Washington athletic director Todd Turner met with the media for about 45 minutes today to display a wish list of goals for revamping the school's athletic facilities.

At the center of it all is Husky Stadium, and for the first time, the school made public a few of the conceptual drawings of a possible renovation as produced by HOK Sport.

You can find those here.

What's important to realize, however, is that this is all just a grand design with nothing set in stone.

UW has yet to raise one center toward this project, and, in fact, hasn't even decided yet how to best go about raising money for it. Turner said among the possibilities is selling naming rights to the stadium. He said it would likely remain Husky Stadium, but the school could follow the lead of what it did with Edmundson Pavilion and call it "such and such field at Husky Stadium.''

There are also a lot of complicating factors --- namely, the 520 Bridge project and a SoundTransit station set to be built off the Southwest corner of the parking lot. The SoundTransit project is scheduled to begin in late 2008 or early 2009 and won't be finished until 2014. Turner said he would like to have work on Husky Stadium be concurrent with the SoundTransit project. But it seems to be asking a lot for major renovation to begin by 2008 given where the funding is right now.

"This is more about the possibilities than how we are going to do it and when they are going to occur,'' Turner said.

All sorts of possibilities for the stadium were raised --- taking out the track and putting it around the soccer stadium, lowering the field, adding permanent seats to the east end zone, adding football offices off the west end zone, adding a deck to the west end zone, etc. What's unlikely to occur, however, is increasing the capacity of the stadium by any big number.

But again, there's a lot to work through with the other projects involved and the raising of the money necessary. Turner didn't want to volunteer any dollar figure saying it would be premature, though he did say it could be from "zero to hundreds of millions.''

It will also likely be phased, possibly taking "two decades'' to complete it all.

Still, for those hoping for a renovated Husky Stadium, today was at least a first step, if a small one.

With the season finally in the rearview mirror a little bit, I was hoping I could get some feedback from some of you who read this blog this year as to what you liked about it --- and what you thought could use improving.

We'd done the basketball blog last year, so I had some ideas heading into this season about what we could do with a football version. Still, this is a definite work in progress and I'd love to hear some of your thoughts.

As we enter the off-season, the plan is to definitely keep the blog going, so I'd also love to hear any suggestions you have for off-season coverage. Recruiting is obviously the big one and we will do what we can to keep you up-to-date on that. We'll also keep you up to date here on any other goings-on with the football program. But again, I'd love to hear some specific suggestions about what you might like to see in this space, as well.

Lastly, thanks for reading this season.

As our Sandy Ringer has reported today, Auburn quarterback Kellen Kiilsgaard is heading to Stanford.

Here's the story.

Washington obviously wanted Kiilsgaard, but with Jake Locker in the fold for the next four years, it also figures that QBs might have some reasons for staying away from Washington. Kiilsgaard's decision, however, should be viewed as more pro-Stanford than anything else as he was drawn there by the school's academics as well as a chance to play baseball.

UW does have one quarterback for this year's class already in Ronnie Fouch of Redlands, Calif.

Here's a good feature story on Fouch.

Washington safety C.J. Wallace was named to the All-Pac-10 team today, UW's first first-team selection since 2003.

Linebacker Scott White was named to the second team and seven Huskies received honorable mention --- PK Michael Braunstein, P Sean Douglas, CB Dashon Goldson, DE Greyson Gunheim, WR Sonny Shackelford, QB Isaiah Stanback and OG Clay Walker.

Here's the entire team as announced by the Pac-10 today:

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: MARSHAWN LYNCH, TB, CALIFORNIA

PAT TILLMAN DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DAYMEION HUGHES, CB, CALIFORNIA

COACH OF THE YEAR: PETE CARROLL, USC

CO-FRESHMEN OF THE YEAR: JAIRUS BYRD, CB, OREGON
TAYLOR MAYS, FS, USC
ALTERRAUN VERNER, CB, UCLA

2006 ALL-PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TEAM

First Team Offense Second Team Offense

QB John David Booty, Jr., USC QB Alex Brink, Jr., Washington State
RB Marshawn Lynch, Jr., California RB Jonathan Stewart, So., Oregon
RB Yvenson Bernard, Jr., Oregon State RB Ryan Torain, Jr., Arizona State
WR Steve Smith, Sr., USC WR Jason Hill, Sr., Washington State
WR DeSean Jackson, So., California WR Sammie Stroughter, Jr., Oregon State
WR Dwayne Jarrett, Jr., USC
TE Zach Miller, Jr., Arizona State TE Craig Stevens, Jr., California
OL Ryan Kalil, Sr., USC OL Max Unger, So., Oregon
OL Sam Baker, Jr., USC OL Mike Pollack, Jr., Arizona State
OL Jeremy Perry, So., Oregon State OL Mike Gibson, Jr., California
OL Enoka Lucas, Sr., Oregon OL Kyle DeVan, Jr., Oregon State
OL Alex Mack, So., California OL Adam Koets, Sr., Oregon State
OL Chilo Rachal, So., USC

First Team Defense Second Team Defense

DL Brandon Mebane, Sr., California DL Bruce Davis, Jr., UCLA
DL Mkristo Bruce, Sr., Washington State DL Nu'u Tafisi, Sr., California
DL Sedrick Ellis, Jr., USC DL Lawrence Jackson, Jr., USC
DL Justin Hickman, Sr., UCLA DL Louis Holmes, Jr., Arizona
LB Desmond Bishop, Sr., California LB Scott White, Sr., Washington
LB Rey Maualuga, So., USC LB Brian Cushing, So., USC
LB Michael Okwo, Sr., Stanford LB Derrick Doggett, Jr., Oregon State
LB Keith Rivers, Jr., USC LB Spencer Larsen, Jr., Arizona
DB Daymeion Hughes, Sr., California DB Terrell Thomas, Jr., USC
DB Antoine Cason, Jr., Arizona DB Chris Horton, Jr., UCLA
DB Eric Frampton, Sr., Washington State DB J.D. Nelson, Sr., Oregon
DB Sabby Piscitelli, Sr., Oregon State DB Michael Johnson, Sr., Arizona
DB C.J. Wallace, Sr., Washington

First Team Specialists Second Team Specialists

PK Justin Medlock, Sr., UCLA PK Alexis Serna, Jr., Oregon State
P Nick Folk, Jr., Arizona P Andrew Larson, Jr., California
KOR Syndric Steptoe, Sr., Arizona KOR Terry Richardson, Sr., Arizona State
PR DeSean Jackson, So., California PR Sammie Stroughter, Jr., Oregon State
ST Wopamo Osaisai, Jr., Stanford ST Byron Storer, Sr., California

ST=special teams player (not a kicker or returner)

Honorable Mention

ARIZONA: NG Yaniv Barnett, Jr.; OT Eben Britton, Fr.; DE Kyle Caldwell, Sr.; DT Louis Dotson, Jr.; RB Chris Henry, Jr.; WR Mike Thomas, So.

ARIZONA STATE: S Josh Barrett, Jr.; QB Rudy Carpenter, So.; S Zach Catanese, Sr.; OG Paul Fanaika, So.; DT Michael Marquardt, Jr.; OT Brandon Rodd, Jr.; CB Justin Tryon, Jr.

CALIFORNIA: OT Andrew Cameron, Sr.; OLB Zack Follett, So.; WR Lavelle Hawkins, Jr.; WR Robert Jordan, Jr.; QB Nate Longshore, So.; OLB Mickey Pimentel, Sr.; OG Erik Robertson, Sr.

OREGON: CB Jairus Byrd, Fr.; ROV Patrick Chung, So.; WR Jordan Kent, Sr.; OG Palauni Ma Sun, Sr.; MLB Blair Phillips, Sr.; TE Dante Rosario, Sr.; CB Walter Thurmond, Fr.; DT Matt Toeaina, Sr.; WR Jaison Williams, So.

OREGON STATE: OT Andy Levitre, So.; QB Matt Moore, Sr.; TE Joe Newton, Sr.; OG Roy Schuening, Jr.; DT Ben Siegert, Sr.; DE Jeff Van Orsow, Jr.

STANFORD: CB Brandon Harrison, Sr.; S Trevor Hooper, Sr.

UCLA: CB Trey Brown, Jr.,; TB Chris Markey, Jr.; OG Shannon Tevaga, Jr.

USC: PK Mario Danelo, Jr.; SS Kevin Ellison, So.; KOR C.J. Gable, Fr.; DT Fili Moala, So.; OLB Dallas Sartz, Sr.

WASHINGTON: PK Michael Braunstein, Sr.; P Sean Douglas, Sr.; CB Dashon Goldson, Sr.; DE Greyson Gunheim, Jr; WR Sonny Shackelford, Sr.; QB Isaiah Stanback, Sr.; OG Clay Walker, Sr.

WASHINGTON STATE: TE Cody Boyd, Sr.; CB Tyron Brackenridge, Sr.; WR Michael Bumpus, Jr.; OLB Scott Davis, Sr.; OT Charles Harris, Sr.

The Pac-10 Conference will release the all-conference football team this afternoon and we'll have it up here as soon as it's available, with some commentary to boot.

I'm not sure any Husky is going to be named to the first team, and if so, it would be the third straight year without an all-conference player for UW.

The last UW players named to the first team were Reggie Williams (as a receiver) and Charles Frederick (as a returner) in 2003.

Here are a few of my picks:

Coach of the Year: Mike Riley, Oregon State. Pete Carroll did a great job gettiing USC back in national title position after losing as much talent as any team may have in the history of the conference. But Riley deserves the kudos for picking the Beavers up off the mat from that early 0-2 conference start and leading them to six wins in their last seven games and a third-place finish. And it's worth noting that the Beavers aren't an overly senior-dominated team so they may not be going away anytime soon.

Offensive player of the year --- Dwayne Jarrett, WR, USC. Injuries held his overall numbers down a bit, but when he was healthy, he was the most dominating player in the conference this year. Think it made a difference that he barely played against UW?

Defensive player of the year --- Daymeion Hughes, CB, Cal. His eight interceptions, two returned for touchdowns, and 19 passes defended far exceed the numbers for anyone else at any other defensive spot.

First team quarterback --- John David Booty. They kept ripping him on the telecast of the Notre Dame game, but Booty has the best numbers of any QB in the conference (22 TDs against six interceptions and a rating of 143.7 before the Notre Dame game). He may have the best set of receivers to throw to, but so did Matt Leinart the last few years. An interesting question is second-team. I'd give it to Matt Moore for what he did leading the Beavers to third place, though Nate Longshore's numbers are better. And hopefully Isaiah Stanback will at least get honorable mention for the job he was doing before being injured.

As for the Huskies, I think Greyson Gunheim, Dashon Goldson, C.J. Wallace and Scott White will all get some consideration on defense and Sean Douglas for punter. Not sure anyone on offense will get serious consideration other than Stanback. All UW had last year was Joe Lobendahn on the second team and Wallace, Evan Benjamin and Douglas on honorable mention.

Dirk Koetter is out at Arizona State, the first coaching casualty of the year in the Pac-10. Here's a good summation of it all from the Associated Press.

(And I say first since there are plenty of rumors about Walt Harris and Stanford out there.)

One name that is sure to come up as a possible replacement for Koetter --- at least until someone official shoots it down --- is that of Rick Neuheisel.

Neuheisel grew up in Tempe and used to go to just about every Sun Devils game growing up. His name was one of the first mentioned when Koetter got the job after the 2000 season, but at the time, the Huskies were on their way to the Rose Bowl and Neuheisel quickly brought that talk to a halt saying he wasn't interested.

Neuheisel's father has strong ties to the area as well and was a founding member of the group that helped bring the Fiesta Bowl to Tempe.

Another interesting change in the Pac-10 is the resignation of Bill Moos as the athletic director at Oregon. Here's a story from the Oregonian about it.

More about why Moos is leaving now is sure to come out in the next few days. But it felt from afar as if Moos was never held in the same esteem in Eugene after he publicly expressed his interest in coming to Washington to replace Barbara Hedges in January of 2004.

Even though UW's season is over, I meant to continue giving my picks here for Pac-10 games and simply forgot. Maybe something in all that turkey.

Or maybe the fact I went 1-4 last week had something to do with it, as well, though I almost had a direct hit on the one game I got right --- I called OSU to beat Stanford 31-7 and the score was 30-7.

Watching the Notre Dame-USC game, however, brings lots of Husky-related thoughts as you remember just how close Washington was to winning that game. There'a also the eternal Willingham-Weis debate that could get a little ammo in the pro-Tyrone camp should it turn out that Willingham was able to come closer to winning at USC this year than was Weis.

Watching Arizona State beat Arizona brings the realization of just what a strange Pac-10 season this has been. Just when a team seemed hot, like Arizona, it turned cold. And just when a team seemed on the brink of complete collapse, like Arizona State, it produced an improbable win.

It's completely fitting, then, that five Pac-10 teams are probably going to finish the conference year 4-5.

A few of you asked for an overview of UW's prospects for next season.

So first, here is a story I wrote for the paper today that breaks down each position.

And here is a tracking of how the roster numbers shape up by position (scholarship players only) with the season ending and seniors moving on. Number in brackets is number of players on current roster. And year has been changed to reflect their class for the 2007 season.

QUARTERBACK (2)
Carl Bonnell, Sr.
Jake Locker, RFr.
High school commit --- Ronnie Fouch
Comment: Depth suddenly a problem here.

TAILBACK (3)
Louis Rankin, Sr..
Michael Houston, So.
J.R.Hasty, So.
High school commits ---- Brandon Yakaboski, Nate Williams
Comment: Houston is still officially on the roster and in school so we'll include him for now. UW may sign another TB or two, as well.

