Huskies’ Chris Petersen impressed with No. 20 Wazzu heading into Apple Cup

"He's got those guys going," Washington coach Chris Petersen said of Mike Leach and his WSU Cougars ahead of Friday's Apple Cup. (AP)

The final regular season game could not be any bigger for the Washington Huskies. And the matchup just may end up being the toughest they see all season.

UW (5-6 overall) needs a win over No. 20 Washington State (8-3) in the annual Apple Cup to ensure a trip to the postseason, and though there is a chance of the Dawgs sneaking into a bowl with five wins, it certainly wouldn’t be the preferred method.

Washington coach Chris Petersen had a lot to say at his press conference Monday about the Cougars, who will meet his Huskies at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium at 12:30 p.m. Friday in a game set to air on 710 ESPN Seattle. The main takeaway was how impressed he is with Mike Leach’s team.

“He’s got those guys going,” Petersen said of Leach. “Those guys are playing really good football. I’ve been impressed that they’ve won a lot of close games. Now putting the tape on and seeing what’s going on, they are playing as good of football as anybody out there, they really are. They play extremely hard, they execute well and they’ve got a lot of confidence and momentum.”

Of course the big question surrounding the game is if national passing leader Luke Falk will be in action for Washington State after leaving last Saturday’s win over Colorado on a backboard due to a head injury. But whether or not Falk is ready to go, the Huskies know they’ll have to be ready to defend a dangerous passing attack that also has a little more help from the running game than the Cougars have had in recent years.

Petersen noted how it’s been a lot more than just the Luke Falk show for Wazzu, as his receivers and even the backup quarterback, Peyton Bender, are plenty to worry about.

“Well, you don’t lead the nation in passing with just a great quarterback and no weapons to throw to. They’ve very precise,” Petersen said. “It’s a system that I haven’t known a whole lot about, but I’ve looked at it a little bit more over the years, and it’s awesome… The backup that came in (Saturday), Bender I believe, we’ve watched him a little bit. I mean, he doesn’t really look like a backup. And I know when Falk kind of came in last year, he didn’t really look like a backup. So I think again, they do an unbelievable job of coaching in that system, and coaching those kids up, when to get the ball out. I think they do a good job of hanging in the pocket when they’re not supposed to get it out right away.”

The other reason Wazzu has been such a surprise in the Pac-12 this year in its defense, which has made huge strides from last season to bring the Cougars back up near the top of the conference.’

“It’s interesting because I’ve talked to a few coaches and even talking to (Oregon State coach Gary Andersen) last week, one of the first things he said was that their defense is as physical as anybody they’ve played,” Petersen said. “Those guys run to the ball. They’ve got a physical, physical crew. And we’re going to have to score some points on offense. You can talk about our defense vs. their offense all you want, but you’re going to have to score points against these guys… We’re not going to be able to win it on one side of the game. These guys are too good. When you put the tape on, lot of respect. Those guys are clicking, they’re humming, they’re as good as anybody in our conference.”