By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – Paul Arnold doesn’t look like a tailback anymore.
“I’m starting to get skinny,” the University of Washington’s converted wide receiver said. “I’ve got pipe cleaners for arms now. I gotta wear baggy T-shirts every day now.”
If Arnold is losing muscle tone, he’s compensating in other areas, most noticeably in his pass-catching ability. His 30 receptions rank him second on the team, one fewer than Reggie Williams. He averages 15.7 yards a catch and has four TDs. Against Arizona State Saturday, Arnold caught a team-high seven passes for 94 yards, all in the first half.
Not bad for a guy who’s a rookie at the position after moving to wideout to ease a back condition. Indeed, Arnold appears to play the position naturally, as though he’s played it since he started playing the game.
“I wasn’t making the switch just to be at a position,” Arnold said. “I was making the switch so I could go out there and make plays. I’m happy that so many balls have come my way.”
Arnold has had to make the adjustment of catching the ball with his hands, rather than with his body. Other than that, he has few technical reminders that he was one of the most hotly recruited tailbacks in the country three years ago.
“I’m loving it,” Arnold said. “I’m catching some balls. At receiver, we have a real good crew. We’re having fun the whole time. In tense moments, we just get with each other and still have fun. I’m just loving it. All of it.”
Stanford formidable: The fact that Stanford, Washington’s opponent Saturday, beat former top-five teams Oregon and UCLA in back-to-back games didn’t go unnoticed by UW coach Rick Neuheisel.
“They’re one of the hottest teams in the country,” Neuheisel said. “They snapped Oregon’s (23-game) home winning streak and then beat UCLA handily. We have our hands full.”
The Cardinal have been doing it with backup quarterback Chris Lewis, who took over for Randy Fasani Oct. 20 when Fasani sprained a medial collateral ligament against Oregon. Lewis made his first start against UCLA and was 20-of-29 passing for 250 yards and three touchdowns.
“I don’t noticing them scaling back their offense at all for him,” Neuheisel said.
Ceremony planned: The Washington athletic department is planning a ceremony to bring awareness to pancreatic cancer during Saturday’s game. November is National Pancreatic Cancer Month. Thirty-thousand ribbons will be distributed to fans at the Husky Stadium entrance gates.
In addition, the Husky marching band will form a ribbon at halftime and a video presentation will be played on the HuskyTron video screen.
Short routes: Neuheisel said tight end Jerramy Stevens, who broke a foot against Idaho, is resuming running and may be available for the Oregon State game Nov. 10 … UW placekicker John Anderson was named the Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week for his game-winning, 30-yard field goal Saturday against Arizona State. Anderson, who pulled a hip flexor in practice last week, did not kick off at all against Arizona State. Jim Skurski was the kickoff man against the Sun Devils and may remain there against Stanford, Neuheisel said … UW alum Rob Weller will be recognized between the first and second quarters of Saturday’s game for introducing “The Wave” to college football. The former Husky cheerleader, UW legend has it, introduced the nation to the famous cheer Oct. 31, 1981 in Husky Stadium. He will lead Saturday’s crowd in another rendition Saturday. No rotten, flingable produce is allowed in the stadium.
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