No words to describe

This is the most challenging and depressing blog post to date, and could be one of the toughest I will ever have to do. There are not many words to describe how it feels three days after one of the most frustrating and embarrassing losses these Huskies have ever seen. High expectations, heavy mismatch, overwhelming momentum, a blown lead and much more describe what could have been and what ended up not being. As a longtime UW fan I have gotten used to disappointment, it kind of comes with the territory and is what makes Husky fans who they are (which is very special). But this one seems tougher for a lot more reasons than "we should have beat our rival". What hurts so bad is looking at what this season could have represented. Eight, maybe nine, wins, a decent bowl game, great play from a backup running back, a complete 180 from our defense, hype and momentum going into next year and, finally, something to be proud of. What do we have now? Seven wins, maybe eight, likely against Navy in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl, a loss to the G-D Cougars, a fire brewing underneath Coach Sark's seat as head coach, possible recruiting setbacks and a bunch of angry fans. Not exactly what we were hoping for heading into our new digs on Montlake next season.

Apple Cup

The question has been asked quite often this last week, is the Apple Cup as relevant as it used to be? I think that has got to be the dumbest question out there right now, and I feel like I should not even address it. But, alas, I have an obligation to the Husky Loyal Army to talk about the things that are out there. Yes. The answer is yes. The Apple Cup represents the battle between UW vs WSU, the Dawgs vs. the Cougs, good vs. evil, east vs. west, city vs. farm, smart vs. whatever they are. In the past this game has had some meaningful consequences to bowl games, and even more specifically the Rose Bowl, but it has always transcended those consequences. For the longest time the Dawgs would try to hold off their pesky little step brother from the other side of the state in the last game of the season before heading to a great bowl game, and those were the roles. But more than that it was a game that represented a whole season. Both teams go into the Apple Cup 0-0 and are trying to win a one-game playoff championship series.....that's it. Leading up to the game, each side of fans tries to make the other look stupid by bringing up past embarrassments, stereotypes, recent proud successes and most importantly, pointing out who won the last Apple Cup (if your team won, easy enough, if your team lost, you try and discount it as much as possible). That is the fun of the Apple Cup. Each side thinks the other is delusional and often it leads to bar fights and, now, Facebook status squabbles. What a great tradition. Who cares how bad the Cougars are this year and most every other year. They don't know that when they step on the field against their hated rivals who win more than them, it doesn't matter. When a team is playing from a lower position they have nothing to lose, and the Cougars have made a living playing from that viewpoint and it has hurt the Huskies on several occasions....you gotta love it.

Finish...

I had a dream a couple of nights ago that the Huskies had beat Colorado and went into the Apple Cup at 7-4 and needed one more win to finish with 8 wins and a decent bowl selection. The Huskies were down by 3 with a couple of minutes left and were marching against the Cougs. On a third down play, Keith Price threw a pick six against the worst passing defense in the country and the Huskies lost the Apple Cup. In this dream, a Coug friend of mine was watching the game with me, and he didn't even rub it in....which actually made it worse. I woke up thinking, "I cannot believe the Huskies saved the season only to lose in the finale against a terrible WSU team. I can't do this anymore." Thankfully, as my wife reminded me, it was just a dream.

Say bye-bye to the CLink

Today will mark the last game at the Clink for the Huskies in this season of transition. CenturyLink has actually been pretty friendly to the Dawgs throughout the season, and has been welcome turf after rough losses on the road. Yes, that game against USC was incredibly frustrating, so was the San Diego State game for that matter, but, UW has beaten two top 10 teams this season at home, and has the chance to go 5-1 at home, which is very good. It's been weird. The band has become somewhat irrelevant, tailgating has been God awful and the fan base has been a little less than loyal. Students needed to take shuttles to the game after getting hammered at their homes first, and alumni have not enjoyed the extra few miles down I-5 for the commute.

With all that said, here we are in a very winnable game, despite what Vegas says, and a chance to be 6-4 (4-3) with two games on the road against the worst teams in the conference. It really depends on how the team finishes and which bowl game they are fortunate to go to in December, but it has been a throwaway type of season. Lots of things to look forward to and a few highlights, but otherwise it has been really frustrating up to this point. Blowout losses, a tough home situation and an infinite amount of injuries. 8 wins is still 8 wins, and I think the fan base will be content at the end of the year, but seeing what kind of squad we'll have for next year is what gets me excited.

Tonight we will have to contain one person, and one person alone. Star Lotulelei. He is a beast in the middle and really clogs up things. The run game has been the surprise of the season, but we are going to have to keep most everything to the outside and have a solid game from Keith Price, which hasn't really happened this year. UW is a much better team overall so I have a lot of confidence going into this game, but the boys need to have their focus, this one is big.

Go Dawgs!!!

The Big Game....(no, not that one)

The Huskies are set to kick off against the Cal Bears in about three and a half hours, and I feel a familiar thought moving from the back of my brain to the frontal cortex as I start typing this latest post. "This game will determine if the program has taken a step" or "UW has not been able to win on the road, does it all change after tonight?" or "the Huskies are better than Cal, can they prove it" or "this is the most important game on the Huskies schedule all year". All of these questions and thoughts are apt to describe how the Husky Loyal Army is feeling going into tonight.