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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   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: Saturday, November 14, 2009 Today UW’s last chance at road win this season By Scott M. Johnson Herald Writer CORVALLIS, Ore. — During his first season as football coach at the University of Washington, Steve Sarkisian has shown the Huskies how to snap plenty of streaks of futility. Whether it was the team’s string of 15 consecutive losses, the Pac-10’s longest losing streak or the Huskies’ long-standing inability to knock off highly ranked teams, Sarkisian has certainly closed some books in regards to the program’s recent past. But one streak still remains, and today the 2009 Huskies have their final chance to break that one. Not since Nov. 3, 2007, has UW won a road game. The Huskies’ 11 road trips since that game at Stanford have resulted in defeat, and Sarkisian hopes that today is the day that UW finally gets a road win. “It would be huge,” said Sarkisian, whose Huskies face Oregon State at Reser Stadium today at 12:30 p.m. “It would be great for us. Our last three trips on the road, we’ve played relatively well, we just haven’t done it the way we’ve exactly wanted to.” While Sarkisian is still winless on the road as the Huskies’ coach, he certainly seems to have the team on the right track. Losses at Notre Dame, Arizona State and UCLA came down to the final seconds before being decided by a cumulative total of 15 points. UW’s youth has played a bigger role in those losses than the tangible factors associated with playing on the road. But still, the streak remains. “The first road win will feel good,” said junior receiver D’Andre Goodwin, one of only 10 current full-time players who have started in a road win at UW. “We haven’t done it all year, so we’re looking forward to going down there and getting our first one.” While the Huskies have historically had success playing at Oregon State, there are several factors that make this year’s game a bigger challenge. The first, of course, is a difficult opponent. The Beavers (6-3 overall, 4-2 in the Pac-10) are on a roll right now, having won four of their past five games. OSU’s offense is as dangerous as any in the conference, led by quarterback Sean Canfield and the Pac-10’s most famous siblings: James and Jacquizz Rodgers. The Rodgers brothers have combined for 1,775 total yards and 23 touchdowns this season, while Canfield has completed 74 percent of his passes over the past four games. “That always makes it tough o the road, when you’re playing a good football team,” Sarkisian said. “It’s a fun place to go play. It’s got a great environment about it.” The Beavers’ success brings an even more raucous atmosphere at a stadium that’s known for its energy. The Oregon State fans seem to take particular joy in beating UW, which the Beavers have done in two out of the past three meetings at Reser Stadium after the Huskies won the previous 12. “They hate us,” Goodwin said. “We hate them, and they hate us, so it’s a hostile environment.” Perhaps no one knows better how daunting Reser Stadium can be than the Huskies’ head coach. Sarkisian was a part of two highly-ranked USC teams that lost road games at Oregon State, so he’s not taking anything for granted. As he admitted this week: “I haven’t had a lot of luck there the last couple of trips.” Sarkisian added that the Trojans’ high rankings and last season’s nationally-televised, Thursday night game only added to the noise. He spent this week pumping crowd noise into practices at Husky Stadium in an effort to get his team ready for the elements. “It’s about focus,” he said. “It’s about not being distracted. It’s about being able to lock in, not only when you’re on the field but when you’re in the huddle.” The road hasn’t been kind to the Huskies in recent seasons, but Sarkisian knows a little something about how to snap losing streaks. “There’s a great opportunity for us to go on the road and get a road win before the season is done,” he said. “And that’s our focus.” READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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