Nebraska uses big third quarter to defeat Washington in shootout 51-38

By Kshell


The #10 Nebraska Cornhuskers(3-0) exacted some revenge on the Washington Huskies(2-1) at home with a 51-38 win. The Cornhuskers used a big third quarter which saw them outscore the Huskies 17-0 to put the game away. The Cornhuskers were led by quarterback Taylor Martinez who threw for 156 yards with two touchdowns then he also ran for 81 yards with a touchdown as well. Martinez played like he did in last seasons meeting in Husky Stadium. The Cornhuskers ran for 308 yards(5.5 YPC) on the day and capitalized on some crucial Huskies mistakes. The Huskies lost this game despite Keith Price throwing for four touchdowns and Chris Polk rushing for over 100 yards. This was a good old-fashioned shootout between two great offense. The Cornhuskers behind Martinez held on for the 51-38 victory over the Huskies as they gave the Huskies some revenge from that 19-7 Holiday Bowl loss last December.

The Cornhuskers won the coin toss and elected to receive the ball first. On the opening kickoff  Ameer Abdullah took the kickoff to the Cornhuskers 47 yard line giving them great field possession. On the first play of the game taylor Martinez had a play action fake then threw up a duck of a pass to Kenny Bell who burned senior cornerback Quentin Richardson for a 50 yard pass play down to the Huskies three yard line. On the following play Martinez then rolled out and hit fullback Tyler Legate for a three yard touchdown pass. The Cornhuskers more known for their rushing came out throwing since the Huskies  coming into this game led the nation in most yards allowed through the air. The Cornhuskers had a strike right off the bat and the crowd was going crazy. This wasn't the type of start the young Huskies offense wanted.

The Huskies would take over knowing they had to respond or risk finding themselves in an early hole. On their first play from their own 20 yard line Keith Price hit Jermaine Kearse for a gain of five yards. Chris Polk ran the next two times for 10 yards total setting up a second and seven. Price hit freshman sensation Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 15 yards to the 50 yard line. Price would hit Kasen Williams on a bubble screen for a gain of 12 yards to the Nebraska 38 yard line. With Jesse Callier in motion Sarkisian called a beautiful play which had Price fake the fly sweep to Callier then went downfield to find a wide open Kearse for a 38 yard touchdown. The Huskies answered the Cornhuskers touchdown with a touchdown of their own to show them they weren't going to back down this game.

After both teams traded punts the Cornhuskers would go on a seven play 48 yard drive ending in a field goal to go up 10-7. The Huskies would answer with a drive of their own going on a five play 35 yard drive but the drive would end when Price threw an interception at the 10 yard line intended for Seferian-Jenkins. The Huskies defense would force a punt then the Huskies offense would take over trailing 10-7. The Huskies offense would go three and out but Nebraska would fumble the punt which was recovered by Desmond Trufant. Price would hit James Johnson for a gain of 13 yards to the Nebraska 10 yard line. After two failed run attempts to Polk which netted just four yards the Huskies were facing a critical third and goal from the six yard. Price would drop back to find nobody open then sprint up like he was going to take off running only to find Kearse for his second touchdown of the game. For Kearse that was his fourth touchdown in the last two weeks. For the Huskies they would take a 14-10 lead over Nebraska in the second quarter which had the folks in Lincoln worried. Then Nebraska would steal momentum right back from the Huskies.

On the ensuing kickoff Cornhuskers return specialist Abdullah would return the kick 65 yards to the Huskies 34 yard line. Rex Burkhead would rush twice for 11 yards to the Huskies 23 yard line. Then facing a second and 13 after Martinez fumbled out of bounds from the Huskies 26 yard line Martinez would hit Aaron Green for a 26 yard touchdown pass. Green was coming out of the backfield on a wheel route which had defensive end Hau'oli Jamora covering him as Richardson was late to slide over for help. The Huskies would respond with an eight play 43 yard drive of their own. That drive featured Price hitting Johnson for a 24 yard gain on a third and eight. The Huskies offense would stall and be forced to settle on an Erik Folk 41 yard field goal which would tie the game up at 17-17.

With under two minutes to go in the half a crucial play would happened which had a possible effect in the outcome of the game. As the Huskies punting the ball to Nebraska the ball bounced off a Nebraska receiver which should have been rewarded to the Huskies. Instead the officials called a 15 yard penalty for fair catch interference. The replay showed and the national announcers both said that was a blown call. Instead of the Huskies having the ball on the Cornhuskers 20 yard line the Cornhuskers had the ball on their own 41 yard line. The Cornhuskers would go on a 10 play 42 yard drive ending in a field goal to be up 20-17 at halftime.  The Cornhuskers were led by Martinez who was 8-17 passing for 145 yards with two touchdowns while rushing for 52 yards on 10 carries. Burkhead had 36 yards on seven carries. For the Huskies they were led by Price who was 11-19 passing for 138 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. His favorite targets were Kearse who had three receptions for 49 yards with two touchdowns and James Johnson who had three receptions for 39 yards. Polk had 57 yards on 12 carries to go with his two receptions for 12 yards. The Huskies were down only 20-17 were getting ball first in the second half as well.  Little did the Huskies know that the third quarter would be their worst quarter of the season.

The second half was a total disaster for the Huskies as they went three and out on their first possession which was highlighted by a key third down drop. The Huskies would punt the ball and Trufant would drill the Cornhuskers punt returner. Although he didn't signal for a fair catch he was called for fair catch interference. The Huskies coaches were upset so they were also flagged all in all the Huskies were penalized 20 yards on that play. The Cornhuskers would go on a nine play 56 yard touchdown drive capped by a Burkhead one yard touchdown run to give the Cornhuskers a 27-17 lead. On the ensuing kickoff due to an injury to Callier the Huskies had four star recruit true freshman Bishop Sankey to receive the kick. Sankey would fumble the ball then as he dove to recover the ball he collided with sophomore Kevin Smith as Nebraska recovered the ball on the one yard line. The Cornhuskers would cash in on that mistake with a one yard touchdown run by Burkhead to go up 34-17. The Huskies would then go three and out while the Cornhuskers would go on a six play 49 yard drive ending with a field goal to go up 37-17.

With the game getting away from the Huskies fast the offense knew they had to come up with a big drive. Starting from their own 30 yard line Price would hit Williams for a gain of 12 yards to their own 42 yard line. After a short run by Polk, Price would hit Johnson for a gain of seven yards to set up a third and one. That is when Polk would rush for the first down with a gain of three yards then follow it up with a gain of 11 yards to the Cornhuskers 35 yard line. On second down Price would hit Kearse for a gain of 15 yards to the Cornhuskers 20 yard line. On third and eight Price would throw a pass a little behind Kearse for a gain of six. Had Price hit him in stride that's a first down instead the Huskies faced a fourth and two. Sarkisian decided to go for it as the Huskies called play action with nobody opened Price was scrambling around then tried to run for the first down but was stop for a two yard loss. The Cornhuskers would take advantage going on a nine play 86 yard touchdown drive highlighted by a fullback dive run by Tyler Legate for 36 yards. The Cornhuskers would finish the drive with a Green six yard touchdown run to go up 44-17 in the fourth quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff the Huskies would finally see a big return for themselves. Kevin Smith would return the kick 64 yards to the Nebraska 32 yard line. After a four yard run by Polk and a dropped pass facing a third and six Price would hit Devin Aguilar for a gain of 19 yards to the Cornhuskers nine yard line. Price would hit Aguilar again for a gain of seven yards to the Cornhuskers two yard line. Polk would then finsih off the drive for the Huskies to pull within 44-24. The Huskies would force a three and out on defense. The Huskies starting the Cornhuskers 43 yard line. Polk would begin the drive with a gain of eight yards to the Cornhuskers 35 yard line then follow that up with a run of 25 yards to the Cornhuskers 10 yard line.  Price would finish the drive with a 10 yard touchdown pass to Johnson to pull the game within 44-31. Then another controversial penalty would doom the Huskies once again.

The Huskies would try to onside kick the ball as wide receiver Jermaine Kearse appeared to have recovered the ball. Instead the refs for the third time missed the fair catch interference rule. On a kickoff the kicking team has a right to the ball as long as the ball travels past 10 yards which the ball did. Nebraska would then pound the ball to Burkhead. From the Huskies 43 yard line the Cornhuskers fed Burkhead the ball four times for 37 yards. The Cornhuskers would finish the drive when Martinez would rush for a six yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 51-31. The Huskies on their possession would score right back as Price would hit Johnson for a 52 yard touchdown to pull the Huskies back within 51-38. The Cornhuskers would grind the clock down from there only to be stopped on fourth down to give the Huskies some life in the game. With under two minutes left down 13 and no timeouts Price was flushed out of the pocket and threw an ill-advised pass attended for Kearse which was intercepted. The Cornhuskers would kneel on the ball to run out the clock as the Cornhuskers would hang on for a 51-38 victory over the Huskies.