FULLBACK (2)
Luke Kravitz, Jr.
Paul Homer, So.
Comment: Another FB or two is needed.

WIDE RECEIVER (6)
Quintin Daniels, Sr.
Marcel Reece, Sr.
Corey Williams, Sr.
Anthony Russo, Sr.
Cody Ellis, Sr.
D'Andre Goodwin, RFr.
High school commits --- Alvin Logan
Comment: Definitely a place where the Huskies have to start signing some players for the long-term. For next year, should be a strength.

TIGHT END (5)
Robert Lewis, Sr.
Johnie Kirton, Jr..
Michael Gottlieb, Jr.
Walter Winter, Jr.
Tim Williams, So.
High school commit --- Chris Izbicki.
Comment: Maybe the best long-term position on the team considering the commitment of Izbicki.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN (11)
Chad Macklin, Sr.
Juan Garcia, Sr.
Aaron Mason, Jr.
Ryan Bush, Jr.
Jordan White-Frisbee, Jr.
Casey Bulyca, Jr.
Ben Ossai, So.
Morgan Rosborough, So.
Ryan Tolar, RFr.
Cody Habben, RFr.
Matt Sedillo, RFr.
High school commits --- Scott Shugert and Emeka Iweka.
Comment: The depth here is finally starting to return but the Huskies will try to sign another five or so for this year's class (including the two who are already in). Erik Berglund, who could emerge as a key player next year, is still officially listed as a walk-on..

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN (12)
Greyson Gunheim, Sr.
Caesar Rayford, Sr.
Wilson Afoa, Sr.
Jordan Reffett, Sr.
Erick Lobos, Sr.
Anthony Atkins, Jr.
Jovon O'Connor, Jr.
Darrion Jones, So.
Daniel Te'o-Neshiem, So.
Derek Kosub, RFr.
Cameron Elisara, RFr.
De'Shon Matthews, RFr.
Comment: This could be one of UW's best positions for 2007.

LINEBACKERS (7)
Dan Howell, Sr.
Kyle Trew, Sr.
Trenton Tuiasosopo, Jr.
Chris Stevens, Jr.
E.J. Savannah, So.
Donald Butler, So.
Matt Houston, RFr.
High school commit --- Quinton Richardson.
Comment: Despite loss of White and Bomar, might not be much of a dropoff here in 2007.

SECONDARY (6)
Roy Lewis, Sr.
Darin Harris, Jr.
Jordan Murchison, Jr.
Jason Wells, Jr.
Mesphin Forrester, Jr.
Matt Mosley, RFr.
High school commit --- Vonzell McDowell (cornerback).
Comment: This might have been the most hard-hit position with the loss of Goldson, Fountaine and Hemphill. UW definitely needs some cornerbacks with Lewis the only one on the roster who could really be called experienced there. Figure some JC help coming here.

PUNTER (0)

KICKER (1))
Ryan Perkins, So
High school commit --- Nick Folk.
Comment: UW will go after a punter and has Folk in line to replace Braunstein.

LONG SNAPPER (1)
Danny Morovick, So.
Comment: Morovick figures to be the only scholarship specialist at this spot for a while.

TOTAL SCHOLARSHIP PLAYERS (56)
Scholarship players by class:
Seniors: 18

Juniors: 16

Sophomores: 12

Redshirt freshmen: 10

Johnny DuRocher just got done meeting with the media, and from the tone of his answers, you'd never know that he's about to undergo surgery for a brain tumor next week.

The UW quarterback cracked enough one-liners to make one wonder if he shouldn't be giving Michael Richards a few comedic tips.

"I'm thinking about writing that guy a thank-you note,'' DuRocher said with a smile, referring of the Stanford defender whose hit gave DuRocher a concussion in a game Nov. 11. The hit came when DuRocher was trying to make a tackle following an interception.

It was during the examinations for that concussion that doctors discovered a brain tumor.

DuRocher confirmed most of what was reported Monday -- the tumor is most likely benign, he will probably have surgery Nov. 30, and his football career is almost certainly over.

"They'll want me staying away from any blow to the head,'' he said.

DuRocher said the tumor is located in the cerebellum which he said is also fortunate. And while it's benign, if it had not been caught, in a few years it could have created some problems.

He said he will be in the hospital for three to five days following the surgery. From there, he said the recovery process is "pretty much how I feel.''

DuRocher said doctors have told him he could actually be in better condition to play sports than before. Specifically, he said he was told his eyesight and balance could be improved.

"I've never been able to see really good, so maybe that will help,'' DuRocher said.

DuRocher said, however, that he had not been having any symptoms.

He will have the surgery at Harborview Medical Center and it will be performed by Dr. Richard Ellenbogen.

DuRocher said again he plans to turn out for the UW baseball team and be available for the first day of practice, which will be sometime around Jan. 10. He plans to pitch for the Huskies, something he has never really done. He was a catcher the last time he played competitively as a sophomore at Bethel High.

But he hung around the baseball team a little bit last year to refresh his skills and said he can throw in the low 90s.

"But I don't know where it's going,'' he said in another of his typically light-hearted comments.

DuRocher said he got the final diagnosis of the tumor on Friday, and then was scratched from making the trip to the Apple Cup. He wouldn't have played anyway, as he was already ruled out due to the concussion.

Here's some additional information on brain tumors.

There were a lot of questions in the wake of the Apple Cup, so I'll try to answer a few of them here:

WHY DID THE HUSKIES DO MORE RUNNING ON THE OUTSIDE, SUCH AS SWEEPS, AGAINST WSU AND NOT AGAINST OTHER TEAMS? The biggest reason is simply that WSU was in a 3-4 defense and likes to blitz a lot, so getting to the outside is always a good strategy against such defenses. But after the struggles running against Oregon and Stanford, the Huskies were also looking to shake things up a bit. But you have to remember that what works against one team isn't always going to work against the next due to differing schemes, personnel, etc.

WASN'T UW TERRIBLE DEFENDING THIRD DOWNS THIS YEAR? Actually, the Huskies were much better than a year ago. UW will finish this year holding opponents to 33.7 percent conversion rate on third down, which is currently fifth in the Pac-10 and ahead of the likes of USC and Washington State. Last year, UW allowed 45 percent of third downs to be converted.

WHY DIDN'T MARCEL REECE PLAY MORE BEFORE SATURDAY? Certainly, one of the more burning questions of the year, without a doubt. But you will notice that Reece was playing a new position Saturday, on the outside instead of in the slot. He played the slot earlier, and when that didn't work out so well, they moved him outside, the position Reece said he prefers. That took some time to make that adjustment. He also had to get in shape and learn the playbook, which stunted his playing time earlier in the year.

WHY DID THIS TEAM PLAY SO WELL AGAINST WSU, USC AND CAL AND SO POORLY AGAINST STANFORD, OREGON STATE AND ARIZONA STATE? DID THIS TEAM NEED SOME EXTERNAL MOTIVATION, SUCH AS PLAYING A TRADITONAL RIVAL OR A TOP 10 TEAM, TO GET UP FOR GAMES? Kind of looked that way, didn't it? The only game that doesn't seem to fit that pattern is Oregon. On the other hand, that was a 17-14 game five minutes into the third quarter, so maybe that was more a case of UW's vexing inability to defend Oregon's offense more than getting up for the game. But no doubt, this team's motivation seemed to waver week to week depending on the opponent. That could just be a function of the personalities on this team --- Husky teams of the past few seasons have been much the same way. But one person who covered Stanford while Tyrone Willingham was there told me the Cardinal often had the same issue --- Stanford lost to San Jose State three straight years, for instance. The theory there was that Willingham's personality is so consistent that he really does treat each game the same. So the players would get themselves up for the big games (Stanford went 7-0 against Cal during Willingham's time) but would struggle at times then maybe they needed a little help getting up. But the personality of every team is different, and maybe next year's Huskies, being in the same system for a third straight year, won't have as many issues with wavering intensity.

WHY WOULD UW TURN DOWN STEVE EMTMAN'S OFFER OF $2.5 MILLION FOR A FOOTBALL-ONLY WEIGHT ROOM? As far as what Emtman said, all I know is the same as you guys from the KJR interview last week. What I can add is that UW is a public school and has limitations on what it can and can't do. I don't think it can get into building weight rooms segregated by sport.

WHAT'S THE OUTLOOK FOR NEXT YEAR'S TEAM? I'll try to break that down
in more detail in a future post.

WILL THIS BLOG CONTINUE INTO THE OFF-SEASON? Yes. It won't have the same frequency, but we will continue to keep you as up-to-date as we can on Husky football, as well as the Pac-10, during the off-season.

Tonight is Washington's football awards banquet.

Here is the official release from the school announcing the winners:

Husky junior defensive tackle Jordan Reffett took top honors at the Washington football team's annual awards banquet when he was named the winner of the Guy Flaherty Most Inspirational Award. The annual banquet was held Monday evening at the Westin Hotel in downtown Seattle.

Reffett, from Moses Lake, Wash., moved into the starting lineup in the second half of the season, starting a total of five games. He finished the season with 23 total tackles, including three sacks. The Flaherty Award, named after its first winner in 1908, is Washington's oldest and most prestigious individual award.

Senior quarterback Isaiah Stanback (Seattle, Wash.) was named the team's offensive most valuable player while senior strong safety C.J. Wallace (Sacramento, Calif.) was the defensive MVP. Stanback, who missed the season's final five games after suffering a foot injury Oct. 14 vs. Oregon State, passed for 1,325 yards, 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions in his seven starts. Wallace led the team and was fourth in the Pac-10 with 105 tackles. He started all 12 games.

Washington's MVP awards are voted on by members of the team.

Stanback and Wallace were also honored as two of the team's four captains, along with fellow seniors Dashon Goldson and Sonny Shackelford.

Shackelford also won the Sports Radio 950 KRJ Most Outstanding Player Award for the offense while senior linebacker Scott White took home that trophy for the defense. Senior punter Sean Douglas won the Special Teams Most Outstanding Player Award.

Senior offensive guard Clay Walker, junior defensive end Greyson Gunheim and sophomore defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim took home awards for their play on the lines. Nesheim was the winner of the L. Wait Rising Lineman of the Year Award while Walker and Gunheim were named the the John P. Angel Outstanding Offensive and Defensive Lineman, respectively. Gunheim won that award for the second straight season. Senior fullback Mark Palaita was presented with the Earle Glant Tough Husky Award while junior safety C.J. Wallace won the Chuck Niemi Big Hit Award for the second straight season.

KING-TV's Most Improved Awards were presented to junior receiver Quintin Daniels on offense while junior linebacker Dan Howell took the Most Improved honor on defense. The Travis Spring Outstanding Freshmen Awards winners were fullback Paul Homer on offense and linebacker Donald Butler on defense. Husky Fever 12th Man Awards were presented to junior tailback Louis Rankin on offense and senior defensive end Brandon Ala on defense.

Senior receiver Alex Mercier picked up the Tyee Sports Council Community Service Award, presented to the student-athlete who excels on the field and volunteers extensively in the community. Mercier spearheaded production of the "Husky Nation" CD, which benefitted the Soulumination charity. Junior center Juan Garcia won the Academic Excellence Award while junior receiver Cody Ellis took home the 101 Club Academic Achievement Award.

The Bob Jarvis Offensive Scout Squad Player of the Year went to senior tailback Shelton Sampson while freshman defensive lineman Cameron Elisara was announced as the Mark Drennan Defensive Scout Squad Player of the Year. The Brian Stapp Special Teams Scout Squad Players of the Year Award was awarded to sophomore linebacker Josh Gage.

The Kurt Gegner Memorial Award was presented to Justin Carter, a student assistant on the Husky training staff, and to student equipment manager Ian Tushar.

2006 Washington Football Awards

Guy Flaherty Most Inspirational
Jordan Reffett

Team MVP Award
Isaiah Stanback (Offense)
C.J. Wallace (Defense)

Sports Radio 950 KJR Players of the Year
Sonny Shackelford (Offense)
Scott White (Defense)
Sean Douglas(Special Teams)

KING-TV Most Improved Player
Quintin Daniles (Offense)
Dan Howell (Defense)

John P. Angel Lineman of the Year
Clay Walker (Offense)
Greyson Gunheim (Defense)

L. Wait Rising Lineman of the Year
Daniel Te'o-Nesheim

101 Club Academic Award
Cody Ellis

Earle T. Glant Tough Husky
Mark Palaita

Chuck Niemi Big Hit Award
C.J. Wallace

Tyee Sports Council Community Service Award
Alex Mercier

Bob Jarvis Offensive Scout Squad MVP
Shelton Sampson

Mark Drennan Defensive Scout Squad MVP
Cameron Elisara

Brian Stapp Special Teams Scout Squad MVP
Joshua Gage

Travis Spring Most Outstanding Freshman
Paul Homer (Offense)
Donald Butler (Defense)

Husky Fever 12th Man Award
Louis Rankin (Offense)
Brandon Ala (Defense)

Academic Excellence Award
Juan Garcia

Captains Award
Dashon Goldson, Sonny Shackelford, Isaiah Stanback, C.J. Wallace

Kurt P. Gegner Memorial Award
Ian Tushar (Equipment Room Staff)
Justin Carter (Athletic Training Staff)

This has already been posted in other places on the blog, but I'll put it out here as well, the news that Johnny DuRocher's football career is over.

Here's a story from Scout.com which includes a quote from DuRocher about doctors finding a brain tumor during some medical exams he had last week following his concussion.

We were also able to confirm the news and wrote a story that is here.

Obviously, that's the big news of the day. Football implications of the news pale in comparison to DuRocher's health. But from a football standpoint, it means UW will have only Carl Bonnell returning as an experienced QB for the Huskies next season with Jake Locker the only other returnee at the spot. UW also has a commitment from a high school QB, Ronnie Fouch.

