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Huskies beat
Spartans, 35-29 A win is a win is a win. You can't knock that, especially after going 2-9 the year before. The Washington Huskies beat San Jose State University, 35-29, before 52,256 apathetic fans on a warm, sunny day at Husky Stadium and are 1-0 on the season. Knock, knock. Who's there? Knocking the win. The adjective best describing the UW pass defense is the same as it was the year before: anemic. I'd like to sweep that adjective under the synthetic turf at Husky Stadium, but it can't be ignored, lest we put on blinders and ignore the iron deficiency that threatens to replicate last season's anemia. Washington was one of the worst teams in passing defense efficiency last season, posting a wretched rating of 150.17, which was good for 113th in Division I-A football. The Huskies allowed the opposition to complete 67% of its passes. Last year, the Spartans had a passing efficiency of 105.79, finishing 100th best in the nation out 117 Division I-A teams. SJSU was one of 12 teams that failed to complete half of its passes, just 47%. In the health department, the Spartans' iron deficiency resolved itself against the Huskies, with quarterback Adam Trafalis completing 28 of 35 passes, for 323 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. His pass efficiency rating was 185.81 on the game, ranking him thirteenth in the nation. Put in perspective, Rudy Carpenter of Arizona State led the nation in pass efficiency last year, posting a rating of 175.0, and Trafalis had a rating of 108.5 that season. The good news for Washington is that its offensive line and defensive front seven acquitted themselves most admirably. The Huskies ran for 300 yards, while holding the Spartans to just 50 yards on the ground. UW had 3 sacks and gave up 1. The highlight of the day was Louis Rankin's 68-yard touchdown gallop, thanks to a block from Stanley Daniels that widened the hole Rankin had found; Rankin had 10 carries for 145 yards. Quarterback Isaiah Stanback carried the ball 17 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. He passed 25 times, completing 16 of them for 168 yards with one touchdown and an interception. Stanback's passing efficiency rating was 125.65 on the day. Last year, it was 128.8. Three UW turnovers early on led to three Spartan field goals which, in the final analysis, kept the men from the land of Sparta in the game throughout. In fact, after SJSU scored its first field goal, the two teams traded scores the rest of the way. Every time the Spartans would narrow the Huskies' lead, the Dawgs would manage to turn on the afterburners to melt the winnowed gap. Rankin's touchdown run came 30 seconds on the clock, the next play, after SJSU had narrowed the lead to 28-22 in the fourth quarter with 5:32 to go. The Spartans scored again at the 2:03 mark, to close the Dawgs' lead to 35-29. After the Huskies went three and out, Dwight Lowery returned a Sean Douglas punt to the Spartans' 15 with 36 seconds left in the game. SJSU managed to work the ball to its own 35, when the clock ran out. Anemia cast aside, pass efficiency ratings are for the statisticians. The final score was for the Husky fans.
Richard Linde (a.k.a., Malamute) can be reached at
malamute@4malamute.com |
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