For the Huskies they lose their first game of the year despite scoring 38 points on the road. Price would finish the game 21-37(56.8%) passing for 275 yards with four touchdowns to two interceptions. His leading receiver was junior James Johnson who had six catches for 108 yards with two touchdowns. Kearse had five catches for 70 yards with two touchdowns. Aguilar would have five receptions for 41 yards, Williams two for 24 yards and Seferian-Jenkins one catch for 15 yards. Chris Polk carried the ball 22 times for 130 yards(5.9 YPC) with a touchdown while adding 16 yards receiving. For the Cornhuskers they were led by Martinez who was 10-21 passing for 156 yards with two touchdowns while also rushing for 81 yards with a touchdown. Rex Burkhead carried the ball 22 times for 120 yards(5.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. Unlike the Holiday Bowl the Cornhuskers offense was able to move the ball and take advantage of the Huskies poor special teams.

All in all, this is a tough loss for the Huskies as they proved they can hang with a big time opponent while proving they aren't quite ready. The Huskies lost a game on the road despite scoring 38 points mainly because defense and special teams gave up 51 points. Hard to win games when you have bad calls go against you, turn the ball over three times and mainly allow 51 points. When the Huskies trailed 44-17 they didn't quit which was nice to see. In years past the Huskies would have rolled over and quit which the offense didn't do today. The guy leading the charge was Price who was hobbling out there but wouldn't be taken out of the game. The Huskies offense has shown in their non conference schedule they will be able to score points with anyone in the conference. The Huskies defense has shown in their non conference schedule they will be able to give up points to anyone in the conference. The Huskies if they wish to appear in a bowl game this season must clean up their defense. You can't expect to beat everyone every week scoring 35+ points a game eventually the defense will have to start to carry their weight or this could be a long season.

Observations:

- The play of Keith Price today was pretty incredible with all things considered. Price had to face a hostile crowd, a defense that put pressure on him to score every series, dropped passes and two bad knees. With the Huskies trailing 44-17 his backup Nick Montana was warming up and Price easily could have called it a day as he was struggling at the time in the second half. Instead Price stayed in the game and threw for two more touchdowns. Price I'm sure earned the fans and his teammates respect by staying in the entire game.

Price for the game threw for 275 yards with another four touchdown performance. Today Price didn't distribute the ball as much as he normally does completing 21 passes to only six different receivers which isn't a bad thing. Price has shown he is more than a game manager as he is actually understanding Sarkisian's offense better than Locker did. For the season Price is 56-87(64.3%) passing for 692 yards with 11 touchdowns to just three interceptions. Price is only a sophomore quarterback you would think would only improve from here on out. He showed guts and leadership in today's loss while having a pretty good game.

- The defense has allowed 110 points on the season for 36.7 points per game on the year. The defense has allowed 1,356 yards in three games for 452 yards per game which again won't get the job done either.  The Huskies offense led by Price and Chris Polk have the Huskies offense going in the right direction but the defense has been terrible this year. The defense wasn't helped out by special teams today as Nebraska had seven scoring drives that went less than 60 yards, with five being less than 50 yards. You simply can't allow all those short yardage opportunities for your opponent. The Huskies defense just needs to be average this year as the offense should average over 30 points a game.

- Chris Polk had another terrific game for the Huskies as he ran the ball 22 times for 130 yards with a touchdown. He appeared to get stronger as the game went on. Polk dating back to last year has rushed for over 100 yards in five straight games and six of his last seven games.

During that seven game stretch Polk has ran for 1,030 yards(5.9 YPC) with seven touchdowns. Polk despite having to have knee surgury just weeks before the opener on the season has ran for 357 yards(5.3 YPC) on 67 carries with two touchdowns. The Cornhuskers gameplan was to stop Polk which they didn't have success doing. Had the Huskies defense and special teams not given up so many points the Huskies would have pounded Polk even more like the Holiday Bowl. Polk makes the offensive line look better than they are as he is great at reading holes plus he is so powerful when he carries the ball. The Huskies should be thankful for Polk who is finally getting a chance to be showcased as a star.

- I felt this was Steve Sarkisian's best game as a play caller. Could be the offense in year understands his playbook better too. The offense is clicking this year averaging 36 points per game. Price has 11 passing touchdowns which puts him on pace for 44 touchdown passes meanwhile Polk is on pace to rush for 1,428 yards with eight touchdowns. Sarkisian every game has about four to five play calls where I throw my hands in the air and scream WTF?!! This game he didn't have a single play where I second guessed him. He has his offense going in the right direction. He lost a quarterback to the top 10 of the NFL draft and somehow has the offense looking better. That is what another year of understanding his system and recruiting will do I suppose. The Huskies are no longer starting walk-ons on the offensive line, the Huskies are five deep at wide receivers, the Huskies have a playmaking tight end and not to mention the strength the Huskies have Chris Polk who some say will be the second runningback drafted in the NFL draft. Sarkisian just needs to figure out his defense because his offense is heading in the right direction.

In conclusion, the Huskies lost to a top 10 team on the road in a hostile environment by only 13 points. The offense didn't once seemed scared of the moment or nervous as they kept responding to the Cornhuskers scores. The defense has plenty of problems and if that isn't fixed soon this season can soon resemble the 2007 season. During that season the Huskies averaged over 30 points a game yet went 4-9 because they couldn't stop anyone. This will be one of the better defenses they face all year long yet the Huskies still hung 38 points on the board. I don't believe in good losses but there was plenty of positives to take from this game. I feel better about this Huskies team now than I did two weeks ago after a win over Eastern Washington. The Huskies offense is already in midseason form now they have to figure out the defense. For the Cornhuskers I'm sure there fanbase is asking the same questions only they improve to 3-0. The Cornhuskers handed the Huskies some revenge but I'm sure there is plenty of respect from both sides. The Huskies now enter Pac-12 play at 2-1 hoping to start off 1-0 in Pac-12 play at home against California. The Huskies offense will be ready next week just a matter of will the defense finally show up.

Washington Huskies take on Nebraska Cornhuskers for round three!

By Kshell

This week the Washington Huskies(2-0) will travel to face the #10 Nebraska Cornhuskers(2-0) in a highly anticpated game which will air on ABC at 12:30 p.m. pacific time. This matchup is unique because this will be the third time in a calender year that these two teams have faced each other. Like an NFL division teams who meet up in the postseason there won't be an surprises this Saturday as both teams should know the other team pretty well. These two programs have had a great deal of history when playing against each other. In the 1990's these schools squared off four times which I wrote about last year which includes quotes from players who played in each of those four games. These schools have plenty of tradition and great respect for each other why this game brings up so many special memories. Well last season these teams played twice which had opposite results which should make round three even more interesting.

In the first meeting the Nebraska Cornhuskers invaded Seattle with freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez winning in a blowout 56-21 over the overmatched Huskies. The national attention that day was how poorly Huskies quarterback Jake Locker played. What also was the story was the play of Martinez that day making his first career road start. Martinez in that win was 7-11(63.6%) passing for 150 yards with a touchdown. He also ran 19 times for 137 yards(7.2 YPC) with three touchdowns including an 80 yard touchdown run to open up the second half. The Cornhuskers had three separate guys go over 100 yards rushing on that game as they ran for 383(7.1 YPC) yards against the Huskies young defense. This year Martinez in two games is playing like he did that day. He is 21-43(48.8%) passing for 335 yards with one touchdown to two interceptions. He is leading his team in rushing with 272 yards rushing(8.0 YPC) with five touchdowns on the season. For the Huskies to have any chance to win this game they must contain Martinez rushing much like they did in their Holiday Bowl win last year.

When the two teams met in San Diego for the Holiday Bowl many expected the Cornhuskers to destroy the Huskies once again. Instead the Huskies shocked everyone by defeating Nebraska 19-7 to win the Holiday Bowl and clinch a winning season. The Huskies in that game were led by Chris Polk who ran for 176 yards(5.2 YPC) with a touchdown. It was the Huskies who punched the Cornhuskers in the mouth this game outrushing the Cornhuskers 268-91. The Cornhuskers averaged just 2.2 YPC on the day a far cry from the game in Seattle. Nobody represented that more than Martinez who was Tommie Frazier like in Seattle but in the Holiday Bowl ran for negative 20 yards on 14 carries while throwing an interception. The Huskies defense recorded five sacks that day against Nebraska meanwhile the Nebraska defense didn't sack the Huskies once or force any turnovers. The Huskies had four punts which saw three land inside the 20. Steve Sarkisian had a Don James type of victory which saw his offense control the clock but do nothing flashy, play great special teams and have his defense shut down the opposition. The Huskies won't be having Jake Locker who didn't play that well in either game although the second game he was a nice game manager making plays with his legs. This year the Huskies will now be the team traveling on the road with the inexperienced quarterback.

