Sorry for the lack of news today ... I was traveling for Pac-10 men's basketball media day Thursday.

I might yet get a few notes from Ty Willingham's afternoon press briefing, but meanwhile, here are this week's power rankings... with a new team at the bottom.

1 Arizona State 8-0, 5-0. One of five unbeatens nationally, and only one in conference play.

2 Oregon 7-1, 4-1. GameDay returns to Eugene ... Ducks must be doing something right.

3 USC 6-2, 3-2. Defense unlikely to win this season's Pac-10 championship.

4 California 5-3, 2-3. Tedford has raised bar high enough where this feels like a flop.

5 Oregon State 5-3, 3-2. Three of next four on the road ... all except UW game.

6 UCLA 5-2, 4-1. Seven-game league win streak ended hard in Pullman.

7 Arizona 3-6, 2-4. QB Tuitama’s 517 total yards at UW third best in Pac-10 history.

8 Stanford 3-5, 2-4. Have already matched ’06 interception total and have almost doubled sacks.

9 Washington State 3-5, 1-4. WR Bumpus four catches from school career record.

10 Washington 2-6, 0-5. Needed a win, got a kick in the gut instead.

Listening to Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh this week, it's obvious that he just loves starting quarterback Tavita Pritchard, the sophomore from Clover Park. I mean, loves him beyond his stats, loves him even beyond that victory over USC. Harbaugh is a former quarterback himself, and he just sounds like he sees the right stuff -- quarterback right stuff -- in Pritchard.

Because of Pritchard's Tacoma background, the UW sportswriters got a conference call interview with him Tuesday. And, I gotta say it's hard not to like him (although not everyone reading a Husky blog will agree, because Pritchard is no fan of the Huskies).

Anyway, here are some of his comments beyond what will appear in my story in the Wednesday paper:

On how his life has changed since beating USC:
I’m the starter now, but I like to think that I always prepared like the starter so not a whole lot has changed in football except I’m on a conference call with some newspapers right now, which I wouldn’t have been otherwise. As far as regular life, I guess it hasn’t changed too much. I get recognized a little bit more, but other than that it’s been pretty normal.

On how the campus has changed since beating USC:
People are starting to get excited about football again. I think we gave them a reason when we went down to the (LA) Coliseum and came back with a win. I don’t know if you guys heard, but there was a big group waiting for us. People on campus are a lot more excited. The confidence on the team, it’s been a tremendous building block for us, knowing that we can compete with the best and go out every week and win ball games.

On if opponents take Stanford more seriously now:
I would say they probably have. I think we were kind of looked at as a doormat for a while these past couple of years. I think we might have opened some eyes when we got a win in the Coliseum. A lot of people think we don’t have the depth or the talent that a lot of Pac-10 schools have, but that’s not the case. We have some tremendous athletes down here, some tremendous football players, and we feel like we can compete with anybody.

On why Stanford is improved:
I think we’ve really been growing up as a team. We have sort of a younger team last year – we had some vets, but as a whole I think we were pretty young and we’re just starting to grow up and learning how to win.

On growing up a Husky-hater:
Honestly, My Uncle Jack (Thompson) went to Washington State, as did my dad. To make a long story short, I grew up hating the Huskies. I was a big Cougars fan, I made a lot of trips to Pullman. I remember when I was a kid my dad wouldn’t allow purple and gold in the house. When my college recruitment came around I wasn’t recruited that much by Washington State, which opened the door a little bit for Washington, so I did look at them – I took some unofficials up there. I got recruited by Coach Willingham a little bit at Notre Dame and then talked to the staff a little bit when he got to Washington. But I think by that time I might have been committed to Stanford already, so the recruitment was pretty much over at that point.

On coach Harbaugh:
Obviously he had a long career in the NFL and in college – a successful one. For the obvious one would be he brings a tremendous knowledge for the game. But he also brings passion and intensity that carries over to the team. We attack every day, whether it be practice or a game, with intensity and a work ethic.

On his career since leaving Clover Park:
It’s been a lot of fun so far. It’s been a tremendous experience thus far – I hope it continues. I didn’t have any kind of time frame. I just came down here ready to work hard to earn every minute. It’s finally here and I’m having a blast.

On the UW game:
I’m a Stanford guy through and through now ... most of my Cougars ties are pretty much cut. I kind of look at this as just another Pac-10 game, keeping in mind that I did grow up with a little rivalry with the Huskies. I remember a lot of those teams. I remember a lot of those Apple Cups – I went to quite a few of them. There is a lot of history there for me, but as a quarterback I just look at this as another Pac-10 game and another step in trying to reach our ultimate goal.

On former Stanford starter T.C. Ostrander:
First of all, T.C. is a good friend of mine and I think very highly of him as a quarterback and as a person. It was kind of a different situation how it went down. It was kind of a freak accident that happened to him. But at the same time, this is something that I worked for and prepared for and I feel like I’m ready for. And I’m going to continue to do my job and prepare each week as the starting quarterback.

On his calls home:
I’ve got to talk to Mom, because it’s Mom obviously. I talk to my dad quite a bit, he’s a coach at Clover Park, so I get the update on Clover Park. And my little brother is a freshman this year on the football team – he’s was the starting quarterback – so I talk to him as well and see how his season’s going. (talks to jack three or four times a week, advice this week is to beat the huskies)

On advice for his brother:
I didn’t even start as a freshman. That’s an incredible amount of pressure for a kid that age, right out of middle school. I had the opportunity during our bye week to go up for a game. They played Franklin Pierce – I don’t know if you guys know it, but they’re a pretty good football team. he’s still learning a lot. He’s learning how to play at the next level. But I tried to give him as much advice as I could, as much as I could remember from playing high school ball. And my dad does a really good job – he’s the offensive coordinator. I try to give him my input on the offensive calls.

On working at wide receiver last season:
We had quite a few injuries last year at the wide receiver position. Coach came to me one day and said we need some bodies there and to maybe move over and play an emergency role. I already knew the offense, just maybe from a different perspective. And so they put me over there. It was kind of refreshing to play a different spot after playing quarterback since third grade. It was fun for a little while and then I was ready to go back.

On the UW defense:
Very athletic. I knew a lot of the guys – not personally, but I knew their names from high school. A lot of the guys are from Washington. I know what they’re capable of. Tremendously talented. We don’t look at this as an opportunity to get tons of yards. We look at this as another Pac-10 game. We feel like they’re a team similar to ours, they’re beginning to learn how to win as a team. They’re fairly young, their quarterback as well, and they’re learning how to win in all three phases. I think there are a lot of similarities.

On classes at Stanford:I’m studying communication. Maybe I’ll be one of you guys someday. I haven’t decided what to do with that. I’m taking a journalism class right now, so that will be interesting. School is going well.

This is the explanation coach Tyrone Willingham gave this morning regarding tailback J.R. Hasty's return to the team.

"It simply was a young man and his family who needed just a little time to reflect," he said. "… I’m kind of patient about certain things – you just kind of wait and talk your way through things, and it worked out where he was able to kind of see and visit with his family and was able to come back. I thought it was the right decision for him to do that."

We also heard from Hasty.

"We cleared a lot of air up," he said. "We all spoke about the whole situation. After listening and taking some time to think about I was just like, Well, I don’t want to leave the team – I have a strong relationship with the team and the state – so was just like I’ll grind it out, take care of my mental mistakes and take advantage of the advantage I’ve been given."

He says he believes he has the same chance to earn time as anyone else: "When my turns come I’ll try to take advantage of that and give them the confidence to trust me during the game they’ll put me in. ... Everybody gets their fair shot."

He will be at practice today, and says he has been welcomed back warmly by his teammates: "I was welcomed back all positive. Everybody seemed like they were real happy – and the coaches as well. I didn’t feel like I was looked down upon or anything. It went pretty good.
"

Willingham also confirmed that former walkons OT Eric Berglund, LB Josh Gage and WR Charles Hawkins have been awarded scholarships for this season.

Willingham cited them as players who "have really sacrificed to be a part of the program" and "were doing things in the right manner: being a student, having the work ethic and being a citizen that I thought was deserving."

Tailback J.R. Hasty has returned to the Huskies, coach Tyrone Willingham confirmed tonight.

Just last Thursday it was publicly announced that the former Bellevue star had left the team, apparently dissatisfied over playing time.

However, he never left school and after meeting with Willingham, has been cleared to return.

Hasty is expected back at practice Tuesday.

If it's any consolation, UW coach Tyrone Willingham and athletic director Todd Turner know you're frustrated with the Huskies' performance on the football field. And while it may not do much good, they say they share that frustration.

Willingham met the media today and admitted that the 48-41 loss to Arizona on Saturday was among the most painful of his career.

However, he said it is more important for the coaches and staff to listen to each other than to fan criticism. And he said that he has no indication that the discontent is costing him any recruits.

Willingham also was sorta, almost, kinda given asked if he would give a vote of confidence to defensive coordinator Kent Baer. Willingham didn't, but explained later that he simply doesn't believe in taking such issues public.

All of that will be the main topic of my story in the Tuesday paper.

Meanwhile, Turner's blog on the UW web site addresses fan frustration.

The depth chart released Monday shows Byron Davenport back in the starting lineup at cornerback. Davenport had started three straight weeks, but he was beaten on consecutive plays in the first quarter of the Arizona game, was benched and didn’t return. “Byron will be back,” Willingham said. “Byron will be fine.”

No significant new injuries were reported in the Arizona game. However, linebacker Donald Butler nor receiver Quintin Daniels remain physically unable to perform.

Finally, Willingham indicated that something is happening behind the scenes involving tailback J.R. Hasty, who left the team last week while apparently unhappy about playing time. Hasty remains enrolled at UW.

UW coaches honored quarterback Jake Locker (offense), defensive tackle Jordan Reffett (defense) and linebacker Chris Stevens (special teams) as players of the week from the Arizona game.

Honored for work on the scout teams were tight end Romeo Savant, defensive end Darrion Jones and linebacker Linus Chou.

Washington has opened a 3-point favorite for it's game Saturday at Stanford.

The Cardinal is 3-5 overall and 2-4 in the Pac-10 in their first season under coach Jim Harbaugh.

Here is a link to the Stanford football site, and another to the Stanford coverage from the San Jose Mercury News.

There will be more football news tomorrow. But just for a short breather, I thought I'd weigh in with a few basketball lists.

First, I finally sent in my Pac-10 picks, which will be part of the media poll that will be released Thursday.

Here's what I sent:

Pac-10
1. UCLA
2. Washington State
3. Stanford
4. Oregon
5. Arizona
6. Washington
7. Southern California
8. California
9. Arizona State
10. Oregon State

Also, this season I will be this state's voter in The Associated Press men's basketball poll. I'll drop in my Top 25 ballot here each week.

For the preseason poll they asked us for our Top 25, plus a first-, second-, and third-team All-Americans.
Here are my lists:

MEN’S NCAA PRESEASON TOP 25
1. UCLA
2. North Carolina
3. Memphis
4. Kansas
5. Georgetown
6. Louisville
7. Washington State
8. Tennessee
9. Michigan State
10. Indiana
11. Oregon
12. Marquette
13. Gonzaga
14. Duke
15. Texas A&M
16. Texas
17. Stanford
18. Arkansas
19. Pittsburgh
20. Kentucky
21. Arizona
22. Southern Illinois
23. North Carolina State
24. Davidson
25. Villanova

(Sharp-eyed readers will notice that I put Stanford ahead of Oregon in the Pac-10 poll, and vice versa in the national poll. I did that because 7-foot Brook Lopez will miss November and December due to academic issues, but I am assuming he will return in January for the start of conference play. Or something like that.)

