Sophomore guard Adrian Oliver injured his back in practice and didn't travel with the Huskies on their way to Oklahoma State for their game against the Cowboys on Saturday afternoon.

As reported earlier, Justin Holiday also stayed home with a viral infection. And while guard Ryan Appleby did travel, he isn't expected to play due to his thumb injury. That leaves the Huskies pretty thin for what is an exceptionally important early season game.

Some notes:

WASHINGTON (4-2)
AT OKLAHOMA STATE (2-3)
2:30 p.m., Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.
TV: ESPN.
Radio: 950-AM

Series: The Cowboys lead 7-3 overall and have won the last two meetings, most recently 84-72 on Dec. 21, 1999, in Seattle. Washington is 37-48 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference, including a 77-63 loss to Texas A&M last week in the NIT Season Tip-Off in New York. Oklahoma State is 25-25 all-time against schools from the Pacific-10 Conference.

Statistical leaders: For UW, F Jon Brockman, 18.8 ppg and 11.3 rpg; G Venoy Overton, 5.3 apg. For OSU, G/F James Anderson, 19.2 ppg; G/F Marcus Dove, 5.2 rpg; G Byron Eaton, 3 apg.

Scouting report: This game is part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series. Oklahoma State will make a return visit to Seattle next season. The Cowboys are an athletic team that tries to deny the pass on defense and push the ball on offense. They are second in the Big 12 in steals (11.2 spg), fourth in turnover margin (plus-6.4) and fourth in 3-point field goals made. They also rank third in their league in offensive rebounding; however, overall they are being outrebounded by almost five per game.

Next: Dec. 8, noon, vs. No. 14 Pittsburgh, Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

I got a note that the Huskies finally got out of SeaTac around 6 this evening ... roughly about the time they were originally scheduled to arrive in Hawaii, but at least they're on their way.

The Huskies were supposed to leave SeaTac for Honolulu at 11:45 this morning. However, mechanical troubles have ground them while another plane is found.

Their first hope was to get out by around 3.

However, that's come and gone and now they're hoping for 5.

It rained on the Warriors' practice Wednesday, which was front-page news here.

Then, Thursday defied forcasts of rain with a pretty much perfect day.

Friday dawned nicely, but now a morning shower is coming down pretty good.

The forecast for gameday still calls for at least a chance of rain. And while instinct might say that works against a passing team, coach Tyrone Willingham cautions that in a short-passing game with a lot of outs and slants like Hawaii runs, the defensive back -- who doesn't know the cuts in advance -- might be at more of a disadvantage than the receivers.

Here's a quick advance look at the game.

WASHINGTON (4-8, 2-7 Pac-10)
AT NO. 11 HAWAII (11-0, 8-0 WAC)
Kickoff: 8:30 p.m., Aloha Stadium
Television: ESPN2. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: The teams have split two previous meetings. UW won, 53-13, in the 1938 Pineapple Bowl (also called the Poi Bowl). Hawaii won, 10-7, at Husky Stadium in 1973.

What to watch: Washington is expected to go it its running game to try to muscle the Warriors and keep Hawaii’s run-and-shoot offense off the field. The Warriors’ offense ranks first nationally in scoring, second in pass and third in total yards, while the Huskies defense 94th in scoring, 85th in passing yards and 98th in total yards allowed UW quarterback Colt Brennan needs a big game on national TV for his Heisman push. Aloha Stadium is sold out and is expected to be rocking. The teams have one common opponent: Hawaii beat Boise State, 39-27, last week, while UW beat the Broncos, 24-10, in September. Washington hasn’t played a regular season game in December since 1939. It is their first regular season game played after the Apple Cup since 2001 – when they lost at Miami, 65-7.

What’s at stake: Hawaii is playing for a perfect regular season and likely qualification for a BCS bowl and all the prestige (and $17 million) that comes with that. UW would like to end its season on a positive note, especially for its seniors. Huskies need a victory to match their win total of last season. QB Jake Locker needs 90 rushing yards for reach 1,000 yards for the season. WR Anthony Russo takes a 36-game reception streak into his final college game.

TNT pick: Hawaii, 47-43. The Huskies have played hard all season, and I think they'll bring it for one more game. I also think the UW running game will work against the Hawaii defense. The problem is that Hawaii passing game against the UW pass defense. That tips me to calling another what-if loss in a season that's been full of them.

We were getting off the plane at Honolulu airport when I made Husky Honk and former coach Dick Baird a very happy man. I had just gotten the news from TNT sportswriter Ryan Divish that top Lakes prospects Kavaro Middleton and Jermaine Kearse have given oral commitments to play their college football at Washington.

He was as happy as you might expect and as happy as any Huskies fan should be as visions of Locker-to-Middleton and Locker-to-Kearse dance in their heads.

Runner/returner Louis Rankin made the Rivals.com All-Pac-10 first team as an all-purpose player. Jordan Reffett made the second team at defensive tackle.

Here is the full release.

And meanwhile, here's a repeat of my earlier post about Jake Locker:

The Sports News has named UW quarterback Jake Locker as the quarterback of its all-Pac-10 freshman team, and the league's freshman of the year.

The Pac-10 doesn't name its own freshman team, however, it will name a freshman of the year after the season.

Here is the official release:

2007 SPORTING NEWS PAC-10 ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

* denotes redshirt

OFFENSE

WR Delashaun Dean, Arizona*
WR Darrell Catchings, Oregon State
TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
L (T) Butch Lewis, USC*
L (C ) Kristofer O¹Dowd, USC
L (G) Zack Heberer, USC*
L (G) Colin Baxter, Arizona*
L (T) Micah Hannam, Washington State*
QB Jake Locker, Washington*
RB Joe McKnight, USC
RB Nic Grigsby, Arizona


DEFENSE

L (E) Everson Griffen, USC
L (T) Jon Hargis, Arizona State*
L (T) Brian Price, UCLA
L (E) Cameron Jordan, Cal
LB Nick Macaluso, Stanford*
LB Chike Amajoyi, Stanford
LB Mike Mohamed, Cal*
DB (CB) Chris Conte, Cal
DB (CB) Omar Bolden, Arizona State
DB (CB) Chima Nwachukwu, Washington State
DB (FS) Taylor Skaufel, Stanford


SPECIALISTS

K Thomas Weber, Arizona State*
P Keenyn Crier, Arizona*
KR Jahvid Best, Cal


OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Jake Locker, QB, Washington*
DEFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Everson Griffen, E, USC

UW guard Ryan Appleby will get his cast off today, and although he is not expected to play Saturday at Oklahoma State, he will travel and dress.

However, freshman Justin Holiday will stay home with what is described as a systemic viral infection. That is not expected to be a long-term issue, and Holiday is likely to be ready the following week when Pittsburgh visits Hec Ed.

The Sports News has named UW quarterback Jake Locker as the quarterback of its all-Pac-10 freshman team, and the league's freshman of the year.

The Pac-10 doesn't name its own freshman team, however, it will name a freshman of the year after the season.

Here is the official release:

2007 SPORTING NEWS PAC-10 ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

* denotes redshirt

OFFENSE

WR Delashaun Dean, Arizona*
WR Darrell Catchings, Oregon State
TE Rob Gronkowski, Arizona
L (T) Butch Lewis, USC*
L (C ) Kristofer O¹Dowd, USC
L (G) Zack Heberer, USC*
L (G) Colin Baxter, Arizona*
L (T) Micah Hannam, Washington State*
QB Jake Locker, Washington*
RB Joe McKnight, USC
RB Nic Grigsby, Arizona


DEFENSE

L (E) Everson Griffen, USC
L (T) Jon Hargis, Arizona State*
L (T) Brian Price, UCLA
L (E) Cameron Jordan, Cal
LB Nick Macaluso, Stanford*
LB Chike Amajoyi, Stanford
LB Mike Mohamed, Cal*
DB (CB) Chris Conte, Cal
DB (CB) Omar Bolden, Arizona State
DB (CB) Chima Nwachukwu, Washington State
DB (FS) Taylor Skaufel, Stanford


SPECIALISTS

K Thomas Weber, Arizona State*
P Keenyn Crier, Arizona*
KR Jahvid Best, Cal


OFFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Jake Locker, QB, Washington*
DEFENSIVE FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Everson Griffen, E, USC

Meanwhile, in one other interesting piece of Pac-10 news, USC is apparently thinking about moving home games from the LA Coliseum to the Rose Bowl - as early as next year, when UW visits.

With the Apple Cup and NIT Season Tip-Off behind and the Hawaii game and crucial off-season decisions ahead, I'll be back talking UW athletics with the Groz again at 2:35 this afternoon -- 15 minutes laster than usual -- on KJR, 950-AM.

The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano did not want to comment on reports that have listed his name among the candidates for the newly open head coaching job at Washington State. However, Lappano admitted he does want to be a head coach one day. And coach Tyrone Willingham said he believes Lappano and others on his staff would make capable head coaches.

The Huskies are practicing in Dempsey Indoor this week to more closely approximate the 80-degree weather that is forecast for Saturday in Honolulu.

UW quarterback Jake Locker and guard Ryan Tolar have been named to Rivals.com’s freshman All-America second team.

Cody Bruns, a four-star receiver recruit from Prosser, has given his oral commitment to Washington, according to Internet reports.

Hawaii is now a 14-point favorite over UW.

A look at the Warriors:

Coach: June Jones (75-40 in 12th season at Hawaii).

Last week: The Warriors clinched their first outright Western Athletic Conference championship with a 39-27 win Friday over defending champion Boise State.

Against the Huskies: The teams have split two previous meetings. UW won, 53-13, in the 1938 Pineapple Bowl (also called the Poi Bowl). Hawaii won, 10-7, at Husky Stadium in 1973.

Washington connections: The Warriors’ roster includes four players from Washington: OL Daniel Johnson (Issaquah/Skyline), LB Adam Leonard (Seattle/Rainier Beach), LB Tyson Kafentzis (Richland) and TB Leon Wright-Jackson (Pasco). Four Huskies are from the state of Hawaii: DT Wilson Afoa, DL Kalani Aldrich, S Jay Angotti and DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim. UW running backs coach Trent Miles was a Hawaii assistant from 1995-96.

Scouting report: Hawaii is the only undefeated team in the Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). A victory likely gives the school its first BCS bowl invitation. The Warriors run the run-and-shoot offense, almost a pure passing offense with multiple small receivers with the speed and quickness to break short passes into big gains. UH leads the nation in scoring (47.2 ppg), is second in passing offense (450.9 ypg) and third in total offense (528.5 ypg). The Warriors haven’t scored fewer than 28 points or gained fewer than 430 yards in any game this season. Quarterback Colt Brennan has tied or broken 29 NCAA records. Jason Rivers leads the nation with a 48-game pass catching streak. Davone Bess is six receptions from the school’s single-season record of 102.

Did you know: Hawaii is 11-0 for the first time in school history. Dating back to last season, UW has a 12-game winning streak, which is the longest nationally and in school history, and the Warriors have won 21 of their last 22 games.

By the way, for anyone going to the Islands, here is some practical game security information from the Honolulu Advertiser. After a rabid sellout crowd last week, the university is expecting more of the same Saturday.

Long Beach actually pulled even, 61-61, less than 10 minutes from the end. However, the Huskies dominated from there.

Justin Dentmon had a huge night, leading all scorers with 22 points including going 6-for-6 from the field in the middle stretch when little else was working for the Dawgs.

Washington was horrible from the line, hitting just nine of 26 foul shots ... maybe jet lag from New York. The Huskies themselves said they weren't physically tired. But Romar thought they might have been mentally tired, which could have shown up in the foul shooting and a mid-game lapse.

Some postgame notes and quotes:

Star of the game: UW junior guard Justin Dentmon led all scorers with 22 points. He went six-for-six from the field in the middle of the second half while accounting for 15 of 17 UW points over a six-minute stretch, keeping the Huskies afloat while the 49ers made a run.

Key stats: Washington shot 58.2 percent from the field and 57.9 percent on 3-pointers, but shot only 34.6 percent from the free throw line. That is their lowest free throw shooting percentage since January 2000. … The 49ers outrebounded the Huskies, 34-32.

Key run: Long Beach pulled even, 61-61, less than 10 minutes from the end. However, a fall-away Dentmon field goal started a 16-2 UW run that settled it.

Observations: Dentmon becomes the fourth Husky to lead the team in scoring over the first six games, joining Jon Brockman (three times), Tim Morris and Quincy Pondexter. … Dentmon said hurt his thumb in practice Sunday and his free throw shooting (0-for-4) may have been affected. … UW coach Lorenzo Romar said guard Ryan Appleby (thumb) will likely return to the lineup right on schedule in a couple of weeks.

UW coach Lorenzo Romar quote: “One of the most pleasing things for me as a coach is to see Quincy Pondexter have an effect on the game down the stretch even without scoring a whole lot. He did a lot of things down the stretch to help us. He hit a couple of threes, but he also got some good rebounds and made some good plays for us.”

Long Beach coach Dan Monson quote: "It's a process for us right now to try to get better. I think this game will help us in that. It was a tough environment."

Next: 2:30 p.m. Saturday, at Oklahoma State, Gallagher-Iba Arena, Stillwater, Okla.

The Huskies took control early, running out to a 16-point lead around the middle of the half. However, they seemed to get a bit bored and have allowed the Niners to climb back in.

Washington is featuring uncommonly balanced scoring. Eight Huskies have scored. Joel Smith leads the way with nine points - three 3-pointers. Matthew Bryan-Amaning has eight, Justin Dentmon seven, and Jon Brockman six.

Rebounds are tied at 21 each. UW has committed eight turnovers, LBSU nine. UW is shooting 48.5 percent, Long Beach 36.4 ... and they've given away a lot of points under the basket. About as bad a finishing team from 2 feet as I've seen.

No major news out of the UW media briefings today.

However, UW coach Tyrone Willingham said the 35-yard touchdown pass that was the final score in the Huskies’ Apple Cup loss was the result of a miscommunication for which the coaches take responsibility.

No new injuries appear on the UW medical report. However, defensive back Jordan Murchison (ankle) and linebacker Donald Butler (knee) remain questionable.

The Huskies return to practice Tuesday, travel to Hawaii on Friday and will remain in Honolulu for one free day Sunday before flying home Monday.

We also got time today with both quarterbacks: Jake Locker and Hawaii's Colt Brennan. That will be the main topic of my Tuesday story. And while Brennan has dark spots in his history, he has seemed pretty straighforward and likable in my couple of dealings with him.

And there's no questioning him on the field, where he has broken or tied 29 NCAA records including career touchdown passes (126), TDs responsible for (141), and points responsible for (856). In 36 career games, he has led the Warriors to 50 points or more 10 times. Hawaii is 24-9 with Brennan as its starter.

“He’s a great quarterback,” Locker said. “I have a lot of respect for what he’s doing over there. He’s a very confident passer, very accurate and has been very successful in the offense that he has been put in.”