When the Huskies play in Lincoln, Nebraska this Saturday that will be only the second career start on the road for sophomore quarterback Keith Price. Price has played in a few hostile situations before having thrown the go ahead touchdown pass in the fourth quarter on the road at USC. Then Price made his first career start at #1 ranked Oregon Ducks in Autzen stadium which is one of the loudest stadiums in the nation. Price is a guy I recently did a feature piece on where I talked about how Price has overcame many of doubters. For the season Price has completed 35-50 passes(70.0%) for 417 yards with seven touchdowns to one interception. Unlike last year the Huskies actually have a tight end threat in Austin Seferian-Jenkins who has four receptions on the year for 101 yards with a touchdown. Price will try to do a better job of finding Jermaine Kearse who has just three receptions on the year but two of which are touchdowns. Dating back to the last two years Kearse now has 22 touchdowns in his last 27 games. The Huskies like they did in the Holiday Bowl will lean on Chris Polk who has ran for 227 yards(5.0 YPC) with a touchdown on the season. If the Huskies can get Polk going then Martinez will be standing on the sidelines much like last years Holiday Bowl game.


In conclusion, the Huskies and Cornhuskers are squaring off the third time in a calender year. There should be no surprises as both teams have seen each other at their best and at their worst. The Huskies are hoping to bottle up Martinez and control the clock with Polk like they did in their Holiday Bowl victory. Meanwhile the Cornhuskers are hoping to thrive off Husky mistakes and have Martinez run wild like the blowout in Seattle last season. The Cornhuskers are favored by 17 points in this game as they are a top 10 team in the nation playing at home. The Huskies are a program just like that have won six games in a row although outscoring their opponents by just 50(8.3 ppg over opponent) during that stretch. If the Huskies can win this game due to this being a non conference road game on ABC this would be the biggest win of the Sarkisian era. Sarkisian has proven with two wins over USC and a win over Nebraska he can pull off the upset as head coach. When the Huskies and Cornhuskers play there is so much history and tradition one can't help it if they are overly excited. Should be interesting to see which team plays more like they did in their victory last season. This could be a program defining win for Sarkisan while the Cornhuskers have had this game circled for months. Should be a great atmosphere this saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Huskies win Holiday Bowl 19-7 over Nebraska!

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(7-6,5-4) upset win over the #17 Nebraska Cornhuskers(10-4,7-2) 19-7 is by far the biggest win of the Steve Sarkisian era. This win for the Huskies gave them their first winning season since 2002 and first bowl win since the 2000 season. What was even more shocking than the win even was how the Huskies won the game. The Huskies dominated the trenches unlike last time these two teams played. The Huskies were beating Nebraska at their own game with pounding the ball and playing good defense. This was one of the biggest wins in Husky football recently.



The Huskies feeding off the energy of the crowd which was electric had a terrific start to the game. Nebraska began the game with the ball and were driving to midfield. The game was looking like a repeat of the Nebraska 56-21 win over the Huskies on September 18th. In that game Nebraska had three 100 yard rushers, you can read about the game recap.click here . I was getting worried about the start of the game then Nebraska tried to get cute. They had running back Rex Burkhead line up in shotgun to take the direct snap which he did on a sweep. On that play Victor Aiyewa poked the ball out from Burkhead which Alameda Ta'amu recovered 14 yards to the Nebraska 21 yard line.



The Huskies began the series with four wide receivers, three in a bunch set to the right. Chris Polk wasn't lined up at tailback instead Jesse Callier was which I found odd. Then Callier received the toss sweep to the right and then fired a pass across the field to Huskies quarterback Jake Locker who made a great catch and run for 16 yards. After a Nebraska half the distance penalty on second and goal from the four yard line the Huskies finally scored. Chris Polk ran in the touchdown from four yards out to give the Huskies a quick 7-0 lead as the crowd was going crazy(including myself).



The Huskies defense kept the momentum going by three and outing the mighty Huskers offense on back to back series. The Huskies defense unlike the first time around were not giving up any big plays. The reason for that is the freshman on the defensive line have matured, Cort Dennison didn't play the first game, and Victor Aiyewa was playing in just his third game ever at linebacker. Aiyewa led the Pac-10 in tackles for lost. The Huskies offense took advantage of the great defensive play by marching down the field for an Erik Folk 39 yard field goal. Chris Polk had three carries for 22 yards while Locker added a 12 yard run. The Huskies took a 10-0 lead heading into the second quarter.

In the second quarter the Nebraska offense finally started to move the ball. Facing a third and 13 from their own 48 yard line, quarterback Tayler Martinez who torched the Huskies the game before broke a 20 yard run for the first down. Then facing a third and eight from the Huskies 15 yard line, Martinez floated a pass in the left corner of the end zone that looked like it could have been intercepted. The pass was caught by Kyler Reed for a 15 yard touchdown to cut the score to 10-7. The Huskies would end the half with a missed field goal and took a 10-7 halftime lead.



The Huskies began the second half ball at their own 47 due to a great kickoff return by Jesse Callier and a penalty by Nebraska. Locker finally completed his first pass of the game hitting D'Andre Goodwin for a gain of 26 yards on third and eight to the Nebraska 25 yard line. On the next play Locker took the handoff and ran 25 yards for the touchdown. He then spiked the ball but no flag was called. The crowd was going crazy at this point the Husky fans finally started to believe they could pull off the upset.

The Huskies holding on to a 17-7 lead in the third quarter continued to dominate the Nebraska offense. The Huskies up by 10 points then went on a 12 play 55 yard drive which took up over five minutes of time. The quarter had ended with the Huskies facing a crucial fourth and goal from the one yard line. Steve Sarkisian is an agressive coach and with the way his defense was playing there wasn't any doubt he was going for it. The Huskies lined up in shotgun handed it off to Polk who was stopped just short of the touchdown. Had Polk went to his left a yard more he walks in the end zone untouched.



Nebraska took momentum but with backup quarterback Cody Green who was filling in for the ineffective Martinez due to injury still had to face the Huskies pressure from his own one yard line. Facing a third and long Green scrambled for a first down but that was only possible because Ta'amu was held in the end zone. The refs saw that and called holding in the end zone which resulted with a safety for the Huskies. At that point the Nebraska fans started to leave early.



Nebraska had one last chance to make it a game as they were driving against the Huskies prevent defense. Facing a fourth and 19 on the Huskies 44, Green attempted a pass to the end zone who had one on one coverage with Huskies corner Adam Long. Long had the ball hit him in the back which started the celebration. The Huskies gave Sarkisian the gatorade bath.

The Huskies finally won the Holiday Bowl 19-7. The Huskies had outgained the Huskers 340-189, had 21 first downs to their 14 first downs and outrushed the Huskers 268-91. The Huskies defense had five sacks, two turnovers and forced three fumbles. The offensive line who everyone loves to bash on gave up zero sacks on the game. The Huskies in a complete 180 degree turn from the previous meeting dominated the line of scrimmage.

The Huskies were led by Chris Polk who won Co-MVP with outside linebacker Mason Foster. Polk carried the ball 34 times for 176 yards(5.2 YPC) for a touchdown. Polk controlled the game and the clock for the Huskies. The Huskies were playing Don James football which was run the ball, play good defense and don't turn the ball over. The Huskies dominated the rushing trio of Nebraska unlike the last meeting. Rex Burkhead had just 22 yards rushing on 12 carries(1.8 YPC) and Roy Helu had 28 yards on 11 carries(2.5 YPC). The Huskies shut down the run game and forced Nebraska to play a style they aren't used to.

Unlike the previous meeting where Martinez dominated Locker, I felt Locker outplayed Martinez this game. Locker's stats weren't great he was just 5 for 16 passing for 56 yards but most of those incompletions were throwaways. Locker also ran for 81 yards on 13 carries(6.2 YPC) with a touchdown. Martinez was seven for nine for 53 yards with a touchdown and an interception but had negative 20 yards rushing on 14 carries. Cody Green his backup quarterback was 3 for 12 for 45 yards and ran for negative five yards.