And finally:

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN
G Drew Neitzel, Michigan State
G Chris Lofton, Tennessee
F Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina
F Kyle Weaver, Washington State
C Roy Hibbert, Georgetown

SECOND TEAM
G D.J. Agustin, Texas
G Darren Collison, UCLA
F Chase Budinger, Arizona
F Jon Brockman, Washington
C Josh Heytvelt, Gonzaga

THIRD TEAM
G Jamont Gordon, Mississippi State
G Jeremy Pargo, Gonzaga
F Brandon Rush, Kansas
F Ryan Anderson, California
C Robin Lopez, Stanford

Final note, the "teams" don't have to necessarily line up by positions, but they should be a team that could actually reasonably share the same court ... which is why I have Weaver as a small forward, etc.

LAST WEEK
Washington (2-6 overall, 0-5 Pac-10) squandered a 15-point lead in the final quarter, losing to Arizona, 48-41. The mild upset leaves UW as the only Pac-10 team without a conference win. It also was the Huskies’ sixth straight defeat, and this one clearly stung coaches, players and fans more than most.

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON
The Huskies put up big offensive numbers. Their point total was their highest since the opener at Syracuse. Their 572 yards of total offense was their highest of the season. Quarterback Jake Locker set career highs in passing (336 yards) and running (157). His 98-yard TD to Marcel Reece is the longest play in UW history.

SOMETHING TO WORK ON
The defense is being torched. Over the past two weeks, the Huskies have given up 103 points and 1,171 yards. Arizona QB Willie Tuitama passed for 510 yards, a Wildcats record and the most ever against UW. The offense contributed to the problems with five turnovers and couldn’t close the deal, being shutout over the final 13 minutes.

PERSONNEL ISSUES
Guard Casey Bulyca, tackle Ben Ossai and linebacker E.J. Savannah were all held out of the starting lineup for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Savannah remains limited with a stinger. CB Byron Davenport was benched after being burned twice early, but replacement Vonzell McDowell wasn’t an obvious upgrade.

THE WEEK AHEAD
This could be one of those pivotal weeks where the team pulls together or falls apart. Fans are ablaze with calls for the firings of the coach, the athletic director and the defensive coordinator ... for starters. UW visits Stanford (3-5, 2-4) – beatable if the Huskies survive the distractions. A loss assures a fourth straight losing record.

The Huskies didn't pretend that this one didn't hurt more than most. But they vowed not to let it sink the season. The offense vowed not to point fingers at the defense. Some Huskies even restated their belief that they can win out from here and still make a bowl game.

But even coach Tyrone Willingham indicated that this likely won't be the breakthrough season they had all hoped, while still pointing out that the next five games offer some promise of ending on a better note than now seems likely.

And everyone seems to understand that this is the kind of loss that will set off a firestorm. The home crowd of 61,124 was the smallest of the season, the Huskies heard some boos, and certainly they will hear more calls for Willingham's head.

Braced for that climate, offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said it's time to circle the wagons and hang together.

Some notes:

Player of the game
Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama threw for five touchdowns while completing 38 of 51 passes for 510 yards and five touchdowns. His passing yardage is a Wildcats’ record and the most ever by a UW opponent.

Husky of the game
Quarterback Jake Locker set career records with 336 passing yards and 157 rushing yards. His 98-yard completion to Marcel Reece is the longest play in UW history. With five games to go in his redshirt freshman season, Locker has 694 rushing yards, 3 yards shy of Dennis Fitzpatrick’s quarterback record set in 1974. Locker moved into second place Saturday, passing Marques Tuiasosopo (574 in 1999).

Turning point
Washington had a 41-33 lead and possession about 11 minutes from the end when Locker and tailback Louis Rankin botched a handoff. The ball popped free and was recovered by Arizona linebacker Spencer Larsen at the Washington 30. Just over a minute later, the Wildcats tied the game.

Personnel report
No new UW injuries were reported. However, guard Casey Bulyca, tackle Ben Ossai and linebacker E.J. Savannah were all held out of the starting lineup for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Replacing them in the starting lineup were Jordan White-Frisbee, Cody Habben and Mason Foster respectively. Bulyca and Ossai ended up playing most of the game, however Savannah played less due to a lingering stinger. Cornerback Byron Davenport was burned for a 66-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter and was replaced thereafter, primarily by freshman Vonzell McDowell. Linebacker Josh Gage also saw his most extensive playing time.

Extra points
Locker’s pass to Reece completed the third 99-yard drive in UW history. The others came vs. Stanford in 1999 and San Jose State in 2004. … UW linebacker Chris Stevens returned a fumbled punt attempt 30 yards for the second touchdown of his career. The first came on a blocked punt in the 2006 Apple Cup. … UW safety Mesphin Forrester had his second interception of the season. Before that, UW had had eight interceptions on the season by eight different players. … UW senior Anthony Russo has caught at least one pass in 32 consecutive games. … Arizona’s Mike Thomas, the top pass-catcher in the Pacific-10 Conference, had 10 catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns including a 66-yard touchdown catch that was Arizona’s longest play of the season. … UW game captains were Greyson Gunheim, Roy Lewis, Louis Rankin and Juan Garcia.

Next
Stanford, 3:30 p.m. Saturday, at Stanford, Calif.

Things calmed a bit. Maybe the most important quarter of the season is dead ahead.

Jake Locker already has a career high in passing yardage.

The Huskies already have over 400 yards of total offense.

And yet, the Wildcats are right behind them.

Individual numbers: Locker 269 yards passing and 98 rushing. Rankin, 42 yards rushing. Reece three catches for 142 yards.

Arizona has 281 passing yards, but are minus-18 on the ground.

Total yardage is UW 415, Arizona 263.

The Huskies opened the second quarter with a 98-yard post from Locker to Reece ... the longest play in UW history.

Washington got into Arizona territory on its first two drives, and fumbled it away both times.

Arizona scored first when Mike Thomas beat Byron Davenport down the sidelines.

Washington answered with a long drive capped by a 14-yard Locker run.

UW has 184 total yards, Arizona 87.

The normal offensive line is back in, raising the possibility that the ununual starting lineup was discipline-related. I assume we'll find out after the game.

Davenport was yanked after giving up the long TD pass, with Vonzell McDowell stepping in.

Three surprises in the starting lineup today.

On the offensive line, Jordan White-Frisbee is in in place of Casey Bulyca and Cody Habben in place of Ben Ossai.

On defense, Mason Foster is in for E.J. Savannah, who has had stinger issues much of the season.

It was a foggy drive up, but it's a beautiful day at Husky Stadium. The leaves on the campus are changing to autum colors, and the like is still and there's a nice morning haze toward the mountains. All we need now is as good a game.

We'll run the usual gameday drill: I'll report any pregame notes as I learn them, make quarterly reports during the game, turn it over to you folks for postgame discussion, and then report back with notes and quotes.

It's a big game, and it should be fascinating to watch it play out.

A reminder: They're on Channel 11 today.

Noon: The UW captains are Greyson Gunheim, Roy Lewis, Louis Rankin and Juan Garcia.

Potentially huge game today. Arizona at Washington feels like one of those possible turning point games to me. Just talking with the Huskies, looking in their eyes over the past couple of weeks, they look like a team that needs its efforts validated by a win.

And from all indications, the Wildcats are in the same boat.

Today's winner gets a bounce. Who knows what happens to the loser.

A quick look at how things project in these final hours before kickoff:

ARIZONA (2-6 OVERALL, 1-4 PAC-10)
AT WASHINGTON (2-5, 0-4)

Kickoff: Noon, Husky Stadium
Television: Channel 11. Radio: 950-AM.
The series: Washington leads, 16-6-1, including wins in the last two meetings: 21-10 last season, and 38-14 in 2005.

What to watch: Arizona has the lowest-rated running game in the Pac-10, and Washington has the lowest-rated run defense. The Wildcats’ spread offense is significantly different from the Oregon one that ran up 55 points on the Huskies last week. Arizona’s version is almost a pure passing offense. When the Wildcats run, they generally do it from an obvious running formation. Meanwhile, Washington’s offense and Arizona’s defense have both shown signs of improvement recently. QB Jake Locker will try to build on what offensive coordinator Tim Lappano calls the best game of his career last week. Lappano will once again work the game from the sideline, rather than the coaches’ booth. UW’s new Legends Center will open to the public at 9 a.m. in the Graves Building just north of the stadium.

What’s at stake: Both teams see this game as a potential win that could turn around seasons that so far have been short on success. An Arizona loss knocks the Wildcats out of bowl contention, while Washington must win five of its last six to be bowl eligible. There are questions in Tucson about coach Mike Stoops’ job status in his fourth season. The Huskies need a good result after a long week full of personnel controversy and questions about their loss to Oregon.

Given the controversy about which national titles UW should or should recognize )below) blog contributor jayjaydean wrote:

Hey Don -- if you are in favor of a playoff, how would you do it? Personally, I'd go with 20 teams - 11 conference champions and 9 at-large bids, pair off the lowest 8 teams to get to 16 and play it out from there. If Boise State or TCU or North Texas can build a team good enough to go 12-0 they should have a legit shot at the championship, and for all of the whining about how the student-athlete would be imposed on by a playoff like that, you are only talking about eight schools that would play more than one or two additional games (not to mention that they have playoffs at every other level of NCAA and NAIA football).

I'd much rather be arguing about which 9-3 or 8-4 team got left out than which 11-1 team is going to be denied a chance at the title. Who remembers the best team that didn't make the basketball tourney? We all remember Auburn not getting a shot despite being undefeated though.

I've moved the question up here into its own post, because I thought it would make a great discussion for all of us.

I'll start.

No. 9 USC at No. 5 Oregon. First match of top 10 teams in Autzen Stadium history. Ducks, 37-34.

No. 18 California at No. 7 Arizona State. Home field gets Devils past toughest test yet. ASU, 30-27.

UCLA at Washington State. Where are Cougs mentally after Oregon disaster and week off? UCLA, 31-21.

Stanford at Oregon State. Both teams coming on lately. OSU, 37-24.

Arizona at Washington. Encouraging for winner, disaster for loser. UW, 31-24.

Last week: 1-3 (As someone suggested a couple of weeks ago, flipping a coin would have been better.)

Season: 28-12.

In discussing the Legends Center, which will open Saturday morning before the Arizona game, UW athletic director Todd Turner also repeated that the university is considering the national championship claims of the 1984 team, and may eventually recognize them in the same way that was done this season with the 1960 team.

The 1984 Huskies went 11-1, including a season-capping Orange Bowl win over Oklahoma, but the Associated Press and coaches’ polls voted Brigham Young No. 1. Washington was selected by Berryman, the Football News, the National Championship Foundation and a Chicago Tribune fans’ poll. Florida and Nebraska also were recognized by other organizations.

“I think we need to take a look at that,” Turner said. “If they won a national championship, then their time’s coming. Any measure of success, you need to celebrate it, you don’t need to defend it.”

Scratch that previous note. I've been bumped from the KJR list today due to a variety of reasons.

As of now, it looks like I'll be on next Thursday from Pac-10 basketball media day.

Former Bellevue star tailback J.R. Hasty has left the team, coach Tyrone WIllingham just said.

Hasty didn't practice Wednesday and officially broke from the program today. The decision was based on what he apparently sees as a lack of opportunty for playing time. Hasty apparently has been bumped from the No. 2 tailback job by true freshman Brandon Johnson.

This season, Hasty has appeared in two games, carrying six times for 18 yards.

Willingham said Hasty gave no indication on where he plans to pursue his football career.

Washington junior forward Jon Brockman is among 50 preseason candidates for the Wooden Award, which annually goes to the nation's best college player.

Ten Pac-10 players were named to the list, the highest representation from any conference.

1 Arizona State 7-0, 4-0. One of five unbeatens left in nation... but the real tests are ahead.
2 Oregon 6-1, 3-1. School-record rushing total vs. the Huskies, as you may have heard.
3 USC 6-1, 3-1. Pete Carroll says QB Booty “real close” to return, but no starter named yet.
4 California 5-2, 2-2. Lead Pac-10 in turnover margin, but that hasn't overcome QB troubles.
5 UCLA 5-2, 4-0. Held Cal to lowest point total of season last week.
6 Oregon State 4-3, 2-2. Have outscored opponents 85-6 in first quarter.
7 Washington 2-5, 0-4. Hoping easier schedule turns close losses into wins.
8 Stanford 3-4, 2-3. Already tripled last season’s win total.
9 Arizona 2-6, 1-4. Held last two opponents under 300 yards of offense.
10 Washington State 2-5, 0-4. Losses threatening Doba and dimming the career achievements of Brink, Bumpus.

