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THE GUARDIAN CAP may not have been the most stylish accessory on Washington State's sideline Sunday, but for veteran tight end Jack Pedersen, it was all about protection and comfort. After wearing the cap throughout the offseason practices, Pedersen decided to keep rolling with the added helmet protection, with a crimson sleeve fitted by longtime WSU equipment guys Milton Neal and Josh Pietz.  "I was wearing the guardian cap," Pedersen said this week. "Milton and JP were able to kind of assimilate a sleeve to throw on top, so it was like a similar color to that crimson helmet that we had going on. They did a pretty good job matching it up." Pedersen heard about it after the game. "I know it was a little off, I got a few messages about it," he said. "I've been practicing with it through spring ball, through fall camp, and I think I just kind of got accustomed to it. I've worn them before. This is the first time I've worn it in a game. I guess I just felt a little bit more comfortable with it, and I know it might not look the most stylish to the guys in the locker room. Trust me, I've heard my fair share. "It really isn't a big deal to me, and I don't mind wearing it and I think I just kind of got accustomed to it." Pedersen played 54 of the 58 offensive snaps on Sunday and while the offense didn't have a great day, the 6-5, 248-pound fifth-year from Murrieta was pleased with the communication aspect, particularly with quarterback Caden Pinnick. Related: Grading WSU position by position after Apple Cup "There was a lot of dialogue back and forth," Pedersen said. "I know we had the iPads on the sideline and everything and making corrections. I actually thought it went smoothly. Some of the coaches up in the box, get the information relayed down below, but it was good. He (Pinnick) was composed. He's done it before. "He's played a lot of games, a lot of football, so came at it with a pro mindset. And after every drive, just looking forward to the next. And what can we fix? Where can we be better? You don't want to dive too deep into the iPads and everything. You just want to go play and be free and what's done is done. And those plays, let's move on to the next drive and get better." Here's what WR Daniel Blood and DT Jirah Leaupepetele also said this week ...  BLOOD ON WHAT THE OFFENSE HAS TO DO BETTER: "We have to make our plays that come our way. Me specifically, I dropped a pass, that's unacceptable, it kind of is a drive killer. We have to stop our sins, stop hurting ourselves. But there were a lot of good things that came from the game as well, a lot of learning experiences. We put a lot of good drives together. Just a lot of things we learned from the tape." BLOOD ON WHAT CHANGED ON THE TWO SCORING DRIVES: "Just the flow of the game. Just learning your opponent. What we learned from film, study, and then just what's going on in the game, just the flow of the game, just putting drives together, making our plays. I feel like when we make our plays and make the plays that are given to us, that's when our offense is the strongest." LEAUPEPETELE ON THE DEFENSIVE PERFORMANCE IN THE APPLE CUP: "I think we started off our first game pretty well. We had some flashes here, we just have to finish stronger. You definitely see what our defense can do when we're firing on all cylinders. We just have to clean up some stuff on the tape." LEAUPEPETELE ON TRENT BRAY'S DEMEANOR ON THE SIDELINES: "He has a lot of energy on the sideline, but he's also composed. He's able to give us tips and what he sees out there, what we need to fix. And then the game plan for the next drive. So it's really great having him out there." Jack Pedersen, second from left in guardian cap, celebrates WSU TD with teammates (Photo: Getty/Rodenburg)