Of course, Locker has some accomplishments of his own, and another big one may be on the way Saturday. With 910 rushing yards, Locker already has become the top-running Pacific-10 quarterback of any single season of the modern era and the top rushing UW quarterback ever. And 90 more rushing yards at Aloha Stadium would push him to the 1,000-yard mark.

I'm at Hec Ed, watching a few Huskies warm up for their game tonight against Long Beach State. Among them is Ryan Appleby, who is running and even shooting despite a cast on his shooting hand.

Durning the NIT Season Tip-Off last week, Appleby said the cast will come off Wednesday and that he hopes to play Saturday when Washington visits Oklahoma State.

However, coach Lorenzo Romar seemed to pour cold water on that timeline yesterday. Romar said that Appleby has always been scheduled to return around mid-December and he has seen nothing to indicate that isn't the more realistic date.

Washington coaches have named their players of the week from the Apple Cup: quarterback Jake Locker on offense, linebacker E.J. Savannah on defense, and retun man Louis Rankin and Chris Stevens on special teams.

Honored for their work on the scout teams were receiver Charles Hawkins, linebacker T.J. Poe and linebacker Cort Dennison.

Washington has opened a 12 1/2-point underdog in its season-ending game at Hawaii on Saturday.

It's not that surprising a margin, for a couple of reasons. One, UW-Hawaii is a much worst match for the Dawgs than UW-Boise State just because the Huskies have had trouble with big passing games, and Colt Brennan and the Warriors have one of the best.

Secondly, the teams could be miles apart mentally. Hawaii just moved up to No. 12 in the BCS rankings, which puts their fate clearly in their hands: Beat UW and go to a BCS bowl, lose and you don't. That means they will come into this game rightly thinking of it as the biggest in school history. And a rocking sellout crowd will jam Aloha Stadium to watch. If UW is thinking of it as a post-season Island getaway ... this thing could get out of hand real quick.

Obviously, the Huskies were disappointed in this one. Losing to a rival in a back-and-forth game hurts. On top of that, the loss assures that the Huskies will finish in last place in the Pac-10 Conference ... either in a tie with Stanford, or alone if the Cardinal beats Cal next week.

Asked about that, coach Tyrone Willingham asked fans not to lose faith, that he still believes there is greatness ahead.

Willingham and the Huskies said they are happy to have one game remaining this season --unlike after most Apple Cups. They say that look forward to the challenge of trying to spoil the BCS chances of unbeaten Hawaii next Saturday.

Some notes:

Player of the game: Maybe Alex Brink will be remembered more for winning this Apple Cup than losing his share of heartbreakers in his three-plus years as a starter. The senior from Eugene, Ore. set an Apple Cup record by passing for 399 yards and five touchdowns, including a pair to Brandon Gibson in the final 7:29 to complete a come-from-behind victory. Brink moved into third on the Pacific-10 Conference career passing list with 10,913 yards, and became the first WSU quarterback to ever win three Apple Cups.

Husky of the game: Defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim energized the Washington defense with nine tackles. Four came behind the line of scrimmage, including two sacks.

Key stats: Washington State rolled up 509 yards of total offense, becoming the third team to top 500 yards against Washington this season. … WSU averaged 7.7 yards per play. … The Huskies converted two of four fourth-down attempts. … Washington dominated time of possession, 35:05 to 24:55.

Turning point: With the scored tied late in the fourth quarter, Washington receiver Corey Williams caught a pass at the WSU 28 – already in field goal range. However, the ball popped free as he was being tackled, and Washington State recovered.

Gibson gone?: The Rogers High product finished up his junior season in grand style, setting the school's single-season receiving mark. His six-reception, 137-yard, two-TD outing gave him 1,180 yards this season, eclipsing the old mark held by Nakoa McElrath (1,163 set in 2001). After the game, Gibson said he was waffling on his earlier decision to return for his senior year. "I'll be honest, I'm putting my papers in (to the NFL Draft) and see where it puts me, and I'll go from there."

Big start: Washington senior Louis Rankin returned the opening kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. It was the first kickoff return touchdown of his career, the first UW kickoff return for a score since Roc Alexander did it in the Idaho game of 2001, and the first time UW returned a game-opening kickoff for a touchdown since Ja’Warren Hooker did it in the Arizona game of 1997. It also was Washington’s longest kickoff return ever against Washington State.

Quote: “It’s totally frustraing for me as a senior. It’s not the way I wanted to go out here. It’s one of those games where you can look back and say shoulda, woulda, coulda. My hat’s off the to Cougs. They came in here and got it done, and we didn’t. And I thought they handled themselves with class after the game and I respect the guys.” – UW senior defensive end Jordan Reffett.

Extra points: Jake Locker’s 103 rushing yards gave him the modern Pacific-10 Conference record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Locker has run for 910 yards this season, passing UCLA’s Jeff Dankworth, who run for 815 yards in 1976. … Locker’s 12 rushing touchdowns ties Mark Burnell for the most ever by a Husky quarterback. Senior Anthony Russo led UW with five catches, and he has now caught at least one pass in 36 straight games. … Rankin became the fifth Husky to top 1,000 yards for career kickoff returns. He has 1,106 yards. … Twenty-two UW seniors were honored at Senior Day, marking their final game at Husky Stadium. … Game captains were Juan Garcia, Greyson Gunheim, Rankin and Reffett.

It's shaping up as one of those anything can happen games. Get to a TV.

For now at least, this is looking like one of those games where a team -- Washington -- has a chance to open a lot of daylight early, fails to do so, and then the other team finally comes on.

After doing very little for the first 10 minutes or so, the Cougs have come on to lead in total yardage -- 264-223 -- and first downs are even, 10-10.

The big difference is in the air, where WSU is dominating, 222-110.

Washington has the advantage on the ground -- 113-42 -- but they're not just churning out big blocks of yardage like they did last week against Cal.

In the QB duel, Brink is 14 of 19 for 222 yards and two touchdowns. Locker is 7 of 22 for 110 yards and no TDs.

Rankin leads all rushers with 48 yards. Locker has 41.

Huskies had chances to open real daylight early, but didn't. Then a late quick-strike drive got WSU right back in it.

The game has started with a bang, as Louis Rankin took the opening kickoff for a 89-yard TD ... the Huskies first TD kick return since 2001.

Huskies instantly up, 7-0.

It's a little over two hours until kickoff and the sun is shining the day is cool but not cold -- yet. In other words, just about a perfect setting for this 100th Apple Cup, which is, by the way, proudly presented by Boeing.

Normal gameday drill on the blog: I'll pop in with pregame notes as they reveal themselves, then quarterly updates, then turn it over to you for postgame comments before I click back in tonight with notes and quotes.

Kickoff is 4 p.m. and the game will be shown on FSN.

2:40: The stadium has opened, a few fans have trickled in, and the first players from both teams are on the field warming up. Sun still shining, but it's going to get cold out there before this thing is done.

3:20: Both teams are out on the field now. As has become their Apple Cup custom, the Cougs are wearing their throwback helmets: silver with the word "Cougars" rather than the "WSU" logo.

4:07: Senior Day introductions about to begin ... actual kickoff is set for 4:15, not the 4 o'clock we were told earlier in the week.

4:15: Due to Senior Day festivities, Juan Garcia handled captain duties alone. Huskies will receive. Play ball.

Well, at least it does over here on the East Coast.

Now it's just a little matter of those 2,500 miles or so, trying to get from Newark International to Husky Stadium by kickoff.

Meanwhile, here is today's game story, along with John McGrath's take on why this pairing of 4-7 teams still matters.

UW guard Ryan Appleby will get the cast off of his right thumb on Wednesday, and he said he expects to play Dec. 1 when the Huskies visit Oklahoma State.

That is far earlier than the previously announced schedule, which didn't have Appleby returning to action until mid-December.

If Appleby's new timetable is correct, it is very good news for the team as they have very obviously missed his outside threat.

"He’s just a big piece of what we’re doing, and once he’s back (defenses) have to respect him," Jon Brockman said. "When you’ve got a shooter who can shoot 3-points like it’s a lay in, that’s a big help."

With Jon Brockman spending long stretches on the bench with foul trouble, Quincy Pondexter came on to lead UW with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

However, Pondexter eventually fouled out, too -- one of four Huskies to do so in a game with a huge foul disparity: Syracuse shot 52 foul shots, UW shot 19.

UW couldn't overcome that, but given the problems, coach Lorenzo Romar seemed to like certain things with his team's performance.

Star of the game: Syracuse forward Donte Green led all scorers with 25 points and added seven rebounds, three assists and three blocks.

Husky of the game: Sophomore forward Quincy Pondexter led Washington with 20 points and a career-high 15 rebounds.

Key stats: Syracuse hit 34 of 52 foul shots; Washington hit 19 of 26. … The Huskies outrebounded the Orange, 54-31. … Four Huskies fouled out.

Key run: Washington led, 25-16, midway through the first half. However, Jon Brockman went to the bench with foul trouble about the same time Syracuse shifted to a man defense. The combination ignited the Orange, which went on a 28-10 run in taking a lead it never surrendered.

Observations: No Huskies were named to the all-tournament team. Joseph Jones of Texas A&M was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. … UW guard Ryan Appleby will get the cast off of his right thumb on Wednesday, and he said he expects to play Dec. 1 when the Huskies visit Oklahoma State. … Coach Lorenzo Romar picked up his first technical foul of the season simply for shouting “Noooo” when Brockman was called for his fourth foul. … In a battle of freshman point guards, Syracuse’ Jonny Flynn had 16 points and two assists, UW’s Venoy Overton had 11 points and four assists before fouling out. As he left, Flynn taunted him. “It’s just basketball,” Overton said. “We talked back and forth. He was challenging me to come at him; I was challenging him to come at me.”

Quotable: “Washington never gave up. They kept coming. They were going to keep coming and pressuring and banging. They’re physical. They’re in on every play. They’re banging and pushing on every play, and you have to be ready for that.” – Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.

Next: Long Beach State, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

NIT Season Tip-Off championship game: No. 16 Texas A&M defeated Ohio State, 70-47.

With Jon Brockman spending long stretches on the bench with foul trouble, Quincy Pondexter came on to lead UW with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

However, Pondexter eventually fouled out, too -- one of four Huskies to do so in a game with a huge foul disparity: Syracuse shot 52 foul shots, UW shot 19.

UW couldn't overcome that, but given the problems, coach Lorenzo Romar seemed to like certain things with his team's performance.

I'll click back later with notes and quotes.

The Huskies actually jumed out to a 21-14 lead. However, Jon Brockman went to the bench with two fouls, the Orange moved to a man defense and everything changed. Syracuse went on a 17-4 run, and they seem in control at the half.

True freshman wing Matthew Bryan-Amaning has moved into the UW starting lineup for today's game against Syracuse.

Guard Joel Smith moves to the bench.

Therefore, coach Lorenzo Romar's starting lineup will be MBA, Jon Brockman, Justin Dentmon, Venoy Overton and Quincy Pondexter.

We're at Madison Square Garden for UW's NIT consolation game against Syracuse. Despite that "consolation" tag, this could be a big on. It will be interesting just in terms of learning more against the Huskies. But it also is just the kind of result that could send a bubble team into the NCAA or NIT or home. Winning always beats losing, even this early in the year.

Usual gameday drill: I'll click in with a halftime report, then hopefully you'll share your impressions, and then I'll be back after the game with notes and quotes.

Tipoff is 1:30 p.m. and it's on ESPN.

Just a small Pac-10 schedule on Saturday ... but they're both very interesting games.

Notre Dame at Stanford. Pac-10 is 21-8 in out-of-conference games this season, with two left: this one, and Washington at Hawaii. Cardinal, 23-18.

Washington State at Washington. Huskies’ new running identity may work well against Cougs. Home field advantage hasn't been huge in this series lately, but it can't hurt. And there's just a feeling here that Jake Locker is going to do something special in his first time on that big stage. UW, 38-31.

Last week: 0-2 (I picked Cougars over Beavers, and Bears over Huskies.)

Season: 40-17.

Hoops coach Lorenzo Romar said there could be one or two changes in his starting lineup when UW meets Syracuse at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the NIT consolation game. He said he hadn't decided yet and didn't share what he is considering.

A few other highlights from our post-practice briefing this morning:

The Huskies Thanksgiving in New York consisted of a morning practice, brunch, a little Macy’s parade watching, a film session, and maybe a movie tonight.

Andrian Oliver’s knee is bothering him, which accounts in part for his brief five-minute appearance Wednesday.

Romar said foul trouble was the only thing that limited Quincy Pondexter to 10 minutes, although he acknowledged that the sophomore wing “hasn’t had the start he would like.”

Romar said that freshman point guard Venoy Overton “was outstanding at times … when he’s on the floor, offensively he makes us a better team.”

UW radio voice Bob Rondeau flew back to Seattle to work the Apple Cup on Saturday. Play-by-play of the Syracuse game will be handled by KJR’s Mike Gastineau.

Some Syracuse notes:
Syracuse has made the NCAA tournament in 25 of its 31 seasons under coach Jim Boeheim and won the 2002-03 national title. … Syracuse freshman guard Jonny Flynn played under Romar on the USA U-19 team a couple of summers ago. Romar said he was impressed with Flynn’s leadership, distributing and his ability to score if needed. “I think you take him off their team right now, they drop way off,” Romar said. .… Syracuse was bumped into the consolation game with its first loss of the season Wednesday, 79-65, to Ohio State. F Donte Greene led Syracuse with 21 points, while Harris had a game-high 12 rebounds.

Some hoops quotes
ROMAR on Quincy Pondexter: "Right now he hasn’t had the start he would like. … We’re just trying to get him comfortable to where he can just go out and play. Right now, he’s not playing, he’s thinking too much."

ROMAR on the loss to Texas A&M: "We made some critical mistakes on both ends – defensively and offensively. We did not do a good job of boxing them out. But we did a lot of good things. I thought what we did for a half, wasn’t something that we could just fake. I thought we did a lot of good things for a half."

ROMAR on teams trying to take away Jon Brockman:
Teams will try to take Jon out of the game. If we were playing against us, that’s what we would do. Last night, we went away from Jon. You can blame me for that a little bit. I thought if Joe Wolfinger hit a couple of shots we could stretch their defense because they were concentrating on Jon so much. If those shots go in, it makes a huge difference, I think. But they didn’t. Jon was so effective, we probably should have continued to use him. ... When a guy is being as effective as he is, I don’t think we play through him less. I just think we need some other guys to step up and help him."

ROMAR on his team's 2-for-13 three-point shooting: "When Ryan (Appleby) comes back, it makes a difference. And Joe (Wolfinger) been shooting the ball real well from 3-point distance as well. That’s enough out on the floor to keep a team honest."

