It’s generally not a good sign when your school reaches its rivalry week and isn’t sure who will start at quarterback.
But that’s the situation Washington State coach Jimmy Rogers finds himself in heading into his first Apple Cup against visiting Washington (2-0) on Saturday in Pullman, Wash.
Rogers said he’s prepared to re-evaluate the position after third-year sophomore Jaxon Potter was benched at halftime of a 59-10 loss at North Texas last weekend after going 16 of 23 for 139 yards with three interceptions. Potter started each of the Cougars’ first three games of the season.
“If we don’t open this and make it competitive, what does it say to the team?” Rogers said. “We’re looking for answers right now, and we’re looking for a competitive depth, and we’re looking for guys that want to continue to grow. It’s not just at the quarterback position.”
Redshirt freshman Julian Dugger and fifth-year senior Zevi Eckhaus are expected to compete for the starting QB job in practice this week.
The Cougars (2-1) needed a last-second field goal to beat Idaho of the Football Championship Subdivision 13-10 in the season opener before a 36-13 homecoming victory against San Diego State.
The Huskies, who are coming off a bye, have no such problem. Sophomore Demond Williams Jr. has completed 34 of 49 passes for 480 yards and two touchdowns, with no interceptions. He has also rushed for 132 yards and a score.
Washington’s Jonah Coleman tied a modern-day school record five rushing touchdowns in a 70-10 victory against FCS powerhouse UC Davis on Sept. 6. Coleman has 288 yards rushing and seven scores through two games.
The Cougars won the rivalry game 24-19 last year in a game played at Lumen Field in Seattle, the home of the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.
Washington leads the all-time series 76-33-6.
“It’s good to be back at it,” Huskies coach Jedd Fisch said of returning from the bye. “We’re looking forward to this week. Our team is really focused on getting the (Apple Cup) trophy back here in Seattle and we’ll do everything we possibly can to get that done. All of our energy, all of our passion, is on the Apple Cup.”
