Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009

Huskies big favorites in annual showdown

HOWIE STALWICK SPECIAL TO THE HERALD

Not long after David pulled off his stunning upset over Goliath -- no doubt one of the ESPN affiliates broadcast it live -- some coach of yesteryear became the first to suggest "you throw out the records" when archrivals go to battle.

Truthfully, despite some memorable upsets over the years, the favored team has generally prevailed when Washington and Washington State have tangled on the football field. The series dates back to a none-too-memorable 5-5 tie in 1900 in Seattle.

The underdog has won the past four years, however, and that includes two straight WSU victories. The Cougars have never won three in a row over Washington, and the Huskies are far more prohibitive favorites (24 1/2 points) Saturday in Seattle than they were in 2008 (7 1/2 points) and 2007 (5 1/2 points).

"We don't talk about it, whether we're underdogs or favorites," Husky coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday during a press conference in Seattle. "Football is played between the lines."

Sarkisian and most of his assistant coaches are new to the Apple Cup rivalry, but defensive line-special teams coach Johnny Nansen is a former WSU linebacker. Also, most of the Husky coaching staff grew familiar with the Apple Cup when they were playing and/or coaching 8 miles from WSU at Idaho.

Washington, like the Cougars, is loaded with young players. Sarkisian acknowledged that some of the younger Huskies might not fully grasp the deep roots of the rivalry with Washington State.

"If you haven't lived in it, you need to get coached up a little bit," Sarkisian said. "But once you get the taste of it one time around, you understand the emotions involved, the intensities that are involved in it. That's the beauty of rivalry games."

The Huskies (3-7, 2-5 Pac-10) have lost four in a row and six of seven since a one-week stay in the Top 25 after shocking a shorthanded USC team. Washington is coming off a bye week, and Sarkisian said he's not even remotely concerned about his team taking the last-place Cougars (1-10, 0-8) lightly.

"Not a chance. Not a chance at all," Sarkisian said.

"To think that they've won two in a row (against Washington), that our players have been part of it ... we don't have room to take anyone lightly."

Last year, the Cougars trailed 10-0 at halftime in Pullman, but won 16-13 in double overtime after Nico Grasu kicked three field goals. The first came with no time left on the clock at the end of regulation.

"They (Husky players) felt like it was a game they had under control," Sarkisian said. "It didn't turn out like they wanted it to, and it left a bitter taste in their mouth.

"But I think the end of it is, we're a different football team. They (the Cougars), in a sense, some of their players, are a different football team.

"I think you can sometimes make a mistake trying to harbor thoughts or feelings from the past and miss what's going on in the present and future. So we're not going to dwell on that thing (last year's loss). We're going to move forward."

Teams certainly haven't had much trouble moving the ball forward against Washington State. The Cougars rank dead last among the 120 teams in the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly NCAA Division I-A) with 516.6 yards allowed per game. Of course, Washington is also shaky on defense (104th at 421.5).

The Huskies do have a significant advantage on offense. Washington quarterback Jake Locker leads the Pac-10 in total offense (257.3). WSU coach Paul Wulff said Monday the Cougars will start senior quarterback Kevin Lopina (13 interceptions and two touchdown passes in his career) on Saturday.

Lopina played a key role in WSU's late rally last year in the Apple Cup. WSU's No. 1 quarterback, true freshman Jeff Tuel, remains questionable but went through a full practice Monday for the first time since suffering a knee injury Nov. 7 at Arizona. The strong-armed Tuel threw the ball well.