Washington State defensive end D.D. Acholanu feels like he has been evicted from his home. Actually, it’s much worse than that.

The freshman leads the Cougars against the University of Washington in the Apple Cup on Saturday. He has been evicted from his side of the state and alienated from the Washington fan base.

Acholanu grew up in Seattle, the heart of Husky country. His house was 10 minutes away from the Washington campus.

By his senior year, Acholanu was one of the largest jewels in the Washington recruiting crown. He sealed his fate, and the disgust of every Husky fan in Washington, on the day he announced that he’d evaded the grasp of Washington coach Rick Neuheisel. His neighbors were disappointed. But Acholanu wasn’t done.

The defensive end declared he was going to rival Washington State. Not Washington State? Not the hated Cougars?

‘This week’s huge,’ Washington wide receiver Todd Elstrom said. ‘It’s especially big since both teams are having tremendous seasons. But this week all the papers have Cougar jokes or Husky jokes.’

Acholanu committed a cardinal sin with Washington fans. Like he belched during dinner in front of the in-laws. Or wore skin-tight blue pants rather than black ones during a night out at the Syracuse bars. He’d gone over to the dark side.

‘Oh yeah, we’ll definitely be all over him,’ said Raffaele Riconociuto, a senior at Washington. ‘You’re either for us or against us. When the Apple Cup comes they’re enemies for that day.’

Acholanu had passed up Seattle, a beautiful city bordered by the ocean and home to the Space Needle, for Pullman, a city bordered by mountains and home to numerous wheat fields.

‘It’s been said that this rivalry is different, that it’s unique,’ Washington University Sports Hall of Fame employee Dave Terrell said. ‘It’s almost a cultural rivalry. Washington is the green, coastal side with a high population. WSU is the arid side, with the country, corn fields and a low population.’

Washington’s fans were flabbergasted. No one, absolutely no one, snubbed the Huskies like this. Not future NFL quarterbacks Damon and Brock Huard.

On Saturday, Acholanu reenters his half of the state for the first time since taking the No. 1 spot on Seattle’s all-time traitors list and donning the gray and red of Washington State. The freshman will do so as one of the top defensive players – he has a team-high eight sacks – on a team tied for first in the Pac-10.

‘If you’re from the other side and someone sees you over here and they have bragging rights, they’ll be sure to let you know about it,’ Elstrom said. ‘But then again, if you lose you try to hide your face and get to the other side of the street.’

It’s a rivalry that can even pit brother against brother. Raffeale and twin brother Alsonzo are from Tacoma. Rafealle attends Washington while his brother attends Washington State.

‘We get on each other about it,’ Rafealle said. ‘We hate each other for the day.’

Even without the conference title ramifications and a meeting between Top 25 powers, neither team would need help getting motivated for the Apple Cup.

History is all either side really needs.

(BULLET) 1952 – Leading the game late in the fourth quarter by a score of 45-14, Washington Athletic Director Harvey Cassil informed the bench that quarterback Don Heinrich was one pass away from setting the NCAA record for completions in a season with 133. Unfortunately the Cougars had the ball. Tackle Clyde Seiler however had the solution – let Washington score. After an uncontested touchdown pass, the Huskies got the ball, and Heinrich set the record against his archrivals.

(BULLET) 1975 – With WSU leading 27-14 lead and 3:01 left, only pride and a desire to humiliate the Huskies could keep Washington State from victory. With his players urging him to run up the score, WSU coach Jim Sweeney relented and tried to pass on fourth-and-1. The pass was intercepted and returned 93 yards by Al Burleson. Washington goes on to win 28-27.

(BULLET) 1997 – Minutes after Washington State defeats Washington, 41-35, and UCLA defeats USC, the Cougars earn a trip to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 67 years. WSU fans ‘had no intention of rubbing it in’ but spent the night dancing away at midfield of Husky Stadium.

‘It’s an intense rivalry,’ Terrell said. ‘The Cougars fans are said to take the game a little more seriously than we do. At Pullman, if they beat the Huskies, they’ve had a good season.’

With such a storied past, the two Washington rivals don’t have any need for an elegant trophy to commemorate the occasion.

It’s a good thing too. The Apple Cup, created from a simple wooden base and a metal bowl, probably couldn’t hold more than a half dozen of Washington’s delectable fruit of choice.

‘I wouldn’t quite classify it as the queen of trophies,’ Terrell said. ‘But then again, I’d say the same thing about most of the trophies the NCAA hands out.’

Syracuse (-21) at Miami, ABC, 3:30 p.m.

This rivalry might not have as much emotion behind it as our other games, but if the Orangemen can pull off an upset victory over the Hurricanes an angry rivalry could easily develop.

Syracuse’s defense, which has carried it all year should keep the game closer than the spread indicates, but Miami has too much offense and will be too motivated after nearly losing last week to suffer an upset.

Pick: Miami, 28-13

Washington State (-1.5) at Washington

Washington State hopes to avenge a 51-3 drubbing last year and dominates Washington in every statistical category. Quarterback Jason Gesser has thrown for over 2,500 yards this season and will play despite suffering a concussion last week.

Pick: Washington State, 31-17

Florida State (-15) at Florida

Traditionally the most important intrastate rivalry over the past decade, this matchup has had national title implications every season since 1994. This year’s meeting lacks some of its usual luster.

The Seminoles have already picked up three losses, including their first ever conference loss at home last Saturday. Neither team has finished outside the top 15 since 1989, but the Seminoles seem poised to do it this year.

After losing three in a row to FSU, Gators head coach Steve Spurrier will exact some revenge. Florida State’s defense is allowing 349 yards a game and couldn’t stop Rosie O’Donnell on a fly pattern. Florida’s quarterback Rex Grossman will put up huge numbers.

Pick: Florida, 51-21

Harvard (-7) at Yale

The 118th edition of The Game will be played Saturday at the Yale Bowl. The rivalry dates all the way back to 1876 when Harvard defeated Yale, 4-0.

The Crimson enters the meeting undefeated after beating previously undefeated Penn last weekend. In 1999 at the Yale Bowl, the last time these two teams met in a game with conference title implications, Yale won the game and the championship 24-21.

The Bulldogs would like nothing better than to ruin Harvard’s chances in front of over 50,000 fans again. They won’t.

Pick: Harvard 17-13

Clemson (+5.5) at South Carolina

This year’s battle for the Palmetto State is the ultimate contrast of styles.

Imagine grandfatherly Lou Holtz coaching a team with the new breed of quarterback in Woody Dantzler under center. Holtz, the standard bearer of conservative football, and a coach who loves to be in control of his players might choose to drag his 64-year-old body onto the field rather than allow the unpredictable Clemson quarterback to play.

Clemson has won four straight over USC but that streak will come to an end. Gamecocks running back Derek Watson (4.9 yards per carry) and fullback Anthony Pinnock (5.5 yards per carry) will run all over Clemson’s porous run defense, which hasn’t held a team below 150 rushing yards in four games.

Pick: South Carolina, 17-10

Published on November 14, 2001 at 12:00 pm