I know some of you read this blog from other parts of the state and country -- world, even -- so here's a release from FSN regarding this weekend's TV situation:

FSN Northwest announced today that it will produce the Washington Huskies versus Arizona Wildcats game live on Saturday, October 27th and distribute the matchup on local broadcast stations throughout the Northwest. The (noon) kickoff time prevents the game from airing live on FSN Northwest due to a previously selected National FSN game, but allows the game to be distributed locally on other outlets as it is a non-exclusive television window.

Husky fans will be able to catch the game live on the following stations:
KSTW Greater Seattle area
KHQ Greater Spokane area
KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities/Yakima
KRCW Greater Portland area

Fans outside of the broadcast areas will be able to find the game live on FSN West and Fox College Sports Pacific. Fans are encouraged to contact their local cable or satellite provider for local channel positions and availability.

A few personnel notes from today's UW player and coach contacts:

*UW middle linebacker Trenton Tuiasosopo will return to the starting lineup Saturday for the first time since Sept. 22 due to a knee injury suffered by Donald Butler.

“I can’t wait to get out there and do all I can for the team,” Tuiasosopo said. “When I’m out there I just want to hit somebody, but at the same time focus.”

Tuiasosopo started the season’s first two games – both wins – but Butler had started four of the five since.

This start is also interestingly timed, as Trenton is a nephew of Arizona defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo.

Meanwhile, starting linebacker E.J. Savannah, starting cornerback Byron Davenport and reserve fullback Luke Kravitz of Olympia all have practiced in protective red jerseys this week, but Willingham called that precautionary and said he expects all three to be available Saturday.

And finally, Willingham confirmed that redshirt freshman defensive lineman Derek Kosub of Nevada “has removed himself from the program.”

Once again this week, Washington will be facing a spread offense. However, that name is about all the Oregon offense of last week and the Arizona offense of this week have in common.

Which is good news for UW defensive coordinator Kent Baer.

"It’s not the same at all," Baer said. "Oregon, that’s maybe the most explosive offense I’ve ever seen."

The difference isn't only personnel. The Arizona spread is the Texas Tech variety ... meaning it's a pretty pure passing offense... they throw two-thirds of the time. And when the Wildcats plan to run, you'll know it because they line up in what actually looks like a running formation. When they're spread out with three and four receivers, that means pass.

They've got a pretty good passer in three-year starting junior Willie Tuitama. And while he's good, he doesn't put up Dennis Dixon's running numbers and he isn't as efficient passing. Similarly, TB Nick Grigsby is a nice freshman back in the Brandon Johnson mode, but he's not Jonathan Stewart.

We'll look at the Arizona offense and the Washington defensive plan in more detail in the Thursday paper.

My weekly KJR conversation with the Groz has been moved from today to Friday this week as part of some schedule changes around the World Series. It looks like it'll be around 2:30 Friday afternoon. I'll post something Friday morning once the time is certain.

It's pretty much unanimous that the decision to move UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano from the coaches booth to the sideline was a good one: coach Tyrone Willingham liked it, Lappano liked it, quarterback Jake Locker liked it. And I can't think of three opinions that matter more.

Therefore, Lappano will be on the field again Saturday when the Huskies celebrate homecoming against Arizona.

He also confirmed Brandon Johnson as the Huskies' No. 2 tailback.

“I thought that worked out really good,” Lappano told us in a very interesting 20-minute session this afternoon. “I wanted to be able to communicate not only to Jake Locker, but to the offense in general. I especially wanted to communicate with our receivers – to let them know what we were thinking so they would have an idea of what to expect a little bit. I just liked the interaction with all the offense down there.”

In the new configuration, the Huskies scored 34 points -- their second best output of the season -- and Locker had what Lappano considers the best day of his young career.

A couple of other notes from the day:

Lappano said he was intrigued by Oregon’s no-huddle offense and thinks Locker might be able to handle something similar as a sophomore next season.

The Legends Center, a new facility dedicated to Washington’s football history, will open to the public at 9 a.m. Saturday – three hours before kickoff. The center is located adjacent to the Graves Annex, just north of Husky Stadium. (I'll have more on this as the week goes along.)

There wasn't much sizzle out of the Pac-10 coaches teleconference today, but there should be plenty of steak on Saturday: No. 9 Southern California visits No. 5 Oregon at noon, while No. 18 California meets No. 7 Arizona State that night.

We'll take a bit of a look at those games in the Wednesday paper.

For now, a few other notes from around the league:

ARIZONA: In his fourth season, coach Mike Stoops acknowledges questions about his job security and that some of his players may feel pressure to try to help. “They understand what’s going on around them and winning is important,” Stoops said Tuesday. “But my message has always been … not to worry about it. … You’ve got to play for yourself, your school, your family and your friends.”

ARIZONA STATE: After watching Cal’s game tapes coach Dennis Erickson said the Bears are as good as anyone in the country. … Fewer than 5,000 tickets remain for that game. … Erickson said Keegan Herring and Dimitri Nance have stepped in nicely since a toe injury knocked out star tailback Ryan Torain for the season.

CALIFORNIA: Coach Jeff Tedford said that quarterback Nate Longshore was “very courageous” in playing despite an ankle injury last weekend.

OREGON: Coach Mike Bellotti said concerns about Washington quarterback Jake Locker’s running ability contributed to his secondary giving up touchdown passes of 83, 43, 38 and 26 yards against the Huskies.

OREGON STATE: Coach Mike Riley lamented the potential loss of 40 percent of his offensive line as tackle Tavita Thompson has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA and guard Jeremy Perry (broken left fibula) is questionable for this week. Guard Roy Schuening also has been sick, but he is expected to be well enough to play this weekend.

STANFORD: First-year coach Jim Harbaugh played under Riley with the San Diego Chargers and each spoke warmly of the other in advance of their coming meeting. … Harbaugh also continues to be impressed with Cardinal quarterback Tavita Pritchard, a sophomore from Clover Park, praising his “moxie.”

UCLA: Starting middle linebacker Christian Taylor (concussion) is questionable for the WSU game.

USC: Senior Chauncey Washington will remain the starting tailback despite the better statistics of sophomore Stafon Johnson and the emergence of prize freshman Joe McKnight. However,coach Pete Carroll still doesn’t know if Mark Sanchez or John David Booty will start at quarterback. … After watching their performance at Washington, Carroll called the Oregon offense “extraordinary” and “the best offense that we’ve seen probably since we’ve been here.”

WSU: Coach Bill Doba said he thinks his team made the most of its time off and of its work time during their bye week. The Cougars return to action Saturday vs. UCLA in Pullman.

UCLA coach Karl Dorrell told the Pac-10 football writers this morning that those Southern California fires are burning disturbingly close to his own home, although the winds seem favorable.

Meanwhile, USC coach Pete Carroll said the fires are quite distant from his campus, but that the Trojans are monitoring the air quality for their practice sessions.

And while coach Tyrone Willingham said he doesn't have specific information about the family situation of all of the Southern Californians on his roster, he did single out freshman guard Skyler Fancher of Costa Mesa, Calif., and freshman defensive tackle Nick Wood of Poway, Calif., as players with "very much concern from their part and their families part about their home situation."

Much has been made of Washington's difficult schedule, but less about how front-loaded the thing was. Granted, when you have the 107th-ranked defense among major college teams few wins are going to come easy. But here's a look at how the schedule breaks, and that also will be my main topic in the Tuesday paper.

THE UW SCHEDULE BEHIND
Opponent, current record (Pac-10 record)
Syracuse 2-6
No. 22 Boise State 6-1
No. 10 Ohio State 8-0
UCLA 5-2 (4-0)
No. 1 USC 6-1 (3-1)
No. 14 Arizona St. 7-0 (4-0)
No. 7 Oregon 6-1 (3-1)

THE UW SCHEDULE AHEAD
Arizona 2-6 (1-4)
Stanford 3-4 (2-3)
Oregon State 4-3 (2-2)
No. 18 California 5-2 (2-2)
WSU 2-5 (0-4)
No. 16 Hawai 7-0
(Past opponents show rankings on day of game, future opponents show current rankings.)

The first of those supposedly easier opponents shows up at Husky Stadium on Saturday: Arizona, actually the first UW opponent to take a losing record into the game.

Here's a look at the Wildcats:

ARIZONA WILDCATS
(2-6 OVERALL, 1-4 PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE)
Noon Saturday, Channel 11, Husky Stadium

Coach: Mike Stoops (14-28 in his fourth season at Arizona).

Last week: The Wildcats lost to Stanford, 21-20. Arizona had three drives of 80 yards or more, but those were wasted by a failed fourth-and-1 in Stanford territory in the final minutes. A missed 29-yard field goal in the third quarter also came back to haunt them. Freshman TB Nic Grigsby had his second 100-yard rushing game, and freshman receiver Delashaun Dean had a career-high eight catches.

Against the Huskies: Washington leads the series, 16-6-1, including wins in the last two meetings: 21-10 last season, and 38-14 in 2005. The schools hadn’t met in football until the Arizona schools joined the Pac-10 in 1978.

Washington connections: The Arizona roster includes just one player from Washington, sophomore tight end Adam Grant of Puyallup. UA defensive tackles coach Mike Tuiasosopo is a cousin of Manu Tuiasosopo, father of former Huskies Zach and Marques Tuiasosopo and uncle to current UW linebacker Trenton Tuiasosopo.

Scouting report: Arizona runs a spread, however, unlike Oregon, the Wildcats use it more as a passing offense. The Wildcats have the lowest-rated rushing offense in the Pacific-10 Conference, and this week they will face the league’s lowest-rated run defense. Quarterback Willie Tuitama has been up and down, which evens out to a No. 5 conference ranking in pass efficiency. Grigsby ranks sixth in the conference in rushing. Mike Thomas leads the league with an average of 6.6 catches per game. Stoops arrived on campus with a defensive reputation, however the Wildcats rank fifth in total defense and seventh in scoring defense. In his fourth season, Arizona fans are growing impatient with Stoops’ rebuilding. The Wildcats haven’t been to a bowl game since 1998, and their next loss would eliminate them from bowl eligibility again this season.

UW senior defensive end Greyson Gunheim said that coaches and upperclassmen led a team meeting this week after giving up 55 points and near-record rushing yardage to Oregon on Saturday.

The main topic, he said, was each player doing his own job only, and trusting the other 10 guys to handle their own assignments.

"We’re disappointed with how many yards they got and what they did, Gunheim said. "It really kind of made our defense learn that you have to stick to your responsibility and not worry about what everybody else is doing. You can’t try to make too big of a play or try to do something extra because it’s just going to mess you up and mess everybody else up. With Oregon, when they do the option stuff, you can’t be looking for the ball ... just doing your responsibility. After looking at the film of our game, people were trying to look for the ball and do too much.

"After watching that the seniors are just fed up with how our year has been going and fed up with losing. We know what to do and how to fix it to be able to win, so we were talking to the young guys and just everybody to come together and trust one another."

Gunheim admitted that such meetings aren't likely to transform everything instantly, but he hopes an important message got through.

"Probably not right away everything’s going to be fixed," he said. "But you could definitely tell that the attitude of our team has definitely changed. It’s kind of getting on each other. It’s sometimes better to hear it from other players than just the coaches."

A couple of other Monday notes: Linebacker Donald Butler is expected to miss at least two weeks with a knee injury. However, fullback Luke Kravitz, who left the Oregon game with a stinger, is expected to be available. ... Redshirt freshman Derek Kosub of Reno, Nev., is no longer listed on the UW roster and has apparently left the team.

Washington coaches have honored quarterback Jake Locker on offense, and Ryan Perkins on special teams for their performances Saturday against Oregon.

