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<< Previous   of   Next >> Jennifer Buchanan/The Herald  (click to enlarge) Husky quarterback Jake Locker sets himself to pass on what turned out to be a 98-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Marcel Reece in the second quarter of Saturday's game. Locker accounted for 86 percent of Washington's total yards in the game.   ADVERTISEMENT   ADDITIONAL ITEMS • University of Washington athletics (External Link) • UW Athletics (External Link)   Related Stories • Boss, the dog ate my keys 10/28/07   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, October 28, 2007 Loss spoils Locker's big day Husky QB not satisfied despite racking up 493 yards of total offense By John Boyle Herald Writer SEATTLE -- Surrounded by reporters after another tough loss, Jake Locker made it evident rather quickly Saturday that a historic day passing and throwing gave little comfort. Despite piling up 493 yards of total offense, the second-highest total in team history, Locker wasn't happy following Washington's 48-41 loss to Arizona. Locker said losing six straight "sucks," which coming from the likes of the religious, clean-living Locker is about on par with an average player dropping multiple F-bombs in an interview. To Locker a 2-6 record means he didn't play well enough six times this year. "I'd much rather have had five yards rushing and four picks and won the game," he said. "It's frustrating. Personal stats mean nothing. It's like I've said before. I don't care what the stats say. We lost, so it was not good. It wasn't good enough to win the game." Locker's coach didn't agree with his quarterback's take on things. "That's ridiculous," said offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tim Lappano. "He played unbelievable, he played his freakin' heart out. He played like a warrior. I know he laid it on the ground a couple of times, but that kid played big time today. He played really well. He had a couple of mistakes that you can't have, but without him, we don't have much of a chance." Locker's 336 passing yards and 157 rushing yards were both career highs. In fact, he already had a career high in passing at halftime with 269 yards. He rushed for a pair of scores and passed for two as well, including a 98-yarder to Marcel Reece that was the longest play from scrimmage in UW history. Locker became the 19th quarterback in Division I-A history to have more than 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in one game, and the first to do so since 2005. The only Husky to pile up more yards in a game is Marques Tuiasosopo, who is the only player in I-A football with a 300/200 game. There were times, however, when Locker made mistakes one might expect from a 19-year-old in his first season of college football. He fumbled after gaining 13 yards on Washington's first drive, ending a scoring threat. He also was intercepted twice and fumbled a second time trying to hand the ball off to Louis Rankin in the fourth quarter. "It hurt," Lappano said of the turnovers. "But the kid played like a champion. He played unbelievable. It's just something he'll have to learn, to leverage the football and take care of the football. It's a shame that happened when he played so well, because that kind of spoils it. That kind of spoils a historical game for a kid like that." And while Locker and the offense resisted the temptation to blame the defense for the loss -- a defense that has allowed 147 points in the past three games -- Washington defenders acknowledge letting Locker and the offense down. "I just wish that we could reward that kid with a couple of Ws," defensive tackle Jordan Reffett said. "Because I tell you what, these last couple of weeks, he's been shining. He's a special player. I feel bad for that kid. He ain't used to losing and he doesn't like to lose. My hat's off to him and we're going to try to pick it up for that offense, because they moved the ball well today." Locker has rushed for 694 yards this season, only three shy of the school record for a quarterback, set by Dennis Fitzpatrick in 1974. Locker passed Tuiasosopo for second on the list Saturday. With five games left, he is on pace to become Washington's first 1,000-yard rusher since 1997. Still, it wasn't good enough for Locker, who by his measure has two good games and six that weren't good enough this year. That doesn't mean his teammates didn't notice a spectacular effort at Husky Stadium on Saturday, however. "I'm always impressed with Jake," Reece said. "Jake's a beast. He does what he does day in and day out. I'm always impressed with him. He never ceases to amaze me." Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog

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