Replay impressions, Stanback, 10 keys for USC, John L.Smith....

I watched the replay of the game last night on the internet and didn't come away as impressed as I did after listening to the game on the radio. The defense definitely bent some, but didn't break much, and the offense had that nice stretch in the second quarter which put enough points on the board to win the game. If you score 21 or more on Arizona chances are you are going to win this year if you have an average defense. Overall I was dissapointed that we didn't convert in the first quarter, and that we didn't get more points in the second half. You need to win each quarter. The score should have been at least 31-10 if Braunstein makes a kick and IS doesn't have to go out for a couple of plays in the last drive. Scott White was fun to watch, and it was nice to see Goldson rounding into full time status.

Championship teams however put the stake through the heart of the opponent they are playing, and we really haven't done that this year. That being said I am thrilled with a 4-1 record no matter if the wins were not blowouts. That will come in the future. A win on the road in the Pac Ten is a real bonus.

Talking about the future, the Huskies play USC this weekend and all eyes are going to be on Isaiah Stanback. IS is the guy that can make a difference if he can put together four full quarters. Based on what I saw last weekend he isn't consistent enough to do that. That explosion in the second quarter was special, but SC isn't going to roll over like that, it is going to take a sustained performance to do it. Everyone wants to see it happen this weekend, but he is going to need some help.

Ten Keys for Beating USC

1. Washington needs turnovers. SC wins a lot because of the plus turnover ratio, reverse it, Give IS a short field, and convert.

2. Shut down the Trojan running game. Put it all on Booty. He isn't exactly polished, and his statistics are more the result of the team that is built around him. Treat him the same way we treated Tuitama. Of course the talented SC OL will have a say in that.

3. Stretch the field. The Huskies need to continue to go for the long strike. Big plays are what makes this team go.

4. USC is vulnerable...They have great talent as usual, but they are young, really young, and really young teams can get rattle and make mistakes. Over 12 true Frosh will play for SC this weekend, and all are probably more talented than their Husky counterparts, but experience makes up for a lot of things. SC doesn't have a superstar. Jarrett was supposed to be that guy but because of off field problems, and injury he hasn't grabbed that mantle every game.

5. No special teams mistakes....you can't miss field goals against SC, and as WSU found out last week you need to score TD's rather than FG's to beat these guys. We need to cover on returns, we need to make big plays on our returns, and the kicking needs to click at 100%. DJ said special teams play made up 1/3 of the game.

6. USC is not scoring as much....The Trojans are averaging 31.5 per game, but have only been scoring 25.5 over the last three. The offense is a concern for them right now, they aren't as explosive as in the past, but then again what has been in the history of college football? UW needs to hold them under 20. You can do that with FG's.

7. Washington needs to score more...We are averaging 25 points a game and we are more than likely going to need to score over 30 to win. What that means for the offense is no more wasted opportunities like at Arizona.

8. Washington needs to establish a running game....We could really use 150 yards on the ground from someone other than IS. If you do that and add in Stanbacks numbers you should have a victory. USC has the best front we will play all year, so this is going to be a challenge.

9. Take the crowd out of the game....you can take the crowd out of the game in LA pretty easily. The problem is that damn band keeps playing. Come out and play well early, which we usually do against these guys, and it makes it easier. UW is always up for SC, motivation is not a problem with so many kids from California on the roster.

10. Isaiah Stanback has to have the game of his life....this kid is the best athlete on either side of the field. When he is on, he is Vince Young like, and the Trojans really have a history of not keeping guys like that under control. Brink played a great game last week, but we all know that IS is better when he is on. The biggest key to the game is his performance, he is the catalyst that leads Washington. USC doesn't have a player on their roster who has emerged yet that is that type of player.

John L. Smith

I saved this for last....careers tend to implode in East Lansing.

If you haven't seen the John L Smith press conference it is interesting to say the least when he slaps himself at the end and says "and I got hit", which was an off hand reference to Charlie Weiss who claims he was hit in the prior weeks fracas. A lot of frustration going on as this team veers out of control and heads for the toilet. Losing to Illinois is unexcusable, they are terrible. It is like losing to Stanford. The Notre Dame loss has cut the heart out of this team.