TNT reporter Eric Williams went up to UW today, while I worked on other things.

Here's the beginning of his report for the Wednesday paper:

Even with his right arm in a sling and a soft cast protecting his surgically repaired thumb, University of Washington quarterback Jake Locker mulled the possibility of getting on the field.

Locker said his surgery went fine during a press conference with reporters on Tuesday, and confirmed he’ll likely be out six to eight weeks until the right thumb on his throwing hand heals. However, asked if he would consider returning early from the injury to help his team at another position, Locker left little doubt.

“I’m definitely open to it,” Locker said. “I’d rather be playing than sitting on the sidelines. Whatever is in the best interest of this team, whether it’s playing or not, I’ll give it a shot.”

And her are some of his other notes from the day:

Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said running back David Freeman has two bad ankles and probably will not play this week. The Huskies will rely on a three-back rotation of Brandon Yakaboski, Brandon Johnson and Willie Griffin. … Lappano also said the offensive line had its best game of the season against Stanford, playing more physical and with better technique. In particular, Lappano singled out the play of senior center Juan Garcia. “It wasn’t where we need to be yet, but it was pretty good,” Lappano said. … True freshman Anthony Boyles and Cody Bruns could see some time this week, according to Lappano. …D’Andre Goodwin said he has hurt ribs but expects to play this week. Goodwin was limited in practice.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said today that safety Darin Harris continues to show concussion symptons and therefore, the timing of his return to the team remains uncertain.

Willingham also said that cornerback Byron Davenport will undergo knee surgery in October. Willingham didn't say that will end Davenport's UW career, but that seems a reasonable expectation.

The only glimmer of better news was a report that safety Victor Aiyewa (groin) will begin "some limited moverment" as the team returns to practice this afternoon.

Tyrone Willingham says he would resign if he didn't see himself as part of the solution.

Scott Woodward says he doesn't believe in mid-season firings.

Here's your chance to weigh in with what you think, on the TNT poll on whether Willingham should be fired.

Meanwhile, there was predictably a lot of discussion on and around this general topic today, including a few minutes I spent with Willingham one-on-one. Here are Willingham quotes from that discussion:

On whether he would consider resignation:
I’ve always said this, that it is important that everybody in our program be part of the solution. And I’ve always said that if I’m cynical about my job then, no, I don’t want to do my job. If I’m not living up to the tenants that I’ve set for myself and our young men in our program, then I’ll make the right decisions that reflect the right things to do for our young men and our university.

On if resigning would make people think he's a quitter:
You can’t control what other people think. When you win games, you don’t win by enough points. When you lose, you’re the worst coach in the country. I listened to (Tennessee coach) Phil Fulmer the other day and Phil said, I think, 'All of a sudden I didn’t become stupid.' So you’re not going to control what people say, feel or believe, so I’m not going to get into that. I’m going to be true to our university, I’m going to be true to our young men.

On why he isn't resigning:
I think we can win football games. I think we can be a good football team. We’ve shown that we can score points on offense, even against Oklahoma we moved the football. Unfortunately, we turned it over, which is not good; you can’t do that against a great football team. I thought we had a heck of a football game against BYU. Against Oregon we didn’t do very much. But at the same time, at halftime that was a close football game. So I think there are some things there. What we have to do is figure out a way to get over the hump. So that’s my job to figure out something to just change, switch, do something to get us over the hump. It’s the players’ responsibility to make plays when they get the opportunity to do both of that. So we’ve got to do both of those, and that’s been consistent since the day I arrived here. We’ve got to find a way to get over the hump and when we do that it’s really pretty nice.

And a few more questions on the topic from the press conference itself:

On whether he needs to vary his message to the team before they tune him out:
I think that with the young men that you have today, you always have to have a new message, a new presentation or a new way of presenting it. I think that’s the age we live in. I kind of call it the seven minute culture. I think it’s because TV’s commercials are every seven minutes. So you’ve got to change the message. But at the same time it does not mean that you can’t drive home the same message because no matter what you do, there are fundamentals to writing, there are fundamentals to reading, there are fundamentals to athletics. There are fundamentals to everything that we do, and we have got to learn those fundamentals so those have got to be a part of our game and you can’t get away from those. But you do have to change things up, you do have to have some variety, you do have to have some diversity. So I have to come up with a new way of saying something very consistently that catches their imagination, gets their thought process and triggers it in a different light but at the same time it’s still very fundamentally sound with what we have to do. Because no matter what you change, it’s still a game of blocking, tackling, running, catching.

On what he would tell an employer about why he should keep his job:
Because I have the enthusiasm for it, the focus and concentration for it, and I’m still very much into what I’m doing.

On what he turns to through tough times:
I turn one, to my experience of having been in tough situations as a kid coming forward. You look at all the things that you’ve done in your life that every now and then you have to go back and count your successes – and I’ve had a few successes since I was born, and waking up this morning is one of those. It’s not bad.

Realdawg.com is reporting that Deandre Coleman, perhaps the most prized recruit in the state this year, has backed off of his earlier oral commitment to Washington.

“I am opening up my recruitment,” he told RealDawg. “This is a very big decision and one of the most important decisions that I will ever have to make. ... I still like Washington. My family and I just decided that I should look at other schools to make sure this was the right choice. The Huskies are having a rough season right, now and I’m not sure if Willingham will be there next year. I’ll take all of my visits and make a decision sometime in the future.”

Coleman 6-6, 290-pound defensive tackle at Garfield High School.

Obviously, with UW's present in such a sorry state, some idea of a brighter future is one of the few things fans have to look forward to. If recruits start jumping ship, or other prospects continue staying away, that could become a very big hole on what is already increasingly seen as a sinking ship.

Jake Locker underwent surgery on his fractured right thumb this morning. He will speak to the media tomorrow.

Locker would be expected to miss six to eight weeks ... as a quarterback. However, coach Tyrone Willingham confirmed that it is possible Locker could return at another position. He would not say what position that would be, or even whether it would be offense or defense.

Willingham discounted the danger of Locker being injured if he returns, say, as a safety; noting that all football players run the risk of injury at all positions -- including quarterback, obviously.

Some direct quotes from Willingham today:

On Locker:
He did have a fracture coming out of the ballgame, of the first metacarpal of the thumb and it required surgery. The surgery should have started at some point this morning, I think right around 11 o’clock give or take a few minutes. And what it appears to be is it could be as many as six to eight weeks is typically the recovery time for that injury. Outside of that we don’t know anymore at this time.

On Locker changing positions:
It is possible. I couldn’t tell you where right now, but I think I said and others have said that he is a tremendous athlete with the ability to play five, six, seven positions exists.

On Locker's risk of injury at another position:
You always run that risk. The play that he got hurt on was an extra-effort play that really didn’t contact anybody other than the ground. So that risk is always there. But this is a young man – every much like a lot of young men that we have on our football team – wants to win. And he’ll be willing to do anything that will help the football team and win.

On what position he might move to:
That would be a little stretch for me right now because you really don’t know how he’ll come back and what that means. Does that mean he has a cast on the size of a helmet or something of that nature. How will be he outfitted. All of those things. I wouldn’t speculate.

Washington coaches have honored quarterback Ronnie Fouch (offense) and LB Chris Stevens (special teams) as players of the week for their performance against Stanford.

However, for the first time this season, no defensive players were honored.

Fouch entered in relief of starting QB Jake Locker and completed 13 of 27 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown.

Stevens was credited with three tackles.

Also honored were LB Fred Wiggs, C Mykenna Ikehara and S Greg Walker for their work on service teams.

Meanwhile, RB David Freeman and LB Donald Butler, who were injured in the loss to Stanford, remain listed atop their position depth charts.

At quarterback, Fouch is listed as the starter with walk-on Taylor Bean No. 2 and true freshman Luther Leonard No. 3.

There are two undecided starting positions listed: Alvin Logan or Jermaine Kearse at wide receiver and Joshua Gage or Matt Houston at outside linebacker.

Here's my UW roundup from today's paper.

Plus...

LAST WEEK
Washington fell to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference with a 35-28 home loss to Stanford. The Huskies are the last major conference team without a victory, and one of only three winless teams in the 119-team NCAA Bowl Subdivision. Coaches and players admit they do not understand why.

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON
Freshman tailback David Freeman continued to run well with 64 yards on seven carries – a 9.1-yard average. Freshman receiver Jermaine Kearse caught six passes for 52 yards. Linebacker Mason Foster and safety Nate Williams provided nine tackles. QB Ronnie Fouch did well when forced into action.

SOMETHING TO WORK ON
The defense actually seems to have regressed from last season. Stanford came into the game averaging 272.5 yards of total offense, and ripped the Huskies for 466. The loss dropped the Huskies to 118th out of 119 teams in total defense and to dead last in pass efficiency defense. UW still hasn't recorded a sack.

PERSONNEL ISSUES
Quarterback Jake Locker is out indefinitely with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. He will see a hand specialist on Monday, but redshirt freshman Fouch will certainly move into the starting role this week. Three other starters also left with injuries of undetermined severity: Freeman (ankle), leading receiver D'Andre Goodwin (ribs), and LB Donald Butler (concussion).

THE WEEK AHEAD
The Huskies hit the road for the first time since August as they visit 3-1 Arizona on on Saturday. The Wildcats have the No. 3 offense in the Pac-10, averaging 42.5 points and 423.5 yards per game. Meanwhile, UW players and coaches must try to tune out increasing calls for coach Tyrone Willingham's job.

Meanwhile, here is a link to the official Arizona football website.

And another to the Arizona Daily Star sports section.

And one more to the coverage of the Tucson Citizen.

There is no update on the condition of UW quarterback Jake Locker today. He is scheduled to see a hand specialist Monday morning.

If the exam is finished in time, Locker might meet the media at our normal Monday press conference at UW.

Locker, of course, broke the thumb of his right (throwing) hand in Saturday night's loss to Stanford. It is not yet known how long he will be out, but there is every indication that this will take most, if not all, of the rest of the regular season.

Meanwhile, here is a quick take from Arizona Daily Star columnist Greg Hansen on the importance of Locker to the Huskies, and of his absence to the game this Saturday in Tucson.

Coach Tyrone Willingham opened the interview session after his team's 35-28 loss to Stanford with this statement:

“This one is very difficult for me to stand before you because I felt like we had a football team that would be able to go out and win this football game. Not being disrespectful to Stanford, because they played a good game, but I felt like we could win the football game.”

He was asked it this is the toughest spot he's ever been in as a coach.

"Without question," he said. "Without question. Because there are so many things flying around my young men right now, and we’re trying to keep them focused on that next task, that next goal. Because they’re frustrated, the coaches are frustrated. Everyone’s frustrated, the fans are frustrated. We want to get this thing right."

He was asked if "things flying around" means the speculation that he might be fired.

"Everything," he said. "There is enough stuff going around out there to probably cure our national debt right now."

Here are some additional notes and quotes that time didn't allow into my story in the Sunday paper:

WILLINGHAM on Jake Locker's injury
"He has a fracture of his (right) thumb and we'll see exactly what the dimensions of that are, so that will determine, once we figure that out, what kind of timetable he will be on."

WILLINGHAM on the Huskies
"We can't seem to get the right rhythm.We put pressure, but thon one pressure, they catch it in front of us, they break tackles, they do things. And then we don't put pressure, we don't stop them that way. We're just not where we'd like to be. We're trying to figure it out and get everyone where they need to be. And we haven't found that cure."

WILLINGHAM on the defense
"Obviously, we're playing a lot of young guys and to some degree that hurts you. But that's not an excuse and we won't accept that as an excuse. We need to get it right tomorrow and that's what our efforts will be. We've been trying to do that. At some point, I believe it will click and it will work and we'll have the kind of defense that we will be proud of and give us a chance to win football games."

DE DANIEL TE'O NESHEIM on no UW sacks yet this season
"We need to get to the quarterback. Already it's been too long. We've got to fix this. I'm not totally sure what it is that's causing this, but we have to fix it."

STANFORD COACH JIM HARBAUGH overview
"Our guys played their tails off tonight. We put in some new personnel groups, had some two tight end/two running back formations and had some different shifts and motions and guys were playing different positions than they were accustomed to, but we didn't have any penalties or time outs as a result of that and it really gave us a lot of momentum."

HARBAUGH on QB Tavita Pritchard
"This was his best night as a quarterback here at Stanford. ... He had a heck of a game. ... The (pass) to Baldwin for the touchdown today ... he threw it as good as anyone can throw it. You can't throw it better."

PRITCHARD (of Tacoma and Clover Park HS) on returning to his home state
"It's great to come back to Washington. It's clean air up here -- I love it up here. When I flew in here and saw all of the green, I was telling these guys it's God's country up here -- it's beautiful. I love coming back up -- a lot of family."

GAME NOTES
Brandon Johnson had his first two-touchdown game as a college player.

This was the first game of the season that QB Jake Locker didn't lead the Huskies in rushing. That honor went to tailback David Freeman who had 64 yards on seven carries.

This also ws the first game that D'Andre Goodwin didn't lead the Huskies in receptions. True freshman Jermaine Kearse had six catches, Goodwin five.

Ronnie Fouch had career highs in attempts (27), completions (13) and yards (186).

Good news: The Huskies haven't thrown an interception this season.

Bad news: They also haven't recorded a sack ... or, of course, a win.

They return to action at 4:45 p.m. Saturday at Arizona.

The Huskies fall to 0-4 overall and 0-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference.

I'll create a new post above with some quotes and additional notes.

However, coach Tyrone Willingham was unusually candid about his disappointment with the result of this game and with all that is surrounding his team and his program.

He had no prognosis regarding Locker but obviously Ronnie Fouch is the starter for now, and walkon Taylor Bean becomes the backup.

Willingham praised Fouch's play tonight and said Locker's injury is no excuse for this loss.

Injury report
UW quarterback Jake Locker left the game in the second quarter with a sprained thumb, suffered when he hit a Stanford helmet on a throw. … Linebacker Donald Butler also left the game after taking a head-on collision while trying to make a tackle. He suffered a concussion and did not return. … Starting UW tailback David Freeman suffered an apparent foot injury late in the game. … On the other side, Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart, who came into the game as the No. 3 rusher in the Pac-10, left the game late in the first quarter after apparently having his bell rung. He did not return, ending the game with 14 yard on two carries.

