Huskies’ struggles recall memories of ’04
Tyrone Willingham’s fourth Washington football team is putting up numbers comparable to – and, in some cases, worse than – the 2004 team that got his predecessor fired.
Keith Gilbertson’s final UW team went 1-10 and lost by an average score of 30-14, while the current Huskies are 0-5 and losing by an average of 42-19 as they approach the season’s midpoint Saturday when Oregon State visits.
“It’s tough,” senior cornerback Mesphin Forrester said after the most recent loss, Oct. 3 at Arizona. “We’re 0-5 now, and I look back at my career here at UW and it’s not been too bright. It’s tough. It gets to you. But we have to find a way. We have seven more games. I was here for the 1-10 year my freshman year, and I don’t want nothing like that happening around here.”
Forrester is one of a handful of current Huskies who were around for the 2004 season, which is generally considered among the worst in UW history. That team lost its first four games, managed its lone win against San Jose State in early October, and then dropped the final six.
That team’s primary quarterback was Casey Paus, although Isaiah Stanback and Carl Bonnell also played. The leading rusher was Kenny James (702 yards), the leading receiver was Sonny Shackelford (21 catches), the leading receiver by yardage was Craig Chambers (408 yards), and the leading tackler was linebacker Evan Benjamin (105 tackles).
With three games remaining in the 2004 season, Gilbertson and the Huskies agreed to a coaching change, though Gilbertson coached the final three games.
When Willingham was introduced, he said in his first UW press conference that his top priority was to return toughness to the program.
On Monday, he said that remains a work in progress.
“That one’s always a very difficult quality to measure,” Willingham said. “I would probably say we still haven’t reached the level that I would like us to. Are we better in some areas than others? I would probably say yes. I think we have improved some of our mental toughness. Physically, yes, we have some guys that I think across the board are physically tougher.”
He was asked in what ways the current team is clearly better than the one he inherited.
“I would say our approach to the game is definitely one of those things that you talk about,” he said. “The mentality it takes to develop and be a good football team – absolutely. I think we’ve improved a lot of our athleticism across the board on this football team.”
Under Willingham, the Huskies inched forward to 2-9 in 2005, improved to 5-7 in 2006, regressed to 4-9 in 2007, and are one of only two winless Football Bowl Subdivision teams remaining this season.
According to players who suffered through both, the first half of this season has been more painful than 2004.
“I’m going to say it’s definitely way worse, if only for the fact that this is our last year, this is our imprint on Husky football,” said senior fullback Luke Kravitz, an Olympia High graduate. “… As a freshman you do have the mind-set: Put in the work, pay your dues, and it will pay off in the end. As a freshman that’s sort of the transition that you go through: working hard, doing the work, and you’ll get your goal. That hasn’t come to be; but as competitors we’ll never stop fighting, we’ll never stop trying.”
Kravitz and Johnie Kirton – who arrived in 2004 as a tailback and is concluding his UW career as a defensive lineman – said they were impressed as freshmen by the veteran leadership of players such as fullback Zach Tuiasosopo, linebacker Joe Lobendahn and defensive lineman Manase Hopoi.
Now, they are trying to provide the same kind of guidance to this season’s freshman class, which also arrived with high hopes and now is trying to push on in hopes of better days.
“I know I’m not going to give up,” Kirton said. “All I can do for the younger guys, whether junior, sophomore or freshman, is let them know this is not what it’s supposed to be. This is a misrepresentation of what you were told, what you expected coming here. All I can do is keep it positive and tell them we’ve got seven games left, we can go to a bowl.”
Don Ruiz: 253-597-8808
blogs.thenewstribune.com/uwsports
Tale of two terrible seasons
Keith Gilbertson was fired during the Huskies’ 1-10 season in 2004. Here are some statistics comparing the 2004 Huskies to Tyrone Willingham’s 2008 version:
Offensive category20042008
Average points per game1418.6
Average total yards311307.2
Average rushing yards120.2103.6
Average passing yards190.8203.6
Defensive category
Average points allowed30.442
Average total yards369.5495.4
Average rushing yards183.6233.4
Averaging passing yards185.8262
Individual leaders
Passing
2004 Casey Paus: 42.3 percent, 134.2 ypg.
2008 Jake Locker: 53.8 percent, 128 ypg.
Rushing
2004 Kenny James, 63.8 ypg
2008 David Freeman, 45.3 ypg.
Receiving
2004 Craig Chambers, 81.6 ypg
2008 D’Andre Goodwin, 63 ypg.
Don Ruiz, The News Tribune