The Huskies from 0-12 to Holiday Bowl champs in just two years has been quite the turnaround. Sarkisian promised a quick turnaround and unlike Willingham he never brought up lack of talent. His supporters constantly brought up lack of talent but Sarkisian never did. Sarkisian featured the run game down the stretch and rallied his team from a 3-6 hole. This was a huge win for Sarkisian and recruiting as this proves he'll be here for a while. The Huskies are still probably a few years away from competing for Rose Bowls but at least the Huskies are now going to and winning bowl games. This was a huge win for this coaching staff and for these Seniors their legacy ranks up there as the team that turned this program around.

Observations:


- I've been saying feature Chris Polk all year long and the Huskies will win games. Well better late than never I suppose. In the Huskies four game winning streak Polk has ran for 673 yards on 107 carries(6.3 YPC) with five touchdowns. In the Huskies seven wins this year Polk ran for 968 yards on 165 carries(5.9 YPC) with seven rushing touchdowns. In the Huskies wins Polk averages 138.3 yards per game and 23.6 carries per game.

In the Huskies losses Polk ran for 397 yards on 95 carries(4.2 YPC) with just two rushing touchdowns. Polk averaged in the six losses 66.2 yards per game and just 15.8 carries per game. I think the stats show feature Polk and you win games. Now the question is will Polk be back next year? He has already ran for 2,511 yards on 506 carries in his short career. When running backs hit a certain age they start to fall apart so for a player like Polk the smart move is to leave. I hope he returns as Jesse Callier is a nice change of pace running back but I'm not sure he is a guy who can feed 25+ carries a game.



- Just like last game against Nebraska I saw another legendary coach. Last game I actually stood next to and shook Tom Osborne's hand. This game I saw Don James walking on the sidelines and took a picture of him. It was great to see the dawgfather at the game. He is the reason why Washington football is so great today having coached from 1975-1992. During that time James won six Pac-10 championships, four Rose Bowls, One Orange Bowl and One National Championship.



- Mason Foster had another monster game earning Co-MVP of the Holiday Bowl win. Foster came to Washington as a two star recruit but soon made a name for himself. He was the lone bright spot during the winless 2008 season when he led the Pac-10 in tackles. Last year Foster was a playmaker with forcing five fumbles and intercepting three passes including the game winning touchdown against Arizona.

This year Foster was first team all pac-10 linebacker. Finished second in the entire nation in tackles. Foster brought it every game even in the loss to Nebraska Foster had 17 tackles. Today Foster had 12 tackles, including five that went for a loss. To clinch the Apple Cup Foster recorded two sacks to end the game. Foster will be a very hard player to replace next year. All the attention was on Locker this season but Mason Foster was a huge part of the rebuilding of the Huskies. Foster had the best linebacking season by a Husky since Dave Hoffmann in the early 90's.



- I'll finish this blog post by talking about the career of Jake Locker. Locker finished his career by passing for just 56 yards but got the win. I've seen Locker put up huge numbers in losses and rival fans love to bash his record. Well Locker is a winner. Without Locker the team went 0-12 in 2008. Since Sarkisian has arrived Locker is 12-12(he missed Oregon game) and 9-8 in Pac-10 play.

Locker came back for his Senior year when the smart move was to leave. He came back for games like today. His legacy is terrific at Washington regardless of how his NFL career turns out. He finished his career with 7,639 yards passing(2nd all-time), 53 passing touchdowns(1st all-time) to just 35 interceptions. He also ran for 1,783 yards and 29 touchdowns which are both Husky records. I'd say Locker's career turned out just fine. He drove me crazy at times but he also wow'd me many of times. Locker helped turned the program around along with Chris Polk, Mason Foster and others. I'm glad to see such a great person go out on top like Locker did.

All in all this win can't be described in words. The Huskies defeated a team who embarassed them at home back in September. The Huskies pulled off a huge upset win that will carry momentum for recruiting for years to come. The Huskies were down in San Diego for a week with open practices and with this win recruits will follow. Sarkisian promised a quick turnaround and he makes tons of guarantees but I'm glad he backed up with promise. Sarkisian will have his work cut out for him next year replacing some stars but the program appears finally headed towards the right direction.

Huskies take on Cornhuskers in Holiday Bowl

By Kshell

When the Washington Huskies(6-6,5-4) take the field tonight in their first bowl game in eight years facing them will be a familiar foe. The Huskies will be facing defending Holiday Bowl champion #17 Nebraska Cornhuskers(10-3,6-2) who destroyed the Huskies earlier in the year 56-21. That was a game which saw Jake Locker have his career worst day passing just 4 for 20 with two picks and another pick that was called back. The Huskies will now have a chance for redemption against the Cornhuskers. The Huskies will also be trying to do something no Huskies team has ever done which is win the Holiday Bowl. The Huskies have lost three close games in years past in the Holiday Bowl. In this following blog post I'll review those Holiday Bowl games which this year will be the fourth time sine 1996 the Huskies have played in this bowl.

December 30th, 1996: #8 Colorado Buffaloes(9-2,7-1) vs #13 Washington Huskies(9-2,7-1)

This was when the Holiday Bowl featured on most occasions two highly ranked teams. This game featured Rick Neuheisel before he supposedly ruined Huskies football as Colorado's head coach. The Buffaloes were led by Senior quarterback Koy Detmer and future scumbag Rae Carruth. The Huskies were led by running back Corey Dillon and freshman quarterback Brock Huard.

The Huskies began the game up 14-0 behind Dillon rushing for two touchdowns on the first two possessions. After that the Buffaloes defense wouldn't allow another score. Detmer would hit future murderer Carruth for a 76 yard touchdown pass to pull within 14-7. Then Huard threw an interception that was ran back for a touchdown to even the game at 14-14.

Jerome Pathon would give the Huskies the lead back when he ran back the kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 21-14 lead. The Buffaloes would lead 24-21 in the first half which looked to be a shootout. Instead both defenses settled down as the Buffaloes won 33-21 led by game MVP Detmer who completed 25 of 45 passes for 371 yards and three touchdowns for the Buffaloes.

December 29th, 1999: Washignton Huskies(7-4,6-2) vs #7 Kansas State Wildcats(10-1, 7-1)



This game featured two teams who didn't want to be there. First for the second straight year Kansas State saw their national championship hopes die once again late in the year. Add insult to injury the Wildcats wouldn't be playing on January 1st. Hoping to avoid what happened the previous year where they were upset the Wildcats were focused this game.

The Huskies under first year head coach Rick Neuheisel saw them almost reach the Rose Bowl. In fact all the Huskies had to do was beat the two worst teams in the Pac-10 to reach the Rose Bowl but instead fell to UCLA in overtime to end their hopes. Both teams featured running threats quarterbacks as Kansas State had Jonathan Beasley while the Huskies had Marques Tuiasosopo who nicknamed by Keith Jackson as the "warrior" when he bruised his tail bone but threw for 300 yards and ran for 200 yards against eventual Pac-10 champion Stanford Cardinals.

This was a terrific back and forth game which saw the Huskies kick two field goals in the first quarter but Beasley for a one yard touchdown to give the Wildcats a 7-6 lead at the end of the first. After trailing 10-6 the Huskies would take the lead at halftime when Pat Conniff would rush for a three yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 13-10 lead at halftime.

In the second half Beasley would rush for an 11 yard touchdown to give the Wildcats a 17-13 lead. The Huskies would then answer back with a touchdown from Maurice Shaw from five yards out to give the Huskies a 20-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. That is when Kansas State went on a 20 play 92 yard drive after intercepting Tuiasosopo on the eight yard line for the game winning touchdown. The touchdown was capped by Beasley's third rushing touchdown of the game from one yard out.

The Huskies would lose the heartbreaker but go on to the Rose Bowl the next year. Tuiasosopo finished 18 of 27 for 197 yards with 11 rushes for 30 yards. Beasley the games MVP had just 48 yards rushing but three touchdowns along with 216 yards passing.

December 28th, 2001: #21 Washington Huskies(8-3,6-2) vs #9 Texas Longhorns(10-2,7-1)



This game goes down as one of the top Holiday Bowl games ever played. The Texas Longhorns were hoping to play for the National Championship but were upset in the Big 12 title game by Colorado a team they had destroyed earlier in the year. The Huskies began the year 7-1 saw themselves limping into this game after being destroyed by eventual national champion Miami Hurricanes 65-7. Rick Neuheisel was the Huskies coach who in his first three years as Huskies coach saw his teams finish second in the Pac-10, win the Pac-10 and finish second again. Both teams featured strong passing games from Texas Quarterback Major Applewhite who replaced Chris Simms, Applewhite's main target was Roy WIlliams. While the Huskies featured sophomore quarterback Cody Pickett whose main weapon was Reggie Williams.

