Washington football stays alive in Pac-12 North with win over Oregon State

Washington football set up an Apple Cup showdown next weekend with Washington State to determine the Pac-12 North champ.

Fueled by a 28-3 first quarter, Washington ran away with a 42-23 victory at home over Pac-12 North foe Oregon State on Saturday afternoon in Seattle. The Huskies racked up 503 yards of offense to move to 8-3 on the season and set up an Apple Cup in Pullman that will serve as a de facto Pac-12 North championship game.

The Huskies got big games from several veterans on offense. Jake Browning starred at quarterback once again, as he threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns on 17-of 23 passing. Browning got nine different receivers into the action, and he contributed 30 yards on six rushing attempts.

The undisputed leader on the ground was once again Myles Gaskin. After a slow start to the season, Gaskin won’t likely reach 1300 yards for the fourth straight season. But he can still put together his fourth consecutive 1000-yard season if he maintains the pace he produced on Saturday at home. Gaskin finished with 135 yards and a rushing touchdown on 18 carries, and added four catches for another 24 yards and a receiving score.

Oregon State never managed to recover once they went down by four scores in the first quarter. Jake Luton finished with 190 passing yards and a touchdown on 18-of-32 passing, and Jermar Jefferson ran for 115 yards on 19 carries. But they were unable to spark any sort of comeback bid against a stout Washington defense.

Washington now prepares for their trip to the other side of the state for the annual Apple Cup slobberknocker with the Cougars. With the win, Washington set up the showdown as a winner-take-all battle for the Pac-12 North title. The winner will head to Santa Clara for the November 30 conference championship game, while the loser will prepare for a lesser bowl game.

Oregon State, meanwhile, has only pride to play for when they square off at Reser Stadium against rival Oregon for the Civil War game on Black Friday. The Beavers knew at the beginning of November that they would not be bowling this season, but they can still knock the Ducks a rung or two down the bowl pecking order with an upset.