Huskies Win a Thriller, Sleeping Giant Awakens

Last Saturday, when the University of Washington Huskies battled the Notre Dame Irish in South Bend, Indiana, I was forced to watch the overtime session at Costco. The beautiful thing about it was about 40 people were watching with me. Washington alumni, interested college football fans and generally inquisitive people all formed a large huddle around a 60-inch Panasonic flat screen. We all walked away dejected but I kept thinking, “Would people have stopped their busy lives to watch the Dawgs last year? What about the year before or the year before that? No, no, I don’t think so.”

The Steve Sarkisian era is breathing life into a sleeping giant. After the emotional loss at South Bend, the Huskies returned to Seattle and beat a dangerous Pac-10 opponent utilizing a lucky bounce and a never-say-die attitude. The Huskies were down 12 points with less than four minutes to go and still managed to beat the Arizona Wildcats, 36-33.

In the first half against Arizona, the Huskies defense provided the inspiration. Two goal line stands; one resulting in an Arizona field goal and the other a gritty stop on fourth down. Jake Locker ripped off a touchdown run, the longest of his Huskies career, and the Huskies led 14-10 heading into the second half. The third quarter proved horrendous, with Huskies special teams playing anything but ‘special’. Nonetheless, perseverance owned the night and the Huskies won a tight Pac-10 game.

Infamously, the Huskies were stymied on the goal line in South Bend last week. Plus, they were forced to keep their emotions in check against ghastly officiating. They responded beautifully against Arizona, with goal line stands of their own and efficient offensive play in the first half. Yeah, the comeback was a little miraculous and a lot lucky, but sometimes luck is as important as skill. The Huskies proved they could get outplayed and still win a tight game.

If Jake Locker does indeed leave for the NFL (remember, Jim Moore is a Coug), the program is in terrific hands under Sarkisian. He’s instituted a solid, diversified offense and brought pride to a program that had so much of it during its heyday. Responding to a nationally televised heartbreaking overtime loss in South Bend with a Pac-10 win over Arizona is the sign of a program on the rise. Who knows, watching the Dawgs games at Costco may become a Seattle signature.

Photo licensed under Creative Commons 2.0 license from Flickr.com.

Tags: Arizona Wildcats, College Football, Dawgs, featured, Pac-10, Steve Sarkisian, University of Washington, UW, UW Huskies Football

Anton

Anton Northwood is a Seattle resident who spends much of his time working on the Eastside.

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