Same old story?

By Sunny Wu

Oct 2, 2001, 12:00 AM

Maybe it was the heat. Maybe it was the thickness of the grass. Whatever the reason, the Husky defense failed to come out firing Saturday against the Cal Bears. Instead, the defense played on its heels, two steps behind a fluid Bear offense. By Cal's second offensive series, the unit was already sucking wind. "Give credit where credit is due. Cal came out and executed flawlessly in their first two or three drives," said Husky coach Rick Neuheisel at his weekly press conference Monday. The Husky coach questioned his team's preparedness, placing the onus on himself. Neuheisel wants to avoid a slow start against Southern Cal this Saturday, a team the Huskies haven't played since 1998 (the UW lost 33-10 in the Coliseum). Despite being 1-3, USC certainly has the talent to capitalize on the UW's mistakes or lack of intensity. At Cal, in Neuheiselian fashion, the Huskies awoke at halftime, coming back to win 31-28 and beating Cal for the 19th time in a row. The defense limited Cal to just 101 yards in the second half, 85 of which were on a late-scoring drive. Sluggish first halves and dramatic comebacks have been a theme throughout Neuheisel's tenure. Fifteen of his 20 wins at the UW have been comebacks. Eight of those came last year, by a team that proved to possess tremendous character. Neuheisel sees the 2001 version of the Huskies traveling the same path. "I think the thing that pleases me most in the first three games is that somehow, someway, we have inherited this find-a-way attitude and a willingness to keep fighting even though the odds look long," Neuheisel said. "That is easier said than done, yet we've done it." Senior defensive lineman Larry Tripplett had no idea why his defense was out of the groove early. For him, the bottom line was that the Huskies left the Golden State undefeated. "I know in the second half we came out ready to play," he said. Both Neuheisel and Tripplett said that this week's practices are critical against a desperate USC team. Neuheisel cited the lack of urgency and tempo in the workouts leading up to Cal. He has called for his leaders to be more vocal, especially with the younger players. Expect Tripplett, the all-American, to spit some venom this week. "We came out of the game with a win, but a nasty taste," Tripplett said. "It's going to help us get ourselves going." Punter awarded Freshman punter Derek McLaughlin was named the Pac-10 special teams player of the week yesterday. McLaughlin averaged 49.7 yards a punt and set a UW record with a booming 74-yard punt against Cal. "Consistency has not been his strong part so far," Neuheisel said. "I think (the award) is a wonderful thing to have happen ... hopefully it will give him great confidence and he can be that consistent performer we need." UCLA tailback DeShaun Foster was the offensive player of the week and Stanford defensive end Marcus Hoover was the defensive player of the week. Foster punished Oregon State, rushing for 147 yards and three touchdowns. Hoover had eight tackles in a 21-16 Stanford victory over USC. Neuheisel on USC QB Carson Palmer While at Colorado Neuheisel recruited USC quarterback Carson Palmer -- the top high school quarterback in 1997. "He was as good a high school quarterback I've ever seen -- very accomplished, very poised, big arm, great mobility, great ball speed. He had all you look for. He was also in our camp at Colorado, and I was even more impressed being around him personally. I know what he's capable of."

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