Washington State Football: Apple Cup Reflections

Nov. 23, 2012; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars head coach Mike Leach (left) holds up the Apple Cup with Elson Flyod after a game against Washington Huskies at Martin Stadium. The Cougars would go onto beat the Huskies by a final score of 31-28 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-US PRESSWIRE

The morning after an Apple Cup victory is somewhat euphoric, as I’m sure the morning after any big rivalry is for fans around the country. It’s like the perfect day and after taking it all in, I just want to reflect a little bit on yesterday’s performance by our Cougs. First of all, congrats are in order to Leach and the coaching staff on their first Pac-12 victory. It’s not easy to get wins in this conference, I think this is one of those seasons that proves that and makes you appreciate wins like you never really have. Our patience with this staff is paramount, we have one of the very best coaches in the country and we need to stick with it and believe in the process. Some places it can happen overnight (Ohio State, USC, Florida, etc) but this is not one of those places.

But our team had resilience and played with more heart than I’ve seen from a team since 2004, completing the biggest comeback in Apple Cup history in stunning fashion. Don’t forget they almost did this 2 weeks ago in Pullman against UCLA. Then of course, to the fans who stuck around and got to see that great 4th quarter and ultimately the moment of complete jubilation after Furney drilled the field goal. There’s nothing like that moment in sports, no matter who you route for.

It was just generally a fun game. So we watch today with all sorts of final week scenarios in the Pac-12 and National Championship race, a lot more happy about the way we’re moving forward. We’ll be back in the race soon, and it’s games like yesterday that give perspective sometimes. At any rate it’s a little more fun watching football today isn’t it?

Go Cougs!