Players of the game
Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard completed 16 of 24 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Pritchard is a junior from Clover Park High School. Also, Cardinal tailback Anthony Kimble came on in relief of the injured Toby Gerhart and led all rushers with 157 yards on 15 carries. In a game where establishing the running game was the obvious key, Kimble got the job done.

Husky of the game
Redshirt freshman Ronnie Fouch took over the UW offense, subbing for the injured Jake Locker. Fouch completed 13 of 27 passes for 186 yards and one touchdown.

Turning point
In the final minutes of the first half, Pritchard hit receiver Doug Baldwin on a medium crossing pattern and Baldwin turned it up the sideline for a 61-yard touchdown. That allow the Cardinal to head into the locker room with a 21-14 lead that they never relinquished.

Extra points
Washington recorded no sacks for the fourth straight game. … Washington’s game captains were Butler, Locker, Juan Garcia and Daniel Te'o-Nesheim.

Next
4:30 p.m. Saturday, at Arizona, Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz.

Halftime: Stanford scored on a 61-yard pass in the final two minutes of the half. The pass was actually a short cross with receiver Doug Baldwin taking it the final 45 yards.

Locker has been diagnosed with was reported as a sprained thumb on his right hand. However, UW is awaiting results of X-rays.

LB Donald Butler suffered a concussion and is done for the night.

3:11 of 2nd quarter: Huskies drive 76 yards in 12 plays to tie.

4:42 of the second: Ronnie Fouch is quarterbacking the Huskies as Jake Locker has been taken to the locker room with what is being called a hand injury.

8:34 of second: Stanford takes the lead and has moved ahead in total yards. Lots of missed tackles. Stanford has a lot of yards after first contact.

9:03 of 2nd quarter: Stanford first down at UW 20.

Donald Butler went out that series after apparently having his bell rung while trying to make a tackle. Meanwhile, Stanford's Gerhart also remains sitting on the trainer's table, helmet off, with trainers talking to him.

End of first: Washington driving into Stanford territory.

Huskies have 129 total yards, stanford 73. Huskies have rushed for 93 yards, Stanford 40. Receivers are getting open, but Locker hasn't connected yet. However it looks like something is there. UW 10 first downs, Stanford 4.

4:16 of the first: Stanford answers instantly. Both teams want to establish the run, and both are having success running.

Stanford tailback Toby Gerhart went out after a hard hit and remains sitting on the trainer's table.

7:35 of first quarter: Teams opened by swapping turnovers, but UW scored on second possession. Huskies opening big holes for running game so far.

Kickoff: Stanford won the toss and deferred. Washington will receive to start the game.

Washington captains today are Juan Garcia, Jake Locker, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim and Donald Butler.

4:40 p.m. I've arrived at the stadium on a beautiful and kinda warmish late-September day.

It's band day, and the various high school bands are covering the entire playing field right now as they practice what I assume will be their halftime show.

We'll do the usual gameday blogging in the sense that I'll post news as it happens leading up to the game. And then I'll keep the blog running through the game, then turn it over to you for postgame comments, before I return back for final notes and quotes. The only difference is that the deadlines are so tight on these 7 p.m. games that I'll probably have to do less in-game blogging just so we'll be able to get anything at all in the paper. But I will try to pop in with at least quarter-by-quarter reports of this important game.

Kickoff is 7 p.m. on FSN.

As Saturday dawns, one of the biggest games of this Washington Huskies season -- and perhaps many seasons yet to come -- draws ever closer.

Here's my preview story from today's paper. Here's a look at the coaching implications from the Mercury News in the Bay Area. And here's one from Redwood City, Calif., that kind of reminds that Stanford fans sort of expect to win this one just as much as UW fans.

I'll be leaving for the stadium in the late afternoon and will begin normal gameday blogging then. Meanwhile, a quick look ahead:

STANFORD (2-2 OVERALL, 1-1 PAC-10)
AT WASHINGTON (0-3, 0-1)

Kickoff: 7 p.m., Husky Stadium.
Television: FSN. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: Washington leads, 40-34-3, including 21 wins in the last 25 meetings. The Huskies won last season, 27-9, at Stanford. The Cardinal won its last time in Husky Stadium, 20-3, in 2006.

What to watch: Both teams want to establish the run. That should be especially important for the Cardinal, which will send the Pac-10’s No. 3 runner against the nation’s No. 100 run defense. However, if the UW defensive can hold its ground, Stanford will have to try to fire up a passing offense that ranks last in the league and 109th nationally.

What’s at stake: Washington is looking for its first win, after starting 0-3 against three ranked teams. A loss to Stanford would ignite UW’s coaching controversy to new heights. Meanwhile, a Cardinal win would move them into the top half of the suddenly wide-open conference race. The bowl math gets far more difficult for tonight’s loser.

TNT pick: UW, 26-24. Two pretty evenly matched teams, but home field and Jake Locker should tip the scales.

With Oregon State's 27-21 upset of USC standing as a reminder of how dangerous picking conference games can be, here are the rest of week's picks:

No. 25 Fresno State at UCLA. More than 20,000 Fresno fans expected at Rose Bowl. Bulldogs, 31-21.

Colorado State at California. Road team has won previous two meetings. Cal, 35-17.

Oregon at Washington State. Quarterback troubles cancel each other out. Oregon, 40-10.

Stanford at Washington. Might be now-or-never for Willingham and Huskies. UW, 26-24.

Last week: 4-2 (including OSU-USC).
Season: 24-6.
UW games: 3-0.

In our final meeting with coach Tyrone Willingham before Saturday, the coach acknowledged that Stanford is a big game ... but not for the reason you might expect.

"I’ve made it clear that we have a very good conference and it’s been good for a long time," Willingham said. "But in a lot of those years the champion has had one loss. We’ve got ours already. There’s no room for us to error. So we have to understand that if we’re a team that’s going to get back in this thing, I think everyone would say right now – across the country they’re saying it: SC seems to be the clear leader. Other than that you could say maybe anyone could emerge in those other spots. So we’d like to be in one of those spots."

A few other Willingham notes:

Receiver Chancellor Young, who was spotted on crutches this week, has a knee bruise expected to keep him out at least a couple of weeks.

True freshman DT Craig Noble is practicing, but is being brought along slowly to avoid injury since he had no training camp.

Willingham said he also doesn't expect true freshmen WR Cody Bruns, WR Anthony Boyles or TB Terrance Dailey to make their college debuts this week.

Safety Victor Aiyewa remains out with a groin injury doctor's apparently haven't fully figured out.

Tailback Chris Polk had shoulder surgery Wednesday, is expected out of the hospital today and should be ready for spring practice.

Matt Houston is expected to start ahead of Joshua Gage at linebacker Saturday, although both will play.

And finally, receiver Curtis Shaw, who left the team in August for personal reasons, was spotted watching practice Thursday.

ESPN has announced that it will tipoff the coming college basketball season Nov. 18 with 23 hours of coverage featuring teams from 14 conferences ... none of them named the Pacific-10 Conference.

(Nov. 18 is the day that the Washington Huskies will play their home-opener, hosting Cleveland State in the first round of the College Basketball Experience tournament, which concludes the following week in Kansas City.)

Otherwise, though, it sounds like fun.

Here's the news release:

ESPN will celebrate the start of the 2008-09 college basketball season with the new College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon featuring 23 consecutive hours of live college basketball game and studio programming Tuesday, Nov. 18. The new creative way to mark the opening of the season will begin at midnight ET with a tripleheader of live games: Massachusetts at Memphis followed by Fresno State at St. Mary’s at 2 a.m. and Idaho State at Hawaii at 4 a.m. Coverage will conclude with Kentucky at North Carolina at 9 p.m.

ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU will offer 33 total hours of coverage overall highlighted by 14 game telecasts, including defending national champion Kansas on ESPNU at 9 p.m. ESPN360.com will offer a simulcast of every ESPN and ESPN2 telecast.

ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon highlights include:

· The first of ESPN’s nine game telecasts will feature current Memphis coach John Calipari, a participant in last year’s NCAA Tournament Championship game, against Massachusetts, where he coached from 1988-96 and led the Minutemen to their only NCAA Final Four appearance.

· ESPN’s coverage will conclude at 9 p.m. with a showdown between the two winningest teams in college basketball history when Kentucky visits North Carolina, which returns all five starters -- including National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough – to a team that made it to last year’s Final Four.

· College GameDay will originate from Chapel Hill, N.C., site of Kentucky at North Carolina (televised on ESPN at 9 p.m.), for a one-hour show at 8 p.m.

· In addition to games at midnight, 2 a.m., 4 a.m. and 9 p.m., ESPN will televise five live games consecutively beginning at 10 a.m.

· ESPN’s coverage will include a game played in five different United States time zones -- Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific and Hawaiian – and at least 14 different conferences (Big Ten, Big 12, BIG EAST, SEC, ACC, Atlantic 10, Conference USA, WAC, WCC, Big Sky, Ivy, Colonial, Big South and Summit).

·ESPN’s 2 p.m. telecast will feature Iowa at Kansas in a women’s matchup.

·Coverage will include the College Hoops Tip-Off Special, a live four-hour studio show originating from ESPN’s studios in Charlotte, N.C., beginning at 6 a.m.

·In addition to the College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 will televise a tripleheader of 2008 NIT Season Tip-Off matchups beginning at 7:30 p.m. ESPNU will offer a doubleheader beginning with a NIT Season Tip-Off game at 7 p.m. followed by a CBE Classic game at 9 p.m. featuring defending National Champion Kansas.

Last season's Pac-10 TV schedule called for 48 games nationally available on FSN, five nationally or regionally on CBS, four regionally on ABC, at least 23 appearances on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, and one on CSTV.

The Pac-10's 2008-09 TV schedule should be released over the next week or two.

PAC-10 POWER RANKINGS
1 USC (1) 2-0. Conference play – which begins Thursday night – has been Trojans recent downfall.
2 Oregon (2) 3-1, 1-0. Four of next five games on the road.
3 Arizona State (3) 2-2, 1-0. Bye week before tests vs. Cal and USC.
4 California (4) 2-1, 1-0. QB Riley threw school-record 58 passes in loss to Maryland.
5 Arizona (5) 3-1, 1-0. Week off to celebrate, then three of next four games at home.
6 Stanford (6) 2-2, 1-1. Scored 23 straight to run -- and run and run -- past San Jose State.
7 Oregon State (8) 1-2, 0-1. Reality check vs. USC after win over Hawaii.
8 UCLA (7) 1-2, 0-1. How will they answer Fresno coach Pat Hill’s taunts?
9 Washington (9) 0-3, 0-1. Nothing less than the future of the program could be at stake Saturday.
10 Washington State (10) 1-3, 0-1. Likely won’t be favored again this season.

THURSDAY NIGHT PICK
No. 1 Southern California at Oregon State. Seventy-one meetings, nine Beaver wins. USC, 42-13.

Freshman defensive lineman Craig Noble, whose arrival on campus was delayed by high school academic issues, practiced as a Husky for the first time Wednesday.

Coach Tyrone Willingham and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said no firm decision has been made to redshirt Noble this season. And in fact, Willingham said that Noble could be in uniform Saturday when the Huskies host Stanford.

The 6-3, 300-pounder from Taft High in Los Angeles had seemed likely to play as true freshman until his arrival was delayed. However, even with the first third of the season ending Saturday, UW coaches say he might contribute this season ... and perhaps soon.

In other personnel moves, the Huskies have put receiver Charles Hawkins on scholarship. And the team also announced four new walk-on player, all true freshmen: LB Jonathan Amosa (Seattle/Rainier Beach); PK Kevin Howe (San Juan Capistrano, Calif./Capistrano Valley Christian); OL Gavin Silva (Kaneohe, Hawai¹i/Punahou, and DB Warren Woods(Walnut, Calif./Loyola).

Meanwhile, CB Anthony Golbern (shoulder) has decided to withdraw from school and enroll again in January, which Willingham called a mutual decision.

Finally, tailback Chris Polk was scheduled for shoulder surgery today. And receiver Chancellor Young attended practice on crutches and with a brace on his left knee. Willingham hadn't mentioned that, so we'll likely need to wait until Thursday for an explanation.

A few other notes:

Donatell also said last week's bye came at a great time for his young defense. "I saw those guys improve," he said. "...These guys are going to be good Huskies."

Donatell said no decision has been made whether Joshua Gage or Matt Houston will start at outside linebacker Saturday, but that both will play.

Similarly, he plans to continue to rotate numbers along the defensive line, while his options in the secondary remain limited due to injuries.

Here's my story from the Thursday paper on Stanford -- and former Clover Park -- QB Tavita Pritchard.

Here is my Huskies story for today, on the UW running game.

And speaking of today, this is the say that life changes for the Huskies as classes finally begin.

A few reactions from the start of this week:

*Senior tight end Michael Gottlieb: “It definitely doesn’t make it easier, but you just kind of roll with the punches. … We’re still student-athletes, so it’s not a problem.”

*Senior cornerback Mesphin Forrester: “I graduated in June, so … I have a couple of classes, but it’s not that bad. For the freshmen, the first couple of weeks is kind of tough because you have to find your classes and it’s totally different from high school. But (coach Tyrone Willingham) sets up a plan and if you follow it you’ll be all right.”

*True freshman receiver Jermaine Kearse: “We’ve played three games before school starts, so that’s always good to get the focus on football and nothing but it. … They do their best to prepare us for school and manage our time with school work and football.”

And, of course, my favorite -- everyone's favorite -- from sophomore linebacker Mason Foster on Monday: “Oh, man, yeah, I forgot about that. I like school. It’s cool. UW is a beautiful campus, but it just kind of changes up your schedule, so you have to focus and get your work done or you’re going to be in trouble. It’s cool though.”

Tailback Terrance Dailey and receivers Cody Bruns and Anthony Boyles impressed UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano during practices during the bye week. And Lappano admits that the time is coming to decide whether to get those true freshmen onto the field this season or let them redshirt.

