Washington blows out WSU to win the Apple Cup and the Pac-12 North standings

The biggest Apple Cup ever was not suspenseful.

With the Pac-12 North divisional title on the line, Washington walked into Pullman and crushed Washington State, 45-17, on Saturday. The Huskies took a 28-3 lead with four first-quarter touchdowns, dunking on their rivals wherever they could. UW built its lead with trick plays, efficiency, and sometimes complete bossings of WSU defenders.

It was never close. Chris Petersen’s Huskies didn’t look back, and they were able to coast to a win in front of a demoralized home crowd. The game was winner-take-all for the divisional title, and Washington took it. The Huskies will play either Colorado or USC in next Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game (9:30 p.m. ET, FOX). That’ll be determined by the winner of Saturday’s Utah-Colorado game (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX), where the Buffs are win-and-in to face the Huskies.

The Apple Cup is one of college football’s most glorious culture clashes. The problem with this game is that it wasn’t a clash, or a quarrel, on the field. It was just a demolition, and it was that way from the beginning. The result is that Washington can probably make the Playoff with one more win, and Washington State’s headed for something more along the lines of the Holiday Bowl or Foster Farms Bowl.

Because the game wasn’t close, here are my three favorite UW plays, not counting the Dante Pettis 61-yard touchdown catch shown atop this post:

1. Love a double-pass, 50-yard throw from a receiver (Pettis) to a tight end (Darrell Daniels). This is a thing of beauty.

2. This extremely vertical Pettis touchdown catch from Jake Browning.

3. This really narrow but successful goal line stand.

Washington looked vulnerable after losing at home to USC a few weeks ago. There’s a chance the Huskies will have to face their demons against next week. If they do, they should at least head into it with buckets of confidence.