After a scoreless first quarter the fireworks began in the second quarter. After two John Anderson field goals for the Huskies they finally scored a touchdown when Terry Johnson a defensive lineman intercepted a pass and ran it back 38 yards for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 13-0 lead. The Longhorns would answer back when Applewhite would hit a 43 yard touchdown pass then a 25 yard touchdown pass to Roy Williams to retake the lead at 14-13. The Huskies would kick score a touchdown when Pickett would hit seldom used tight end Joe Collier for a four yard touchdown. With no time remaining Anderson would kick his third field goal to give the Huskies a 23-14 lead at halftime.



The Huskies would began the second half with Pickett hitting Jeramy Stevens in the flat as Stevens would rumble in the end zone for a 17 yard touchdown. After a Longhorns field goal cut the lead to 30-17 the Huskies would score another touchdown by Willie Hurst from four yards out. The Huskies would fail on the two point try but hold a commanding 36-17 lead. That is when Applewhite would start picking on Chris Massey over and over again. The Longhorns would get another field goal pulling within 36-20 heading into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth Applewhite would throw for a two yard touchdown, then the Longhorns would rush for another touchdown pulling the game within 36-33. Applewhite would then hit tight end Bo Scaife from four yards out to give the Longhorns a 40-36 lead with six minutes to play. The Huskies Willie Hurst playing in his last game would bust a 34 yard touchdown run with a little over a minute left which everyone thought the Huskies would win. Applewhite wasn't done just yet he would hit some more long passes to Roy WIlliams which set up the game winning touchdown by Ivan Williams from three yards out. The Longhorns would win 47-43.

The MVP award was Co-MVP which was fitting as there was no losers in this game. Applewhite would complete 37 of 55 passes for 473 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions. He was the Co-MVP and his main target was Roy WIlliams who caught 11 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. For the Huskies WIllie Hurst ran for 137 yards on 16 carries for two touchdowns in earning the Co-MVP in the loss. Cody Pickett completed 27 of 54 passes for 293 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. His main weapon was tight end Jerramy Stevens who caught nine passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

As you can see the Huskies all three times were huge underdogs much like today. All three times the Huskies had leads in the game but couldn't hang on. After what everyone saw in September when Nebraska spanked the Huskies 56-21 Husky fans would take a close game and build for the future. The Holiday Bowl has always had some crazy scores and finishes and hopefully this year the Huskies can pull off the upset.

Nebraska destroys Huskies 56-21, Locker has career worst game

By Kshell

The 8th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers(3-0) prove to be to much for the Washington Huskies(1-2) as they defeated the Huskies 56-21 in a game that set all-time lows for the Huskies. The Cornhuskers managed to throw more passing yards in this game than Washington and have three 100 yard rushers in this blowout. The Huskies showed they still have a long ways to go.

The game started off horrible for the Huskies. In front of a packed house that was roaring(which featured tons of Nebraska fans as well) the crowd was taken out of the game early. Jake Locker on his first pass attempt threw a pick intended for Devin Aguilar in double coverage. In just two plays the Nebraska offense scored a touchdown. Taylor Martinez connected with Mike McNeill for a 24 yard touchdown pass. That was Martinez' first career touchdown pass in college.

After a Washington three and out Nebraska got the ball again. Taylor Martinez hit Brandon Kinnie for a 55 yard reception on a missed tackle by Richardson. Martinez then scored on a 1 yard QB keeper. Nebraska with just less than five minutes into the game had led 14-0.

Washington then started to surprisingly run the ball on the next drive. Locker capped the drive with a great 7 yard touchdown scramble on 3rd and 5 from the 7. After both teams stalled for a few possessions Nebraska tacked on another score from Roy Helu from 8 yards out making the score 21-7.

The Huskies pinned the Cornhuskers down on the 6 yard line. Washington would then force a fumble recovered by Nate Fellner. Chris Polk would rush up the middle on a wide open hole for a 2 yard touchdown to make the game 21-14. That would be the closest the Huskies would get.

This was the key point in the game where Nebraska played smash mouth football with the Huskies. The Huskies were not ready for this. Nebraska ran the ball up the gut the entire drive with Martinez rushing for another 1 yard touchdown to make the game 28-14 at halftime.




In the 2nd half on the very first play Martinez busted a run on poor tackling angles for 80 yards. Nebraska then held a 35-14 lead. The Huskies in their last effort to make this a ball game would score quickly. Locker would rush for 33 yards then hit Jermaine Kearse who was wide open for 45 yards. That would be Lockers 4th and last completion of the game.

Nebraska then quickly turned this game into a blowout when Roy Helu ran for a 69 yard touchdown. That was followed up by Jake Locker throwing an interception which was ran back 31 yards for a touchdown. That put the game out of reach at 49-21.

Nebraska would tack on another score to make it 56-21 which was the final score. The 56 points were the most points ever allowed by the Huskies at home to a non conference game and tied California scoring 56 back in Tyrone Willinghams first year in 2005. The Huskies also allowed three guys to rush for 100 yards(Taylor Martinez 139 with 3 TD's, Roy Helu 110 with 2 TD's and Rex Burkhead 104 yards and 1 TD) and 383 yards on the ground. Jake Locker would finish the game 4 for 20 for just 70 yards passing with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.

The Huskies are now 1-2 heading into Pac-10 play. They must go 5-4 despite playing 5 road games in the Pac-10 to be bowl eligible. The Dawgs have a bye week next week then play at USC a place they haven't won at since 1996.

Observations:
- Before the game I met legendary coach Tom Osborne. He won three national championships and besides Don James he is up there for me on college coaches I'd like to meet.

- Jake Locker looked like the freshman and Martinez looked like the senior. If someone told me that Martinez would throw for twice as many yards as Locker would I'd laugh and point at you. Martinez threw for 150 yards while Jake threw for 70.

- Much like Rex Ryan on Hard Knocks its one thing to do the talk but its another thing to back it up. Steve Sarkisian guaranteed that the dawgs will go unbeaten this year. He didn't need to say that and for a team much like the Jets who haven't done anything yet just makes you look stupid.

- Thumbs up to Nick Holt for being man enough to show up on the Husky Honks show and talk about the tough loss after the game. You can tell he was not happy with things but I'm still confident with him as our Defensive Coordinator.

- Thumbs down to Steve Sarkisian and Jake Locker. I know this was a terrible loss and in Lockers case his draft stock might have fallen but still talk to the media after the game. Snubbing Bob Rondeau and Damon Huard isn't cool.

- Kudos to Nebraska fans for making the trip there was a ton of red. Even when Nebraska routed the Dawgs the fans I was by as I was walking to my car didn't say anything or talk crap. I'm wishing you guys good luck in the future.

- On the way to the game passed several cars with Oregon license plates who were wearing Nebraska Red. I hope those were Nebraska fans and not Duck transplants in disguise.

- This was a career low in QB rating for Jake Locker and minus the game when he got hurt in the first quarter a career low in passing for Jake. The one plus was his running. This was the toughest defense he'll face all year but if you are truly the best player in college football you can't just lay a stink bomb like this.

- Huskies are still a long ways away from being good. Sarkisian unlike Willingham put great expectations on himself. The facts are this team was 0-12 two years ago. If the Huskies played Nebraska 100 times they would lose all 100 times regardless of how Jake plays. At times when the game was still close the Huskies had 5 true freshman on the field on defense and started a true freshman on the offensive line. Thats not a recipe for success. The facts are the Huskies are still a long ways away probably another two years before the Huskies can legimately compete and start winning most of their games. The Question is will the fans/university give Sark a fourth year if he has had losing/underwhelming seasons in his first three?

Well even though the Dawgs lost hope you enjoyed my write up. My phone broke, the Huskies got destroyed and my favorite player laid an egg. Sounds like a great start to my birthday doesn't it? lol. Well fans thanks for reading my blog guys.

Interview with former Husky great Lincoln Kennedy

By Kshell

I've never done this before but in this piece I sat down and conducted an interview with Husky great Lincoln Kennedy over the phone. Lincoln Kennedy is a former two time All-American offensive lineman while at the University of Washington. He has appeared in three rosebowls, won a national championship. Then in the NFL he went to the pro bowl and a Superbowl with the Oakland Raiders. He was also on NFL Network when it first began.

Seattle Sports Blog: Compare the games in Lincoln, Nebraska vs the night game in 1992?

Lincoln Kennedy:

Both games were electric. It was an electric game, prior to the Nebraska game I couldn't imagine how a small city could produce such a great atmosphere. I'm from a big city so flying into Lincoln, the biggest building in the entire region was the football stadium which was full of nothing but red and white. There was a sense of do we belong? Can we hold our own? This was a chance to answer those questions.

