Huskies send seniors out with a 34-15 win over Utah!

By  Kshell

For the third straight season the Washington Huskies(6-4,4-3) are going to a bowl game as they defeated the Utah Utes(4-6, 2-5) 34-15. The Huskies for the fourth straight year under Steve Sarkisian sent their seniors out with a win on senior night. For some of these seniors they started off their career going 0-12. To see them enjoy success at the end of their career has been nice to witness.

 Another great thing to witness was the return of Keith Price who looked like the 2011 Price. Price was the star today completing 24-33 passes for a season high 277 yards with two touchdowns. He also added a rushing touchdown and most importantly didn't turn the ball over. Price was also helped by the ground game as Bishop Sankey ran for 162 yards on a career high 36 carries with two touchdowns. Sankey also became just the 11th running back in UW history to go over 1,000 yards. During the game for the Huskies Austin Seferian-Jenkins set the Husky career receptions record by a tight end with 96 career receptions. For the Huskies this was easily their best game of the season as they finally got to play a team with a losing record. The Huskies will now head off on the road the next two weeks against two teams who are a combined 3-17.

After two Huskies drives stalled the Utes took over for their second drive of the game from their own 36 yard line. Facing a third and nine freshman quarterback Travis Wilson would throw an incomplete pass. On that play the Huskies were flagged for a personal foul penalty blow to the head which extended the Utes drive to the Huskies 46 yard line. After a gain of zero by John White the Utes would take their first lead over the Huskies in the last two seasons. White would take the hand off and go right up the middle for the 46 yard touchdown. The Utes then did a fake extra point as tight end Jake Murphy ran in the two point conversation to give the Utes an 8-0 lead over the Huskies.

The Huskies offense would stall out the quarter as the Utes led 8-0. Starting the second quarter from their own 32 yard line facing a second and 12 Price would connect over the middle to Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 17 yards to their own 49 yard line. On the following play on play action Price would throw across field to senior Cody Bruns for a gain of 19 yards to the Utes 32 yard line. Sankey would rush for four yards on the following play. Price would hit Sankey over the middle for a gain of 13 yards down to the Utes 15 yard line. Price would hit Kasen Williams for a gain of three on a quick hitter. Sankey would rush for four yards setting up a third and three from the eight. Price would roll to his right then find Williams who made an incredible diving catch dragging both feet while hanging onto to the ball for the touchdown. The Huskies would trail 8-7 after the score.

After a horrible penalty on fair catch interference the Utes had great field position on their own 49 yard line. White would rush for five yards then Wilson would complete a pass to Kenneth Scott for 13 yards to the Huskies 33 yard line. Wilson would throw an incomplete pass on first down, then White would rush up the middle for a loss of one. On third and 11 Wilson attempted a throw but Huskies linebacker John Timu jumped the pass and returned the interception 13 yards to the Huskies 33 yard line.

That was the first turnover of the ball game as the Utes failed to take advantage of their great field position. For the Huskies who often lose the turnover battle it was a chance for them to take advantage of another teams mistake. Timu like he did against Oregon State baited the quarterback and then got in position to jump the route. The Huskies defense this year has been quite good at picking off passes as this was the first momentum changer of the game.

The Huskies start off by Price hitting tight end Evan Hudson who lined up in the backfield for a gain of six yards to the 39 yard line. Sankey would rush for nine yards to the 45 yard line. Facing third and nine from their 49 yard line Price would go deep to freshman Jaydon Mickens. This time Mickens would hang on as he stumbled down to the four yard line. Mickens would pick up 47 yards on that reception which to date has been the biggest play of his career. After a Sankey run of no gain, Price would attempt a pass to his tall tight end Seferian-Jenkins but the Ute defender batted it down. Facing a third and goal from the four Price found nobody open so he decided to take off as he dove into the end zone for the Huskies touchdown. For Price that was his first rushing touchdown of the year as the Huskies led 14-8 which is what they'd lead at halftime 14-8.

The Utes opened the half on their own 34 yard line. White would rush for three yards to their own 37 yard line. On second and seven Wilson completed a five yard pass but the Utes committed a 10 yard penalty making it second and 12. White would rush for  up the middle for nine yards to their own 41 yard line. On third and three the Utes would go back to White who ran for two yards setting up a fourth and one from their own 43 yard line. Kyle Whittingham decided to go for it on fourth and one. Timu would blow the play up and tackle White a chain length away from the first down as the Huskies would take over from the Utes 43 yard line.

The Utes would jump offsides as the Huskies had a first and five from the 38 yard line. On second down Price would connect with Williams for a gain of five yards down to the 33 yard line. Price on the following play would find Seferian-Jenkins on the left side for a gain of 24 yards down to the Utes nine yard line. Price looking like the Price of last year was in a groove on the following play would hit junior DiAndre Campbell over the middle for a nine yard touchdown pass giving the Huskies a 21-8 lead over the Utes. For Price that was his second touchdown pass of the game and for Campbell that was his second touchdown reception of the season.

The Utes would respond to that score as the Huskies reeled off 21 consecutive points. Starting from their own 39 yard line White would rush for five yards to the 44 yard line. On the following play White would rush for six yards to the 50 yard line. After three short runs the Utes would go for it once again on fourth and one this time from the Huskies 41 yard line. This time White would get the first down rushing for three yards to the 38 yard line. On second down Wilson would connect with Dres Anderson for a gain of 18 yards to the 20 yard line. Following play White would rush to the right for a 20 yard touchdown. That would be White's second rushing touchdown of the game as it cut the lead to 21-15 as the Utes were hoping for the comeback.

After the Huskies punted, Utes punt returner Charles Henderson fumbled the ball. Jamaal Kearse recovered the fumble on the Utes 46 yard line. Price would roll to his right and it would appear he was throwing it away instead he was throwing it high. Seferian-Jenkins would come down with the reception for 29 yards to the 17 yard line. On second down Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins on a quick receiver screen as Seferian-Jenkins would run for 10 yards setting up a first and goal from the seven. Sankey would take the hand off to the right for a gain of five yards setting up a second and goal from the two. On second down the Huskies would give it to Sankey again on a toss sweep to the left as Sankey sprinted to the corner for the touchdown. The Huskies would go for two as Price completed a pass to Seferian-Jenkins who was just short of the goal line. The Huskies led 27-15 going into the fourth quarter.

After a Kasen Williams fumble the Utes had the ball on their own 48 yard line. This was the Huskies first turnover of the game. White would be stopped for a loss of two on first down. Wilson would throw an incomplete pass. On third down, Wilson would fumble the ball pick it up then be sacked by Travis Feeney for a loss of six yards. The Utes were forced to punt as they pinned the Huskies on their own 18 yard line. That was the Utes last chance to win this game.

The Huskies were about to go on a 16 play 82 yard drive that took up 8 minutes and 50 seconds off the clock. After an incompletion Price would complete a pass to Kendyl Taylor for a gain of seven yards setting up third and eight from their own 20 yard line after a five yard penalty. Price would attempt a pass to the left but the Utes were ready for it so Price saw there was a huge opening to his right and ran for 11 yards to their own 31 yard line. Sankey would rush for five yards to the 36 yard line. On third and five from the 36 yard line Price again would take off to run to his right for a gain of seven yards to the 43 yard line. The Utes then would commit a five yard penalty giving the Huskies first and five from their own 48 yard line.

Sankey would rush for seven yards then six yards. After a short gain by Sankey the Huskies were facing a third and two from the Utes 37 yard line. Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins who would make his defender miss for a gain of four yards and the first down. On third and nine from the 32 yard line Price would throw it to his left as Seferian-Jenkins made the diving catch for a gain of eight yards making it fourth and one. The Utes would jump offsides giving the Huskies a first down at the Utes 18 yard line. Sankey would rush for four more yards to the 14. Then Sankey would rush to the left for 10 yards. On first and goal from the four yard line Sankey would rush up the middle for his second touchdown of the game. The Huskies would lead 34-15 with 4:34 left in the game.