ROMAR on the Syracuse zone: "We talked more about being able to attack the zone and working on it. We did not say, 'OK we must make threes tonight.' I think when you attack a zone and say OK we’ve got to shoot threes you are setting yourself up for failure. Against a zone, you’ve got to make it inside out: You’ve got to get the ball in the middle of the zone and play through that. You’ve got to be able to attack the zone to get your misses. ... Obviously if we would have had guys in there knocking threes down that would have helped our cause. But at the same time, in the first half when we were playing efficient basketball, we were playing inside out and we were shooting over 50 percent."

ROMAR on A&M dominating UW on the boards: "Right now Jon is carrying too much of the rebounding load. We almost play a little bit like Jon is going to get it so we don’t go as hard. We all have to attack the glass. Jon is averaging over 12 rebounds a game. We need to have a couple of other guys averaging six, seven, eight rebounds a game as well. And it’s possible, I’ve seen it done before."

The Huskies team hotel here at the NIT is on Times Square and right along the route of the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, which is passing as I type this.

Although, also as I type this, the Huskies are wrapping up practice at Madison Square Garden. (They actually were supposed to be off the floor by now, but Texas A&M, which had the 10:30 a.m. local time slot, is either a no-show or caught in parade traffic. In any case, Coach Romar is using the extra time by keeping his team out on the court longer than planned.)

The practice times were assigned on the basis of last night's results, however, the Huskies are likely going to be able to get back to their hotel before the entire (very long) parade passes. And once they get there, they should be able to view it in style, as a special viewing area has been set up for the NIT teams.

As for me, my hotel is about a half block off the parade route and I was able to duck out to catch a few passing balloons including Ronald McDonald and Shrek and a few others. Very cool to see in person after watching on TV for virtually every Thanksgiving I can remember since childhood.

Happy Thanksgiving.

The only real news from Wednesday was Coach Willingham's confirmation that Jake Locker will start the Apple Cup. Also, the news looks good for cornerback Byron Davenport's return, less good for linebacker Donald Butler's return.

My story in today's paper looks at this Washington football senior class, and especially some of their higher profile players from the South Sound, such as Anthony Russo, Carl Bonnel, Cody Ellis and Caesar Rayford.

They signed on when UW seemed an annual cinch for championship contention and bowl games. However, they went five seasons without a bowl, with no winning records and a school-record four straight losing records.

Now they are down to their final two college games, and will play their final Husky Stadium game on Saturday, in the 100th Apple Cup.

A few of this classes' struggles.

REPORT CARD FOR SENIOR CLASS

The season records for the Huskies since the fifth-year seniors enrolled in 2003:

Season Coach Record Noteworthy

2003 Keith Gilbertson 6-6 overall, 4-4 Pac-10
Lost to Nevada at home

2004 Keith Gilbertson 1-10, 0-8
Lone win over San Jose State

2005 Tyrone Willingham 2-9, 1-7
Wins over Idaho, Arizona

2006 Tyrone Willingham 5-7, 3-6
Started 4-1, then lost six in row

2007 Tyrone Willingham 4-7, 2-6
Six losses in row after 2-0 start

Jon Brockman had a double-double in the first half, but the Aggies clamped down in the second half. And I thought that was the story of the game ... and maybe of the season so far: Washington knows it has something special in Brockman. But where is the help? When a team goes all out to take Brockman away, who steps up to make them pay elsewhere? Tonight, no one did.

Looking ahead, Ohio State beat Syracuse in the other semifinal game, meaning UW will meet the Orange in the NIT Season Tip-Off consolation game at 1:30 p.m. Friday (ESPN). Texas A&M will play Ohio State for the championship at 4 p.m. (ESPN2).

Notes on the UW game:

Star of the game: Brockman had a double-double in the first half: 13 points and 11 rebounds. And although he cooled, he ended with 21 points and 15 rebounds – both game highs - and he seems halfway to a spot on the all-tournament team.

Key stats: The Aggies outrebounded Washington, 48-39. Washington outshot A&M .533-.394 in the first half, yet led by only four points. UW hit only two of 13 3-point attempts (.154), both by 7-foot Joe Wolfinger.

Key run: Joel Smith scored the first basket of the second half, but the Aggies scored six straight after that to pull even and remained in control the rest of the way.

Observations: The loss ends Washington’s streak of three straight early-season tournament championships. The Huskies had won the Great Alaska Shootout (2004), the BCA Classic (2005) and the Basketball Travelers Classic (2006). … UW coach Lorenzo Romar remains one win short of the 200-victory mark. … This was Washington’s first game at Madison Square Garden since routing New York University, 72-38, in 1941. … A late-arriving crowd of 8,388 was in attendance.

Romar quote on the game: “Dominique Kirk, I think, was the difference in this ballgame. He was a senior. He controlled this basketball game from the guard position. He directed their team, he scored when he had to, he got the ball inside when he had to. He spearheaded their defense.”

Brockman on UW being outrebounded: "I feel we could have rebounded a lot better than we did. They are a great rebounding team. They're big bodies, and a lot of times when big bodies shoot around the hoop, you know, their arms aren't that far from the hoop, so they just get it right back. But we definitely could have done a better job clearning the glass."

Joe Wolfinger, who had UW's only two 3-pointers: I had a couple of open shots, but they didn't go in. If we had had our original 3-point shooter - Appleby - the game would have been a lot different.

Romar on missing Appleby: "Well, we didn't have Appleby in the first half, and we were up by four. Does he help? Yeah, anytime your playing without of your starters, your top scorers, it hurts. We've got games to play. We can't say Friday we're not going to play because we don't have Appleby. We've got to show up and play."

Romar, on whether he's disappointed: Well, disappointed, because we lost. Whenever you lose you can point to areas where you could have done a better job. We could have controlled their guards better."

Semifinal Game 2: Ohio State defeated Syracuse, 79-65. Forward Kosta Koufos led the winners with 24 points and nine rebounds, but four Buckeyes had 12 points or more. Forward Donte Greene led Syracuse with 21 points, while Orange forward Paul Harris had a game-high 12 rebounds.

Wow. Very entertaining and impressive first half.

The Aggies are really big and athletic. Just walking on the court it seemed apparent the Huskies would learn something about themselves today.

What they've learned so far is that they're able to match up with big teams. Jon Brockman carried them early as the rest were feeling their way. But the freshmen have really grown up so far, with Venoy Overton really looking solid -- the Ohio State writer next to me can't believe he's a freshman -- and Matthew Bryan-Amaning has made more confident moves than I had seen previously.

Dentmon, Wolfinger, Smith and others are helping out.

Very impressive half against the No. 15 team in the country.

No stats handed out yet, but I'll click back in after the game.

Jon Brockman was the first Husky out on the Madison Square Garden court. Now he has been joined by his teammates as game time approaches.

We'll go through the usual drill here: I'll pass along any pregame notes, then click in with some halftime stats. Then, I'll turn it over to you for postgame discussion (the game is on ESPN2 and KRJ) and then I'll stop by again with notes and quotes from the locker room.

With the NIT tipoff just hours away and the Apple Cup just days away, I'll be back talking UW athletics with the Groz again at 2:35 this afternoon on KJR, 950-AM.

The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

1. Arizona State 9-1, 6-1: Two wins from Pac-10 title, but they’re tough USC and Arizona.

2. Oregon 8-2, 5-2: Pac-10 rushing leader by 70 yards over runner-up UW.

3. USC 8-2, 5-2: S Taylor Mays has double-digit tackles in two of last three games.

4. Oregon State 7-4, 5-3: QB Lyle Moevao 2-0 in first two college starts.

5. UCLA 5-5, 4-3: Mattew Slater has returned school-record three kickoffs for TDs.

6. Arizona 5-6, 4-3: Second-ranked Oregon was the highest-ranked visitor to lose at Arizona since top-ranked Huskies in 1992.

7. Washington 4-7, 2-6: Huskies looked good as a power-running team... but Willingham says more balance is needed over the long haul.

8. California 6-5, 3-5: Defensive line was pushed around by the Huskies.

9. Washington State 4-7, 2-6: WR Brandon Gibson leads league with 104 receiving ypg.

10. Stanford 3-7, 2-6: Should still be focused with Notre Dame and Cal ahead.

The University of Washington basketball forces struck unbeaten New York University with cyclone fury at Madison Square Garden last night, virtually swept the Violet off the court with the fastest-breaking attack seen hereabouts in many a moon and cracked three Garden scoring records in achieveing a 72-38 victory.

That is the actual lead from the Dec. 31, 1941, New York Times, from Dec. 31, 1941 ... the day after the Huskies beat NYU, 72-38. That was the last time UW played at Madison Square Garden.

That kind of history is what makes the Garden special, and it is much of what makes tonight's game feel so much different from the BCA and Travelers tournaments the past couple of seasons.

That plus a strong field. All four teams in New York today are unbeaten, but obviously only two of them will be by the end of the day.

Here's a preview:

NO. 16 TEXAS A&M (4-0)
VS. WASHINGTON (3-0)
4 p.m., Madison Square Garden.
TV: ESPN2.
Radio: 950-AM

Series: The Aggies lead, 2-1, including a 69-65 win in the most recent meeting, in Seattle in the second round of the 1982 postseason National Invitation Tournament. The Huskies’ only win came in the first meeting, 62-40, in a 1951 NCAA tournament game in Kansas City. Washington is 37-47 all-time against current members of the Big 12 Conference. A&M is 2-20 all-time against current members of the Pacific-10 Conference, with both wins coming against UW.

Statistical leaders: For Texas A&M, F Josh Carter, 16 ppg; C DeAndre Jordan, 8 rpg; G Dominique Kirk, 4.3 apg. For UW, F Jon Brockman, 23 ppg and 11 rpg; G Venoy Overton, 5 apg.

Scouting report: Texas A&M was picked to finish third in the Big 12. The Aggies are coming off of their first back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances. … Three starters return from the team that bolted to the Sweet 16 last season: Kirk, Carter, and Joseph Jones. However, the Aggies are without point guard Acie Law, a first-round pick of the Atlanta Hawks. … Jones is a 6-foot-9 255-pound forward expected to match up against Brockman. … Carter led the nation in 3-point accuracy last season (.500), while Kirk ranks fifth in school history with 134 treys.

NIT preview: All four teams enter the tournament undefeated. … This is Washington’s first appearance at Madison Square Garden since Dec. 30, 1941, when the Huskies routed New York University, 72-38. … Washington won the championship in its previous three season-opening tournaments: the Great Alaska Shootout in Anchorage (2004), the BCA Classic in Seattle (2005) and the Basketball Travelers Classic in Seattle (2006). … This is the Huskies’ second appearance in the preseason NIT. UW opened the 1985-86 season at the NIT in Denver, Colo., getting by UTEP before being eliminated by fifth-ranked Kansas. … Butler won the 2007 NIT Season Tip-Off. The last Pac-10 team to win the tournament was Arizona, in 1999.

Game 2: No. 21 Syracuse (3-0) meets Ohio State (2-0) at 6 p.m., ESPN2.

Next: Losers advance to the consolation game 1:30 p.m. Friday, ESPN. Winners advance to the championship game, 4 p.m. Friday, ESPN2.

Everyone was very complimentary to the NIT today, praising it as the best of the preseason tournaments and noting the NIT and Madison Square Garden's spot in the lore of college basketball.

The Wednesday game will be the first appearance there for all of the Huskies except coach Lorenzo Romar, who played there as a pro; Jon Brockman, who played there in the Jordan Classic as a high school senior; and freshman Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who played there while in prep school in neighboring Connecticut.

As for the games themselves, all four participating coaches noted the relative youth of their teams, including UW opponent Texas A&M, which returns three starters from its Sweet 16 team of a season ago, and is without star point guard Acie Law, who headed for the NBA.

And finally, tournament officials, including C.M. Newton said once again that thier snub of UW from the postseason tournament last season was no snub at all, just a tough decision that maybe looks a little better since all four No. 1's became the final four teams in both the postseason and the current preseason tournament ... indicating that maybe these guys know what they're doing. In any case, bygones, and the NIT says it is thrilled to have the Huskies here now. And the Huskies seem pretty happy about it too.

Some random quotes from media day:

ROMAR on what can be taken from the performance here: This is a young season, and it’s so long. I’ve seen teams go out and win the Maui Classic and by the end of the season they’re not playing very good. Some don’t do good early, by the end of the year (they are).

ROMAR on the size of the Aggies: We’d better box out. We can put lineups out there where we have comparable size to them. But we can also put – like there way we’re going to start – with a small lineup where sometimes that can be to a big team’s disadvantage. But they are definitely a very good opponent. They’re tall, but some teams are tall but not effective. These guys are tall and athletic and quick and physical.

BROCKMAN on A&M counterpart Joseph Jones: He’s a big athletic guy. He uses his body really well. He’s really experienced, so he knows how to play. He’s a tough tough (guy to) guard. He’s so strong and big he can use his body to push people around without using his arms, which makes it tough getting your body in the right position.

JUSTIN DENTMON on the NCAA feel to this tournament: That’s what it feels like. You walk into the hotel, it feels like the NCAA tournament. We’re going to go play, then move to the next level. We’re going to find out where we are as a team and where our focus is as a team.

DENTMON on the reaction of the freshman to NY: I think they’ll be looking like, wow, I’ve never see anything like this. But by the time we take the court we’ll be ready to play.

DENTMON on his reaction to NY: This is just another good thing happening in my life. When we went to Greece, that was something good. When I step into the Garden, that will be something good. It’s just another stepping stone to where we want to be.

CM NEWTON on the NIT: We want these teams to really enjoy a wonderful experience around Thanksgiving in the city. We want to do everything we can to make it a fun time for them. And of course fun comes with winning and you guys have at it and have a good time.

SYRACUSE COACH JIM BOEHEIM on the event: It’s always been a tremendous tournament. It’s always been good for college basketball – both pre and post. So we’re pound to be part of it. … By the end of the week I think all of the teams will have found out something about themselves that will help them at the end of the year.

The Huskies have arrived in New York for the final rounds of the NIT Season Tip-Off, along with Texas A&M, Syracuse and Ohio State.

It sounds like they flew in pretty uneventfully -- the best way to fly -- yesterday, worked out at the New York Atletic Club this morning, then coach Lorenzo Romar and juniors Jon Brockman and Justin Dentmon represented the Dawgs at the tournament media day luncheon on Times Square.

I'll click back in with some quotes later, but everyone seems pretty excited to be here, and they're looking at the games as a measuring stick for where they are this early in the season.

The Huskies are preparing for their first game at Madison Square Garden since 1941. That will come at 4 p.m. tomorrow against Texas A&M.

First days losers advance to the consolation game on Friday, winners advance to the championship round, also Friday.

Quarterback Jake Locker apparently felt well enough Monday to play a little joke at a media gathering.

He made a point of turning his whole body, rather than his neck, when looking in various directions. When this was pointed out, he broke into a laugh.

“I’m just joking around with you guys,” he said. “I was actually thinking about wearing the neck brace for you guys.”