No defense player was honored.

Service team honorees were fullback Tobias Togi, linebacker Cort Dennison and center Gregory Christine.

If fans are looking for a signal that the second half of the season might be different, there it is: UW has opened a 3 1/2 point favorite over Arizona.

After playing five ranked teams over the first seven weeks, UW now gets a steady diet of teams that project as much more on the Dawgs current level: Arizona, at Stanford, at Oregon State, Cal, Washington State and Hawaii.

I'll click in this afternoon with more UW preview of Arizona's visit, but for now, here is a link to the official Arizona football site, as well as the Wildcats coverage by the Tucson Citizen and the Arizona Daily Star.

Friday is my deadline for casting my ballot in the annual Pacific-10 Conference men's basketball poll. So, as I did in football, I figured I'd drop in my early thought here and then take any advice you'd care to share.

As of now:
1.) UCLA
2.) Washington State
3.) Stanford
4.) Oregon
5.) Arizona
6.) Washington
7.) Southern California
8.) California
9.) Arizona State
10.) Oregon State

I think UCLA will be the popular pick this season, and I think Oregon State might be near unanimous for 10th. After that, I think it looks like an amazingly wide-open race without a whole lot of difference between No. 2 and No. 8.

As for me, I'm a little shaky on Arizona, just because history says the Wildcats don't finish in the middle of the pack.

The other picks I'm least confident on are Southern California -- who I think will be a popular high pick this season, but I just don't see it. And Cal, who I think could be pretty good, but I just think the conference is so good this season that I don't see how to get them any higher.

I'm also just not that sure about the Huskies yet. Something tells me they'll be improved ... even with a lot of sophomores and freshmen playing, and even without Hawes. But again, this may be as deep and tough a conference as I've ever seen.

It's that time to take our weekly look back at Oregon and then turn ahead to the Arizona Wildcats:

LAST WEEK
Washington (2-5 overall, 0-4 Pacific-10 Conference) remained even with No. 7 Oregon for three quarters before dropping a fifth-straight game, 55-34. It was the Huskies’ top scoring output since the opener at Syracuse. The No. 7 Ducks were Washington’s fifth ranked opponent over the first seven weeks.

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON
UW ended its third-quarter blues by outscoring the Ducks, 14-7. Quarterback Jake Locker threw for career highs with 257 yards and four touchdowns. Tailback Louis Rankin ran effectively (73 yards) and caught a career-long 43-yard TD pass. The team fought back after quickly falling behind 14-0.

SOMETHING TO WORK ON
Oregon rushed for 465 yards. UW is now allowing 241.7 rushing yards per game this season, the second-to-last run defense in all of the Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). That’s 118th out of 119 teams. Wins will remain few and far between until that total drops significantly.

PERSONNEL ISSUES
Linebacker Donald Butler suffered a knee bruise that could keep him out a while. FB Luke Kravitz, C Juan Garcia and LB E.J. Savannah all sustained what seem to be less serious injuries. OT Chad Macklin played despite the death of his grandfather last week. True freshman Brandon Johnson emerged as No. 2 tailback.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Arizona (2-6, 1-4) arrives at Husky Stadium at noon Saturday, which signals the beginning of the relatively easier portion of the schedule. (Other games: at Stanford, at Oregon State, Cal, WSU and at Hawaii). Washington must win five of those to reach bowl eligibility, so Saturday projects as either rejuvenation or devastation.

Here is my game story. Here is John McGrath's column. And here is Ryan Divish's take on Jonathan Stewart's amazing homecoming.

Oregon put up some awesome offensive numbers, and those dominated the postgame discussion with UW players and coaches. Oregon rushed for a school record 465 yards. The Ducks also totaled 39 first downs and 661 yards.

Everyone gave lots of credit to Oregon skill and scheme, but the Huskies continue to blame themselves for physical and mental mistakes.

There was some controversy about Tyrone Willingham's decision to to go for an onside while trailing 41-34 with just under six minutes remaining, It was recovered by Oregon at the Huskies 44, and the Ducks quickly covered the distance, increasing their lead to 48-34. “I wanted to create something to give our team the best chance to win,” Willingham explained.

The Huskies were pleased to get that third-quarter drought behind them, but there wasn't much celebration about that because of the final result.

It was UO's fourth straight win over UW, and all by 20 points or more. I asked Willingham if there was anything in that run of defeats to indicate that the Huskies were closing the gap on the Ducks, but he simply replied that it doesn't matter because a loss is a loss.

Finally, without actively insulting Arizona, the Huskies did generally note their awareness that the schedule looks to get a bit more managable from here, starting next Saturday against the Wildcats.
At 2-5, Washington must win five of its final six games to reach bowl eligibility.

Other game notes:

Player of the game
Oregon tailback Jonathan Stewart, a junior from Lacey, rushed for a career-high 251 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 7.8 yards per carry. His rushing total is the second highest in school history. It was his 10th 100-yard rushing performance of his career, one shy of the school-record shared by three former Ducks. Stewart also moved into a tie for 10th on the Oregon career scoring list (162 points).

Husky of the game
Washington quarterback Jake Locker completed only 12 of 31 passes, but four went for touchdowns, and all from long distance: 83 yards to Anthony Russo, 26 and 38 yards to Marcel Reece, and 43 yard to Louis Rankin. Locker had a career-high 257 passing yards and also led the Huskies with 78 rushing yards.

Quote
“It’s disappointing because we’ve played great teams, we’ve played great backs and that’s all fine, but it’s time for the Huskies to start winning. It’s disappointing. I’m a senior and we’re going get it right next week against Arizona when they come into our house.” – Jordan Reffett, UW senior defensive tackle.

Personnel report
Linebacker Donald Butler suffered a knee bruise and did not return. Willingham called this potentially the most serious injury the Huskies suffered Saturday. Fullback Luke Kravitz of Olympia suffered a stinger and didn’t return. Center Juan Garcia (finger) and linebacker E.J. Savannah (stinger) suffered injuries, but finished the game. … Oregon true freshman wide receiver Aaron Pflugrad made his first career start and junior receiver Terence Scott made his Ducks debut.

Extra points
This was Oregon’s fourth straight win over Washington, but the Ducks first victory at Husky Stadium since 1997. … Locker’s pass to Russo was the fourth-longest in UW history. … Russo now has at least one reception in 31 consecutive games. … Cornerback Byron Davenport’s interception on the final play of the first half gives UW eight interceptions this season by eight different players. … Oregon’s opening drive marked the first time this season that a UW opponent had scored a touchdown on its first possession. … Washington scored in the third quarter for the first time since the opener at Syracuse. … Rankin’s 43-yard reception was the longest of his career. … Rankin contributed 248 all-purpose yards: 132 in kickoff returns, 73 rushing and 43 receiving.

Next
Arizona, noon Saturday, Husky Stadium, Channel 11.

UW actually outscored the Ducks 14-7 in the previously cursed period. TD passes to Russo and Reece.

Jonathan Stewart has 198 rushing yards.

Get to a TV.

The Washington Huskies, who hadn't scored in a third quarter since the opener at Syracuse, needed less than three minutes to score on a career-long 43-yard TD reception by Louis Rankin to pull even with Oregon, 24-24.

Give the Dawgs this much, they weathered a pretty good early punch from the Ducks and they are absolutely in this game heading into the -- shudder -- third quater.

Plenty of offense out there: 334 yards for the Ducks, 209 for the Dawgs. Twenty first downs for the Ducks, eight for the Dawgs.

For Washington, Locker is six of 12 passing for 132 yards, and he's run for 31 yards. For Oregon, Dixon is 12 of 21 for 140 yards, and he's run for 44 yards.

For UW, Rankin has carried four times for 42 yards. For UO, Stewart has run 18 times for 144 yards and has looked amazing.

Locker hit Russo running wide on on a post for an 83-yard touchdown ... fourth longest in UW history.

However, the rest has been all Ducks: They lead 13-1 in first downs, 201-93 in total yards. And time of possession must be amazing as UW's three drives have been three-and-out, 1 play touchdown, and three-and-out.

2:45: The sun just popped out, but it's not expected to stay long. They're predicting rain for much of the game. The question is, does that work against the wide-open passing team, or does a slick field work against the defense? And even if it limits the wide-open Ducks, is there any advantage to them deciding to ride Jonathan Stewart?

The answers will begin in less than two hours: 4:30, FSN.

Meanwhile, I expect our usual gameday routine: I'll pop in with any pregame notes that develop, then add quarterly updates, and then pass it back over to you guys until I can come back with final notes and quotes. I thought this was a great week for discussion on the blog, so I'm looking forward to hearing from you tonight ... especially since this one won't end as late as late week.

3:40 p.m.: As we had heard, the Ducks have indeed just taken the field in new all-white uniforms.

The Huskies are back to their usual gold-purple-gold home uniforms.

4:25: Ducks vs. Huskies and it looks like we have the markings of the smallest crowd of the season here.

4:30: The UW captains today are Anthony Russo, Greyson Gunheim, Marcel Reece and Wilson Afoa.

The clouds seem to have broken a bit. No wind. Fifty-two degrees. Looks like a nice evening for football.

There is no media access to coaches are players before kickoff, so we'll just look ahead to the game:

No. 7 OREGON (5-1 OVERALL, 2-1 PAC-10)
AT WASHINGTON (2-4, 0-3)
Kickoff: 4:30 p.m., Husky Stadium
Television: FSN. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: This is the 100th meeting. Washington leads, 58-36-5. However, the Ducks have won three straight in the series, all by 20 points or more. The last UW win came in the last meeting at Husky Stadium, 42-10, in 2003. Washington leads 33-21-4 at home, and Oregon hasn’t won in Seattle since 1997. No current Duck has ever played against UW at Husky Stadium.

What to watch: The third quarter, which has become a source of controversy as the Huskies have been outscored 56-0 in that quarter during their four-game losing streak. The Ducks run a pure spread offense that ranks No. 1 in the Pac-10 in scoring, rushing offense, total offense and passing efficiency. The Huskies, who rank last in the Pac-10 in rushing defense, will try to limit that not only with defense but also with ball control, making time of possession a key statistic. Ducks’ TB Jonathan Stewart of Lacey makes what will be the only Husky Stadium appearance of his career. Oregon QB Dennis Dixon and Washington’s Jake Locker have similar skills, but Dixon is a fifth-year senior, while Locker is a redshirt freshman. The Ducks are expected to wear new white helmets.

What’s at stake: Recent losses by USC and Cal have restored the Ducks hopes for the Pac-10 title, the Rose Bowl and perhaps even the BCS championship game. None of those hopes would survive a loss today. Washington desperately wants to snap a four-game losing streak, which is feeding frustration among players and the fan base. The Huskies must win five of their final seven games for bowl eligibility.

The UW stadium renovation committee warned the university board of regents Thursday that the cost of a major renovation to Husky Stadium will cost far more than they can currently expect to raise over the short term.

A scaled-back proposal is expected to be presented to the board next month.

Obviously, the No. 1 issue among the Huskies and their fans this week are the Huskies' third-quarter blues, and by extension, halftime adjustments.

So, I tried to get some basic information about that from three coaches this week, and that will be the topic of my colum in the Friday newspaper.

From UW's Ty Willingham, I simply wanted some sense of how those precious few halftime minutes in the locker room are doled out. He said their are four key elements: first he addresses his team, then he meets with his coaches to plan for the second half, then the coaches meet with players or their player groups to communicate the second-half adjustments, and the Willingham addresses the team again.

That means the coaches really need to come up with those adjustments on the fly, and communicate them quickly. Given that, I asked two of the most informative Pac-10 coaches to give some examples of typical halftime decisions and adjustments.

Their responses:

Oregon State’s Mike Riley: “The important thing at halftime is to decide what you need to focus on in the second half. Offensively, what are the runs that we want to lead with, what are the protections that are the most important, then looking at what kind of coverages we’re getting so we can fit the patterns with it. It’s kind of a summary of what we’re seeing, and then what we intended to do with it. Or, if we’re having problems in a certain protection, how to shore it up. Or, if we’re not running the ball very well from a certain formation, how to get that going in a different way. I think one of the most important things is to try to be concise. You can’t ultimately change over a lot of things that you intended to do, but deciding what you’re going to emphasis in the second half is a big, big factor.”