UW coach Tyrone Willingham held his final Monday press conference of the year today though he didn't talk about DuRocher (the school will likely have an official comment sometime later today or tonight).

Among the things Willingham said is that he does not expect to make any changes in his coaching staff, nor does he expect any of his coaches to leave.

Some of this will run in the paper Monday but I'll put it here as well.

Here is the UW replay and the grades of the game. I'll try to answer some of your specific questions about the season and looking ahead in the coming days.

REPLAY
The good: The Huskies would have gone into the off-season with some huge clouds hovering over their program if they had lost to WSU and had a seven-game losing streak. Instead, they can now go into the winter spurred by the good feeling of beating the Cougars and feeling positive about a season in which they did about what most people reasonably expected. The fact that so many of the key players Saturday (Marcel Reece, Cody Ellis, Louis Rankin, Greyson Gunheim, Chris Stevens) will be returning helps set the stage for next year, as well.

The bad: Such a win only causes people to wonder why the team didn't play like that during some of its more desultory losses (namely, Oregon State, Arizona State, Oregon and Stanford). This team seemed to need some significant external motivation (big-name foe or arch-rival) to get up for opponents. Maybe the younger players on the team will learn from that.

Next up: Spring football.

GRADING THE GAME

Offense: The Huskies seemed a little more aggressive and daring all day, and that paid off in three big plays, two of which were the longest plays from scrimmage for the Huskies this season. The Huskies tried a few more sweeps and other plays outside the tackles to take advantage of WSU's 3-4 defense.
Carl Bonnell made some mistakes but showed a lot of grit, Louis Rankin ran harder than he had been, and Marcel Reece was a revelation. And the line, seeming to wear down the last few weeks, bucked up for one last solid effort. But despite the one great run by Rankin, the running game was a struggle much of the day. Grade: B

Defense: UW gave up 32 points, 430 yards and 10-20 third-downs, yet still won. They did it by not allowing the killer big play (for all of WSU's yards, it had no play longer than 33 yards) and getting some timely big plays of its own, namely five sacks. Scott White, invisible at times of late, had a big game in his last Husky appearance and Greyson Gunheim got constant pressure from the edge.
Grade: B.

Special teams: For the first time in years, the Huskies won a game due to special teams --- ultimately, the blocked punt by Chris Stevens and the 87-yard kickoff return by Marlon Wood were the difference in the game. Sean Douglas returned to his first-half form with some booming punts and Michael Braunstein had some solid kickoffs in what was apparently his last game as a Husky game. WSU was prevented from ever running a punt back. Grade: A-minus.

Of course, the Apple Cup often is, so we shouldn't have really been surprised.

But after what happened to the Huskies last week, it was easy to wonder if they'd have it in them to get up for this game.

According to a lot of the players afterward, they were revived by an emotional meeting on Friday night when a lot of the seniors spoke to the team --- something that is annually done before the final game of the season.

"We really fed off that emotion,'' said linebacker Scott White.

It showed as this was a different Husky team than we had seen the last three weeks. As I wrote earlier, you wonder where this team was for a lot of those games --- if this team had shown up for some of those other games, they'd be going bowling right now.

But maybe that's part of the growth process with this program.

The big plays were a revelation, and maybe the most heartening aspect of the game considering all but one of the players who pulled them off will be coming back next season (too bad about the recent news on Marlon Wood now after we finally saw him break a big one this season).

But Louis Rankin, Cody Ellis, Marcel Reece and Chris Stevens will all help form the core of the team next year and having this kind of success will only lead to a better off-season.

"This is a huge win,'' said UW coach Tyrone Willingham. "You always want to finish your season with success. It carries over into the winer and for our seniors leaving the program, they can feel like they did something. They started something and this year was much improvement over the last couple of years, so it's a step in the right direction.''

Carl Bonnell threw two bad interceptions, but he also seemed a lot more assertive tonight, which the team needed in its leader in a hostile environment, and he should be praised for that.

Reece was a revelation. He had apparently had a big talk with Tim Lappano a few weeks ago, asking what he had to do to get on the field. Lappano told him he had to practice better, and Reece apparently heeded the word. Lappano called it "just a glimpse'' of what the Huskies may see from him next year.

And while there are still issues with the way Rankin runs, that 77-yarder showed why the coaches hung with him for so long. Maybe he'll finally figure it out next season.

Thanks to all of you for the kind words on the blog. It's been fun to do this season and I'm glad some of you liked it.

As for breaking down next season, we'll get to that next week.

I'll try to have a bit more over the weekend on this game but I've also got to drive back to Seattle (and more slowly this time).

There's a lot of football left, but suddenly the Huskies seem to have control of this game.

I'm sure a lot of you are wondering where this team has been the last few weeks. For now, just enjoy that it's here today.

The 69-yard TD catch by Marcel Reece was the longest play from scrimmage for UW all season.

And the punt blocked for a TD by Chris Stevens is the first punt blocked for a TD since Dana Hall in the 1991 Rose Bowl.

But injuries could be a factor -- UW is right now without two of its top three cornerbacks with Dashon Goldson and Matt Fountaine out with injuries and WSU will have to throw even more now.

As always, other duties may keep me away from the blog for a while but go ahead and comment here and we'll talk about it later.

For all the negativity that surrounded the Huskies heading into this game, they are showing a lot of grit here so far in forging a tie at halftime.

UW coaches talked this week of how the team needed to make some big plays to win a game like this and that's exactly what they have done.

The amazing catch by Cody Ellis was the longest pass reception of the season for UW and the longest play of any type since the season opener against San Jose State. Ellis' play went for 64 yards. UW's longest pass play had been 56 yards from Isaiah Stanback to Anthony Russo against Oregon State.

And then the kickoff return by Marlon Wood was the longest return of the season --- he had the previous long of 34 at Oregon.

The offense is spotty at best. No running game is making it tough to open up much of the passing game.

But the Huskies at least were able to get it in with two runs when after the long return by Wood.

UW will get the ball to start the second half, always a key in games like this.

UW has been awful coming out of the locker room in the second half, being outscored 93-27 in the third quarter this season. We'll see if they can improve on that today.

UW appears to be answering questions about its mental state, playing WSU to a standoff in the first quarter. WSU has 73 total yards to 54 for UW.

Interesting to see Marcel Reece playing so much, and doing so as a perimeter receiver. That was something UW coaches talked about a few weeks ago and we haven't really seen it until today.

But they might have erred at the end of the first quarter in not getting that field goal off while they still had the wind at their back. Now that the quarter has ended and they are going the other way, it looks like the Huskies are going to punt.

But worth noting that they were going to let Braunstein try a career-high 50-yarder.

One correction - The official stats show WSU had a 73-46 edge in yards at the end of the quarter (the scoreboard had it the other way).

It's about 90 minutes before kickoff (which is officially at 3:56 p.m.) and weather doesn't figure to be any real factor in the game today. Skies are clear and it's a sunny day right now with temperatures in the 40s or so.

In case you missed it, I'll point you to one of the stories I wrote today which I thought included some interesting numbers comparing UW's offense with Isaiah Stanback and how it has performed since he was injured.

It's obviously not news that the Huskies haven't been the same team since Stanback was injured.

But I was surprised at how drastic the difference has been statistically. To repeat one of the numbers, UW averaged 367.7 yards in the first six games of the season and 255 since.

I think the injury to Stanback remains the one big caveat when you look at this season and try to judge Tyrone Willingham (not that that excuses the Stanford game or the handling of the "suddenly senior issue in any way).

Arrived safely in Pullman, if with a lighter pocket book after running just slightly afoul of the law while heading up Highway 26. As the ads say, don't speed or it will cost, or something.

The team is here, as well, and just completed its "on-site inspection'' of Martin Stadium. All they did was get off the bus and walk around for a few minutes wearing their travel uniform of suits and ties.

Johnny DuRocher didn't make the trip, but Isaiah Stanback did to provide some morale support.

Michael Braunstein and Chris Hemphill made the trip, as well, just in case anyone was wondering.

I talked with Braunstein the other day and he made it clear he still wants to be part of this team, though that's obviously probably not going to happen.

But he said he wanted to clarify his comment that appeared in another media outlet about kicking for himself. He said he was referring to a meeting he had with other players where he wanted to assure them that they didn't have to worry about his mental outlook in light of what had happened, that "I'm kicking for everyone in this room'' including himself, and that he wouldn't want to let himself down.

One observer said the team seemed loose, looser than it often has been for road games this year. So maybe that's a good sign for the Huskies.

One last note --- it's about 40 degrees and clear here right now. But somehow, 40 degrees here feels a lot colder than 40 degrees in a lot of other places.

I'm getting ready to get in the car and make the drive to the Palouse, so I'm going to give you all of my picks for today, including the UW game, which I often save for later, since I have no idea when I'll be able to blog again.

I was 2-3 last week and am now 44-15 for the season.

Washington State 21 Washington 10 --- I think the Huskies will play with a lot more fire than they did a week ago (how could they not?) But watching that offense the last few weeks has been painful, and WSU's defense is unquestionably better than Stanford's and does some things better than does Oregon.

If the Cougars really get all those D-lineman back and play more 4-3, opening up Mkristo Bruce to pass rush more from the outside, they could really wreak havoc. And right now, UW can't run on anybody as last week showed. The UW defense played well last week, which is interesting in light of all the talk that the team quit. I hate to sound like one of the coaches, but it is true that if you take out the three long passes to Richard Sherman (who is the one legitimate Pac-10 player Stanford has on offense), the Cardinal gained just 77 yards on its other 52 plays.

I think the defense just wore down in the face of the complete ineptitude by the offense, and I think more of the same could be in the offing against the Cougars.

The whole key is UW's running game. Maybe Kenny James is healthy enough to add some spark to it this week, or maybe they'll get Johnie Kirton more involved to give it more of a push up the middle. They have to try something and I'm sure they will (especially Kirton, who I wouldn't be surprised to see get more than the three carries he got last week). If they can run at all, then things change.

But the Cougars are going to be aggressive --- coaches expect WSU to blitz in some manner at least half the time --- and if Carl Bonnell gets knocked out again, then it's Felix Sweetman time. Maybe the story book ending could come true, but the safe bet is on the home team.

Here's my look at the other Pac-10 games:

Oregon 27, Arizona 21 --- Wildcats are improving so rapidly that it's a good thing UW got to play them down there in September and not now. Arizona's defense is good enough to make this one scary, and Oregon has a budding QB controversy on its hands. But Oregon's running game should be enough.

Oregon State 31, Stanford 7--- The Cardinal got its one win and now figures to revert to form against an OSU team that has to win this game to assure a bowl bid.

Cal 34, USC 27 --- I picked Cal to win the Pac-10 before the season and I can't pull off of the Bears now, despite the loss last week. I think the Bears were caught looking ahead last week and will pick up their game this week. USC, however, looks like it's beginning to catch fire.

Arizona State 34, UCLA 17 --- Sun Devils are an enigma. But Rudy Carpenter appeared to find his old gunslinger form last week and if he can keep that up, ASU should have enough.

Also, want to make sure you saw my story today on Stanley Daniels. I meant to write this long before the day before his last game (truth be told, I was saving it for part of our preview of their bowl game back when I thought they were headed to one) but better late than never. Daniels has had a rocky road to college, and a rocky road once he got here. But his story is one that points out all the good things about college athletics. He freely admits he might be in a completely different direction if it were not for sports.

Tyrone Willingham just met us for the last time before Saturday's game and there isn't much change in the state of any personnel.

He said quarterback Carl Bonnell has looked good in practice and will definitely start. Johnny DuRocher has not practiced and won't play but will likely make the trip.

Willingham said Jason Wells has progressed to the point that he could start at free safety Saturday ahead of Chris Hemphill, who has started the past two games. But that likely has nothing to do with all that has happened with Hemphill the past few weeks. Instead, it's simply that Wells was the starter before and will get the job back if he's healthy.

On that note, Willingham said Michael Braunstein will be the starting kicker Saturday.

DT Donny Mateaki (calf) could play and LB Donald Butler (calf) has been progressing well and will almost certainly play. And fullback Luke Kravitz, out the past three games with a knee injury, "may also be able to see some action,'' Willingham said.

The team leaves Friday afternoon, flying into Lewiston and then busing to Pullman.

Willingham said the team will make a quick trip through Martin Stadium upon arrival. It won't be a walk-through as the team won't do any football-related activity. Instead, Willingham referred to it as an "on-site inspection.''

PRACTICE UPDATE --- Appeared to be a truncated workout going on today as the regular players were all without pads and helmets, going through plays in a walk-through style.

But all the freshmen and redshirting players were in full pads, suggesting that they might be playing what is commonly referred to as a "Scout Bowl'' to get all of those players some live-action work.

Academics, apparently, aren't a reason why Michael Braunstein isn't being asked back for another season.

The Pac-10 Conference All-Academic Team was just released and Braunstein was named honorable mention.

The only Husky named to the first team was receiver Cody Ellis, who was named to the first-team for the third straight year.