When seriously addressing his health, he said that he feels much better than last week and hopes that his coaches will trust him when he tells them he feels ready to play.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said he hasn't yet decided between Locker and Bonnell, but that he will announce his stater once that is decided upon, and that he isn’t delaying the announcement to complicate Washington State’s preparations.

Twenty-one Husky seniors will be introduced for the final time at Husky Stadium before the Apple Cup on Saturday.

And unlike last season, the list doesn't seem to offer any controversy. No scholarship players with remaining eligibility are being sent away involuntarily, as was the case last season. Willingham said that is a tribue to this season's "junior" class, which he believes has earned the rigth to return for a fifth year.

The list: Wilson Afor, Erik Berglund, Carl Bonnell, Linus Chou, Quintin Daniels, Cody Ellis, Greyson Gunheim, Tim Harris, Dan Howell, Robert Lewis, Erick Lobos, Chad Macklin, Louis Rankin, Caesar Rayford, Marcel Reece, Jordan Reffett, Anthiny Russo, Kyle Trew, Corey Williams and Sho Yoshinaga.

Only Chou and Yoshinaga have eligibility remaining, and they are both walkons who will graduate before next season.

Washington center Juan Garcia acknowledges that he is considering a jump to the NFL next season.

Garcia is a rare fifth-year senior who still have one season of eligibility remaining due to an NCAA-granted exception.
He began this season with plans to return for his sixth season at school, however he has heard increasing talk about his NFL changes and is interested in pursuing them.

Garcia said he will likely make his decision based on what he hears from his coaches and NFL scouts. If he projects as a mid- to high draft choice unlikely to increase his stock much with an extra colllege season, then he would likely leave. However, if he projects as a low choice or free agent then he said he would like to return.

Garcia said he values happiness as much as money, and that finances don’t weigh heavily for either himself or his family.

Garcia said he doesn't yet know if he'll be announced among the Senior Day class Saturday at the Apple Cup.

UW tailback Louis Rankin was named Pac-10 Conference offensive player of the week after running for 224 yards in Saturday's win over California.

I'll likely have more info soon.

The UW coaching staff has honored Louis Rankin as offensive player of the week in the 37-23 win against California, Darin Harris as defensive player of the week and Mesphin Forrester and kicker Ryan Perkins as special teams players of the week.

Scout team honors went to tailback Brandon Yakaboski, linebacker T.J. Poe and cornerback Desmond Davis.

Washington has opened a 5 1/2 point favorite over Washington State in the 100th Apple Cup, which will be played at 4 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium.

The final score of this game probably sounds a little closer than it was. Mostly, they took care of business against an inferior opponent, and now they can concetrate on their first visit to Madison Square Garden since 1941.

Star of the game: Washington forward Jon Brockman had a game-high 16 points and eight rebounds.

Key stats: Washington outrebounded the Eagles, 38-28. The Huskies shot 50.8 percent from the field. Eastern connected on 10 of 11 free throws (91 percent).

Key run: Both teams started slowly, and the score was tied 6-6 after six and a half minutes. However, the Huskies went on a 21-7 run from there and kept the lead in double digits until the closing minutes.

Observations: Ten Huskies played and nine scored. … Sophomore guard Adrian Oliver sat out with a knee strain, which isn’t expected to be serious. … Washington has won 30 straight home games against non-Pac-10 opponents. … The Huskies leave today for New York.

Quotable: “Just a lot of credit to Eastern. For a ball club to be down 24, a lot of teams in the nation anywhere at any level, they’ll just give up at that point. They didn’t give up, they kept coming. They played a lot better than we did in the second half.” - Brockman

Next: 4 p.m. Wednesday, Texas A&M, NIT Season Tip-Off semifinal, Madison Square Garden, New York.

Huskies had a bit of a slow start -- 4-4 tie after five minutes. But they are simply the better deeper team, and this seems settled.

Jon Brockman picked up where he left off, with 14 points and four rebounds. UW's No. 2 scorer is Dentmon with 9.

Kellen Williams and Adris DeLeon have six each for the Eagles.

Here's my preview story for the Huskies and Eagles basketball game today at Hec Ed: 3 p.m., FSN.

I'll click in with halftime and postgame notes, and if any of you aren't watching the Seahawks, I'm always interested in hearing your thoughts of how the game looked.

For all the bad things that might be said about the Huskies this season, they really have given good effort ... including today in their first game played knowing they can't get to a bowl.

The way the game played out, Louis Rankin and the running game topped even the quarterback issue as the prime topic of discussion.

Rankin carried 21 times for 224 yards. Along the way, he became the ninth Husky to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a season and the first since 1997, when Rashaan Shehee ran for 1,087. Rankin’s current 1,077 yards ranks ninth on the UW single-season list.

Center Juan Garcia seemed just as proud as Rankin, and certainly was more eager to discuss the achievement.

Speaking of the QB situation, Willingham said that Locker was cleared to play, and might have been available in an emergency. Interestingly, UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said if anything had happened to starter Carl Bonnell, the Huskies also might have used walk-on quarterback Taylor Bean to handoff rather than burn freshman Ronnie Fouch’s redshirt this late in the season. By all accounts, Locker is expected to return as the starter next week in the Apple Cup.

Other notes:

Defensive player of the game
Cal free safety Thomas DeCoud had a game- and career-high 16 tackles, including 13 solo.

Turning point
Washington opened the game with a five-play 71-yard touchdown drive and followed it with a 13-play, 87-yard drive that put them ahead, 14-0. The Huskies never trailed.

Best play
Defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim made what may have been the highlight-reel tackle of the UW season in the third quarter, when he darted through the line untouched and upended Cal tailback Justin Forsett for a 2-yard loss on a second-and-goal from the one. Cal settled for a field goal. “I don’t remember it,” Te’o-Nesheim said. “I just remember getting off the guy and having everybody happy with me and the crowd was so loud. I can’t wait to see it.”

Worst decision
Washington won the toss and elected to defer. However, Cal captain Thomas DeCoud mistakenly elected to kick off. The error allowed the Huskies to receive the opening kickoff of both halves. “I decided to kick and kind of messed us up,” DeCoud said. His coach didn’t disagree. “Our captain was confused and made a mistake at the beginning of the game,” Jeff Tedford said. “He misunderstood the deferral.”

Personnel report
Matt Mosley was a surprise starter at cornerback due to a shoulder bruise suffered by usual No. 1 Byron Davenport. … Cal receiver/return DeSean Jackson sat out the second half with a thigh bruise, which isn’t expected to be serious. Before going out, he had four catches for 31 yards and returned one punt for 23 yards.

Quote
“We couldn’t stop the run, obviously. … Anytime someone runs the ball like that against you, it’s going to be a long day.” – Cal coach Jeff Tedford.

Extra points
UW linebacker E.J. Savannah recorded his first career interception in the second quarter. Washington now has 11 interceptions this season, two by Mesphin Forrester and one by nine other players. … UW senior Anthony Russo extended his pass-catching streak to 35 straight games, while Cal’s Robert Jordan extended his to 40. … UW freshman Ryan Perkins’ 45-yard field goal in the third quarter was the longest of his career. … Cal tailback Justin Forsett recorded a career-long 58-yard run in the second quarter. … Washington’s captains were Bonnell, Anthony Russo, Greyson Gunheim and Jordan Reffett.

Next
Washington vs. Washington State in the 100th Apple Cup, 4 p.m. Saturday, Husky Stadium, FSN.

Huskies ended the third quarter with a recovery of a Cal fumble, so they'll have the ball to start the fourth. That fourth win of the season seems teed up pretty well for them.

UW has moved ahead in first downs, 16-14, and total yards, 361-343.

Freshman Brandon Johnson handled most of the tailback duties in the third, and ran hard and well -- more yards today than he had had in the season until now.

Rankin's big day pushes him over 1,000 for the season.

We've just received word that Cal receiver/returner DeSean Jackson has a thigh bruise and will not return today.

Very entertaining game.

After Rankin domination of the first quarter, two UW turnovers set up the last two scores.

Bottom line, lots of folks pitching in to make things easier on Bonnell, who remains workmanlike with 51 passing yards, but also a nice TD lob to Reece for the final score of the half.

Rankin is up to 171 rushing yards. Bonnell, 5 of 14.

For Cal, Forsett has 15 rushes for 118 yards, Longshore is 14 of 17 with 3 TDs and an interception, and DeSean Jackson has four catches for 32 yards.

Cal leads first downs, 12-11 and total yards, 268-236.

One more oddity in a pretty odd game: Washington won the toss and defered it's choice, but Cal choise to kick. So now in the start of the third quarter, Washington's choice is to let Cal kick again.

Rankin has run for 125 yards and added a 35 yard kickoff return.

After falling behind 14-0, Cal put together a nice TD drive; but the snap on the extra point was botched.

UW has 160 total yards, Cal 87.

Bonnell has been steady, no major mistakes, but only 19 yards. Although that's enough, with Rankin running like he is.

Louis Rankin has 125 yards on 12 carries and UW leads 14-0 less than 10 minutes in.

Carl Bonnell was the UW starter as expected. What might have been less expected was an effortless-seeming 71-yard scoring drive that has just put the Huskies ahead, 7-0, just two minutes and 10 seconds in.

Bonnell completed his only pass, 11 yards to Johnie Kirton. The big play was a 46-yard first-play run by Louis Rankin.

10:50: It is pouring at Husky Stadium.

However, I am dry in the pressbox, and the new computer seems to be working, so we'll get going with the regular gameday drill: pregame notes as they happen -- when the Huskies take the field, I'll click in to report what quarterback seems to be preparing as the No. 1, etc. -- then quarterly updates, they your own postgame thoughts (the game is on at 12:30 on ABC) and then I'll click back with notes and quotes.

11:25: Jake Locker is in uniform. He and Carl Bonnell are on the field just playing pitch and catch, so I can't tell anything about who's starting. However, Locker isn't in street clothes, so there is at least that much of an indicator that he's cleared to play.

12:15: Judging from warmups, it appears Bonnel will be the starter.

12:30: UW captains are Carl Bonnell, Anthony Russ, Greyson Gunheim and Jordan Reffett.

12:35: Huskies will receive.

Here is my preview of today's Cal-at-Washington game.

I am hoping for our usual gameday ritual: I'll click in from the stadium with any pregame notes, then quarterly reports, then over to you for postgame discussion before I pop back with final notes and quotes.

However ... I'm working with a new computer today, and this will be its first time away from the office. So, if this blog is utter silence from here, that's way.

However, I don't expect that.

If there isn't another post by 11 or so, that's a bad sign.

See you then. I hope.

Oregon State at Washington State: Cougs have won nine of last 10 vs. Beavers in Pullman. WSU, 32-27.

California at Washington: Lacking fully healthy starting QBs, Bears have more offensive options. Cal, 37-17.

(In all honesty, I also certainly would have picked Oregon last night ...)

Last week: 4-1.
Season: 40-15.

The final health update before the kickoff against Cal at Husky Stadium was mixed.

Coach Tyrone Willingham still hasn't named his starting quarterback. Carl Bonnell continues to work with the No. 1's and Jake Locker hasn't had a full practice since suffering his neck injury last week at Oregon State. Willingham said the No. 1 determining factor will be whether he believes Locker is well enough to protect himself in game conditions.

My strong guess: Bonnell starts this week.

My far less strong guess: Locker starts the Apple Cup.

In other injury news, safety Nate Williams seems to have recovered from his hamstring injury. However, linebacker Donald Butler (knee) seems doubtful. And receiver Quintin Daniels, who returned to practice after being out with a knee injury, reported back spasms.

And finally, with a cold, rainy day predicted for Saturday, the Huskies practiced outdoors on cold and rainy Thursday.

1 Oregon 8-1, 5-1: Ducks title hopes on line tonight against Arizona.
2 Arizona State 9-1, 6-1: Has allowed league-low six rushing touchdowns in 10 games.
3 USC 8-2, 5-2: TB Washington ran for career-high 220 yards vs. Cal.
4 Oregon State 6-4, 4-3: If Beavers are fourth best, this league was overrated.
5 California 6-4, 3-4: Jeff Tedford going for 50th win Saturday at UW.
6 UCLA 5-5, 4-3: Matthew Slater ties league mark with third TD kickoff return.
7 Arizona 4-6, 3-4: PK Bondzio 7-for-7 from between 40-49 yards.
8 Washington State 4-6, 2-5: Cougs may be saving their coach’s job.
9 Washington 3-7, 1-6: School-record fourth straight losing season assured.
10 Stanford 3-7, 2-6: QB Pritchard got first 200-yard passing day at WSU.

This is the final day of UW practice before the Cal game and the final day that we'll have access to any of the coaches for questions about Jake Locker and the UW quarterback situation.

As of Wednesday, everything remained in play, according to coach Tyrone Willingham: There was a chance Locker will start Saturday, and a chance that he's out for the season.

If he can't go, Carl Bonnell will start ... that's one of the few certainties, and I would say the most likely thing.

However, if Bonnell goes down, there is a chance that Ronnie Fouch will lose his redshirt by going in as the top reserves ... or as the end of the season draws closer, Willingham said there is the chance he would simply preserve Fouch's season of eligibility by going directly to walkon Taylor Bean.

Maybe -- only maybe -- some clarity today.

This was an extremely entertaining game. The Huskies have looked better in each of their three games and at times tonight they looked like those swirling Nate-Will-Bobby-Brandon teams.

They advance next week to the NIT semifinals, meeting Texas A&M at 4 p.m. Wednesday and then going on to either the consolation or championship game against either Ohio State or Syracuse on Apple Cup Eve.

Star of the game: Washington forward Jon Brockman set career highs with 31 points and 18 rebounds. His previous highs were 25 points and 14 rebounds.

Key stats: Washington had a 40-26 rebounding advantage and 14-2 on the offensive boards. ... Three Utes fouled out, including their second-leading scorer, Johnnie Bryant, and their leading rebounder, 7-foot-1 Luke Nevill.

Key runs: Utah went on a 10-0 run in the middle of the second half to pull even, but UW ended the game on an 11-2 run to win.

Observations: In the consolation game, High Point defeated New Jersey Tech, 76-53. ... Freshman Justin Holiday sat out the first half, but he played 11 minutes of crunch time in the second and drew praise from his coach for defensive intensity and unselfishness. ... Former Husky and Sonic Detlef Schrimpf was in attendance.

Quotable: “You have to give Washington credit, they hung in there and they made the plays at the end and we didn’t. At this level, you’ve got to make plays at the end.” – Utah coach Jim Boylen

.

Next: 3 p.m. Sunday, Eastern Washington, at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, FSN.

The Huskies are 20 minutes from New York. And, so far, they're doing it with styles points, too.

After an exhibition game and NIT opener against clearly lesser oposition, the Huskies seem energized to finally be challenged by someone of roughly their own level. UW is unleashing its first full-court press of the season. The Dawg Pack student section is bouncing and chanting. It feels like old times.