Oregon’s Mike Bellotti: "Your halftime adjustments depend on how your first half has gone. If you’ve had protection issues, you’ve got to address them. If there are plays or schemes on either side of the ball that are giving you problems, you’ve got to find ways to counter those. Typically you’re going to review your best running plays, your best passing plays, any concerns you have from a protection standpoint, or a personnel matchup or a scheme that they’re doing something different. That’s usually the first time you have a chance to sit down and talk with your staff and your players, and I think certainly you’re looking always for that difference-maker in the second half, something that you’ve held from the first half. I think oftentimes there are games when there are very few halftime adjustments – people are doing pretty much what you thought on both sides of the ball. And there are other games when halftime adjustments are crucial to your chance to succeed because you have to come up with an answer. Experience is a huge factor in that and the comfort zone of the player group; meaning the more veteran your team is, the more veteran your quarterback is, the more able you are to make adjustments."

No. 7 Oregon at Washington. Hard to see Huskies stopping – or topping – all that offense. UO, 47-20.

No. 10 California at UCLA. Both teams have injury questions at quarterback. Cal, 27-20.

No. 13 Southern California at Notre Dame. Trojans on series-long five-game win streak. Irish, 21-17.

Stanford at Arizona. Both teams showing signs of life. Wildcats, 31-21.

Last week: 4-1
Season: 27-9

Starting tackle Chad Macklin is taking at least a couple of days away from the team following the death of his grandfather. If he does not play Saturday, his position will be filed by redshirt freshman Cody Habben.

The Huskies are practicing in Dempsey Indoor today, due to high-wind warnings.

UW wide receiver Cody Ellis of Puyallup has been named among 153 national semifinalists for the 2007 Draddy Trophy, which recognizes success in academics, football and leadership. The field will be cut down to 15 finalists on Thursday.

A surgery date hasn’t yet been set for safety Jason Wells (knee).

Daniel Barkley, a freshman walk-on from Clover Park High School, is listed No. 3 on the Ducks depth chart at one of their three wide receiver positions.

Tickets for the Apple Cup Rally are now on sale. The event to celebrate the 100th football meeting of Washington and Washington State will be held Nov. 23 – the day before the game – at the Qwest Events Center in downtown Seattle. Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for children 12 and younger, and included a barbecue buffet and spirit events for fans of both schools. Information is available at the Huskies Web site.

Tickets to the Apple Cup game on Saturday, Nov. 24, also remain available.

1 Arizona State 7-0, 4-0: We're about to find out if Sun Devils are for real. Next four opponents: Cal, Oregon, UCLA, USC.

2 Oregon 5-1, 2-1: Probably playing best ball in conference.

3 California 5-1, 2-1: Freshman QB Riley’s first start was solid for 59 minutes and 46 seconds.

4 Southern California 5-1, 3-1: Past three games say maybe they’re not that good this season.

5 Oregon State 4-3, 2-2: Up and down season indicates talented sophmore QB Canfield is playing like a talented sophomore.

6 UCLA 4-2, 3-0: QB troubles make it hard to see Bruins as Rose Bowl contenders ... or even Sun Bowl contenders.

7 Arizona 2-4, 1-3: QB Tuitama on pace for UA single-season completions record.

8 Washington 2-4, 0-3: Have to cure those third-quarter blues.

9 Stanford 2-4, 1-3: Scoring two TDs per game more than last season.

10 Washington State 2-5, 0-4: Season on the brink as Doba-watch intensifies.

Not much news out of UW today.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said receiver Quintin Daniels (knee sprain) continues to be the only regular Husky expected to miss the Oregon game, and could miss a total of two to three weeks. Daniels has seven receptions this season.

Previously injured starting safety Jason Wells will have surgery this week -- perhaps Thursday -- to repair his injured knee.

My main story in our Thursday paper will focus on the Oregon spread offense. No points for originality, I know, but Husky fans will see a lot of it Saturday ... unlike UW which dabbles in the spread, it's all the Ducks run and they have dang near perfected it ... to the tune of 45 points per game.

The Washington Huskies basketball team will be on national TV at least six times, and likely more depending on how they do in the NIT and Pac-10 tournaments, according to a schedule released by the leage today. A couple of other regular season games also could be picked up if the Huskies are still competitive in the league down the stretch.

Click here for the full lineup.

The Groz is out sick today, but I will be back talking Huskies with substitute host Ian Furness at 2:20 this afternoon on KJR, 950-AM.

The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

Not a whole lot of news out of the Huskies today. However, as is the Tuesday custom, we had a very useful briefing from offensive coordinator Tim Lappano. His challenge this week is scoring more points than Oregon -- obviously -- and ideally scoring them slowly enough to keep the ball away from the offensive-minded Ducks as much as possible. My Wednesday story deals with how he plans to walk that tightrope.

A few other details and notes:

Lappano and coach Tyrone Willingham have been non-committal on the planned tailback rotation for this week, however Lappano said he was impressed with Brandon Johnson’s straight-ahead physical running style.

Lappano said another new offensive contributor could be guard Jordan White-Frisbee, who is making progress since his conversion from defensive tackle.

Anthony Russo, Greyson Gunheim, Wilson Afoa and Rankin practiced Tuesday in the honorary gold jerseys.

Oregon defensive end Nick Reed was selected Pac-10 defensive player. Against Washington State, Reed had a team-high 11 tackles, including six solo, five for loss and 3.5 quarterback sacks. Earlier, Reed had been named national defensive player of the week by the Walter Camp Foundation.

Andre Crenshaw will assume Oregon’s runner/receiver hybrid position previously handled by Jeremiah Johnson, who is out for the season with a knee injury.

Finally, reports out of Eugene indicate that the Ducks are expected to debut new white helmets on Saturday. (That photo, by the way, is from the UO web site).

The top news out of the Pac-10 coaches' conference call today involved the improving health of several quarterbacks.

Southern California hopes that quarterback John David Booty’s injured finger has healed enough to allow him to return to the starting lineup after a one-week absence; UCLA believes a bye week may have bought time for Pat Cowan’s return; and at Cal, Nate Longshore could also return.

This week’s Pac-10 schedule sends No. 7 Oregon to Washington, Stanford to No. 12 Arizona, No. 10 California to UCLA and No. 13 USC to Notre Dame.

Other notes from around the league:

STANFORD: Tavita Pritchard, the sophomore from Clover Park, remains the starting quarterback. Coach Jim Harbaugh said Pritchard ran, passed and directed the offense well in the Cardinal’s loss to TCU. “I’m very happy with the way he’s playing,” Harbaugh said. And after watching game tape, Arizona coach Mike Stoops said Pritchard was much improved from the week before, when he engineered an upset of USC.

ARIZONA: Coach Mike Stoops said he hasn’t decided whether Nicholas Grigsby or Chris Jennings will start at tailback this week, but that both will play. The key for each, he said, is to hang onto the ball.

OREGON STATE: The Beavers have won two consecutive games, but Riley said this week’s bye is well timed. “The momentum is a nice thing, but (a bye week) feels good right now, and it will allow us to get past mid-season aches and pains and take a little bit of a weekend off.”

USC: Coach Pete Carroll said the USC-Notre Dame game remains special despite the Trojans’ one loss and the Irish’s one win. “This is just a game that has unique qualities to it and historically always has,” he said. … He added that Notre Dame’s switch to junior quarterback Evan Sharpley “doesn’t affect us at all” because “they don’t change their offense when they change quarterbacks.”

UCLA: The Bruins return to action this week as one of only two undefeated teams in Pac-10 play. “Our team is pretty optimistic,” coach Karl Dorrell said. “They’re upbeat and positive about this stretch of our season.”

ARIZONA STATE: Coach Dennis Erickson said his team’s 7-0 start and high national rankings haven’t affected his goals or approach. “We went in not knowing anything about what we were going to do, and we went in focused on winning that first game and right on through,” he said.

WASHINGTON STATE: Coach Bill Doba said the Cougar’s bye has arrived “at a perfect time” because his team is beaten up “emotionally, mentally and physically.” He gave his players Monday, Tuesday and today off. They will return to the practice field to work on fundamentals Thursday and Friday before getting a free weekend. … Doba also said he doesn’t plan to change his approach in the second half of this season. “You try to win, obviously,” he said, rejecting the idea of a youth movement. “I’m not going to dump these seniors and start playing for next year. A lot of these guys have been here five years and have paid the price.”

The Huskies' loss at Arizona State seemed to be a turning point for a lot of people who were on the fence about coach Tyrone Willingham -- at least judging from what I've been hearing on sports-talk radio and reading on Internet discussions, including this blog.

Many people seem to think that 24-point loss shows a lack of progress midway through Year Three, and the third-quarter problems strike a lot of people as an indication of a coaching staff adjusting less quickly or effectively than the opposing coaches.

Bottom line: Jim Mora Jr. is looking a lot better to a lot of fans.

However, the opinion that counts most is the one that belongs to Washington athletic director Todd Turner, so I gave him a call Monday, and he stood as firmly behind his coach as he ever has.

Some highlights from that conversation:

OVERVIEW ON WILLINGHAM AND THE PROGRAM:
"Obviously, we’re not happy anytime we don’t win on the field, but I like what I see with the overall progress the football team is making. If I had to do it over again, I would do everything I could to make our schedule more compatible with where our football program is. Clearly, that’s been a challenge for us. And even though we won two our of three of our non-league games, I think that took a lot out of us. We played two No. 1 teams in the nation to the very hilt for most of the games. I think I’d rather judge our team by their competitiveness against teams more like ourselves, and we won two of those games. The UCLA game was a lot like Arizona State, where we had some big plays go against us and we couldn’t recover from that. But you can’t assess the total progress of the team in half of one season in the third year."

ON HIS SUPPORT OF WILLINGHAM FOR NEXT SEASON:
"There’s nothing in my mind that would change that. He’s got a really tough job. It was even more difficult when he came in. All you have to look at is similar situations around the country. A great one to look at is Rich Brooks at the University of Kentucky. His first three years they were after him big-time. There was a lot of controversy when they extended his contract. But his first three years he won nine games – and you ought to see the (weak) teams that he beat. In his fourth year he got them into a bowl game. And this year they just beat the No. 1 team and he got them in the Top 10."

ON THE INSTANT UPGRADES BY JEFF TEDFORD AND DENNIS ERICKSON:
"You’ve got to remember Erickson stepped into a situation where (ASU) went to a bowl game last year. And he’s got a veteran quarterback, and their team is very good. He’s made them better, no question, but I think the situation at Washington was more difficult than people could ever imagine."

ON WILLINGHAM'S STAFF:
"I’m not displeased. I think their preparation and effort is as good as it could be. These guys are an experienced lot. The head coach has been national coach of the year at two different schools. Tim Lappano called plays for Dennis Erickson. I’ve got guys with NFL experience. I’ve got two Division-IA former head coaches, so they know the game. They know how to scheme and they know how to organize. What their challenges are is finding ways to compete with teams that are deeper, faster and stronger. And those are the problems we need to correct. ... You can take one game and say we made a bad call here or there. But it’s not because our analysis is poor or we’re not creative. At the end of the day, we need to be sure that we look like the team we’re playing."

ON WHETHER HE MIGHT ORDER STAFF CHANGES:
"When that happens you’re panicking. ... How can I hold (Willingham) accountable if I tell him what plays to call or who to hire or who to recruit? That’s something that the coach needs to do."

