Tacoma News Tribune: Rose-hued visions fuel Bears, Huskies

DON RUIZ; The News Tribune

It is said that every Pacific-10 Conference team begins every season with the same goal: the Rose Bowl. Conference play begins today at Husky Stadium, and while the 16th-ranked California Golden Bears obviously arrive with conference-title ambitions, the Washington Huskies also admit worst-to-first dreams. “That’s why we do what we do 365 days a year,” junior linebacker Scott White said. “You put in the hours in the film room, put in the hours in summer conditioning, winter conditioning, to try to have an opportunity to win the ultimate prize, and that’s the Rose Bowl.”  This season it is the ultimate prize not only for Pac-10 teams but for all 119 teams in Division 1-A. This is the year the Bowl Championship Series rotation sends its top two teams to the Rose Bowl on Jan. 4 for the BCS national title game. If the Pac-10 champ doesn’t qualify, it goes instead to the Fiesta Bowl, Jan. 2 in Tempe, Ariz.

“The (Rose Bowl still) would be a pretty nice place to be,” UW coach Tyrone Willingham said with a smile. “We would go there if the invitation came.”  That invitation may already be impossible for the Huskies, given their opening loss to Air Force.

However, a conference championship doesn’t depend on polls or voters – just the pure math of wins and losses. Given that control of their own destiny, Willingham sees no reason the Huskies shouldn’t reach for the stars. “That is something that every Pac-10 team should start with,” he said. “I don’t care whether you think you’re the last-place team or the first-place team, that is why you’re in the conference, to get to that pinnacle. We’d like to be one of those teams. This is an important day, and by its place on the schedule, if you can win it, you’re sitting there alone for a little while, and everyone else has to win two more than you do from that point on.”  Pac-10 play arrives sooner for Washington and Cal than for anyone else. Their 12:30 p.m. kickoff marks the first Pac-10 game of the season, and there won’t be another until Sept. 24. This is California’s earliest conference opener since 1993. And given that the Bears have lost their leading passer, rusher, receiver and sacker from 2004, coach Jeff Tedford wishes he had more time to prepare. “With a young team, I think obviously you’d like to play your non-conference games first and then get into conference play,” he said. “But it is what it is. It’s going to be the same for Washington – they have to play a conference game early as well. We’re excited to get started. I think it was great to have last week (vs. Division I-AA Sacramento State) to work out some of the kinks, and hopefully we can get better and try to reach our potential against Washington.”

The Huskies are facing an early conference opener for the second consecutive season. In 2004, Washington played UCLA in Week 2.  Then-coach Keith Gilbertson later pointed to that 37-31 defeat as the turning point of the season. And from there, the dominoes fell: Gilbertson was dismissed, the Huskies went on to their worst record in school history, and Willingham returned to the conference where he coached from 1995 to 2001, when he left Stanford for Notre Dame. In the three seasons since he left Stanford, Willingham says the conference became a different place. “It’s probably more of a wide-open conference than it has been,” he said. “And that’s simply (because) everyone is changing – the Big Ten is no longer three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust. Football is being played 53x100 (yards). Everybody’s using almost every inch of the field today, and years ago that didn’t happen. It’s a different game. But this conference has always been a leader because it has always had more of a passing mentality and a wide-openness to it.”

That might not happen today.

Washington’s hopes rest largely on shutting down Cal quarterback Jay Ayoob in his first Division 1-A start.  That won’t be easy, because Ayoob will face a UW secondary that is young, inexperienced and fighting injuries of its own. And if the passing game fails, Cal still has All-America-candidate tailback Marshawn Lynch running behind a veteran line. Still, despite that 0-1 overall record, Washington is excited at the chance to clean the slate with a 1-0 conference mark if things break right today.  “It’s an ingredient that you don’t have as an independent, and it’s a plus,” Willingham said. “It gives you something to focus on, something always to direct your team to. As an independent, you really only have the one goal (of a national championship) at Notre Dame.”  

HUSKIES GAMEDAY

No. 16 CALIFORNIA (1-0) at WASHINGTON (0-1)

Kickoff: 12:30 p.m., Husky Stadium.

Television: Channel 4. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: The Huskies lead 46-35-4 in a series that began in 1904. The Bears have won three straight, including a 42-14 decision last season in Husky Stadium.

What to watch: California will start quarterback Joe Ayoob, who opened his college career with an 0-for-10 performance last week against Sacramento State after starter Nate Longshore was injured. The Huskies expect Cal to put Ayoob in a position to succeed with safe, short passes early. His job could also be made easier by injuries in the Huskies secondary, where Roy Lewis and C.J. Wallace missed time in practice. Wallace remains questionable for the game. If the Bears’ air attack stalls, the ground game could take over. Marshawn Lynch ranks among the best runners in the country, and the Bears have four returning honors candidates on their offensive line.

What’s at stake: This is the opening game of Pacific-10 Conference play and is critical for the Bears’ national and conference-title ambitions. The Huskies, after letting one slip away late against Air Force, need to learn how to close out a game. Although just hanging around could be a challenge against the 16th-ranked Bears.

TNT pick: Cal, 27-17.

Prime numbers

CALIFORNIA

 

No. Name (position) Ht./Wt. Year

 

18 Joe Ayoob (QB) 6-3, 200 Jr.

 

Juco transfer laid an 0-for-10 egg in his Division 1-A debut.

 

10 Marshawn Lynch (TB) 5-11, 215 So.

 

Some say he’s better than Southern California’s Reggie Bush.

 

1 DeSean Jackson (WR) 6-0, 175 Fr.

 

Exploded onto college scene with receiving and punt return TDs.

 

54 Marvin Phillip (C) 6-2, 305 Sr.

 

Outland Trophy candidate anchors veteran offensive line.

 

21 Donnie McCleskey (ROV) 5-10, 190 Sr.

 

Honors candidate healthy again after injury-slowed 2004.

 

 

WASHINGTON

 

No. Name (position) Ht./Wt. Year

 

4 Isaiah Stanback (QB) 6-3, 205 Jr.

 

18th nationally in pass efficiency, but athleticism was under-used.

 

9 Louis Rankin (TB) 6-0, 195 So.

 

112 yards vs. Air Force top UW rushing debut since Corey Dillon.

 

8 Kenny James (TB) 5-10, 215 Jr.

 

Expected to make 2005 debut after shoulder injury in fall camp.

 

68 Robin Meadow (OT) 6-6, 295 Sr.

 

Slides over to left tackle to replace injured Joe Toledo.

 

8 Dashon Goldson (FS) 6-2, 195 Jr.

 

Must stabilize thin secondary after crucial error vs. Air Force