Lappano said that Dailey was "tearing it up" in practice. And he said Bruns is beginning to make the same kind of impression he did during fall camp before falling behind with a back injury. Meanwhile, Boyles is improving his route-running and had a touchdown reception in the final scrimmage of last week.

A few other notes from our Tuesday afternoon briefing with Lappano:

*Impressed as he is with several of the true freshmen, Lappano said they can't reach full potential until they mature physically and spend at least one more summer in the weight room.

*The Huskies lead the Pac-10 in third-down conversions, and haven't been stopped yet on third-and-short. Lappano gave credit to fullback Luke Kravitz.

*Looking ahead to Stanford, Lappano said the Cardinal runs a defense similar to last season: lots of stunts and blitzes. Last season's more veteran UW offense handled that just fine, piling up 539 yards of offense ... which Lappano believes should have been converted into more than 27 points. Still, the Huskies won that day, and Lappano acknowledges that it's time to get that first win, then a road win, and continue as a player in a Pac-10 race that he sees as having one super team and nine others of similar talent.

*David Freeman will start at tailback again, but in addition to Lappano's praise for Dailey, he also had good words about Brandon Yakaboski and said that Brandon Johnson had his best week of practice.

After a week off, the Huskies unveiled a new depth chart with several changes and potential changes. Johri Fogerson and Nate Williams are listed as the starting safeties, with Tripper Johnson dropping to second string at both positions.

Elsewhere, there is no determination yet whether Michael Gottlieb, Kavario Middleton or Walt Winter will start at tight end. Alvin Logan and Jermaine Kearse are running even at wide receiver, as are Joshua Gage and Matt Houston at linebacker.

Finally, the name of safety Darin Harris (concussion) does not appear, and Willingham said he is not optimistic about Harris' availability this week.

Turning to Stanford, here's an early scouting report:

STANFORD (2-2 OVERALL, 1-1 PACIFIC-10 CONFERNCE)

7 p.m. Saturday, FSN, at Husky Stadium.

Coach: Jim Harbaugh, 6-10 in his second season at Stanford.

Last week: San Jose State broke to a 10-0 lead before the Cardinal scored the final 23 points. Stanford running back Toby Gerhart ran for a career-high 148 yards on 22 carries. PK Aaron Zagory nailed a career-high three field goals, including a career-long 52-yarder. Stanford limited the Spartans to 219 total yards and registered eight sacks, most by a Pac-10 team this season.

Against the Huskies: Washington leads the series, 40-34-4, and has won 21 of the last 25 meetings, including a 27-9 victory last season. The Cardinal is 1-12 in its last 13 visits to Husky Stadium, however that lone came in the most recent visit, 20-3, in 2006.

Washington connections: UW coach Tyrone Willingham was head coach at Stanford from 1995-2001. Among the current UW staff, only offensive line coach Mike Denbrock worked under Willingham at Stanford. There are three Washingtonians on the Cardinal roster: QB Tavita Pritchard (Tacoma/Clover Park), OL David DeCastro (Bellevue/Bellevue), and WR Marcus Rance (Yakima/Davis).

Scouting report: Stanford ranks ninth in the Pac-10 in total offense, averaging 272.5 yards per game. Gerhart ranks third in the league with 101.8 rushing yards per game. Stanford is averaging 149.5 rushing yards per game, up from 111.2 yards last season. However, the Cardinal's pass offense ranks last in the league in passing yards and pass efficiency. The blitz-happy Cardinal defense has recorded 12 sacks, second in the Pac-10 behind Oregon. However, there's trouble when the rush doesn't get to the QB, as Stanford is ninth in the league in pass defense, giving up 264.8 passing yards per game. (Only Washington allows more: 298.3 yards per game.)

Did you know: When Stanford defeated San Jose State last Saturday, there was a familiar face on the Spartans' sideline: Former UW defensive coordinator Kent Baer is now linebacker coach at SJSU.

The Huskies Oct. 4 game at Arizona will kickoff at 4:30 p.m. and will be televised on the Versus cable networks, UW announced today.

There was always a case to be made that Stanford could end up being the Huskies biggest game of the season. That case depended on Washington getting off to an 0-3 start, and here we are.

The importance of this 7 p.m. Saturday game at Husky Stadium can hardly be overstated.

But Washington's problem is that it's a one-way importance: A win doesn't save the season, but a loss goes a long way to sinking it.

The Huskies have opened five-point favorites.

Anyway, some early-week links:

The Stanford football website.

The Mercury News' college web pages.

And Jon Wilner's excellent Bay Area college sports blog.

Meanwhile, we'll get back into regular game-week coverage around midday Monday, as will will likely get final kickoff time and TV arrangement for the game at Arizona next week, and then we'll hear from Coach Willingham and several Huskies for the first time since Thursday. Naturally, I'll blog as soon as news breaks.

Even with the Huskies off on Saturday, we might have learned a bit more about their past and future.

It's hard to read much of anything into Washington State's win over outmanned Portland State -- except that it leaves UW as the only Pac-10 team without a win. However, it should also be pointed out that UW also is the only Pac-10 schools that hasn't played an unranked team yet.

Still, Oregon's loss to Boise State combined with the Ducks shaky performace last week in Purdue just puts UW's season-opening loss in an even darker light.

On the other hand, BYU's rout of Wyoming reminds that the Huskies are the only team to hang close to the Cougars so far.

Looking ahead, Georgia's sound beating of Arizona State shows that the Sun Devils don't seem to be bringing any super team to Husky Stadium.

And while Arizona's rebound at UCLA redeems the Wildcats a bit, it also reinforces just how bad the Bruins might be. And Florida's easy time in Tennessee also continues to take shine off of UCLA's opening win against the Vols. Yet, Tulsa's demolition of New Mexico raises some red flags to the Lobos' win over Arizona last week.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame was competitive, but not compelling in its loss to unranked Michigan State.

And finally, it's hard to know what to make of Stanford's Jekyll and Hyde win over San Jose State.

But we're sure to find out more next Saturday night when the Cardinal comes to Husky Stadium.

The Huskies are off today, giving me a rare opportunity to sit on my couch -- remote in one hand, unhealthy food in the other -- and watch an endless stream of football.

Here's a roundup of Pac-10 action today.

And here's some more on the game drawing more national attention: Georgia at Arizona State. And the TNT's look at one that I'm most eager to see Portland State at Washington State.

The Washington Huskies men's basketball schedule is mostly complete now, as Cleveland State and Florida International have been named as home opponents in the opening portion of the College Basketball Experience basketball tournament at Hec Ed.

The updated schedule also includes times and TV arrangements for most games.

Here is the news announcement. And here is the complete schedule.

Here's a quick breakdown of highlights from the UW site:

More than 65 percent of the opponents that appear on the University of Washington's men's 2008-09 basketball schedule participated in postseason championship action last spring. The most successful of those was NCAA champ Kansas, the Huskies' semifinal opponent in the O'Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

The UW's schedule features a total of 15 teams that played in the postseason, including eight that appeared in the NCAA Tournament and seven that were invited to play in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). A total of 26 of Washington's 31 games have been pre-selected to appear on television, while the remaining five are still being considered.

And finally, tickets have gone on sale for the semifinal, consolation and championship games of the CBE tournament, which will be played in Kansas City. Here is a link to the tournament website.

No. 3 Georgia at Arizona State. Devils’ misstep vs. UNLV took some shine off of this one. Georgia, 24-21.
Boise State at No. 17 Oregon. Ducks 28-1 in non-conference home games under Mike Bellotti. Oregon, 37-24.
Arizona at UCLA. Disappointed over embarrassed. Wildcats, 38-27.
San Jose State at Stanford. Struggling Cardinal offense should find some space against Spartans. Stanford, 27-13.
Portland State at Washington State. Vikings 0-6 vs. Pac-10 opponents. If form holds, Huskies become only winless Pac-10 team.WSU, 31-24.

Last week: 7-3
Season: 50-9

The Las Vegas Sun gave the first report that I saw regarding Clarence Trent, a 6-8 forward from Gig Harbor, giving an oral commitment to play his college ball at the University of Washington. And now that report has been confirmed by several sources, including Dawgman.com. (Here's the Sun story.)

And here's a News Tribune story saying former Bellarmine star Avery Bradley has committed to Texas.

Trent becomes the third member of coach Lorenzo Romar's freshman class of 2009, joining shooting guard C.J. Wilcox and juco forward Charles Garcia.

We're getting a little less access to the Huskies during the bye week, but coach Tyrone Willingham said today that the week is going well.

"Our focus this week is to try and become a better football team, and I think we're one day away from doing that of course with our practice this afternoon," he said Thursday. "But I think we've gotten some good work, and our work has been concentrated on trying to get all levels of our team better. A lot of times you think of the bye week as just being something to improve your health – and one, we've wanted to do that at the right places – but at the same time we need to get our starters better, our backups better, our young kids keep developing them. And so far I think we've been able to do that through scrimmaging and through our practice and preparation work for Stanford, which has been our other area of focus."

In other news, Willingham said:

*He doesn't expect the starting lineup to look much different for Stanford than it did for Oklahoma.

*Some players in the secondary are working at both safety and corner, but there are no real position changes in the works.

* There are no roster additions or subtractions, including no final word on whether recruit Craig Noble will enroll soon or in January.

* Several players are dealing with various health issues, but few are expected to be unavailable for Sept. 27. TE Kavario Middleton is working, but not yet at 100 percent. Alameda Ta'amu has been out this week including today after having some dental work done, Darin Harris remains out, and Chancellor Young is out with a knee bruise of undetermined severity. CB Byron Davenport remains out, but Willingham said there is no thought of seeking a sixth year for him.

* Willingham also followed up on his comments from yesterday, that he welcomes the news that Scott Woodward has taken the full-time ADs job. He also mentioned that he likes Woodward's idea of easing back on the out-of-conference schedule a bit.

The Bottom Ten college football rankings column piles on this state's football troubles with a No. 3 ranking to the Huskies/Cougars combo.

However, it's hard to argue much as long as they remain the only winless teams in the Pac-10 ... which also was reflected in my weekly Pac-10 power rankings:

Pac-10
1 USC (1) 2-0. Very good team in a very suspect conference.
2 Oregon (3) 3-0, 1-0. Went into Big Ten stadium and gutted out a win.
3 Arizona State (2) 2-1, 1-0. Devils 23-11 under QB Carpenter … but No. 11 stung.
4 California (4) 2-1, 1-0. No more early alarms with four of next five at home.
5 Arizona (5) 2-1. Non-conference offered three easy wins; Cats got only two.
6 Stanford (7) 1-2, 1-1. Good TCU defense, but Cardinal offense is struggling.
7 UCLA (6) 1-1. Made BYU look a lot better than they had a Husky Stadium.
8 Oregon State (9) 1-2, 0-1. Are Beavers growing up or is Hawaii awful?
9 Washington (8) 0-3, 0-1. Three losses no surprise, but two routs a bad sign.
10 Washington State (10) 0-3, 0-1. At lowest depths of FBS, with FCS test ahead.

In the two posts below, you can read (and read and read) much of what UW president Mark Emmert and new UW athletic director Scott Woodward said Wednesday as the immediate fate of Huskies athletic was passed to Woodward.

For those wanting more of a skimmers' version, here are five things that stuck with me after a day of hearing it all and writing on quite a bit of it.

1.) Emmert and Woodward have seen big-time college football up close and personal in the heart of the Southeastern Conference -- LSU, not Vanderbilt. Unless events prove otherwise, the default assumption should probably be that they know what they're doing.

2.) I believe them when they say they do not yet know what will happen with this coaching staff at the end of the season. It seems that they would very much like Willingham to succeed; but absent success, they seem ready to make a move.

3.) Something will happen in December. Willingham will get a new contract, or Woodward will get a new coach; but it seems unlikely Woodward will send Willingham into the fifth-year of a five-year contract as a potential lame duck.

4.) The days of the 2007 and 2008 schedules will slowly phase out. The next few schedules are mostly set, but eventually teams like Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Nebraska will be the exceptions in out-of-conference schedules that will also include Indianas and Idahos.

5.) They seem to believe the Husky Stadium renovation will get done. And Woodward's background in the big leagues of Louisiana politics shouldn't be underestimated.

Here are some of the most interesting things I heard today from new UW athletic director Scott Woodward:

Is he happy about the football program?
No, I’m not happy. Nor is coach Willingham, nor are the student athletes who participate in football. No one’s happy. I go out to practice every single day and I’m in the training room every single day and I’m in the study hall and I’m in the training table every single day. And I see these kids and I look in their eyes, they’re not happy, but they’re working hard, they’re nowhere near quitting, and they’re going to give it their best. This is early in the season and it’s premature to talk about anything but supporting these Huskies and supporting them as best as we can.

On his relationship with Willingham:
Very good. Coach Willingham is a fabulous person and a fabulous coach. I’ve spent an enormous amount of time with the football program. We’ve put a lot of resources both financial and personnel into football, and fixing football was one of the top priorities that I’ve had coming in here, and it will continue to be.

Follow-up on why he believes Willingham is a fabulous coach:
I'll judge that at the end of the season and hope that we get our wins that we think we can because we're doing a lot of good things and you just have that corner to turn, and it's hard to do, and I'm optimistic that corner will be turned.

His philosophy about changing coaches in mid-season:
It’s still to be evaluated at the right time, and now’s the right time in my opinion. But I do have a philosophy that you judge a body of work at the end of the season, and that’s how we’ll do it.

Whether he must either give Willingham a new contract or hire a new coach after this season:
I haven't definitely decided that, but I would think that the two scenarios you laid out would be the scenarios we go down.

On whether football attendance will figure in on his decision:
It'll be in the calculus, but not mega. Sure, it's in the calculus. … I think if you watch the trends of attendance we hit a bottom and we're coming out of that trough. But there's no doubt about it, we have to put a better product on the field and our fans have to feel good about it. Like I've said, our coaches and our student athletes are working their tails off and they're doing everything they can to get those so-far elusive wins.