To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and be either a starter or significant substitute. Following is the 2006 Pacific-10 Conference All-Academic Football Team:

2006 PACIFIC-10 CONFERENCE ALL-ACADEMIC FOOTBALL TEAM

FIRST TEAM

Pos. Name, School Yr. GPA Major
QB Alex Brink, Washington State* Jr. 3.56 Sport Management
RB Anthony Kimble, Stanford Sr. 3.30 Science, Technology & Society
RB Byron Storer, California Sr. 3.44 Mass Communications
WR Cody Ellis, Washington** Jr. 3.74 Sociology
WR Kelton Lynn, Stanford Jr. 3.65 Management, Science & Tech.
TE Zach Miller, Arizona State Jr. 3.84 Marketing
C Jason Burke, Arizona State* Sr. 3.90 Finance & Marketing
OL Daniel Borg, Arizona RFr. 3.85 Computer Science
OL Chris Joseph, UCLA* Jr. 3.96 Geography
OL Jon Teague, Oregon So. 3.72 Business
OL Josiah Vinson, Stanford* Sr. 3.55 English

DL Chris Horn, Stanford* Sr. 3.33 Engineering
DL Kenneth Lombard, UCLA* So. 3.48 History
DL Michael Marquardt, Arizona State Jr. 3.64 Urban Planning
DL Tom McAndrew, Stanford So. 3.64 Undeclared
LB Spencer Larsen, Arizona Jr. 3.51 Regional Development
LB Michael Okwo, Stanford Sr. 3.09 Philosophy & Religious Studies
LB Mike Silva, Stanford Sr. 3.54 Economics/Management Science
DB Josh Barrett, Arizona State Jr. 3.01 Marketing
DB Randolph Bundy, California Sr. 3.10 American Studies
DB Keenan Lewis, Oregon State* So. 3.09 Exercise & Sport Science
DB Chris Price, Arizona State Sr. 3.57 Psychology

PK Jesse Ainsworth, Arizona State* Sr. 3.66 Justice Studies
P Nick Folk, Arizona Sr. 3.22 Marketing
RS Sammie Stroughter, Oregon State Jr. 3.00 Sociology

*Two-time first-team All-Academic selection
**Three-time first-team All-Academic selection

SECOND TEAM

Pos. Name, School Yr. GPA Major
QB Dennis Dixon, Oregon Jr. 3.27 Sociology
RB Danny Nelson, UCLA Sr. 3.40 History
WR Michael Miller, Stanford Sr. 3.35 International Relations
WR Evan Moore, Stanford Sr. 3.33 Political Science
TE Matt Larkin, Oregon So. 3.94 Business Administration
C Alex Mack, California So. 3.47 Legal Studies
OL Andrew Carnahan, Arizona State Sr. 3.49 Construction
OL Adam Koets, Oregon State Sr. 3.27 Business
OL Aleksey Lanis, UCLA RFr. 3.60 Undeclared
OL Brandon Rodd, Arizona State Jr. 3.20 Business

DL John Allen, California Jr. 3.24 Political Science
DL Nick Reed, Oregon So. 3.12 Undeclared
DL Gustav Rydstedt, Stanford Jr. 3.43 Computer Science
DL Michael Speed, Oregon So. 3.10 Business
LB Clay Matthews, USC So. 3.10 International Relations
LB Clinton Snyder, Stanford So. 3.16 Undeclared
LB Gregory Van Hoesen, California Jr. 3.17 Art Practice

PK Aaron Zagory, Stanford Jr. 3.70 Philosophy
P Aaron Knowles, Oregon Sr. 3.29 Sociology

Honorable Mention

Arizona: OT Peter Graniello, Jr.

Arizona State: QB Brett Boon, RFr.; DT Brett Palmer, Jr.

California: OG Noris Malele, So.; OG Erik Robertson, Sr.; OT Scott Smith, Sr.

Oregon: C Jeff Kendall, So.; WR Jordan Kent, Sr.; HB Matt Larkin, So.; DT Cole Linehan, So.

Oregon State: DT Pernnell Booth, So.; C Kyle DeVan, Jr.; WR Taylor Kavanaugh, RFr.; OT Andy Levitre, So.; WR Brandon Powers, Jr.; C Adam Speer, So.; Sammie Stroughter, Jr.

Stanford: OT Chris Marinelli, So.; LB Will Powers, So.

UCLA: WR Andrew Baumgartner, Sr.; TE Ryan Moya, So.; QB Ben Olson, So.; TE Logan Paulsen, So.

Washington: PK Michael Braunstein, Jr.; TE Robert Lewis, Jr.; DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, Rfr.

Washington State: C Kenny Alfred, RFr.; TE Jed Collins, Jr.; WR Brandon Gibson, So.; PK Loren Langley, Jr.

You have questions, many regarding the "suddenly senior'' deal, we'll try to have some answers:

DO COACHES AT OTHER SCHOOLS, OR HAVE PREVIOUS UW COACHES, DONE THE SAME THING WITH FOURTH-YEAR JUNIORS?

Yes. What made this so unusual and attention-grabbing was the timing. I can think of a half-dozen or so Huskies in the time I've been covering the team who were fourth-year juniors one season and suddenly weren't back the next -- some who come readily to mind from the Neuheisel era are Devon Johnson, Alvin Burleson, Manny Austin and Geoff Shelton. This also happened last year with Kim Taylor, Dash Crutchley and Jason Benn.

Close followers of any program I'm sure could find a bunch of guys in similar situations -- coaches are always looking for scholarships, especially these days with the 85-scholarship limit (which is one thing that makes comparisons to the deep past on this issue irrevelant).

But my memory is that these decisions often were made after the season, and usually quietly came to light before the start of spring ball. The fact that these guys are key contributors also makes it a little different. The above examples were all guys who hadn't done much on the field. But as every old coach I've talked to in recent days has said about this, it's not so much what was done but how and when it was done and announced.

Interestingly, the same thing basically happened last year with Benn, Crutchley and Taylor -- each was announced as seniors for the Apple Cup after previously being listed as juniors. But since they were lower-profile guys and nobody noticed until the day of the Apple Cup -- and then the season was over with -- it went relatively unnoticed. But I talked later with Crutchley and he said all the same things the guys from this year have about what Willingham told him and when.

CAN THE FOUR SUDDENLY SENIORS FROM THIS YEAR APPEAL TO TRY TO GET THEIR YEAR BACK?

Yes, we wrote a little bit about it in Saturday's paper, and it's not a big secret. There is an upper campus appeals board that is not connected with the athletic department that athletes in all sports can appeal decisions regarding their scholarships. I know Crutchley last year appealed the decision not to give him a fifth-year and was denied. I know Roger Faagata (remember him?), a linebacker from the early Neuheisel era also appealed when Neuheisel made a similar decision to deny him a fifth-year in 2000. Faagata's appeal was also denied.

CAN THESE GUYS PLAY SOMEWHERE ELSE NEXT YEAR?

Yes, a new NCAA rules allows players who have completed a degree in four years to play somewhere else immediately if they still have remaining eligibility. The most noteworthy example so far may be Kevin Kruger, a basketball player who left Arizona State this year to play for his father, Lon, at UNLV.

Here's some background on what Kruger did. It's a controversial rule, however, and there has been talk that it could be overturned soon so in an ironic way, Willingham may actually have done these guys a slight favor by letting them know immediately so they can get somewhere quickly if that's what they want to do.

Sounds like they both do want to go on. Hemphill, who was a standout basketball player in high school (his point guard was Pooh Jeter who played last year at Portland), recently told me how he quit basketball because he thought he had a better shot at the NFL than the NBA. So there's no doubt he wants to keep playing.

HOW HAS ALL THIS AFFECTED THE REST OF THE TEAM?

Sure looked like it had a negative impact Saturday, didn't it? Initially, players seemed to deny that the loss and the news of the week were related. But as this week progressed, a few (Roy Lewis, Stanley Daniels) said they thought it did. But maybe they will be over it by Saturday. I never saw a Husky team in more shambles before an Apple Cup than 2004, when Keith Gilbertson had already been fired, no team captains were healthy enough to play, and Scott White got suspended the day before the game for being late to the bus. And UW almost one that game anyway, losing 28-25. So anything can happen.

WHY HAVEN'T YOU BEEN HARDER ON THE COACHES ON THIS BLOG?'

For one thing, even though I have a little more freedom on the blog to opine, I'm not a columnist and not the one to start calling for people's heads. I can and will analyze certain situations with a different perspective here than I might in the paper. After a game like Saturday's, I think everything is up for consideration -- the coaching and the talent. None of it looks good right now. But in general, I view this space as a place for me to give information and analysis that can't be found elsewhere.

A few of you have asked about the status of Michael Houston, the transfer running back from Texas who was suspended indefinitely a few weeks ago for his alleged role in an auto theft.

Tyrone Willingham said today that there is nothing new on his status with the team. However, he said that Houston is "still very in school and doing everything except really practicing actively with the football team.''

So that may auger well for his eventual return. That would be a real positive for the Huskies. For the story I wrote today on UW's freshmen, I talked awhile with Scott White to get his impressions of some of the redshirting players. He mentioned Houston right off the bat, saying there were some times he ran over some of UW's starting defensive linemen.

As for the rest of the news today, there wasn't much. Willingham said Carl Bonnell practiced well Tuesday so he will be the starter Saturday barring anything drastic, with Felix Sweetman as the backup.

Johnny DuRocher did not practice today and likely won't play Saturday, leaving Sonny Shackelford as the No. 3 QB.

And if you want to know what Willingham thinks about the Chris Hemphill-Michael Braunstein Facebook.com page, a few of us tried, but he didn't want to answer. Both players were at practice today, however, and presumably their status hasn't changed.

Here's one post that will deal almost strictly with football and not Facebook.

We had our regular weekly meeting with defensive coordinator Kent Baer about this week's game and he said the big key figures to be how UW's secondary can match up with WSU's passing offense.

WSU is second in the conference in passing offense at 253.5 yards per gaame and tied for second in touchdown passes with 21.

The Cougars are probably without their top two receivers, Jason Hill and Michael Bumpus, due to ankle injuries.

Still, Baer said "we'll see more vertical routes than we've seen in the last six weeks combined. ... they look a little different when those two guys aren't playing but they still do a lot of the same things.''

In the good news department for UW, Baer said Jason Wells has been practicing and should be able to play some at free safety this week after missing two games with a knee injury.

"That will help our depth tremendously,'' Baer said.

Baer also said that middle linebacker Donald Butler should be back after missing two games with a calf injury.

Interestingly, given all the speculation about how "Senior-gate'' impacted the team against Stanford, Baer reiterated that he thought the effort against the Cardinal was "great.''

Baer said he always charts what he calls "loafs'' --- plays in which it appears a player wasn't trying as hard as he could have --- and said "there were very few, if any.''

He said he was most impressed that UW's effort stayed strong even after the long TD pass to Richard Sherman early in the fourth quarter made it clear the Huskies were in trouble.

He said he thought UW "played harder, which was pleasing to see.''

In fact, Stanford went three-and-out on its last three series.

I'll start today by linking a couple of our stories from today.

First is a story you might find a little optimistic --- a report on what some of the true freshmen think about this season and where the program is headed.

Jake Locker appears to have no regrets over how the season has turned out and the decision not to play him this year.

One quote that didn't make it into the story was when I asked UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano about J.R. Hasty. Lappano said "has been taking care of business'' in the classroom and that having slimmed down "he looks like he did last year'' when he was so impressive in practice that the coaches thought about taking him out of his redshirt year. Obviously in hindsight, maybe they should have.

On the other end is this notebook with some new developments on the Michael Braunstein-Chris Hemphill issue.

I'll leave it to you guys to weigh in on that one.

The best moment of today was a mini-press conference for walk-on quarterback Felix Sweetman.

So many of us had requested to talk with him that they put him at the desk in front of the Husky banner and all the TV microphones, just like they do for the coaches and the other big-name players who get a lot of attention.

Sweetman could be the backup QB this week if Johnny DuRocher can't play with a concussion --- DuRocher sat out practice today.

And Sweetman appears to be relishing every moment of the experience.

Sweetman, in fact, called the chance to play Saturday "a dream'' that could finally be fulfilled.

That chance could come given DuRocher's situation and the fact that Carl Bonnell has suffered three significant injuries in the four games he has played. As I wrote in a story today about Bonnell, he will have surgery next week on his left shoulder "to get it to its proper elevation'' he said. That story is here.

Sweetman, meanwhile, has been with the Huskies since the fall of 2002, and I wrote a story a few weeks ago about him that details much of his background. You can find that story here.

Sweetman has been the up back on the punt team in recent games and has taken three snaps --- all the final play of a game, including Saturday's, in a mop-up role.

Of the chance to take a real snap in his final game, he said "there's be no better way to end it (his career).''

But it's obvious he'd rather his career not be ending. As the story above details, his dream was always to play for the Huskies and he pursued it despite the long odds against ever seeing the field.

He became emotional when he talked about the fact that next week, he won't be a UW football player anymore, able to go to the locker room and hang out with his teammates.

"It's going to be hard for me,'' he said. "These five years have been the fastest five years of my life.''

Throughout the last few days, since the "suddenly senior'' news of last week, I hadn't heard any of the current players say it had much of an impact on what happened Saturday against Stanford.

The only player I'd heard say it might have was Chris Hemphill, who is one the four guys apparently being dismissed.

But guard Stanley Daniels said Tuesday that he thinks the news of the week definitely played a role in Saturday's game in what were the most definitive statements on that subject I've heard on the topic.

"Of course, it had some effect on the team because these are guys on our team that we live with every day and work with and sweat and bleed with and when you hear something like that it kind of discourages you a little bit,'' Daniels said. "It's a it's a mental thing. You have to take it for what it is. But I think it definitely effected us a little bit when we heard it.''

Asked about the policy, Daniels said it was a change from what the players who were brought in before Tyrone Willingham had come to expect.

"It was a new thing for us when coach Willingham came that he was handling our fifth year like that,'' he said. "We came in with guaranteed five years. You come to UW, you get five years guaranteed, you get your degree and play some great football --- that's what was told to me when I was a young high school kid. So when coach Willingham came he had different policies. But we respect that. It's his team, his players. It's unfortunate he chose some of the guys he chose to enforce that policy on.''

