Ground game gets it going

  • John Sleeper / Herald Writer
  • Saturday, November 3, 2001 9:00pm
  • Sports

By John Sleeper

Herald Writer

SEATTLE — Stanford blew into Husky Stadium Saturday with the best defense against the run, statistically, in the Pacific-10 Conference.

The Cardinal held Heisman Trophy candidate DeShaun Foster to 77 yards (he rolled up 301 on the Huskies), has yielded just 93 yards a game and has nine seniors on the defensive side.

So much for statistics.

In their 42-28 victory over the Cardinal, the Huskies planned on running the ball, started the game running the ball, and never had any intention not to run the ball, yet finished with a respectable 130 yards on the ground.

"We felt they’d played with a lot of leads and teams weren’t running on them," UW offensive coordinator Keith Gilbertson said. "Our thing was that we were going to run at them from the start. If they stop us, they stop us. We felt like if the game was close that we could move the ball on the ground, and we did."

The Huskies let it be known early that Stanford’s gaudy numbers meant little. On Washington’s first drive, it ran the ball nine times in an 11-play masterpiece that led to its first touchdown, a 3-yard run by fullback Ken Walker.

"When you watch the tape, no one’s really tried to run on them," Hurst said. "They’d go to it, but then they’d go away from it and start passing on them. Coach Gilbertson said that we were gonna go at them and go at them. That’s just what they did."

Soon, Stanford’s linebackers inched up closer to the line, leaving the pass open. It worked Pickett completed 15 of 28 passes for 291 yards and a touchdown.

"We knew we had to establish the line of scrimmage," Pickett said. "The line did a great job with that. We went straight at them on the first drive, straight ahead. It worked. The line played great."

Remember, this was a team that ran for minus-16 yards against UCLA and was eighth in the conference in rushing offense. The young, inexperienced offensive line was singled out as the culprit, giving the backs little room to run and Pickett little time to pass.

"It was personal to us," offensive tackle Khalif Barnes said. "It wasn’t so much on the film. We came in knowing they were pretty good. Inside our hearts, we knew that there was no other way we were going to win. We had to run the ball."

Johnson shines: Former Mariner High School star Teyo Johnson led the Cardinal with six catches for 80 yards, plus a reception on a two-point conversion that tied the game at 28.

Johnson, 6-foot-7, 245 pounds, was a source of great worry among the Huskies coaching staff, which didn’t have anyone who could match up with Johnson one-on-one.

The two-point conversion was a classic example. Johnson found himself with corner Roc Alexander trying to cover him. Alexander, 7 inches shorter, could do little.

"You have to be aggressive on him, if you can," safety Greg Carothers said. "You try not to let him use his body. He’s quick. He can jump real high. He’s a basketball player playing football, and he’s a decently tough kid."

Quarterback Chris Lewis simply lobbed the ball in the back of the end zone, and before you could say "gross mismatch," Stanford tied the score at 28.

So it was especially gratifying to the UW secondary when, on fourth-and-4 with 2:15 left in the game and Stanford down a touchdown, Lewis threw another lob to Johnson. This time, however, Alexander had help from Carothers.

"I saw him, trying to use body position, trying to shield off Roc," Carothers said. "I saw him go up, Roc had his hand downward and I just tried to catch him on the chin to try to separate him from the ball."

Johnson said the pass was supposed to go to wideout Luke Powell. The trouble was, Husky linebacker Ben Mahdavi came through the line virtually untouched on a blitz and hurried Lewis’ throw.

"It was not the designed play," Johnson said. "I needed to make the play, but I didn’t. If I had gotten my feet under me more, I might have gotten it."

Johnson’s 50-yard reception in the second quarter was the longest in his career.

Ware comes through: UW coach Rick Neuheisel told his team before the game that someone was going to have to step up — someone coming to the fore, someone on whom nobody had counted before.

Reserve tight end Kevin Ware was one.

Ware, a junior, was asked by the coaching staff a year ago to consider switching to offensive tackle. He refused and had spent a lengthy span in the doghouse.

He played last year at 275 to 280 pounds. He came into this preseason camp at 260.

"I went home (to Spring, Texas) and rededicated myself to football," said Ware, one of the nation’s hotly recruited tight ends three years ago. "I came in ready to play."

On Saturday, Ware caught two passes, both on the Huskies’ game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, when they took a 35-28 lead. One was an 18-yard bullet over the middle for 18 yards to the Cardinal 15 on second-and-8. The other was an 11-yarder in which Cardinal free safety Tank Williams blasted him full-force and stopped him two yards from the end zone. Ware held on, and three plays later, Hurst scored.

"I thouht I was wide open and I wasn’t really expecting (Williams’ hit)," Ware said. "It was a good shot, but I just got up and shook it off."

UW star tight end Jerramy Stevens may come back next week from a broken foot that’s held him out since the second game of the season, but Neuheisel said Ware’s plays were as crucial as any during the season.

"As my old coach used to say, players are like flowers," Neuheisel said. "They don’t all bloom at the same time. You have these guys come in with great reputations and they don’t necessarily just blossom. He made the big play when he needed to make the big play. That was just awesome."

Injuries: Washington wideout Will Hooks re-dislocated a shoulder on a hit in the fourth quarter. Hooks, who had been wearing a harness on the shoulder all season after separating it in fall camp, may or may not be available next week against Oregon State, Neuheisel said.

"One thing about dislocations is that you can’t injure it any further than it already is," Neuheiwsel said. "We’ll have to see."

Wideout Reggie Williams left the game after he bruised a thigh on the play on which he scored on an 8-yard reception in the second quarter. Williams said he’d be able to play against the Beavers.

"Oh, it’s cool," said Williams, who had three receptions for 74 yards, including a 43-yard gain. "It’s just a little bruise. It’s a little bit tight right now, but I’ll be able to practice Monday."

Williams said he thought he landed on a Cardinal defender’s helmet.

Short routes: Washington extended its home win streak to 13 games, longest in the Pac-10 … UW fullback Ken Walker scored his first career touchdown in the first quarter … Hurst’s three rushing touchdowns are a career-high and are tied for the fourth-most by a UW player in a game. It is the most since Corey Dillon scored three against Washington State in 1996 … UW tailback Rich Alexis’ third-quarter fumble was the first lost fumble by a Husky tailback this season.

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