It took Arizona interim head coach Mike Hankwitz five games to get his first win with the Wildcats.
“I couldn’t be prouder of these guys,” Hankwitz told the Arizona Daily Star after Saturday’s 27-22 victory against Washington. “We’d been telling them all along that if we keep working and keep fighting, we can win some games.”
Hankwitz is now 1-4 as Arizona’s head coach, matching the record of recently ousted John Mackovic had before he was fired five games into the 2003 season.
The Wildcat charge was led by halfback Mike Bell. The sophomore rushed for a career-high 222 yards on 26 carries, scoring three of Arizona’s four touchdowns.
The Wildcat win didn’t do much for the Huskies, who dropped to 5-5 after their 42-10 blowout against Oregon.
“They came in and played like they had nothing to lose,” Washington linebacker Greg Carothers told The Seattle Times. “We played like we had everything to lose. We messed up.”
Washington had 51 more offensive yards than Arizona, but the Huskies weren’t able to make the comeback. Bell’s second touchdown put the Wildcats ahead, 20-16, with 7:28 remaining in the game. A 37-yard run by Bell three minutes later put the Wildcats up, 27-20.
Husky quarterback Cody Pickett found receiver Reggie Williams for a touchdown with 3:49 remaining, but Washington’s final hope ended with a minute left when Pickett threw three consecutive incomplete passes.
“This is worse than (our loss to) Nevada,” Williams told The Seattle Times.

Quarterback carousel in Pullman
After senior quarterback Matt Kegel left the Cougars’ game against UCLA with a sprained throwing shoulder, redshirt freshman Josh Swogger stepped in to take Kegel’s place.
Kegel was injured on a third-and-seven incomplete pass play with five minutes remaining in the first quarter.
“This is the first extended playing time in about three years for me,” Swogger said after Saturday’s game. “There is always room for improvement.”
Swogger led Washington State for 16 drives, finishing 5 of 16 passes for 82 yards. The Cougars scored two rushing touchdowns and a field goal with Swogger at quarterback.
Swogger “is starting to pick up the offense,” Cougar head coach Bill Doba said. “We have to make sure we don’t have a lot of checks. We have to simplify things a bit.”
Eugene native Alex Brink will be the backup for Swogger if Kegel is not cleared to play this week against Arizona State. Brink, who went to Sheldon High School, was expected to redshirt this season.

Price tries a comeback
The Arizona Republic reported Saturday that Mike Price sent in a formal application for the head coaching position at Arizona.
That announcement came the same day as an article appeared in The (Spokane, Wash.) Spokesman-Review that included Price’s first interview regarding the events causing his dismissal at Alabama.
The search committee in charge of the hiring narrowed its list to 10 on Oct. 31.
“It would be a wonderful opportunity,” Price told The Arizona Republic. “It’s a place I’d love to be.”
Arizona President Peter Likens made his view on Price known shortly after former head coach Mackovic was fired, telling the Tucson (Ariz.) Citizen that “the cloud over him is not a cloud we can accept over us.”
But Price told the Spokesman-Review and reporters who have contacted him since that he believes he can change opinions and clear his name.
“Coaching is all I ever wanted to do,” Price told the Spokesman-Review. “It’s all I’ve ever done. I think I have a calling. I think I can still motivate and lead people.”