SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies football team was able to begin its season as winners and took down the Washington State Cougars 24-10 in the 118th edition of the Apple Cup on Sunday at Husky Stadium.

It wasn't a perfect showing for the Huskies, who had a slow first half before coming alive in the fourth quarter.

The defense, which entered the season with lofty expectations, was stellar but had several undisciplined moments that resulted in drive-extending penalties that benefited the Cougars offense.

Here's several takeaways from Washington's win Sunday:

Entering the game, the plan was second-year running back Quaid Carr getting the nod at starting running back but operating in a committee with fourth-year back Jayden Limar and sixth-year Trey Cooley.

There were questions over the amount of snaps each running back would receive and if Carr would maintain the starting spot. One game into the season, there's no clear answers.

Carr finished the game with five rushes for 28 yards, Cooley rushed four times for one yard and Limar carried 12 times for 47 yards and a score.

To make matters more complicated, both Carr and Limar exited the game due to undisclosed injuries. There were no updates on either running back following Sunday's game.

The Huskies had several first-year players either start or receive significant snaps. Cornerback Jeron Jones had one-of-two interceptions on the day for the defense. Defensive tackle Derek Colman-Brusa had three total tackles, including one tackle for loss (where he unintentionally almost took the head off a referee following a celebratory air punch).

On the other end of that spectrum, edge rusher Ramzak Fruean finished with two tackles and was flagged for a late hit out of bounds. Left tackle Kodi Greene was also beaten several times, particularly in the run game, and was whistled for a false start in the fourth quarter.

Even with the mixed showing from the first years, head coach Jedd Fisch expressed confidence in the class.

"I think all of them realized there's a difference between high school and college," Fisch said in a postgame news conference after the game. "And I also feel like they didn't make it too big. They were able to play within themselves. I didn't see that one of them was not able to handle the stage. And that stage was pretty big."

Sunday also marked the first time as a starting cornerback due for fourth-year cornerback Emmanuel Karnley and second-year Dylan Robinson.

Robinson returned the program this season after sitting last year behind Tacario Davis and Ephesians Prysock, who are both in the NFL. Karnley transferred to Washington from Virginia.

Both cornerbacks looked solid. Karnley had two pass breakups in the game and Robinson was hardly targeted due to his excellent coverage Sunday and finished the game with three tackles (all solo).

"I think when you look at the box score and see minimal passing yards to the wide receivers, what we would see is it's because of the fact that those guys played so good on the islands," Fisch said. "Karnley did have a couple of those PBUs, Dylan it didn't feel like the ball really went his way in the passing game. ... As a corner, if you have the last amount of targets go your way, that's a win."

The Huskies will be in back in action against the Utah State Aggies at 12:30 p.m. PT on Saturday at Husky Stadium.