Washington entered Saturday’s Apple Cup rivalry with a strong start to the season but encountered its first true test with Washington State. After a solid start to the game, the Huskies would stall out at key points in the 2nd half, including on a game-deciding drive late in the 4th quarter.

In the end, the Huskies would go scoreless in the 4th as Washington State stood strong on 4th-and-goal with a minute left in the game. It gave the Cougars a 24-19 win and Washington’s first defeat of the Jedd Fisch era.

There are some positives to take from the performance, but there is plenty to clean up as Washington embarks on 9 straight Big Ten games to finish the season. Here are the key takeaways from the Apple Cup defeat:

Washington’s 2-QB system leads to up-and-down results

Will Rogers has been an efficient passer throughout the start of Washington’s season, but the Huskies have continued to integrate Demond Williams Jr. throughout the early portion of the season. That includes Saturday’s Apple Cup, though results were mixed throughout.

Williams was 3-for-4 throwing the ball for 12 yards and had 22 yards rushing, but he saw action on a crucial 3rd down late in the first half that resulted in a punt. Washington State would score a go-ahead touchdown on a 91-yard drive ahead of halftime, and that swing of momentum came at a crucial point in the game.

Late in the game, Williams would spell Rogers after a hard hit on a big gain, and the Huskies were able to pick up some yards to set up a goal-to-go situation. Williams’ time in the offense was not all negative, but there is something to be said about potentially interrupting momentum with some of the switches between Rogers and Williams.

Considering the fact Rogers has looked sharp passing the ball throughout the first 3 games of the season, the use of Williams drew some confusing remarks from fans and analysts alike. We’ll see if Washington can iron out the kinks because the system has shown flashes.

Penalties, penalties, penalties

The fact Washington still had a chance to pull off the win late in the fourth quarter proved to be a minor miracle. Not because the Huskies were unable to move the ball, but because they shot themselves in the foot with an ungodly amount of penalties.

In fact, when the final horn sounded Washington had been flagged for 16 penalties (the last one being an unsportsmanlike conduct call with the game decided). The yardage on those penalties came out to 135 yards, triple the 45 penalty yards that Washington State incurred during the game.

Two of those penalties also ended the game. After getting stopped on 4th-and-goal, there was enough time for the Huskies to force a punt by the Cougars.

Unfortunately, Washington was flagged for offsides twice with less than a minute remaining on 3rd down, allowing the Cougars to eventually kneel out the clock and preserve the win. The Huskies will need to play clean football moving forward if they want to stack some wins.

Giles Jackson goes off for career-high performance

Giles Jackson is an electric speedster who has delivered some key moments throughout his career. He’s finally carving out a lead role in the wide receiver room, and Jackson went off in a big way.

Jackson finished the Apple Cup with game-high numbers in catches (8) and receiving yards (162) to go with an early touchdown. That gives Jackson career-high numbers in receiving yards, and he was a matchup problem for Washington State all game long.

Jackson would haul in a crucial 45-yard gain on a 4th-quarter drive that would give the Huskies a shot to take the lead. Unfortunately, that drive would come up short on 4th-and-goal.