U of W Daily: Willingham laments after Apple Cup loss

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Tyrone Willingham’s first game as Washington’s coach told Husky fans everything they would need to know about the next four years. UW lost that game, 20-17, to Air Force at Qwest Field, despite taking a 17-6 lead with 10:43 left to play. The Huskies played with poor, weak defense down the stretch, didn’t make crucial plays when they needed to and lacked confidence when the game was on the line. So it makes sense that Saturday, late in a competitive game — a rarity this season — against its archrival, the UW folded like a frugal poker player with the game on the line. Most frustrating for Husky fans is the fact that the biggest mistake late in the 16-13 loss to WSU was one that UW practices frequently — the two-minute drill. “It’s something that we felt like we should have been able to make the right plays in there to win the football game, and we didn’t do that,” Willingham said. The Cougars hadn’t even attempted to take a shot downfield all day, and when they did on their final drive, the Huskies predictably crumbled. Jared Karstetter somehow got behind the UW secondary, hauling in a 48-yard pass that set up the eventual game-tying field goal.

“You just remind them of the situation, what you have to do and what you need to do,” Willingham said. “Obviously we lacked in that area of execution and they made a play that we felt like — I felt like — should have been an easy interception for us and we really shouldn’t have even been threatened.” Willingham insisted yesterday that his message is the right one, even though his team still doesn’t execute properly in close games. “We’ve got to keep working every day, instilling what’s right, what we should be doing, with the hope that at some point, the connection is made and you don’t have those disconnects at the most critical times,” Willingham said. The Huskies have one chance remaining to transform Willingham’s message into a victory: a trip to California in two weeks that has about as much intrigue as a rerun of Friends.

“What we need to do is just maintain our rhythm, not get out of form,” Willingham said, adding that his players will have adequate time off to celebrate Thanksgiving. “Then you come back and you get back on track to win the next one and that’s something that you always preach from day one. Win the next one.”

They may preach it, but it’s something the Huskies certainly haven’t practiced.