Emotion Beyond Words : College football: When Washington plays Stanford today, the recent past might provide most of the motivation.

Jim Lambright waved toward the stack of letters the height of a respectable street curb.

“And those are just the responses to yesterday’s mail that came in,” said Lambright, who is new to this celebrity stuff.

Two weeks ago, he was Washington’s defensive coordinator, Don James’ loyal assistant of 18 years. He was the ultimate company man. He ran the summer football camp. He coached the linebackers. He bided his time and took comfort in James’ promise that one day--a year from now . . . five years . . . whenever--the Husky head coaching job would be his.

Then came the Billy Joe Hobert loan scam. Then more allegations of wrongdoing in the Washington program. Then an investigation. Then Stanford’s Bill Walsh ripped away. Then stiff Pacific 10 sanctions, followed by the angry resignation of James, the man Lambright calls “the big dawg.”

In a day’s time, Lambright went from the shadows to the spotlight. On occasion he still squints.

So here he is, sitting in what used to be James’ modest office, the windows open because no one thought to put central air into the sun-drenched Graves building. Exposed picture hooks still dot the wall, a reminder that Lambright, 51, hasn’t had much time to double as an interior decorator. He even had to call James to figure out what keys fit which filing cabinets.

And by the way, he coaches his first game today.

There isn’t too much pressure on Lambright. All he has to do is replace the legendary James, who plans to arrive at Husky Stadium today via pleasure boat, and then go out and outcoach Stanford’s Bill Walsh, who has more Super Bowl rings than Lambright has paper clips.

Truth is, Lambright hasn’t spent a game on the sideline since 1978. That’s because he spent the last 14 years directing the Washington defense from the coaches’ box high in the rafters. And did anyone mention that the 12th-ranked Huskies open their season against No. 15 Stanford with a new starting quarterback, sophomore Damon Huard?

Of course, none of this fazes Lambright. At least that’s the official line.

“I can hardly wait to get back down there again,” he said.

Maybe so, but Huard seemed to reflect the more popular pregame consensus.

“I’m sure he’s feeling the pressure,” Huard said. “I know I’m feeling the pressure.”

Under normal circumstances, Husky followers might wince at Huard’s honesty. But things around here haven’t been normal for weeks, even months.

First there was the Pac-10 investigation into alleged Washington wrongdoing, which later resulted in 15 confirmed violations. Then, in late May, as Husky athletic department officials nervously awaited the Pac-10’s findings, another controversy arose.

Depending on whose version you believe--Walsh’s or the television videotape of the incident--the Stanford coach told a Cardinal booster club in Sacramento that Husky players were nothing more than “mercenaries.”

Sacramento Bee columnist Bob Graswich’s account of the booster meeting also quoted Walsh as saying that the Huskies “have almost no contact with the student body” and reside in an “athletic department compound.”

Astonished Washington coaches couldn’t clip out the articles fast enough for their bulletin boards. Suddenly, the Sept. 4 opener against Stanford seemed like the most important game in the world, especially since Husky fans, administrators, players and coaches alike insist that Walsh’s comments might have somehow influenced the Pac-10 Council when it came time to levy punishment for Washington’s infractions.

Walsh apologized, but his heart wasn’t in it. He sent James and Athletic Director Barbara Hedges some wine as a peace offering. Walsh has also made it a point to criticize Graswich and the “sick column.”

Said Walsh earlier this week: “No. 1, I apologized for things I didn’t say. I apologized for what I allegedly said. Did I call Washington ‘outlaws?’ Of course not. Did I trash Don James? Of course not.”

The Huskies aren’t buying the latest explanation. Asked if he thought Walsh’s comments had been misquoted, Lambright simply said, “No.”

Lambright said he will shake Walsh’s hand before the game and after it, win or lose.

“I don’t have anything against Bill at all,” he said. “All I’m doing is defending the guy I worked for the last 18 years.”

Washington players and staff are still getting over James’ absence. Lambright treated it like a death in the family.

“That’s the way we addressed it,” he said. “We went through a period of mourning.”

James recently showed up at a Husky workout and remains the No. 1 inspiration for the team, barely edging out Walsh’s remarks and another team favorite, the Pac-10. Huard said the Huskies have dedicated the season to James, who spent 18 years at Washington.

That doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate Lambright. When Hedges announced that Lambright had replaced James, the team gave him a standing ovation and then started doing the Wave.

“That’s kind of when we all came together,” Huard said.

Since then, the Huskies have slowly learned to cope. They even repeat what has become a company line of sorts: Nothing else matters but the game itself.

“I’m not playing against his words,” said defensive end Jamal Fountaine, who grew up in San Francisco and had 49er season tickets during the Walsh glory years.

Stanford is much more than talk. Steve Stenstrom of El Toro High has developed into one of the best quarterbacks in the conference, if not the nation. In his first full season as a starter, Stenstrom completed nearly 60% of his passes and threw for 2,399 yards and 14 touchdowns. He did this despite getting sacked more than 50 times last year.

Walsh also is high on senior running back Ellery Roberts. And the Cardinal defense, which might have been Stanford’s real strength during its 10-3 season last year, now features five seniors, four juniors and two sophomores.

“It’s a good way for us to find out exactly where we are,” Walsh said of his team.

No problem there. The 72,000-plus fans who squeeze into Husky Stadium today will let him know--loud, clear and often.