SEATTLE — Juan Garcia was so happy when he heard the news he could have hugged Louis Rankin.
So he did. He also jumped for joy.
Upon hearing the news that Rankin was named the Pac-10 co-offensive player of the week along with Oregon’s Dennis Dixon, Garcia said he gave the senior tailback a hug while the two were riding on an elevator.
Rankin was given the award for his 255-yard performance against Stanford in the Huskies 27-9 win, but both he and Tyrone Willingham agreed that offensive line deserved much of the credit.
“It’s definitely not a one-man award,” said Rankin. “There’s really credit due to a lot of people, and definitely the O-line is one of the main reasons.”
Rankin’s big game not only helped the Huskies end a six-game losing streak, but it put him on pace to break the 1,000-yard barrier, something that hasn’t been done by a Husky since 1997. With four games remaining, Rankin needs just 207 yards to reach 1,000.
“I was talking to the line and said, ‘Man, we’ve got to get to 1,000,’” said Garcia. “That’s where I get my pride. Just knowing that he got 1,000 would make me happy, make me smile. It’s something we’re going to work hard for.”
But wait, hasn’t quarterback Jake Locker been on a 1,000-yard pace all season?
“Yeah, but Jake’s on his own,” Garcia joked. “That’s all Jake. I said 99 percent of the yards Louis gets are his, and one percent is ours, but Jake’s just 100 percent. That’s all Jake. I ain’t going to take nothing away from that guy. Everywhere we go, everyone’s like, ‘You guys suck, except for Jake. Jake’s the man, you guys are trash.’ He’s good. That kid, he get’s all the credit, I ain’t taking it from him.”
If both backs can go over 1,000 yards — Locker needs 209 yards — it would be a first in Washington history.
Defense getting aggressive: Willingham said one of the reasons for Washington’s improved defense was a more aggressive approach by players and coaches.
“I think we tried to have a more aggressive tone to everything that we were doing,” he said. “I think as much as anything, our theme was not to play cautious, nor to coach cautious. I think that’s what happens some times when you’re not having the success that you want. You want to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect, but it’s not going to be that way. And when you lend yourself to being overly cautious, then you tend to make mistakes.”
Cal game on ABC: Washington’s Nov. 17 game against California will kick off at 12:30 p.m. and be televised by ABC (Ch. 4). Assuming the Apple Cup is picked up for TV, that will mean all of Washington’s games will be televised in a season for the first time.
Injury update: Freshman safety Nate Williams’ status is uncertain for this week’s game, though he is still on the depth chart. Williams left the Stanford game with a hamstring injury. Linebacker Donald Butler, who has not played since injuring his knee against Oregon, is expected to be out again this week.
Willingham said that Locker, who had a sore right shoulder and left elbow after the Stanford game, is fine.
A position switch for Shaw?: Freshman tailback Curtis Shaw spent last week practicing at wide receiver, and was lining up as a receiver during pregame warm ups Saturday. Willingham said they plan on using Shaw as a receiver and tailback for now, but that they are excited about what he could offer as a receiver.
“Obviously I think there are a lot of things that Curtis can offer our football team,” Willingham said. “To have the ability to be both a running back and receiver is a nice quality to have. So we worked him last week as a receiver and we’ll look at his future as potentially being a receiver with the ability to do both. He has a wonderful set of hands and outstanding speed, and any time you can put that combination in the open field, that’s a plus.”
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