Huskies’ Machine Keeps Rolling, 54-0 : Washington: Arizona caught in the wrong place. Hobert is hurt, but Brunell almost back in form.

Arizona Coach Dick Tomey said last week that Washington could be the best team that has ever played in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Nothing he saw Saturday in Arizona’s 54-0 loss to the third-ranked Huskies changed his mind, but Tomey backed down a bit, saying that it would be impossible to say for sure that Washington was the best ever.

“The ’91 Huskies can’t play (former teams),” Tomey said.

Maybe it’s just as well.

In front of a sellout crowd of 72,495 in Husky Stadium, the Huskies, who show no sign of letting up after a late-season loss to UCLA last year cost them a shot at the national championship, dismantled Arizona. They took advantage of seven turnovers--six by beleaguered quarterback George Malauulu--to hand the Wildcats their worst loss in 32 years and their first shutout loss in 211 regular-season games.

“Obviously, they’re a fantastic team,” Tomey said. “And if you turn the ball over seven times against a great team, that’s what happens. We couldn’t block them, and we couldn’t hang on to the football. If you hang on to the football, you give yourself some chance, but if you can’t, you have no chance.”

Arizona, a 54-10 loser to Washington last season and riddled with injuries this season, might not have had a chance either way.

“They have a lot of talent, a lot of confidence and a lot of experience,” Tomey said of the Huskies, who improved to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in the Pac-10. “At this point, they’re very, very difficult to beat. I’m not sure who in the country can beat them, but certainly we weren’t close today.”

Washington easily survived the loss of quarterback Billy Joe Hobert, who was knocked out of the game for one series in the second quarter after suffering a pinched nerve in his neck and was then removed for good in the third quarter after aggravating the injury.

Washington Coach Don James said that Hobert could have returned to the game if needed, but James wanted to give some work to his No. 2 quarterback, Mark Brunell, who was the outstanding player in the Huskies’ 46-34 victory over Iowa in the last Rose Bowl.

Brunell was thought to be lost for the season after tearing ligaments in his right knee during spring practice and undergoing reconstructive surgery, but the junior from Santa Maria returned to play briefly last week in a 56-3 victory over Kansas State.

He led three scoring drives against Arizona, completing five of seven passes for 93 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

“My leg feels good,” Brunell said. “I felt really strong and didn’t have any problems with it. I got hit a couple of times, but it felt good.”

As James said, “When you can bring a guy off the bench with his experience, that’s a luxury not many teams have got.”

Arizona, for instance, has to make do with Malauulu, who lost four fumbles and had two passes intercepted, one for a touchdown.

Washington was also limiting Arizona to 30 yards rushing in 39 attempts. Arizona (2-3, 1-2) had been averaging 230.8 yards a game on the ground, but 19 of its rushes against Washington lost yardage.

“I’ve never played anybody as fierce and as competitive as they are,” Arizona center Paul Tofflemire said. “You just don’t see that too often. I mean, they’re better than they were last year. They’re hungry and they’re determined and they’ve got the greatest athletes in the Pac-10.”