ON WILLINGHAM'S RECRUITING:
"Recruiting is the key to our future success. The thing that I’ve got to keep in mind and I think all of us do is, what has the University of Washington done to help over time. Are we positioned the same as the other teams that we’re recruiting against? Some of them, yes, no question. But others, we’ve got some challenges. Facilities. Things that are just fundamental here: How do we combat the perception of our weather? We can’t change that. Go back to when Washington was really good – back in the early ‘90s. What we had here was as good as what anybody else in our league had. And I think we got behind. That doesn’t mean that you can’t overcome that. Notre Dame won for decades without the best facilities in America. They did it with tradition and good coaching. We can overcome that, and it’s not an excuse, but it’s something that we as a university are working on. It starts with things like the locker rooms and their training facilities and meeting rooms and things like that. We can get the job done with what we’ve got. But do they look like some of the things we’re recruiting against? No. ... Where was Oregon in 1991? They weren’t the same marketing juggernaut that they are today. They invested in all that, and you can either like it or not like it, but the fact is it made them a better football team."

ON PROGRESS REGARDLESS OF THIS SEASON'S FINAL RECORD:
"I am excited about our future, I’m positive about it. I think the foundation is being laid in a way that we’ll be able to build upon that in really positive ways in the future. The culture of the football program here has taken a 180-degree turn, and that’s where you start. You go back and look at programs that have come off probation, have got controversy and lots of issues that a coach would inherit a program that has lost a lot games, which is our case. The rebuilding process is slow, particularly when you play teams that are as good as the teams in the Pac-10 are today. So, while you may not see the progress on the scoreboard, I see it every day. And I’m positive about our future and I’m excited about it, and I’m eager to see the Ducks show up in our stadium on Saturday and we’ll see what happens."

Quintin Daniels, who suffered a leg injury at Arizona State, will miss the Oregon game on Saturday, and likely significant time beyond that.

Otherwise, coach Tyrone Willingham said the team is in good health heading into the Oregon game.

That's more than can be said for the Ducks, who lost No. 2 tailback Jeremiah Johnson (knee) and No. 2 receiver Cameron Colvin (broken ankle) for the season in the Washington State game.

Other news from today's press conferences with Willingham and another with Oregon coach Mike Bellotti.

*UW coaches selected tailback Louis Rankin as player of the week on offense, Greyson Gunheim on defense and punter Jared Ballman on special teams. Rankin won the honor despite getting only three carries in the second half, as coaches worked J.R. Hasty and Brandon Johnson into the mix. On Monday, however, Willingham seemed uncertain that such a rotation will continue, saying only that the tailback mix "will work itself out."

*Asked why Oregon has dominated Washington the past could of seasons, Bellotti indicated that maybe UW coaches haven't fully caught up do defending the spread offense. I really didn't think he meant it as an insult, but it kind of came out that way, and Willingham seemed to bristle a bit when it was relayed to him later.

*No, no one has yet come out with a good reason for the Huskies' third-quarter troubles during this four-game losing streak. After ruling out either poor coaching adjustments or player disinterest on Saturday, Willingham added Monday that he also doesn't think it has a physical root such as lack of conditioning or even lack of depth. He would only conceed that the defense may tire a bit when the opponent's time of possession begins piling up.

When I saw that Oregon opened a 12-point favorite over Washington my initial impression was that the spread was a little low.

Oregon has won the last three in the series by 20 or more. Granted, those were all in Eugene, but these Ducks look like the best of the bunch, while the Huskies are struggling. To stay within 12, it seems like the UW defense is going to have to play far better than it has to hold down that amazing Oregon offense, of the UW offense is going to have to play far better than it has to come anywhere near to keeping up.

In any case, we'll hear more from Coach Willingham and the Dawgs this afternoon, and I'll pop in with highlights then.

Our weekly postgame look back and ahead:

LAST WEEK
Washington (2-4, 0-3) lost its fourth straight game, 44-20, at Arizona State. As has become their trend through this losing streak, the Huskies were competitive through the first half and then dug themselves a deep hole with a scoreless third quarter. Players and coaches seemed unsure why this is happening.

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON
The Huskies have proven that they can play with anyone in the country for 30 minutes. Jake Locker and Marcel Reece connected on a picture-perfect 36-yard touchdown pass. Darin Harris had an interception in his first start for injured safety Jason Wells. Louis Rankin ran for 80 yards, his best game since the opener.

SOMETHING TO WORK ON
There aren’t many teams the Huskies can beat if they continue to concede points and momentum in the third quarter. The defense continues to give up the big play, including runs of 76, 57 and 34 yards. UW completed only 10 of 30 passes. The Huskies uncharacteristically hurt themselves with unforced penalties.

PERSONNEL ISSUES
Leading tackler E.J. Savannah and starting guard Casey Bulyca were held out of the starting lineup due to what coach Tyrone Willingham called “a simple disciplinary thing.” No pronosis is available for offensive tackle Ben Ossai (ankle) and receiver Quintin Daniels (sprained knee). Reserve TBs finally played, but Rankin seemed displeased.

THE WEEK AHEAD
The seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks (5-1, 2-1) come to Husky Stadium on Saturday. The Ducks have won three straight in the series, all by 20 points or more. This season, UO sends the Pac-10’s top scoring offense against a defense that has been susceptible to big plays. Coach Tyrone Willingham admits concern about his team’s mental state.

The top postgame topic was the Huskies ongoing problems in the third quarter ... including the 21-0 Sun Devils explosion that put away UW tonight.

Unfortunately, no one really sees an answer. They don't seem to think it's bad adjustments. So they seem to think it's the team coming out of the locker room with a lapse in focus. But why? They seem mystified, too.

Players after the game seemed more down than angry... who knows what's the right reponse. The problem is this is a fourth stright loss, and the worst of the bunch, and with Oregon coming in next week, it isn't difficult to see this season slipping away unless something dramatic happens to turn it.

Meanwhile, two names were added to the injury list: offensive tackle Ben Ossai (ankle) and receiver Quintin Daniels (sprained knee). No prognosis on either.

Here's some of what the Huskies had to say:

On the third quarter problems
WILLINGHAM: It’s obviously a difficult thing to talk about because I don’t have a solution to it. I thought we were poised and in good position to have a good third quarter. … I really don’t know how to explain it, but we’re going to find some way to get it solved.

... I don’t necessarily know that our adjustments hurt us as much as our mental mistakes. Defensively we gave up a couple of gaps and a couple of missed tackles. … I’m always a believe that it’s everything. As coaches we’ve got to find ways to put our guys in better position. that’s what coaching is. But at the same time we also have to find a way as players to make plays.

DAN HOWELL: We’ve got to make plays at the right time. We have our opportunities and we’re just not making them. There’s no explanation why that happens, why that doesn’thappen. When we have our opportunities, it’s not coming out our way. ... (The halftime) energy in the locker room is high. We listen to the coaches, get the adjustments in. It’s just a matter of not starting the second half as fast and focused as the first.

JAKE LOCKER: I don’t know. It’s something we’ve got to work on and figure out a way to fix. That’s where we lost that game. We had the ball, we had a chance to really swing the momentum in our favor and we didn’t do that.

DARIN HARRIS
Maybe we come out to flat. I don’t know. We have to come out like it’s 0-0, 0-0 at halftime and then maybe we’ll come out and do what we need to do.

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR TIM LAPPANO: We came out and we had a lot of good things we still could have done in the third quarter. And then we shoot ourselves in the foot a little bit. We’re our own worst enemy with two back to back procedures and a hold and just kill ourselves. Then it becomes field position.

You can’t go out there and come up with zero in the third quarter against competition like this. They’re too good a football team … to be playing catch-up in the fourth quarter and they know you’ve got to throw it and you get out of your game plan. It’s just to hard.

(On no UW points in the third quarter since the opener at Syracuse) There’s got to be a lack of focus. When you have those penalties, that’s focus. (blocker not on kick team… how can you be focused) Back to back procedures. It can’t be that loud out there was it.

DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR KENT BAER ON THE LONG ASU RUNS:
Missed tackling. It’s frustrating. When you give those things up it’s tough.

You don’t become 7-0 without being really good. They’ve got some veteran guys and a quarterback who understands the game. But we certainly didn’t play our best.

J.R. HASTY on getting to play:
It felt great to be out there, be able to contribute to the team, feel like I’m doing something. ... I felt I did alright. I missed one blitz where Jake had to scramble and threw an incomplete pass.

LOUIS RANKIN on the mood of the team:
It was a game we should have won, I felt just like the rest of the games. ... A lot of guys are frustrated. We feel like this was a game we should have won, but we didn’t get it done today.

Definitely it can be turned around tomorrow.

MARCELL REECE on his TD catch:
We practiced it all week. We come out here and execute on Saturday, and that’s what we did on that play. I wish we could have did it on a couple of more plays, but we didn’t do that. That’s part of the game.

Jake throws a nice deep ball. Like I said, we practiced it all week. When you practice it all week, you expect to make those plays. … In this game you have to improvise. That’s one of those times you have to improvise and be a pro: keep both feet in, sliding, get a touchdown.

DARIN HARRIS on his performance on his first start
I missed a lot of key tackles and it hurts.

And other notes from the game:

Player of the game
Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter completed 20 of 31 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Despite his reputation as a relatively immobile quarterback, he often bought time by moving out of the pocket, mostly notably on a third-quarter 21-yard touchdown to Rudy Burgess that put ASU ahead to stay.

Husky of the game
Tailback Louis Rankin had his best game since the opener at Syracuse, combining speed and occasional power on 11 carries for 80 yards. He also caught two passes, if only for 4 yards.

Turning point
Washington had a 17-13 lead and the first possession of the second half. However, on that possession, quarterback Jake Locker was sacked, lost the ball, and ASU linebacker Mike Nixon recovered at the UW 34. Seconds later, ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter scrambled out of trouble and found receiver Rudy Burgess behind the defense and just in bounds for a 21-yard touchdown that moved the Sun Devils ahead for good, 20-17.

Ten points in 20 seconds
Late in the first half, the Huskies scored 10 points in 20 seconds. The sequence began with a 24-yard Ryan Perkins field goal, which was followed by a first-down interception by Darin Harris, and then a 32-yard touchdown run by Jake Locker. The flurry moved UW from trailing, 10-7 with 4:32 left in the half, to leading 17-10 at the 4:11 mark.

Best play
Washington’s first touchdown came on a 36-yard post pattern from Jake Locker to Marcel Reece. The ball came down on Reece’s fingertips, and he managed to snag it cleanly while getting his foot and knee down just before reaching the back of the end zone.

Worst play
The Sun Devils are the second-most penalized team in the Pacific-10 Conference, and it cost them on their first possession. Tailback Ryan Torain made a sweet spin move on his way to an apparent 11-yard touchdown run, but a holding penalty on receiver Jovon Williams wiped it off the board and the Sun Devils eventually settled for a field goal.

Personnel report
As expected, Darin Harris started at safety in place of the injured Jason Wells. However, freshman Mason Foster got a surprise start – the first of his career – at what has traditionally been E.J. Savannah’s linebacking spot. Similarly, Jordan White-Frisbee was a surprise starter at guard in place of Casey Bulyca. Both Savannah and Bulyca both were soon restored to their familiar positions. … As promised, the coaches got Louis Rankin a breather, substituting J.R. Hasty and eventually Brandon Johnson. … Starting ASU tailback Ryan Torain went out with a foot injury.

Extra points
UW has been outscored 56-0 in the third-quarter of their four losses. … On ASU’s first drive, UW cornerback Byron Davenport recorded his first career sack. ... UW hasn’t committed double-digit penalties in any of their 29 games under coach Tyrone Willingham. … Darin Harris’ second-quarter interception was the Huskies’ seventh of the season, and by seven different players. … ASU has at least one interception in nine straight games. … At 7-0, ASU is already bowl eligible and assured of a non-losing season. The Sun Devils haven’t suffered back-to-back losing seasons in 59 years, the fourth longest active streak in the nation. … Keegan Herring’s 76-yard touchdown run was ASU’s longest since 1999. … UW captains were Jordan Reffett, Dan Howell, Juan Garcia and Paul Homer.

Next
4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oregon, Husky Stadium.

Very odd quarter. The Huskies scored 10 points in less a matter of seconds to go from 7-10 down to 17-10 ahead. Then ASU got a field goal on the final play, after a review caused the refs to place one second back on the clock.

