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Articles
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Mostly Unbearably Unbearable
Huskies' stock goes Bearish after 56-17 loss By Malamute, September 11, 2005
If Gilby weren't loyal to the cause, he'd be saying, "I told you so; it's hopeless at this time," and then sing, 'Don't blame me.' Husky coaches and fans, prepare for a week of recrimination and finger pointing as Internet message boards flame up. Any remaining hope for having a successful season is now illusory at best. Of course, bringing in an outstanding recruiting class, one in the top ten, could quickly turn the program around. More games like this one will make that a daunting task. Who killed Washington? Hey, you three detectives -- Monk, Inspector Clueseau and Columbo -- who done it? Are the culprits among the following: the hacks at the Los Angeles Times, former coach Rick Neuheisel, former athletic director Barbara Hedges, the local media, former UW quarterback Billy Joe Hoebert, Rick's snitch, all of the above or etc.? I think the etc. guy did it, but he won't stand up and take the blame. Really, though, poor recruiting comes to the fore, and that happened because of the bad public relations campaign run by former UW coaches and administrators over the last 13 years, starting with the Fruit Basket scandal of 1992. Okay, scholarship reductions came along, too, which allowed the cow colleges and Oregon to join the party. Maybe, UW should offer a P.E. major, so the football team can attract more J.C. transfers? After the spring game, which ended in a 3-3 tie, the coaches told us the team lacked speed and nastiness. You know, they were right. I remember Coach Tyrone Willingham clearing his throat three times, "ahem, Ahem, AHEM!!" when asked about the overall speed of the team. Then he answered, "We need more speed in certain areas of the team." Geez, a whole lot more speed, you 'Paint-dry Ty.' Duh. Some thoughts: -- I feel sorry for Isaiah Stanback, who is a most capable college quarterback. I don't think he has NFL potential behind center; instead, another position might offer more promise. For example, he might get more money going into the NFL if he were playing wide receiver and posting some numbers to verify his credentials. Yet, the Dawgs sorely need him at the helm -- for one reason, because of an anemic running game that hinders play-action passing, which means that the success of the offense partly depends on Stanback's ability to escape a severe pass rush and make something out of nothing. -- I feel sorry for offensive coordinator Tim Lappano who wanted to install a 2-back-power-running game at the UW. The Huskies are averaging 98.5 yards rushing per game in their "Spread-Coast offense." -- I feel sorry for Coach Willingham, who won't deserve the lambasting from fans that will most likely happen as the losses begin to mount this season. -- I feel sorry for former Coach Keith Gilbertson, who took some unfair criticism last season. -- I admire those team members who are making a solid effort. -- I admire those loyal fans -- for the schadenfreude they knowingly endure, at the office, at road games, in columns written by snickering snots and among friends -- who will continue to support the program by attending games and making donations to the athletics programs. They are needed now more than ever. The good: -- Stanback's pass-efficiency rating on the game was 133, which is based on completing 22 out of 39 passes for 301 yards, 2 touchdowns and a pick. His PE is 136.73 for the season. -- If the game's final score had been based on just the first and third quarters alone, it would have ended in 14-14 tie. -- Punter Sean Douglas averaged 46.1 yards per punt. WR Sonny Shackelford caught 6 passes for 126 yards and scored on a 56-yard pass play from Stanback. -- The UW committed only 1 turnover; however, that turnover, an interception, was run back for a touchdown. The punt attempt that went flooey was like a turnover, however. -- The Huskies won time of possession, although Cal scored on 5 big plays that shortened its TOP. -- Considering the burly defensive players he was running into, RB Louis Rankin's lucky star that protected him from injury. -- WR Craig Chambers is inching his way out of the Dawg house. -- Coach Willingham is running a clean program and producing fine young men, who study hard, work energetically, dress appropriately for the occasion and, altogether, speak well for my alma mater. -- The Dawgs might beat Idaho next Saturday. The bad: -- The Dawgs (0-2, 0-1) might lose to Idaho next Saturday; if so, it would be their ninth loss in a row. -- Notre Dame fans who will say that 'we told you so.' Add some Dawg fans to the the list of growing Einsteins. Really, so easy to say, both before and after the season began. (See, "Huskies' sled is totaled," which put the coaches' dilemma in perspective back in July.) -- Backbiting and recrimination. -- Some of the Dawgs are overweight. Were the meals served at the Conibear Shellhouse this summer too fattening? -- Most of the statistics below.
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Pardon
the bad puns in our headline and subhead; yet, as truth will have it,
yesterday's 56-17 pummeling portends a bleak future for the program, at least in
the short term. That
shellacking could rob
the UW coffers in the long run, dampen fan enthusiasm for future games --
particularly the Notre Dame game -- and negatively affect this next recruiting
class.