Excuses are getting old

By Ben Miller

Oct 24, 2005, 12:00 AM

The only way the Huskies were going to stay in the game against the top-ranked Trojans was to make some big plays. They needed key plays from top players to keep up with the vaunted USC offense. On Saturday, they started off the game doing just that. When Marlon Wood grabbed the opening kickoff and retuned it 92 yards down to the USC 8-yard line, the crowd erupted. Thoughts of the impossible -- an upset -- started going through everyone's head. Special teams returns have been one of the biggest weaknesses for this Husky team all season. As Wood took that ball back and almost scored, it looked like that weakness could turn into strength. "As soon as I caught it, everything slowed down," the junior college transfer said. "My eyes were wide open, straight ahead." Then, just as things have gone for the Huskies all season long, their good fortune turned into bad luck. Wood didn't get up after being tackled. After his surprising run, he broke his leg. The USC defense stopped the Husky offense. Even though, we were just 8 yards away from a touchdown, we kicked a field goal. You can't expect to beat a team as talented on offense as Southern California by just kicking a field goal. Saturday's debacle was a typical game that we've become accustomed to seeing from the UW all year long. Mistakes, dropped passes, and no rushing yards were once again the norm. Once again, the Dawgs made some good plays and showed some promise only to make some big time mistakes. "We had some good energy early," offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. "I really think our kids believed they could play with them and they did for a while." Unfortunately, "a while" isn't long enough. And it's getting old. The Huskies have to figure out how to keep up that energy for four quarters. There are times when you can tell this team has the talent to win, but they just can't get it done. They just keep making the same mistakes that take them out of every game. Now, I'm not saying that they had the talent to beat, or even keep up with USC, but they have a chance to turn things around. Coming down the stretch, if they can just figure out how to quit making errors, they can take advantage of a weak schedule over their last four games. The chance to take the first step to return to respectability is upon them. After playing five teams ranked in the top-25 up to this point in the season, the rest of the Huskies' opponents this season won't be anywhere close to grabbing a spot in the polls this season. Arizona and Washington State both join the Huskies at the bottom of the conference with zero wins, while Arizona State has collapsed down the stretch. Add that to an Oregon State team that has shown flashes and letdowns all season and those are both winnable games. If the talent could come together, and if the team could stop facing the critical injury problems is has faced all year, the season could be salvageable. In fact, 1-6 could turn into 5-6. But, if they keep making the same old mistakes and the same old turnovers, then we could be looking at a second straight season of 1-10.

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