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Times reporter Bob Condotta keeps the news coming about the Montlake Dawgs.

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November 13, 2006 11:23 AM

Saturday's grades,

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.

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