We Planned That?

This is Officer Lee Groinman, That’s Right, Washington’s Most Annoyed Cop…

Many descriptions could apply, some too strong, others too weak, just like a Pac-12 schedule…

Rarely have I been more sure of a win. What kinda’ team is gonna lose to a hated rival, on the last game played at the old Stadium?

Saturday morning on my way to the game I’d stopped off at Freddie Meyers for all that last minute stuff. As I entered the store a guy decked out in total Husky gear walks out. He looked kinda’ like a Coug, had the red hair, freckles, a little porky, the snuff ring. But wearin’ Husky stuff. Not a big deal you might say, but it’s not all that common where I live, let me tell you that…

I left the store and got in my roadster, ready to roll on out to Husky Stadium, to send off the old Grey Lady in style. I turned on the radio. Jethro Tull’s “Aqua Lung” was playing, the lyrics blasted on as the engine fired up.

“Feelin’ Like a Dead Duck…

Spitting Out Pieces Of His Broken Luck…

Snot is Running Down his Nose.”

Omen?

I nearly texted my bookie Timmy in Reno to make a bet. Timmy not like day of game bets…

Let’s see, the point spread was 16.5, the Dawgs lose by 17. That there folks is what’s known as a bad omen…

So I already had me my dish of cold crow late Saturday night, so I made myself a hot pizza for breakfast early Sunday morning…Feeling better now. A Veggie Supreme for that blood pressure. Crow is greasy, tastes like yuck, err duck…

This is what happens when you put your faith and trust in others, especially young kids. You see yourself in their shoes, think what you think they’d think, do what you think they’d do. But what they end up doin’ is droppin balls and over-throwin’ receivers, throwin’ to the wrong guy, and missin’ tackles…

And on such a perfect night for football, clear, cool, and calm. But hey, the recruits loved it!

I didn’t expect a perfect game against the Oregon duck. But I didn’t expect 3 turnovers and 6 sacks, repeat, six sacks, and they came easy.

I thought the defense played well enough to win, I really I did, I thought we’d score 35…

The defense did play well enough to win, except for some timely missed tackles, a particular third and nine, and the entire opening drive of the third quarter.

Other than that…

Made just enough mistakes to lose…Perfect.

No mistake unpaid for…No mistake left behind…

“Saturday Night Live” Once had a line for their crew, “The not quite ready for prime-time players”. This Husky team is something that resembles something like that.

Another year with Ivan boys! We’ll be fine…Just sign up some more beef there coach Sark…

Pierce County comes to mind…

It was an impressive night at the ‘Old’ Husky Stadium. Over 69 thousand fans showed up and on time, only the worse seats in the Stadium were butt-less, even the Zone was emptied in a timely manner. I was impressed, the crowd was good, and it had an attitude about it…

Maybe too much hype, too much emotion, too much extra-curriculars to play winning football…

That ’91 team that was honored Saturday night? Most of them had the ’Celebrating 100 years of Husky Football” celebration the night before the ’90 “All I Saw Was Purple” SC game. That was a HUGE event held on the field the Friday night before the game. They even made an entire Press book for deal. I still have mine. Those ‘91 guys could handle all that excessive attention. These guys?

Maybe not so much…

But they do a pretty good job on SC though…I’ll give them that…

Or is it just ‘cause Sark knows SC so well? Maybe that worked for the first two games Sark took from SC. But I gotta think that Sark has been gone from SC for three years now. The knowledge might be wearin’ off a bit, or at least it’s changing up some.

Or does Sark just plain out own Lane Kiffin? Works for me…

One thing for sure, or better yet, make that two things for sure, is that we need better line play on both sides of the ball. Six sacks given up is about five too many, and Alameda Ta’amu can’t be the only guy getting into the backfield.

What was up with that?

Didn’t see that one comin’…

And getting completely blanked times three on the turnover stat…

That’ll lose you a football game, you can bank on it.

My hat is off to the officiating crew, no whacky imagination filled calls here, let’s keep it that way. And not a one of those officials named ‘Jack’ (from last week)…when none of the ‘Jack’s knew Jack.

Did commish Larry Scott send out a nasty-gram?

Oregon is good, but not really that good, beatable. Nothing like our ’91 UW team. We certainly could have beat them Saturday night. The Huskies might just be a couple of players here, and one or a few players over there from sealing the deal. That and eliminate the drops and the turnovers. Easily done, and in my lifetime…

Saturday’s game against the duck was competitive, a coulda’ game, but I don’t smoke no moral victory cigars. No sir. The Huskies will beat Oregon before their sanctions are even felt. Soon.

