Edefuan Ulofoshio thinks Washington State probably should have beaten Oregon and Utah. The Cougars had a 34-22 lead with less than five minutes to play before collapsing in a 44-41 loss. Then it lost to Utah 21-17 with the Utes sporting a backup quarterback.

There’s respect for the Cougar offense. There’s obviously respect for the other side of the ball, which has been one of the best defenses in the Pac-12. It will have to be earned on the field, but Ulofoshio is looking for some revenge this weekend at the Apple Cup.

Last year’s 40-13 Wazzu win at Husky Stadium featured celebrations from Washington State at midfield. It was an image not soon forgotten by Husky fans, and an image that coaches made sure was highlighted this week in prep.

“Our strength coach at the time pulled me back in before any of that happened, so most of us were inside,” Ulofoshio said this week, via Dawgman.com. “It’s a sickening feeling just to understand that we didn’t give those guys a proper sendoff that they deserved, especially our seniors and the people that fought for this university for years and years. We’ve got to make it up to them.”

UW is 9-2 and has won each of the last three Apple Cup meetings in Pullman. It’s on a five-game winning streak — including a 47-point win over Colorado last week — and is looking for a fourth 10-win season in seven years. Of course, the shine of that rusts a little if you can’t take down Wazzu.

“It’s the Apple Cup, it’s literally the biggest game in the state,” Ulofoshio said, via Dawgman.com. “You’ve got to take that extra oomph to it, respect the alums that came before us. We’ve got to play Husky Football. At the end of the day, what we did last year, that wasn’t Husky Football. We’ve got to make up for a lot of people.”

Kickoff on Saturday is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.