Victory on the horizon?

It was weird, UW head football coach Steve Sarkisian said, to receive so much praise from Husky fans after last week's 31-23 loss to LSU. The former USC assistant wasn't exactly used to that - or losing, period, for that matter. Just imagine what the reaction will be like on Saturday if they actually manage to win a game. That's a distinct possibility - a distinct probability, even - for the Huskies, who are 21-point favorites over Idaho and would have to lay a serious egg in order to prolong their school-record 15-game losing streak. They haven't won a game since beating California on Nov. 17, 2007, which was 664 days, an athletic director and an entire coaching staff ago. Washington dominated that game, running over a lackluster Golden Bears team in a mildly surprising win at Husky Stadium. There wouldn't be anything surprising about a Huskies win over the traditionally weak Vandals. But that's the challenge presented to Sarkisian's staff this weekend: how do you get a team fired up to play Idaho one week after a nationally televised season opener against a ranked opponent? "Sure, I'm worried about it," Sarkisian said on Monday of a potential letdown. "To me, this is a very challenging week for our coaching staff - to get these guys reenergized, to get them refocused, because so much was put in and made up to that game. Not necessarily from us, but to a standpoint of fans and media, that there can be a natural letdown. This has got to be our week where we motivate better than ever." Players say it shouldn't be too hard to get up for this one. Their reasoning? Some of it was predictable. "I think every weekend you're hungry for a win, whether you've dropped 15 in a row or won 15 in a row," quarterback Jake Locker said. "I think we're going to go out with the same attitude and focus that we had last week and expect to win and see what happens." And some of it was a bit more straightforward. "We're still an uprising team ourselves," cornerback Quinton Richardson said. "We just came from an 0-12 season, so we have no reason to hold our head above anyone. We've got to come out and prove something again [Saturday]." UW has already proven enough to make its fans feel a little more sure about a game that was already viewed as a shoe-in. The Huskies gained 478 yards of total offense against a tough LSU defense in its opener, so they shouldn't have any problem moving the ball against a WAC opponent. Idaho wasn't bad in its opener, either, though against a much weaker opponent. The Vandals held off New Mexico State, 21-6, and Sarkisian knows Idaho is capable of slipping past them if they lose focus. "They started very fast. They really jumped on New Mexico State early, 21-0, and did a nice job preserving the win," Sarkisian said. "They're a defense that is aggressive. They're tough. They play fast. Offensively they've got two really nice running backs, they've got a veteran quarterback who understands the scheme and they've got a nice receiving core. "They make plays. I thought they were efficient on offense. I thought they were aggressive on defense, eliminated big plays, kept things in front of them and played a nice, clean football game." TWO-MINUTE DRILL The Huskies have eight assistant coaches who played or coached at Idaho. Sarkisian joked on Monday that "I am keeping an eye on them this week. I don't want any game plans getting faxed up to Idaho this week." ...How good is Sarkisian at motivating this team? Richardson will tell you. "He knows what he's doing. He knows how to make you feel like a winner. Before the game I felt like I came off a defending national championship." ...Sarkisian said he didn't get to bed until 4:30 a.m. after the LSU game. Saturday's 12:30 kickoff should give him plenty of time to sleep afterward. ...At least one player remembers what it's like to win. Victor Aiyewa thought that win over Cal long, long ago was a sign of things to come. "One of the things I remember is the fact that we have talent on our team," Aiyewa said. "A lot of people don't really know that we have the kind of talent and by beating Cal I knew, like, 'Man, if we can beat Cal, there's no reason why we can't beat anybody else.'" Yeah, about that... Reach sports editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.

Victory on the horizon?

Disruptor interrupts Psych 210, professor and students chase man on to Red Square

2025 Seattle and King County primary election endorsements

UW mechanical engineering students are now required to pay $250 quarterly fee to participate in department-affiliated RSOs

College Inn Pub reopens under new ownership