By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SEATTLE — All in all, the time would have been better spent pulling weeds, cleaning one’s grout or taking the kids to the zoo.
Think of it. Gorgeous, sun-baked day. Temps in the mid-70s.
Certainly, much of the 70,145 at Husky Stadium decided it had better things to do than to watch Washington’s 53-3 crushing of the Idaho Vandals Saturday. By the fourth quarter, most had left, leaving 1) only the most sadistic; and 2) those involved in Band Day, who had to be there or get suspended from school.
"I asked my team to play for 60 minutes, regardless of the score," said UW coach Rick Neuheisel, whose 13th-ranked Huskies improved to 2-0.
In truth, 30 minutes would have been more than enough.
As they did against Michigan two weeks prior, Washington’s defense and special teams made up for the shortcomings off the Husky offense. in a 6 1/2-minute span that broke open the game, Roc Alexander ran back a kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, Chris Massey brought back a blocked field goal 69 yards for another score and true freshman Charles Frederick scored a third TD on an 87-yard punt return.
It all turned a 3-3 tie into 24-3 UW lead with 11:55 left in the first half, leaving many to wish for a mercy rule.
"We were just out there getting beat," said Idaho center Matt Martinez, whose team fell to 0-3.
While the UW offense had its rough moments (its goal-line offense failed twice early, as it did against Michigan), it did show signs of coming around with a pair of second-quarter TD drives that totaled 21 plays and 169 yards and took more than seven minutes off the clock.
One ended with a 25-yard TD run by quarterback Cody Pickett, the other a 7-yard run by Braxton Cleman. The last boosted the Husky lead to 37-7, which held up at halftime.
"That’s our job, to put points up on the board," Pickett said.
Troubling for the Huskies, however, were injuries to two offensive starters, the most serious to All-America candidate tight end Jerramy Stevens.
Stevens, who caught 43 passes last season for 600 yards and three touchdowns, left the game in the second quarter with a fractured left foot. He is expected to be out eight weeks.
The other significant injury came to starting tailback Willie Hurst, who strained a hamstring in the first quarter and did not return.
"Our hope is that he will be available next week," Neuheisel said.
Other than that, Washington should like what it sees in game films this week.
Pickett, armed with a more aggressive game plan than the conservative one against Michigan, was 15 of 20 passing for 158 yards and an interception.
"As long as we keep evolving at his pace, we are going to have a chance at being successful," Neuheisel said.
Backup quarterback Taylor Barton took over for Pickett in the third quarter and immediately led a seven-play touchdown drive in which he hit Paul Arnold on a 14-yard scoring pass. Barton completed four of six passes for 64 yards and a TD.
"The drive felt good," Barton said. "Usually, when you get an offensive holding and a clip sets a drive back. We had both. We responded well."
Washington’s running game also looked much improved over the 69-yard effort against Michigan. The young offensive line appeared more cohesive and more aggressive after its early rough areas. The Huskies rolled up 212 rushing yards.
But it was a day for the UW defense and special teams.
The defense bottled up Idaho quarterback John Welsh, who separated his right shoulder in the first half and left the game. Yes, tailback Blair Lewis finished with 104 yards on 18 carries, but Washington’s pass rush and dramatic play offset Lewis’ effect.
On the day, the Vandals managed just 250 yards, 120 via the air.
"We wanted to go out and hit somebody after the two-week layoff," UW defensive tackle Larry Tripplett said. "It didn’t matter who was out there. It was a hunger that I’ve not had in a long time."
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