Washington State Football: 5 reasons Cougs beat Washington in Week 13

3. Washington State will lock down on Myles Gaskin

A big reason why Washington State has been successful in 2018 has been their rushing defense. They have consistently shut down opposing ground games throughout the course of the regular season, and that trend isn’t going to change on Friday night in the Palouse when they Cougars meet the Huskies.

They are taking on a player that has traditionally owned the Cougars. In three previous Apple Cup appearances, Gaskin has progressively increased his productivity. As a freshman in 2015, Gaskin went off for 138 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. In his sophomore year, Gaskin posted 159 rushing yards and a 24-yard catch in the 2016 contest. Last year, Gaskin had 192 rushing yards and four touchdown carries.

That is not going to happen this year, as Mike Leach finally has a defense to match the productivity of his offense. And the Cougars are especially great against the run. Their rivals have not met an opponent nearly this good, and Gaskin has struggled over the course of 2018. Nowhere near the 1300-yard pace that he posted each of the previous three years, Gaskin is going to be shut down yet again in his final Apple Cup for Washington.