Jon Brockman leads all scorers with 17 points, including a three-point play that ended the half.

UW has forced Utah into 12 turnovers.

The winner of this game advances to New York for the semifinals next Wednesday. They will face Texas A&M, which advanced with a tight win over UTEP tonight. Ohio State and Syracuse are on the other side of the bracket.

Letters-of-intent from UW's 2008 freshman recruiting class showed up just as expected today.

Coach Lorenzo Romar's overview: “We think these four as a group are special. I think what they all possess is a pretty cerebral feel for the game: They all know how to play basketball. They will obviously have things they need to learn at this level, but at the same time they come in with a pretty good understanding of how to play the game. The other thing about all four of them is they all can score."

Isaiah Thomas G 5-8 Tacoma (Curtis/South Kent School, Conn.)
Notes: Romar likens the former Curtis High School star to Damon Stoudamire, the former Arizona Wildcat now playing in the NBA. Others will liken Thomas to former UW star Nate Robinson due to their similar sizes. However, Robinson was a physically stronger more explosive player, while Thomas is much farther along offensively than Robinson at this stage. Averaged 31 points in two seasons at Curtis.

Tyreese Breshers F 6-7 Los Angeles (Price H.S.)
Notes: At 260 pounds, his combination of size and explosiveness reminds Romar of Charles Barkley. Has long arms and plays taller than his height. Lorenzo Romar said Breshers is as talented as any big man on the team right now and probably a better shot-blocker: “The strength of a Jon Brockman with the explosiveness of a Quincy Pondexter.” Rated No. 66 nationally by Rivals.com.

Scott Suggs G 6-6 Washington, Mo. (Washington HS)
Notes: At age 11, Suggs attended a 4th of July celebration at the home of Romar, then coach at St. Louis. Romar made the kid cry by beating him in a game of driveway basketball. However, that kid grew into a Missouri player of the year candidate and after having been unable to beat Romar, decided to join him. Long-limbed and a guard, not a wing. Solid now, and with lots of upside potential. Rated No. 14 shooting guard by Scout.com.

Elston Turner Jr. G 6-4 Missouri City, Texas (Elkins)
Notes: His father is a former NBA player, his mother played in college, and Romar said that background shows in his intelligent style of play. Plays at his own pace, helps his teammates and has a nice shooting stroke. Decided on Washington early and never wavered. Scout.com rates him the No. 12 shooting guard prospect in the nation. Previously played at Roseville (Calif.) High School. Ranked No. 48 in the ESPN 150.

Scout.com ranks every member of this class a four-star (out of five) recruit, and lists the class fourth in the Pacific-10 Conference (behind UCLA, Arizona and Oregon) and 14th nationally. Rivals.com gives Breshers, Suggs and Thomas four-star ratings and awards Turner three stars.

Here is the Pac-10 release:

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.--The Pacific-10 Conference has suspended for one game the instant replay officials involved in last week's Washington at Oregon State football game for failure to stop play for review of a critical play late in the game, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.  In addition, the instant replay officials as well as the on-field officiating crew will not be considered to receive assignments for a post-season bowl game.

"The Conference has conducted a thorough review of the Washington-Oregon State game, including viewing all of the available video and conducting conversations with replay and officiating personnel involved in the game," Hansen said.

"We concluded the instant replay officials did not perform properly on the fumble play late in the game.  It is clear the game officials should have been notified to stop the game and the play should have been reviewed prior to the ball being snapped for the next play.

"We believe the suspensions and removal from consideration for post-season bowl assignments are appropriate penalties.

"In addition, I apologize for what I deem an inappropriate remark by Pac-10 director of instant replay Verle Sorgen.  He assures me he meant no disrespect to Oregon State or its team, coaches and fans.  The failure to stop the game definitely was egregious."

"I reiterate that this was not a game representative of the best of Pac-10 football and all involved will work hard to avoid similar occurrences as we move forward," Hansen concluded.

I'll be back talking UW athletics with the Groz again at 2:35 this afternoon on KJR, 950-AM. Between the Locker injury, the loss of their bowl hopes, the officiating controversy, basketball letter of intent day and UW's NIT regional there should be plenty to talk about.

The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

The Huskies looked much better in the second half, but this was such a talent mismatch it's hard to tell much. The Wednesday game with Utah will be much more revealing.

Star of the game: After a disappointing debut in UW’s exhibition game, Stanford-transfer guard Tim Morris came on to lead the Huskies with 16 points and added five rebounds.

Key stats: After committing 12 turnovers in the first half, Washington committed only three in the second. UW outrebounded NJIT, 46-21.

Key run: NJIT led 3-2, but then UW went on a 15-0 run. The result was never in doubt thereafter.

Quotable: “They pretty much did what they wanted to do against us. ... They have lots of weapons, defense, they shot the ball very well from the floor when we were in our 2-3 zone.” – NJIT interim head coach Wendell Alexis.

Tuesday Game 1: Utah struggled to a 32-28 halftime lead before breaking away to a 77-64 win over High Point. The Utes (2-0) were led by 7-foot-1 center Luke Nevill, who had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Three other Utah players scored in double figures: swingman Tim Tillie, 12; F Stephen Weigh, 11; and G Johnnie Bryant, 10. F Shaun Green had a game-high six assists.

NIT West Regional Wednesday: Another doubleheader at Hec Edmundson Pavilion. High Point and NJIT will meet in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m., which will not be televised. Then, Utah and Washington will play at 7:30 in a game televised on ESPN2. The winner of the second game will advance to the NIT semifinals Nov. 21 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Closing quote from Jon Brockman: "I want to go to New York. We said before the game tonight that this is the first step. I think a lot of people around us have already bought plane tickets, so we have to perform or else they are going to New York without us."

The Huskies trailed, 3-2, then went on a 15-0 run, and that seems to be that.

However, that is largely thanks to the opposition, because UW is making mistakes it couldn't afford against better teams, including missing its first six free throws, committing 12 tunover, and allowing 24 first-half points against a team that scored 28 total in its opener.

Jon Brockman and Tim Morris lead all scorers with 10 points each, and Morris at 5-for-5 is looking far better than he did in the exhibition against Seattle Pacific. Venoy Overton, on the other hand, hasn't been as much of a factor. And Quincy Pondexter (2 points) isn't yet stepping up to that next level the Huskies will probably need from his this season.

Assuming the Huskies advance tonight, they now know the team that stands between them and Madison Square Garden: Utah, which just pounded High Points, 77-64.

The game was close early, with the Utes leading only 32-28 at half. But they took full control in the seocnd half.

They have good size underneath and look like they could pose a real test for the Huskies.
They are led by a pair of big men, 7-foot-1 junior center Luke Nevill (15.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg last season) and 6-8 forward Shaun Green (11.1 pg, 6.1 rpg). Tonight Johnnie Bryant came off the bench for 10 points.

Assuming the Huskies get past New Jersey Tech tonight, UW and Utah will play at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on ESPN2, with the winner going on to the NIT semifinals next week in New York.

Meanwhile, I'll click in here with any pregame news as it develops, post a halftime update, and then click in after with final notes and quotes.

As always, you're welcome to join in with your thoughts, although that's tougher tonight, since this game isn't televised.

Just a couple of hours before the Huskies begin their regular season in the NIT West Regional, coach Lorenzo Romar has announced that true freshman forward Darnell Gant will redshirt this season.

Gant – at 6-8 and 210 pounds – decided he could use a season to fill out before being up to competing in the Pac-10. He said Romar backed his decision.

"Darnell is going to be a heck of a basketball player," Romar said. "I think he saw that there were going to be a couple of things that he could shore up on. He felt like taking a year to figure it out may not be in his best interest."

Gant played six minutes in the exhibition game against Seattle Pacific, going 1-for-3 with a rebound.

He came to UW as the No. 1-rated power forward on the West Coast, according to Scout.com, and the No. 50 overall recruit, according to USA Today. However, fellow freshman Matthew Bryan-Amaning, at 235 pounds, has a more college-ready body.

Oregon has moved to No. 2 in the BCS rankings, and if they stay there, they'll play for the national championship.

I asked UW coach Tyrone Willingham today if that would be a good thing for Pac-10 pride or a bad thing for the University of Washington.

His answer straddled both emotions: "I think it’s tough for me to stomach even answering that would be the first thing. But I think our conference would be a tremendous conference and anytime we could have a national champions come out of our conference then it continues a trend that we’ve had over the last years, having some of the best teams in the country. As how that relates to us, that means we have to step our game up."

However, there also remains a chance that Oregon might not remain in the championship picture even if the Ducks win out... as coach Mike Bellotti knows only too well.

"My history with the BCS is not very good," said Bellotti who believes his 2001 team chould have played for the championship –– but didn't -- and whose 2005 team should have been in one of the BCS bowls -- but wasn't.

"The people in charge (of the BCS system) are trying to make it an equitable system," Bellotti said. "Like I said, I'm not worried. If we win out, we put ourselves in position that people have to consider us."

Other notes from today's Pac-10 coaches conference call, provided by TNT sportswriter Todd Milles:

ARIZONA: The Wildcats late-season surge included a 37-10 victory over Oregon at Autzen Stadium in 2006, but coach Mike Stoops knows this is a completely different matchup. "People want to generalize games, but they are much different," Stoops said. … Washington quarterback Jake Locker rushed for 157 yards against Arizona earlier this season. Stoops said he's "changed the whole game plan" for Oregon's Dennis Dixon, also a running quarterback.

ARIZONA STATE: Kicker Thomas Weber leads the Pac-10 with 94 points, and has made a league-best 19 of 20 field goals. "The week before our first game, he was really hitting it, and he's been unbelievable," coach Dennis Erickson said. "He's hot. He has the stroke." … An MRI was taken Monday on quarterback Rudy Carpenter's sprained right thumb. He also saw a hand specialist after he re-injured it after throwing a touchdown pass Saturday against UCLA. With the team on a bye week, Erickson said he likely won't throw against until Sunday.

STANFORD: Receiver Mark Bradford is coming off a career-best 12 catches for 144 yards, and coach Jim Harbaugh said that is an indication he's finally getting healthy from tendinitis in his left knee. "He's done a good job with his rehab," Harbaugh said. "He's got the chance to play at the next level." … Center Tim Mattran (ankle sprain), lost on the Cardinal's first play of the second half against WSU last week, should be back in two weeks against Notre Dame. … Suspended receiver Richard Sherman (unsportsmanlike conduct against the UW) has been reinstated, and returned to practice Tuesday.

UCLA: Except for a few mistakes that come with experience, quarterback Osaar Rasshan, who made his first start last week in a 24-20 loss to ASU, played well, coach Karl Dorrell said. The team should have Ben Olson (knee) back after the bye week, and available as a backup against Oregon. Dorrell said Olson will practice this week. As for Patrick Cowan (collapsed lung), he's out indefinitely. … Running back Chris Markey (ankle) played sparingly against ASU, but should assume a bigger role against Oregon.

USC: Coach Pete Carroll called Chauncey Washington's 220-yard effort last week at California was the signature performance of his career, but added Washington will still share the tailback job with Joe McKnight and Stafon Johnson. "It was kind of the classic (example) of leaning on the guy who was hot," Carroll said. "Chauncey certain had it." … Quarterback John David Booty (fractured finger) will rest this week to heal up for ASU on Thanksgiving Day. … Carroll said during this bye week, he will rotate as many as 12 younger players, many of them freshmen, with the first unit offenses and defenses, just to get them experience.

Most of you have seen the play several times: Jake Locker heading to the sideline, turning up to try to get a first down, getting hit by Oregon State safety Al Afalava, then staying down on the Reser Stadium turf.

Here’s how it played out from Locker’s point of view:

"I couldn’t find anything open, so I was trying to scramble and I knew I needed 4 or 5 more yards. I could have run out of bounds, but I tried to get the extra yards and I just kind of remember colliding with the guy, and then I went down and I tried to push myself up and I just kind of rolled over onto my left side. I couldn’t move my left arm and that’s when it scared me a little bit. I felt a little pinch in the back of my neck. That’s what I worried a little bit. Once I was able to move my arm, then I felt better about it. I still had the pain in my arm, but by then I was on the stretcher and on the ambulance."

By the way, Locker said he does not believe the hit was dirty or intentional:

"I’ve seen it," he said. "We did hit helmet to helmet, but I don’t think he had any intention of leading with his helmet, trying to take me out, I don’t think he had any intention of that. We’d seen on film all week that he played hard and he hit guys, and I thinkthat’s all he was trying to do, make a big hit. It’s football and that kind of stuff happens."

Locker also said that Afalava approached him after the game and was "cool."

UW coach Tyrone Willingham just announced that quarterback Jake Locker seems to be progressing well and could play Saturday when California visits Husky Stadium.

Willingham said Locker will likely be kept out of the Huskies' light practice this afternoon, but his health will be reassessed Wednesday morning, and he could return to the practice field then.

Then we talked to Jake, and he said he also hopes he will be able to play.

However -- and keeping in mind that I am as far from being a doctor as it is possible for a human to be -- he sure looked stiff, and in this non-doctor's mind, I just can't imagine him playing Saturday.

If he doesn't, Carl Bonnell will start. And Willingham said the No. 2 would be Ronnie Fouch, a true freshman who hasn't played yet this season and until now seemed destined to redshirt.

Finally, Locker said that even after the injury, he doesn't envision himself running out of bounds to avoid future hits.

And even more finally, he said he isn't rethinking a career in baseball.

Even after their statement yesterday, Pac-10 officials have said they will get new tapes and continue to assess the officiating of Washington's game at Oregon State. However, they seem more interested in the late botched fumble call than the Locker hit or the unsportsmanlike conduct incidents that resulted in four ejections.

Here is the release they just, well, released:

The review of the officiating in the Washington-Oregon State game on  Saturday by the Pacific-10 Conference will continue today, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced.

"We will receive the so-called 'coaches' tapes' today which will allow us to observe the actions of all of the officials throughout the play on which OSU's Yvenson Benard was ruled to have fumbled at the goal line.  We need that information to allow us to conclude our review."

Washington returned the ball to near mid-field and the ball was snapped for the next play before the game was stopped for review by the instant replay officials.

Hansen indicated an additional announcement would be made when the review had been completed.

The UW coaching staff has announced its players of the week from the loss at Oregon State: quarterback Carl Bonnell, defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, and special teamer Chris Stevens.
Honored for their work on the service teams were center Gregory Christine, linebacker Pete Galbraith and safety Quinton Richardson.

Bonnell, a senior from Kent, relieved the injured Jake Locker and completed 10 of 25 passes for 233 yards, two touchdown passes and scored on a run. The TD passes were from 86 and 41 yards.

NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY (0-1)
AT WASHINGTON (0-0)
8 p.m., Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
TV: None.
Radio: 950-AM
Series: First meeting.

