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Articles
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Streak
snapped in Snapple Cup
With 14:50 left in the fourth quarter, Washington took a 3-point lead, 22-19, as Isaiah Stanback completed a pass to Anthony Russo for a 2-point conversion. Without a running game to help Stanback, the Huskies failed to widen their lead on two subsequent possessions before Harvey scored on a bubble screen, racing down the sidelines to end the scoring. After the game, Washington's coach Tyrone Willingham said, "We didn't get the bubble screen turned back in to get some help from the inside." Because UW cornerbacks have been burned all season, Willingham is turning to the J.C. ranks for help at cornerback next season. Recruiting JC players who are academically qualified to enter Washington has hurt the Huskies the past several years, as many of those who have signed letters of intent have been denied entrance by the UW board of admissions. Instead of turning Washington into the Florida State of the west coast, as former coach Rick Neuheisel promised, the UW has been turned into the Yale of the Pacific Northwest. The Huskies rushed for just 99 yards, adding to the conundrum concerning their anemic running attack that has been with them for much of the season. In its previous loss at home, Washington was held to just 19 yards rushing by Oregon State, which posted an 18-10 victory. The veteran UW offensive line, which boasts 5 seniors, has failed to achieve all season long, excepting its game with Arizona last week. After the game, Cougar players and some of their fans rushed to midfield to dance on Washington's block "W," bringing forth a legion of Husky players at midfield. Over 100 players and Cougar fans concentrated at mid-field, some of them pushing and shoving, before the coaches could separate them. Since the UW has won just 3 out its last 22 games, Washington State (4-7, 1-7), seemingly, but not likely, had added incentive to rub its victory in. However, Willingham apologized to Washington fans for the incident. Speaking in the third person, Willingham said that "Coach Willingham is embarrassed by the aftermath of the football game. I don't know who provoked it or started it. I apologize to all of our fans. The fact it happened in the first place is too bad." The Good: -- Isaiah Stanback's brilliance sans a supporting running game. He ran for his life for most of the game, yet completed some nifty passes on the run. -- RB Kenny James' 65-yard TD pass to Sonny Shackelford. James finished with a pass-efficiency rating of 976.0. :-) -- Backup quarterback Casey Paus's pass to Stanback. -- The play of the entire defense, which bent but didn't break. -- Fresno State is by far and away the toughest opponent that the USC Trojans have faced this season, and that includes Notre Dame. The Bulldogs run their version of the West Coast Offense to perfection. Tim Lappano, Washington's offensive coordinator, should consider junking his "Spread Coast Offense" and installing the pure WCO that Fresno State employs. With his quick release and quick feet, Carl Bonnell, photo above, would be an ideal engineer for that offense, not that Stanback couldn't run it. The Bad: -- Using Paus as a decoy on punting plays. Why didn't the coaches allow Paus to throw a pass from that formation? -- The offense, which was pitiable. -- AD Todd Turner, who helped "referee" the pushing and shoving match that took place in the aftermath of the game. Tall, gaunt and sharp featured, Turner looked emaciated standing among the 300-pound players who did most of the muscle flexing. -- Unless the UW can bring in a strong recruiting class, the prospects for next season look bleak, just as they did after the 2005 Spring Game and the game with the Air Force Academy that started the season.
Richard Linde (a.k.a., Malamute) can be reached at
malamute@4malamute.com |
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Seattle. Alex Brink completed a 39-yard
pass to Trandon Harvey for the winning score with 1:20 remaining to give
Washington State a 26-22 victory over Washington (2-9, 1-7) in the Apple Cup.
The nation's leading rusher Jerome Harrison ran for 207 yards and one touchdown
in 36 attempts; Brink completed 21 of 35 passes for 283 yards and 2 touchdowns
in a game played at Husky Stadium.