The Huskies would win the game 34-15 over the Utes in a game that was similar to last year. The Huskies outgained the Utes 437-188 and also won the turnover battle. Price was 24-33 passing(72.7%) for 277 yards(8.4 YPA) with two touchdowns passing and one rushing.

 Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught seven passes for 99 yards(14.1 YPC) as he set the record for most career receptions for a Husky tight end. Kasen Williams caught seven passes for 73 yards(10.4 YPC) with a terrific touchdown grab. Jaydon Mickens caught one pass for 47 yards. Cody Bruns caught two passes for 23 yards. DiAndre Campbell caught one pass for nine yards with the touchdown. Bishop Sankey ran for 162 yards on 36 carries(4.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 13 yards.

For the Utes they were led by John White who ran for 142 yards on 22 carries(6.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. The Utes had been previously 11-0 when he rushes for over 100 yards which wasn't the case today. Quarterback Travis Wilson really struggled as he was only 8-23(34.8%) passing for 55 yards(2.4 YPA) with an interception. He was also sacked four times. The Utes had just nine first downs and were 1-13 on third downs as their offense was horrible.

For the Huskies this was a good home win. Their defense played well against a team who coming into this game had scored 98 points the previous two weeks. The offense finally scored more than 21 points against a D-1 opponent this year. The Huskies are bowl eligible for the third straight season with this victory and for the second straight season have lost only one game at home. The Huskies finish their season on the road the next two weeks where they have only won two road games the last two years. The good news is the two weeks are against Colorado(1-9, 1-6) and Washington State(2-8, 0-7) as the Huskies should be heavy favorites in both games.

Observations:

- Austin Seferian-Jenkins had another incredible game to go along with his incredible season. First of all besides having a great game on offense Seferian-Jenkins was playing third down defensive end due to injuries on the Huskies defensive ends. He was playing two ways and still had a monster game. Seferian-Jenkins finished with seven receptions for 99 yards. He made several big plays and one in particular where Price threw it up there and Seferian-Jenkins just came down with it.

Seferian-Jenkins on the season has 55 receptions for 729 yards(13.3 YPC) with four touchdowns. He is the Huskies tight end record holder for most career receptions now with 96, yards at 1,273 and tied for first with 10 touchdowns. He also has the single season receptions record with 55 and counting this year. He currently is trailing Dave Williams by 66 yards for the single season receiving yardage record as well. Seferian-Jenkins is only a sophomore so he'll have one more year at least to shatter all the records.

- Kasen Williams enjoyed a fine game catching seven passes for 73 yards with a touchdown. Kasen again was Price go to receiver as he made several big plays. No play was bigger than his diving eight yard touchdown reception. At first it was unclear if it was a touchdown but when you saw the replay it was an NFL touchdown as he dragged both feet.

Williams on the year has 56 receptions for 620 yards(11.1 YPC) with five touchdowns. All five touchdowns this year have been at home. With 11 career touchdowns Williams is currently tied for 14th all-time in touchdown receptions in Washington history. Williams is only a sophomore so he'll have a chance to rack up more numbers. Williams is having a great season this year and once again was the main receiver for Price.

- This game for the first time all year the Huskies found some contributions from guys other than Williams and Seferian-Jenkins. Jaydon Mickens had a big 47 yard reception which he held onto unlike last week. That reception set up a touchdown. Cody Bruns caught two passes for 23 yards but his 19 yard reception set up a touchdown. Tight end Evan Hudson had a six yard reception on a touchdown drive as well. DiAndre Campbell caught a nine yard touchdown pass. Combined those four caught five passes for 85 yards with a touchdown. Not jaw dropping statistics but the Huskies needed that. Price likes to spread the ball around as shown by last year. He isn't that type of quarterback who only focuses on one or two guys. These other guys must step up consistently for the Huskies offense to thrive as they did today.

- Former Huskies head coach Jim Lambright was at the game. Lambright played for the Huskies from 1960-1964. He led the Huskies to the Rose Bowl his senior year earning all conference honors. He later became an assistant for the Huskies under Jim Owens then Don James. Lambright was an assistant for the Huskies from 1969-1976. In 1977 Don James promoted him to defensive coordinator where he was defensive coordinator for the Huskies until 1992. As defensive coordinator Lambright won four rose bowls, an Orange Bowl and a national championship in 1991. Due to James retiring so suddenly Lambright took over as head coach from 1993-98. As head coach Lambright was 44-25-1(.637) and 31-16-1(.659) in conference as the Huskies were co Pac-10 champions in 1995. Lambright was a great Husky and it is always nice to see him enjoying the games.

- Bishop Sankey once again had another great game. He carried the ball 36 times for 162 yards(4.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. He also caught four passes for 13 yards. Sankey wasn't supposed to be the starter this year but when Jesse Callier went down he has stepped up. Sankey has destroyed good rush defenses like Stanford, Oregon State and now Utah.

For the year Sankey has ran for 1,017 yards on 212 carries(4.8 YPC) with 13 rushing touchdowns. Sankey has became just the 11th running back in Washington history to go over 1,000 yards. His 13 rushing touchdowns eclipses Chris Polk's 12 of last season. In fact Sankey's 13 rushing touchdowns puts him tied for fifth all-time in school history for a single season. He trails Rashaan Shehee by just two touchdowns for second all-time in a single season as Shehee ran for 15 in 1995. Sankey for those who remember was a Washington State Cougar commit then last minute switched to Washington. That is a move that Sankey and Husky fans are thankful for now.

- Keith Price played his best game of the season. He was 24-33 passing for a season high 277 yards with two touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown and for only the third time all year he didn't turn the ball over. Price made big plays with his legs rushing for a touchdown and two crucial first downs. He also made big plays with his arm connecting on several key passes.

Price has struggled this year there is no doubt. He is now 201-330(60.9%) passing for 2,042 yards(6.2 YPA) with 11 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. Price also passed Cary Conklin and is 7th all-time in Huskies passing yardage history. Price is currently sitting in third place with 46 passing touchdowns as he trails Brock Huard and Jake Locker who have 53. Then Cody Pickett is the school record holder with 55. Many thought Price would pass that this year but most likely he'll have to wait next season for that.

- Desmond Trufant was a game-time decision but we all knew he was going to play. For Trufant to go out a winner in the stadium that his brother has played in for 10 years was pretty special. For Desmond he went out a winner and tomorrow he gets to watch his brother Marcus Trufant of the Seahawks host Isiah Trufant of the New York Jets on that same field. Trufant was asked to grow up quickly for the Huskies as he was the #1 corner since his freshman year. He struggled with that early on but this year has been a shut down corner. Teams don't even try to throw on him nor should they. Trufant just bats everything down in sight and is a big reason for this resurgence at Montlake defensively. The Huskies are going to miss Trufant who will have an incredible 48 hour period with his game then watching his two older brothers duke it out.

- For seniors like co-captain Drew Schaefer, Justin Glenn, and Cody Bruns I'm really happy for them. As true freshman they had to endure their first college football season without winning a single game as the Huskies went 0-12. Now they are part of a group that led the Huskies to three straight bowl appearances which seemed like a dream back in 2008. For Schaefer especially he has been an anchor on this offensive line and has provided leadership. Due to injures the Huskies have no seniors or even juniors on this offensive line. Schaefer was the lone upper classman and the Huskies went up against a Utah defensive line that features a future first round pick at defensive tackle. Schaefer handled his own and the Huskies for the fourth straight year under Schaefer as a starter produced a 1,000 yard rusher. The Huskies are going to miss Schaefer a lot on the offensive line next year.

- Steve Sarkisian is now 25-23 as a head coach in his career. He is also 3-0 since ditching the visor and going with his gray Husky hat. The Huskies are 6-4 against the second toughest schedule in the nation. The Huskies have also dealt with injuries yet if they win out as they should they'll go 8-4. That number is significant as the Huskies haven't won eight games since 2001. In fact since Don James retired the Huskies have only won eight games four times in the last 20 years.