I was just blown away at the night game. This was the first night game I had ever played in at Husky Stadium. It was like God intended this day to be great any other day it might have been bad weather but today it was beautiful. Clear sky and blue sky you couldn't have asked for a more special place. You had the boats out there and the crowd was loud it was pretty special. After 1991, we had the swagger we knew what it took to win these type of games since we proved the year before we could do it. We lost some key players but we also returned plenty of talent from the year before plus a healthy Mark Brunell and Napoleon Kaufman was a year older.

SSB: Facing the 21-9 deficit in Lincoln, Nebraska where nobody wins ever how did you guys feel?

Lincoln Kennedy:

I felt we weren't out of it. I knew with our defense and our big hitters they would keep us in it. I was young and naive to realize how big of a moment this was and how hostile the crowd was. We could do some things on offense it's not like we were getting stuffed just stalling. We did a great job of overcoming adversity and penalties to regroup and get it all together. We just had to get over the initial crowd noise.

SSB: I noticed in 1991 you were right tackle and in 1992 you were the left tackle. Was that because Mark Brunell who is left handed was supposed to be the starting quarterback?

Lincoln Kennedy:

Yes that is correct I was always supposed to be the blind side. Then we were going to switch but with both quarterbacks they just left me at right tackle in 1991 anyways.

It helps to have a great teammate in Sup Malamala who was also first team all pac-10 at left tackle.

SSB: You have have had the great opportunity to play in a Rose bowl and a Superbowl can you compare the two? I know its Apples to Oranges.

Lincoln Kennedy:

The Rose bowl I went my sophomore year and we beat Iowa(46-34) and then with the rest of our team basically being sophomore's and juniors it was expected. I knew it was going to happen we all did that we'd be back my junior and senior season so it was more expectations than thrill.

Superbowl wow there is so much hype to begin with than a Rose bowl. Both are very special games. The Rose bowl you have the prestige of playing on January 1st but you share that day with other teams. The Super Bowl you are the only game on T.V. and everyone in the world is watching you. Its just so difficult to get into the Super Bowl. I didn't get there until late in my career and even after getting there it was hard getting back. The Super Bowl is just a special game.

SSB: You have been very fortunate to win a National Championship and then the AFC Championship. I know one was on paper and the other was on the field. Can you compare the two?

Lincoln Kennedy:

On the National Championship we felt that everything that we did from execution, to hitting to the scores that we put up that we did everything we could have done to win a National Championship.

At the Marriott Hotel the little wing off the side was all UW. From players, to boosters, to alumni, to reporters. After the win over #3 Michigan(34-14) nobody slept we all stayed up waiting to find out the results. I don't know what time it was but it was late in the morning when it was announced we were national champions. You could hear the entire hotel freaking out on every floor. People screaming outside their windows it was just crazy. It was crazier than the wildest frat party you could ever imagine that's how insane it was.

Winning the AFC championship was a feeling of relief. I was starting to doubt would I ever get to play in a Superbowl. I had been close a couple of times but when the clock ticked to zero I was just happy. Also helps celebrating in Oakland with the black hole craziness.

SSB: How was "sharing" the 1991 National Championship with Miami? And was the goal to win a national championship?

Lincoln Kennedy:

We wanted a crack at Miami. The system back then had bowl alignment so we couldn't play them. With that year and a few other situations after that(1994, Nebraska wins title, Penn state undefeated gets nothing. 1997, Nebraska and Michigan share) the BCS game was started because of that.

The National Championship never once came in discussion. The goal was to go to the Rose bowl and win the Rose bowl. We had to just worry about what we can control. We took things one week at a time. We had to because we got everyone best game. Look at California that was a close game(UW won at Cal 24-17, Cal was ranked 8th). We always won the close games under Don James. The only time we would lose is when adversity in the locker room hit. If it wasn't for that Billy Joe crap we go undefeated in 1992 I believe.

SSB: I don't want to get into the details as I respect Billy Joe greatly but can you describe the circus that surrounded the 1993 Rose Bowl? Instead of celebrating your third trip in a row you are answering non football related questions.

Lincoln Kennedy:

When all that junk came out I was even mentioned and I didn't do anything! When I recruited Napoleon Kaufman(all-time leading rusher in Washington Huskies history) all I had to do was stand with Sup[Malamala] and be like we are blocking for you. That was the selling point once he saw us two he was like oh it's done I'm going to Washington to run behind you two I'll never get touched.

We were all just confused as anyone else. They wanted to have a scapegoat and its sad that they would give in and allow such a great man to take the fall.

SSB: How did you guys all react to the aftermath of the sanctions?

Lincoln Kennedy:

When we all got wind of what was going down we were all upset that they would allow James to take the fall. I have no respect for Barbara Hedges(Then UW athletic director). I lost ties to the program because of that. How can you not admit the wrongs that you did and just pin it all on Don James?! That just isn't right at all.

Probation really hurts you. You have no idea how badly it hurts you. Oregon and Oregon State are successful because of our probation. It allowed all these schools to catch up. We not only lost scholarships but other schools were using that against us. When I played every Northwest kid went to UW. Don James had a fence around the Northwest. I said this under the Willingham years as well it just hurts you. Taylor Mays, Jonathan Stewart and Stephen Schilling would all be Washington Huskies instead of helping beat us.

Now all anyone cares about is the facility's. We had a weight room when I was there in 1991 and it was packed. Husky Stadium is a great place to play and the surrounding beauty you can't get anywhere else.

Its just a shame how they allowed such a great man to step down and take a fall. Hedges claims she did this to help the program but in fact she killed the program.

SSB: How was playing for the man you obviously have a ton of respect for Don James?

Lincoln Kennedy:

He had a funny way of getting the best out of you. First of all unless you were one of the main players like a senior captain he never talked to you. He coached you through his coaches. It was weird because I'm used to some one on one coaching from a head coach but he was very distant from you. At first you wonder why you would ever play for him but when you are older you realized why. His methods worked and he demanded a lot from us.

He was a little guy but he demanded fear. I'm a big guy and he scared me. He demanded fear. He was like the principal at school. If he was talking to you or you were called in his office it was never good. That means you screwed up and you were going to get your butt chewed out.

He had a great system all three phases of the game were stressed. We could score a touchdown on offense, score on an interception. One year it was Beno returning punts for a touchdown(Beno Bryant led the Nation in punt return yards in 1990) or in 1991 with Napoleon Kaufman on kickoffs. We had great hitters and great speed and you add it all up the sky was the limit.

SSB: Now I heard Don James coached from the Tower how intimidating was that?

Lincoln Kennedy:

He always saw everything. The tower was right in the middle so he could see every mistake you made. The worst was when he'd get really angry and come down the tower you didn't want to see him do that. If he ran down the tower we had to start practice all over again. We would start at the goaline and start our jog then our stretch and start all over.

These kids are spoiled now a days with the 20 hour a week practice rule. A couple of times James came down and we had to start all over. One practice we started at 3 p.m. and didn't get done til 9 p.m. because we had to start all over. It was terrible but it made it made us pay attention to details more.

SSB: Last question Lincoln when you were a freshman did you guys know that you were going to make history at Washington? I mean your class featured you, Dave[Hoffmann], Mark[Brunell] and even Steve[Emtman] was supposed to be a senior.

Lincoln Kennedy:

To be honest with you no I didn't. My redshirt freshman year we couldn't beat anyone(went 6-5). We lost WSU and I think Oregon came into our house and beat us as well. College football sucked that year, the coaches kicked our butts all year long as they weren't used to a season like that. I remember Jon Volpe of Stanford running up and down on us and that was just embarassing.

Then it just came down to Steven, Dave and myself saying to ourselves this is our future. This is not the way we want to have our college careers be where we are just average. Lets do something about it and work our tails off.

SSB: Then the next year vs Oregon State you put in Donald Jones and won that game. Went on to beat Florida and shut down this guy named....Emmitt Smith and the rest is history as they say.

Lincoln Kennedy:

Looking back its funny how that worked out. During recruiting I came to Washington because they were the only school who let me play defense. I came in with Emtman and Mike Lustyk. Well the defense had changed to a quicker defense and they told me to switch. It was either I don't play or I switch to offensive line.

I switched the offensive line and it worked out. During that run of three straight Rosebowls we were all spoiled. Jose the equipment guy who still works there started in 1989 so he just figured we would do it every year.

Its crazy in my years at Washington I spent every December in LA(1989-played in Anaheim vs Florida, 1990-1992 Rosebowl).

SSB: Hey Lincoln I'm going to the Nebraska game this Saturday are you going?

Lincoln:

No I live in Arizona I will not be going to the game. I went to the ASU game last year and I'll be going to the Arizona game this year.