The current status of the stadium renovation project:
We’re asking two things. What we’re guessing right now is a $300 million project. We’re going to ask the state for the tourism taxes, which we pay heavily into with our visiting teams and their fans, the hotel-motel tax, restaurant tax, and rental car tax. We’re going to ask to be a part of that mix when it’s decided in Olympia and is take to King County. So that’s half of where we’re seeking funding. And of that half, the only thing that we’re going to ask for is going to be seismic, health and safety, ADA and things that really are the basis of this whole facility which is a safe facility. The second part will be a combination of current seat donor increases, philanthropic asks and I’m going to see how much we can carve out of our department to service some debt of that other $150 million dollars. So it’ll be a 50-50 split and it’ll be the same thing that we’ve been preaching for a long time now.

On reconnecting with unhappy football fans:
Win some ball games. That's the important thing. Like I said in the press conference, your warts show when you're losing and when you're winning they go away, kind of. We have to win some ball games, that's crucial.

On if he thinks there is dissatisfaction beyond mere losing:
I don't. I think that's the paramount issue. There may be some disconnect in some pocket areas and we'll try to figure what those are. But we're doing everything that we can to make it a great fan experience, our people are well-behaved and they support this place. I mean, look at our record over the past three or four years: It's abysmal. And look at the crowd that we have on a beautiful day in September and they're still there supporting these kids. Is there going to be a lot of chirping from a lot of disgruntled fans who want instant results? Heck yeah, I understand that, I get that. They can complain all they want because they have a right to.

On his football scheduling philosophy:
My philosophy is, I kind of like the A-B-C schedule of non-conference games. You schedule a good, competitive BCS school, and then kind of a lower-tier BCS school as your B, and then a non-BCS school as your C competition.

On media relations:
I know y'all have a job to do. I try to be as transparent as I can be and tell you what I can tell you. I know that you have a job to do and Richard and I are going to try to make it as easy as possible. But know my philosophy on coach Willingham: He's the COO of college football. I'm going to let him do things he likes to do. I'm going to tell you that he and I – just like my boss – we have disagreements, we handle them within those four walls and we come out together on them. … The West Coast is different. Most people open up their practices. Everywhere (else) I've been and everywhere I've ever noticed, they lock them down. … They know people are always watching and spying and they get very paranoid about it and rightfully so. So I have sympathy for it. But I also know that you guys help us promote our program and that you have a readership that wants to know what's going on here. So my philosophy is I love Pete Carroll and what he does. It's great, It's awesome. I like that. But I also know that championship football sometimes needs a competitive edge, and that (Nick) Saban philosophy of closing it down and locking it down has its merits.

Here are a few of the most interesting things I heard from UW president Mark Emmert as he named Scott Woodward athletic director:

On the selection
For me, when all was said and done, this was actually a very easy choice. There were many people that would like to have this job. There is no question that we have our challenges in facilities and a variety of other areas, but the fact remains that this is one of the great programs in the country and I know Scott is excited to take it on.

On the football program
Obviously we don’t have as many wins in the football program as anybody would like, but the fact remains that the University of Washington, when you look at athletic programs around the country, is a spectacular program and a great opportunity for anyone. I didn’t talk to anybody who was scared by all of that. I know that that’s been some of the chatter in the media, but frankly that doesn’t make any sense. We’ve got a great solid budget, we’ve got a fabulous tradition in all of our sports, we got, while we have facilities that need work, they’re not unimaginable problems to get fixed. This is a great opportunity. So I didn’t hear from anyone that, ‘No, I don’t want to go to the University of Washington.’ So I think that can be easily dismissed, though there will always be people speculating on that.

On how he and Woodward will agree on the biggest athletics department decisions:
Just like I do with all the other administrators in my cabinet when there are decisions that need to be made that are large policy decisions that have some significant impact on the future of a program or a major personnel change, then I would expect, and I know from years of working with Scott, I would be involved in that decision, just as I do with my other people. Day to day affairs, running the operation and the tactical rather than the strategic issues, that’s entirely up to Scott. This is his department, not mine.

On how he and Woodward met: I came across the name in my first months at LSU. I got down there and much to my amazement found they didn't have a state relations guy. So I started asking legislators and political leaders who they would suggest, and both Republicans and Democrats, Senators and representatives and everybody I asked said, 'The guy you want is Scott Woodward.' Because he had this great reputation for fairness and openness and a great love of the university. I talked to several other people, but when I interviewed Scott I realized that he was the guy, and I hired him. I hired him first to work in state relations and then expanded his portfolio over the four and a half years we were together there. And then when I came up here I brought him with me to work on those same kinds of issues.

Football coach Tyrone Willingham attended today's press conference announcing that Scott Woodward as the school's new athletic director. However, Willingham left before we could get his reaction to the news.

The school just put out this statement from Willingham:

“It is exciting to now have a leader and a direction for our department. Scott’s passion for football is clearly evident but his dedication extends to all our athletic teams. He has experience with some outstanding programs, which have benefited from his leadership and high level of expectation. Our time together has been positive and I look forward to continuing to work with him.”

Scott Woodward, who has served as UW's interim athletic director since January, was named to the full-time job this morning. Here is the official announcement from UW.

University president Mark Emmert made the announcement at an 11 a.m. press conference on campus.

In that press conference, Woodward said that the football program "is obviously struggling mightily." And he said the solution for declining attendance and increasing dissatisfaction with the program is to win more football games.

He said a "very good" relationship with coach Tyrone Willingham, and called Willingham a "fabulous" coach.

However, Woodward said he will re-assess the coaching situation at the end of the year. And he said it is most likely that he will either extend Willingham's contract or terminate it -- rather than sending Willingham into the fifth year of a five-year contract.

Woodward also said that he thinks the ideal UW football schedule would follow the A-B-C tiers of out-of-conference opponents: one big-name BCS school, a lower-level BCS school, and a non-BCS school.

The A.D. job had been open since January, when Todd Turner left the job under pressure.

Top chores awaiting Woodward include the renovation of Husky Stadium and deciding on the future of football coach Tyrone Willingham, who is 0-3 in this, the fourth season of his five-year contract.

Woodward has been UW's vice president of external affairs since February 2006, and seems to have the full confidence of Emmert. In fact, the No. 1 issue working against him for the AD job was Emmert's eagerness to keep him in the external affairs job.

Woodward has admitted his own interest in the AD's job for months, but has always stated that he will serve however Emmert wants.

Emmert said he conducted an extensive AD search, interviewed about a dozen people and passed along about a half-dozen of those names to his AD search committee. However, in the end he decided Woodward was the right man after all.

The both men came to UW from LSU, where they experienced the Tigers' national championship under Nick Saban, who Emmert is credited with hiring.

Woodward also has a history of fund-raising and working with the state governments -- two credentials that should come in handy with the Husky Stadium renovation.

He retains his taste for Louisiana food, and for successful football programs that can drive success in other sports. He hinted that plans for a new UW baseball park will be announced soon.

As acting AD he has stated his preference for a more open program than Willingham traditionally runs, however he also said he places more value on allowing the coach to run the program in his own way ... and to live or die the consequences. He repeated that today.

UW's new and long-awaited athletic director will be named at 11 a.m. this morning during a press conference called by university president Mark Emmert. The press conference will be streamed live on Gohuskies.com.

The job has been open since January, when Todd Turner left the job under pressure.

Scott Woodward has served as interim athletic director since that time. Woodward is one of the few known candidates for the full-time job.

Top chores awaiting the A.D. include the renovation of Husky Stadium and deciding on the future of football coach Tyrone Willingham, who is 0-3 in this, the fourth season of his five-year contract.

Multiple sources are reporting that delays incoming freshman defensive lineman Craig Noble has gotten a qualifying score in California's high school graduation test. This opens the door to his arrival on campus later this week.

"I talked to Coach Willingham last night and so now we're just waiting to process the rest of the paperwork, the transcripts and after that's done I'll be ready to go", Noble told Realdawg.com.

Noble is a highly regarded 6-3, 300-pounder from Taft High School in Los Angeles. He said he doesn't know his playing status, but he seems likely to redshirt for at least three reasons: 1.) The Huskies already are a quarter of the way through the season, 2.) the defensive line isn't an easy place to make the jump from high school to Pac-10, and 3.) Washington already has three true freshmen playing on a defensive line that is weak on production but strong on numbers.

UW coaches aren't available to the media today, due to the bye-week schedule. However, we will hear from coach Tyrone Willingham tomorrow and likely get some clarification.

We didn't get any time with coach Tyrone Willingham today, but we got good briefings from both coordinators.

Some highlights:

OFFENSE
Coordinator Tim Lappano said his No. 1 goal of this bye week is to improve the running game. The Huskies will attempt that through scrimmaging. Lappano added that a new-look depth chart could emerge at tailback, receiver and along the offensive line. He mentioned that receivers Anthony Boyles and Chancellor Young and true freshman tailback Terrance Dailey have been coming on in practice. Daily hasn't been used yet this season, and Lappano noted that the time for deciding whether to play freshmen or redshirt them is near. Lappano also agreed with offensive line coach Mike Denbrock that Juan Garcia's inconsistent shotgun snaps last weekend might have been the result of distraction from a personal battle he had with an Oklahoma lineman.

DEFENSE
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said he doesn't know if he'll have more healthy bodies available in the secondary by the Stanford game. He added that linebacker Matt Houston played more against Oklahoma because he "earned the right" in practice.

Only one coach missed today's weekly Pac-10 conference call: Rick Neuheisel, whose UCLA Bruins just happened to lose 59-0 to Brigham Young on Saturday.

That game and the Pac-10's miserable 3-7 performance in out-of-conference games last weekend was the chief topic of conversation. Most coaches said they were surprised and that it likely won't happen again, but that it is yet another indicator of parity in college football.

Some of those comments:

From Oregon coach Mike Bellotti: "I say this every week, it doesn’t matter if you’re the home team or on the road, it doesn’t matter if you’re the favorite of the underdog, you’d better play four quarters of inspired football. I just think as we keep talking about the parity of college football is there. I think (Oregon State coach) Mike Riley said it best: It’s not the best football team that wins, it’s the team that plays the best that day. I think the certainly you’ve got to be ready for anytime that you play another conference or a non-BCS school, just the perception of their desire to win or make a name for themselves is very great, and I think we have to recognize that you become the target and you have to get your guys prepared to understand that you have to be the hungriest team on the field.

BELLOTTI on a hit in the league's perception:
"Other than your football team and your football program, the league that you play in is sort of your national standard-bearer, and when you don’t perform as well as you hope – and certainly there were some tough games and some games that were a little out of hand – that part affects all of us. It affects our reputation and how we’re perceived nationally. … There’s not a lot to say. The only way to answer that is on the field. It was a tough weekend and you never know the reasons for it. To me, it points to the parity in college football. I think the Pac-10 is still the best conference in the nation. Again, we suffered a difficult weekend last weekend and we just have to rebound and come back from it.

OSU coach Mike Riley: “There’s a lot of good football out there, and I don’t think it diminishes the Pac-10. It just shows every body that you’ve got to be ready to play and you’ve got to play a good game to win.”

USC coach Pete Carroll: "The conference did get hammered last week, and that’s the first time that I can remember that really happening like that. Why that happens, I don’t know. It was a big week for the Mountain West, man -- a fantastic week, probably the best week ever. I don’t know what that means on the big scene or any of that stuff. It really depends on how everybody responds."

Other Pac-10 topics
First-year WSU coach Paul Wulff admitted he didn't realize how much work their was to be done with the Cougars until the season began. ... Cal coach Jeff Tedford refused to blame his team's loss at Maryland on the early start three time zones away ... though he allowed that there was no way to prepare for that humidity. ... Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said that everything was wrong with the Cardinal offense last weekend. However he said Tacoma's Tavita Pritchard remains his starting quarterback. ... Arizona coach Mike Stoops said that senior quarterback Willie Tuitama had his first bad game Saturday at New Mexico. However, Stoops said he believes his offense can match up with any defense and is one of the best attacks in the Pac-10. “This is far and away the best football team we’ve had,” he said.

Here's my story from today's paper on the state of the Huskies going into this bye week.

However, today's News Tribune also had a lot of other news on the fringes of UW coverage.

For example, columnist Dave Boling takes a look at the combined 0-8 start of the Huskies, Seahawks and Cougars.

Preps reporter Doug Pacey writes that Bellarmine basketball star Abdul Gaddy has re-committed to Arizona, while former Bellarmine star Avery Bradley's visit to Texas was delayed by Hurricane Ike.

Finally and unfortunately, former UW and Lincoln High star Lawyer Milloy has been arrested for DUI in suburban Atlanta.

The Huskies practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then have the weekend off before returning to preparations for their Sept. 27 home game against Stanford. (It's not a bye week for the Cardinal, by the way. They'll meet San Jose State.)

"Our coaches have told us it's not going to be a week off," quarterback Jake Locker said Monday. "It's not going to be a week when we relax and scale things back. I think as a team we're happy about that. We have a lot of things that we need to work on. And we're still really young so I think we can use it as a week to grow and get better."

Coach Tyrone Willingham said the bye has arrived at a good time.

"I think some of the knocks and bruises that have taken place will help us mend not only physically but mentally," he said. "With a bye week, it affords us an opportunity to focus on a couple of things: No. 1 is always the health of our team. I think we come into the bye week fairly healthy. The next issue will be to make sure that in all of our areas we're getting better. And then as we always try to focus on is getting out younger guys some opportunities to grow and continue to grow. What's probably a little unique this year in terms of our bye week is a lot of our younger guys are playing, so they're already getting the best experience you can get, which is really that experience of the game. So it takes that away just a little bit. But there are still guys we need to get more experience, and the best way to do that is to work them, scrimmage them, play them."

Willingham said he doesn't expect any more depth chart adjustments this week than any typical game week.

With a winless quarter of the season now behind them, coach Tyrone Willingham and most of his players spoke of better days ahead at their media event today at Hec Ed.

They cited two main reasons for optimism: they believe they can play better, and they agreed -- short of providing bulletin board material -- that the worst of the schedule is behind them.

Someone opened the press conference about hope for better days over the next three-quarters of the season, and Willingham replied:

"The biggest thing is that fact that we should walk away knowing that we have played some of the best football teams in this country and that will be a measure of grow in itself. But we can't just rely on that. We have to actually get better in all the areas: we're talking about running game, pass game – being more productive there – defensively we've got to be able to put together some stops, which means we've got to improve our third-down play, and also our tackling. And if we can do that, then we have a chance to be the team we'd like to be."

