Did anyone else catch the end of the Washington-Arizona State game on Saturday night?
If you were out and about like a lot of people were, you probably didn’t, but you sure missed one helluva finish. With five seconds left in a tied game, Sun Devil quarterback Danny Sullivan heaved a 50-yard pass down the field. At first the ball looked like a lot of other end-of-game passes — high in the air and pretty much just a Hail Mary.
But then, as the ball came floating back down to the turf, the camera caught an unusual sight: receiver Chris McGaha was wide open and not a single Husky was within 20 yards of him. As a matter of fact, the closest guy to him was his own teammate.
Needless to say, McGaha caught the ball and the Huskies left Sun Devil Stadium stunned that they had lost. It was a good win for the now 2-1 Sun Devils, but a horrible loss for the Huskies, who have been on the receiving end of a couple of close losses.
The lack of any defense whatsoever should concern the Huskies, but things are a lot better than they were last year. If not for not being able to punch the ball in from the 1-yard line against Notre Dame and then Saturday’s heart-breaker, Washington could very well be 5-2 instead of 3-4. The Huskies are a much improved team with an outstanding quarterback and a great coach.
To put it shortly: the Ducks should tread lightly and not think this is the same team that they’ve blown out the past three seasons.
For one reason or another, I’ve watched every single Husky game this season — they just seem to be on at a time that I’m not doing anything. And what I’ve noticed is that head coach Steve Sarkisian has that team playing hard. They dole out hard hits, and the talent level is already better than it was a year ago.
Traveling to Husky Stadium in Seattle will be a big test for these Ducks. It’s a tough place to play. Just ask the USC Trojans who lost there, or the Arizona Wildcats, who witnessed the stadium so loud that even the TV cameras were shaking.
Oregon responded well in its second away game of the season, beating the UCLA Bruins. But if this team wants to start thinking about what the rest of the season can hold, it needs to go into Puget Sound and send a message. LaMichael James needs to have over 100 yards rushing and a couple of touchdowns. Jeremiah Masoli (who was practicing in full pads by the end of last week) needs to prove that his knee is OK. And the defense, which has played so marvelously since the start of Pac-10 play, needs to hold Jake Locker and company at bay.
We all know about the rivalry between these two teams, but it has been a little lopsided in recent years. The Huskies haven’t beaten the Ducks since 2003. Most of the games have been blowouts. But much like what we saw against the Trojans, the Huskies have a completely different offense and are utilizing Locker incredibly well.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see this game come down to who executes the best in the fourth quarter. Washington has played a few more tight ones this year, but Oregon’s defense seems to be playing at a completely different level. The D should be enough to give Oregon a 4-0 start in the conference heading into a game with USC on Halloween.
But it’s just another big test in a string of games to come. Last week Chip Kelly congratulated his team for being the “half-way Pac-10 champions.” Players started clapping until they realized he was being sarcastic. Halfway anything doesn’t mean squat in Kelly’s book. There are six more games to be played before any celebrating can be had.
Right now, the Ducks just have purple and gold on the mind.
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