Also, UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said QB Johnny DuRocher will not practice today as he has not yet been cleared after suffering a concussion against Stanford.

Carl Bonnell, however, will be able to play as Lappano said his injured thigh is improving quickly. Felix Sweetman is the backup and Sonny Shackelford would be the emergency QB. Lappano said Shackelford, a high school quarterback for a while, will get some snaps in practice this week.

A couple of you asked about the hit on DuRocher, Lappano said "it was legal and all that, but it was physical.'' DuRocher was hit by a blindside block on the play when Stanford intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown. He didn't play after that.

There's been a lot of "Fire Willingham'' type comments on this blog in the wake of the Stanford loss.

No offense to any of you who posted that, but that's not going to happen, so I didn't bother asking that question this week.

What I did ask UW athletic director Todd Turner was whether he had any concerns about the direction of the football program, and whether he had talked with Willingham about an extension of his contract. Willingham signed a five-year deal when he arrived.

Turner's comments are in this story here. He said Willingham remains the right man for the job but that they haven't talked about an extension, only because he doesn't think it's necessary now, saying "I'm not worried about his future here.''

We also wrote a story today about possibly moving the Apple Cup to create a bye in the schedule for WSU and UW. Sounds like both schools are willing to think about it since it's the easiest way for each to get a bye in the schedule. Each is running into lots of depth problems this season due in part to playing 12 games in 12 weeks.

Carl Bonnell attended the press conference today and said he should be able to play Saturday.

He said his thigh is the biggest issue right now but he expects it to be okay.

After that it's pretty uncertain. Tyrone Willingham said Johnny DuRocher wouldn't be able to play if there were a game today and it will have to be seen how he progresses during the week. That could leave Felix Sweetman as the backup.

After that, Willingham said he might have to get "creative.'' He wouldn't elaborate on who that might be though Sonny Shackelford --- a high school QB ---- is an obvious choice.

Willingham elbaborated a little bit more on the "suddenly senior'' issue, saying he apoligizes "if my timing was off'' saying again that he wanted the players to have the chance to be properly honored.

But in terms of what was done, he expressed no regrets, stating again his policy on a fifth year.

He said he has no concerns it will scare off recruits, saying players are told about it up front and that the kinds of players UW wants will understand and accept it. He pointed out that scholarships are one-year renewable, something I quoted Todd Turner saying in a story on Friday, as well, when Turner said he supported Willingham's policy.

Willingham would not elaborate as to why Chris Hemphill and Michael Braunstein were being shown the door, however, and not other fourth-year juniors. He also said that not all decisions on such players have been made, a comment he made when asked specifically about Corey Williams. So there could, apparenlty, be more of those types of decisions coming.

And he said again that he thinks it had no affect on the team's play Saturday, saying "I hope we're not that fragile of a team.''

When asked if the program was where he wanted it to be right now, he said "no, we're not where I hoped we'd be and where I thought we'd be'' but he also said that "obviously, there has been some progress.'' But that was about as far as he wanted to go on that, saying the focus this week is on beating Washington State, which he said would set a positive tone for next season.

Should add that there was only one player of the week --- linebacker Tahj Bomar for defense (there were no offense or special teams players, as there usually is, even after losses). Also, LB Donald Butler attended the luncheon and should be ready to go this week after missing the last two games with a calf injury.

As sometimes happens in this business, space constraints meant that some of what I wrote for today's paper didn't get in, specifically in our grades and replay section.

So here is the complete version.

REPLAY
The good: For most of the game, the defense at least hung in. But that was about all the good that came on a day that was as dark as Husky Stadium has seen in some time. At least that day they lost to Nevada in 2003 UW gained 447 yards, throwing it away with a bunch of mistakes. This was just feeble.

The bad: All the momentum gained by that 4-1 start is now lost and the program appears back to square one. Sure, Isaiah Stanback meant a lot to this team. But did he mean that much? If so, this program has more work to do than was thought six weeks ago. And now, they won't even get those 15 extra practices for making a bowl game to begin working toward next season.

Next up: Washington State, Saturday, 3:45 p.m.

GRADING THE GAME
Offense: Considering the competition, this might have been the worst Husky offensive performance in decades. The last time UW was held without a TD was the 1983 Apple Cup" but at least that was a good Cougar team. Dropped passes, missed blocks, off-target throws. This one had it all. Of 15 offensive possessions, eight resulted in five yards or fewer. And with an uncertain QB situation this week, hard to figure how it gets better. Grade: F.

Defense: Other than a couple of long passes, UW's defense played okay. UW actually had 13 tackles for a loss, a season high. Still, Stanford was a team that had lost a Pac-10 high 22 turnovers and the Huskies didn't force a single one. This was a game the defense needed to win on its own �" and could have with a little more fire and aggression considering the opponent. They're guilty by association. Grade: C

Special teams: Nothing real bad, but nothing real good, either. In a game screaming for a momentum-turning play, UW didn't do anything on special teams to light a spark, continuing a season-long trend. UW doesn't have a punt return longer than 15 yards all season, or a kickoff return longer than 34. Grade: C.

There are rumors all over the place about UW's QB situation after Saturday's game.

But on the official depth chart for this week's game that was just released, Carl Bonnell is listed as the starter, followed by Johnny DuRocher and Felix Sweetman (for the first time in a while, Jake Locker is left off completely).

Bonnell (thigh) and DuRocher (concussion) were each shaken up Saturday. We'll hopefully learn more about their status later at Tyrone Willingham's press conference around noon and I caution that the depth chart isn't necessarily a definitive word on these matters.

No other big changes to the depth chart, though Jason Wells is back on it at free safety after being out the last two weeks with a knee injury behind Chris Hemphill, who is indeed listed as a senior.

Donald Butler is still not mentioned at linebacker indicating he is still out with that calf injury.

Here's the first betting line I could find on the Apple Cup and it has the Cougars as 10.5-point favorites for Saturday's game.

Believe it or not, it's the sixth straight year that the Cougars have been favored to beat the Huskies (yes, WSU was favored in 2001, 2002 and 2003, all seasons the Cougars won 10 games, as well as the last two years).

This year's spread is not the largest WSU has been favored during that time, however. The Cougars were 12-point favorites in 2004 when UW rolled into Pullman 1-9.

The Huskies are 4-1 against the spread the last five years against WSU, however, winning outright in 2001, 2002 and 2003 and covering in 2004, so maybe this is a good omen for Washington.

As you can see here, UW is 5-5-1 against the spread this year, losing the last three.

We may have more than one post here today as we dissect what happened yesterday.

First, here's our coverage from today just in case you missed any of it. I'll point you specifically to the story on Chris Hemphill for those wondering how that situation might have impacted things yesterday. Hemphill certainly seemed to think it could have.

Finally, I'll also highlight the column by our Jerry Brewer, who wonders if the Huskies quit on their coach in this game. Jerry also makes the salient point that Stanford came out of the gate horrible in this game. It's not as if Stanford played some amazing game. They played hard on defense and Richard Sherman --- who's a legit Pac-10 receiver --- made three big catches. But that was it.

And here are a few looks at the game from the other side. First, The San Francisco Chronicle.Interesting quote from the Stanford linebacker, Clinton Snyder, that they felt they were going to stop the Huskies on every down. And here's their notebook on the situation involving Stanford linebacker Michael Okwo.

And here's a little story from the San Jose Mercury News on the big day by Bo McNally, who had the interception return for a touchdown that turned the game for good.

A lot of you have a lot of questions tonight, but after watching a game like that, I don't know how many good answers I have.

But I'll try to say a few things here:

First, on Jake Locker. There's no plan to play him Saturday. Tim Lappano said they'll go with Felix Sweetman if he's the only one healthy, and he could be.
On the larger issue of whether they should have played Locker this year, however, Tyrone Willingham was asked by Hugh Millen after the game if he'd have played Locker immediately when Isaiah Stanback was hurt against OSU if he'd known how the rest of the season would have turned out.

Willingham said "I might have.''

But the fact that they didn't, and might have lost the season because of it, means it would be insane to play him now.

Second, on the issue with the seniors this week. Willingham said this week he wanted the players to know now so they could be properly honored as seniors. In asking around, I haven't heard of it happening too often that a coach is telling kids they aren't in the plans for next season while the season is still going on. I've heard of that happening with players who obviously have no real future in the program, guys who have never played and aren't going to. But I'm not sure I've heard of it with guys who are starters and key players.

How much it impacted today's game is hard to tell. Chris Hemphill talked to us afterward and said he thought it might have. Willingham said that maybe it did but he didn't think so. The rest of the players all said they didn't think it impacted anything, though maybe they were all trying to be PC.

Third, on the overall issue of what's going on with this team. I think in general, you have a team devoid of talent in a lot of areas, and lacking depth everywhere. Stanback was the leader of the team in every way, and when he went down, the team became rudderless. He was also the team's only real playmaker and defenses have been able to play UW more straight up since he left. Stanford pretty much went man-to-man all day, which makes it easier to send more people to cover the run. Stanford basically just dared UW to pass the ball, and the Huskies couldn't do it.

As far as the mentality of the team, you have a mix of players that were brought here by three different coaches. That obviously brings with it some problems.
That said, everyone seemed on board with everything in September when UW was 4-1. Maybe it's simply that this team never had that much overall talent, and once Stanback went out, that began to take hold.

The mood afterward was about as funereal as you might have expected.

Some players called this the worst loss of their careers, and Tyrone Willingham admitted afterward that he would have to look at what he's doing since "obviously, that was not good football.''

All the goals for this team are now lost, leaving only playing for pride next week in the Apple Cup.

The question will be who takes the snaps at QB.

Johnny DuRocher suffered a concussion when hit on the play in which he threw the interception that was returned for a touchdown and was taken to the hospital afterward.

Carl Bonnell tried to play after being removed when he suffered a thigh bruise but he was obviously laboring.

Even walk-on Felix Sweetman was ailing, suffering a shoulder stinger while playing on special teams early in the game.

UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said it's possible that Bonnell won't be able to play next week, saying "Carl's really beat up'' which would leave it to DuRocher and Sweetman, provided they are able.

Two injured starters and a walk-on doesn't sound like any way to try to snap a six-game losing streak in Pullman.

Who could have envisioned all of this when this team was 4-1?

There were two other injuries as DTs Donny Mateaki (calf) and Wilson Afoa (knee) also limped off the field.

The three points, by the way, was the first time UW has been held without a touchdown in a home game since the 1983 Apple Cup.

Shocking, shocking, shocking.

Stanford actually looks in control as the third quarter ends.

Johnny DuRocher has a concussion and is out for the game. Carl Bonnell has a bad thigh and is noticeably limping when he's out there. Felix Sweetman appeared ready to come on for a play before Bonnell came back out.

Stanford has 107 yards to just 77 for UW. The Huskies had zero yards in the third quarter as they had 77 at halftime, as well.

Only the UW defense is keeping them in the game, but it may be too late. At least Stanford has just used up all its time outs.

Other duties may keep me away from the blog until affter the game, but as always, feel free to leave your comments here.

It's tied at halftime and the Huskies are hearing some boos for one of the most lackluster halfs of football seen here in a while.

Fitting of the kind of half it's been, the loudest cheer was when the scoreboard flashed that Air Force was leading Notre Dame 20-0 --- a score that is incorrect.

Tyrone Willingham just said on his halftime radio show that "the things we are doing are right, we just have to execute it.''

He said Carl Bonnell is okay to play and they will examine the QB spot at halftime to see who will play in the second half.

The two teams have combined for 151 yards in the first half --- 68 by Stanford on that final drive.

The official word from the press box is that Carl Bonnell also has a deep thigh bruise and his return is uncertain, according to the UW PR staff.

As the first quarter ends, the Huskies have a new-look backfield. Carl Bonnell apparently has a bloody nose, according to the radio broadcast, and has been replaced by Johnny DuRocher.

Johnie Kirton has two carries already and looks pretty good.

We'll see how it turns out.

The Huskies announced their captains for the season before today's game as voted on by their teammates.

The four are C.J. Wallace, Isaiah Stanback, Dashon Goldson and Sonny Shackelford.

They will also be the captains for next week's Apple Cup.

Half hour before kickoff and there are lots of open seats here --- and surprisingly, lots of sunshine, as well.

Tim Lappano talked the other day of surprises in the backfield for today and the pre-game warmups may have revealed one --- Johnie Kirton was lined up in the backfield, but not just in the two-back sets that he's been used in previously, but in the one-back.

That could mean some major action for Kirton today.

Also, it's worth wondering today how Michael Braunstein will kick given the events of the last week. His father, Paul, said yesterday his son is upset about what's happened but that he was trying to put it out of his mind for today and just kick.

As always, we'll try to keep the blog going throughout the game, so keep your comments coming.

Meant to post this a lot earlier, not that there's much drama in picking a 19.5-point favorite to win.

There really isn't any excuse for UW not to win this game.

In the position breakdowns we do each week, I gave UW every edge and barely even thought twice about any of them.

As long as the Huskies don't fall victim to themselves --- either feeling undue pressure due to what's riding on the game, or simply once again coming out of the gate slow --- they should win relatively easily.

The only way I see Stanford having a chance is if it can stop UW's run game. That's the only thing that makes some statistical sense as the Cardinal did a decent job on USC last week, holding the Trojans to 108 yards on 32 carries. And we all know the troubles UW has had running the last few weeks. Something similar and UW could have some dicey moments today, especially if the weather's a real factor.

But Tim Lappano is promising surprises with the running game, apparently, and maybe that will bring a spark. I think the return of Kenny James will be enough as is.

In the end, I picked UW to win 27-6 but I wouldn't be surprised if it was even more of a rout.

