Huskies Beaten Down By Oregon 52-21

Perhaps the Huskies simply aren’t capable of defeating the Oregon Ducks on the football field. In fact, it’s almost certain. Yet, we don’t know for sure, because Coach Sarkisian’s team defeated itself. Several sloppy, costly fumbles and interceptions led to a quick 21-0 lead in the first quarter. At halftime, the gap had grown to 35-7. To be perfectly honest, I walked away from the television just before half. I simply couldn’t watch the failure.

I will spend the next several days breaking down what was wrong with this game, and it will be depressing. So right now, I’m going to touch on a few bright spots in all the infinite darkness.

October 6, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Kenjon Barner (24) runs the ball in the second quarter against the Washington Huskies at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-US PRESSWIRE

For one, Bishop Sankey has really proven to me that he’s the feature back of this team. After his gritty performance against Stanford, he kept pushing today despite the insurmountable score, grinding out 104 yards and two touchdowns in 25 carries. No matter how depressing this game was to watch, at least it is plain to see that Washington has the run game figured out going forward.

Also, though things quickly got out of hand, and the score certainly doesn’t reflect great success, the defense really started out strong. Of the first 21 points, only one touchdown was actually due to the defense. Hall’s fumble on a punt return and the pick-six thrown by Price didn’t give Wilcox’s unit a fighting chance. In particular, Shaq Thompson managed to pick off a pass early on, and throughout the first half he seemed to always be around the ball. I would say at least a half dozen tackles over that period.

No matter how disheartening tonight was, at least the future is bright, and at least every other team the Huskies play this year will not be Oregon.