Overall, Washington already has more points than ASU has allowed per game (14.2) so far this season ... indicating maybe ASU's stats have been inflated by a soft schedule.

Bottom line: These look like pretty evenly matched teams. But the ASU receivers are getting wide open in the UW secondary, and that needs to change for UW to have anything more than another competitive loss.

A few stats:
ASU leads first downs, 13-9; passing yards, 170-68; but UW is dominating rushing yards, 120-68. And Rankin has 68 yards ... already more than in any game since Syracuse.

Both teams scored on their first drives. Washington's was capped by a 36-yard post pass from Locker to Reece, who took it on his fingertips deep in the end zone, and managed snag it cleanly enough to get his foot/knee down before going out the back of the end zone. Beautiful play.

On Washington's next drive, the coaches lived up to their word and put someone other than Rankin in at tailback: J.R. Hasty.

As expected, Darin Harris started at safety in place of the injured Jason Wells. However, freshman Mason Foster was a surprise starter at what has traditionally been E.J. Savannah’s linebacking spot.

Savannah, UW's leading tackler, is on the sidelines with no apparent injury.

And other surprise on offense: Jordan White-Frisbee gets his first start of the season at Casey Bulyca's usual guard spot.

If any of you are watching on TV or listening on radio and hear an explanation, please pass it along because we've heard nothing in the press box.

I'm in the press box, looking down at an empty stadium, a few dozen early tailgaters, and lots of nice desert and mountain views into the distance.

I'm planning the regular drill here: pregame updates as they happen. Then quickly reports after each quarter. Then turning it over to you for postgame discussion. Then I'll try to fill in with some quotes and notes after the game. And I'll try to be even more detailed than usual this time, because the game is going to be ending right about deadline time, so I'll try to fill in here on all the details that won't make the Sunday paper.

6 p.m.: The teams are out on the field warming up. And speaking of warm ... that shouldn't be a major factor. The sun is already completely off of the field, and it's been a pretty pleasant day. It's still warm -- there certainly could be some cramping in the fourth quarter -- but this doesn't seem like real game-altering heat.

7:25: UW captains are Jordan Reffett, Dan Howell, Juan Garcia and Paul Homer.

First possession: As expected, Darin Harris started at safety in place of the injured Jason Wells. However, freshman Mason Foster was a surprise starter at what has traditionally been E.J. Savannah’s linebacking spot.

Watching last night's Hawaii-San Jose State convinced me that tonight's Washington-Arizona State game may be just about crucial to the Huskies bowl hopes.

Most of this season, I have seen no bowl hopes. I just didn't see seven wins on the schedule. But part of that thinking turned on my belief that winning that seventh necessary game in Hawaii would be unlikely. However, it now looks to me like I overrated the Warriors at the start of that season. And with that game coming now seeming in the clearly winnable range, let's look at the remaining games that fall in that winnable/50-50/no-big-upset needed range: Arizona at home, at Stanford, WSU and at Hawaii.

Combined with the two wins they already have, sweeping those four games -- certainly no guarantee -- would get the Huskies up to six wins. So where does that seventh win come? (Or the extra two, if the Huskies manage only three of the four I mention above?)

Cal and Oregon are Top 10 teams with big-time offenses, so that would call for a major upset ... even in Husky Stadium.

So that leaves ASU and the game at Oregon State, where the Huskies will seem to have a fair chance despite underdog status

The fact is, the Huskies won't be favored five more times this season. So if they're going bowling, they need at least one real upset. UCLA was a chance they didn't take advantage of. They get another big chance tonight.

I've arrived in Tempe. It's warm but -- all together now –– it's a dry heat. And really, while it was up in the 90s today, it's only supposed to top out in the mid-80s tomorrow, meaning it'll likely be in the 70s during the game -- warm for football, but not the major factor it once looked like it might have been.

A brief preview:

WASHINGTON (2-3, 0-2)
AT NO. 14 ARIZONA STATE (6-0, 3-0)
Kickoff: 7:15 p.m., Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Ariz.
Television: FSN. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: Washington leads, 15-11. However, the Sun Devils have won the last three meetings, including 26-23 in overtime last season at Husky Stadium.

What to watch: ASU has the top scoring defensive in the Pac-10, and by a wide margin. While no other Pac-10 team holds opponents to fewer than 20 points a game, ASU allows 14. The Sun Devils are basic on both sides of the ball, trying to be masters of simplicity, rather than trying to fool anyone. Washington will be working at least one new player into its starting secondary, where Darin Harris and Nate Williams are likely to fill the safety spot opened by Jason Wells’ season-ending knee injury. Coaches promise that a second tailback will be used to spell Louis Rankin, probably J.R. Hasty or Brandon Johnson. This game could mark the debut of cornerback Jordan Murchison, who had been kept away from the team due to legal problems. A high temperature of 84 is expected in the area today, however game temperatures should be in the 70s.

What’s at stake: The Huskies are looking for their first Pacific-10 Conference win, and they don’t want their three-game losing streak getting any longer. The Sun Devils want to extend their unbeaten season and keep their conference title hopes alive.

A coin toss would have been as good as my picks last week, but it's developing into that kind of season. Here we go again:

Oregon State at No. 2 California. Game is on Versus, same channel nobody watched Stanford-USC on. Cal, 34-20.

Washington State at No. 9 Oregon. Ducks offense vs. WSU defense could get ugly. Oregon, 53-27.

Arizona at No. 10 Southern California. Switch to QB Sanchez could benefit Trojans. SC, 38-17.

Washington at No. 14 Arizona State. UW defense in flux, ASU defense dazzling. ASU, 27-16.

Texas Christian at Stanford. What can Cardinal do for an encore? TCU, 35-17.

Last week: 2-2
Season: 23-8

UW fans apparently won't have to do a Jon Brockman watch at the end of this season as they did with Spencer Hawes at the end of last season.

Brockman, about to enter his junior season, said today that he plans to play out his college eligibility.

"Oh yeah," he said. "You only get four years. This is a fun experience, and I’ve got to get back to that tournament."

The Washington Huskies showed off their new basketball uniforms today, a day before heading to preseason camp at St. Martin's in Lacey.

They look pretty traditional from the front. However, there is some wavy striping on the side of the pants and back of the jersey, and a thick shoulder strip, and a thin gold stripe on the back between the player's name and number. And they are a sort of weave material –- sort of like a runner's shirt – not the shiny stuff they've worn in the past. That is apparently for comfort, drawing moisture away from the body. (That's freshman Matthew Bryan-Amaning in the purple and Tim Morris in the white.)

As in the past, there will be white, purple and gold versions. Some players were hoping for a black alternate, but that didn't happen.

A few player reactions:

Venoy Overton: They’re great. They nice. I wish we could have got black, but these are cool.

Joel Smith: You can’t knock them. They’re new. You’ve got to have some new stuff sometime. Hopefully, they’ll make us a little more exciting.

Joe Wolfinger: Some people say they kind of look like girl uniforms. They’re comfortable. It’s cool.

The Huskies are on the field right now on their final practice for ASU. And when I say "the field," I mean Husky Stadium. Coach Tyrone Willingham said he doesn’t think Dempsey Indoor offers any additional simulation of the conditions expected Saturday in Tempe. So, with cool temperatures but no rain, the Dawgs remained outside.

According to Internet reports, the Huskies have picked up an oral commitment from Jordan Polk, a receiver from Lincoln High School in Portland, who join the UW freshman class of 2008.

1 California (2) 5-0, 2-0: Highest national ranking since 1951.

2 Arizona State (3) 6-0, 3-0: Devils have allowed eight TDs in six games.

3 Oregon (4) 4-1, 1-1: League leaders with 43.6 scoring average and 529 ypg.

4 USC (1) 4-1, 2-1: Turnover troubles finally fatal to Trojans.

5 Oregon State (7) 3-3, 1-2: Receiver/returner Stroughter lost for the season.

6 UCLA (5) 4-2, 3-0: Quarterback troubles crushing Bruins season.

7 Washington (6) 2-3, 0-2: Angry that Stanford did what they couldn’t.

8 Arizona (8) 2-4, 1-2: Good in spurts; but when they’re bad, they’re awful.

9 Stanford (10) 2-3, 1-3: Sophomore QB Pritchard of Clover Park rewarded with starting job.

10 Washington State (9) 2-4, 0-3: Cougars better than 10th of 10, but Stanford deserves a bump; and with two Top 10 teams in next three games, things could get worse in Pullman before they get better.

There's lots going on in the UW secondary this week: finding a new starter at Jason Wells' strong safety spot, deciding between three potential starters at one cornerback position, and welcoming back returning veteran Jordan Murchison.

It looks like Darin Harris will start at safety, with Nate Williams likely to see time.

At corner, Byron Davenport seems to be opening some space on the depth chart between himself, Vonzell McDowell Jr., and Matt Mosely -- the lone Arizonan on the UW roster.

And finally, Murchison seems to have progressed enough in his short time back that he seems likely to travel and play Saturday at Arizona State. (You'll remember he was semi-suspended due to a variety of legal trouble early in fall camp.)

Also, Wells’ surgery date has not been set, but coach Tyrone Willingham said it probably won’t be this week.

And while on the topic of injuries, freshman Eric Folk (back) has resumed kicking in practice, but Willingham added “it may not be the right thing for him to kick this year.” Willingham hasn’t ruled out using any of the true freshmen who haven’t yet played – depending, as always, on what is best for the team and the player. But he added that he would like to avoid using such player this deep into the season.

After one week of being bumped by baseball, the Groz and I will be back talking Huskies football and perhaps basketball at 2:20 this afternoon on KJR, 950-AM.

The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

Washington basketball will begin rubbing shoulders with football in this blog from here on, as the Huskies hold a media event Thursday in advance of their opening of camp.

But unfortunately for Stanford, the Cardinal made news first: star 7-footer Brook Lopez has been ruled academically ineligible this fall. However, if Lopez gets his grades in order, he could be back about the time the Pac-10 play begins.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh has named former Clover Park star Tavita Pritchard his starting quarterback for Saturday's game against TCU, even though previous starter and fifth-year senior T.C. Ostrander is healthy enough to practice and play.

Meanwhile, we also spoke today to UW senior receiver Anthony Russo about Pritchard. The two crossed paths in high school when Russo's Lakes got the better of things.

"We never lost to Clover Park," Russo said. "They almost had us one year: It was 6-6 at halftime, but it was 36-6 at the end. That's as close as they got to us."

However, Russo admits some envy over the recent college results.

"I'm glad he got that win for them (over USC)," Russo said. "But I wish it would have been us."

We've heard something similar in the past, but offensive coordinator Tim Lappano gave his strongest assurances yet -- a guarantee, in fact -- that Louis Rankin will receive support from a second tailback Saturday.

Lappano said there is still no decision on whether that will be J.R. Hasty, Brandon Johnson and Curtis Shaw, however he especially praised the physical running styles Hasty and Johnson showed during the bye week. But it sounds like at least one of the others will play at Arizona State -- regardless of score or situation.

Lappano also said that he is still trying to get the tight ends involved in the UW offense. In fact, the tight ends are regularly an early option for the quarterback and the lack of passes going their way seems to indicate that none of the three are getting open quickly or regularly.

And finally:

Scouting report: The Sun Devils allow 14 points a game, lowest in the Pac-10, while scoring 28 ppg. They are first in pass defense efficiency, second in pass defense, third in rushing defense and total defense. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter is a pocket passer who ranks fourth in the league in passing and second in passing efficiency. Tailback Ryan Torain is a powerful runner who ranks fourth in the league, averaging 105 rushing yards per game. Both operate behind a veteran line. Linebacker Robert James in fifth in the Pac-10 with an average of 9.8 tackles per game. Strong safety Troy Nolan leads the league with four interceptions, and he returned one for a touchdown. The Sun Devils lead the league in time of possession, fourth down conversions, red-zone offense and kickoff coverage. Kyle Williams leads the Pac-10 in punt return average (12.6 yards). ASU is the only Pac-10 team that hasn’t missed a field goal this season.