UW offensive coordinator makes a weekly appearance Thursday night on KJR-AM with Elise and Ian, which is about the last public word from a Washington coach since there is never any access on Friday's.

I finally got around to listening to it on-line --- here's where you can find it --- and there's some interesting stuff.

In particular, Lappano said that "there are going to be some surprises in our running game and we feel confident we can run the football [against Stanford].''

Lappano said he didn't want to share what those surprises will be, but indicated they could involve personnel.

"There will be some surprises in there, might be a couple in there in our running-back positon, the way we run it, so it should be fun,'' he said.

Maybe that means more Johnie Kirton or Shelton Sampson, or maybe some more running by some of the fullbacks, such as Mark Palaita or Paul Homer.

Lappano also again defended quarterback Carl Bonnell. "I still think Carl is playing well enough for us to win so we have to help him,'' he said.

He called last week's 138-yard outing against Oregon "unacceptable'' and said that "I'll take the blame on that.''

And he added of this week, "We've probably had the best three practices we've had all year."

There's been a lot of discussion here concerning yesterday's news about the five players who were suddenly found to be seniors.

There figures to be a little more news about this, as well, as Michael Braunstein's father, Paul, has e-mailed a few of us in the media to let us know that he is meeting with UW officials this afternoon to ask that Michael not be introduced as a senior tomorrow because he wants to come back next season.

Paul Braunstein also said that Chris Hemphill's mother will be in town today to also say that Chris would like to return next season.

But what I've heard today is that UW adminstrators are in full support of Tyrone Willingham on this one and that they view the meetings strictly as an opportunity to answer questions from the parents involved.

As has been speculated, I think there may be more behind-the-scenes stuff on these decisions than just what you see on Saturday.

Washington coaches clearly haven't been happy with some of the things Braunstein has said in the past to reporters. Braunstein told me recently he didn't intend his comment about Keith Gilbertson --- that he would last longer than the coach would at UW --- to be taken as literally as it looked in print in a story we published last week. He said it was simply a heat of the moment thing. But I don't think UW coaches liked it very much.

Word also is that Hemphill was quietly suspended for a few games this season without any of us really noticing since he hadn't been playing much. He has officially played in only five games this season. Not sure the reason for the suspension, but sounds as if he has run afoul of the coaches on occasion.

Paul Braunstein said that Michael Braunstein may look into playing at other schools next season if he doesn't return to UW.

Braunstein and Hemphill would each be immediately eligible to play at any school next season regardless of division provided they graduate in four years. That's a new NCAA rule used most notably this year by basketball player Kevin Kruger, who transferred from Arizona State to UNLV to play for his father, Lon.

As for Marlon Wood and trying to get a sixth year of eligibility, an extra year is difficult to get. I can think of only one player in the 10 years I've covered UW who has gotten one --- receiver Patrick Reddick, who sat out two straight years with an injury. The real killer is if a player ever redshirted for voluntary reasons, as Wood essentially did because he spent one year doing nothing but running track. The NCAA almost never then grants a sixth year for a player who sits out one year on purpose, then has injuries that make him sit out another year. And in Wood's case, he played quite a bit last season and past the deadline to get a redshirt. So his case is a tough one to get.

Lots of chatter here about what happened Thursday with the guys who were suddenly found to be seniors. I may have a little more news on some of that later.

For now, here's a story out of the Bay Area on Stanford's injury situation, as well as a note on the fact that it was thought for a few hours Thursday that the team's leading tackler, Michael Okwo, might have quit. But as the story indicates, Okwo is expected to be in uniform Saturday.

Also, here's another look at Stanford with the nugget that the Cardinal is playing the hardest schedule in the country this year.

We'll take a break from the pressing Husky matters of the day for our weekly Pac-10 picks.

I'm now 42-12 on the year straight up after going 4-1 last week, missing only WSU's debacle against Arizona.

Cal 27, Arizona 17 --- The Bears continue to look like the best team in the Pac-10 (and I'm just about ready to crow about the fact that I was one of the few people who picked Cal in the official Pac-10 media poll). But Arizona has found some new life with a tough defense and Willie Tuitama back at QB. This could be tight for a while.

Oregon State 31, UCLA 17 --- The Bruins look like a team ready to pack it in while OSU has made a startling turnaround. This is a huge game for Matt Moore, who transferred out of UCLA a few years ago. The Beavers lost down in UCLA a year ago, 51-28. By the way, did you realize that USC and Oregon State wouldn't have played this year had it not been for the new nine-game conference schedule? Those two would have missed each other under the old schedule.

ASU 21, WSU 17 --- A key game for the Huskies, who would benefit from a WSU loss in terms of the post-season. On the other hand, ASU gets to six wins with games remaining against UCLA and Arizona if it wins this one, so one way or the other, this won't help UW. But the best-case scenario for UW seems to be getting a tie with WSU at 6-6, so root for ASU in this one if you're a Husky fan. Cougars may have trouble scoring with Jason Hill and Michael Bumpus. And the Cougar defense is wearing down a bit, as well.

USC 35, Oregon 31 --- I came away very impressed by Oregon's running game last week but not so much by Dennis Dixon's passing ability. And I think that could be the difference in this one. I think USC can slow down Oregon's run just enough, and maybe pick off a pass or two, to turn the tide in this one.

As always, my pick on the UW game will come later.

To clear up the eligibility status of Marlon Wood, UW officials said this afternoon that he attended Alabama State in 2002, and not 2003 as has been listed in the team's official media guide.

An athlete's five year clock for eligibility begins the minute he enrolls at a school, so that would make this season Wood's fifth.

He apparently ran track at Alabama State in 2002, then transferred to a community college near his home in Hillborough Fla., in 2003, then transferred to Pasadena CC in 2004 and then came to UW in 2005.

It doesn't really matter what sports he played or when. The important point is that if his college career began in 2002, then he indeed no longer has any eligibility. And that's what UW officials are saying today.

Also, I'm told this was something Marlon Wood and the coaches knew all along, that it was only incorrect on the roster. So it's not as if Wood is suddenly finding out he no longer has eligibility. I guess he had been trying to get a sixth year from the NCAA for the injury suffered last season, but it happened to late in the year for him to have a real chance at it.

Extra years like that are hard to get, especially if a player saw any real playing time, as Wood did in 2005.

But it's definitely too bad we watched him all along not knowing this was his final season.

Decided to make these separate posts since there was a lot of news today.

Tyrone Willingham also said today that Carl Bonnell will start at QB Saturday against Stanford though the job had been opened up to competition this week.

Also, he said Jordan-White Frisbee will have one more surgery on his troublesome foot Friday to repair clean out some bone chips. He said it is hoped that will be the last surgery White-Frisbee will need to get back to full health.

UW coach Tyrone Willingham just addressed us here a few minutes ago to further explain the fact that five players who have been listed as juniors all season are suddenly listed as seniors.

That means they will take part in Senior Day ceremonies Saturday and will almost certainly not return next season.

The five are safety Chris Hemphill, receiver Marlon Wood, kicker Michael Braunstein, defensive back Durrell Moss and offensive lineman William Kava.

Hemphill, Wood and Braunstein are obviously the most surprising names on the list given their contribution to the team this season.

Wood, Willingham said, should have been listed as a senior all along, saying he is a senior in terms of eligibility because he started a four-year school, transferred to a JC, then came to UW last year.

As for the others, Willingham explained that his policy is that fifth years have to be earned and that his players understand that.

"With our program, the opportunity for a fifth year is an honor and a privilege,'' Willingham said.

"When we started our program we talked to our team about the fact that a fifth-year is not something that is guaranteed, you have to earn the right for that fifth year. That means you've got to be a player, got to be a student got to be a citizen and all the things we've talked about in our program. ... One of the things we've talked about is that as a fifth-year senior you have to be a leader, you have to be bringing this football team some leadership and that's important. So I will factor in all of those things in those decisions.''

He said there is a chance that a couple of the players could be back but that for now it is best to assume they won't be and let them be honored as a senior.

According to Scout.com, the Huskies have a commitment from a high school kicker, EriK Folk --- who is the brother of Arizona kicker Nick Folk --- which will apparently fill the hole left by Braunstein.

There had been some rumors that some fourth-year players listed as juniors might suddenly be seniors, meaning their eligibility is now up.

UW just released the official list and among the names on it are Chris Hemphill, Marlon Wood and Michael Braunstein, all players assumed to be juniors all year but also all players in their fourth year out of high school.

We'll find out more about this later on today.

Here's the official list from gohuskies.com.

Yet another clearing out of the e-mails (if I haven't answered yours this week, just send it again --- there's been a lot coming in lately and I'm sure I've missed some):

Would the team get extra practices if the Apple Cup were moved back a week or two? And will they be able to continue practicing if thye finish 6-6 and bowl eligible before they know if they are in bowl?

The team would get an extra week or two if the Apple Cup were moved back and a bye created. However, the main benefit of having a bye would be to have some time to rest up and heal, mentally and physically. There would be a few additional practices thrown in there, and depending on when the bye fell, would certainly add a few days of preparation time. But I don't think getting an extra week of practice would be the main benefit of a bye. As for the second question, yes, teams can continue to practice if they are bowl eligible before they know if they are in a bowl, and that scenario could happen to UW as Pac-10 bowl slots likely won't be determined until Dec. 2 or later. However, the team will definitely take off the Thanksgiving week no matter what, so I don't think they would get more than a couple of practices in under that scenario. Again, they would have to plan as if they are going to a bowl (teams are limited to 15 practices during the bowl period) so they wouldn't go more than a time or two before they knew.

You mentioned Tyrone Willingham's history whith his coordinators -- what do you mean by that?

What I meant was, it's been widely speculated that Willingham might have been able to keep his job at Notre Dame had he been willing to make a few changes in his coaching staff, but that he didn't want to do that. That's not something Willingham has commented on publicly. But I think there is some truth to it. And the point here is that all of you who want them to fire all the coaches are probably going to be disappointed. Even if it were merited --- and despite the disappointment of the last few weeks, the bigger picture is that this team is probably about where it ought to be --- it's not Willingham's style to make changes like that. Especially after only two years.

Is Carl Bonnell really badly hurt?

There's no doubt the shoulder injury has affected him. How much is the issue. He always says he's fine and so does Willingham. Others around the program think it's more of a problem. But Bonnell looked pretty good in the brief part of Wednesday's practice that we saw so I don't think it's an issue for this week. Tim Lappano said Bonnell wasn't running as much because of the shoulder, but when I asked that of Bonnell, he said that he wasn't running as much because ASU and Oregon's defense didn't allow for it. Oregon likes to bring its safeties down quickly in run coverage, so he may have a point there.

You mentioned you are the AP voter for the college basketball poll this year. How do they pick the voters for the football and basketball polls?

Basically, they pick one voter from our state and they generally trade off someone from this side of the state and someone from the other side (basically Spokane). I've been the football pollster twice and this is now my second time doing basketball. Bud Withers is the football guy this year meaning next year, someone from the Spokane area will probably do it, etc. Essentially, they try to have people who regularly cover the sport. That's basically the prerequsite -- to cover the sport on a daily basis. Some of the larger states have more than one voter per state, and there are also a number of national voters (Dick Vitale, guys like that).

UW coach Tyrone Willingham said at his afternoon press briefing today that Kenny James has returned to the starting lineup after showing in practice Tuesday that he is healthy.

Willingham said there was no change in the quarterback spot and pointed out that while the position is up for competition this week, Carl Bonnell is the starter until it is announced otherwise.

Asked how Johnny DuRocher played in practice Tuesday, Willingham said "okay.''

During the portion of practice open to the media on Wednesday, Bonnell led the No. 1 offense down the field for a touchdown against the No. 1 defense during a two-minute drill. The drive concluded with a TD pass to Cody Ellis.

The only change in the offensive lineup for that drive other than James was Erik Berglund at left tackle in place of Ben Ossai.

Willingham said there was no change in the injury status of any other players.

The team practiced outdoors after being indoors on Tuesday as Willingham said he wanted to ensure the team was able to get certain things done without having to worry about the weather.

An obvious question in a week like this is how the team is holding up mentally.

To a man, the Huskies who we talked with today said what their fans would hope --- that they are still together and feeling good about their chances of winning out.

"We've lost five in a row --- it's crazy,'' said safety C.J. Wallace. "But we've got to finish what we set to do and it's still possible. Everyone's head is still up and we are ready to get to a bowl game.''

That was a typical comment out here today --- that they haven't stopped believing in themselves or each other and think they can get to a bowl.

Dashon Goldson said he thought Tuesday's practice was real good and showed that the team is still into it and cornerback Roy Lewis said the team still has the same confidence it had when it was 4-1.

We'll have more later once Tyrone Willingham meets with us.

Stanford comes to Seattle threatening to go down as one of the worst teams in Pac-10 history.

But that doesn't mean the Cardinal isn't still pulling out all the stops to get a win.

Here's a story from the San Francisco Chronicle today on how the Cardinal is preparing for potentially wet conditions this weekend.

Interesting that Stanford did all this to prepare for the rain while the Huskies moved indoors to practice Tuesday to get out of the rain.

The forecast in our paper today, however, says simply "rain at times'' for Saturday so maybe it won't be that big of a deal.

We only get to see 25 minutes of practice, but today that included about five minutes of real action, and what we saw confirmed what Tim Lappano had said earlier in the day as Carl Bonnell and Johnny DuRocher were splitting the reps at quarterback.

In the backfield, Kenny James was running with the starting unit and Shelton Sampson was the second tailback to take a snap with Louis Rankin third. Not sure if that means much, however. Johnie Kirton was working only with the tight ends during the time we saw, which included a warm-up period.

