By John Sleeper
Herald Writer
SEATTLE – Rick Neuheisel sensed it in warm-ups before the game Saturday. So did Larry Tripplett.
Maybe it was the heat. Or the prospect of playing winless Cal, a 15-point underdog. Or maybe they were gazing at certain attractive female specimens in the student section.
Whatever. The Huskies were flatter than a plate of beer for the Cal game and nearly paid for it. It becomes an issue at the top of the list this week in practice.
“I watched our kids warm up and they looked a little fatigued,” Neuheisel said. “Whether it be the heat or whether it be the first time we played on grass or whether it be the first broad trip, I don’t know. It just looked like we were a step slow.”
Make it three or four. Sure, the Huskies beat the Golden Bears 31-28, but not before falling behind 14-0 and 21-7.
“I’ll be honest with you,” said Tripplett, the Huskies all-Pac-10 defensive tackle. “Coming into the first half, I felt a little sluggish.”
He wasn’t the only one. And Neuheisel said it gets fixed in practice this week, as Washington prepares for USC.
“If you have a great week of preparation, it is unlikely you will fire a blank on Saturday,” Neuheisel said. “If your tempo in practice isn’t what you’re hoping for, then you’re running the risk that you’re going to be less than your best on game day.”
That wasn’t the case last week, said center Kyle Benn. Yes, the team had some frontliners sit out one or two practices because of injury, but the quality of performance shouldn’t have dropped off that dramatically.
“You could tell there was a kind of mental flatness all week, like some guys’ minds where elsewhere,” Benn said. “Coach Neuheisel pointed that out Wednesday and Thursday. He said we were going to get our butts kicked if we don’t pick it up.”
Trojan woes: USC has lost its last three games and is 1-3, the first 1-3 start since 1961. Quarterback Carson Palmer is taking heat from fans and the Los Angeles media. Once Tailback U., USC mustered just 28 net rushing yards against Stanford, whose defense never will be compared to the 1983 Chicago Bears.
But most puzzling to first-year coach Pete Carroll were four personal fouls for late hits against the Cardinal. In all, the Trojans had nine penalties for 93 yards.
“I’m really disappointed that we had to deal with that last week,” Carroll said. “Guys were trying to finish plays and do something extra, but it was well beyond where they should. None of them were vicious attempts to hit anybody. They were just trying to finish plays. It’s a learning process for us and really, we don’t tolerate it. I don’t even understand how it can happen all in one game.”
Short routes: Tailback Willie Hurst, who missed the Cal game with a pulled hamstring, participated in about half of practice and appeared to be full speed. Neuheisel said Hurst sat out the last half of practice as a precaution. It will be decided later in the week whether Hurst starts against USC … Ken Walker will start at fullback in place of Matthias Wilson. Walker was slowed in preseason camp with a hamstring pull, but has rounded into shape. Neuheisel said Wilson will play Saturday … Wideout Justin Robbins tweaked a hamstring again before the Cal game and didn’t practice Tuesday … Redshirt junior John Schmidt got some work at short snapper. Neuheisel said he will decide whether to replace Ellliott Zajac at the position. Zajac struggled with his snaps against Cal … . Sam Blanche is pushing Anthony Kelley at outside linebacker, Neuheisel said.
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