I'm one of Sark's harshest critics but if he pulls off this 8-4 season and wins the bowl game to go 9-4 I'll give him credit for that. The Huskies are finding ways to win such as running the football and playing good defense. This is an entirely different team than just last year which shows Sarkisian has had to adjust as a coach. There are still plenty of things about the Sarkisian program that bother me but if he can pull this off I won't be complaining.

The Huskies did what they had to do which is earn the victory at home against a Utah team who hasn't won a road game all season long. The Huskies are now 5-1 this year at home and last year went 6-1 at home. The Huskies are starting to slowly build a homefield advantage once again as Sarkisian is now 19-7 now at home. With six of those defeats coming to ranked opponents such as Oregon(X 2), LSU, USC, Stanford and Nebraska. The Huskies are going to a bowl game which is always nice and after the seven year drought we had from 2003-09 should never be taken for granted. The Huskies are now looking to finish the season out on a five game winning streak putting them at 8-4. The Huskies have survived the hard part of their schedule now we'll see if they can take advantage of the soft part of the schedule.

Former Husky Nigel Burton returns to coach against the Huskies

By Kshell

This week the Washington Huskies(1-1) will  host the Portland State Vikings(1-1) which will have a familiar face on their sideline. The Vikings head coach is Nigel Burton who played for the Huskies from 1996-98 including being a captain in 1998. As a Husky fan growing up in the 1990's it will be strange seeing Burton being a head coach against the Huskies. Burton has coached against the Huskies before when he was a defensive backs coach for the Oregon State Beavers from 2003-2007 where he was 4-1 against the Huskies including winning three in a row at Husky Stadium from 2004-06. Burton made great memories in his three year career at Washington as I'm sure plenty of his ex-teammates will feel strange seeing him on the other sideline.


Burton, began his career at the University of Pacific in 1995. He recorded 85 tackles that year as a safety in 11 games while earning Big West defensive player of the week. Pacific then dropped their football program so Burton with three years of eligibility came up north to the Washington Huskies. While at Washington Burton started at safety in 35 of 36 games where the Huskies went 23-13(.638) during his three years.

With the Huskies Burton recorded 175 tackles with three interceptions. He was named to the all-academic team all three years. He was also named team captain in 1998 by head coach Jim Lambright. Burton had some great moments at Washington and made a name for himself in his second game. Against highly ranked BYU and senior quarterback Steve Sarkisian he made life hell on Sarkisian. He was constantly blitzing from the rover position and recorded two sacks that day. Now he'll be facing Sarkisian 16 years later only now Sarkisian is for the Huskies and Burton is for the enemy.

Burton has made a habit of having things come full circle. His senior year at Washington in 1998, the Oregon State Beavers were trying to defeat the Huskies for the first time since 1985. After scoring a touchdown to cut it to 35-34 head coach Mike Riley decided to go for two. Burton broke the pass up so the Huskies avoided the huge upset. He would end up coaching at Oregon State after helping beat them. After being a secondary coach for five seasons he would leave to coach the Nevada Wolf Pack as their defensive coordinator in 2008 and 2009 .

Burton then took over a lousy Portland State program in 2010. In his first season the Vikings were 2-9 and 1-7 in conference play. Then last year Burton led his Vikings to a 7-4 record including 5-3 in conference play as the Vikings took third place. They had won five in a row including beating defending national champion Eastern Washington Eagles(same team who almost beat both Washington and Washington State) 43-26 in Cheney. Three of the Vikings losses were to defending Rose Bowl champion TCU horned frogs, #3 FCS Montana State 38-36 and then at #14 Montana 30-24. Burton has the program going in the right direction that is for sure.

This Saturday will be a special game for Burton as he'll try to showcase himself to his former school and every other D-1 school that he can be a big time coach. Burton who is only 36 years old led the Vikings last year to their first winning season since 2006. The Vikings haven't made the postseason since 2000 when they went 8-4. Burton is recruiting well and will try to sack Sarkisian again like he did back in 1996. This will be weird seeing Burton return to face the Huskies as the enemy. He was a good Husky on and off the field while making Husky fans proud of him. Burton is proving to be a good coach and possibly someday he can roam the sidelines for the Huskies. For now he'll be the enemy this Saturday which is going to feel strange.

Is Steve Sarkisian making enough progress?

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies have been in the news lately having fired defensive coordinator Nick Holt and hiring a new coordintor in Justin Wilcox. For Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian who will now be entering his fourth season as head man at Montlake there seems to be some doubt whether he is the guy who can carry this program to a Rose Bowl title. In the Seattle Times recently there was an article how Sarkisian is losing out on the prime in state recruits and currently the Huskies recruiting class isn't very good. Neither is the fact that in year three the Huskies were still getting blown out and the defense has still been terrible. In this following post I'm going to compare Sarkisian with the previous Husky coaches Don James, Jim Lambright, Rick Neuheisel and Tyrone Willingham. What I'll do is post their W-L records, what the teams record was before they took over and what it was three years prior to take over. I'll also post how many times their teams allowed 30 points or more, 40 or more, 50 or more and yes even 60 or more. I'll also post how many times they lost by 20 points or more, 30 or more, 40 or more and 50 or more. I'm fully aware that offenses have evolved and each coach took over the program had a different time far as program strength. This is just to give everyone an idea of where the program is at with Sarkisian going forward.

Don James (1975-1992):

Previous three seasons prior to arrival: 15-18
Previous season prior to arrival: 5-6
First season record: 6-5(+1 win improvement)

Coaching W-L: 153-57-2(.728)

20+ losses: 8(3.7%)
30+ losses: 2(0.9%)
40+ losses: 1(0.4%)
50+ losses: 1(0.4%)

30+ PPG allowed: 25(11.7%)
40+ PPG allowed: 6(2.8%)
50+ PPG allowed: 1(0.4%)

You can see why Don James was such a legend. In his third year he took the Huskies to a Rose Bowl championship and in his fifth year he had the Huskies winning 10 games, sixth season another Rose Bowl and seventh season a Rose Bowl title. During his eighth and ninth season had the Huskies going for a Rose Bowl until being upset in the Apple Cup and in his 10th season had the Huskies ranked 2nd in the nation. He rarely if ever got blown out and his teams always played good defense. James set the bar very high for every coach who followed him as he won four Rose Bowls, an Orange Bowl and a National championship.

Jim Lambright (1993-1998):

Previous three seasons prior to arrival: 31-5
Previous season prior to arrival: 9-3
First season record: 7-4(-2 wins)

Coaching W-L record: 44-25-1(.637)

20+ losses: 6(8.5%)
30+ losses: 2(2.8%)
40+ losses: 1(1.4%)

30+ PPG allowed: 20(28.6%)
40+ PPG allowed: 7(10.0%)
50+ PPG allowed: 3(4.2%)

Jim Lambright of the coaches walked into the best situation far as talent having taken over the team after James suddenly retired two weeks prior to the 1993 season. Lambright took over a team who had gone to three straight Rose Bowls. He also took over a program facing two years bowl ban, plus other sanctions including loss of scholarships for two seasons. The biggest obstacle Lambright couldn't overcome was the shadow of Don James despite the fact as you'll see he was the second most successful coach for the Huskies although never going to a Rose Bowl in six seasons he could never live up to James. Lambright was shown the door after six seasons despite winning 63% of his games at the school he once played for and guiding the Huskies through those tough probation years.

Rick Neuheisel (1999-2002):

Previous three seasons prior to arrival: 23-13
Previous season prior to arrival: 6-6
First season: 7-5(+1 win improvement)

W-L record: 33-16(.673)

20+ losses: 5(10.2%)
30+ losses: 1(2.0%)
40+ losses: 1(2.0%)
50+ losses: 1(2.0%)

30+ PPG allowed: 15(30.6%)
40+ PPG allowed: 4 (8.1%)
50+ PPG allowed: 1( 2.0%)
60+ PPG allowed: 1(2.0%)

Rick Neuheisel took over the program after the sanctions had finally wore off and he was very successful at first. He won a Rose Bowl during his second season finishing ranked 3rd in the nation. The next two years he struggled by Husky standards going just 15-10 as the defense was declining and it had appeared the talent level on defense was decreasing as well. The perception due to that 65-7 loss to #1 ranked Miami on national t.v. was that Neuheisel was getting blown out too much which as you can see simply wasn't the case. Neuheisel was caught gambling in a pool and was fired. Keith Gilbertson took over and went 7-16 for two years. The thought was the program needed to be "cleaned" up which set up the shittiest years in UW football history.