I tried to tweak the question a bit by asking what the Huskies have done so far to inspire optimism; and got this response:

"I think one, we've seen our football team offensively move the ball. I think this last game against what is clearly a good football team, we moved the ball and became our own worst enemy at times. What I've seen from the defense, I've seen the ability for us to get some stops and if we just eliminate some of the mental mistakes and some of the physical mistakes in terms of missed tackles, we'll put ourselves in much better position that we've shown. Now please understand, we've not done all the things we need to do defensively. But I think if some of those things were to happen, then I think we'd become a much better defense."

A couple of other Willingham quotes:

On the dispute with Sooners at the end of the Husky Stadium tunnel: Those things occasionally happen and hopefully they don't happen again. … Usually both groups are chattering and that brings some of the worst out of both sides of our young men. … Chatter always makes young men react differently, so I don't know if there's a connection.

On sticking together through hard times: I think the key thing is, as I talk to our guys, I remind them that obstacles are the things that you see when you take your eyes off the prize. We still have the prize out there – we're only three games into the season with nine games yet to go. And if we can string together a pretty good run here, we'll find ourselves a pretty good football team at the end of the year, and hopefully that's where the benefit of playing the tough schedule that we've had early will help us. But we've got to continue to grow and we've got to have the right approach to it, and if we don't then nothing good happens.

On using now-healthy tight end Michael Gottlieb without slowing the progress and contributions of Kavario Middleton: I think obviously Kavario has shown himself extremely well early. But we recognize that there is still a lot of growing and learning that he has to do. But I think there will be enough snaps for us to give both of those guys what they need to help our football team, and that will be the goal without retarding our progress.

On whether they are leaning to a 3-4 or 4-3 as their base defense: A lot of it is going to depend on what we see from certain teams. One of the things that the 3-4 gives us is a few more athletes on the field as opposed to our big guys. And when you face teams that do a lot of option things of that nature, maybe that's a better package for us. SO we'll use the full flexibility to give ourselves the best chance on defense. So week to week if we see more of a downhill team, then you probably could see the 4-3 a little bit more than you would the 3-4.

JAKE LOCKER on the Sooners: I think it's the best football team I've played against since I've been here. … They didn't really have any weaknesses. They were sound all around. They didn't make mistakes. They played really hard. They're physical. They do everything you would want a team to do, and they were really talented.

LOCKER on whether that kind of team can be achieved at Washington: Definitely. I don't think we played nearly as well as we could have. A lot of those things that they played with we didn't. And I think if we would have it would have been a different game.

The UW coaching staff has named receiver D'Andre Goodwin, linebacker Mason Foster and Paul Homer a offensive, defensive, and special teams players of the week for their play against Oklahoma.

Goodwin led the Huskies in receptions for the third straight game, this time with nine catches. Foster tied for team-high with nine tackles.

Cornerback Justin Glenn, tight end Chris Izbicki and linebacker Cort Dennison were honored for their contributions on service teams.

LAST WEEK
The Huskies fell to 0-3 with a 55-14 loss to the Oklahoma Sooners. That was the most one-sided loss and the second-most points allowed since coach Tyrone Willingham arrived in 2005. Also of concern, it represented regression since the Huskies' 37-20 loss at Oklahoma in Willingham's second season.

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON
Quarterback Jake Locker lead the Huskies with 44 rushing yards (60 not counting sacks) and completed 16 of 24 passes. D'Andre Goodwin led UW in receiving for the third straight game. Ten true freshmen are getting instant experience, including safety Johri Fogerson who had nine tackles in his debut.

SOMETHING TO WORK ON
Washington ranks 116th out of 119 Bowl Subdivision teams in total defense, 112th in scoring defense, 111th in pass defense and 109th in rushing defense. On offense, the team averaged 2.6 yards per rush. The Huskies, who had been solid in ball security, lost three fumbles. And they went 0-for-3 on field goal tries.

PERSONNEL ISSUES
Tight end Michael Gottlieb returned from a hamstring injury, but he caught no passes and his time came at the expense of Kavario Middleton, who came into the game as UW's second-leading receiver and was shut out. No significant new injuries were reported, but the secondary was already down to fumes.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Washington has a week off before returning to action Sept. 27 against Stanford (1-2) at Husky Stadium. The bye may help restore the Huskies physically, but it could be mentally testing as sports talk radio and Internet message boards are sure to be sizzling with complaints about this 0-3 start.

Here's my game story, along with John McGrath's bottom line conclusion that things aren't getter any better. If things are going to turn around, hope seems to rest with underclassmen such as true freshman safety Johri Fogerson, who talks here with Ryan Divish.

That was a bad performance, and no Husky was saying different.

However, they also were saying that the Sooners might be the best team in the country, and that the Oregon-BYU-Oklahoma start to this season might have been the toughest first three games any team in the country has faced.

What they didn't say -- but I will -- is that as ugly as an 0-3 start is, it's also probably just one game short of what most would have considered a best-case-scenario for the start of this season. Who really saw more than one win in these first three games?

The nagging problem is that the Oregon and Oklahoma games weren't just losses, they were blowouts. Although I guess in fairness, UW's controversial one-point loss to BYU last week looks a little better after Saturday's blowout of UCLA.

One other thing that the Huskies were implying is that the schedule gets far easier from here. After this bye week comes Stanford, at Arizona, Oregon State and Notre Dame.

None seem out of reach, although as of now the Huskies don't look like a team ready to run off four straight wins regardless of the schedule. However, these look to be fairer tests, and what UW does over those next four games should give a more realistic snapshot of where the program really is.

In fact, looking all the way to the end of the schedule, the Pac-10 was so miserable on Saturday, you've got to say that the only remaining game in which the Huskies would seem to have no shot at all is the visit to USC.

But that's getting pretty far ahead.

First, a look back at the Sooners:

Player of the game
Oklahoma sophomore quarterback Sam Bradford completed 18 of 21 passes for 304 yards and five touchdowns, including a 77-yarder. He also recorded his first career rushing touchdown.

Huskies of the game
On offense, D’Andre Goodwin had a game-high nine receptions for 82 yards. He has been UW’s reception leader in all three games this season.
On defense, safety Johri Fogerson had a game-high nine solo tackles in his college debut.

Turning point
There was none. Washington went three-and-out on its first possession. Oklahoma took over and marched 51 yards on its first possession for a 7-0 lead. The lead would grow to 41-0 before UW got on the scoreboard deep into the third quarter.

Key stats
Washington, which had committed only one turnover in the first two games, lost three fumbles Saturday. Oklahoma converted all three into touchdowns.

How bad was it?
The margin of defeat does not rank among Washington’s top 10. However it was the most one-sided loss of Willingham’s time at UW. … Oklahoma’s 55 points were the most by a UW opponent since Oregon’s 55-34 win last season. The most points of the Willingham era were scored in his second game at UW: a 56-17 loss to California.

Kicking troubles continue
The Huskies lost to Brigham Young last week when Ryan Perkins’ 35-yard point-after-touchdown attempt to tie was blocked.
The team’s place kicking troubles continued this week as Jared Ballman missed 48- and 47-yard attempts, while Perkins was wide right from 28 yards.

Injury report“I think we came out of this game reasonably healthy,” UW coach Tyrone Willingham said. “We saw a few guys come out, but they all went back in. I think the only one that did not go back in was Quinton Richardson (knee bruise), and I think he was OK.”
Also, UW tight end Michael Gottlieb made his first appearance of the season after suffering a hamstring injury in fall camp.

Oklahoma quote
“I’m just really overall pleased with the way our players executed and played, and with the attitude they came into the game with. I felt really confident in the way they practiced all week, the way they got on the plane, the way they came into the stadium. I really felt like they had something to prove.” – Coach Bob Stoops, who recorded his 100th career win.

Extra points
Oklahoma is now 2-1 all-time vs. Washington. … The Sooners topped 50 points for the third straight game. … UW’s first touchdown came on a 15-play, 83-yard drive – UW’s longest of the season in terms of yards and time: 7:56. … QB Jake Locker led UW in rushing for the third time with season, this time with 44 yards on 12 carries. … Four more true freshmen made their first career starts for Washington: Fogerson, tailback David Freeman and receivers Devin Aguilar and Jermaine Kearse. That brings the number of true freshman starters the Huskies have used this season to seven. … Three redshirt freshmen also made their UW debuts: linebacker Cort Dennison, defensive tackle Nick Wood and tailback Brandon Yakaboski. … Yakaboski and walk-on receiver Tony Chidiac each had their first career receptions, and Yakaboski’s also marked his first touchdown. … UW game captains were Mesphin Forrester, Luke Kravitz, Jake Locker and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim.

Next
The Huskies are off this week. They return to action at 7 p.m. Sept. 27 versus Stanford at Husky Stadium.

Meanwhile, both Realdawg.com and Dawgman.com are reporting that Zach Fogerson, a junior running back at O'Dea and brother of current Husky Johri Forgerson, has become the UW's first oral commit for the freshman class of 2010.

"I told Coach Willingham", Fogerson said in a phone interview with Realdawg.com , "He said it made his night."

Postgame: The 41-point margin of defeat was the largest of the Tyrone Willingham era. The 55 points was the most given up since the 55-34 loss to Oregon last season. The last time UW gave up more was Willingham's second game at UW: a 56-17 loss to Cal.

And it can't possibly be seen as encouraging that the gap between Oklahoma and Washington is greater today than it was in 2006. (John McGrath writes about that in his Sunday column.)

Today's attendance was 67,716, but most of those were long gone as the final quarter began.

I'm going to have to be leaving for the field and then the postgame interviews soon.

In addition to hearing your thoughts on the game -- and the program. I'd also appreciate it if some of you could give me some indication of what kind of messages about the UW program the ESPN announcers gave to the nation -- or at least any of the nation's football fans who weren't watching the OSU-USC game.

I'll be back later with notes and quotes.

Third quarter: Locker is 16-of-24 and has run for 44 yards and the lone touchdown.

Halftime: Locker left in the final seconds, but he simply had the wind knocked out of him and will return in the third quarter. Ronnie Fouch came in to finish the drive.

Ty Willingham's decision to kick the field goal on the final play from the 11 yard line drew some boos... which only increased when Ryan Perkins' kick was wide right.

The game got a little chippy on the final drive with a personal foul penalty on Oklahoma and Juan Garcia taking particular offense.

Otherwise, not much to say. This is a team that is right there with the nation's best simply laying wood to one that isn't yet close.

Oklahoma leads first downs, 19-9; total yards 330-164; rushing yards 188-39.

1st quarter: UW seems to be opening up the offense and defense more today, but the Sooners still seem to have the horses. They scored touchdowns on the first and last possessions of the quarter. (The second PAT hit the right upright.)

Unofficial stats show Oklahoma leading 8-2 in first downs, 152-56 in total yardage, 104-25 in rushing yards.

Jordan Polk suffered a right ankle injury on a nice kickoff return. He is likely to return.

Kickoff: UW won the toss and elected to receive.

UW captains are Jake Locker, Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Mesphin Forrester and Luke Kravits.

The officials were booed as they took the field.

Lots of crimson in the end zones.

4:35: Both teams have left the field after warm-ups. The most interesting notes to come from those warmups was true freshman/converted tailback Johri Fogerson running with the first-team defense at safety, and near-forgotten Brandon Yakaboski running with the twos at tailback.

4:30: Oregon just won in overtime, salvaging a little Pac-10 pride.

2:50 Just a beautiful day at Husky Stadium just under a couple of hours until kickoff.

Usual gameday drill: I'll keep this single running blog though the game, then turn it over to you guys for during- and postgame thoughts, and then pop back in late with late notes and quotes.

The Huskies are three touchdown underdogs ... and on a weekend when the Pac-10 is getting mashed all over the country.

Kickoff is 4:45 p.m. on ESPN.

Home team Washington State is putting its single-game tickets on sale at 10 o'clock this morning for this season's Apple Cup game at noon Nov. 22 in Pullman.

They can be purchased from the WSU athletics website.

Here is the full release from WSU:

All remaining tickets for the Nov. 22 Apple Cup will go on sale this Saturday (Sept. 13), beginning at 10 a.m., only at wsucougars.com, the official website of Washington State University Athletics.

To date, only season ticket holders have had the opportunity to purchase Apple Cup tickets; combined with the WSU student allotment and the University of Washington’s allotment, this has left a limited supply of tickets available for the annual renewal of the intrastate rivalry. All tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis until the game has sold out. There will be no refunds or exchanges on tickets purchased through the online sale.

Sales will be limited to 12 tickets per customer. Tickets are $60 apiece, plus a one-time $10 processing charge, which is applied to every order regardless if it’s one or 12 tickets. If any tickets remain after the weekend, orders will be taken by phone at 1-800-Go-Cougs beginning Monday, Sept. 15 at 8 a.m. Any remaining premium seats in areas that require an additional donation ($30, $50 or $100 per seat) to the Athletic Foundation will also be made available on Monday by phone.

I wrote a bit about the great Oklahoma football tradition in the Friday paper. But unfortunately, one of their great symbols -- the Sooner Schooner covered wagon -- did not make the trip to Seattle.

And if "Oklahoma!" and "Boomer Sooner" is played, it will be by a pep band, as the full marching band also did not take the long trip.

However, a lot of very good football players did. Here's a quick preview:

NO. 3 OKLAHOMA (2-0)
AT WASHINGTON (0-2)
Kickoff:: 4:45 p.m., Husky Stadium
Television: ESPN. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: The teams have split two previous meetings. UW won in the 1985 Orange Bowl, 28-17. The Sooners won, 37-20, in September 2006 at Norman, Okla.

What to watch: The Oklahoma offense provides pressure with a lot of no-huddle offense, and the defense blitzes more than previous UW opponents. … Tailback DeMarco Murray needs 24 yards to become the 67th Sooner to rush for 1,000 yards in his career. … Two UW true freshmen may start for the first time today: tailback David Freeman and safety Johri Fogerson. … The Washington defense hasn't recorded a sack yet this season, while the Sooners have eight. … Today's officiating crew will be watched closely from all angles. The last time they visited a Pacific-10 Conference stadium, the Sooners believe they were robbed in a 2006 loss at Oregon. Meanwhile, the Huskies feel they were unjustly penalized at a crucial moment last week when Jake Locker scored with two seconds left in a 28-27 loss to Brigham Young.

