SEATTLE — Hawaii may be 11-0 and a double-digit favorite over the 4-8 Huskies, but don’t expect the Warriors to take Washington lightly.
While the Huskies have struggled against one of the country’s toughest schedules, losing to the likes of Ohio State, Oregon, USC and Arizona State, the Warriors have cruised through what is generally regarded as one of the nation’s weakest schedules.
“Considering that Washington has played the toughest schedule in football and they have the record they have, that’s not bad,” said Hawaii quarterback Colt Brennan. “They can play with anyone in the country and I’m sure that they’ll come out here ready to play. They have the talent to play with us, they have the talent to beat us. So it’s really exciting because it’s a big game for us and this is definitely a team that we cannot overlook.”
Hawaii coach June Jones said he has watched almost every Washington game, and the team he has seen brings athletes the Warriors have not seen the likes of playing in the WAC. In particular, Jones likes the backfield duo of Louis Rankin and Jake Locker.
“I think that their quarterback and their running back might be the two best athletes we’ve played this year,” said Jones, who likened Rankin to former Cal running back Marshawn Lynch, a first-round draft pick by the Buffalo Bills. “He’s very explosive, and the quarterback is as good as anybody. People can talk about Tim Tebow all they want, but the quarterback at Washington is the real deal.”
Tyrone Willingham doesn’t think the difference in schedules means a lot. “I don’t know if I really measure the difference between the two,” he said. “To me it’s all football and regardless of what league you come out of, you’ve got to play your best and execute. I think some years ago there might have been a distinct difference between the teams, but I think right now it’s all football, and everyone has some talented players and everyone has good athletes.”
Asked if he saw any irony in a team with one of the toughest schedules was playing against a team with one of the weakest, Willingham said, “With the schedule that we had, I didn’t have a chance to reflect on that.”
Last play: Willingham was asked again Monday about Washington State’s final touchdown, a 35-yard pass to Brandon Gibson on which the receiver was wide open.
“We just had a miscommunication on that,” Willingham said. “Half our guys were playing one thing and another half played something else.”
Willingham clarified that the miscommunication was “From coaches to players. So if you’re looking to point a finger, that was us.”
Back in the action: Jake Locker said that after missing a game because of a neck injury, it was good to get hit again.
“It felt good,” he said. “I missed it after being away for a week. That’s part of the game I love, and it was good to get back out there and experience that again.”
Willingham said that Locker, who completed just 12 of 35 attempts, was probably a little bit rusty, but the quarterback said he should have complete more passes than he did.
“I missed a couple passes that would have been touchdowns,” he said. “I just overthrew them a little bit. I wasn’t able to throw for a week, but that’s not an excuse. I was able to practice all week last week and I was able to get back in the groove. I just missed the throw.”
Injury update: The Huskies came out of the Apple Cup without serious injury. Linebacker Mason Foster (broken nose), receiver D’Andre Goodwin (Willingham described it as “fogginess”), and Cody Ellis (foot) each missed part of the game but were able to return.
Willingham did not know yet if Jordan Murchison, who sprained his ankle in practice last week, and Donald Butler, who has been out since injuring his knee against Oregon, would be available this week.
Players of the week: Locker, Louis Rankin E.J. Savannah and Chris Stevens were named Washington’s players of the week. Locker, who rushed for 103 yards and passed for 224, earned offensive honors, while Savannah was awarded on defense for his 11 tackles, including two for loss. Rankin, who returned the game’s opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown, shared special teams honors with Chris Stevens, who recorded three tackles on returns.
Charles Hawkins, T.J. Poe and Cort Dennison earned scout team player of the week honors.
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