The starting offensive line remained the same as it has all year with Clay Walker working as the right guard.

There was only one member of the victory club --- receiver Anthony Russo.

Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano met with us a little while ago and left the impression that the quarterback job is a little more open than it was portrayed Monday by Tyrone Willingham.

Lappano said Carl Bonnell and Johnny DuRocher will split reps evenly in practice this week with a starter to be named later in the week.

Lappano said that Bonnell enters the week as the starter, but that everything about the offense will be evaluated.

"We're looking at everything right now,'' Lappano said.

That includes the running back spot, where he said it's likely that Kenny James will start. Lappano said James is close to 100 percent physically.

But Lappano also said that Johnie Kirton will get an increased look at running back this week and not just in short-yaradage situations.

Lappano also said the offensive line will be evaluated this week, with the most competitive spot at left tackle where Ben Ossai has been starting ahead of Erik Berglund. He also said there is a chance that Casey Bulyca will have to start this week ahead of Clay Walker, though Walker said he is fine after spraining his ankle Saturday against Oregon.

Lappano said opening up jobs in practice this week will hopefully energize the team for Saturday's game.

"We need to spark things up a little bit,'' he said.

Here's another attempt to answer some of your questions:

WHY DIDN'T SHELTON SAMPSON PLAY SATURDAY?: This has been the most-asked question of the weekend. UW coach Tyrone Willingham said Louis Rankin is better in the pass game, which is one consideration. The other is that Rankin, he said, has been the better back in practice and deserved to be the guy out there. Today is the day that offensive players and coaches talk to the media so we will see if there is any different take today.

HOW ABOUT JOHNNY DUROCHER? Willingham said there was some brief thought to putting in DuRocher late when Bonnell was getting banged around. But he said he didn't think the way the game was going lent itself to making a change. If you know Willingham's history, he isn't big on making in-game QB changes.

WILL THERE BE SOME ATTRITION AT THE END OF THE YEAR? There always is on any team in any situation, so I'm sure there will be. It's not responsible to speculate about certain players, however, so I won't do that here. I did hear on Willingham's radio show last night that they will honor 24 seniors for Senior Day Saturday. That's about six more than there are on the roster, so maybe a few guys listed as juniors are going to be treated as seniors and won't return, which is what happened last year with a few players such as Jason Benn. Dash Crutchley, etc.

IS WILLINGHAM REALLY A CANDIDATE FOR ANY OTHER JOBS? I addressed this last week when I wrote on here that Willingham told me he had no interest in leaving. There had been some rumblings about Michigan State, his alma mater, but reports out of there have indicated he wasn't really on the list. Willingham also said to a reporter Monday that he isn't interested even if MSU was. That quote can be found at the
bottom of this story here.

Again, watch for more here later today after we talk with some of the offensive players and coaches.

About the most newsworty thing to evolve from Tyrone Willingham's news conference today was his declaration that it isn't a certainty that Carl Bonnell will start at quarterback against Stanford.

Willingham said that as of now, Bonnell is the starter, and in all probability will be the starter against Stanford. But he left open the possibility that Johnny DuRocher could also emerge as the starter.

"We'll look [this week in practice] and see,'' Willingham said.

Willingham said Bonnell's health isn't the issue, just seeing who would be best to run the team.

Willingham all but ruled out Jake Locker, however. He has left the door open for Locker to play up until now, but Monday said, "I would say it's probably out the window (that Locker would play). I don't think at this point you take away what the future is for two ball games. Or three.''

He did add a "but,'' saying that if everyone got hurt, he might have to consider it. But any of you who have thought there was still a chance they might turn to Locker strictly for performance reasons, that's not going to happen now.

As far as other injuries, it's pretty much as the depth chart portrayed. Kenny James should be ready to go this week (I know that's what he said last week, but it seems more certain now) and Clay Walker should also be OK. But Jason Wells and Donald Butler are unlikely to be back and Brandon Ala is also out for the year with that elbow injury.

As for position changes, Willingham said he will look again at Shelton Sampson and Johnie Kirton this week, but didn't give any indication the running back situation would be any different than it has been.

As we've seen, the depth chart released each Monday morning is pretty subject to change.

That said, I'll pass along some of this week's more notable entries:

--- Louis Rankin and Kenny James are again listed either-or at tailback;

--- Clay Walker is listed as the starter at right guard, so maybe he'll be okay for t his week.

--- Greyson Gunheim is again listed as the starter at defensive end with Brandon Ala out for the year. Donny Mateaki is listed as his backup with Caesar Rayford the backup on the other side.

--- Chris Hemphill is listed as the starter at free safety ahead of Mesphin Forrester.

--- The QB spot is the same with Carl Bonnell the starter, Johnny DuRocher the backup and Jake Locker still listed No. 3.

--- Donald Butler is absent so maybe he's out another week.

Also, here some links today.

First, hope you saw Greg Bishop's great story on former Huskies Calvin Jones, Mark Wheeler and Ira Hammon today.

Second, here's my story from today breaking down further what happened Saturday and looking ahead to Stanford a little bit.

We'll have more later from Tyrone Willingham's weekly press conference.

Not that you may want to read it, but here's our coverage of the game Saturday in Eugene.

In all of the stories are comments attributed to the Huskies about their surprise that Oregon ran as much as it did Saturday.

I agree with those of you questioning why they would be surprised. Oregon entered the game leading the conference in rushing with a 5.4 yards per carry average that was a half-yard better than anyone else in the Pac-10. Considering the inclement weather that was predicted but never came, it only makes sense to think Oregon would run the ball a lot.

Maybe the Huskies didn't think Jonathan Stewart would be as healthy as he was.

The Ducks actually came out passing a bit early --- nine of their first 19 plays were passes. But once the Ducks figured out that the Huskies were going almost primarily with a nickel defense, they went even more with the run to take advantage --- notably, that 13-play drive that was all runs early in the second quarter after UW had tied the game.

It's easy to pick at the coaches for not adjusting, but there's no question that if UW had gone back to its base defense, the Ducks would then likely have started throwing more to take advantage of Washington's new safeties. Maybe, given how Dennis Dixon was not throwing the ball all that well, UW should have tried to force the Ducks to throw.

Even more perplexing is how UW couldn't run on the Ducks. Oregon was ninth in the Pac-10 against the run, and had allowed 100 or more yards to every opponent it had played this season --- including Stanford in week one and Portland State last week.

UW had just 13 yards rushing overall with just 33 on 10 carries by Rankin. UW coach Tyrone Willingham talked afterward how it was important for the Huskies not to abandon the running game. But they did just that. Rankin had just two carries after halftime and the only other carry not by Carl Bonnell was by Johnie Kirton.

UW coaches say they had to throw in the second half because of the deficit and there's some truth to that. When UW cut the lead to 17-14, Oregon drove for a TD to make it 24-14. UW then went four plays and out, getting a first-down on a first-down pass, then running Rankin once for a loss of one yard followed by two incompletions. Then Oregon drove for another TD to make it 31-14 and the game was basically over.

I was going to link to some of the other coverage around the Pac-10, then I saw Glenn Kasses' blog on the Spokesman Review site that includes links to just about any other story that would be of interest. So I will just link to his blog if you're interested in what else happened around the conference Saturday.

This was an ugly game, and showed that despite the 4-1 start that got everyone excited, the Huskies still have a long ways to go to be an elite team again.

The numbers are staggering --- Oregon had 31 first downs to UW's 10, 454 yards to UW's 138, and 316 rushing yards to UW's 13.

UW punted nine times to just two for Oregon, and the Huskies had six three-and-outs.

Worse, the Huskies might have lost two key players.

Defensive end Brandon Ala suffered a dislocated left elbow in the first quarter and Willingham said he's likely done for the final two games of the regular season.

Starting guard Clay Walker left in the third quarter with a sprained ankle and his return for next week is questionable. Walker was replaced by sophomore Casey Bulyca, a Woodinville grad who saw the first action of his career. It was the first time this season UW had to make a change on its offensive line for injury reasons.

But with Stanford up next week, there is still hope.

Washington should win that game --- the Cardinal looks like the worst Pac-10 team in two decades. If the Huskies can do that, it could set up an Apple Cup that could be winner-take-all for a bowl game in light of WSU's loss to Arizona today.

Although I'm not sure right now that going to Hawaii to play a bowl game is quite the prize it sounds like. Whoever goes there will have to play against the University of Hawaii --- which officially accepted a bid to the game today. Hawaii has one of the hottest offenses in the nation and that will basically be playing a road game.

As for today, I mostly think Oregon out-talented UW. Jonathan Stewart said this was the healthiest he has felt since the season opener, and he looked like the best player on the field most of the day. And Oregon's lines on both sides of the ball were simply better than Washington's.

That's not to let the coaches off the hook. The Huskies seemed to lack fire today, moreso than at any other time this season, and there didn't seem to be a ton of creativity on either side of the ball.

I'll break it down more in the coming days, but for now, I have to hit the road for the drive back to Seattle.

Here are a few more notes:

---- Quarterback Carl Bonnell took some hard hits late in the game one to the same left shoulder to which he suffered a third-degree sprain against Cal two weeks ago. But Bonnell stayed in the game and said afterward he should be okay next week.

--- UW was whistled for seven penalties, resulting in a season-high 72 penalty yards. The most costly came in the second quarter and wiped out a recovery of a fumbled Oregon punt that would have given UW the ball at the Oregon 31. But UW was called for an illegal shift. Willingham said it was the accurate call.

--- UW's inept offensive day included at least three dropped passes. "That might have made a difference in keeping some drives going,'' Willingham said.

--- Willingham said Oregon's diverse offense "didn't allow us to be quite as aggressive,'' on defense as the Huskies would have liked.

--- C.J. Wallace left for a while with a knee injury but returned and said it's nothing serious. He's had a knee problem for a few weeks now.

--- Willingham said one reason he didn't turn to Shelton Sampson is because Louis Rankin is better in the passing game. He also said he wanted to go with the guys who had practiced at that spot all week. But Tim Lappano said that it may be time to give Sampson a look. Kenny James tried to go with the sprained ankle but couldn't.

Not sure if any of you are still out there, but this game is beginning to look like what some of us thought it might. UW has no answers defensively for Oregon and the Huskies can't run the ball --- the latter is particularly bad considering the Ducks aren't a great run defense team.

Not sure why another RB other than Rankin isn't playing.

On the more bad news front, Clay Walker has yet to return from what appeared to be a left foot/ankle injury. Brandon Ala also never came back from a first-half elbow injury. Those are two big losses and don't auger well for the final two games. Maybe Walker can make it back.

I may not be able to post anymore until after the game due to other reporting, writing duties, but as always, feel fee to comment here.

And while I understand your frustration out there, do try, however, to keep your comments as tasteful and insightful as possible.

Quick update --- Oregon had 389 total yards at the end of the third quarter to just 121 for UW.

The Huskies don't seem like they should still be in it the way they are playing, but they still are.

The key now will be the first drive of the second half, something I know I've said on here a few times. But Oregon gets the ball first and if the Ducks move down the field easily again, this one could be over.

Listened to Willingham's comments on the radio via internet and he said the defense has often been misaligned. "We haven't been getting guys in the right position,'' he said.

Offensively, he noted all the dropped passes. "The first thing we've got to do is make the plays we can make,'' he said.

A few personnel notes ---- Brandon Ala left with an elbow injury of unknown severity; Kenny James hasn't played yet and word is he may not. Officially, they are reporting that he is better than a week ago but so far, he hasn't seen action.

That means Louis Rankin has gotten all the tailback carries. Willingham noted the ineffectiveness of the running game in his halftime comments but said "we can't abandon our running game now.''

Also, I haven't seen Marcel Reece out there once.

The Huskies looked ready to be blown out of this one a few times, but have hung tough thanks to the missed field goal and the C.J. Wallace interception.

That is only Wallace's second interception of this career and first in two years.

I'll say again, the atmosphere here seems rather tame. That aspect of it augers well for UW, especially if they can keep it close.

And maybe you noticed Alex Mercier on the punt return team guarding the gunner. That makes him one of the few players to see action for both of these teams. He played two games as a walk-on at Oregon in 2003. That was his first action for the Huskies.

They just showed the Kenny Wheaton play again, and you have to admit they do it right here.

They showed a whole package of old Ducks highlights of wins over UW (interspersed with a few of this year's games) and concluded it with the pickoff by Wheaton in 1994.

Then the guy on the motorcycle led the team out on the field.

Then UW came out to loud boos.

Still, this seems like a pretty tame crowd in comparison to a lot of other years I've been here. That could help UW.

And they just announced that it is 61 degrees as kickoff and still with no rain.

I'm here at the press box at about 11:15 and the weather right now is pretty good. No rain, a little overcast and not too cold.

But I'm told Husky coaches are expecting the rain to begin about 1:30 p.m. --- midway through the second quarter or so.

Also, here is the preview today from the Oregonian which posits that the rivalry is on its way back. Interesting, because I got the feeling all week that the rivalry aspect of this game seemed rather dead. Two Portland talk show guys I listened to on my drive down agreed that the atmosphere around this game seemed pretty tame this week.

We'll see how it turns out on the field today.

First off, here's our report on the latest player to cast his lot with the Huskies, Mt. Si running back Brandon Yakaboski.

With that link is also a link to a feature story we published recently on Yakaboski that will give you even greater insight into the newest Husky.

This gives the Huskies nine commitments for the Class of 2007, with UW expected to take 21-24 players overall. And all nine are high school players, six from the state of Washington, which is a little bit of a departure from last year's class, which was heavier on junior-college players --- seven overall. UW is likely to sign a few JC players, but this appears to have the makings of a class that will be more high school-oriented.

