MORE AFTER THE GAME --- This will end the live game portion of the blog but check back later for post-game notes and quotes and grades.

TOTAL FRUSTRATION THERE --- Four runs from the 1 and UW couldn't get it in --- nothing more may sum up UW's season much better.

OSU NOW UP 34-13 --- Not only is this OSU's fifth straight win over UW but sixth since the 2001 season.

A KEY STAT? --- The Huskies have now allowed 400 or more yards in every game this season, and in their last eight games dating to last year. All have resulted in losses.

DAILEY TURNS IN LONGEST UW RUN OF THE YEAR --- Dailey has scored on a 59-yard run with 11:59 left that is the longest play of the year for the Huskies to make it 31-13.

TURN OUT THE LIGHTS --- This one is over as James Rodgers runs for his third TD of the day (he has two running and one on a screen, but I meant that he has three TDs on the day), a 55-yard scamper to make it 31-6 early in the fourth quarter. UW will fall to 0-6 and will lose its eighth in a row dating to last season, This is means UW has had a six-game losing streak in all four of Willingham's seasons as a coach.

TODAY'S ATTENDANCE IS --- Listed at 63,996.

AFALAVA STAYING ALIVE --- There was some talk before the game whether UW might try to get some retribution on OSU safety Al Afalava for his hit last year on Locker. But so far, Afalava is getting the last laugh as he just picked off a pass in the end zone to stop another UW drive, It's 24-6 entering the fourth quarter.

MORE SPECIAL TEAMS PROBLEMS -- Ryan Perkins missed a 36-yard FG on UW's last drive and the Huskies are now 2-4 on FGs today, continuing season-long issues on special teams. Two made field goals would make this game a lot more interesting right now than it is.

BACKBREAKING DRIVE? --- OSU may have just ended this one by taking the second half kickoff and driving 65 yards on 10 plays, capped by a 2-yard run by Jacquizz Rodgers, to take a 24-6 lead with 8:29 left in the third quarter. OSU ran on the last seven plays of the drive, to gain the final 37 yards needed.

SOME HALFTIME STATS --- Fouch is 10-18 for 156 yards, hitting Goodwin four times for 122 as UW's strategy is obviously to try to make OSU pay for all of its press coverage and man coverage in the secondary. The tradeoff is that UW can't stop OSU's pressure, a big reason the Huskies have just 29 yards rushing on 17 carries. Lyle Moevao is 12-13 passing for 118 yards, with the one incompletion coming on a dropped pass on a third down that forced OSU into a field goal instead.

NO BRUNS? --- So far, there has been no sight of WR Cody Bruns, whose redshirt was memorably burned in the game two weeks ago at Arizona. It was thought he would see major playing time the rest of the way, but he has yet to see the field while walk-ons Charles Hawkins and Tony Chidiac have each been out there.

WILLINGHAM AT THE HALF --- In his halftime comments, Willingham said UW has to figure out a way to stop OSU's pressure from the edge and get some of their own.

He said one way to do that is to "get some screens in to relieve some of that.''

Of Fouch, he said that "he has thrown quite a few balls up to give our guys an opportunity to catch them.''

He said the main issue is that "we've had two big turnovers and they've had two big plays. But we have put ourselves in position to be playing one heck of a football game.''

OSU LEADS 17-6 AT HALFTIME ---- It's a fairly tight game statistically with OSU having 194 yards to UW's 178.

UW CLOSES TO 17-6 --- A 44-yard Ballman FG makes it 17-6 with :25 left. The key play of the drive was a 46-yard pass from Fouch to Goodwin, who is now over 100 yards receiving. Fouch to Goodwin is most of UW's offense as the Huskies have just 20 yards rushing.

BALLMAN MISSES FROM 40 --- Interesting that Jared Ballman tried a 40-yard field goal, which missed to the right. Ballman has been UW's long-distance kicker, so the fact that he tried the first one made some sense. That he tried the second one may just be the coaches goiing with the hot foot, so to speak, or maybe indicating a change at that spot.

PRETTY GOOD CROWD --- For all the talk of what a small crowd would be here today, this seems like a pretty good crowd. Obviously the weather has to be helping that. Still, when one talks about where this program is, the fact that it still gets such support in the wake of such a bad season has to say something.

DAILEY OUT --- Terrance Dailey is out of the game right now after taking a big hit from Al Afalava on the previous drive. Looked like a wind thing. Afalava is the guy who knocked Jake Locker out of the game last year. However, just as I write this, Dailey is back in, so he must be okay.

BEAVERS STARTING TO BREAK IT OPEN --- OSU now leads 17-3 after a 33-yard middle screen to James Rodgers results in another touchdown. Aiyewa, getting the first start of his career, had a chance to prevent the TD but couldn't corral Rodgers at about the 20 or so. The TD followed a fumble by Fouch that gave OSU the ball at the 49. Fouch now has two turnovers in this game after just one previously.

OSU TAKES 10-3 LEAD--- Looks like one thing hasn't changed in this series --- the ability of OSU to hit field goals. Justin Kahut made a 37-yard field goal to put OSU up 10-3 with 14:09 left in the first half. Alexis Serna made 18-18 the last four years in killing the Huskies, including six in a win here in 2005.

FIRST QUARTER ENDS WITH OSU AHEAD 7-3 --- A Fouch interception has OSU again on the doorstep, with a 2-8 at the 22-yard line, as the first quarter ends. OSU has 110 yards to UW's 67 at the end of the first quarter, including a 56-17 edge on the ground, though 52 came on one play.

QUICK ANSWER FOR BEAVERS --- Didn't take long for OSU to answer UW's score as James Rodgers takes a fly sweep 52 yards for a TD to make it 7-0 with 2:23 left in the first quarter.

THAT'S UW'S FIRST LEAD EARLY AGAINST STANFORD --- UW led 7-0 in the first quarter against Stanford, making this the first time in eight quarters UW has been in the lead.

HUSKIES TAKE 3-0 LEAD --- UW uses a 48-yard completion from Ronnie Fouch to D'Andre Goodwin to drive into position for a 45-yard field goal by Jared Ballman to take a 3-9 lead with 4:54 left in the first quarter.

THREE NEW DEFENSIVE STARTERS --- A new look for the Huskies on defense with Butler in the SLB spot as mentioned earlier. Also starting are Victor Aiyewa at strong safety and Johnie Kirton at DT.

DAILEY GETS THE START AT RB --- And he goes backward on his first run, losing two yards.

UW CAPTAINS --- Homer, Kirton, Gottlieb and Te'o-Nesheim are the captains today.

PRE-GAME --- We'll start the game thread here, with 15 minutes left to kickoff. It's a beautiful day here, which may help pump up the crowd a bit beyond what might have been otherwise. Seems like a lot of festive tailgating from my brief run around the parking lot.

As for the game, I think the first quarter is critical. As my story today indicated, the players are admitting that getting up for these games isn't as easy as it used to be. If OSU takes control early, this could get ugly. But if the Huskies get some momentum early, who knows?

I like the move discussed on here earlier changing Donald Butler to strongside LB . I thnk most would agree this team's three best LBs are Butler. Foster and Tuiasosopo, so finding a way to get them all on the field at once makes a lot of sense.

We'll see how it goes.