Notebook | Elisara, Trufant households have switched rooting interests in Apple Cup

Cameron Elisara and Desmond Trufant grew up in households where rooting for the Cougars in the Apple Cup was just part of the deal.

Now, each is on the other side, members of the starting Washington defense that will take on the Cougars at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

And each has a chance to do something their famous Cougars relative never did — win an Apple Cup.

Elisara's father Matt was an all-conference defensive lineman at WSU as a senior, lettering from 1979-81 during a time when the Cougars lost eight straight to Washington. Trufant's brother Marcus played cornerback at WSU from 1999-2002 during a time when the Huskies won six in a row, several as the underdog.

"I did notice that, that he never won," said Desmond Trufant, a freshman. "So I'll try to get a win for my family for the first time."

Elisara, a junior, has played in the past two Apple Cups, each UW losses.

"It's pretty rough, going back to Spokane, hearing it from all my friends," said Elisara, who attended Ferris High in Spokane.

Elisara has missed the past 3 ½ games due to a stinger, but expects to be back in the lineup. He made it through practice again on Wednesday and could resume his starting role at defensive tackle. He says he's glad he's able to make it back for the Apple Cup.

"It does have a special meaning," he said. "I've got a lot of family ties, a lot of friends that go to Wazzu."

For a long time, Elisara figured he'd go there, as well. But he said the staff of coach Bill Doba didn't recruit him as avidly as the Huskies, and by that point, he had begun to think of branching out.

"They didn't recruit me real hard, no," he said. "I think it was maybe mutual disinterest, possibly. I don't really remember that well now. But I've got no bitterness toward them."

His parents, WSU grads, wear purple and gold to all the games, having also changed sides, at least as long as their son is a Husky.

Trufant's family also made the switch after he turned down the Cougars (and schools such as Arizona State) to stay close to home.

"My dad got a purple Camaro," Trufant said. "So he kind of switched over when I came here."

The family will be at the game Saturday, though Marcus will be traveling with the Seahawks to St. Louis.

But if his brother has a chance to follow the game, Desmond figures he'll be rooting for the Huskies.

"He'd better," Desmond Trufant. "He's got his blood out there."

Notes

• Huskies LB E.J. Savannah will not play, missing his third straight game, and might not play against California on Dec. 5. He is recovering from a hand that has been broken three times.

• Backup WR Jordan Polk missed UW's practice again Wednesday with migraines. Cody Bruns will move up in the rotation if Polk can't go, said UW coach Steve Sarkisian.

• Backup LB Alvin Logan suffered a broken fibula in practice this week and is out for the final two Huskies games.

• Anthony Boyles, switched to cornerback after the Oregon game, has been getting work with the No. 1 defense in practice and could see his first game action against the Cougars.

• The Huskies will practice this morning and be off the field around 1:30 to have Thanksgiving dinner with families or friends. Sarkisian said out-of-state players have all been placed somewhere for the holiday, either with a teammate or coach.

• One Cougar Sarkisian knows well is RB Dwight Tardy, who played at St. Paul High in Walnut, Calif., in the Los Angeles area during Sarkisian's time as an assistant at USC. "We recruited him," Sarkisian said. "We didn't offer him a scholarship but we definitely took a hard look at him. Dwight's a really nice player." Tardy leads the Cougars with 380 yards and is in line to become the first player in WSU history to lead the school in rushing four straight years.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com.