What's at stake: The Sooners believe they can bring the school's eighth national title to Norman, Okla., but any stumbles along the way could sink that goal. The Huskies want to avoid an 0-3 start heading into what would be a very long bye week and leading up to what would suddenly become a crucial Sept. 27 game against Stanford. Both teams want to look good for ESPN's national audience.

Free tailgate: There also will be a free tailgate for fans. Sponsored by Safeway, it is called "the largest tailgate at the game and will feature an assortment of free food and beverages served in the on-site living room and lounges." The Safeway news release goes on to say:

"In addition, guests can try their hand at old school video games or watch pre-game shows on one of the event’s wide-screen, plasma televisions. The tailgate starts at 12:30 p.m. and goes until 4:30 p.m. (kick off is at 4:45 p.m.) and is located in the Southeast section of the University of Washington’s Montlake parking lot (just north of Husky Stadium).

"Why throw your own tailgate party when you can celebrate college football season in ‘Safeway Style.’ Football fans can come and enjoy all of their favorite pre-game football necessities and activities courtesy of Safeway: Free food and beverages; Big screen TVs, video and interactive game with prizes; Special “Sports Bar” lounge.

I'm honored to be taking part again this year in today's KJR Groz-with-Gas-a-Thon.

The timing is usually pretty flexible, but I'm presently scheduled for the 3 o'clock hour.

--------------
Post script: I actually went on a little early. But it was a fun event for good causes, as always. And side from me predicting that Quincy Pondexter could be the difference-maker in the football game tomorrow with Oklahoma -- (I misunderstood the question) -- all went well.

Washington State at Baylor.
Hurrican Ike moving this game forward a day adds a wild-card emement to game between two of the worst BCS teams in the country. But the Bears at least have a taste of what winning feels like. And perhaps the disruptions affect the traveling team more. Baylor, 21-20.

No. 5 Ohio State at No. 1 Southern California. Buckeyes' struggles took some luster off this "game of the year." USC, 30-20.

UNLV at No. 15 Arizona State. Sun Devils mustn't look ahead to Georgia. ASU, 43-17.

No. 16 Oregon at Purdue. Lots of offense, lots of entertainment. Ducks, 42-37.

UCLA at No. 18 Brigham Young. Rubber match of three meetings in 53 weeks. Cougars, 24-21.

No. 23 California at Maryland. Kickoff at 9 a.m. body time for Bears. Cal, 31-24.

Hawaii at Oregon State. Both teams longing for last season. Beavers, 31-28.

Stanford at TCU. Should learn something about Cardinal – and Pac-10 – here. Frogs, 31-20.

Arizona at New Mexico. QB Tuitama dominating weak defenses. And the Wildcats have proven their ability to dominate teams whose name ends in "o" (Idaho, Toledo). Wildcats, 43-27.

No. 3 Oklahoma at Washington. There's a lot of talent in among the UW underclassmen. But some of their learning might not be pretty. And in Oklahoma they are facing a team that's probably about as good as any in the country. It's a test that seems far beyond the Huskies' current state of development. Sooners, 49-17.

Last week: 6-0
Season: 13-1
UW games: 2-0

True freshman tailback Chris Polk is scheduled to have surgery to repair his torn labrum next week, which will end his season. A medical redshirt is expected.

That was the main news from coach Tyrone Willingham's final press conference before the Oklahoma game on Saturday.

Other news:

TE Michael Gottlieb has practiced this week and is expected to make his season debut Saturday.

Safety Nate Williams is expected to return to practice today after illness. Willingham said his availability to help bolster UW’s thin secondary on Saturday is undetermined.

Willingham listed the tailback order as David Freeman, Willie Griffin and Brandon Johnson; while offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said their could also be a role for Brandon Yakaboski.

This week's UW opponent -- Oklahoma -- is one of three on the Huskies schedule -- along with Notre Dame and USC -- that could make a fair case to being the most tradition-rich college football program of all time.

Not surprisingly, UW coach Tyrone Willingham isn't interested in casting the deciding vote. So, I'm going to take a shot in my Friday column. However, I'd also be interested to hear what you think. Subjective items -- traditions, and such -- will be considered. But so will the pure cold numbers of achievement. To help you along, here's a look at some of those:

Category/ OK USC ND
Consensus national titles/ 7 11 11
Some national title claim/ 16 17 21
Conference titles/ 41 37 0*
Bowl appearances/ 41 46 28*
Bowl victories/ 24 30 13*
All-time win percentage/.715 .704 .739
Heisman winners/ 4 7 7
*Notre Dame is an independent and did not regularly accept bowl invitations until 1969.

By the way, here's a USA Today story that looks at that UW schedule.

And finally, we get our last pre-game word from Willingham around mid-afternoon, so likely no UW football news until then.

Washington's near-miss against ranked BYU combined with Oregon State's second straight bummer performance to swap the team's in this week's Pac-10 power rankings:

1 USC (1) 1-0. Have won 11 straight non-conference home games... and here comes Ohio State.
2 Arizona State (2) 2-0, 1-0. Rudy Carpenter early Pac-10 passing leader.
3 Oregon (3) 2-0, 1-0. Ducks on road for three of next four games.
4 California (4) 2-0, 1-0. TB Best averaging 155.5 yards per game.
5 Arizona (5) 2-0. Averaging 55.5 points per game.
6 UCLA (6) 1-0. Injuries still clouding true picture of Bruins.
7 Stanford (7) 1-1, 1-1. Tavita Pritchard retains starting QB job.
8 Washington (9) 0-2, 0-1. How big might that penalty call prove to be?
9 Oregon State (8) 0-2, 0-1. Coach Mike Riley: Tough schedule "doesn't seem very smart right now."
10 Washington State (10) 0-2, 0-1. Stadium improved, but not the Cougs.

True freshman Chris Polk, who started the first two games at tailback, suffered a torn labrum against Brigham Young.

Season-ending surgery is being considered, coach Tyrone Willingham said this afternoon. If Polk’s season is over, he would likely be allowed to take this as a redshirt season.

True freshman David Freeman is expected to start in his place Saturday. Willingham said the 180-pounder has been "very strong all camp" and was playing his way onto the field even before Polk went down.

Meanwhile, true freshman Johri Fogerson told reporters today that he is going to start at free safety on Sunday, apparently alongside strong safety Tripper Johnson.

That came as news to defensive coordinator Ed Donatell. However, start or not, Donatell said Fogerson is expected to make his college debut against No. 3 Oklahoma on Saturday ... less than two weeks after switching over from tailback.

Donatell said that Jason Wells would be a sure starter at safety if he was fully recovered from his ACL injury, but that isn't the case yet.

He also said the defense hadn't given up hope that linebacker E.J. Savannah might have rejoined the team in time to help this season. But the unit plans to excuses after Tuesday's news that Savannah has been given permission to transfer out.

Looking at the Sooners, Donatell said thier offense is strong in all phases: perhaps three future pros on the line, perhaps a future NFL quarterback, and receivers with speed and experience.

In his Tuesday plea for patience for coach Tyrone Willingham, UW president Mark Emmert said his to the Associated Press:

“We have not helped them at all with this schedule that was set up years ago. It’s an awful schedule.”

And that's certainly been the conventional wisdom. But two weeks into the football season, I'm wondering if this schedule is going to turn out to be the monster so many of us once thought.

Oklahoma, which comes in Saturday, appears to be the real deal ... a legit national championship contender.

But Brigham Young looked like an absolutely beatable team that would finish in the 4-6 midlevel range of the Pac-10. Good enough, but certainly nothing UW should be afraid to invite into Husky Stadium.

And Notre Dame, which went 3-9 last season, sure didn't look much improved in its come-from-behind home win over a San Diego State team that lost the week before to Division I-AA Cal-Poly.

There's no doubt that UW's out-of-conference schedule is more demanding of Willingham and these Huskies, than, say, the O-O-C schedule of Mike Stoops and Arizona: Idaho, Toledo and New Mexico. But that seems more like a badge of honor than anything to regret.

Plus, we're only two weeks into the season -- far too early to be making excuses for a season that isn't yet lost.

Tuesday was full of news, between E.J. Savannah being allowed to leave the team and president Mark Emmert speaking out in favor of patience for coach Tyrone Willingham.

All of that sort of ended up squeezing some other interesting stuff out of our Wednesday paper.

So, here's a little bit of some of that interesting stuff:

Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano on the tailback situation in the absence of tailback Chris Polk due to a should separation, which will certainly keep him out this weekend and perhaps end his season:
"I think David (Freeman) and Brandon Johnson, Willie Griffin, and I think there's a role for Brandon Yakaboski. I'm not going to say what it is, but I think there's a role for him in this football game as well. Again, I think it will be a little bit of tailback by committee. We'll see what happens with who we start, but David played extremely well and Willie did a nice job on some inside runs. We'll just go with that right now at the tailback spot."

Freeman on why he played well (30 yards on six carries) against BYU:
I wasn't being scared, wasn't letting the pressure get to me. I just went out there and played football: ran hard, saw the holes and hit them, and that's basically what football's about for a running back: not being scared."

And finally, Ryan Perkins describing his blocked 35-yard PAT attempt to tie against BYU:
"The only thing that was unusual was it was right away when I heard another thud after I hit it. Like I said, we had pretty good film, and it looked like was three and a half or three yards in front of me when the guy got through. And I'm seven yards from the line of scrimmage. I've seen a couple of side view angles of it, and the call was carrying up pretty good... about five or six feet off the ground at the three-yard mark."

The Huskies have released linebacker E.J. Savannah, last season's leading tackler who has been separated from the team all season due to academic and other undisclosed issues.

Here is the announcement sent out by the university:

The University of Washington athletic department has granted junior linebacker E.J. Savannah his request to contact other institutions regarding a transfer, head coach Tyrone Willingham announced today.

Savannah, a native of Bellevue, Wash., redshirted his true freshman season in 2005 and will enter his fourth season of collegiate eligibility this fall. Washington will support his desire to transfer to another institution, provided it is outside of the Pacific-10 Conference. He will be required to sit out the upcoming season due to NCAA transfer rules and will have one year of eligibility remaining.

“Our top priority is to help E.J. earn a college degree, whether that is at the University of Washington or at another institution,” said Willingham. “We have provided him with a tremendous support system during the last three years. I hope he is able to learn from his experience at Washington and become successful in whatever he chooses to do in life.”

The Associated Press has filed this report from an interview with University of Washington president Mark Emmert:

SEATTLE (AP) — The president of the University of Washington says Husky fans need to give football coach Tyrone Willingham a break.

President Mark Emmert says the team has one of its toughest schedules ever. The Huskies have gone 0-2 and face No. 3 Oklahoma next. Emmert says many fans have been offering their opinions on the football program.

But the president says no one is more frustrated by the losing record than Willingham.

Emmert says the university was weeks away from hiring a new athletic director. The man who hired Willingham was forced to resign.

The "weeks away" comment on the athletic director search sounds like a bit of a backing off on an earlier Emmert projection that the new AD might be named by the beginning of UW's fall session, which starts Sept. 24. That prediction was echoed over the weekend by action UW athletic director Scott Woodward.

We're waiting for our usual football interviews at Hec Ed, but today we also get the floor show of a little hoops on the court.

Right now Spencer Hawes, Jon Brockman and Quincy Pondexter -- past present and future crucial guys to the program -- are out there working a series of one-on-one possessions against each other.

Formal hoops practices begin Oct. 15 ... and it should be a season almost as fascinating -- and almost as important to the future of the program -- as the football season just starting to unfold.

I might be able to take advantage of the football bye next week to work up a little something on basketball. Feel free to suggest anything you'd like to read about.

Coach Tyrone Willingham told the Pac-10 media today that the team is expecting to get the results of Chris Polk's MRI this afternoon. Willingham said that the freshman tailback is doubtful for this week, but also acknowleded that Polk's season could be in doubt.

"We’ll be reading his MRI this morning and it kind of looks doubtful that he’ll be ready this week and it could even be by the time we get to the afternoon it could be long-term," Willingham said.

Asked if that meant he might miss the rest of the season, Willingham replied: "Could be."

True freshman David Freeman is atop this week's depth chart at tailback.

Willingham also said raised the possibility of some resolution regarding linebacker E.J. Savannah, last season's leading tackler who has been out since the start of fall camp due to academic and other unspecified issues.

"There are some developments that are taking place that maybe by the end of the day I might be able to give you some more precise information on that," he said.

The weekly Pac-10 coaches conference call opened with a couple of news items of local interest.

Oregon's Mike Bellotti, a member of the NCAA rules committee, said that the unsportsmanlike penalty on Jake Locker at the end of the BYU game "might have been the letter of the rule, but it wasn’t the intent of the rule." Bellotti expressed reluctance in making this more of a judgment issue, but said the committee might look at changing the wording.

Meanwhile, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said that Tacoma's Tavita Pritchard remains his team's leader and starting quarterback, even though three quarterbacks played last weekend at Arizona State.

For those of you who thought coach Tyrone Willingham was a little too easy on those Pac-10 refs Saturday... well, he toughened his stance a bit at the media gathering today.

"I think we all know that was not the right call," Willingham said. "… The proper judgment was not used. That was not the act of a young man taunting. That was not an unsportsmanlike act at all. It should have been viewed in its totality and not just isolated as the letter of the law."

Willingham also said he backed up that belief by personally contacting the Pac-10 office to complain.

In this, Willingham has something in common with Bob Stoops, whose Oklahoma Sooners will roll into Husky Stadium on Saturday.

Remember the series of bad calls that led to Oregon's 2006 win over Oklahoma in Autzen Stadium? Well, Stoops clearly does, too. But he seemed to see little benefit to hopping back on that old horse again today.

"That's the way it is," he said when asked about the Pac-10 rule that mandates Pac-10 officials for interconference games in Pac-10 stadiums. "We're going to go play and hopefully play as well as we can."

