University of Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham said he saw it, even if no one else did. Throughout his team’s six-game losing streak, Willingham said he could still see improvement.
And Saturday, the Huskies showed everyone what Willingham had seen.
Washington’s defense continued to play hard and the offense finally made some big plays. Most importantly, the Huskies showed some fight that many wondered if they still had in light of their shocking home upset at the hands of Stanford.
Washington showed that when it wants to, it can play hard and find a way to win. That made the previous few weeks maddening, but also makes the future intriguing.
“I’ve enjoyed what’s taken place because I’ve seen growth in our football team,” Willingham said. “Other people often cannot see that. You just have to keep working and keep smiling during the difficult times because you know at some point we’ll be good again.”
When that point will come is still in question. The Huskies have a brutal schedule next season, with non-conference games against Syracuse, Boise State and Ohio State, and the Pac-10 could be better with good, young talent at USC, Cal, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA.
But if Saturday showed nothing else, it showed the Huskies do have guys coming back who are capable of making plays and who aren’t named Isaiah Stanback.
Both receivers who turned short passes into long gains – Cody Ellis and Marcel Reece – will be back, and will be joined by Anthony Russo, D’Andre Goodwin and maybe Corey Williams. Louis Rankin showed his usual exciting ability coupled with his frustrating inconsistency, but with J.R. Hasty back, that could be a solid duo in the backfield. And Chris Stevens has shown all season that he has the ability to get after quarterbacks and make plays on special teams.
“This was a big win for us,” Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. “We don’t go limping into the recruiting season or the offseason. These players are believing. It’s going to give us tremendous momentum into the winter program and recruiting.”
How much momentum the win generates remains to be seen. It should help a bit in recruiting, and 5-7 does look better than 4-8. But nine months is a long time to try to hold onto the good feeling the Apple Cup win produced. Quarterback Carl Bonnell, who figures to find himself in a battle with Jake Locker for the starting job beginning, oh, today, said that the win definitely will be a catalyst for the offseason.
“It’s huge for the next nine months,” Bonnell said. “This is what’s going to drive us through offseason workouts. You have this feeling to reach back on.”
Just as important as the springboard to the offseason, at least for Willingham, was the feeling the win generated for the outgoing seniors, who have been through some of the worst times in Husky football history. To send them out on a positive note was something that almost put a smile on Willingham’s face after the game. And the seniors say they are happy to be part of a game that should spark the program as it heads into next season.
“It’s on the upswing,” linebacker Scott White said. “We’re making improvements. We had two wins last year, we had five this year. We’re on the brink, we really are. … The best days are ahead.”
Said receiver Sonny Shackelford: “We’re making a step in the right direction. We more than doubled our wins from last year. We started the guys for next year with a win. All they have to do is keep it up.”
Mike Allende is The Herald’s college football writer. His UW blog can be read at www.heraldnet/huskies.
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