In addition to the quarterback question at Stanford that I wrote about below, there are also big quarterback issues this week at USC and UCLA.

At USC, sophomore Mark Sanchez is working with the starters while senior John David Booty hopes the broken bone in the middle finger of his throwing hand won’t force him to the sidelines.

The situation is even more complicated at UCLA, where coach Karl Dorrell is reaching far down the depth chart and revising earlier plans in an effort to weather a series of challenges.

No. 1 quarterback Ben Olson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee Tuesday to check for a possible cartilage tear. Meanwhile, No. 2 quarterback Patrick Cowan remains sidelined with a knee injury suffered two weeks ago against Washington.

Behind those top two, Dorrell said he would have to choose from among walk-on McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who was ineffective in the Saturday loss to Notre Dame; freshman Chris Forcier, who had been scheduled to redshirt; and Osaar Rasshan, a former quarterback who had been moved to receiver where it was thought he might get more playing time. Now, he will have to move back.

The Bruins get an extra week to settle their situation, as the only Pac-10 team with a bye this weekend. However, the other nine teams are in action in four league matches and one intersectional: Washington at No. 14 Arizona State, Washington State at No. 9 Oregon, Arizona at No. 10 USC, Oregon State at No. 2 California, and Texas Christian at Stanford.

Other notes from around the league:

OREGON STATE: Star receiver Sammie Stroughter will miss the rest of the season due to bruised kidney. He will apply for a medical redshirt. The injury ends a disappointing season for Stroughter, who had previously left the team briefly due to personal reasons. He ended up playing in three games, catching 15 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

OREGON: The Ducks moved into the nation’s Top 10 for the first time since 2005. … Oregon had a bye last week, and returns to action Saturday against Washington State. Under coach Mike Bellotti, the Ducks are 12-1 following bye weeks.

CALIFORNIA: Coach Jeff Tedford was asked what his team’s new No. 2 national ranking means: “Nothing whatsoever,” he said. “We never talk about it. We just try to get better each day in practice.”

ARIZONA: As USC’s next opponent, Wildcats coach Mike Stoops said he expects the Trojans would weather a move from Booty to Sanchez as well as their previous move from Matt Leinart to Booty. However, he does expect one lingering result from SC’s loss last week: “They’re going to be mad,” he said.

Coach Tyrone Willingham is a weather-watcher and he notes that there will be a high temperature of 91 in the Valley of the Sun on Saturday. Even given the 7:15 kickoff, he figures that the temperature should be in the 80s for much of the game at Arizona State -- high enough to call for more of a player rotation everywhere but at quarterback. However, he said there is still no decision on a No. 2 tailback between J.R. Hasty, Curtis Shaw and Brandon Johnson.

Asked about the Huskies' defensive line, Willingham said they have been generally solid, but have allowed too many big plays.

He also says that the close relationship between ASU coach Dennis Erickson and UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano might be meaningful on the golf course, but he doesn't think it will mean much in the game Saturday. I'll likely write more about that relationship in the Wednesday paper.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh says he hasn't yet decided if Tavita Pritchard or T.C. Ostrander will start at quarterback this weekend. Ostrander lost his job last week after suffering a seizure. He has been cleared to play this week, but in the meanwhile, Pritchard -- from Clover Park High School -- engineered the Cardinal's big win over USC.

Harbaugh said he doesn't automatically go with the cliche that starters shouldn't lose jobs to injury, but instead makes invidual decisions weighing what's best for the team and the players involved.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said the Huskies accomplished what he wanted during the bye week, mostly meaning getting extra work for the younger players while the regulars got an easier-than-usual week to refresh and heal.

The players said they feel great and are ready to get back into action Saturday at ASU.

Several also said that they used the rare free weekend for a rare chance to be football fans again, catching games on TV or in person. I wrote a little about that in the Tuesday paper.

A few other notes:

Willingham said safety Jason Wells could have surgery on his injured knee this week. Junior Darin Harris began the week listed as the No. 1 strong safety ahead of freshman Nate Williams, but Willingham said that could change. He added that he doesn’t yet know if recently reinstated cornerback Jordan Murchison will play this weekend.

Nothing has been settled among J.R. Hasty, Curtis Shaw and Brandon Johnson is the competition for No. 2 tailback behind Louis Rankin. However, Rankin said he was impressed by all three in the extra work the reserves were given last week.

Willingham said reports that receiver recruits Devin Aguilar and Anthony Boyles received passing SAT scores are "exciting rumors," but he declined confirmation or comment until receiving the paperwork that will make it official.

Oregon's first visit to Husky Stadium since 2003 has been picked up by FSN and will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. on Oct. 20.

This means kickoffs are now set for the next five UW games -- 7:15 Saturday at ASU; 4:30 Oct. 20 vs. Oregon; noon Oct. 27 vs. Arizona; 3:30 p.m. Nov. 3 at Stanford; and 7:15 p.m. Nov. 10 at Oregon State.

The final three games -- Nov. 17 vs. Cal, Nov. 24 vs. WSU and Dec. 1 at Hawaii -- are all TBA.

With the bye weekend behind them, the Huskies move back into game-week mode in preparation for their Saturday night game at Arizona State.

For an early scouting report, here is the TNT's Todd Milles' report on the Sun Devils' win at WSU yesterday. Here is the take from the Arizona Republic. And here is the official ASU football site.

Actually under .500 last week with all those upsets, but here goes again:

Stanford at No. 2 Southern California. Trojans have won five straight in series, 42-0 last season. SC, 32-10.

Arizona at Oregon State. Beavers have won seven of last eight in series. OSU, 37-34.

Notre Dame at UCLA. Irish has swept only three previous meetings. Bruins, 47-15.

No. 18 Arizona State at Washington State. It’s been a series of streaks, and Devils have won last three. ASU, 38-17.

Last week: 2-3
Season: 21-6

1 USC (1) 4-0, 2-0: Leading league in total defense … but are they up to stopping offenses of Bears and Ducks?
2 California (2) 5-0, 2-0: DeSean Jackson looked like real-deal Heisman candidate in Eugene.
3 Arizona State (3) 5-0, 2-0: Erickson only 2nd Pac-10 coach to start first season 5-0 (along with Cal's Steve Mariucci in 1996).
4 Oregon (4) 4-1, 1-1: That was the Ducks first loss after eight straight wins when Jonathan Steward reaches 100 rushing yards.
5 UCLA (5) 4-1, 3-0: They feel like an up-and-down team, but their six straight conference wins is longest current streak.
6 Washington (7) 2-3, 0-2: Jake Locker seventh in Pac-10 … in rushing.
7 Oregon State (6) 2-3, 0-2: Outscoring opponents 54-3 in first quarter.
8 Arizona (10) 2-3, 1-1: New spread has become top passing offense in Pac-10.
9 Washington State (8) 2-3, 0-2: Staggering ... and the Cougs' next four opponents have combined 18-2 record.
10 Stanford (9) 1-3, 0-3: About to hit road after four straight home games.

This natural break in the season offers a time for assessment.

My bottom line on these first five weeks of this Huskies season is that the 2-3 record is just about where most folks figured they'd be at this point, given the freshman quarterback and the tough schedules.

However, while the bottom line isn't much of a surprise, some of the ways these gotten there have been.

Here's my unit by unit grades, and as always, it would be interesting to hear your own take on either these grades of the season so far:

QUARTERBACK: Locker is an extraordinarily talented freshman, and in his first five games as a starter he has looked like both of those things: extraordinarily talented and a freshman. He has thrown into some areas he shouldn’t have, and when he correctly identifies an open receiver he misses his target too often – usually high. However, Locker is so productive with his legs and remains such a threat with his strong arm that he changes every defense UW faces. That fulfills one of the highest compliments available to any athlete: He makes those around him better. Grade: B.

RUNNERS: That should almost be “runner” – singular – because despite repeatedly voiced plans to the contrary, UW coaches can’t seem to bring themselves to hand the ball to anyone but Rankin. Despite four straight sub-50-yard performances, Rankin has carried 74 times and all other tailbacks a combined 12 times. Meanwhile, Rankin has shown flashes – as he always has – but still not enough consistency for the breakout season some had predicted. Grade: C-.

RECEIVERS: Washington has the lowest-rated passing offense in the Pacific-10 Conference. Some of that is due to poor passing, but the veteran receiver corps must share the blame. Among the most experienced units on the team, these receivers haven’t gotten open often enough and have dropped far too many passes. With the top four pass-catchers all being seniors, they simply need to do more to support their inexperienced quarterback. Grade: D.

OFFENSIVE LINE: At times during fall camp, this rebuilding offense line projected as a potential disaster. Instead, this mix of experience and inexperience has meshed into something better than that. They have generally given Locker acceptable time to throw. However, they have not consistently opened holes for the running game. As the single most crucial unit to any offense, they must take their share of responsibility for UW having the league’s lowest-rated total offense. But they should also share credit for the Huskies averaging about five points per game more than last season. Grade: C-.

DEFENSIVE LINE: With all four starters returning – including three seniors – this unit was counted on to make things easier on the reconfigured units behind them. So far – like the receivers – they haven’t been quite that good. They have been acceptable pass rushers – tied for sixth in the conference in sacks. But they are the literal first line of defense against the rush, and Washington is allowing 186 rushing yards per game, next-to-last in the league. Grade: C-.

LINEBACKERS: This group is a mixture of experience and youth, and they’ve given indications that they could be solid with appropriate help in front and behind them. E.J. Savannah is the team’s leading tackler by a wide margin. Donald Butler is fourth and has been coming on. Dan Howell is a leader and playmaker. There is fair depth, and the reserves have contributed when asked. Grade: C+.

SECONDARY: For a while, it seemed this unit was having success because they were facing inexperienced quarterbacks, or maybe because opponents were running on the Huskies so effectively that they didn’t have to pass. But this deep into the season it might be time to concede that this group might be significantly more productive than some had feared. UW is third in the league in pass defense and fourth in pass efficiency defense and tied for fourth in interceptions. The secondary might have projected an even rosier future with the return of Byron Davenport at corner. However, the loss of safety Jason Wells (knee) is a significant blow. GRADE: B-.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Another preseason potential disaster area that has topped expectations with middle-of-the-road performance. Washington is sixth in the Pac-10 with a 38.7-yard net punting average. Ryan Perkins overcame a devastating knee injury to hit three of five field goal attempts. He is 3-of-3 from between 30-39 yards, however two blocks are a concern. Jared Ballman’s kickoffs have been good enough to mitigate this season’s deeper kickoff location. UW is second in the league in punt returns, but last in kickoff returns. Grade: C.

COACHING: The team has been outscored 35-21 in the third quarter, raising some question about halftime adjustments. And the unwillingness to give one of young backs a shot at carrying the ball indicates either coaching timidity or that the depth isn’t as talented as had been billed. However, as mentioned at the top, the team’s 2-3 record isn’t significantly better or worse than what might have been expected. And that’s the ultimate test of a coaching staff. Grade: C.

Despite the bye week, the Groz and I will be talking Huskies at 2:20 p.m. today on KRJ, 950-AM. It's not technically the halfway point, but the bye always offers a logical break time to assess how the season is going in ways expected and unexpected.

The conversation also will be streamed over the KJR Internet site.

UPDATE: The session with Groz is going to be preempted today with baseball playoffs. Don will be back with Groz next Wednesday.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said that cornerback Jordan Murchison is back to "full participation with our football team," effective yesterday.

Murchison's legal problems resolved to some degree when he agreed to "deferred prosecution" regarding his domestic violence charge from June in King County. That means that if he meets certain stipulations over the next two years, the charge will be dismissed.

Murchison also received the technical sentence of one year in jail for a different assault charge, however that was reduced to two days of time already served.

Murchison had been kept away from the team since word of his legal issues broke in August.

FSN has picked up the UW-Arizona State game for broadcast. Kickoff has been set for 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 13.