NJIT statistical leaders: F Nesho Milosevic, 8 ppg; C Dan Stonkus, 9 rpg; G Jheryl Wilson 2 apg.

Scouting report: This is the Highlanders’ second season in Division I. They return five players and three starters from the team that went 5-24 last season. NJIT opened this season with a 70-28 loss to Manhattan on Saturday before a home crowd of 801. In that game, the Highlanders were outrebounded, 45-31. The team is playing under interim coach Wendell Alexis, due to head coach Jim Casciano’s recently announced leave of absence for health reasons. ... The Huskies are expected to start forwards Jon Brockman and Quincy Pondexter and guards Joel Smith, Justin Dentmon and Venoy Overton. Romar said his main rotation could go eight or nine players deep.

NIT Season Tip-Off: Today’s NIT Season Tip-Off West Region doubleheader will begin at 5 p.m., when High Point (22-10 last season) meets Utah (11-19). Opening round losers will meet in a consolation game at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. The winners will play at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN2) for the right to advance to the tournament semifinals next week at Madison Square Garden in New York. Other regionals are being hosted by Ohio State, Syracuse and Texas A&M.

After a review of Oregon State's win over Washington on Saturday, the Pac-10 has decided that:

* OSU tailback Yvenson Bernard was down before losing the ball that gave UW a final chance at victory. The replay crew has been repremanded for not reviewing the play.

*The four player ejections were appropriate and all players, including UW guard Ryan Tolar, must sit out the first half of their next game.

*There was helmet-to-helmet contact on the play in which UW quarterback Jake Locker was injured, and while probably unintentional, a penalty should have been called.

Here is the new release put out by commissioner Tom Hansen:

"Our review of the game included study of the game tape by Coordinator of Football Officiating Dave Cutaia, Director of Instant Replay Verle Sorgen, football administrator Jim Muldoon and me, review of game reports from the officiating crew and instant replay officials, communications with the two institutions and follow-up communications with the referee of the game.

"We regret that there was flagrant misconduct on the part of some players which led to four ejections from the game, that there was an injury to Washington quarterback Jake Locker which increased the emotions of the players and that the instant replay crew failed to stop the game to review the play at the goal line with just under three minutes to play. On the play, it was ruled Oregon State's Yvenson Bernard fumbled. However, it appeared his knee had touched the ground before he lost the ball.

"We found that the officiating crew made ernest attempts to control the conduct of the players. Eight personal fouls were called and four players ejected during the game. We did not find any act which was not addressed by the officials which warranted additional action by the Conference, Hansen said.

"We do believe the instant replay officials did not perform properly on the Bernard fumble play. There was human error in that while reviewing the available replays the crew failed to notify the game officials to stop play before the ball was snapped for the next play. It was not the fault of the equipment. The game should have been stopped and the play reviewed. The members of the IR crew have been reprimanded."

"We believe the helmet-to-helmet contact on the hit on Locker was inadvertent. College football is played at a very high speed, and hard collisions such as this one result. Thankfully, Locker apparently did not suffer a serious injury. The sight of him walking back into Reser Stadium during the fourth quarter was most welcome.

"Helmet-to-helmet contact is a national point of emphasis, and we will continue to officiate accordingly.

We reviewed a second-quarter play on which Bernard lost his helmet. That occurred in a pile of players when the ball came loose and a struggle ensued for possession. It is impossible to see more than players grabbing at the ball, Hansen said.

Because the four players were suspended during the second half of the game, each will be required by NCAA playing rules to miss the first half of this week's game. Oregon State will play at Washington State and Washington will host California.

"This was not a game representative of the best of Pac-10 football, as evidenced by the fact there have been no ejections in a Pac-10 game previously this year. We know that feeling is shared by the administrators and coaches at both institutions, and all involved will work to see such conduct does not happen in the future," Hansen concluded.

The kickoff for this season's Apple Cup has been set for 4 p.m. Nov. 24 at Husky Stadium.

The game will be shown on FSN as part of the Pac-10 television package.

This will be the 100th football meeting of the Huskies and the Cougars.

Cal has lost four of its past five games, the but Golden Bears have opened a seven-point favorite to win at Husky Stadium this weekend.

A quick look ahead:

CALIFORNIA (6-4 OVERALL, 3-4 PAC-10)
12:30 p.m. Saturday, Channel 4, at Husky Stadium

Last week: The Golden Bears lost for the fourth time in five games, falling to No. 12 Southern California, 24-17. QB Nate Longshore completed 13 of 29 passes, and he fumbled an exchange and threw an interception in the final minutes. RB Justin Forsett rushed for a season-high 164 yards and a touchdown. One-time Heisman contender DeSean Jackson led Cal with five catches for 64 yards.

Against the Huskies: Washington leads the series, 46-37-4. Cal has won five straight games. Before that, UW had won 19 straight.

Washington connections: Cal’s roster includes two players from the state of Washington: LB Anthony Felder and DB Brandon Jones, both freshmen from O’Dea High School. Three UW coaches worked previously as Cal assistants: Kent Baer, J.D. Williams and Tim Lappano.

Scouting report: The Bears were ranked No. 2 in the nation before hitting their ongoing spinout. Cal has the No. 4 scoring offense in the Pac-10 and the No. 6 scoring defense. They rank in the middle tier of the league in most team statistics. However, they have allowed the fewest sacks in the league and rank second in third-down conversions, and last in sacks, field goals and opponents’ fourth-down conversions. Tailback Justin Forsett is the No. 2 rusher in the conference and leads in scoring. QB Nate Longshore, who has been bothered by ankle problems, is fifth in passing yardage and sixth in total offense. DeSean Jackson and Lavelle Hawkins are tied for fourth in receptions. Linebacker Anthony Felder is third in the league with an average of 9.5 tackles per game, including two sacks. Linebacker Worrell Williams has forced three fumbles, tied for tops in the league.

The university put out this press release this afternoon, updating the health status of quarterback Jake Locker:

University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker (Ferndale, Wash.) suffered a stinger and trapezius muscle strain in the second quarter of last night's Husky football game at Oregon State University.

He received immediate attention on the playing field by the UW sports medicine staff, OSU facilities personnel and local paramedics and was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis for testing.

He returned to the stadium and walked to the UW sideline late in the game and, after visiting with his teammates, coaches and family, returned to Seattle accompanied by a team doctor.

Today, he underwent additional testing, which confirmed the extent of the injury and began therapy. He is expected to have a full recovery.

"We are truly happy that the tests that were conducted on Jake indicated nothing more serious that a stinger and muscle strain," said Tyrone Willingham, UW's head football coach. "We will not rush Jake's return to the field. The extent to which Jake will be out of action will be in large part determined by his ability to recover from the injury. Jake, his family and the University of Washington football program are very appreciative of all the well wishes, thoughts and prayers that have been extended to him and we look forward to having him back on the field upon his recovery."

Washington returns to action Saturday in a 12:30 p.m. contest against the University of California at Husky Stadium.

Despite all that went before, the fact is Washington’s chance at victory went down to its final possession. And with last night's deadlines not allowing me to get much about that into the paper today, here's a little more information:

UW took over at its own 38 after a controversial fumble by OSU’s Yvenson Bernard was returned out of the end zone by UW cornerback Roy Lewis. (He looked down to me, and Beavers' fans were an unhappy mix of fury and disbelief.)

The Huskies got into Beavers territory on a 25-yard pass from Bonnell to Louis Rankin.

However, the drive ended on downs four plays later: a 3-yard run, a 5-yard completion, and then two incompletions... a sequence that offensive coordinator Tim Lappano regrets.

“Well, coulda, woulda, shoulda,” Lappano said. “I wish I would have run it now on third and 2. ... I was just trying to get a quick (completion) and get a first down. On the last play, they gambled and they won.”

Lappano and quarterback Carl Bonnell said the Huskies had earlier success on the final call to Russo, but it fell incomplete that time when OSU changed its defense.

“We called a very basic play – a play that works 99 percent of the time,” Bonnell said. “Their defense switched up their coverage a little bit. It was just a basic out route to Russo. The corner ... had been running with the outside man all game long, and he came inside. Russo held up, and I threw it in front of him.”

Jake is diagnosed with a neck sprain. He will fly home tonight on a private plane, while the rest of the team takes the bus. Locker was apparently lucid after the game, and even apologized to his teammates for not being there for them.

Willingham said he doesn't want to speculate much on Locker's availablity for next week, but he didn't rule out Locker playing. Meanwhile, Bonnell said he's ready if needed.

A few notes:

The game eliminated UW from bowl consideration and assures their fourth straight losing record -- the longest streak in school history.

On the other hand, Oregon State became bowl eligible.

The crowd of 45,629 was the largest in Reser Stadium history.

And while the game was hard-fought -- and sometimes with hard feelings -- and while there's no doubt the OSU fans were furious (apparently rightly) about that final fumble call ... despite all that, I gotta say the fans were all class in their treatment of Locker, including a polite hand as he was taken from the field and a warm standing ovation when they noticed him return.

Other than Locker, Fred Wiggs may be the only Husky who suffered an injury that might keep him out next week.

A few quotes:

TYRONE WILLINGHAM
On the hit on Locker: It was very clear if you see the hit that it was helmet-to-helmet contact, there wasn’t any doubt question about that. The difficult part about it is the officials from the angles that they had could not see that. ... (But) I don’t think coaches are telling their football teams to make what I would call malicious type blows.

On OSU's final fumble: "It was a smart move on Roy’s part to pick up the ball and advance it, and the official saw something different."

On the comeback: "The thing is we never stopped fighting. Which is a real pleasure when you coach young men to coach young men that don’t give up and keep playing hard. We just didn’t do enough things to finish it up."

On Carl Bonnell's play: "It’s rough coming off the bench in that situation and we hadn’t generated very much offense up to that point. But Carl comes in and had a couple of long plays, and that makes a huge difference. His throw to Anthony down the middle and his throw to Cody up the sideline – those were big plays."

On missing a bowl: "It was something that our guys were battling for. They were hanging onto that. It was one thing that we set as a goal for us when we started last winter. Now that that’s gone, we still have three big ballgames to play, we’ve got a California team, then we’ve got the 100th Apple Cup, which will be big, and then we finish up in Hawaii."

On his halftime talk: "The first thing is you don’t want one of your teammates to go down in vain. You want to fight and you want to win the football game for him. Then the next thing is you don’t want to get caught up in all the garbage that was taking place out there. We don’t want our football team to be that kind of team. We want to play the game right, we want to play it physical, we want to knock the hell out of them, but at the same time, we want to play within the rules of the game."

On his brief conversation with Locker: "He is a true competitor. He hates to not be there because he believes he can make a difference in the outcome of the football game."

CARL BONNELL
On going into the game: "(Locker) was scrambling to get the first down. It was a big hit, I saw him (not) get up ... so I went over and grabbed a ball and started getting ready. A couple of minutes later he still hadn’t gotten up and the entire team’s thoughts were on him. We know how violent this game can be. The possibility is always out there. So we were just thankful that he’s walking around and we think he’ll be ok."

On Locker addressing the team: "This is the kind of guy he is: He said he was sorry. He thought he let the team down. He’s just a guy with the best character you can possibly think of. He’s just out there fighting for every year. He’s down. I think we’re all down. But we’re all praying for him for a quick recovery."

On the comeback: "The defense gave us opportunities to get some drives there in the fourth quarter. Really, the plays just happened. You don’t plan them up like that all the time. Cody Ellis made a great play. We had a little trickery with Russo’s touchdown. really we just started connecting. We weren’t doing any of that in the first three quarters, as the yards showed."

On the final 4th down play: "We called a very basic play. A play that works 99 percent of the time. Their defense switched up their coverage a little bit. It was just a basic out rout to Russo. The corner went off his man. He had been running with the outside man all game long, and he came inside. Russo held up and I threw it in front of him and got him beat up a little on that play but it’s something where they called the right play at the right time."

On his play: "I was comfortable. I don’t think I was in rhythm at first and threw a couple of bad balls and wasn’t seeing things the way I think I should be seeing it. I felt confident. I thought we were going to score, go down there and win the game and still have a bowl shot. I was really comfortable. There are a lot of solid guys around me."

On if he is the starter next week: "Cal's a solid team. they’ve been struggling the last few weeks."

Closing notes:The loss eliminated Washington from bowl consideration. The Huskies last bowl appearance was 2002, when they lost in the Sun Bowl. They finished 7-6 that season, making that also UW’s last winning season. The Huskies are assured of their fourth straight losing season, the longest streak in a football history that dates to 1889. ... With a scoreless first quarter, Oregon State continues to hold a 92-9 first-quarter advantage over its opponents this season. ... Tuiasosopo’s interception was the first of his career. ... UW freshman Curtis Shaw made his first reception as a wide receiver. He had one previous career catch as a tailback. ... OSU kicker Alexis Serna’s 51-yard field goal in the second quarter was the seventh of his career of 50 yards or longer. ... Despite forecasts of rain, not a drop fell during the game. ... UW game captains were Greyson Gunheim, Louis Rankin, Juan Garcia and Jordan Reffett.

Jake Locker has been released from the hospital. All tests were negative and he will return to Seattle with his teammates.

Washington quarterback Jake Locker was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit on as he scrambled to the sidelines midway through the second half. Locker collided with OS free safety Al Afalava and stayed down.

Coaches and teammates huddled around him as he lay on the field, and were eventually joined by his parents. He was taken off the field on a stretcher and then out of the stadium in a medical unit.

Coach Tyrone Willingham complimented the staff for taking what he called precautionary procedures. Multiple sideline reports said that Locker was moving all extremities before being taken to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis.

At least one trainer reported that Locker was breathing fine, but reporting neck pain.

Halftime score: 16-0, Oregon State.

End of third quarter: 19-10, Oregon State... and the fourth quarter opens with the Beavers on the UW 2.

Not much offense -- including a 4th and 45 for the Huskies.

However, also sort of a moral victory for UW considering the Beavers had outscored their opponents 92-9 in the first quarter this season.

Still no rain.

4:25: I've arrived at Reser Stadium ... which looks great from the press box because I'm staring at the renovated side, which is high and vaguely space-ship looking. There's also a new closed end zone with huuuge replay screen.

Normal gameday drill: I'll pop in with updates until kickoff, then give quarterly reports, then turn it over to you for postgame discussion, and then I'll be back with notes and quotes.

Kickoff is 7:25 on FSN.

4:30: We have confirmation that tailback J.R. Hasty did travel with the team after sitting home last week.

4:31: Oh, by the way. I don't think a drop of rain has fallen all day, and there are only thin whispy clouds streaking the darking blue sky right now.

6 p.m.: Oregon State is one of those teams with mix and match uniforms, and tonight they have come up with the gaudiest combination the Huskies have faced since Syracuse: Black helmets, orange jerseys and black pants. Happy Halloween.