Tyrone Willingham (2005-08):

Previous three years before arrival: 14-22
Previous year before arrival: 1-10
First season: 2-9(+1 win improvement)

W-L: 11-37(.229)

20+ losses: 16(33.3%)
30+ losses: 6 (12.5%)
40+ losses: 3(6.2%)
50+ losses: 1(2.1%)

30+ PPG allowed: 25(52.0%)
40+ PPG allowed: 14(29.1%)
50+ PPG allowed: 5(10.4%)

As you can see the Willingham era was clearly the worst era in Huskies football history. Willingham inherited a program on the rocks having just gone 1-10 but he made the program worse somehow finishing his career off going 0-12 and losing his last 14 games as Huskies head coach. While the Huskies were competitive during his second and third seasons there wasn't enough wins to show for it. When Willingham was finally fired the Huskies were searching for their fifth different head coach in an 11 year span.

Steve Sarkisian (2009-present):

Previous three years prior to arrival: 9-28
Previous year prior to arrival: 0-12
First season: 5-7( +5 win improvement)

W-L: 19-19(.500)

20+ losses: 9(23.6%)
30+ losses: 5(13.1%)
40+ losses: 3(7.8%)

30+ PPG allowed: 19(50.0%)
40+ PPG allowed: 10(26.3%)
50+ PPG allowed: 4(10.5%)
60+ PPG allowed: 2(5.2%)

Sarkisian of the coaches I just named did the best in his first season in improving. While James, Neuheisel and Willingham all improved by one game Sarkisian improved by five games.  Sarkisian has guided the team to back to back bowl games after not going to a bowl game in six seasons. Now looking at these numbers though Sarkisian is closest to Willingham. They are getting blown out roughly the same and allowing the same big defensive numbers. Sarkisian is winning more games than Willingham as he is simply a better coach so the Huskies are winning almost all of their close games. Although I don't think Sarkisian is like Willingham instead he reminds me of a different Huskies head coach.

In conclusion, Sarkisian reminds me most of Rick Neuheisel. I think both are great offensive coaches, good game day coaches, good play callers, average recruiters and average program builders. I think had Sarkisian taken over when Nueheisel did his record would be on par with Neuheisel. I don't think Sarisian is the guy to take the Huskies to a Rose Bowl title unless he has a fluke year like Neuheisel did in 2000 when the Huskies went 11-1 but had eight fourth quarter comebacks that season. Sarkisian experience a similar season in 2010 when the Huskies went 7-6 but won four games on the final play of the game. I feel as if Sarkisian is the guy who will continue to put the Huskies in a bowl game much like Neuheisel was. I just don't think Sarkisian is on James level or even Lambrights level as the defense was somehow been worse in his era than even Willingham's. Sarkisian has a lot to improve on heading into year four but we are starting to see a trend develope and he is shaping up to be another Neuheisel where every passing record will fall but the team only wins seven to eight games a season.

Reaction to Mike Leach hiring

By Kshell

The Washington State Cougars did something they haven't ever done in their school history. When Bill Moos had announced the hiring of former Texas Tech head coach Mike Leach the Cougars immediately became the talk of college football for the day. In a shocking move to most(remember who said would coach the Cougars the minute Jeff Tuel was injured week one) fans throughout the nation the Cougars landed the controversial coach. The Cougars not only landed Leach but they are paying him 11 million over five years. Considering their previous head coach Paul Wulff made less money than the Huskies underachieving defensive coordinator this is huge news since Leach is tied with Steve Sarkisian as the third highest paid coach in the conference. Leach while at Texas Tech went 84-43(.661) and 47-33(.587) in conference. In 10 seasons at Tech Leach led the Red Raiders to 10 bowl games which is how many bowl games the Cougars have made in over 100 years of playing football. Moos is giving Leach a second chance after an undeserved firing.

In 2009, Texas Tech had suspended Leach then fired him once he had a lawsuit against the suspension. Leach is currently having an ongoing lawsuit with ESPN and Texas Tech as we speak. One year removed from being the national coach of the year while leading the Red Raiders to an 11-2 record Leach was fired during an 8-4 season which saw his team go to the Alamo Bowl. Controversy hit Leach when he fueded with ESPN analyst Craig James(who is a douchebag by the way) son Adam James. James used his dad's ESPN powers to complain about playing time and interfering with Leach. Leach was fired for telling Adam James to leave practice and sit in a dark room as he had a concussion. The facts are if he was me or anyone reading this post Leach would still be coaching at Texas Tech. Instead he cried to his dad because everything in his life has been handed to him so Tech sided with the James family. The riks for Moos by hiring Leach is that ESPN won't televise any of their games which is a nice theory. The flaw in this theory is that the Cougars never once appeared on ABC or ESPN under Paul Wulff. The way Moos handled the firing of Wulff while transitioning to Leach reminded me of the Jim Lambright to Rick Neuheisel transition.

The details of the Leach hiring was released and they weren't good. After the Utah loss Moos contacted Leach about the coaching position. After the Apple Cup loss that Monday Leach had accepted the position as head football coach of the Cougars. Which is all fine except for one small detail. Former head coach Paul Wulff and alumni was forced to sit through two meetings on Sunday and Monday with Wulff. Wulff also had an alumni gathering he attended on Monday despite Moos knowing his fate for a week. Moos dragged Wulff along which is very slimy especially to an alumni. Wulff loved the Cougars like Lambright loved the Huskies. The Huskies in 1998 had a bowl game in Hawaii playing Air Force. The earlier game was Colorado against Oregon which apparently then AD Barbara Hedges was interviewing Rick Neuheisel. Both programs stabbed a guy in the back who had played for their program to make their biggest hire at the time. Neuheisel brought instant results winning a Rose Bowl in his second season. Neuheisel also didn't love the Huskies and was constantly looking for other jobs while doing an average job of recruiting. The Cougars might suffer the same fate as Wulff loved the Cougars and was doing things the right way. While Leach could possibly use the Cougars as a stepping stone. At the end of the day the details of Wulff's firing won't be remembered especially if Leach does the impossible which is making them the main team in this state.

Every athletic director at his press conference makes a ton of promises that he ultimately has no intention on fulfilling. Well Moos proved today he is serious about making the Washington State Cougars a "big time" program. Going behind your coaches backs even if they are alumni is part of the game in big time college sports. Moos knows the drill too well. He realizes that while in Pullman sentimental values goes a long ways he realizes in the real world that means jack shit. Prior to the Leach hire in the last 40 years the Cougars had hired only one coach with D-1 experience. That coach was Dennis Erickson who coached a whopping one year at the "powerhouse" known as Wyoming. Moos isn't going to accept being the Huskies bitch anymore, he won't accept being in last place but hearing crap like "progress". Moos lives in reality which is wins and losses is the only thing that matters. Moos knows with a stadium deal coming up he needed to bring excitement to Pullman and living here in Seattle the Cougars not the bowl bound Huskies were the talk of the town. Moos did what he had to do which is make the Cougars a BCS program finally.

In conclusion, as a Huskies fan I'm actually happy with this hire and scared at the same time. I'm happy because this will force the Huskies to keep up on their toes. If the Huskies slack off like they did from 2004-2008 Leach will take advantage where Bill Doba failed to do so. Look for the Huskies to counter with a big move of their own and if they don't well we deserve what we get. The Cougars sacrificed their "innocence" as Wulff said to become a real BCS program. The Cougars can never call any other program sleezy or classless again. The Cougars won't care as they won't be the laughing joke of the conference anymore. Instead Leach is taking over an offense who averaged 29.8 points per game and 322.3(9th in the nation) yards passing a game with three different quarterbacks. Now that Leach is in town instead of Wulff look for the Cougars already good passing attack which is returning two quality quarterbacks and although the Pac-12 idiots don't think so a first team all conference receiver to lead the nation in yards passing per game. The apple cup will finally be a rivalry once again which will confuse fans if they are watching football or a basketball game. Welcome to the Pac-12 Mike Leach. Welcome to college football Washington State we've been waiting for 100 years. Moos understands the message that it's all about wins and losses.



