Road Trip Captain: A Little Bit of Everything

In this three-part series, A Blogger, Idiot takes you on the road as he follows the Washington Huskies football team on its ongoing quest to return to prominence.

PART 2: 11/2/2012 - Washington at California

More than halfway through the college football season now, many teams around the country have established their identity.  The Washington Huskies do not seem to be one of those teams.  On the one hand, they entered November with a 4-4 record - this despite a grueling stretch in which six of seven teams they faced were ranked in the top 25.  This was about the best that I could have hoped for.  On the other hand, the team has been inconsistent offensively, turned the ball over in spurts, committed too many penalties, and had trouble keeping games close on the road.  While the long view for many has been that 2013 is the year to build towards¹, the four-game stretch that closes 2012 offers UW an opportunity to finish strong and advance to the postseason for the third year in a row.  The first of those games would be a Week 10 contest against the California Golden Bears in Berkeley, and I would be there with fellow Husky alum Brian (fresh off a plane from Seattle).

Friday, November 2

New television deals with the Pac-12 conference require a handful of Friday night games.  The UW-Cal contest would start at 6:00 PM; I met Brian at my office in San Francisco and then we hopped on BART, bound for Berkeley.

We enter newly remodeled Memorial Stadium shortly before kickoff.  The public address announcer is in the midst of a bizarre rant about "SHOW(ing) THE VISITING HUSKIES *pause* THAT WE ARE LOYAL *pause* TO OUR TEAM *pause* AND *pause* TO OUR FAMILIES!!!!!"  Or some such.  Congratulations, Bears fans, on those radical ideas.  Despite, of course, general sentiment like this and this.

One of the keys to the game for Washington, in my mind, would be to contain lighting-quick Bear tailback Brendan Bigelow.  For the season he was averaging 10+ yards per rushing attempt, but to the chagrin of Cal fans was only touching the ball a couple times per game over the past several weeks.  Given rising unrest among the fan base, and the must-win nature of the game for UC Berkeley's bowl hopes, I figured he'd be firmly in the game plan tonight².

But turmoil surrounding the Cal team notwithstanding, the Huskies needed to take care of their own business in order to get back above .500 on the season.

First quarter - Washington receives the opening kick.  Immediately Brian and I are annoyed with the unusually large and obtrusive supports for the field goal net (visible in the photo above).  Seems like similar supports were removed from the home fans' side of the stadium.  I'm tempted to write a letter to the Cal facilities people to explain that the fundamental principles of vision are pretty consistent whether you are at one end of the stadium or the other, but that would probably be about as fruitless as searching for a girl in Berkeley without thigh stubble.

After trading empty possessions, Washington scores a touchdown to go up 7-0.  Cal is playing somewhat listlessly at this point and I am hoping for a complete annihilation by the visitors.  Spoiler alert: this will not happen.

Second quarter - The Bears are hanging around.  They stop UW on a fourth-and-1, then march down the field, aided by a foolish Husky penalty, and tie the game.  It's 7-7 going into halftime.  Missed opportunities (a crucial drop on a sure touchdown pass, followed later by a tipped ball at the goal line that was intercepted) are haunting the Huskies.  Also, it's dark and cold now, and increasingly difficult to justify my decision to wear a short-sleeved golf shirt to the game.

Third quarter - One of the ugliest halves of "football" that I've ever witnessed begins.  A multitude of penalties and turnovers - by both teams - ensues.  Amidst all of that, Cal cobbles together two field-goal-producing drives to take the lead, only to surrender it back near the end of the period as UW scores a touchdown on a long pass.

Fourth quarter - During one eleven-play span, the teams combine for four (FOUR!) turnovers.  In other news, the referee³, who has a style of explaining in 45 seconds things that need no explanation whatsoever, is becoming a cult villain to fans in the visitors' section.  UW somehow shelves its ineptitude long enough to add another touchdown, pushing the score to 21-13.  "This game has a little bit of everything," a fan behind me correctly notes.

On the very next play, Cal's quarterback is sacked, injured, and carried off the field.

The backup quarterback's rally effort comes up short.  Washington wins, 21-13.  ESPN and its national primetime television audience loses.

The good news is that at 5-4, UW is within a win of bowl eligibility.  I'll be on hand in Boulder, CO in a couple weeks, when Washington takes on the CU Buffaloes.

¹ In 2013, quarterback Keith Price will be a senior, the beat-up offensive line should be fully healthy (hopefully), a stockpile of key young talent will be a little more mature, and it will be year two for a defensive coaching staff that has improved the play on that side of the ball significantly.

² By my unofficial count, Bigelow touched the ball nine times on Friday night (rushing, receiving, returning kicks).  Critically, though, he also lost a fumble in the red zone.

³ Turns out that referee is Shawn Hochuli, son of well-respected NFL official Ed Hochuli, who ironically is praised for his concise breakdowns of complicated rules or outcomes (and that's praise I agree with).  Now it all makes sense.