SEATTLE — The more the Washington Huskies try to distance themselves from their recent past, the more they seem doomed to repeat it.
Last Saturday’s loss to Arizona State guaranteed the 2010 Huskies of going into the midway point of their season at or below .500 for the sixth time in seven seasons. UW heads into tonight’s game against Oregon State having lost six in a row to the Beavers.
Must-win? Most of the Huskies don’t want to go that far. But another home loss tonight would, for all intents and purposes, seal UW’s destiny when it comes to making the postseason for the first time in six years.
“All I’m thinking is winning,” sophomore safety Nate Fellner said this week. “There’s no moral victory. We need a W right now. That’s all I’m focused on right now: trying to help the team get a W.”
Just two weeks have passed since the Huskies shocked No. 19 USC on the road and brought back all the excitement that had been building since quarterback Jake Locker announced in December that he would return for his senior season. But last Saturday’s home loss to Arizona State sucked all the momentum out of a season that was supposed to be filled with opportunity.
Now the Huskies (2-3 overall, 1-1 in the Pac-10) are staring down the barrel of four consecutive nationally-ranked opponents, beginning with the 24th-ranked Beavers tonight. Having lost its last two home games — to Nebraska on Sept. 18 and ASU last week — Washington can’t afford to walk out of Husky Stadium with heads hung low again.
“We feel like we owe it to our fans to put our best foot forward, and we’ll go do it again Saturday night,” said head coach Steve Sarkisian, who predicted at the beginning of the season that the Huskies would not lose a single home game. “We’re going to play hard, that’s for sure.”
Sarkisian refuses to get caught up in the talk about postseason prospects. At his Monday press conference this week, he quickly shot down any discussion about what today’s game might mean for the Huskies’ bowl chances.
“I’m not even looking at that,” he said. “I think we get in trouble, as a football team, when we start looking at the what-ifs down the road and the consequences of a loss, or the what-ifs if we win. I think that’s when we get in trouble.
“We need to focus on the task at hand, and that’s playing Oregon State Saturday night, 7:15.”
Most of his players got the message, saying that tonight’s game held no more significance than any other.
“I think every game we play is a must-win game,” middle linebacker Cort Dennison said. “The Pac-10’s so competitive this year, and every team’s in the race. I look at any home game, any away game, any game period is a must-win game for us.”
That’s especially true now that the Huskies have dropped three games overall and two in a row at home.
After tonight, UW will face No. 17 Arizona, No. 14 Stanford and No. 2 Oregon in its next three games. Barring a sudden turnaround and three-game sweep, the Huskies would be guaranteed of going into their next bye weekend with a sub-.500 record if they lose to OSU tonight. A more realistic possibility, should the Huskies lose tonight, would be a 2-7 record going into the three most winnable games of the season — and by that time, it would be too late to earn a bowl bid.
But nobody seems to be looking that far ahead — not yet.
The Huskies simply can’t afford to.
“Every week is a must-win for us, whether we’re 0-9 or 9-0,” safety Nate Williams said. “Just because we’re 2-3, this particular week is a must win. Last week was a must-win. Every week we’re out here, it’s a must-win.”
Medical report
Both teams enter tonight’s game with injury questions.
The Huskies should have quarterback Jake Locker, but he won’t be at full strength because of a deep thigh bruise. UW is likely to be without starting wide receiver Devin Aguilar (hip), backup running back Johri Fogerson (hip) and backup tight end Michael Hartvigson (shoulder surgery, out for the season). Defensive lineman Cameron Elisara (stinger) and tight end Chris Izbicki (back) could be limited because of injuries.
Oregon State will be missing top receiver James Rodgers, who is out for the season after suffering a knee injury last week. The senior is expected to apply for a medical redshirt so that he can come back next season.
Also hurting for the Beavers are tight end Brady Camp (out with a back injury) and starting offensive linemen Alex Linnenkohl (ankle) and Grant Johnson (neck).
Receiver Markus Wheaton, who is slated as the replacement for Rodgers, has some minor knee swelling but should play.
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