In Beating USC, Huskies Are Unimpressive--to Huskies

These Washington Huskies are an amazing football team.

Last week, they advanced to the top spot in the national rankings without taking a snap.

Saturday, they scored the winning points against USC before a single play was shown live on television.

But one would have thought the Huskies were Bottom Ten contenders the way they reacted to their 17-10 victory over the Trojans.

Maybe 17-10 isn’t good enough when you have won your previous 17 consecutive games by an average score of 40-11.

And it probably doesn’t suffice when you jump on top, 14-0, in the first 5:20 while ABC is still showing Florida State’s annual stub of the toe against Miami.

When you are No. 1--a position Washington was awarded after Miami struggled with Arizona on a day the Huskies were resting--it is how you win that matters.

“I think there were an awful lot of football teams who could have beaten us today,” Coach Don James said.

“We made too many mistakes,” flanker Joe Kralik said.

“They were real physical, but it wasn’t a case of them beating us,” tight end Mark Bruener said. “It was a case of us beating ourselves.”

Bruener, who was aware of the score, later said he was talking only about the Husky offense, not the defense.

Of course, it isn’t often that Washington is limited to a field goal during the final 54 minutes 40 seconds.

More is expected from a team that has the last two Rose Bowl most valuable players, Billy Joe Hobert and Mark Brunell.

Against those two quarterbacks, the Trojans countered with a more youthful and less distinguished threesome.

Coach Larry Smith started Rob Johnson, went to middle reliever Reggie Perry when Johnson got his bell rung in the second quarter and finished with closer Kyle Wachholtz in the fourth quarter.

James called Wachholtz “that young kid, No. 7.”

The redshirt freshman was poised enough during his first collegiate appearance to lead the Trojans on a drive that put a scare into the Huskies.

Wachholtz kept handing the ball to tailback Estrus Crayton, who rushed for 42 yards during the drive from the USC 22 to the Husky 28.

But a turnover killed the Trojans’ chances--just as three of them had set up the Huskies’ two touchdowns and field goal.

This time, cornerback Walter Bailey intercepted a pass intended for Travis Hannah in the end zone with 1:32 left.

“I knew I could make the play,” Bailey said. “When I saw the ball, I said he (Hannah) was definitely not going to catch it.”

What the interception did was save Larry Smith from having to decide whether to go for one extra point and a tie or two extra points and a victory.

During the third quarter, the Trojan coach made a call that puzzled more than a few deep thinkers in the press box.

After holding was called against Washington, the option was whether to decline the penalty and let the Huskies attempt a 40-yard field goal on fourth down or move them back 10 yards for another third-down play that might leave them out of three-point range.

The Trojan defense was operating efficiently, but Smith declined the penalty and Travis Hanson’s field goal made it 17-10.

“That’s always a very tough call,” James said. “I’d have to rethink it and put myself in their position.”

Of course, James is in a very different position today, the winner of 18 consecutive games and looking at a schedule without a visit to the state of California nor a game against UCLA.

“Last year, USC was as good as anybody we played,” James said. “They impressed me today. They’re a good football team.

“But for us to think about beating the rest of the teams on our schedule, we’ve got to get better.”

Part of the problem Saturday might have been that the Huskies were too good during the first six minutes.

Quicker than you could say interception, one-yard touchdown pass, fumble and 18-yard touchdown pass, it was 14-0.

Memories of the Huskies’ 31-0 blowout of the Trojans here two years ago were rekindled.

“We kinda relaxed for a while,” Bruener said. “I wish we hadn’t. We took a deep breath. When you do that, you’re in trouble.”

Next week, California. It will be interesting to see how the Huskies rebound from this victory.