7:10: The Oregon State band has just marched onto the field in an OS formation. The school recently unveiled a new "OS: logo ... dropping the "U" presumable to distinguish themselves from Ohio State and Oklahoma State universities.

7:15: This is Senior Day for Oregon State, and 22 seniors are being introduced for their final home game, including tailback Yvenson Bernard and kicker Alexis Serna.

7:25: UW captains were Greyson Gunheim, Louis Rankin, Juan Garcia and Jordan Reffett. UW is about to receive.

7:26: Gametime temperature is 43 degrees, wind at 3 mph ... still no rain.

I got into Corvallis Friday afternoon and got a tour of the renovated stadium -- or actually the renovated half of the stadium. They're doing the renovation in stages -- as perhaps UW will one day have to do -- and the finished side is very impressive. Not as nice as Stanford last week, but really impressive. (I'll have more on that in the paper next week.)

As for the weather, Friday wasn't as rainy as expected. The sun even popped through for a while. And, despite forecasts of 100 percent chance of rain Saturday, the day has dawned absolutely beautiful, sunny and only the smallest whispy clouds. At least for now.

A look ahead to the game:

WASHINGTON (3-6 OVERALL, 1-5 PAC-10)
AT OREGON STATE (5-4, 3-3)
Kickoff: 7:25 p.m., Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Ore.
Television: FSN. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: Washington leads, 57-30-4, including 25 of the last 30 meetings. However, the road team has won four straight. Oregon State won the last three meetings, all at Husky Stadium. In 2003, the last time the teams played in Corvallis, the Huskies won, 38-17.

What to watch: The fast-starting Beavers have outscored their opponents 92-9 in the first quarter this season. ... Washington has the No. 2 rushing offense in the Pacific-10 Conference, while Oregon State has the No. 2 rushing defense in the nation. ... The Beavers’ backfield is a question mark with sophomore QB Lyle Moevao making his first start and tailback Yvenson Bernard returning from a shoulder injury. ... OS kicker Alexis Serna is 13-for-13 in his career on field goals against the Huskies.

What’s at stake: A loss eliminates the Huskies from bowl consideration. The Beavers become bowl eligible with a victory. Washington would like to end a three-game losing streak to its Northwest rival. Twenty-two OSU seniors want to leave Reser Stadium with a Senior Day victory. The school expects to break its home single-game attendance record of 44,015.

With the Pac-10 race at the head of the stretch, this week's picks:

No. 9 Arizona State at UCLA. Tough spot for Bruins QB to make debut. ASU, 37-17.

No. 12 Southern California at No. 24 California. Bears generally match up well against Trojans, so a slight nod to the home field. Cal, 27-24.

Stanford at Washington State. Oddly enough, the road team has won last seven games in this series. WSU, 35-20.

Washington at Oregon State. Rain predicted, which could make this a running game. If so, I can see the OSU running game having better success against the UW run defense than vice versa. OSU, 31-17.

Last week: 5-0.

Season: 36-14.

The Washington Huskies know they made their fans nervous with a shaky performance in their exhibition game against Seattle Pacific on Monday.

However, they also want to assure everyone that they’re a better team than that, and that they’ll show it Tuesday when the regular season begins against New Jersey Tech.

“We’re a lot better than we showed people against SPU," Jon Brockman said. "And since we took a step back, we’ve got to take steps forward these next few days before we take the floor on Tuesday.”

The Huskies trailed SPU as late at 33 minutes into the game before finally putting away the Division II team, 86-77. They will return to action at 8 p.m. Tuesday in the second game of a West Regional NIT Preseason Tip-Off doubleheader.

A few other notes from today's interview sessions:

*Senior guard Ryan Appleby reports that successful surgery was performed on his fractured thumb last Friday. A plate and pins were used to repair the injury on his shooting hand. He said he began running again Wednesday, and that he is encouraged he will return in less than the originally projected six weeks.

*Coach Lorenzo Romar said he might use a rotation of eight or nine players in roles of 15 or more minutes, with perhaps as many as 11 players appearing regularly.

*After the Huskies played their first game in new Nike uniforms, Brockman praised the new material’s wicking properties that made the jerseys feel light throughout the game.

Just a couple of personnel updates today, as Tyrone Willingham met the media for the last time until after the Oregon State game on Saturday night:

*Willingham confirmed Thursday that defensive back Nate Williams won’t travel with the team to Oregon State due to his hamstring injury. Jordan Murchison is expected to fill in.

*Willingham wouldn’t say where tailback J.R. Hasty would travel after being left behind last week.

1 Oregon 8-1, 5-1: Beat USC and ASU in back-to-back games.

2 Arizona State 8-1, 5-1: One more road game, then USC and Arizona at home.

3 USC 7-2, 4-2: QB Booty returned in school’s 750th victory.

4 California 6-3, 3-3: RB Forsett gives Cal sixth 1,000-yard back in six seasons under Tedford.

5 Oregon State 5-4, 3-3: Losing a quarterback, but gaining a tailback.

6 Arizona 4-6, 3-4: QB Tuitama has 10 TD passes over last two games.

7 UCLA 5-4, 4-2: New quarterback certain, new coach becoming likely.

8 Washington State 3-6, 1-5: Brink could top 10,000 passing yards this weekend.

9 Washington 3-6, 1-5: TB Rankin has more than half his yards vs. Syracuse and Stanford.

10 Stanford 3-6, 2-5: How did these guys beat USC?

You might want to run down to the corner newsstand and pick up five or six copies of The News Tribune today, because it includes our special college basketball section with close looks at UW, WSU, Gonzaga, Eastern Washington and the Pac-10.

If you don't intend to do that, here is my UW overview, and below is one little piece of news from the section:

Don't look for the Gonzaga Bulldogs to return to Washington's basketball schedule in the near future.

It was just over a year ago when the Huskies announced at least a temporary suspension of that series. Twelve months later, resumption seems just as hazily uncertain.

The Huskies seem pretty content with their current load of homes games plus home-and-road games with nationally respected teams such as LSU and Pittsburgh, and an annual game as part of the new Pac-10/Big 12 series that has UW going to Oklahoma State this season and getting a return visit next season.

This season's LSU and Pitt games end two-game contracts, and Washington is considering similar opponents for 2008-09 and beyond. But apparently not with the Zags.

“I think right now we’re fairly comfortable with where we are,” UW athletic director Todd Turner said. “The Oklahoma State game will be returned next year, so at least until next year we know what we’re doing. Never say never. I think most people would like to see the (Gonzaga) series continue. If there’s a way that we can work it out sometime down the road, I think we should at least try.”

Oregon State has confirmed starting quarterback Sean Canfield will miss the game against Washington on Saturday due to a shoulder injury and will be replaced by Lyle Moevao. Moevao competed for the starting job deep into camp and is the more mobile quarterback... though at 5-11, he's 5 inches shorter.

UW coach Tyrone Willingham said he has eased up on practice a bit this week to restore freshness this late into the season.

Safety/nickel back Nate Williams remains doubtful for OSU. If he can’t go, his role will be filled by Jordan Murchison.

A season-high 12 Huskies are practicing in honorary gold jerseys this week, reflecting the success over the weekend at Stanford.

The Corvallis weather forecast for Saturday night calls for showers and temperatures in the mid- to upper-40s.

About 600 tickets remain available.

Anyone feeling a little down about UW's failure to blow out Seattle Pacific in their exhibition game on Monday might take some consolation in knowing that Ohio State lost its exhibition game.

And actually, there's a potential Ohio State-Washington link, in that both schools are hosting NIT Preseason Tip-Off regionals next week and if both can win their first three NIT games, their fourth will be against each other for the tournament championship.

The Groz and I will be back talking about the Huskies at 2:35 this afternoon on KJR, 950-AM. The football team is coming off a win. The basetball team has started a new season. Should be fun.

The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

Here is my weekly roundup of Pac-10 football notes.

The most interesting is the news that Stanford suspended a player for a tantrum apparently thrown on the sideline during the UW game. I din't notice it during the game, but here's a report from the San Jose Mercury News.

There wasn't much real news out of the Huskies today.

However, Jake Locker looked pretty beat up after the Stanford game, so it was good to see him not only healthy today, but pretty playful. He seemed to have a great time telling us us about his Guitar Hero (video game) exploits with fullback Paul Homer and of Juan Garcia's efforts to get him to get a Mohawk hair cut.

On Homer: "He is one of my best friends, one of the first guys I met when I came up here. ... He's a straight shooter and I have a lot of respect for him on and off the field. He's goofy and he's funny, always making us laugh. He plays all kinds of games and got me into Guitar Hero. He loves it. It's fun. We have a lot of good times together.''

On the Mohawk: “(Garcia) might be the only guy who could talk me into it, so who knows. I wouldn’t be too surprised if Juan got me to do it.”

Elsewhere, my main story in the Wednesday paper will deal with the improvement of the UW running game -- up to No. 2 in the Pac-10 -- and the satisfaction the offensive line is taking in Locker and Louis Rankin's quests for 1,000 rushing yards.

A couple of other notes:

* Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said tailback Curtis Shaw nearly got his first game action at receiver last week and that it could happen Saturday at Oregon State.

*OSU coach Mike Riley said that quarterback Sean Canfield (shoulder) seems improved, but he is still doubtful for the UW game Saturday at Corvallis. Riley also confirmed that tailback Yvenson Bernard (shoulder) is expected to return after sitting out last week.

Diedrichs never cooled down, with a game-high 36 points, and Seattle Pacific hung tough the whole way.

Clearly UW has some issues to work out before the schedule turns tough. They turned it over too many times, and weren't good enough on defense. Slight mitigation: This was SPU's second game of the season, and in the first one, they hung around with Nevada before losing 80-73. (Diedrichs had 10 points in that one. The Falcons are probably pretty good. ... But not Pac-10 good.

The most encouraging thing was Venoy Overton, who was poised and impressive, especially for his first college game. The other freshmen looked like freshmen, although Matthew Bryan-Amaning clearly has a lot of potential.

Quincy Pondexter showed flashes, but he's going to be needed for more offense ... especially while Ryan Appleby is out. The same goes for Adrian Oliver, who may be the Huskies' best remaining outside shooter.

Among the big men, Joe Wolfinger seemed sort of lost in a game that didn't really seem to lend itself to his skills. However, Artem Wallace made the most of his seven minutes, scoring six quick points and looking pretty confident around the basket.

Other notes:

Star of the game: The Huskies had no answer for SPU forward Rob Diederichs, a sophomore forward from Shoreline who led all scorers with 36 points.

Husky of the game: Junior forward Jon Brockman led UW with 18 points and eight rebounds, despite playing only 24 minutes due to foul trouble.

Key stats: Washington didn’t meet its goals of improved defense and fewer turnovers. The Huskies allowed the Division II Falcons to score 77 points, and they turned the ball over 22 times.

Key run: SPU led as late at the seven-minute mark and trailed only 71-68 with about five and a half minutes remaining, when leading scorer Diederichs went out briefly with a leg cramp. UW immediately bought some breathing room with a 10-4 run.

Observations: This was the Falcons’ second exhibition of the season, and they had proved just as pesky in the first. On Saturday, SPU had visited Nevada, trailed 36-30 at halftime and stuck around the whole way before losing 80-73. ... UW doled out playing time for its freshmen this way: Venoy Overton, 33 minutes, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, 13 minutes; Darnell Gant, six minutes; Justin Holiday, two minutes. ... Center Joe Wolfinger started and played 12 minutes in his UW debut. He had no points and three rebounds, but coac Lorenzo Romar said the matchups in this game didn’t suit the 7-footer’s style of play. ... Also on the Falcons’ roster is Brandon Larrieu, a sophomore from Puyallup and Franklin Pierce High School. He was his team’s second-leading scorer Monday with 13 points.

Quotable: “They’re young. It’s going to depend on their perimeter guys and how well they can handle the pressure themselves. I know they are trying to put the pressure on, but at the same time, they are going to have to handle teams that are way more athletic than us.” – SPU coach Jeff Hironaka on the Huskies.

Next: 8 p.m. Nov. 13, vs. New Jersey Tech, second game of NIT Season Tip-Off West Regional, Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

Yes, that score could indicate a problem for UW.

But the certain problem is that the best player on the floor appears to be Seattle Pacific's Rob Diederichs, a sophomore forward from Shoreline who leads all scorers with 18 points.

Leading the way for the Huskies are Quincy Pondexter, Jon Brockman and Venoy Overton, with eight each.

Overton looks the best of the freshmen, partly on talent and partly because he just seems to confidently comfortable on the court. He's not playing like a guy playing his first college game.

Overall, the Huskies seem fast and athletic ... although the definition of both of those qualities will change once they're playing a Division I team, to say nothing of a Pac-10 team. However, they have a distinct lack of outside shooting with Ryan Appleby out.

UW football and basketball will overlap for the next month -- longer is the Huskies get bowl eligibile. But tonight it's hoops time, as we get our first look at Joe Wolfinger, Tim Morris, the four freshmen and, of course, those new Nike uniforms.

With no TV for this one, I understand that most of you won't be able to give many of your own thoughts on the game, but I'll click in here at half and after the game to share a little of what I saw and heard.

I think it's going to be a really interesting season of watching these guys try to get back into postseason play while competing in what I think is clearly the strongest, deepest conference in the country.

But first, first impressions against Seattle Pacific.

The most significant news out of the football press conferences today were the health reports.

Tyrone Willingham reported that Jake Locker -- who was hit hard on the final play against Stanford –- is fine. However, defensive back Nate Williams will miss the Oregon State game Saturday and maybe more with a hamstring.

Meanwhile, the longer and more significant report came from Oregon State, where starting quarterback Sean Canfield is expected to miss the game with a shoulder injury suffered Saturday in a 24-3 loss to Southern California and to be replaced by sophomore Lyle Moevao.

Maybe more important, tailback Yvenson Bernard, who sat out last week with a shoulder injury, is expected back for the Huskies' visit to Corvallis.

Bernard leads the Beavers and is third in the Pacific-10 Conference with 814 rushing yards – an average of 101.8 yards per game. He also is the Beavers’ leading scorer with 66 points on 11 touchdowns, their No. 2 pass catcher with 32 receptions, and No. 2 in total offense behind Canfield.

OSU coach Mike Riley also reported that offensive guard Jeremy Perry might play against Washington, but at less than 100 percent; while defensive end Dorian Smith will miss the game with a knee injury.

Finally, Willingham confirmed that treshman tailback Curtis Shaw worked out at wide receiver last week, and Willingham confirmed that might become his permanent position.

UW tailback Louis Rankin shares Pac-10 offensive player of the week honors with Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon. About 90 miles from his hometown of Stockton, Rankin rushed for a career-high 255 yards in the Huskies' 27-9 win over Stanford.

Rankin also was honored by UW coaches as the Huskies' offensive player of the week. Greyson Gunheim was honored for defense, Jay Angotti for special teams and Chris Izbicki, Nick Wood and Cort Dennison for work with the scout team.