Watch this video as Leach will show you he isn't at all like Wulff. You think this guy will make excuses after a loss? Yea I don't think so.

Mike Leach speech after a WIN over Baylor

My sitdown with former Washington Husky and Kelso Hilander David Richie

By Kshell

The other day I had a nice football related talk at the local Starbucks here in my hometown. This wasn't your normal football talk about Washington Husky football as this conversation involved somebody who has actually worn the purple and gold. This guy had also went to a Rose Bowl, won a Super Bowl and even won an XFL championship. This football chat was with hometown legend David Richie who played for the Huskies from 1992-1996 where he was honorable mention all Pac-10 in 1995 and second team all Pac-10 in 1996. In this following story I'll talk about Richie's playing career at Washington, how he owes everything to a single coach who he still respects very much, and his current coaching job at a High School in Portland, Oregon.

When Richie was growing up he came from a small city in Southwest Washington which was Kelso High School. He played for the Hilanders from 1989-1991 while at Kelso he dominated as a three sport athlete who played football, basketball and did track. Richie due to his athletic ability and size was getting some looks from colleges. In particular he was being recruited by a school that was in the process of winning back to back Rose Bowls and a National Championship in 1991.

"I remember taking an amtrack train up there from 1989-91'. People locally would make sure I would get on that train. I missed a total of two homes games at Husky Stadium in those three years. Sometimes I'd crash on Steve Emtmans couch, it was a blast going to those games," recalled Richie.



Richie came to Washington primarily because of one coach. No the coach wasn't Don James although Richie has the upmost respect for James. Instead Richie came to Washington because of long time defensive line coach and current Stanford defensive line coach Randy Hart.

"Randy Hart is the greatest man I've ever known. I have known Randy for the last 22 years(since I was 15 years old). He was hard on you but he knew how to coach you up and bring the best out of you. He was a great father figure to those like myself who grew up in a single mother household," says Richie.

"Randy taught us everything from how to be a good husband to how to be a good father. He always stressed about staying on the right path and never going off that path. If you went off the path Randy would put you back on the right path real quick. He had a system going of succession from John Cook to Travis Richardson to Steve Emtman to Tyrone Rodgers to D'Marco Farr to Deke Devers then to myself. That is how it was back then everyone fell in place and was ready to take over when it was their time," as Richie remembers fondly.

As the years go by Richie has still stayed in touch with Randy Hart. When I asked him where he would go today if he was in high school he smiled and said Stanford. He said he would go wherever Hart was at. After Richie went on a recruiting trip to the University of Oregon that night he immediately called up Hart at 9:30 p.m. and told him he was going to Washington because of Hart.

Thankfully for the Huskies back then Hart was still their coach as the "redneck" from the little town of Kelso, Washington would become a household name while at the University of Washington. While redshirting at Washington Richie got to play under one of college football's legendary head coaches in Don James.

He also recalls one practice when he felt that he finally "arrived". "I was going through one of those rough stretches that every freshman goes through. I was having a bad week and it was USC week so that was always big. I remember one play I blew up fullback Leif Johnson, then very next play blew up fullback Matt Jones and on the following play I blew up fullback Darius Turner. That is when I heard whistles blowing and Don James screaming "will somebody block that #97!". That was a great feeling getting recognition from James all the way up in the tower," recalls Richie.

Unfortunately for Richie and the rest of his teammates playing under James wouldn't last very long. On August of 1993 college football would be rocked around the nation. The Washington Huskies were given a two year bowl ban and then head coach Don James resigned that day. Defensive coordinator Jim Lambright would take over as head coach.

"I remember when he would have you sit on his couch for his meetings, I had six of those in fact. He had me diagnosed with my mental disabilities, ADHD and dyslexia, got me tutors and made school life much easier to manage. DJ was a great man and I personally felt like all that work went down the drain and a little why did you leave us?" recalls David. "P.A. Emerson stood up first and threw his keys on the ground and that's when things went to hell in a hand basket. His last words were (talking through tears) "I am handing you over to Jim Lambright I am so sorry" and we watched him walk out the door with tears in his eyes.
BOOM!"- Richie remembers sadly.



The transition was rough but fortunately for Richie his defensive coordinator in Lambright was now the head coach and his defensive line coach Randy Hart was his defensive coordinator. In 1993 and 1994 Richie primarily played special teams but in 1995 he got his big break. He was going to start for the Huskies in the 1995 season at defensive tackle. As he said before this was finally his turn.

During the 1995 season Richie led the Huskies in sacks and scored his only career touchdown down at Arizona on a 32 yard fumble recovery. He was honorable mention all Pac-10 that year on the Huskies who finished tied for first place in the Pac-10. Richie also won John P. Angel award which is rewarded to the top offensive lineman and defensive lineman. Andy Mason from Mark Morris High School won that award in 1992 as did other greats like Steve Emtman in 1991, Reggie Rogers in 1985 and 1986, Ron Holmes in 1984 and plenty of other greats. Unfortunately for Richie his season was cut short as he was hurt in the 33-30 win over the Cougars in the Apple Cup. He also had to miss the 38-18 loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Sun Bowl.

During his Senior campaign Richie started the year off with a bang. In the home opener and second game of the season him and Jason Chorak chased BYU quarterback Steve Sarkisian around all game long. Sarkisian was hyped up going into the game and would end the season 14-1 but on that day by those two was sacked and hit early and often. The Huskies would win 29-17 led by the great defensive performance of Richie and Chorak. Chorak would finish with three sacks while Richie would have two sacks on the day.

Later in the 1996 season Richie and the defense would beat the USC Trojans down in the L.A. Coliseum 21-10. The win was huge because it was the first time ever that a USC team had been held to negative rushing yardage. That defense that year went five straight games of holding opponents to 14 points or less going into the Apple Cup. The Huskies who would blow a 24-0 lead would hang on to win 31-24 in overtime. Richie had 11 tackles that day and three sacks while being Pac-10 defensive player of the week. Richie would end his Senior season as second team all Pac-10 defensive tackle and once again winning the John P. Angel award. Richie was the first Husky to win that award back to back years since Travis Richardson did in 1988 and 1989. His teammate Jason Chorak was Pac-10 defensive player of the year.



After dealing with the frustrations of not being drafted Richie would find himself on the Denver Broncos. He recalls as a rookie when Neil Smith picked him and gave him a ride to practice. Six years earlier he was walking the halls of Kelso High School to now he was getting lifts to practice from Neil Smith. Later that year the Denver Broncos won the Super Bowl over the Green Bay Packers 31-24. Richie just like in college where he tasted a Rose Bowl his first season would win a Super Bowl his first year in the NFL. From Kelso to University of Washington all the way to the White House.



Richie would bounce around the league which saw him play for the San Francisco 49ers where in a preseason game against the Seahawks he had the best game of his life he describe. He had 11 tackles, four tackles for lost, two sacks, six quarterback hurries and he also picked off former teammate Brock Huard and ran back a touchdown for the game winning touchdown. He also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Green Bay Packers. He ended his career playing for the L.A.Xtreme during the 2001 season and won an XFL championship which featured Tommy Maddox. Unfortunately due to injuries on his neck he couldn't play no longer. He had a nice deal on the table from the New York Jets as well.



Now David is coaching High School football. He began coaching his old High School Kelso in 2002 which beat my R.A.Long Lumberjacks 35-28 in overtime. Thankfully he didn't rub that one in on me. He then moved on to helping University of Washington football players to now coaching at Central Catholic High School in Portland, Oregon.

