Longhorn defense gives UW feelings of deja vu

By John Sleeper

Herald Writer

SEATTLE – It’s a fair comparison to make: UCLA’s front seven and that of Texas.

On second thought, that may be an insult to the Longhorns.

If the Washington Huskies’ ground game had trouble against UCLA – and it produced all of minus-8 yards – Texas has the same capability to ruin Washington’s day Dec. 28 at the Holiday Bowl.

“They have a defensive scheme that is predominantly set to stop the run,” UW coach Rick Neuheisel said. “They’re tough. But we can’t get into a game where we are going to throw it every down, either. That would be a mistake, given their athleticism.”

The Longhorns led the nation in total defense, giving up an average of 236.2 yards a game. Texas allows just 89.5 rushing yards a game (sixth in the nation) and 2.8 yards per attempt in a conference that loves to run the ball second only to loving the sanctity of motherhood.

The Horns held eight of their 12 opponents to less that 100 yards rushing and have allowed just seven 100-yard rushers in their last 37 games. Oklahoma gained just 63 yards on 31 carries. Texas Tech finished with 37 yards.

“They’re a great group, really talented,” UW offensive line coach Brent Myers said. “They’re going to play seven guys in the box, sometimes eight. They go up the field. Hard penetration. Powerful. Quick. They don’t go to Texas for nothing. The best kids in Texas go to Texas.”

Led by middle linebacker D.D. Lewis and cornerback Quentin Jammer, the Texas run-stoppers have turned the Longhorns’ defense into a disruptive unit similar to that of the 2001 UCLA defense and the 1999 Kansas State defense the Huskies faced in their last visit to the Holiday Bowl.

The Longhorns have rolled up 36 sacks, 15 interceptions, 118 tackles for loss, 13 recovered fumbles and have blocked five punts.

“I give a lot of credit to our defensive coordinator, Carl Reese, and his staff,” Texas coach Mack Brown said. “They have done as good a job as I’ve ever seen in coaching. I think that we have done a better job coaching this year than any year since we have been here. Carl is so competitive and the guys play hard every week for him.”

So that’s what the Huskies will face Dec. 28, keeping in mind that the run has not been Washington’s forte. The Huskies averaged 111.7 yards on the ground per game this season, ninth in the Pacific-10 Conference, and broke the century mark just five times in 11 games.

Much of the blame has gone to an inexperienced offensive line that had shining moments mixed with growing pains. The Huskies rushed for 212, 188 and 174 yards against Idaho, Arizona State and USC, respectively, but also managed just minus-8, 69, 79 and 83 against UCLA, Michigan, Washington State and Arizona, respectively.

If there was one positive to pull out of the 65-7 shellacking at Miami, it was the way the Huskies ran the ball. Even though the mounting score forced Washington to throw the ball more than it wanted, the Huskies did squeeze out 98 yards on the ground against a great defense, one comparable to Texas’.

The option may be a weapon that will return to Washington’s play-calling, now that quarterback Cody Pickett has had a chance to rest his injured shoulder. For the Huskies, a greater variety in the running attack would seem to work in their favor, especially against the Longhorns. That, and the continued development of the offensive line.

“We’ve gotten better at running the ball,” Myers said. “I think we have to keep doing it.”

Seery No. 2? With Taylor Barton’s availability for the Holiday Bowl uncertain because of first-degree criminal trespass charges, Adam Seery, a sophomore switched a year ago from safety, has been getting work as the backup quarterback to Cody Pickett.

Neuheisel said if Barton’s status remains unchanged before the game, Seery will be the backup because the Huskies don’t want to burn freshman Casey Paus’ redshirt season just for one game.

Barton has a pre-trial hearing set for Jan. 7, along with two UW walk-ons, Doug Clarke and Martin Dorcich. They were arrested Nov. 28 for allegedly refusing to leave a residence hall at Seattle Pacific University.

Lowe better: Cornerback Omare Lowe, who has had back and shoulder problems all season, is relatively pain-free and will play against Texas, Neuheisel said.