article #2
article #2
UW Football
Make or break? Neuheisel, UW seek an end to talk of calamity
By Bob Condotta
Seattle Times staff reporter
TEMPE, Ariz. ? The booster sidled up to the reporter at a Washington practice this week and made what seemed an almost hyperbolic statement.
"This," he said, referring to Washington's game tonight at 7 at Arizona State, "is the biggest game of Rick Neuheisel's career here."
Really? Bigger than the 2001 Rose Bowl and all the games that got them there? Bigger than last year's Apple Cup, which helped dull the thud of the last month of that season? Bigger than the win over Colorado in 1999 that prevented an 0-3 start and finally got Neuheisel's career at Washington going in the right direction?
But look closer, and it just may be.
As the Huskies enter tonight's game, the perception is of a program on the brink of disaster, threatening to post the school's first losing record since 1976 and possibly miss its first bowl game for non-probation reasons since 1988. The perception further is that what is happening to the Huskies now ? an inability to run, play defense and win tough games on the road ? is exactly what happened at Colorado near the end of Neuheisel's four-year tenure there, a scenario that has UW fans suddenly leery about the future.
Lose tonight, and the perception takes one more step toward becoming reality in the eyes of increasingly skeptical fans.
But win, and Neuheisel's claims take on more credibility ? that most of what has happened so far is due to youth and injuries and that all that is required to turn things around are a lot of hard work and patience.
The Huskies come into tonight's game with a 4-3 record that the players understand better than anyone is deceptive. In reality, Washington has lost to the only three decent teams it has played, falling behind early and never really recovering in two of them.
And after last week's 41-21 defeat at USC came the first public hints that the losing is starting to wear thin. After the game, defensive tackle Terry Johnson criticized the team's defensive scheme and has since not been allowed to talk to reporters.
On Monday, three of the team's seniors, all of whom played for Neuheisel's predecessor, Jim Lambright, said this team lacks the toughness and tenacity of the teams of past years that were filled with Lambright recruits.
"When they are facing adversity, there's not a lot of heart there," said guard Elliott Zajac, referring to the team's younger players. "We are struggling with chemistry, unity, heart, everything. All the way you look at it, that's how we are struggling right now."
That was followed by the claims of a former UW running back, Leon Neal, on KJR that he doesn't think the Huskies will win another game this season.
The losses and the talk led to a team that seemed on edge this week. Neuheisel appeared to be wearing a sterner face than ever, and players reported that practices were as serious and as intense as any this season.
"Even though we lost last week, I think the whole team has bounced back," said sophomore left tackle Khalif Barnes. "This was one of the best weeks of practices we've had in a long time.
"You'd probably figure most teams would go into the can after losing two Pac-10 games and the media is all over them and they are trying to figure out why they can't run and why they can't pass-defend. I think most teams would go into the can after that, but I don't think we did. I think we responded well. I felt practices were more intense and faster and guys weren't always going through the motions. Guys were hitting harder. It was almost like scrimmaging out here every day."
Still, the Huskies have talked of turning up the heat in practice before, and it hasn't gotten them much.
And one big hitch today is that Arizona State, picked ninth in the preseason Pac-10 media poll, is far better than anyone anticipated. The Sun Devils are 6-2 overall and 3-0 and tied with Washington State for first place in the Pac-10 after winning at Oregon 45-42 on Oct. 19, and ranked for the first time since 1999.
Arizona State has done it with a wicked passing game ? QB Andrew Walter set a Pac-10 record with 536 yards last week ? and resiliency. Arizona State rallied from a 22-0 deficit to win at San Diego State and trailed 21-0 before beating Oregon last week.
"Being 21 and 22 points down and winning makes a team play with more confidence, which is good as long as we don't get overconfident," said Walter, who diplomatically downplayed any notion that he's drooling at the thought of facing a UW defense that ranks 113th in the nation in pass defense.
While the Washington secondary will get a huge test from Walter and Arizona State wide receiver Shaun McDonald, who leads the Pac-10 with 941 receiving yards, the Huskies know one of the best defenses would be mounting a running game that would keep Walter and McDonald off the field.
Neuheisel has not named a starter at running back this week, but indications are that Rich Alexis may once again be No. 1 after sitting out the USC game last week.
Maybe Alexis will be rejuvenated by returning to the field where he ran for an 86-yard touchdown in 2000, when he looked like a future star and the program a dynasty in the making.
"It's another chance to right the ship," Neuheisel said.
But if the Huskies take on much more water, that soon could be an impossible task.