I’m a Husky fan, and we just lost. Still I’m so very grateful that today, I’m not, and have never been a duck fan.

That there folks is somethin’ no duck fan can ever say. That and Football “National Champs”…

Walking out of the Stadium Saturday night for the last time, I crossed Montlake Blvd, on down on to Pacific Street. A few duck fans were walkin’ behind me discussin’ the merits of domestic beer.

“You like cans or bottles?”

Stanford and Oregon, who wins? I gotta go with Stanford, and I’m not basing that on the relative scores of our respective games against the both of them, and the fact that Stanford was a road game and the ducks were the final home game at Husky Stadium as we’ve always known it.

Nah, I’m basing this more on the fact that I do believe I hate Oregon more than I do Stanford…

That there is logic in its purest form folks…

Besides, Stanford is kinda’ hard to hate, but it’s getting easier all the time…

And what in jeebers sake is up with Ucla? Or is it ASU? I wonder if both those teams may need some psycho-help. Neuheisel is probably on the ‘buy nine and get the tenth visit free’ plan.

Cougs blown out by the Cal Bears, what did I hear? 150 people in attendance, was that a joke or just a typo? Yes, we now have something in common with the Cal Bears. An historical side note.

We’ll just leave it at that…

Cougs will still be looking to get Bowl eligible, as always, maybe at the Clink-fest at Apple Cup Stadium too. At this point, I hope not…

But now it’s time to get ‘er on up for SC. Nice to see how the Pac-12 office got us two years in a row in the Coliseum, we always want to play one game a year in LA, but somehow this is not what we had in mind, not the way we had planned it. Go figure.

Just like playing 5 out of 7, now five out of 8 duck games in Eugene, and how SC only plays the UW in Seattle in September…

It’s always good to have friends in high places…

Lord have Mercy, seems I’m getting my nasty up. Must have been those anchovies. Fish oil, good for the blood pressure don’t cha’ know.

SC, they’re playing well, I’d hoped they’d be in the tank by now. I know they want some revenge, they’d like to serve it cold. The Huskies are already Bowl eligible, SC, not so much…Motivation will be a factor. The Huskies need to avoid a late season slump, and have dropped two out of three, Stanford and the feathered fowl.

I’m afraid it’s gonna be another epic UW/SC battle folks, no easy gimmes the rest of the way. Have we had one yet? Would we have it any other way? Can the Dawgs forget the recent two week skid while remembering the past two years, the SC games, the winning field goals by place-kicker Erik Folk?

Will they man-up or wimp-out?

I believe they’ll man-up. Sark wants to put another ‘L’ in Kiffin’s column…

Will it be enough? I think so. But I suppose you already knew that…

Why is it I see Chris Polk getting his yards and having his way against SC, it didn’t happen against the duck? It’d be a good day for a receiver or two to hang onto the dang ball. The tight-ends reappear, the offensive line becomes less offensive, and the defensive line finds itself in LA? The Huskies put on a tackling clinic in the Coliseum?

And what if kicker Erik Folk does not come out to win the game in the last second?

Could happen, college football, gotta love it…

GO DAWGS!!

GRUMBLINGS; Defensive coordinator Nick Holt takes heat for sayin’ he’d rather play SC than Oregon’s video game styled offense. Awesome…Yup, SC, more of a game for guys like us.

I see where 100 dollar deposits are due on December 1st for next year’s season tickets. I like the ‘pay-as-you-go-plan’. My buddy, not as stoked, and now he has a new lady-friend, women, they can complicate things… Anybody looking for a season ticket? I have excellent priority points and come semi house-trained.

But hey, I gotta tell ya this. I caught mucho grief this week for not adding a featured dawg last week for the duck game. Many, including the wife Gloria are now blaming me for the Oregon loss. I figured out of respect for the Grey Lady, I’d leave the 4-legged dawg out. But it was the Dawg House after all. Poor figurin’ on my part. Lee is in the Dawg House now fur sure…

OUR FEATURED DAWG OF THE WEEK; MEET CHINOOK!

  

CHINOOK is a stud. A young male about 70 pounds. Likes to walk, works well on a leash and loves to ride in cars or trucks, he prefers an old pick-up, but an SUV or rag top will do just fine. As long as he has shot-gun, he’s a happy camper. Good with other dawgs, but no cats or small children, he likes to wrestle. Recently went trick-or-treating as ‘Zorro’. Chinook and his pals can be seen at www.wamal.com CHINOOK is being cared for at the Holiday Kennels in Kent WA. Ready for adoption now!