Washington vs. Washington State (11/26 @ 10:30 PM EST.)
Spread: Washington (-1.5)
Total: Over 58.5
Overview and Betting Info
The 12th ranked Washington Huskies (9-2, 6-2 in Pac 12) battle their interstate rival, the Washington State Cougars (7-4, 4-4 in Pac 12) on Saturday night, November 26, 2022. This game, known as the Apple Cup, has a long 121-year history dating back to 1900 (with a COVID-19 gap year in 2020). WSU won the game in 2021 giving the Cougars their first Apple Cup victory since 2012. WSU is hosting the game for the second straight year.
Washington enters the game on a five-game winning streak with its most recent victory being a 54-7 rout of Colorado. Washington State extended its current winning streak to three games after a 31-20 victory over Arizona.
Washington
Washington’s high-powered offense will be a tough matchup for Washington State. Led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. who has thrown for over 3,800 yards in 2022 with amazing accuracy. He has 26 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. Penix completed 74.3% of his passes in Washington’s November 12 upset over 6th ranked Oregon. Washington averages 505.2 yards of offense each game with 366.8 of those being passing yards. Equally amazing is the fact that Penix has only been sacked 5 times this season, most recently one month ago on October 22 against Cal. Cal registered 2 sacks on the day.
Washington State
WSU’s offense is led by quarterback Cameron Ward who has thrown for 2,772 yards with 21 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Running back Nakia Watson has rushed for 7 touchdowns and 115 carries for 663 yards.
Washington State gives up about as many yards as it gains per game. The average earned yards are 370.5, and the average allowed are 366.0. WSU’s biggest problem is the fact that the team has given up an average of 246.8 passing yards. The key for WSU is to stop Michael Penix Jr. and to try and match Washington score for score to keep this game within reach.
Free Pick: Washington (-1.5)
Washington has only had two off games in 2022, and those resulted in losses on September 30 and October 8 to UCLA and Arizona State. Beyond those hiccups, Oregon State and Oregon were the only teams that got within a field goal of beating the Huskies. Because of Washington’s dominance and its favorable stats versus Washington State, the recommended pick is Washington (-1.5).
