SEATTLE – To the very end, Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham refused to acknowledge there was much special about coaching against the team he led the past three years.
Jennifer Buchanan / The Herald
Willingham, who led Notre Dame to two bowl games in his tenure in South Bend, called Saturday’s game unique, but mostly left it at that.
“It was a great opportunity to do what real competitors do,” Willingham said. “You may know the guy, but you just compete. And that’s what our team did, and that’s what their team did.”
Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said he hoped having this game behind them will allow both teams to move on.
“(We) have the utmost respect for Coach Willingham, his staff, his players and the University of Washington,” Weis said. “At this point, the game is over, I’ll move on and I hope they move on. I wish them nothing but the best, but it is time to put that behind us.”
Washington players said they knew that this would be a special game for Willingham and the five UW assistants who came from Notre Dame (even if the coaches wouldn’t admit it).
“We feel bad because we knew it was a big game for coach and for us,” safety C.J. Wallace said. “We really wanted to win this one bad.”
Washington defensive coordinator Kent Baer, who held the same position at Notre Dame, admitted there were some added emotions to this game.
“It was fun to talk to them after the game,” Baer said. “There’s a lot of guys there that you really like a lot. I wish them the best of luck, they’re a good football team.”
Weis said he and Willingham laughed about the preceding week when they met on the field prior to the game.
“We both acknowledged that it’s been a little bit of a circus and I think in a very cordial and friendly way,” Weis said. “We were both glad to get to the kickoff and get it over with because no matter how hard you try, you know what it’s going to be about. We got to share a little chuckle with each other because we were both thinking the exact same thing.”
DuRocher makes debut: Quarterback Johnny DuRocher made his Husky and college football debut on Saturday. The transfer from Oregon, who had to sit out the first three games because of transfer rules, led Washington on a scoring drive on its final possession. DuRocher completed 2 of 5 passes – though at least one incompletion should have been caught – and found Craig Chambers for a 41-yard touchdown.
“It just felt good to be out there,” DuRocher said. “It’s been awhile since I’ve been in a game. I thought I did OK. I’m sure things will get easier the more I’m out there.”
Wood sees the field: Willingham said he thought wide receiver Marlon Wood might see added playing time Saturday and he was right. The transfer from Pasadena Community College made his first catch as a Husky, and it was a big one, going for 69 yards down the right sideline. Wood also returned a punt 10 yards.
“I was just glad to be more involved,” Wood said. “I thought I might have a touchdown but I had to slow down a little (to catch the ball) and that got me off my stride.”
Making amends: Fox Sports Northwest’s service has been limited because of Hurricane Rita, forcing the cancellation of several programs including today’s scheduled replay of the UW-Notre Dame game. To make up for it, the network is making a $15,000 donation to the Red Cross in Washington’s name.
Big crowd: Saturday’s crowd of 71,473 was the largest at Husky Stadium since the 2003 Apple Cup, a span of eight games.
More third-down trouble: The Huskies seemed to solve their third-down troubles early Saturday but the success didn’t last. A week after going 0-for-9, Washington converted its first two third-down tries Saturday but failed on its next eight.
Walker running to records: Notre Dame sophomore running back Darius Walker became the first Irish player since Randy Kinder in 1995 to have four-straight 100-yard games and the first to do it in the first four games of the season.
Husky connection: Notre Dame fullback Rashown Powers-Neal is the half-brother of former Husky running back Leon Neal, who played at the UW in 1994 and ‘95. Powers-Neal had 30 yards on nine carries and scored a touchdown.
Saturday’s captains: Washington’s captains for the game were safety Dashon Goldson, quarterback Isaiah Stanback, center Brad Vanneman and defensive tackle Manase Hopoi.
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