SEATTLE – So what’s different this time around?
The Washington football team has in fact been here before. Remember a year ago? Isaiah Stanback’s miraculous Hail Mary to Craig Chambers that sparked a stunning victory at Arizona? That was the game that was going to turn things around. The Huskies finally knew how to win a game! They knew how to get a team down and finish them off! This was the start of something big!
And then Washington lost a fourth-quarter lead to Washington State the next week and was back to the beginning.
So how have things changed? Why is this Husky team better prepared to carry the momentum of a big win to the next week than last year’s group?
“We’ve won two games since then,” senior safety C.J. Wallace said. “We know how to win games. We showed that last week. Anytime you win a close game against a good team, it shows that you know how to win.”
Maybe. But winning a non-conference game against a team that had been struggling like Fresno State is different than winning a conference game against a team that has owned you recently. And make no mistake, UCLA has had Washington’s number. The Bruins (2-0) have won five in a row and eight of nine in the series, and will try to add to those numbers when they play the Huskies (2-1) at 4 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium.
Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said he is aware of UCLA’s recent record against his team, but he said that doesn’t really mean anything.
“I hope our football team realizes that what happened in the past has no correlation to what happens in the future,” Willingham said. “We’re playing a brand new game. The guys who were there last year won’t line up for UCLA and the guys who line up for us won’t line up. What we do Saturday will determine the outcome of this ball game, not what has taken place in the past.”
Which isn’t to say Willingham wants his team to completely forget the past. Specifically, last year’s heartbreaking 21-17 defeat at the hands of UCLA in the Rose Bowl. The Huskies outplayed a good Bruins team for three quarters before losing a 17-7 lead in the fourth quarter. Maurice Drew scored on a 1-yard run with 1:08 to play to seal the comeback for UCLA.
“I hope our young men will remember some of the mistakes we made there and make a conscious effort to not put ourselves in those positions,” Willingham said. “some of those were fundamental to the way we played last year, and we want to erase those.”
Willingham doesn’t have to worry about his players forgetting about that loss. They know that that was a game that could have prevented what turned out to be another disappointing season.
“If we win that game, who knows?” offensive guard Stanley Daniels said. “Maybe we go on and win the rest of our games. It was real disappointing because we knew we were the better team. Now we have to go out and show that we learned from our mistakes.”
UCLA coach Karl Dorrell, who’s team is coming off of a bye and will be playing on the road for the first time this season, said he’s seen a difference in Washington. The former Husky assistant coach said the team is playing with more confidence, from what he’s seen on film.
“Offensively, you can tell they’re a lot more comfortable,” Dorrell said. “Guys are in the positions to make those plays, and Isaiah is doing a great job of operating the offense, taking care of the football and making plays with his feet when he has to. Defensively, they’re playing really hard. …They’re flying around, trying to make plays and you can tell their confidence is better than it has been.”
That would seem to be the case. Washington does genuinely seem to be more confident now than it did after the Arizona game. Some of the players believe that’s because there is still so much of the season left, and with it, a chance to really build some momentum. Against Arizona, there was only one more game left – the Apple Cup – in what was essentially a lost season. Now, the Huskies believe they have time to build toward their ultimate goal, which – realistic or not – is winning the Rose Bowl.
“We know it can’t just be one game,” receiver Sonny Shackelford said. “We’re going to go into the next game and do it better. We’re not happy to just have one win. … The goal is to get to the Rose Bowl and the only way to get into the Rose Bowl is to win the conference. … We would be disappointed with a 4-5 conference record. That’s not the talent we have on this team.”
“We know what our goal is and that’s to win the conference,” cornerback Matt Fountaine said. “And to do that, we have to beat UCLA. Last year we were still playing hard, but we knew we weren’t going to a bowl game. This year we know we can get there.”
Willingham said the most important issue for his team is to build off of last week and realize that just because its record is 2-1 for the first time since 2003 doesn’t mean that the work is finished.
“I believe there is a difference in our attitude,” Willingham said. “There’s a better understanding of the process. But as soon as you mention the process, it’s unfinished. We’re still learning, we’re still growing. The story’s not written yet. There’s a lot of ink that has to be placed somewhere before the story’s written.”
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