SEATTLE — John Mateer scored two touchdowns and threw for another, Washington State tied the goal line with 1:07 left and the Cougars reclaimed the Apple Cup with a 24-19 win over Washington on Saturday.

Playing in September instead of November or December, the Cougars met in a non-league game for the first time since 1961. They had to rely on their quarterback killing two birds with one stone and some key defensive plays in the final moments to win the Apple Cup for only the third time since 2008.

Mateer ran for touchdowns of 23 and 25 yards and threw a 16-yard touchdown to Josh Meredith in the third quarter to give the Cougars (3-0) a 24-16 lead. Mateer completed 17 of 34 passes for 245 yards and added 62 yards rushing.

Playing at Seattle’s Lumen Field was part of a five-year agreement to continue the rivalry despite no longer being in the same conference. Purple outnumbered crimson in the crowd, but it was the Cougars who stuck around for the postgame celebration.

Will Rogers threw for 314 yards and a touchdown for Washington (2-1) and Giles Jackson had eight catches for 162 yards, including a 31-yard TD in the first quarter. But the Huskies had to settle for field goals on three trips inside the Washington State 25 and that proved to be the difference.

Washington had one final chance after getting the ball at its own 31 with 3:40 left and Rogers hit Jackson for 45 yards on the first play. The Huskies reached the Washington State 10 and on third-and-goal, Denzel Boston was forced out at the 1, setting up fourth-and-goal.

The Huskies called an option play to the short side of the field and Coleman had nowhere to go, resulting in him being stopped for a loss of 2 yards.

The matchup was in jeopardy of continuing after last year’s conference realignment. Washington State’s future was solidified earlier this week when the Pac-12 added Boise State, Fresno State, Colorado State and San Diego State to join the conference in 2026.

The Cougars celebrated by defeating their biggest rivals.

The crucial sequence for Washington State came late in the first half when Mateer covered 25 yards on a designed run on third-and-20 and crept into the front corner of the end zone for his second TD run of the first half. The TD capped a 91-yard TD drive that included completions of 24 and 38 yards and gave Washington State a 17-13 halftime lead.

Washington State also held Coleman off the starting line after he had 100+ yards in each of the first two games of the season. Coleman had 75 yards on 14 carries.

The takeaway meal

Washington State: The Cougars will regret their fourth-quarter execution on offense. Mateer threw one interception, nearly threw another, and the Cougars threw an incomplete on third-and-10 with 3:46 left. Not only did Washington State not get a first down, but the clock stopped.

Washington: After being relatively clean on penalties through the first two games, Washington’s discipline was atrocious. The Huskies were assessed 16 penalties for 135 yards. Several were crucial decisions that kept drives alive for the Cougars.