SSB: Is there anything special going on next year for your guys 20th anniversity(I actually slipped and said 10, its been 20 already?) of the National Championship?

Lincoln:

I haven't heard anything from the school. We have all gotton together and we'll be up there don't worry. We have something planned amongst ourselves and we'll be there.

SSB: Well Lincoln that sounds great and thanks for the interview I appreciate it

Lincoln:

No problem and thanks for the interview I really enjoyed it and go Dawgs!

Washington Huskies-Nebraska Cornhuskers flashback to the 90's

By Kshell

When the 8th ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers come to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies it will bring back memories to the 1990's when both programs were at their peaks. The Huskies took on the Cornhuskers during their prime run in the early 90's and then they squared off again during the Cornhuskers prime run. In the 90's these schools were often ranked in the top 10 and you would always find their games on ABC. The schools have faced off 7 times previously with the results being 3 wins for Nebraska, 3 wins for Washington and 1 tie. With all due respect to those earlier games I'm going to focus on the games that were played in the 1990's. Just like this Saturday this game will feature a top 10 ranked team. In the 1990's in three of the four games both teams were ranked in the top 10.

September 21, 1991: #4 Washington(1-0) at #9 Nebraska(2-0) This was the defining game of the season for the Huskies. Going into the 1991 season the Huskies were the defending Rosebowl champs and finished the previous year ranked 5th in the nation after defeating Iowa in the Rosebowl 46-34. The expectations were high for the Huskies then the spring game happened. Rosebowl MVP Mark Brunell busted his knee in the game. He was expected out for the season. Highly touted recruit but just a sophomore Billy Joe Hobert would take over as quarterback for the 1991 Huskies.

The Huskies began the season by thrashing Pac-10 rival Stanford Cardinal 42-7 on the road. The Huskies knew though this wasn't Stanford. This was Nebraska in Lincoln where nobody wins. It was a 5 p.m. PT kick off on ABC. The crowd was rocking as this was a huge game for both teams. Nebraska had something to prove as well. Going into the game the question was could Tom Osborne win the big game? He had never won fewer than 9 games at Nebraska to that point but hadn't beaten a top 10 opponent in over 3 seasons.

This game featured the nations top rushing defense from 1990 in the Huskies and the nations top rushing offense from 1990 in the Huskers. The Huskies gave up a long touchdown run to Derek Brown found themselves trailing at halftime 14-9. Then Beno Bryant set up near the 10 yard line to return a punt. He fumbled the punt at the 1 yard line. Setting up a Derek Brown touchdown to make the score 21-9. The crowd was pretty loud at that point in the ball game.

"It was an electric game, prior to the Nebraska game I couldn't imagine how a small city could produce such a great atmosphere. I'm from a big city so flying into Lincoln, the biggest building in the entire region was the football stadium which was full of nothing but red and white. There was a sense of do we belong? Can we hold our own? This was a chance to answer those questions," recalled two time all american offensive lineman Lincoln Kennedy.

"It was by far the loudest stadium I had ever played in. We had to use hand signals because we could not hear Billy in the huddle," reflected by two time all Pac-10 wide receiver and 1991 Pac-10 offensive player of the year Mario Bailey. On facing a 21-9 deficit Bailey recalled "We never sulked ever."

"I felt we weren't out of it. I knew with our defense and our big hitters they would keep us in it. I was young and niave to realize how big of a moment this was and how hostile the crowd was. We could do some things on offense it's not like we were getting stuffed just stalling. We did a great job of overcoming adversity and penalties to regroup and get it all together. We just had to get over the intial crowd noise," recalled Kennedy.

That's when the season changed forever. Up until that point the telecast and the fans were focusing on who was missing at quarterback in Mark Brunell but in the next 20 minutes everyone would learn the name Billy Joe Hobert. The Huskies had just 5:32 left in the 3rd quarter trailing on the road in front of 76,304 sea of red in Nebraska.

After the Huskies had a touchdown pass from Hobert to Orlando McKay taken away they were facing a 3rd and 27 from the Nebraska 49. Hobert felt outside pressure and stepped and ran for 19 yards to set up a 4th and 8. Then offensive coordinator who raced back to the booth called a perfect play call. He called three receivers to run straight down the field and for Orlando McKay to go underneath for a first down. It was a terrific pass from Billy Joe. On the next play Beno Bryant busted a run 15 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-16.

The Huskies after forcing a three out led by Steve Emtman and Dave Hoffmann. The Huskies marched 69 yards in just 6 plays. Hobert found McKay with an 8 yard strike to make it 22-21. Hobert was feeling it at that point. He was pumped up and gestering and oozing of confidence. The late great Jamie Fields forced a fumble giving UW the ball again.

The Huskies marched again in six plays with Hobert rushing for his 2nd touchdown of the game giving him three total touchdowns. The Huskies now lead 29-21. The game was put away once and for all. The Huskies on their own 19 called a draw to Jay Berry on a 3rd and 12. Berry made a tackler miss and was off the races scoring 81 yards. As the Huskies were celebrating Keith Jackson had said "That was the sound of the door slamming shut." The Huskies led 36-21.

"When Jay Berry busted that the whole sideline was freaking out. It was such a great feeling watching him run down the sideline knowing we were going to win," reflecting superbowl champion and Husky great defensive lineman D'Marco Farr.

The Huskies would go on to win 36-21 having scored 27 unanswered points in the final 20 minutes of the game. The Huskies amassed 618 yards of total offense. The Huskies had two 100+ yard rushers in Beno Bryant rushing for 139 yards on just 17 carries and a touchdown. Jay Berry had 110 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown. Billy Joe Hobert was 23 of 40 passing for 283 yards and a touchdown plus two rushing touchdowns.

This was a huge win for the Huskies to walk into Lincoln and come out with the win. As Mario Bailey recalled "Beating Nebraska in Nebraska was the signal to our team that we could and would win the national championship." He also described his quarterback Billy Joe Hobert as simply a winner.

"In 1991, we started off ok but were surprised by a couple new formations they had. We always felt we were much more physical on defense than anyone we played. Although the Huskers were tough as nails....our hammers were bigger. We played smart and wore them down. We overcame a couple turnovers and really owned the last quarter and a half. This is all off of memory, but how can you forget such a great experience. Both my German Grandfathers were from Nebraska and were at the game.....they were proud men and it made me feel great. My brother Steve was a redshirt and got to come on the trip too because he had such a great week of practice. The whole thing couldn't have been better," recalled two time all american middle linebacker Dave Hoffmann.

"It was very loud in Lincoln. I remember walking off the field at half time and having sodas and waters being dumped and thrown at us by their fans. You actually had to walk through a roped off area to get from the locker room and the field.... Screaming fans were just a few feet away. I was thinking this place is nuts! They just poured fuel onto the fire. We came out and hit 'em the mouth. Walking off the field after the game we were met with cheer and applause. Many of those cheering were wearing red and white. I think we earn their respect," stated Shane Pahukoa remembering back. Pahukoa was the starting safety on that team and would enjoy some years in the NFL.

"I just remember the hostile crowd and the blinding sea of red (1991). We had to walk through their concession lines at half time.........we were boo'ed and talk about so bad. All in the spirit and passion of the game however, but man were we pissed off to the highest of pisstivity! I had just fumbled a punt on our end of the field and then came a Nebraska touchdown. I think we were losing 21-6 at half. I looked around the locker room and saw a "Sense of urgency" not panic! The coaches came to speak to us and I saw nothing but confidence. That's when I knew we had something special at the Dub! Steve and the defense shut the Cornhusker offense down and Billy Joe was like a surgeon out there. Our offensive line was incredible. I don't believe Billy was touched after the 2nd Quarter. Finally, J-Barry pop a 82 yard run which was like "Poetry in motion" the beauty of that run and Orlando Mckay sprinting 82 yards to shield Jay the rest of the way.............WOW, THEY DON'T MAKE EM' LIKE THAT ANYMORE! Or do they..."HINT"!" reflected by starting running back Beno Bryant who was a highlight film sensation.

The Huskies would finish this season ranked #1 in the coaches poll, #2 in the AP and would share a National Championship. They would also win their second straight Rosebowl highlighted by Mario Bailey's Heisman pose.

September 19th, 1992: #12 Nebraska(2-0) at #2 Washington(2-0) This big game marked the first time since 1985 that Husky Stadium would be played under the lights. The defending national champions were playing in a prime time game on ESPN. This game was also on my birthday. Nebraska wanted to get some revenge on the Huskies after blowing the game the year before.