--- Also, a few of you have asked about former Pasco High running back Leon Jackson. Here's a link to an interview he gave the Tri-City Herald. (I was only able to make the audio work, but that worked well enough to understand what he was saying).

In the interview, Jackson says he talked with UW coach Tyrone Willingham about becoming a Husky "but unfortunately it didn't work out.'' He indicates it's because UW had just taken another RB (surely, Michael Houston) and didn't have the room or need for another transfer RB.

He says he's now considering Idaho, Hawaii and Arizona Western JC.

--- Finally, I've arrived in Eugene and it was a dark, wet drive down here. Conditions are sure to be a factor tomorrow.

The Huskies are staying in Salem, about an hour away, due to a lack of hotel space here. Interestingly, one reason there is little hotel space is that Arizona State, which plays Oregon State in Corvallis tomorrow, is staying here at the Valley River Inn, a place the Huskies often stay.

Another status quo pick there, know, but you break down this game and it definitely feels like one of those where if the two teams played 10 times, Oregon would win eight or nine, especially considering the venue.

The Huskies and their fans obviously hope tomorrow will be one of those one or two other times.

I think these will be a few key players to watch for the Huskies tomorrow:

--- Johnie Kirton. He got one short-yardage run last week and would have gotten more if he hadn't fallen ill. Sounds like he's in the plans to be used in that role even more this week, and UW's best chance to win this game, I think, is by running the ball well. Oregon has a beat-up defensive line and ranks just ninth in the conference against the run. Considering the probable inclement weather, running the ball will be the way to go.

--- Marcel Reece. UW coaches said this week they would try Reece at an outside receiver position rather than just the slot. We'll see if that experiment proves fruitful Saturday.

--- Mesphin Forrester. He's the likely new starter at free safety with Jason Wells out. Oregon likes to use a lot of play-action and other deception and Forrester will have to be especially disciplined.

--- Carl Bonnell. QB is always a given to be important. Bonnell also has the pressure to stay upright. Given how UW's offensive line is having trouble protecting the passer, the Huskies need to keep their mobile QB in the game. But that's also where running the ball well could play a key role. If Bonnell can do a lot of handing off, he'll take that many fewer hits.

--- Brandon Ala/Greyson Gunheim. Oregon has given up only five sacks all season, in part because of the mobility of Dennis Dixon, but also because of the strength of its offensive line. And Oregon is likely getting two injured starters back this week, putting its OL back to full strength. Still, UW has to find a way to get a pass rush and not let Dixon (or Brady Leaf) sit back there all day.

--- Michael Braunstein. UW can't waste any chances to score points. Remember last year's game when UW had two great opportunities to score early but got points on only one of those drives, taking a 7-0 lead when it could easily have been 14-0. UW needs to score TDs instead of field goals, but if it's forced to make field goals, Braunstein has to come through.

(Speaking of Braunstein, I wrote a story about him this weekthat probably wasn't the most popular I ever wrote. In it, I quoted UW special teams coach Bob Simmons as calling Braunstein "arrogant.'' I should have included some of the rest of what Simmons said, specifically, that most good kickers have a touch of arrogance to them and that Braunstein is simply no different.).

Still, I just think Oregon has too much talent. The Huskies have been a very resilient team this season, yet it's easy to doubt whether UW can keep it going after having so many heartbreaking losses the last few weeks.

I do think the Huskies will come out ready to go and play hard. But the Huskies are also simply starting to run out of bodies at key positions, and I think the physical and mental beating the team has taken the last few weeks will eventually prove too much to overcome.

In the end, Oregon 31, UW 16.

I'm coming off a so-so 2-2 week (making me 38-11 for the season) that included being wrong about the Husky game.

But oh how close I was to being right. I picked UW to win 23-20, which was the score until Arizona State scored that TD on their first possession in overtime.

Off we go with this week's picks:

Oregon State 31, Arizona State 27 --- A great matchup of two teams that have revived their seasons in the last couple weeks, each keyed by beating UW in Seattle. OSU seems tailormade for a letdown after the big win over USC. But something makes me think a Beaver team I thought would be pretty good this year has finally found itself and will put out the win.

Washington State 24, Arizona 6 --- Cougars could also be due for a letdown after two big wins. But I'm also becoming a believer in how good the Cougars really are. Their defense is the most opportunistic in the conference and Alex Brink is playing a lot better than he was a month ago. Hard to see how Arizona scores much.

USC 48, Stanford 7 --- Trojans will be ready to whip up on someone after what happened in Corvallis and Stanford is simply awful.

Cal 41, UCLA 10 --- Bears had a week off to get healthy after the tough win over the Huskies while the Bruins appear to be falling apart.

Also, hope you saw Bud Withers' column in our paper today. He does a good job of breaking down the factors complicating Washington's fading bowl hopes.

Okay, so I can't stay completely away from the football blog despite having basketball duty today, especially after seeing this story in a Michigan newspaper listing Tyrone Willingham as a possible candidate for the vacant position at Michigan State.

What I will caution is that this is only a list of possible candidates based, it appears, solely on conjecture.

Willingham's a Michigan State grad, so it makes some sense to throw him on the list. But there's nothing here that says the school is seriously interested in him, or vice versa.

As I wrote here a few days ago, I asked Willingham earlier this week about similar stories linking him to North Carolina and he laughed them off and said he didn't even want to comment because it wasn't worth it.

The fact that this is his alma mater makes this a slightly different case. His only tie to North Carolina is that he grew up in the state. But given that this is his second year at UW, it seems likely he's uninterested in going anywhere.

Michael Ko of our staff covered Tyrone Willingham's meeting with the media today as I was in Los Angeles for Pac-10 basketball media day.

He reports that status is pretty much quo as the Huskies prepare for Saturday's game at Oregon.

Willingham said quarterback Carl Bonnell has had a good week of practice and that his concussion of a week ago "should not be a problem'' against the Ducks. He said Bonnell and Johnny DuRocher took almost all the snaps in practice this week.

Willingham said the team tried to limit the practice snaps for RB Kenny James as he recovers from a sprained ankle that held him out last week. So while James is likely to play, expect Louis Rankin to again start.

Also, TE Johnie Kirton is not yet 100 percent, Willingham said, but is moving in that direction.

Willingham said injured players Donald Butler, Jason Wells and Luke Kravitz won't start.

With wet weather expected in Eugene, Willingham said the Huskies were going to practice with wet footballs today to try to prepare.

Also, we were remiss Wednesday in not passing along the news that K Ryan Perkins has had a setback in his recovery from a knee injury suffered in the spring game last April. Perkins recently had to have another surgery and may not be ready for spring ball this year, pushing his recovery time into the summer.

This is the time of year when there is quite a bit of overlap in college football and basketball and I'm somewhat caught in it today as I'm attending the Pac-10 Basketball Media Day in Los Angeles. That means I won't be able to be quite as attentive to the football blog today as normal, though I'll make sure that anything big that happens gets passed along here.

Considering that, there couldn't have been a more appropriate story than the one that ran today in the Oregonian on Ducks receiver Jordan Kent. He's t he son of Oregon basketball coach Ernie Kent and may still be best known as a basketball player.

But this is his second year playing football, and as this story indicates, his NFL stock is soaring. So much so that he may not play basketball this year so he can concentrate on getting ready for the NFL Draft in April.

I know UW coaches are impressed with him. Defensive coordinator Kent Baer said he saw little difference in the physical abilities of Kent and Jaison Williams, Oregon's other receiver who has 53 catches this year (Kent has 21).

Today was the day Huskies defensive players and coaches meet with the media, and among the first words out of everybody's mouth was "discipline.''

"We've got to be very disciplined in keying on our reads,'' said UW secondary coach J.D. Williams.

Oregon likes to use the play-action pass a lot, which puts a premium on linebackers and defensive backs not getting fooled.

"Almost every pass comes off of some type of play-action,'' Williams said.

And because the Ducks typically line up in formations without a fullback, the Huskies might use a lot more nickel this week. LB Dan Howell said today this could be a game he doesn't play a whole lot if the Huskies decide to go with a defense designed to better cover the pass (Chris Stevens and E.J. Savannah often play on the nickel teams).

And for those of you wanting UW to pressure more this week, defensive coordinator Kent Baer says that's unlikley. "You'd like to think you can but you have to be smart about it,'' he said. "You have to have patience against an offense like that.''

MORE NOTES
--- Willingham said RB Kenny James and QB Carl Bonnell each "worked very well'' in practice Tuesday and that he was "pleased with what they gave us.'' So barring no further setbacks, each should be ready Saturday.

--- Howell took the blame for blowing the coverage on Arizona State's winning touchdown Saturday, saying he expected ASU tight end Brent Miller to run an out route. Miller instead turned up and ran down the sideline and into the end zone and caught a 25-yard pass to win the game. "That's a mistake I'll never make again, guaranteed,'' he said.

--- Linebacker Scott White is battling a touch of the flu.

--- Willingham said LB Donald Butler is unlikely to play this week with a calf bruise.

--- Jordan White-Frisbee is back practicing after sitting out last week with an arm injury. But he is unlikely to see time on the OL this year as he adjusts to his new position.

--- A few of you asked why the Huskies chose to play the overtime going into the open end of the stadium instead of the closed. I was talking to kicker Michael Braunstein today and he told me that he asked Willingham to take that end if he could because overtimes "tend to become field-goal kicking contests.'' Braunstein said he feels more comfortable kicking into that end because he likes to use the scoreboard to line up his kicks. "I have every little angle picked off from practice so I feel more confident on that end just a little bit,'' he said.

--- Braunstein also complimented the holds of punter Sean Douglas on the PAT that tied the game and the field goal in overtime. Douglas had never before held in a game but was forced into duty when Bonnell was hurt. Johnny DuRocher is the backup holder but Braunstein said once DuRocher had to play QB he began working with Douglas on the sideline and it was decided to let Douglas do the holding. Douglas admitted to me he was pretty nervous on the first one but got it down and did the second one with relative ease.

Time once again to clean out the mailbag:

WHY DIDN'T UW GO FOR TWO LATE IN THE GAME SATURDAY? UW scored with 2:19 left and had two timeouts remaining and could have conceivably gone for two, and if it didn't work, tried an onside kick, or just kicked off and used those timeouts to maybe get the ball back. UW coach Tyrone Willingham, however, said he never considered doing anything other than tying it up. And at home, I think that's the right move. UW almost had a chance to win it in regulation, anyway, getting the ball back at its own 45 with seven seconds left (an underrated big play for ASU was when Ryan Torain gained 13 yards on the third down play preceding the punt moving ASU from the 4 to the 17 --- if that hadn't happened, who knows where UW gets the ball). But I think at home, the smart move is to tie it up.

IS TYRONE WILLINGHAM REALLY A CANDIDATE FOR THE JOB AT NORTH CAROLINA? Willingham's name was raised in some newspaper reports this week due mostly to the fact that he grew up in the state and also was an assistant at NC State for a few years in the '80s. But those reports were purely speculation and Willingham told me this week the report is laughable and didn't even want to address it seriously. I don't think there's any chance that would ever happen.

WHY DOESN'T SEAN DOUGLAS HANDLE KICKOFFS ANYMORE? I think UW coaches want their kickers to concentrate on their primary task, so Douglas has handled punting and Braunstein all kickoffs. I think Braunstein has done all right on kickoffs --- he has had 12 touchbacks on 40 total kickoffs this year, which is better or comporable in terms of percentage than Cal, UCLA, Oregon, Stanford and Washington State. And kickers in Seattle are always going to be at a disadvantage than kickers in Arizona (the leaders in touchbacks are the kickers for USC, Arizona, ASU and Oregon State, where Alexis Serna is one of the best in the nation).

WHY IS UW SO POOR AT FORCING TURNOVERS? Turnovers are a little bit luck, and a little bit about doing things such as stripping the ball. But they mostly come down to winning individual battles. A pass rusher beats his man and forces a QB into a hurried pass, or a cornerback gets in front of a pass and picks it off, etc. Those are things UW just hasn't been doing much of this season as the Huskies have gained only 10 turnovers this year --- tied, believe it or not, with USC for the fewest in the conference. The teams at the top of the list, WSU, Cal and Oregon State, have lots of play makers on defense, which is what it always comes down to, in the end.

A few of you have asked questions regarding UW's recruiting efforts this year.

I'll be honest and say that recruiting is not my main area of expertise, especially this time of year when simply covering the day-to-day happenings of the football and basketball teams takes up most of my time.

I tend to get into it more once the football season ends.

That said, I asked Tyrone Willingham about his plans for this year's class the other day.

He said he wants to sign 21-24 players and said a big emphasis is on cornerbacks, which is an obvious need --- two of UW's three cornerbacks who play regularly, Dashon Goldson and Matt Fountaine, are seniors.

After that, he mentioned running back, a pass rusher, and both lines. But he also said the Huskies "have to restock everywhere,'' while pointing out he'd say that no matter what the team's record is right now as restocking is a need of every team in America come the end of the season.

Here's a good list of UW's commitments to date. It obviously shows that UW hasn't gotten a commitment since late September. I know some of you out there hoped the team's 4-1 start would lead to a rash of commitments from players suddenly eager to jump on board.

But I think recruiting is a much more long-term deal than that --- a resurgence one year tends to pay more dividends in recruiting the following year, I've usually found.

Look at other Pac-10 schools and most seem to have about the same number of commits as UW does right now. UCLA, to name one, hasn't had a commitment since mid-August.

As the list shows, UW does have commits from one cornerback and one running back, and I'd expect more of each. UW also probably needs a punter with Sean Douglas graduating and Ryan Perkins still recovering from a knee injury.

So again, thanks for your questions and understanding that this is something we'll have more time to delve into once the season ends.