UW-WSU rivalry mild compared to some, Doba says

Thursday, November 20, 2003 9:12 AM PST

By Jennifer Jackson for The Daily News

PULLMAN ---- Although many Cougars proclaim hatred for the Huskies, and vice versa, Washington State head coach Bill Doba said the rivalry between WSU and Washington is one of the tamest he has seen.

"It's as good a wholesome rivalry as any I've ever been associated with," he said.

Although Cougar fans often grouse about the 62-27-6 Apple Cup record and the Huskies' five-time winning streak against them, Doba insists the two teams have a peaceful relationship.

"These kids fight tooth and nail, and it's a hard-hitting ball game, but afterward they walk through the tunnel almost arm-in-arm," he said. "A lot of them were high school teammates and have been on the same field together for the same purpose."

Doba said he witnessed other rivalries during his tenure at other universities, especially the "Old Oaken Bucket" between Indiana and Purdue, where he coached from 1977 to '82 and 1983 to '86, respectively.

"I was at Indiana and then I was at Purdue, so I got to see both sides of that rivalry. You can get too hyped up and too excited and the kids make mental errors, fumble balls and miss punts," he said.

Therefore, Doba said he views the Apple Cup as business as usual.

"We try to make it as much business as possible," he said. "The kids will be excited enough without us adding more. It's nice to win it, obviously, for bragging rights in the state, but it's not the end of the world if you don't."

Doba said he enjoys seeing how western Washington prepares for the Apple Cup, especially since there is a large contingency of Cougar fans along the I-5 corridor.

"It's fun to go to Seattle and see some guy singing the fight song in the grocery store, and you see Cougar and Husky balloons on houses and purple doors," he said. "They do some crazy things."

Keeping Kegel healthy

Doba said quarterback Matt Kegel did not practice Tuesday in an effort to rehabilitate his injured shoulders and knee. He threw some passes at practice Wednesday and probably will again today, but the decision of whether he will start is expected on game day.

Doba said he wants to see how Kegel feels during warm-ups before he decides whether he or redshirt freshman Josh Swogger, who played three quarters against both UCLA and Arizona State, will start.

"I think it's a real good situation if he can start, but if he can't go, he'll tell us," Doba said. "He wouldn't do anything to hurt this game."

Doba said one possible scenario is starting Kegel and sending Swogger in later so he has an opportunity to see the tempo and what Washington's defense is doing.

"It takes a little pressure off him to not have to jump in as a starter, but he might have to jump in," Doba said.

Bowl tickets on sale

Starting this morning, WSU fans can begin inching closer to a bowl game. At 8 a.m., the WSU athletic department will begin taking orders from the general public for tickets to whichever bowl game WSU is invited to. The four bowl games under consideration are the Rose, Fiesta, Holiday and Sun bowls.

Fans will be able to secure their order with a credit card and once the bowl announcements have been made, their account will be billed for the tickets. Fans can order four tickets to the Rose Bowl, two to the Holiday and Fiesta bowls, and six to the Sun Bowl.

The final bowl game pairings will be announced Dec. 7 and tickets will be sent out to home addresses Dec. 18, with arrival no later than Dec. 23, according to a representative from the WSU athletic department.

Fans who want to take advantage of the public sale can do so by phone or on-line: 1-800-GO-COUGS, 1-800-325-SEAT (TicketsWest) or at www.ticketswest.com.

Injury report

Linebacker Scott Davis (knee) and guard Billy Knotts (knee) are considered doubtful for the Apple Cup. Starting linebacker Al Genatone (ankle) is questionable. Genatone practiced Tuesday, but was sore and a "little bit sleepy" after bringing new son Vincent Albert home from the hospital Monday night.

"We've started recruiting him already," Doba said about the baby.