TUCSON, Ariz. – A tad more than two minutes remained when Reggie Williams saved the Washington Huskies’ bacon.
It looked to be a simple short pass from Cody Pickett, but as Williams has shown in his time at Washington, little is as simple as it seems. With the Huskies down 28-26, Williams broke an arm tackle and took the ball 80 yards for a touchdown.
Arizona has been down in recent years, the low point coming this season when embattled coach John Mackovic was fired. That culminated a stormy tenure for Mackovic, who barely survived a mutiny by dozens of his players last season, but couldn’t survive a 1-4 start in 2003.
But as bad as it’s been around Tucson lately, the Wildcats have usually given the Huskies a great game, as the 2002 game showed.
“I just remember having to chase (Williams),” Wildcats strong safety Clay Hardt said this week. “He broke it, the stadium went bonkers and we lost. It hurt because we had that game.”
The last four games between Washington and Arizona, all Husky victories, have been decided by a total of 21 points. The Huskies came from behind in the fourth quarter to win three of them.
That’s one reason the Huskies, despite being 16-point favorites, are expecting nothing less today.
“They’ve played us tough every time,” defensive tackle Terry Johnson said. “Why not now?”
Some may expect a blowout because the Wildcats are so wounded. Arizona has just 69 of its allotment of 85 scholarships filled, a result of injuries or suspensions. The Wildcats’ best player, Clarence Farmer, was tossed off the team a few weeks ago for skipping practice. Thirteen walk-ons of the 60-man travel squad made the trip to Oregon State.
Of the Wildcats’ seven healthy offensive linemen, three are walk-ons.
It doesn’t look good, but don’t tell that to UW head coach Keith Gilbertson. Weeks ago, his team took Nevada lightly, only to get embarrassed at home in a 28-17 loss.
“I expect to get their best shot,” Gilbertson said. “I would hope that we learned our lesson against Nevada.”
Besides, the Huskies have issues of their own.
An avalanche of injuries has thrust young players into either starting or playing extended minutes.
Quarterback Cody Pickett didn’t play the second half against Oregon because of a concussion. He is expected to play, but if not, backup Casey Paus showed his worth against the Ducks, sparking the Huskies to 35 second-half points.
Tailback Rich Alexis is out, possibly for the season, because of a tear in his left thigh. In his place, redshirt freshmen Kenny James and Shelton Sampson each ran for better than 100 yards against the Ducks.
The offensive line has been rebuilt with young players and veterans who have been able to hang in. The leader has been senior center Todd Bachert. Sophomore Brad Vanneman played valuable minutes at guard. Redshirt freshman Clay Walker blocked well. Ryan Brooks rotated with Khalif Barnes at tackle.
Somehow, they got it done. The patchwork line was no small reason Washington ran for a season-high 261 yards.
“It’s amazing how well you can run when you block well,” Gilbertson said. “It was an amazing night of play for us on the line of scrimmage.”
Despite appearances, the Huskies likely will need a repeat against Arizona.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