He was asked if he had stressed to their players that they should simply hand the ball to the officials, he said. "We do all the time." When asked if he wanted to share his thoughts on the Locker call, he said, "No. For me to comment would be inappropriate."

In that, he is in a minority. My Tuesday story is on the Locker call. Here is an ESPN blog item. And a take from the Salt Lake Tribune. And a short items in a roundup story from The Sports Network. And from, of all place, the Grand Rapids Press.

The new UW depth chart shows Tripper Johnson as the starting strong safety in place of the injured Darin Harris, who suffered a concussion Satuday against BYU.

Meanwhile, converted true freshman tailback Johri Fogerson turns up as the No. 2 free safety, behind Nate Williams.

On offense, true freshman David Freeman is shown as the starting tailback, with Chris Polk -- who suffered a dislocated shoulder vs. BYU -- listed No. 4. Either Willie Griffin or Brandon Johnson are shown as the top reserve behind Freeman.

Meanwhile, the UW coaches have selected QB Jake Locker (offense), end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (defense) and Paul Homer and punter Jared Ball man (special teams) as players of the week. Honored for their work on service teams were De'Shon Matthews, Gregory Christine and Adam Long.

The News Tribune has a follow-up story on the 15-yard celebration penalty that likely affected the outcome of Washington's 28-27 loss to BYU on Saturday.

In this one, David Parry, national coordinator for college football officiating, seems -- to me -- to misinterpret what game referee Larry Farina said after the game.

After the game, Farina said "it was not a judgment call." I think Farina clearly meant "the rule doesn't allow for interpretation, it's black-and-white that if he throws the ball we have to call the penalty." However, Parry interpreted Farina's statement to mean Jake Locker's actions were "so obviously against the rule and flagrant you have no option." No one who saw the play could possibly believe that. At least the "flagrant" part.

So, hmm.

(Parry also perpetuates what I see as a copout myth that "all calls are judgment calls." I think "judgment calls" mean calls where officials must judge intent. Intentional grounding may be the classic judgment call because it even has the word "intentional" in its name ... the officials just judge whether the quarterback's intent was to complete a pass or to throw an incomplete pass to avoid a sack.)

Applying all that to the Locker incident, Farina seems to be saying that the rule says you can't throw the ball high into the air, Locker did, therefore the officials can do nothing but call a penalty.

Whereas Parry seems to be saying that the officiating crew must have decided that Locker's actions crossed some line in terms of intent that turned it into taunting or excessiveness.

So, hmm, again.

(And, by the way, there was a similar excessive celebration call in the Arizona-Toledo game over the weekend.)

Meanwhile, Bob Stoops -- coach of UW Saturday opponent Oklahoma -- refused to be drawn into the controversy this morning. He said that the Oklahoma coaches make their players aware of the rule, but he wouldn't comment on the call from the UW game, although he acknowledged that he saw it.

More -- I'm sure -- to follow as we will get some time with Tyrone Willingham and the Huskies at noon today.

LAST WEEK
Washington fell to 0-2 with a 28-27 loss to Brigham Young, who on Sunday slipped three spots to No. 18. The Huskies seemed about to tie the game after a Jake Locker touchdown run with two seconds left. But Locker received a 15-yard penalty for celebrating, and Ryan Perkins’ 35-yard PAT try was blocked.

SOMETHING TO BUILD ON
The Huskies offense was more productive than it was in the opener at Oregon. True freshman tailback David Freeman added spark to the running game. Receiver D’Andre Goodwin and tight end Kavario Middleton built on strong opening performances. Locker and the Huskies went 76 yards on that final do-or-die drive.

SOMETHING TO WORK ON
The young defense continues to have trouble stopping either the run or the pass. Even a 35-yard point-after-touchdown kick should be a relatively routine matter. TB Chris Polk and the freshmen wide outs haven’t made much impact yet. And, oh yes, try to hide any traces of enthusiasm or joy; the NCAA doesn’t like it.

PERSONNEL ISSUES
Safety Darin Harris suffered a concussion and is doubtful for this weekend. So is Polk, due to a dislocated shoulder. Tight end Michael Gottlieb (hamstring), who practiced last week, did not play. Also, true freshman Johri Fogerson, who switched to safety last week, did not make his college debut.

THE WEEK AHEAD
Too much celebrating seems low on UW’s list of concerns this week as No. 3 Oklahoma visits Husky Stadium. The Sooners are 2-0 and have outscored their opponents 109-28. If the Huskies are unable to pull a major upset, it sets up a very long bye week while waiting to return to action Sept. 27 vs. Stanford.

Naturally, the game will be remembered for the celebration call on Jake Locker at the end. (Here's my game story from the Sunday paper.

And it seems to me that Tyrone Willingham is right when he says the official was simply enforcing the rule as written. (See post below.)

The problem wasn't a blown call. The problem is an absurdly written rule. (However, TNT columnist John McGrath disagrees with that somewhat in his Sunday column.)

It strikes me that the NCAA has two legitimate interests when it comes to celebrations. One, when they delay the game. And two, when they taunt or belittle the other team.

Jake Locker did neither of those things.

Had Jake thrown the ball into the stands or punted the ball to midfield, that would have delayed the game and a 5-yard penalty would make sense.

Had Jake spiked the ball at the feet of an opponent, that actually would have been unsportsmanlike conduct and a 15-yard penalty would have been appropriate.

What Jake did was happily heave the ball over his head and celebrate with his teammates. There was nothing wrong with it. To the contrary, it was joyous. It could have been preserved in a Norman Rockwell painting. It was natural. It was human.

There was nothing there to legislate against, and somehow the NCAA had legislated against it.

The rule, as written, is absurd.

I don't blame the guy who made the call. I don't blame Jake. I blame those who wrote the rule.

And the affect is wiping away most of the joy -- even most of the memory -- of the first 59 minutes and 58 seconds of the game, which were pretty interesting in their own right.

A review of some of those highlights.

Player of the game
BYU quarterback Max Hall completed 30 of 41 passes for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He also threw one interception.
“We knew we could move the ball on them,” he said. “I think we figured out things in the second half that were working for us and we focused on that.”

Husky of the game
Sophomore safety Nate Williams had a game-high 13 tackles. He also put the hit on BYU tailback Harvey Unga that forced a touchdown-saving fumble that UW’s Tripper Johnson recovered in the end zone.

New defense, more struggles
Through two games, the Huskies have given up 72 points, 48 first downs and 971 total yards.
New defensive coordinator Ed Donatell used more of a 3-4 defense against BYU after concentrating on 4-3 and 3-3-5 alignments last weekend at Oregon.
“I didn’t see what I wanted to from Week One to Week Two, but there’s such diversity in attacks,” Donatell said. “We played a really good team that hides the ball from you the first week and then we had one that kind of shows it to you and can drop back. … (We switch defenses to increase our players’) success and get them on the field. That’s our whole intent, and really to force teams to prepare for different packages.”

Young runners
True freshman starting tailback Chris Polk went out with a dislocated shoulder after carrying six times for 14 yards.
He was replaced by David Freeman, who made his college debut with six carries for 30 yards, and redshirt freshman Willie Griffin, who carried twice for 14 yards.
Freeman became the ninth true freshman to play for the Huskies this season.
“I wouldn’t say I was really nervous, but excited,” Freeman said. “I knew I was going to play, but with Chris Polk going out, we never want a man to get hurt in any kind of way on our team or on the other team. So when he went out I was kind of disappointed, but I had to step up and play to the best of my abilities because the team needed me.”

Early leaders
Two games into the season, QB Jake Locker has completed 29 of 60 passes (48.3 percent) for 307 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Locker is also the team’s leading rusher with 119 yards. The top-rushing tailback is Chris Polk with 33 yards on 20 carries. D’Andre Goodwin is the leading receiver with 13 catches for 150 yards. Jerome Kearse has the only receiving touchdown, a 48-yarder on Saturday. Jordan Polk is averaging 17 yards on seven kickoff returns. Mason Foster is the leading tackler, with 19.

Injury report
Chris Polk is considered doubtful for the next game against Oklahoma. So is safety Darin Harris, who suffered a concussion. True freshman TE Kavario Middleton of Lakes High went out briefly with a right knee injury, but returned.

Extra points
Mason Foster’s second-quarter interception was the first of his career. … Jared Ballman improved his punting average from 35.6 yards last week to 47.8 this week. … The Huskies were penalized four times for 25 yards. … A large purple “W” was painted on the roof of Husky Stadium’s north deck, and “Go Huskies” on the south deck. …UW captains were Paul Homer, Juan Garcia, Trenton Tuiasosopo and Chris Stevens.

Next
4:45 p.m. Saturday, Oklahoma, Husky Stadium.

Ready for a little good news?

We've gotten a report that tests have come back negative on UW safety Darin Harris of Federal Way, who was injured in the second half and taken from the game by ambulance.

Harris apparently suffered a concussion, but none of the neck or spinal damage that might have been feared as he lay on the field. (Here's the complete story from our Sunday paper.)

“The outlook for Darin Harris is very good,” coach Tyrone Willingham said. “There’s no – that we’re able to tell right now – neck injury. He should be fine from that standpoint. … Even when he was down, they were being very precautionary, and I love the manner in which our medical people work. They do a great job, and they’re on the money. He was moving and saying he wanted to get back out there. We do need to send prayers to him. It was very close, but I think he’ll be all right.”

He is doubtful for next week, but that of course is well down the priority list is so sobering a situation.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said after the game that the officials almost had to make the unsportsmanlike conduct call against Jake Locker. And after reading the rule -- and the official's explanation -- it's hard to argue.

Here's the NCAA rule:

Unsportsmanlike Acts
ARTICLE 1: There shall be no unsportsmanlike conduct of any act that interferes with orderly game administration the part of players, substitutes, coaches, authorized attendants of any other persons subject to the rules, before the game, during the game or between periods.
a. Specifically prohibited acts and conduct include.
2. After a score of any other play, the player in possession immediately must return the ball to an official or leave it near the dead-ball spot.
This prohibits:
a. Kicking, throwing, spinning or carrying (including off of the field) the ball any distance that requires an official to retrieve it.
b. Spiking the ball to the ground. …
c. Throwing the ball high into the air.
d. Any other unsportsmanlike act or actions that delay the game.

And here's the ruling from game referee Larry Farina (obtained from UW athletic communications office):

“After scoring the touchdown, the player threw the ball into the air, and we are required, by rule, to assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. It is a celebration rule that we are required to call. It was not a judgment call.”

I don't have to tell you that there has been a lot of frustration at UW over the past few years, but this might have been as frustrating as they come.

Jake Locker rolled into the end zone for what seemed to be the tying TD with eight second left. The Huskies celebrated -- no taunting, but celebrating -- and were flagged for 15 yards. Faced with a 35-yard PAT to get that needed final point, the Huskies kick was blocked.

As always, I hope you'll hope in with your analysis. I'll be back later with postgame notes and quotes.

3rd,4:17: BYU answers with a pretty methodical 63 yard drive.

3rd, 7:38: Paul Homer 1-yard dive caps half-opening 65-yard drive. Freeman provided a boost, hitting some holes quickly.

3rd quarter: Chris Polk out and true freshman David Freeman making his debut at tailback.

Halftime: We have been informed that true freshman TE Kavario Middleton of Lakes High suffered a right knee injury, and his return is questionable. Middleton made two of the big plays in the first half, throwing a big block on Locker's TD run, and recovering a Locker fumble inside the UW 10, keeping alive the drive that resulted in UW's second score.

2nd, 4:18: Cougars tied it with methodical 71-yard drive. BYU made plenty of mistakes along the way -- mostly drops -- but UW couldn't get them off the field.

2nd, 10:38: Huskies were fortunate early, but they put together a 76-yard touchdown drive for their first lead of the season. The capper was an 52-yard pass from Locker to Lakes freshman Jermaine Kearse.

1st, 3:24: Nice UW scoring drive capped by 14-yard Locker scramble. Lappano was able to spread out the BYU defense and get Goodwin, Polk and Middleton into space. Nice Middleton block on TD.

7:00 of 1st quarter: Huskies defense shifted to a straight 3-4 and forced a three-and-out.

9:30 of first quarter: The Cougars marched 76 yards on their first possession. The score was a 38-yard pass when a Cougar receiver got past the UW defense on a third and 14.

THen, Huskies three and out on their first possession.

Meanwhile, the late arriving crowd has arrived. Pretty full in the upper deck and not bad in the end zones.

12:05 p.m.: BYU won the toss and will receive. (Game is on FSN.)

UW captains are Paul Homer, Juan Garcia, Trenton Tuiasosopo and Chris Stevens.

11:50: Both teams have left the field after completing their pregame warmups.

This is either a late-arriving crowd, or a lot of those 66,000 tickets sold are being eaten.

10 a.m.: It's a cloudy but comfortable morning at Husky Stadium.

The Huskies just walked across the field and into the tunnel to prepare for the game. A game between a couple of youth teams is playing out now.

I noticed only a couple of minor changes to the stadium this season. First -- I guess for all of you who sometimes fly over the stadium -- there is a large purple "W" painted on the roof of the north upper deck.
(I am told that the words "Go Huskies" are painted on the south-side roof, from which the press box hangs.)

Also -- in hope of more major stadium changes ahead -- fans entering from the west are greeted with historic photos of the stadium and of the artist's conception of the proposed improvements that will be pitched to the Legislature.

And finally, the mural on the southeast side of the stadium -- which last season featured coach Tyrone Willingham -- this season features players only.

As for the rest of the day: We'll continue as we did last week. I'll make this one long running blog with updates as appropriate before and during the game -- which I hope makes your own comments/conversation thread easier to follow. Then, once I've been through the postgame interviews, I'll pop in with a new postgame tread of notes and quotes and of course a new comments section for your own postgame analysis.

NO. 15 BRIGHAM YOUNG (1-0)
AT WASHINGTON (0-1)

Kickoff: Noon Saturday, Husky Stadium.
Television: FSN. Radio: 950-AM.

The series: Washington leads 4-2 overall and 3-0 in Seattle. BYU took the most recent meeting, 35-28, in 1999.

Weather: High in the low 70s, and partly cloudy skies.

