Game Daily: Competitive UW team could rekindle rivalry

Oct 23, 2009, 12:00 AM

Steve Sarkisian had to learn a few things about the Washington football program when he took the head coaching job last December. One of the easiest lessons: They don't care much for Oregon here. "I didn't know when I was at SC, but I was well informed once I took the job," Sarkisian said. " Then I did a little research, and I'm starting to get a really good understanding." He gets his first taste of the rivalry tomorrow when the Huskies face Oregon at Husky Stadium, looking to end a five-game losing skid against the Ducks that dates back to 2004. None of those games have been closer than 20 points. But as Sarkisian rebuilds a program coming off an 0-12 season, the general thought this week is that the Huskies, for the first time since a 42-10 win in 2003, could actually have a chance in this series. Washington is coming off a heartbreaking loss to Arizona State last week, when a late defensive breakdown cost the Huskies a chance to improve their record to 4-3 and put themselves in legitimate bowl contention. But they've been finding ways to win games, and they're 3-1 at Husky Stadium this season. Add to that the fact that quarterback Jake Locker is starting to perform like a serious NFL prospect, and there's at least reason to think this could be a game. For that reason alone, the rivalry could be regaining some more of the fire that made it so bitter in the late '90s. The biggest thing preventing some from thinking that's possible: Washington's defense is allowing an alarmingly high average of 424 yards per game. That might not bode well against an Oregon spread offense that has shredded the Huskies in the past couple of seasons. "I think over the last couple of years, we've had a couple of good games with them, and I think it's become a really big rivalry for us," Locker said. "There's a lot of excitement from a lot of people about this weekend's game, and a lot of people wanting us to come out victorious on this one." Not that Locker doesn't want it just as bad. He has a simple response for fans who tell him how much they want to beat Oregon. "I tell them I do too," Locker said. And on that end, it might be the fans, more than the players, who make this rivalry as bitter as it is. With Oregon so thoroughly dominant for the better part of this decade - nobody on the UW roster has beaten the Ducks, obviously - the hatred toward Oregon may have cooled a bit on the part of the Huskies players. Sarkisian compared it to USC's rivalry with Notre Dame. "It's not cross-town, but it is very heated," Sarkisian said. "There's a lot of emotions involved, and it's one that the fans are very involved in. It's not just about the football programs; it's an overall, university wide rivalry." A win would make it even bigger. Reach Sports Editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.

Stay up to Date

Subscribe to our weekly newsletters covering the news, arts, and sports.

Game Daily: Competitive UW team could rekindle rivalry

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