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Articles
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Stuck on 17
So why can't our Dawgs finish people off? The answer is simple: the lack of depth resulting from two disastrous recruiting years in 2004 and 2005 means the Huskies don't have the personnel to replace people who are either hurt or exhausted going into the fourth quarter. In this era of limited scholarships, it is important that a freshman class contribute immediately, lending firepower to buttress a flagging team as a game wears on -- and as a season progresses. For example, when Dashon Goldson went down in the fourth quarter, a depleted secondary had to contend with the pinpoint throwing of UCLA quarterback Drew Olson. If the UW can land a solid recruiting class for 2006, look for a rebound as early as next season. If Maurice Drew or Marcedes Lewis had been playing for Washington Saturday night, the Dawgs would most likely have beaten UCLA. One outstanding player -- or two -- can be the difference in a closely matched game. The guy above? UCLA's tight end Marcedes Lewis. Leading all pass receivers, Lewis caught 8 passes for 77 yards and a touchdown. The good: -- Washington's resurrected running game, which accounted for 213 yards. -- The defense against the run that held the Bruins to 65 net yards. Maurice Drew, who ran for 322 yards last year, was held to just 33 yards on the ground. This time around, the Bruins were Drew(n) and quartered -- well, for three quarters, anyway. -- An outstanding cadre of pass receivers. -- An outstanding coaching staff. -- The road uniforms. -- Evan Benjamin's enthusiasm and Dashon Goldson's gutsy performance. -- A more physical team than but a year ago. -- Isaiah Stanback's pass efficiency rating of 133.87. -- Ted Miller of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, who predicts the Dawgs will win two conference games this season. The bad: -- Isaiah Stanback needs to shorten his hair in back by at least 4 inches. Humor the coach, Isaiah, and shorten your dreadlocks a tad. -- A lack of depth. -- The LA Times writer who wrote, "The 20th-ranked UCLA Bruins played down to their competition Saturday night, and it almost cost them against Washington at the Rose Bowl." -- No sacks on Drew Olson. -- Washington media relations. The pre-publicity sent to the LA media that lauded the Huskies' penalty yards, which ranked them second in the conference (41.2 yards per game) last week. One LA writer commented, you knew the Huskies were in trouble when you read that. -- Anyone who says it was a moral victory. I'll take any kind of victory now, even an immoral one. -- A red zone defense that remains at 100%. -- The guy who attended a Bruin practice at Thousand Oaks and took Marcedes's photo. (Just kidding).
Richard Linde (a.k.a., Malamute) can be reached at
malamute@4malamute.com |
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In all four of its
losses this season, Washington (1-4) has scored 17 points in each game. In all
of its games, the U-Dub has been outscored by its opponents in the fourth
quarter by an aggregate score of 69-21. Scoring 14 unanswered points in the
fourth quarter, UCLA came from behind to beat the Dawgs, 21-17, in a night game
played at Pasadena, California.