What to watch: The Huskies were disappointed by their offense, defense and special teams play last week at Oregon and want to do better in front of their home fans. … Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano indicated the UW offense will open up this week, with increased efforts to get the ball to tailback Chris Polk in space. … TE Michael Gottlieb (hamsting) expected to return after missing opener at Oregon. … Unlike high-risk/high-reward Ducks last week, these Cougars are efficient with a move-the-chains offense and bend-but-don’t-break defense. … There has been speculation about what kind of reception coach Tyrone Willingham will receive from the expected crowd of about 65,000. … Spirit, the Huskies’ live Alaskan malamute mascot, will miss the game due to a shoulder injury suffered while chasing a squirrel.

What’s at stake: BYU’s 2008 slogan is “Quest for Perfection,” indicating their need for an unbeaten season to fulfill their hopes of qualifying for a BCS bowl. … The Huskies desperately want to avoid an 0-2 start, especially with No. 4 Oklahoma visiting next weekend.

Pick: BYU, 37-31. The UW offense is expected to open up today, but the defense may not be up to stopping the Cougars.

More information: My Saturday story compares the game to the Husky-Boise State game of last season. While this Salt Lake Tribune story looks back to the UW-BYU meeting of 1996.

The University of Washington has announced its actual four-legged Alaskan malamute mascot "Spirit" won't be on the Husky Stadium sidelines for the home opener Saturday against Brigham Young due to a shoulder injury suffered while chasing a squirrel.

His status -- and I'm afraid I'm not making this up -- is week-to-week.

Details are available at gohuskies.com.

Pac-10 power rankings
1 USC (1) 1-0: Trojans and QB Sanchez topped highest expectations.
2 Arizona State (2) 1-0: Senior QB Carpenter 22-of-28 in opener.
3 Oregon (3) 1-0: Gap between Northwest rivals is growing.
4 California (4) 1-0: Running game could cover for passing inconsistency.
5 Arizona (5) 1-0: Seventy is a lot of points, even against Idaho.
6 UCLA (7) 1-0: Storybook beginning; but we’ll see how it ends.
7 Stanford (9) 1-0: Cardinal far better than its fan base in opener.
8 Oregon State (8) 0-1: Looks more like rebuilding than reloading.
9 Washington (6) 0-1: Disastrous start with two top-15 teams up next.
10 Washington State (10) 0-1: Brandon Gibson performed as expected; but so did the Cougs.

Pac-10 picks
No. 15 BYU at Washington. I expect the Huskies’ offense will open up and produce not only more points, but more excitement. However, BYU's veteran precision offense seems to offer another challenge beyond what the UW defense has shown it can handle. Cougars, 37-31.
Stanford at No. 15 Arizona State. Reality check for both teams. ASU, 37-21.
Utah State at No. 18 Oregon. Aggies among worst teams in NCAA. Ducks, 63-7.
Oregon State at No. 19 Penn State. Beavers at Beaver Stadium, but a long way from home. Lions, 38-24.
Toledo at Arizona. Wildcats’ bowl-boosting schedule continues. Cats, 41-21.
California at Washington State: The Paul Wulff winning his first home game in renovated Martin Stadium would make for quite a story. But the Golden Bears running game looks like it could carry them quite a while. Cal, 38-24.

Last week: 7-1.

In his final meeting with the media before kickoff against BYU on Saturday, coach Tyrone Willingham said that tailback Brandon Johnson (calf) was limited Wednesday in practice, and he sounds doubtful for Saturday. Johnson was ranked as the No. 2 tailback behind Chris Polk, and if he can't go, Willie Griffin or David Freeman would likely move up to the top reserve role.

On the other hand, tight end Michael Gottlieb (hamstring) took part in full work Wednesday and is likely to make his season debut against the Cougars.

In more general terms, Willingham said the team bounced back to a better practice Wednesday after a relatively down return to the field on Tuesday.

Eight true freshmen saw action in UW's opening game at Oregon (Devin Aguilar, Jermaine Kearse, Senio Kelemete, Kavario Middleton, Chris Polk, Jordan Polk, Alameda Ta'amu and Everrett Thompson), and another -- newly converted safety Johri Fogerson --seems likely to play this Saturday or soon thereafter.

That compares to seven true freshmen who played in all of 2007 and two in 2006.

Some have seen those numbers and wondered if coach Tyrone Willingham isn't rushing players in now, with less regard to the future, because of his job status. So, I asked him (and he accepted the question like a pro) if he's confident he would have played those guys even if he had 10 years remaining on his contract.

"Oh, yes, absolutely," he said. "Based on their abilities of what they’re doing right now, compared to what we have on our football team, yes. I mean, I don’t look at them as freshmen. I look at them as good players and who plays the best. I don’t think there’s anybody who can deny that Kavario Middleton added something to our football team. There is no question about that. And you look at some of these other guys: Jermaine Kearse added something to our football team. That’s what I look at. It’s not that they are freshmen, or playing guys now and not worrying about the future. No, that’s not true. You put your best players on the field, and I think our football team trusts us to do that – trusts me to do that."

I raised the 10-year contract thing because in Willingham's very first season at UW, I had asked him if he would build the program any differently if he had been given a 10-year contract instead of a five-year contract. He made some light remark about how good a 10-year contract sounds. But then surprised me by allowing that he might do some things differently with the assurance of that much time.

I reminded him of that this week before asking about the true freshmen, and he amended his original answer a bit:

"You build a program to win right now," he said. "And to do that doesn’t mean you have to do things that compromise the foundation points that will establish longevity. Because to me, if you do it right, then you establish yourself to be able to win for a long time. If a house is built quick, you maybe have some very productive things for the time being, but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee you that you’ll have longevity."

True freshman tailback Johri Fogerson is now true freshman safety Johri Fogerson.

The former two-way star at O'Dea, who grew up on the Tacoma Hilltop, said coach Tyrone Willingham told him Tuesday morning that he was more needed on defense. By Tuesday afternoon, that's where he was practicing.

And come Saturday, that may be where he's playing. Despite going through all of fall camp as a tailback, Fogerson said he believes he could see the field for the first time Saturday when the 0-1 Huskies have their home opener against BYU.

"I’m struggling right now a little bit learning the plays," he said. "But it’s coming fast, and hopefully this Saturday I do a great job."

Meanwhile, Tripper Johnson, a surprise starter for the Huskies at Oregon, says it looks like he will have three years of eligibility at UW.

As explained in this earlier News Tribune story by Ryan Divish, Johnson's class status wasn't certain after he spent eight seasons in minor league baseball. As of today, Johnson said it is his understanding that he has the eligibility status of a sophomore. And he said that as of now, he plans to use all of that remaining eligibility.

"I would love to compete as much as I can," he said. "The plan is that I’ll graduate in the spring of 2010 and then I would come back in the fall of 2010. We’ll see where I am at that point in my life, but I would love to play a third year. It’s also one of those things, at my age, we’ll see where I am in my life and see where it goes."

Johnson started as the Huskies fifth defensive back against Oregon, and also was on the kickoff return team.

A few other notes: Willingham said the team was "a little bit hurt, a little bit beat" as they returned to practice Tuesday. ... He also said tight end Michael Gottlieb returned to practice and seems likely for the BYU game. QB Jake Locker "moved around well" but appeared "not all the way back" from his hamstring injury. ... The Huskies have another practice at 4 this afternoon. ... Finally, the univeristy has selected StubHub as the athletic department's secondary ticketing partner for the institution's athletic program. Details available at gohuskies.com.

The UW fan base may be disgruntled, but that's different from disinterested.

At least, that's my conclusion from Tuesday's report that just over 65,000 tickets already have been sold for the Huskies' noon Saturday home game against No. 15 Brigham Young. That's just 2,000 short of what the Seahawks draw every Sunday at Qwest Field. And that despite the disappointing debut at Oregon, a very good but not all that glamorous opponent, and the fact that the game will be shown live on FSN.

A few other ticket figures provided by the UW sports information office:

¨ UW is 100 tickets shy of last year’s season tickets sold total (43,516 last year. 43,410 this year)

¨ They sold more than 1,600 more student tickets this year over last year (3,254 last year, 4,871 this year).

¨ They have sold almost 66,000 tickets for Oklahoma.

And by the way, the university has reached a one-year agreement with Starline Luxury Coaches and King Country Metro to continue providing free transportation to this season's seven home games, a tradition of more than two decades that had briefly seemed threatened.

Full details at gohuskies.com.

And a couple of other links:

My Wednesday story on defenses likely to force the Huskies to win through the air.

We had access to the Huskies offensive players and coaches today. So, not suprisingly, we heard from a lot of folks disappointed by the Huskies' sad little 10-point output at Oregon and who were saying all the right things about doing better this weekend when No. 15 Brigham Young visits. (The Cougars inched forward from No. 16 to a tie with Arizona State for 15th in the new AP poll announced today.)

A few samplings:

TYRONE WILLINGHAM:
We all had a role to play in what took place, and none of us did it the way that we wanted to, and the good news is that our team has a little bit of a feeling of letting each other down and letting our fan base down. We all share that, and to me those are all positive things that allow you to drive yourself to go forward.

(Willingham also reaffirmed his confidence in offensive coordinator Tim Lappano noting success of last season. Then added:) "We didn’t block, we didn’t do a lot of things, we didn’t throw as well as we would have liked to. And I’ve got to be a factor in there making sure that I assist him."

Offensive lineman JORDAN WHITE-FRISBEE
On the public criticism of the offensive line: It will definitely drive us. We talk about it all the time, this has to be the year. This game right here has to change it right now. We don’t have time to wait. This is it for us. We know how strong we are, and we’ve got to prove it.

True freshman tailback CHRIS POLK
We expected to do way better than we did. It’s a wake up call that we have to work way harder. ... I would say I messed up. There were holes, I just didn’t see them until later. I was getting to excited and getting impatient. There were some holes to run through, I just missed them.

Offensive line coach MIKE DENBROCK
We didn't play nearly as well as we anticipated we would. We knew going into the game that they may put us in a position where they stacked the line of scrimmage and we still thought we had the ability to run the football at them and we didn't get our job done as front.

I didn't get my job done as a coach, first and foremost, of making sure those guys were on top of every little detail they needed to be on top of and we didn't play all that great.

Offensive coordinator TIM LAPPANO
On opening up the playbook this week: "We've got some guys in their books right now. I think we'll be a little more wide open in this plan. You'll see some things you haven't seen in a while."

The first college football weekend of the new season could hardly have ended with a more exciting game. UCLA's overtime win over Tennessee last night was one of the most dramatic games I can recall... and that was in a pure football sense.

Then when you add in that it bought the Pac-10 some impressive bragging rights over the SEC, the personal drama of QB Kevin Craft's instant evolution from first-half goat to second-half hero, and -- of course -- the return of Rick Neuheisel ... well, what a game.

Here's a look from Los Angeles Times columnist Bill Plaschke.

And meanwhile, today brings our weekly conference call with the Pac-10 coaches. I'll pop back in later as any news develops from there.

It's BYU game week. The 16th-ranked Cougars should pose another tough challenge for the Huskies. And if you're heard the unhappy buzz around Husky Nation this week, you can imagine how quickly things could tumble downhill with another loss -- this time falling to 0-2 against a mid-major in Husky Stadium. (And conversely, a UW win would help forgive a lot of sins from Oregon.)

My Tuesday story will deal with some of that unhappy buzz -- including some fairly candid comments from coach Willingham about his career record falling below .500.

Meanwhile, here's some early information on BYU:

The official BYU football website.

A look at the game from the Salt Lake Tribune.

And my early look at those other Cougars:

NO. 16 BRIGHAM YOUNG (1-0)
Noon Saturday, FSN, at Husky Stadium.
Coach: Bronco Mendenhall (29-10 in fourth season at BYU).

Last week: Brigham Young extended its nation’s-longest winning streak to 11 games with a 41-17 win over Northern Iowa. The Cougars raced to a 27-3 halftime lead. When Northern Iowa cut the lead to 10 in the third quarter, BYU sped away again. The Cougars had 563 yards of total offense, including 486 in the air. However, they fumbled five times, losing four.

Against the Huskies: Washington leads, 4-2 overall and 3-0 in Seattle. Brigham Young won the most recent meeting, 35-28, in 1999.

Washington connections: Freshman RB Jerry Bruner (Vancouver/Evergreen), freshman LB Spencer Hadley (Connell/Connell) and senior WR Bryce Mahuika (Vancover/Evergreen.)

Scouting report: The Cougars are two-time defending Mountain West Conference champions. They are considered among the best of this season’s mid-majors and a possibility for one of the BCS bowls. Their slogan this season is “The Quest for Perfection.” … The Cougars’ have a longtime reputation as an explosive offensive team. This team should be no exception, as nine starters return from last year’s offense. … Quarterback Max Hall passed for a conference-record 3,848 yards last season. … Tailback Harvey Unga was a freshman All-American last season. … Dennis Pita ranks among the MWC’s top tight ends. … The Cougars lost eight starters from last season – seven to graduation and one to a church mission. However, UW coach Tyrone Willingham said the defense is tough and has good speed.

We just got our weekly Monday lunch meeting with Coach Willingham and a few of the Huskies.

The biggest news was Willingham saying that he is "leaning toward" having safety Jason Wells redshirt this season while his knee healts.

The news was better for tight end Michael Gottlieb, who sat out the opener at Oregon due to a hamstring injury. Willingham said that Gottlieb is "probable" for the Brigham Young game at Husky Stadium on Saturday.

The previously injured Jake Locker (hamstring) and Juan Garcia (foot) apparently game through the game fine. However, Locker said that he "didn't feel as fast as I normally am."

I'll go through my notes and probably add a few items this afternoon.

Until then, however, the general bottom line seemed to be a feeling of disappointment at how the team played in Oregon, but with no implication of any discouragement that should make their load any heavier for BYU. Willingham expressed believe in the normal coaches' truism that any team's greatest improvement usually appears between the first and second games.

QB Jake Locker, CB Quinton Richardson and LB Chris Stevens were by the Huskies coaching staff as offensive, defensive and special teams players of the game against Oregon.

LB Kurt Mangum, TB Terrance Dailey and WR Vince Taylor were honored for their work on service teams.