Hurricanes don’t exist in the Pacific Northwest, but one blew on Saturday (9-13-08) from Oklahoma as the Sooners scored on 7 straight possessions to destroy the University of Washington Huskies, 55-14.
So how bad was it for the Huskies?
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford completed 18 of 21 passes for 304 yards and 5 touchdowns. Operating from a no-huddle offense, the sophomore is completing 79% of his passes with 12 TDs and 2 interceptions. Last year, Bradford set an NCAA record for freshmen with 36 touchdown passes.
Oklahoma running back Chris Brown gained 110 yards. His teammate DeMarco Murray gained 100 yards.
Oklahoma led 34-0 at the half, then the Sooners yawned and scored another 21 points in the second half.
Earlier, coach Bob Stoops celebrated his 100th win for Oklahoma at Washington’s expense. Stoops reached the 100-win mark faster than any coach in history except Penn State’s Joe Paterno.
Washington lost 3 fumbles, missed 2 field goals, and punted 3 times in a terrible first half.
Washington’s defeat was the worst since 1929, 79 years ago. The rumor that the Huskies didn’t play the game is totally untrue; they were simply beaten and sometimes lay face up. The last time Washington went 0-3 to start a season was 2004.
Washington started with 4 true rookies against Oklahoma and has played at least 10 true rookies or redshirt rookies in an attempt to find someone to run with their standout second-year quarterback, Jake Locker. Locker needs more talent and speed around him so Washington can win a few games, show dramatic improvement and save Ty Willingham as coach.
Knute Rockne said it best: “A loss is good for the soul, too many losses are not good for the coach.”
Make no mistake, there’s a reason Oklahoma is ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25 poll. For the record, Washington has thus far played the second toughest schedule among the 119 1-A teams to start the season. The Huskies opened against then-No. 21 Oregon and No. 15 Brigham Young.
Washington’s next 3 opponents are Stanford, Arizona, and Oregon State, all of whom are unranked and have a combined 4-5 record. Perhaps Washington’s first victory is just around the corner.
On the other hand, Washington’s rushing offense ranks 101st nationally, its passing offense at 77th, total offense at 94th, and scoring offense at 100th. The Husky defense is even more disappointing with its run defense ranked 109th, pass defense ranked 111th, total defense ranked 116th, and scoring defense ranked 112th. This is all among 119 great school teams.
Copyright © 2008 Ed Bagley
