Apple Cup
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[edit] Summary
The Apple Cup is the annual college football game between cross-state rivals the University of Washington (UW) and Washington State University (WSU), the two largest universities in Washington. The game was played in the weekend prior to Thanksgiving in November in either the UW's Husky Stadium in Seattle odd years or WSU's Martin Stadium in Pullman in even years. The game was played in Spokane's Joe Albi Stadium from 1956 to 1980 (even years) instead of Pullman.
With the state being famous for its apple crop, the game was christened the Apple Cup in 1962, and the Apple Cup trophy has been awarded to the winning team ever since. Before 1962, the teams played for the Governor's Trophy
Recently, there has been some discussion on moving the apple cup to Thanksgiving week, giving the two teams a bye week sometime during the middle season. In the 2006 season, both teams played 12 straight weeks without a break, leaving the two teams noticeably fatigued. The 2007 Apple Cup will be played on November 24, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The first game occurred in 1900 when the UW tied the then Washington Agricultural College. There have since been 98 more games between the schools. UW's longest win streak has been eight games, achieved twice: (1959-1966 and 1974-1981). WSU has never won more than two games in a row, the Cougars have won twice in a row on seven separate occasions: (1929-30, 1953-54, 1957-58, 1967-68, 1972-73, 1982-83, and 2004-05). The win by the Huskies in 2006 thwarted the Cougars latest (and probably best) chance to achieve their first "three-peat" in the Apple Cup.
The two basketball games per season between the Huskies and Cougars are also occasionally referred to as the Apple Cup. The basketball Apple Cup has become competitive in recent years, the 2007 game in Pullman drew the largest attendance of any WSU game in over 20 years. UW currently leads the overall basketball series 167-96. However, Washington State has won the last 5 meetings.
[edit] Results
* Washington: 64 wins * Washington State: 29 wins * Ties: 6
[edit] Memorable Games
According to most WSU fans their favorite Cougars' games were a 1992 WSU win (which then Washington State quarterback Drew Bledsoe considers the best game he ever played in) played in the snow and a 1997 come-from-behind win over the Huskies which gave the Cougars a Pac-10 co-Championship and a Rose Bowl berth.
The Huskies' more recent memorable victories include UW's 2002 triple overtime win over the Cougars in Pullman. Near the end of the game WSU's quarterback and Heisman trophy candidate Jason Gesser fell to a game ending leg injury, leaving three year backup QB Matt Kegel to a miserable overtime performance. The Cougars only previous loss that season was to undefeated Ohio State (the eventual National Champions). The UW also won the next year in Seattle with a fourth-quarter comeback to avoid their first losing season in years.