Under the head coach of Steve Pyne, Richie is teamed up with Toots Kahauni in building the culture up in this program. Central Catholic High School has dominated league play the past decade but can't seem to get over that second round hump. Both Richie and Kahauni coach the defensive line on varsity and on J.V. His defensive line features Alex Balducci who is a defensive end and is also a three star recruit which Washington and other Northwest schools is looking at along with Randy Hart and Stanford. Another defensive lineman he has is Jacob Nall who was the leagues defensive player of the year. Nall isn't ranked yet but by this time next year you'll see his name on rankings. Like Balducci Washington and other Northwest schools along with Hart are also looking at. He also features a strong nose guard Tyler Nagee who figures to have a big year next season.

The Central Catholic Rams won the league title in varisty, J.V. and freshman football. They finished the year 8-3 but due to some injuries lost in the second round. The Rams will return plenty of good players as most likely they'll have 12 all-league calibar players back, only losing three Senior starters on defense and five overall. The defense they run is the "Grizzly" which is a 5-3-3 defense. What makes their defense unique is that you have two defensive ends, one nose guard and your two other defensive tackles stand up something that you would see Bill Bellicheck and the Patriots use.

Whether it's coaching football or living life David is using the Randy Hart philosphy. He hopes to spread the great coaching he received from James, Lambright and Hart down to his current group of High School kids. Richie has came a long ways from being the hick in a hick town like Kelso. He has been to a Rose Bowl, won a Super Bowl, won an XFL championship and now he is helping kids reach the next level like he did. Overall it was nice catching up with a good Husky like David Richie. This will be the first of many football chats I have with him. I wish David plenty of success down the road.

Huskies take on #1 nationally ranked Oregon: Flashback to the glory days

By Kshell

When the Washington Huskies(3-5,2-3) travel down to Eugene to take on the #1 Oregon Ducks(8-0,5-0) this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on ABC. This game will signify just how far the Huskies program has fallen. The Huskies will enter this game without senior quarterback Jake Locker and will be 35 point underdogs. Losing Locker is the least of Steve Sarkisian's problems at the moment. There has been questions circling around if the team has quit on Sarkisian given they were just shutout at home for the first time since 1976. The Huskies have been outscored 85-14 the last two weeks and haven't scored in over six quarters of play.

The Huskies must now face the best offense they'll face all year. Through eight games this year the Ducks have outscored their opponents 439-143 which is an average score of 54.8-17.8. In Pac-10 play the Ducks are 5-0 and have outscored their opponents 250-130 which is an average score of 50.0-26.0. So teams have been able to score on the Ducks defense but unfortunetly for every opponent unless you are scoring over 50 points you simply aren't beating this team. The Ducks have been challenged in a few games this year but every time they blow the game wide open in the fourth quarter. This is one of the most explosive offensives in Pac-10 history.

The Huskies will be starting a freshman quarterback in Keith Price down in Autzen Stadium for his first career start. This has the feel of a game that could get very ugly really soon. This series lately has been pretty one sided. Not only have the Ducks dominated lately winning six in a row but the Huskies haven't been within 20 points in any of those games. The Ducks have outscored the Huskies 252-104 which is an average score of 42-17.3.

This rivalry has changed gone are the days in 1991 when the Huskies would win 29-7 over the Ducks and feel dissapointed. While Don James was at Washington he went 15-3 against the Ducks and just dominated them. The Huskies outscored the Ducks during that era 453-229 which was an average score of 25.2-12.7. Yes the Huskies have allowed more points in the last six seasons to the Ducks than they did in 18 years under the legendary coach of Don James. When the Huskies beat the Ducks in the Don James years it wasn't a big deal it was expected. Husky fans never once got excited beating them. It was routine to beat up on the Oregon schools(James was 15-1 against Oregon State).

That all changed in 1994. Then second year head coach Jim Lambright who had defeated the Ducks the year before 21-6 took his 9th ranked team in the country down to Eugene. The powerful Huskies (5-1,2-1) were expected to beat the Ducks(4-3,2-1) again. This same Huskies team beat #16 Ohio State 25-16 and then delivered the shocker of all defeating #5 Miami Hurricanes in Miami ending their 58 game home winning streak. The Oregon Ducks were just 4-3,2-1 in Pac-10 play but one of those wins was against Portland State. In fact Oregon had already lost to Hawaii who finished 3-5-1 and in last place in the Wac, also had lost to Utah at home 34-16. They also lost to Washington State 21-7 but they did beat #19 USC in USC 22-7.

With the Huskies holding onto a 20-17 lead the Ducks drove 99 yards to take the lead back 24-20 behind quarterback Danny O'Neil(Last losing player to win Rose Bowl MVP btw). The crowd was smelling upset but the Huskies were driving down the field led by Damon Huard. With first and goal from the eight yard line instead of handing off to Napoleon Kaufman the Huskies instead threw an out route which was jumped by Kenny Wheaton who ran all the way for a touchdown to give the Ducks an upset 31-20 win. The Ducks would follow up that win with a win over #11 Arizona the following week 10-9. The Ducks won the rest of their games and went to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1940's. The "pick" as it's referred to now was the turning point in the Oregon football program. That play is played before every home game at Autzen Stadium.

The rivalry officially had begun before either school had realized it. Then in 1995 the 19th ranked Ducks invaded Seattle to take on the 15th ranked Huskies. The Ducks led 24-0 at halftime but the Huskies rallied back to pull within 24-22 but missed two field goals inside 40 yards. Had either kick gone through the Huskies advance to the Rose Bowl instead the Ducks had just beaten them two years in a row. Despite finishing ahead of the Ducks in the conference the Cotton Bowl selected Oregon over Washington to get the rivalry heated. The following year in Eugene the Huskies got revenge as the 23rd ranked Huskies led by Corey Dillon destroyed the Ducks 33-14. The Huskies finished second in the Pac-10 and the Ducks finished with a losing season under second year head coach Mike Bellotti. It had appeared Oregon's little run had ended.

The Huskies came into the 1997 Oregon game as heavy favorites having just shutout USC the previous week. The Huskies came into the game injured starting true freshman Marques Tuiasosopo in place of Brock Huard and Maurice Shaw filled in for Rashaan Shehee. The Huskies had won 5 games in a row while Oregon had lost 4 in a row .The Huskies were still favored by 24 points but found themselves trailing 24-6 at halftime. Then Tuiasosopo hit Ja'Warren Hooker for a 41 yard touchdown pass to complete the comeback and give the Huskies a 28-24 lead. The only problem is Oregon had the ball.

Oregon drove down the field behind future #3 pick overall Akili Smith. Smith facing a 3rd and 20 found Pat Johnson for the game winning 29 yard touchdown pass. The Ducks took the lead and won the game 31-28. This would mark the third time in a four span that Lambright would lose to his rival the Ducks. The Huskies would go on to lose their final two games of the year and their rose bowl hopes were dashed.

Then in 1998 the 21st ranked Ducks defeated the Huskies down in Autzen Stadium 27-22 beating the Huskies four out of five years. Most importantly the rivalry had started to shift in Oregon's favor. So despite posting a 44-25-1 record and 31-16-1 in Pac-10 play Jim Lambright was fired. Losing four out of five to Oregon was unacceptable. Now that wasn't the only reason Lambright was fired but that was a primary reason. The fans had turned on Lambright.

The Huskies fired Lambright and brought in Rick Neuheisel. The rivalry reach an all-time peak during the Neuheisel years. Him and Bellotti hated each other as Neuheisel ran a fake punt against Oregon in the 1996 Cotton Bowl and defeated Oregon 38-6. Then in Neuheisel last game at Colorado defeated Oregon again in the 1998 Aloha Bowl 51-43. Right away you can feel the tension when Bellotti reported Neuheisel for recruiting violation. That set up the showdown in Seattle when the Huskies upset 25th ranked Oregon 34-20. Showing the Ducks yes there is a new man in charge. Neuheisel had improved to be 3-0 vs Bellotti. That changed the following year when 20th ranked Oregon upset #6 Washington 23-16. The Huskies would still go on to the Rose Bowl and finish the year 11-1 ranked 3rd in the nation. Oregon would finish 10-2 ranked 8th in the nation.