"I was just blown away at the night game. This was the first night game I had ever played in at Husky Stadium. It was like God intended this day to be great any other day it might have been bad weather but today it was beautiful. Clear sky and blue sky you couldn't have asked for a more special place. You had the boats out there and the crowd was loud it was pretty special. After 1991, we had the swagger we knew what it took to win these type of games since we proved the year before we could do it. We lost some key players but we also returned plenty of talent from the year before plus a healthy Mark Brunell and Napoleon Kaufman was a year older," recalled two time all american Lincoln Kennedy.

There was some new faces for the Huskies as Mario Bailey, Orlando McKay, Ed Cunningham and Aaron Pierce had graduated on offense. On defense the Huskies also had to replace graduates Dana Hall, Shane Pahukoa, Donald Jones and most importantly lost Steve Emtman who had left early to be the #1 pick overall in the NFL draft. Ask to fill in his shoes were D'Marco Farr and Mike Lustyk. They were facing what Tom Osborne had described as his greatest offensive line he ever had.

"Individually this was the pinacle of my career. The year before my job was easy, just sit on the sidelines watch Steve Emtman dominate then come in and be a role player. This year Steve wasn't there anymore it was on me and Mike Lustyk. Steve was like a big brother to me and he wasn't there anymore so it was my turn. I was also blessed to have the greatest defensive line coach in Randy Hart. Randy always had us well prepared for the games and it was great playing for Randy.It was always a line of succession back then and this was my turn," recalled defensive tackle D'Marco Farr.

Farr's thoughts on the game, "The atmosphere was great. It was a night game and the crowd was amazing I couldn't believe how loud our crowd was that game. Going into the game I was a bit intimated because Steve was gone so it was on me. I also had to face a tough Nebraska offensive line which featured future NFL hall of famer offensive guard Will Shields. He was a great player and it was a great challenge. I felt our defense played really well that day."

The game was a defensive struggle to start the game off. With Nebraska having the ball on their own six-inch line with the crowd going crazy they decided to have quarterback Mike Brandt drop back and pass. Tommie Smith on a safety blitz came in untouched and just smashed Brandt into the end zone turf giving the Huskies a 2-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

In the 2nd quarter the Huskies erupted for three touchdowns. Napoleon Kaufman had a long run setting up a 1 yard touchdown run and Beno Bryant who hadn't played in the first two wins over Arizona State on the road and Wisconsin at home scored on a 1 yard touchdown run. Then right before halftime leading 16-7 Billy Joe Hobert had hit former high school teammate Joe Kralik for a long touchdown catch which Kralik had to dive at the back end of the of the end zone. That was set up by an interception by Walter Bailey. Eric Bjornson who had served as the backup quarterback in the 1991 Nebraska game had 3 receptions for 72 yards. He was moved to receiver due to graduation and later moved to tight end in the NFL.

"The following year was fabulous! To see Nip run (look so fast) in black shoes was incredible. The offense line dominated the Cornhuskers at the FIRST EVER night game in Husky Stadium. The Cornhuskers were to have a One-Two punch that year, however we still had the stifling defense whom I loathed to compete against Monday thru Thursday! The crowd was so loud I sometimes had to focus extremely to hear the calls. The most interesting thing about the game was that we knew what Nebraska was going to do before they did. Our coaches had us well prepared from SPECIAL TEAMS down to how they tied their shoes. It was always like that! I will always remember those days......and most importantly that first night! U don't come in our home and leave without being scrapped and bruised. Most importantly..........BEAT THE HECK UP!" recalled senior tailback Beno Bryant.

"People might not have realized that game was when Jim Lambright started a new era in college football. Lambright always stressed to us to get the second quarterback in the game. Well we had knocked the quarterback out of the game. They had brought in Tommie Frazier. You can tell even though he was just a freshman that he was a stud. He was unbelievable and he was better than the first string quarterback," recalled Farr.

The Huskies would go on to win this game 29-14 and on that following Monday would rise to #1 in the AP poll. The Huskies would run their winning streak to 22 games before falling to Arizona. The Huskies were 8-0 at the time. The Huskies would win the Pac-10 and go to the Rosebowl for the third straight year. The Cornhuskers were on the verge of going on a run themselves. The next season Nebraska led by Tommie Frazier who played in the 4th quarter of this game would play for the national championship. Then in 1994 and 1995 they would win the national championship.

September 20th, 1997: #7 Nebraska(2-0) at #2 Washington(2-0) In another big game for both schools which was featured on ABC. The Huskies fresh off of killing #19 BYU on the road and beating up San Diego State at home were taking on the big boys. The Huskies had returned most of their team from 1996 which finished 2nd in the Pac-10 and went 9-3. The Cornhuskers featured future NFL pro bowl running back Ahman Green and Scott Frost who had defeated the Huskies in 1994 when he was at Stanford.

The Huskies found themselves in the hole quickly. Led by Scott Frost rushing for two long touchdowns the Huskies were trailing at home 21-0. Making things even worse was when future NFL Superbowl champion Grant Wistrom injured sophomore phenom quarterback Brock Huard. The team had to turn to true freshman quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo. Tuiasosopo found Pathon early and often. Pathon would finish the game with the 9th best receiving game in NCAA history to this point with 195 yards receiving. Tuiasosop would find Cam Cleeland for a touchdown right before halftime to make it 21-7.

"The 1997 game at home was a huge game. We were both ranked in the top 5 and both teams had great athletes all over the field. I remember struggling with both of their defensive ends. Grant Wistrom ended up rolling up Brocks ankle after Brock got rid of the ball on one play and Marcus had to come in I believe. That was a tough loss against a really good football team and was a momentum changing game for us," recalled former three year offensive line starter Tony Coats.

In the third quarter Tuiasosopo would find senior fullback Mike Reed for a short score to make the game 21-14. The Huskies crowd was loud at that point. Then Jim Lambright the head coach at the time decided to onside kick the ball despite UW having all the momentum. Nebraska recovered the ball and would score a field goal. The Cornhuskers would tack on another field goal and win the game 27-14.

Former Pac-10 defensive player of the year Jason Chorak reflects on the Nebraska game. "Yes a big game think we were Number 1 and they(big red) had a great team. Brock went down and Marcus came in the game and lit it up. Shows that if you just play the game at a high speed you can do things. The whole game they ran away from me and rolled the QB away from me out coached and schemed that game."

The difference in the game was rushing. Nebraska had held first team all Pac-10 running back Rashaan Shehee to just 43 yards rushing. Nebraska's Ahman Green and Joel Makovicka rushed for 129 yards each. The bright spot was the passing game of Marques Tuiasosopo who passed for 270 yards and two touchdowns.

Nebraska used this win to roll the rest of the season to win a share of the National Championship with Michigan. Osborne had rid himself of that can't win the big one label by winning three national championships in a four year period. He would retire at the end of the season.

The Huskies remained in the top 10 most of the season and were 7-1 at one point. Then Shehee went down and the Huskies finished the regular season losing their last three games. The Huskies despite being ranked in the top 10 all year long finished the year just 8-4. "If we had good coaches 96 and 97 would of been a lot more different than what was," reflecting by Jason Chorak.

September 26th, 1998: #8 Washington(2-0) at #2 Nebraska(3-0) The Huskies were supposed to be in a rebuilding season having lost 13 guys to the NFL. The defending national champions Nebraska with a new coach Frank Solich also lost some key people. The Huskies began the year with a miracle win over 8th ranked Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona.

This was another big game on ABC which featured ESPN's game day crew.Brock Huard decided to come back this season after flirting with the idea of going into the NFL draft. This game was a joke for Husky fans. Which appeared to be the theme for the Huskies in the mid 1990's they Dawgs got blown out on the road 55-7.

"The 1998 game in Lincoln I went in much better prepared for both mentally and physically. Unfortunately we just couldn't match up against them my Senior year. We lost 55-7 I think and had a standing ovation from the crowd as we left the field. One of the most humiliating feelings I've ever felt leaving that field," reflecting offensive lineman senior captain Tony Coats.

The Huskers ran for 434 yards on the ground led by 146 by DeAngelo Evans. The Huskies were held to just 273 yards of offense. This was a humiliating loss for the Dawgs. This was when Husky nation had finally turned on Jim Lambright.

After finishing the year with a 6-6 record and a blowout loss to Air Force with the Oahau bowl Lambright was fired. The Cornhuskers finished the year 9-4 and suffered a home loss to Heisman trophy winner Ricky Williams for the first time since the 1991 Washington Huskies had beat them.

This Saturday once again a top 10 team will be playing in this game. Nebraska appears to be back to where they belong with a running quarterback in Martinez. The Huskies meanwhile have a chance to make a statement that they are back. If the dawgs win this Saturday they could find themselves in the rankings. This game is also huge for Jake Locker and his heisman chances.