championship then yes it is disappointing. Your not UCF your UW, if your not disappointed in the season regardless of how it turns out your expectations aren't high enough.

OK, so IF the Huskies go on to beat the 10-1 #8 ranked Cougs in the Apple Cup, and then go on to win the PAC 12 Championship, and then go on to win the Rose Bowl, Husky fans should all be very disappointed? Because we didn't meet some very lofty and arbitrary expectations that you say we should have had? And who made you the arbiter of what mine or any other fans expectations should be?

You do realize that expectations can change, right? Even if some were thinking Natty or bust this year, any reasonable fan understood that after losing that first game to Auburn the chances of getting to the CFP took a pretty big hit. After losing at Oregon, making the CFP was pretty much off the table. So, what? Now we're all just supposed to sit around the rest of the season all disappointed in any other possible outcome with our arms crossed mumbling about how anything else just isn't good enough?

That's idiotic. Life is short and football seasons are a lot shorter. Dwelling on something completely outside of your control not meeting your expectations instead of enjoying the season for what it is, especially when there is still a lot to play for, is a terrible way to live. After how this season has transpired to this point, I will be ecstatic if UW wins the Apple Cup, the PAC 12, and the Rose Bowl despite your assertion that I should be disappointed about it. I'd be willing to bet the vast majority of UW fans will feel the same and, quite frankly, I'd feel pretty sorry for anyone would couldn't enjoy the ride because anything other than a National Championship is a disappointment (or should be according to you).

Great post. These last 4 years and what this class has accomplished have been as enjoyable stretch of football that I have watched in almost 50 years of being a Husky fan.

I hope the loss doesnt define what the Cougars have accomplished. It has been a fun year for both programs.

 

[JSeahawks]

Cougs are still probably going to the Fiesta bowl. Doubt if even the most optimistic WSU fans were experts NY6 bowl game this season.

 

[Chapow]

You can feel anyway you want but at the end of the day UW will have lost to 3 teams that ended up not being very good. Not only are you not making it to the playoffs your not even close. It would be like the 2013 Seahawks making to the wildcard game and losing, weak.

So if the Huskies are weak, what does that make WSU?

 

[chris98251]

The Apple cup proved one thing, match ups are everything. A dry Field and optimum weather and it's a whole different game. I really think they should play their out of conference big game match ups mid season also, your not getting the best of what a team has first weeks. Tune up games against Western Washington Community College Jr Varsity to beat up really isn't a test. Then to go and play a LSU or Auburn the next week.


Back to the Cup, Washington outsized WSU and ran all over them, I heard the announcers say average of 60 pound advantage per lineman. That's huge. With the Weather a factor the quick of WSU was negated and their WR's and passing game nullified due to no footing to plant and cut on to take advantage of the offense Leach uses.


WSU played hard but it was the worst possible scenario for them to be in against a team that had everything to counter what they do without having to change anything other then play calls.

 

[DomeHawk]

Thing is, the entire WSU passing attack is predicated on the fact that most college teams can't leave a base defense... they don't have the scheme or the depth at DB to play dime, let alone pull out that 3 1 5 defense the Huskies use that is the kryptonite for Leach's scheme.

Only other team in the Pac 12 that has the defense back depth to play 3 1 5 is USC, but they have a dipstick coach who refuses to scheme for WSU...maybe because Helton is so cocky about his talent?

"I have all world linebackers, and I'm not taking them off the field on 3rd and 15" -- so you see USC putting 240 lb guys in coverage against a Cougar receiver who's 5'10 and 165lbs of shiftyness.


Huskies play a pro style D, and they put in the dime and the 3 1 5 -- and that's it for Leach's scheme.

Quite frankly I don't buy that the snow was bad luck for the Cougars. Browning has the weaker arm of the two QB's so the snow was worse for him than it was for Michner or whatever his name is.

The weather caused a few snaffus, DB's fell down, which allowed WSU guys to run free, otherwise this game is about 42 to 10 in favor of the Huskies.

