Washington State lost the Apple Cup in decisive fashion Saturday evening but found its starting quarterback in the process — a tradeoff that probably stands as a net positive for the Cougars and first-year coach Jimmy Rogers.

But one layer down, there is cause for concern. How in the world did Rogers and his braintrust fail to identify Zevi Eckhaus as their best option in the first place?

Eckhaus was one of the few bright spots for the Cougars in the 59-24 loss. (It was closer than expected for three quarters, before the Huskies took command.) He completed 25 of 36 passes for 277 yards.

It would have been a perfectly respectable showing under normal circumstances. Given that Eckhaus didn’t take first-team reps in practice during training camp and was used sparingly in the previous games

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