In 2001 the teams didn't play each other. Oregon finished that year 11-1 ranked 2nd in the nation while Washington was 8-4 and took second in the Pac-10. In 2002 the Huskies were picked to win the Pac-10 but it was the Oregon Ducks who started off hot winning their first six games to go 6-0 and were ranked 6th in the nation. While the Huskies started off slow after blowing the Michigan game in the famous 12 men on the field play. The Huskies were 4-5 to begin the year looking like they were going to suffer their first losing season since 1976 when Don James was just in his second season. Then Rick Neuheisel claimed the Huskies will win the "Northwest Championship". To motivate his team and the Huskies ended the season with Oregon State, at #23 Oregon and then at #3 Washington State. His motivations were one for one as the Huskies on Senior night defeated the Beavers 41-29 setting up the showdown in Autzen.

November 16th, 2002: Washington Huskies(5-5,2-4) at #23 Oregon Ducks(7-3, 3-3)

The Huskies had to beat either Oregon in Oregon or Washington State in Pullman to secure a non losing season. The Cougars were ranked in the top five in the nation at the time while the Ducks were ranked so both scenarios seemed very unlikely. The Huskies came into this game with the best passing attack in the nation with Cody Pickett hitting Reggie Williams which was the advantage Rick Neuheisel planned to attack against Oregon who had a small secondary. The Huskies secondary was a bit banged up though as wide receiver Wilbur Hooks was asked to also play some nickel corner and the Huskies were also starting true freshman Nate Robinson. Robinson who now stars in the NBA is such a great athlete he started two sports in the Pac-10 as a true freshman.

The game started off horribly for the Washington Huskies. On the first series Jason Fife found Sammie Parker for an eight yard touchdown who had burned the young freshman Robinson in the process. On the next series the Ducks answered with another score when Fife hit Jason Willis for a 37 yard touchdown pass to give the Ducks a 14-0 lead. The crowd was going crazy as they were smelling another victory over the Huskies who hadn't beaten them in Autzen Stadium since 1996.

The Huskies would finally bounce back behind Pickett's arm and Rich Alexis who had a rare good game. Alexis would score on a five yard touchdown run to close the gap at 14-7 to end the first quarter. The Huskies defense got tough and began shutting down the Oregon offense. Pickett would then tie the score up when he would hit Reggie Williams with a 23 yard touchdown pass. Williams who would have a big day was just getting started as the team headed into the lockeroom tied 14-14.

In a panic move coach Mike Bellotti who had enjoyed great success in his career against the Huskies(9-4, won 5 in a row before retiring) pulled starting quarterback Jason Fife for young freshman quarterback Kellen Clemens. Clemens very first pass was picked off by Derrick Johnson as the Huskies momentum had continued. On the very next play Huskies runningback Alexis ran it in the endzone from 13 yards out to give the Huskies a 21-14 lead.

Things started to unravel for the Ducks whose reliable kicker Jared Siegel missed a 39 yard field goal attempt that would have cut the margain to 21-17. Then reliable punt returner Keenan Howry fumbled a punt giving the Huskies possession again. Pickett capitalized hitting Patrick Reddick for a six yard touchdown pass giving the Huskies a 28-14 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

The Ducks feeling the game slipping away pulled Clemens and went back to Fife but by then it was to little to late. The Huskies in the fourth put the game away when Pickett hit Reggie Williams on a slant and Reggie took it all the way to the endzone for a 47 yard touchdown. The Huskies on their next series it was like deja vu all over again. Pickett again hit Williams on a slant for a 41 yard touchdown which had Huskies play by play announcer Bob Rondeau scream "REGGIE HOW GREAT ARE YOU?!". The Huskies had taken a 42-14 lead and had scored the games last 42 points. In fact the game was such a blowout ABC switched the last five minutes of the game to another more competive game.

After the game is when the rivalry tipped the iceberg for hatred. The Huskies celebrated and danced on the Oregon "O" after the game. Took pictures on the field after the game and Braxton Clemens had a Northwest Championship shirt check list with an "X" by Oregon State and then by Oregon. Another signal that times had changed at Washington. Under Lambright or James no such behavior would be allowed but Neuheisel rationalized by saying "it was a tough year".



The final stats for the Huskies were pretty incredible. Cody Pickett finished the game 26 of 37 for 316 yards passing with four touchdowns and just two picks. Reggie Williams would have 14 receptions(school record) for 198 yards(school record) and three touchdowns. The Huskies also had a running game behind Rich Alexis who ran the ball 30 times for 122 yards with two touchdowns. The Huskies defense shut down the Ducks passing attack holding them to 10 for 33 passing for just 170 yards and two interceptions. Cody Pickett also passed Ryan Leaf with 3,818 yards passing on the season to become the all-time passing leader in Pac-10 history.

It was a great victory for the Huskies as beating Oregon mattered while it hadn't under James. It also poured gasoline on the fire in this rivalry. Oregon vowed to get Washington back by dancing on their "O". The following year in 2003 under then first year head coach Keith Gilbertson the struggling Huskies took on the Ducks and found themselves trailing 10-0 and 10-7 at halftime. Then Reggie Williams took over again catching seven passes for 130 yards with a touchdown. The Ducks had vowed they would dance on the Huskies "W" for revenge but instead the Huskies blew the Ducks out yet again 42-10 and it was the Huskies who danced on the "W". That would also be the last time the Huskies would beat the Ducks.

This rivalry has seen a change that is for sure. The Huskies still lead the all-time series 58-39 but before 1994 the Huskies had led 54-28 which looks a lot more dominating. Given that Oregon's high powered offense isn't going away as long as Chip Kelly is there look for Oregon to keep cutting into the all-time series lead. The Huskies without Locker and even if Locker was playing find themselves 35 point underdogs this Saturday. It's not looking very likely that the rivalry is going to change back anytime soon.

Huskies take on Beavers flashbacks to thrilling 2000 game

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(2-3,1-1) host the #24 Oregon State Beavers(3-2,2-0) this Saturday for homecoming at Husky Stadium. The Huskies are hoping to end a six game losing streak to the Beavers including four which took place at Husky Stadium. This rivalry has certainly changed quite a bit this decade. The Huskies had a stretch from 1975 to 2003 where they only lost to the Beavers two times. Oregon State was a terrible program for nearly three decades. The Beavers were the school you had hoped you played on the road because you were going to destroy them no matter where they played. Don James went 14-1 against the Beavers in his Husky coaching career the man who replaced James, Jim Lambright went 6-0 against the Beavers.

It was in Jim Lambrights last year when the rivalry and the Oregon State program started to change a bit. It was in 1998 and the Huskies were 4-2 entering that game and hosting the Beavers meant another easy win. Brock Huard had returned from injury so he'd most likely rack up some numbers then turn the game over to electric sophomore Marques Tuiasosopo. Huard would have a fine game in his return throwing for 260 yards and four touchdowns on the day. His back up Tuiasosopo would run for a 41 yard touchdown and the Huskies led 35-14. The Huskies were also wearing the ugly purple helmets combined with the white pants this game. It was another standard game against the Beavers where the Huskies were destroying them. Then something happened head coach Mike Riley switched quarterbacks he went with freshman Jonathan Smith who at best 5'8". Thats when the game changed and Beaver fortunes changed forever.

Smith started throwing bombs all over the field. He would hook up with Ronnie Tompkins for a 90 yard touchdown along with hooking up with Greg Ainsworths for an 80 yard touchdown. Smith would end up throwing for 469 yards which is a record against the Huskies. Smith lead the Beavers down for another touchdown making the game 35-34. On the road going for the upset against the heavy favorites Riley decided to go for two. Huskies captain and current Portland State Head Coach Nigel Burton knocked down the two point pass and the Huskies had survived the game to improve to 5-2.

The Huskies "won" the game and the Beavers had "lost" the game that day but it didn't feel that way given how the programs were at the time. Huskies would finish the year a lowly 6-6 by their standards and Jim Lambright would be fired. While Oregon State almost had its first winning season since 1970 they just missed it going 5-6. The Beavers had almost knocked off #1 ranked UCLA later in the year and did upset state rival the Oregon Ducks. Going 5-6 at Oregon State was so unheard of that Mike Riley was offered the San Diego Chargers job which he accepted. Thats how much the programs were different one coach went 5-6 and got a promotion while the other coach went 6-6 and was fired. This game would set up to be the biggest game in this rivalry just two years later only nobody knew it at the time.

