Bad taste in Dawgs’ mouths

  • John Sleeper / Herald Writer
  • Thursday, December 27, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

By John Sleeper

Herald Writer

SAN DIEGO – Larry Tripplett says the taste won’t go away unless his Washington Huskies give a great showing today against Texas in the Holiday Bowl.

The Huskies’ 65-7 loss to Miami was more than a month ago, but the effects remain, Tripplett said.

“We don’t want to go out like that,” said Tripplett, the Huskies’ standout defensive tackle. “We want to prove that the team that played in Miami wasn’t us.”

The trouble is, the ninth-ranked Longhorns (10-2) have talent comparable to that of Miami. In fact, there are those who believe Texas would have been in the Bowl Championship Series against Miami had the Longhorns not imploded in the first half against Colorado en route to a 39-37 defeat in the Big 12 Championship game.

“Naturally, we wanted to play for the national championship,” Texas linebacker D.D. Lewis said. “That doesn’t mean we’re not happy to be in the Holiday Bowl and play Washington.”

Both No. 21 Washington (8-3) and Texas say a victory in the Holiday Bowl will do much for the way they remember the season. Washington beat three teams ranked in the top 10 (Washington State, Michigan and Stanford), yet three blowout defeats made the Huskies the only 8-3 team in memory to score fewer points than their opponents (310-323).

Texas enters the game having posted 10 victories for just the third time since 1983, yet coach Mack Brown has been busy defending himself against alums and media who accuse him of not having the ability to win the big game.

“You understand when you come to Texas how its going to be,” Brown said. “There are 20 million people in Texas who graduated in coaching and every one of them have opinions about Texas football. That’s just the way things are and you know that going in.”

The hottest topic among Longhorn followers is Brown’s decision to start senior Major Applewhite in the Holiday Bowl after he nearly rallied Texas back from a 29-10 second-quarter deficit to a near-victory over Colorado. Applewhite, Texas’ all-time leading passer who has 44 school records, largely sat on the bench this season in favor of Chris Simms. But when Simms threw three interceptions and fumbled once against the Buffaloes, he was demoted in favor of Applewhite.

“We just felt Major gave us momentum and that we would have a better chance of winning the Holiday Bowl with Major,” Brown said.

The reason that Texas is a 12-point favorite against Washington, however, is the Longhorns’ defense, which is nothing short of amazing.

You don’t run on Texas, or at least no one had until Colorado rolled up 223 yards in the Big 12 Championship. The Longhorns are No. 1 in the country in total defense, sixth in rushing defense and third in scoring defense.

Lewis is the emotional leader of a defense that allowed Oklahoma State 162 yards, Kansas 67, and 165 to Texas A&M. It’s an attacking, blitzing crew that can get away with sending linebackers into pass rush mode because of a superior secondary led by consensus All-America cornerback Quentin Jammer.

“If he gets his hands on you in bump-and-run coverage, he’s almost impossible to beat,” Texas defensive coordinator Carl Reeves said.

Conventional thinking is that the Huskies will have to have a balanced offense to have any hope to win. That means Washington’s young offensive line, maligned for inconsistency, will have to create room for tailbacks Willie Hurst and Rich Alexis. It also means that the Huskies, who tried to protect quarterback Cody Pickett’s separated shoulder by avoiding running option plays, may have to go back to the option to give Texas something else to think about.

Should Texas shut down Washington’s running game, Pickett will need stout contributions from freshman receiver Reggie Williams (55 catches) and tight end Jerramy Stevens, who showed understandable rustiness after having missed six games with a broken foot.

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