It's just a matter of the WSU talent level -- Leach is an EXCELLENT coach, he's running a scheme that makes use of 2 and the occasional 3 star talent ... and walk ons, and UC transfers.

They can scheme around any mid range defense even if the D has decent talent, but when you run into a team as well coached as the Huskies, who specialize in recruiting and coaching up DB's -- it's a mismatch, because the Huskies are built to take teams like that down.

On a neutral field in perfect conditions, Huskies win 9 out of 10 of these games, and blow out the Cougars half the time.

People scream about Leach, but what can he do? Seriously?

You want to beat the Huskies, you line up in a pro style, pound it up the middle and run traps against that decent but not great defensive line, and then go play action -- and if you have a good 4 or 5 star TE or a good receiving RB, you're going to get a mismatch in your favor every time and you're going to beat UW.

But the Cougs don't get those kinds of players, it's that simple.

^^^^^Really EXCELLENT post, you get it!

 

[getnasty]

Thing is, the entire WSU passing attack is predicated on the fact that most college teams can't leave a base defense... they don't have the scheme or the depth at DB to play dime, let alone pull out that 3 1 5 defense the Huskies use that is the kryptonite for Leach's scheme.

Only other team in the Pac 12 that has the defense back depth to play 3 1 5 is USC, but they have a dipstick coach who refuses to scheme for WSU...maybe because Helton is so cocky about his talent?

"I have all world linebackers, and I'm not taking them off the field on 3rd and 15" -- so you see USC putting 240 lb guys in coverage against a Cougar receiver who's 5'10 and 165lbs of shiftyness.


Huskies play a pro style D, and they put in the dime and the 3 1 5 -- and that's it for Leach's scheme.

Quite frankly I don't buy that the snow was bad luck for the Cougars. Browning has the weaker arm of the two QB's so the snow was worse for him than it was for Michner or whatever his name is.

The weather caused a few snaffus, DB's fell down, which allowed WSU guys to run free, otherwise this game is about 42 to 10 in favor of the Huskies.

It's just a matter of the WSU talent level -- Leach is an EXCELLENT coach, he's running a scheme that makes use of 2 and the occasional 3 star talent ... and walk ons, and UC transfers.

They can scheme around any mid range defense even if the D has decent talent, but when you run into a team as well coached as the Huskies, who specialize in recruiting and coaching up DB's -- it's a mismatch, because the Huskies are built to take teams like that down.

On a neutral field in perfect conditions, Huskies win 9 out of 10 of these games, and blow out the Cougars half the time.

People scream about Leach, but what can he do? Seriously?

You want to beat the Huskies, you line up in a pro style, pound it up the middle and run traps against that decent but not great defensive line, and then go play action -- and if you have a good 4 or 5 star TE or a good receiving RB, you're going to get a mismatch in your favor every time and you're going to beat UW.

But the Cougs don't get those kinds of players, it's that simple.

I agree with most of what you say here I do think the snow was not good for WSU. People keep saying Browning threw well and he did but there a huge difference between fitting balls in tight windows and timing patterns in snow and play action with a great run game going.

 

[chris98251]

Timing patterns and the need for receivers to be able to make their cuts and moves are what make passing offense's like Leach's work, you don't have that you already have 25 percent of the defensive aspect to shut them down addressed, have a good defense and a offense that can run at will on you and control the ball is all the nails in the coffin you need.


The fact the Cougs made it close for the game is a testiment to how well they can play. Alos hats off to the Cougs Band for playing the Washington song since the Band didn't make it due to the Bus accident as well as the locals who were Coug fans mostly that took care of them.

 

[DomeHawk]

The fact the Cougs made it close for the game is a testiment to how well they can play. Alos hats off to the Cougs Band for playing the Washington song since the Band didn't make it due to the Bus accident as well as the locals who were Coug fans mostly that took care of them.

A feel-good story for the holidays and a reminder for us all to keep things in perspective.