COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL REPORT : ROSE : Huskies’ Emtman Returns From Illness

Defensive tackle Steve Emtman, Washington’s Outland Trophy winner, looked good in his return to practice Monday, Coach Don James said, but his playing time in the Rose Bowl game might be limited.

“I think he feels a lot better,” James said of Emtman, who was not available for interviews. “I think he feels good about the fact that he is recovering. He looks a whole lot better than he has in the last week.”

Emtman, who stood out in his blue tights during practice at Rams Park in Anaheim, had sat out three of the previous four days of workouts because of flu. Sunday, he was hospitalized for eight hours and given fluids and antibiotics intravenously.

“We’ll look at the game-time temperature and then we’ll talk to him in warm-ups and see how he feels, and probably try to set a play number,” James said. “(During) long drives, obviously, (we’ll) get him out.

“If we play real good defense and get three-and-out (every series), he could take all of them. But if they put together some 12-play drives--he can’t take a lot of long drives.”

Washington cornerback Dana Hall, a senior from Ganesha High in Pomona, was impressed by what he saw on videotape this month of Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard, the Heisman Trophy winner.

“He’s got good hands, good speed and incredible quickness,” Hall said. “What I mean by quickness is, the guy gets off the line basically untouched most of the time. If a corner’s in ‘bump-and-run,’ he gets off the line, runs a fade and he’s in the end zone by the time (the corner) catches up.”

Washington’s other starting cornerback, Walter Bailey, also was impressed by Howard, but said he looked forward to the challenge of covering him.

“They call him Magic,” Bailey said. “We’re going to see how much magic he has come Jan. 1.”

Jaime Fields, a junior from Lynwood High, will start at weakside outside linebacker for the Huskies ahead of Brett Collins, a senior co-captain who was listed co-No. 1 on the depth chart at the start of bowl preparations.