SEATTLE – The Washington football team will put the final excruciating seconds of the USC game behind it because really, the Huskies have no choice.
But that doesn’t mean there’s not a small lingering sense of unfinished business.
“It leaves that bitter taste in your mouth when you just don’t know what could have happened,” receiver Sonny Shackelford said. “There’s a play out there that could have gone either way. It leaves that awkward feeling that you just want to take out on someone else.”
That someone else is Oregon State, which plays at Washington at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium.
The Beavers (0-2 Pacific-10, 2-3 overall) have lost two in a row and have not been on the road since losing at Boise State on Sept. 7.
Washington’s offense, in particular, is anxious to get on the field again after failing to get a final play off against the Trojans. They say there’s no carry-over from that disappointment and they are ready to move on against a team they are favored to beat by 11 points.
“It still hurts inside but I have to get over it,” center Juan Garcia said. “It’s time to move on. You don’t want to stay in the past too long. …OSU is on our mind now, that’s the only game that matters.”
“We didn’t win the game, we lost,” quarterback Isaiah Stanback said. “You take that, you go, you make the corrections you need and you get ready for your next opponent.”
So what to expect from this opponent? From a defensive standpoint, Oregon State has been inconsistent. It opened the season allowing 17 points to Eastern Washington, then gave up 42 to Boise State. After a bye, the Beavers shut out Idaho only to allow 41 points the next week to Cal. Last week, Oregon State held Washington State to 13 points but lost the game.
“They reminded me of ourselves a little bit,” Washington State coach Bill Doba said. “They really stopped the run, got off blocks and the linebackers ran down hill and gave us problems. They got up on our receivers, jammed us and held on. …They were very physical.”
The Beavers rank third in the Pac-10 in total defense, allowing 311.2 yards a game. Oregon State crowded the talented Washington State receivers and made it tough for them to get off the line. Shackelford said that’s a similar ploy as the one Arizona used against the UW, and he expects to see the same thing from OSU.
“In man-to-man coverage, the better man is going to win always,” said Shackelford, who now ranks fourth in the conference in yards per-game at 73.3. “We’re working on it a whole bunch in practice this week and we’ll see what happens.”
“It opens up different opportunities,” Stanback said. “The past couple years they’ve had big, physical corners. Our receivers have to step up for the challenge.”
Oregon State has intercepted seven passes this year, including three by senior strong safety Sabby Piscitelli. The Beavers also have 17 sacks, with 11 different players getting to the quarterback but none with more than three. Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano expects OSU to blitz much of the game as it did a year ago when Oregon State beat Washington 18-10.
“Their defensive line plays hard,” Lappano said. “They keep their pads down, they blow gaps, they’re disruptive. Their corners are very good cover guys. They want to come up and bump you, distract you and get in your grill at the line of scrimmage. They’re going to pressure you.”
Shackelford said he expects the Washington receivers to be up for the challenge and to also have moved on from the disappointment of a week ago.
“It hurts but this is Tuesday,” Shackelford said. “That game was on Saturday. You have to put that in the past or else it’s going to hinder you all season.”
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