The Huskies home game against California on Nov. 17 has been selected for telecast by ABC and will kick off at 12:30 p.m.

This leaves only the Apple Cup kickoff fully undecided, while the Hawaii game is still wobbling between 8 or 9 p.m. Pacific Time.

As of late last week, coach Lorenzo Romar remained uncertain of his starting lineup for the tonight's night exhibition game against Seattle Pacific.

In a way, that was a good thing, as this seems to be a pretty deep and versatile roster.

However, with tipoff approaching, he seems to have tentatively settled on returnees Jon Brockman, Justin Dentmon and Quincy Pondexter joined by guard Joel Smith and 7-foot center Joe Wolfinger.

Smith and Wolfinger each sat out last season with foot injuries.

Guard Ryan Appleby would have been in the lineup, but he suffered a fractured thumb that is expected to keep in out for six weeks.

Transfer guard Tim Morris also will make his UW playing debut, and making their college debuts will be the freshman class of point guard Venoy Overton and wings Darnell Gant, Justin Holiday and Matthew Bryan-Amaning.

The newcomers will join the core of last season’s team, which finished 19-13 overall, 8-10 in the Pacific-10 Conference and missed the NCAA tournament after earning invitations the three previous seasons.

Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Hec Ed. Tickets remain, but there's no TV or radio.

New hoops news in the Pac-10 today with word that Arizona coach Lute Olson will take a leave of absence while tending to a personal matter. That matter is undisclosed but is not thought to be health related.

(Here's a newer report from the Tucson Citizen.)

Here's the game story from today's paper.

The players seemed relieved and happy. Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano seemed extremely happy. Coach Tyrone Willingham and defensive coordinator Kent Baer seemed oddly muted. But reactions aside, the bottom line is that the Huskies ended thier six-game losing streak and did so pretty impressively. (Although how Stanford beat USC, I'll never figure.)

I've got a hyper-early flight Sunday (although the gift of a daylight-saving time hour), so we'll go straight to the notes and quotes:

Player of the game
Washington tailback Louis Rankin had a career-high 255 rushing yards, fourth most in school history. His 36 carries also were a career high. “When he was running like that and we were handling them up front and had a pretty good rhythm I wanted to stay stubborn with that and just keep knocking them off the ball and keeping ourselves in good down and distance and we were able to do that,” offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said.

Defensive player of the game
UW linebacker E.J. Savannah had a team-high six tackles, including two behind the line and one of Washington’s six sacks.

Key stats
Washington dominated in first downs, 31-14; in rushing yards, 429-161; in total yards, 539-253; in time of possession, 35:46-24:14; and limited Stanford to a season-low 137 passing yards.

Turning point
In the second quarter, with the Huskies leading 10-3, Stanford had a first-and-goal at the UW 2. On second down, linebacker Trenton Tuiasosopo hit Stanford ball carrier Corey Gatewood, a converted cornerback, Byron Davenport swatted the ball free and Mesphin Forrester recovered. From there, UW outscored the Cardinal, 17-6.

Best play
Late in the second quarter, Rankin broke a 42-yard sweep down the sideline. Ahead of him quarterback Jake Locker hit a Stanford cornerback and held the block for 30 yards. After, the game, however, Locker voiced only regret. “I should have drove him into the ground and we should have scored a touchdown,” Locker said. “I fell a little bit short on that one, but next time I’ll finish it off. Those guys are out there working as hard as they can to block for me, so any chance that they get I like to repay them.”

Points not scored
Late in the second quarter, UW receiver Anthony Russo apparently caught a touchdown pass in the end zone. However, a review overturned the call, ruling the ball popped out as he his the ground. The drive ended on a missed field goal. Not surprisingly, Russo said he believed it should have been a touchdown. Coach Tyrone Willingham did too, although he acknowledged that the Huskies were probably victims of a new officiating area of emphasis this season that demands that players retain possession when hitting the ground in the end zone.

Personnel report
Stanford starting quarterback Tavita Pritchard was forced from the game with a shoulder injury, forcing senior T.C. Ostrander to handing the last three quarters. ... For the first time this season, defensive coordinator Kent Baer worked the game from the coaches box. ... Jordan Murchison made his UW debut in the third quarter. ... Cornerback Nate Williams suffered a hamstring injury. ... Tailback J.R. Hasty was not part of the traveling squad.

Quote
“We couldn’t put many series together and we didn’t play smart football. We left a lot of points on the board tonight, as we let a lot of opportunities get away from us. We had the fumble on the 2-yard line and some missed catches and missed extra point.” – Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh.

Extra points
Locker’s 97 rushing yards gives him 791 for the season, breaking Dennis Fitzpatick UW single season record of 697. ... Washington’s rushing total was the sixth most allowed by a Stanford defense. ... UW linebacker E.J. Savannah recorded his first career sack. ... Late in the second quarter, Jared Ballman attempted his first field goal of the season, a 47-yarder. It missed wide right.

Next
7:15 p.m. Saturday, at Oregon State; Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Ore.

Washington will start the fourth quarter on the Stanford 1.

Louis Rankin has 190 yards rushing.

UW has more than double Stanford's total yards: 448-220.

UW cornerback Jordan Murchison, his UW debut long delayed by legal troubles, was inserted in the first series of the second half.

Rankin is over 100 yards rushing already, and obviously the defense is taking care of business so far against the weaker Stanford offense.

Speaking of that, Ostrander has replaced Pritchard late in the first quarter.

At its core, this was a quarte of missed opportunities, as Stanford recovered a Rankin fumble at the UW 1, and then fumbled it back. Also, Anthony Russo had an apparent touchdown overturned because the ball popped out as he landed in the back of the end zone.

The half ended with Jared Ballman trying his first field goal of the season -- a 47 yarder, therefore perhaps beyond Ryan Perkins' current range -- but he missed wide.

UW is dominating statistically more than on the scoreboard, which often comes back to bite a team. The Huskies, for example, lead total yardage 303-156.

Huskies scored on an 98-yard drive highlighted by an amazing Jake Locker block on a Louis Rankin run, and was capped by a 17-yard Locker touchdown run.

On that run, Locker moved to 708 rushing yards this season, the most ever by a UW quartback.

Gameday dawns: Checking the San Francisco Chronicle this morning, it seems like Stanford is veiwing this as a very big game... clearly because they think it's a potential win they don't want to let get away. No one quite said anything that could reasonably make bulletin board material, but clearly coach Jim Harbaugh and QB Tavita Pritchard think Stanford is going against someone of their own level and some who -- if they play well -- they should beat. Especially at home.

1:15 p.m.: Just arrived at the stadium ... a bit earlier than usual because I wanted to check out the new stadium. The first impression is very good.

The place doesn't look much different from the outside ... it coudn't, because it's mostly built into a berm. But inside, it looks like it is instantly the most fan-friendsly stadium in the Pac-10. The stands seem to be built as close to the field as Qwest Field ... maybe even closer. And with those tight stands going completely around the field, it has the feeling of an outdoor basektball arena built around a football field instead of a court.

The press box is also a big upgrade over previous.

I'm about to go take a walk around, but the first impression is dazzling.

Finally: Let's plan for the usual gameday drill: I'll report in here with pregame notes as they trickle in, file quarterly updates during the game, then turn it over to you for postgame discussion before popping back in with notes and quotes from the lockerroom.

1:40: UW sports information staff confirms that tailback J.R. Hasty was not part of the traveling party on this trip.

2:15 p.m.: Let me say this one more time: Wow. This stadium is amazing. It is a testament to the need for UW doing whatever it needs to do to remove the track as part of the Husky Stadium renovation. I have never -- never, not even in Qwest Field -- seen a stadium with the seating so close to the field. On the lower and second levels, the fans are amazingly close to the action. Inside, the main concourse is laid out like Safeco Field, where you need never lose sight of the field. The concession stands and restrooms seems new and ample. And the place has a smaller footprint than the old stadium, which leaves undisturbed the nice exterior parklike feel, which had always been this place's greatest charm. The place doesn't have tradition, and it doesn't have rabid fans. But now it seems to have pretty much everything money can buy. And in this case, the money seems well spent.

2:45: One other thing my little walk around the stadium drove home: It's warm out there. It's gotta be mid- to upper 70s. As I write this, about 95 percept of the field is in full sun. That should shink as the 3:30 kickoff nears, but neither of these teams are long on depth, so the heat could figure in.

3:30: Check that. We've just been told gametime temperature is 81 degrees. (However, most of the field is now in shadow

3:35 Today's UW captains are Anthony Russo, Greyson Gunheim, Louis Rankin and Jordan Reffett.

Huskies won the toss and will receive.

I made it up to the Bay Area from hoops media day in LA, while the Huskies are heading down from SeaTac.

Good luck to us all, because there was a 5.6 earchquake in the San Jose area -- not that many miles from Stanford -- a couple of days ago.

In any case, no players or coaches are available on Fridays, so we'll just skip ahead to the game:

WASHINGTON (2-6 OVERALL, 0-5 PAC-10)
AT STANFORD (3-5, 2-4)
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m., Stanford Stadium; Stanford, Calif.
Television: FSN. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: UW leads, 39-34-4. However, the Cardinal has won two straight, including 27-13 in 2004, the Huskies’ last visit to Stanford; and 20-3 last season at Husky Stadium, the Cardinal’s only win of the year. Stanford hasn’t won three straight in the series since the mid-1970s.

What to watch: Stanford has the Pac-10’s lowest-rated offense, while Washington is last in defense. The Huskies have gave up 103 points and more than 1,100 yards over the past two games, and defensive coordinator Kent Baer has come under heavy public criticism. Coach Tyrone Willingham implied that changes to the defensive philosophy are possible. This will be UW’s first visit to Stanford’s new stadium. Willingham is 3-1 against his former team, going 3-0 as coach of Notre Dame before losing last season. This will be his first return to Stanford as coach of the Huskies. Baer, offensive line coach Mike Denbrock and running backs coach Trent Miles all coached at Stanford under Willingham.

What’s at stake: Another loss by the Huskies eliminates them from bowl consideration and assures a fourth consecutive losing season. Win or lose, a better defense is necessary to ease the pressure on Baer. Stanford must win three out of four to become bowl eligible. The Cardinal hasn’t had a winning season since 2001, when they went 9-3 under Willingham.

The pick: UW, 35-27.

Coach Tyrone Willingham didn't have much news to share in his last public comments before the team flies to the Bay Area on Friday.

In most cases, the no news was good news, as Willingham reported no new injuries and the team in generally good health including an encouraging week from linebacker E.J. Savannah who apparently hasn't been slowed this week by his longterm stinger.

Regarding the travel party, a couple of interesting -- if not crucial -- questions remained unanswered: How many tailbacks are traveling and will J.R. Hasty be among them? Willingham's answers: "I don't know yet."

If the 10 coaches today agreed on anything, it was that this is the best and deeped Pac-10 basketball has ever been ... and several coaches called it the best conference in the nation.

I'll write more about that in the Friday paper. Here, meanwhile, are each of the coaches on other topics (in the media's predicted order of finish):

UCLA
“We’ve had a number of different nagging injuries throught the preseason. We are very excited about our core group returning from two Final Fours and adding the best high school player in the nation (center Kevin Love). – Ben Howland

2. WASHINGTON STATE
“We’re like most teams in college basketball: We are close to being good, and close to not being good. I like my team because we have veterans. ... We rely on experience. There is no substitute for juniors and seniors.” – Tony Bennett.

3. OREGON
“We lost a great player in Aaron Brooks, he was the leading scorer in the Pac-10 last season. But we have four starters back, and we need to figure out who is going to be that guy this is going to step up and win basketball games for us.” – Ernie Kent.

4. ARIZONA
'We started two freshmen a year ago in Chase Budinger and Jordan Hill. ... The sophomore class is a very key class for us. We signed an outstanding group of freshmen, just like I guess everybody else in this conference did." – Lute Olson.

5. STANFORD
“I’m as relaxed as I’ve been at this point. ... We’re clearly a much better basketball team than we were last year. We should be a very good defensive team and a good rebounding team.” – Trent Johnson.

6. USC
“We lost more than anybody in the Pac-10 last year. ... We lost 44 points per game. But hopefully we have gained more than anybody in the league. That’s the only way we’ll be able to compete.” – Tim Floyd.

7. CALIFORNIA
“I’m really encouraged by our big guys. We were one of the smallest teams last year, and this year we are one of the biggest. We hope our big guys will be our strength.” – Ben Braun.

8. WASHINGTON
“We’re ready to go. We’ve got a group coming back that will allow us to be a little more expereinced, as opposed to last year when we were embryos, basically, trying to win basketball games.” – Lorenzo Romar.

9. ARIZONA STATE
“Right now we have some very healthy competition in practice. Guys are really working to fill out their roles. I don’t know that everyone will retain their starting role from last season because we’ve really improved our depth and we do have some healthy competition.” – Herb Sendek.

10. OREGON STATE
“We did have turnover – five players that had eligibility did not return, including one senior. We had six scholarships that we were able to fill with better players, so we will be a better team than we were a year ago.” – Jay John.

After a couple of weeks off, the Groz and I will be back talking about the Huskies at 2:35 this afternoon on KJR, 950-AM. There's no lack of football issues, but I suspect we'll also talk about news out of today's Pac-10 basketball media day too.

The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

Coach Lorenzo Romar just announced at Pac-10 media day that senior guard Ryan Appleby suffered a fractured thumb on his shooting hand Wednesday and is expected to miss six weeks of action. Romar said Appleby hurt himself during a rebounding drill.

Romar said his starting lineup for this season remains undecided and highly fluid, however, once certainty was that Appleby would have been part of it.

In Appleby's absence, Romar says his best shooter is likely 7-foot Joe Wolfinger or perhaps sophomore Adrian Oliver.

UCLA was a near-unanimous choice to win the Pacific-10 Conference men’s basketball race this season, in the annual poll of media who cover the league.

Washington State picked up the only other first-place vote, and was rated second overall.

The media sees Washington tumbling to eighth place … although it wouls be noted that this same group picked WSU in the cellar a season ago.

Here are the results (first-place votes) and total points.
1. UCLA (33 of 34) 339
2. WSU (1) 273
3. Oregon 240
4. Arizona 238
5. Stanford 205
6. USC 184
7. California 140
8. Washington 132
9. Arizona State 81
10. Oregon State 38

No. 6 Arizona State at No. 4 Oregon. Sun Devils can’t afford QB with thumb injury. Ducks, 38-24.

Oregon State at No. 13 USC. Beavers haven’t won in Coliseum since 1960. SC, 27-17.

Washington State at California. Hard to imagine Bears losing fourth in a row. Cal, 42-27.

UCLA at Arizona. Who can tell with these guys, but home field and healthy quarterback favors Cats. Arizona, 37-35.

Washington at Stanford. With backs to wall, UW defense has to improve … doesn’t it? UW, 35-27.

Last week: 3-2
Season: 31-14.