October 7th, 2000: #23 Oregon State(4-0,1-0) at #13 Washington(3-1,0-1)

Times had changed in the culture of Oregon State in just the two years that had passed by. Dennis Erickson who had been fired from the Seahawks after four mediocre seasons was hired by Oregon State heading into the 1999 season. Erickson who had won two national championships at Miami knew how to do one thing and one thing only in college and that was to win. In his first year with mostly Riley's recruits in 1999 he guided the Beavers to a 7-3 start and eventually a 7-5 record. The crowds were storming the fields as that was the Beavers first winning season since 1970. The Beavers head into this game shocking the #18 USC trojans who were picked to finish second in the Pac-10 the previous week. They faced the team who had been picked to win the conference in the Washington Huskies.

The Huskies were in a similar stage as well. Tired of going 7-4 every year and second rate bowl games the school fired Jim Lambright and his 44-25 record(.637%). The Huskies hired away young coach Rick Neuheisel who was 33-14(.702%) while at Colorado and was 3-0 in bowl games. In Neuheisel's first year he led the Huskies to a 7-5 record but the Huskies beat the Ducks, Beavers and Cougars all in the same season for only the second time since 1994. The Huskies had also finished second in the Pac-10 that year. With tons of players returning including star quarter back Marques Tuiasosopo the Huskies had tons of hope heading into the season.

Unlike the Beavers who had a soft non conference schedule the Huskies did not. The Huskies faced 4th ranked Miami Hurricanes at Husky Stadium the second game of the year. The Hurricanes that year featured such NFL players as Santana Moss, Clinton Portis, Ed Reed, Reggie Wayne and Jeremy Shockey among many more. The Huskies had upset the Hurricanes that day 34-29 in a game that was led by the Huskies 28-9 at one point. The Huskies then took their act on the road and faced Colorado in Colorado. That was a hostile environment for Neuheisal and the Huskies won 17-14. The Huskies magic would run out in their Pac-10 opener in Autzen stadium trailing 23-3 at one point but battled back to lose 23-16 at #9 Oregon. Setting up this game which at the time didn't appear big. It was big for Washington in the sense that a loss here and the Rose Bowl hopes would be dashed.

This game was a night game in Husky Stadium and had many Beaver fans packing the stadium in Orange in both endzones hoping for their first win over the Huskies since 1985. The Beavers who had now junior quarterback Jonathan Smith went down and scored on their first possession. Smith hit Robert Prescott for a 48 yard pass to give the Beavers a quick 7-0 lead. The Huskies would answer back when Tuiasosopo would hit freshman Justin Robbins for a 16 yard touchdown pass to even the score at seven. Before the end of the quarter Patrick McCall would bust a 43 yard touchdown run. McCall who had transfered from Michigan was trying to win two Rose Bowls with two different teams. He was backing up junior sensation Ken Simonton. Simonton would rush for 104 yards on 23 carries(4.5 YPC) while McCall had 89 yards on 11 carries(8.1 YPC). The Beavers led 14-7 at the end of the first quarter.

The Huskies knowing that the Beavers liked to blitz a ton used their screen game to their advantage. Then starting running back Paul Arnold would end up with 7 receptions for 65 yards. The Huskies were without their fullback so backup running back Braxton Cleman played fullback. Cleman would rush 31 yards on 6 carries(5.2 YPC) and would catch a pass for 8 yards. The Huskies drove down the field and tied the game on a one yard touchdown run by freshman Rich Alexis. After Jon Anderson would add two short field goals for the Huskies the Huskies led 20-14 at halftime.

In the third quarter facing a third and goal from the 11 yard line Smith would hit future pro bowl wide receiver T.J.Houshmandzadeh for an 11 yard touchdown pass. Ryan Cesca would make the point after kick and the Beavers would lead 21-20 going into the fourth quarter at Husky Stadium. The team who was picked to win the Pac-10 at the start of the year was looking like they were going to start off 0-2.

The Huskies in the fourth quarter facing a crucial fourth and goal from the one elected to go for it. The Huskies back then had a powerful offensive line and freshman Rich Alexis scored on a one yard run and wasn't even touched. Alexis would end up with two rushing touchdowns and 107 rushing yards on just 12 carries(8.9 YPC). The Huskies leading 26-21 would go for two in trying to go up a touchdown. Instead Tuiasosopo would fumble the snap and the ball would squirt out of the back and the Beavers Heyward-Johnson would scoop it up and run 98 yards for the two point conversation making the game 26-23. The Huskies basically scored a four point touchdown.

The Huskies would drive down the field again using Arnold effectivetly. Arnold along with his receiving totals would end up with 102 yards rushing with 16 carries(6.4 YPC). The drive would end with Tuiasosopo rushing for a four yard touchdown giving the Huskies a 33-23 lead with a little over eight minutes to go. The Beavers facing a third and long on their own 20 and Husky Stadium was going crazy. Jonathan Smith went back to pass facing a blitz unleashes a bomb and loses his shoe in the process and connects with future pro bowl receiver Chad Johnson(now Ocho Cinco) for an 80 yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 33-30.

The Beavers would have the ball last and were driving for at least the tie and possibly the win. The Beavers facing a 2nd and one from the Huskies 24 yard line tried to run the ball for a first down which stops the clock in college. Junior defensive tackle Larry Tripplett blew up Ken Simonton in the backfield for a loss of four yards making the situation third and five which forced the Beavers to spike the ball and set up a 46 yard field goal attempt. Ryan Cesca's kick was wide right and the Huskies had survived the game and won 33-30. It had appeared the Huskies weren't as good as advertised seeing how they lost to Oregon and barely beat Oregon State at home.

Marques Tuiasosopo would finish the game with 20 of 32 passing for 223 yards and 39 yards rushing with a passing touchdown and rushing touchdown. His counter part Smith who fell to 0-3 against the Huskies was 13 of 24 for 314 yards and three passing touchdowns. In fact both teams would combine for 978 yards of total offense including 504 by the Huskies. The Huskies also grounded out 281 yards against the Beavers defense which was pretty stout the rest of the year. As for the future NFL receivers Houshmandzadeh would end up with five receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown. Chad Johnson would have just two receptions but 116 yards and a touchdown.

The Huskies would finish the year 11-1 with a 34-24 Rose Bowl win over Purdue. The Huskies were in the Rose Bowl because of these same Beavers who intercepted Joey Harrington five times and beat the Ducks. The Beavers would finish 11-1 spanking Notre Dame 41-9 in the fiesta bowl. The Huskies would finish the year ranked 3rd in the nation while the Beavers would finish 4th in the AP poll and 5th in the coaches. This was the year of the Northwest Schools as the Oregon Ducks would finish the year 10-2 and ranked 8th in the nation.

Flash forward to ten years later and the rivalry has completely changed. The Beavers would finally get their win over the Huskies the following year spanking the #8 Huskies on senior day 49-24. The Beavers had lofty expectations heading into the 2001 season but failed to live up to them and finished 5-6. Both programs would again change coaches at the same time. The Huskies would fire Rick Neuheisel in June of 2003 due to a gambling pool in the NCAA tournament amongst other things. The Beavers head coach Dennis Erickson would leave them after four seasons and fired Chargers coach Mike Riley would return. Riley in his second go around has dominated the Huskies going 6-1.

The Beavers onced blocked a punt to beat the Huskies in Husky Stadium 21-20 in 1985 when they were 38.5 point underdogs. It was a miracle win and the only loss of Don James career to the Beavers. Now head coach Mike Riley chants "We always beat the Huskies" or "We always beat the Huskies in Husky Stadium". He can say that now because times have changed which is sad to so many Husky fans. I hope you enjoyed another trip down memory lane and remember things can always change back. Go Dawgs!