Struggling Huskies show signs of new life

By Ben Miller

Sep 28, 2005, 12:00 AM

So far, the Tyrone Willingham era of Washington football has started off with the same results in wins as last season's squad. But coming off of a 1-10 season, you have to look for hope anywhere you can find it, even if it does not equal wins in the process. For the fan base longing for the Husky dominance of a decade ago, or even the high level of play marked by the Marques Tuiasosopo era just five years ago, it is time to realize that the turn around from conference punching bag to national contender is not going to happen overnight. It will take time to rebuild this once-proud program. However, do not let that stop you from enjoying the team this season, because this version of the Huskies is improving. You need to look no further than the offense to see it happening. Last season, the passing game was painful to watch, with interceptions and dropped passes seeming more frequent than first downs. The three-headed quarterback monster of Casey Paus, Isaiah Stanback and Carl Bonnell combined to throw 24 interceptions to just eight touchdowns. This year, with just Stanback leading the team down the field, the passing offense has looked head-over-shoulders better than anything we saw a year ago. Stanback has made some big throws, evidenced by his 353 passing yards last Saturday in a 34-17 loss to Notre Dame. The improvement on offense is even obvious on the scoreboard, as the UW has scored no less than 17 points in all four games this season, a feat that happened only twice last year. While it has been refreshing to see an offense scoring points rather than giving them up, the frustrations of this season's Huskies were emphasized in last Saturday's loss against Notre Dame. The offense moved the ball well, and the defense even made some stops. But when it came down to it they just could not make the plays necessary to win. After the game, coach Willingham emphasized that point, saying that football games always come down to one thing: "The ability of one team to make the plays or the inability of the other team to make plays." Added later that, "there are about five-or-so plays in a ballgame that usually make the difference; if you make them, you win." So far this season, with the exception of the Idaho win, Washington has been unable to make those plays. Whether it was Craig Chambers holding onto the ball at the goal line on the first drive of the game last Saturday or the defense stopping Air Force once in the fourth quarter in the season opener, the Huskies have been unable to make the plays to win. In contrast, it seems like the opposition has made each play it needed to. Air Force completed that 84-yard touchdown on a drive that started on its own one-yard line, and Cal had that shovel pass on third and 24 for a first down. In order for the Huskies to win these games, they have to be the ones that make those plays, and in a season that features a new coach and a new system, give it some time. A 1-10 record leaves a lot of room for improvement.

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