Huskies Have Free Fall In November El Paso Or Honolulu Appear To Be Destination

When the Apple Cup game was over, Washington State Cougars fans streamed onto the Husky Stadium field and tried to tear down the goal posts.

Planted in 20 feet of cement, they didn’t budge.

It was the only battle the Washington Huskies won on Saturday. The Cougars, winning 41-35, are going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1931. The humbled Huskies are going to either the Sun Bowl or the Aloha Bowl.

El Paso or Honolulu will be their reward for losing their final three games, two of them in Seattle.

“Let’s see wherever we end up,” tight end Cam Cleeland said. “I want to go out as a winner.”

The Huskies began the season among the top teams in the national rankings, but after this November it will be hard to remember the 1997 team as winners. During the month, Washington lost to Oregon, was eliminated from the Rose Bowl hunt with a 52-28 defeat at UCLA last Saturday and then demoralized by Washington State’s Ryan Leaf.

Three weeks ago, the Huskies were ranked No. 6 and talking about meeting undefeated Michigan for a national championship showdown. After three losses in a row, they’ll be lucky to be in the Top 25.

In their final three games, Washington’s defense gave up 124 points.

“I don’t think we ever expected that we would close the season this way,” linebacker Jason Chorak said.

“It hurts. You start off number two (before their September loss to Nebraska) and you’re rated high all season. It’s disappointing to lose to teams we should have beaten,” linebacker Lester Towns said.

Brock Huard began the year with expectations of challenging Tennessee’s Peyton Manning as the best college quarterback in the nation. Huard was outperformed by Leaf and threw five interceptions. He was intercepted seven times in his last two games.

Huard, who sprained his ankle Nov. 1 in a victory over USC, passed for 283 yards (18-for-36) and four touchdowns. His five interceptions made it an Apple Cup he’d like to forget.

“Sure, I get hit and the ball goes straight up. Sure, a receiver falls down. Sure, balls get tipped in the air. But what are you going to do about that? Point fingers?” Huard said.

Washington State rolled up 520 yards and 28 first downs against Washington’s porous defense.

“We went into the game trying to stop Michael Black, and they just aired it out,” linebacker Lester Towns said.

Leaf broke the Huskies’ backs with 358 passing yards (22-for-38) and two touchdowns and also scored a third. Black ran for 170 yards and a touchdown on 37 carries.

Chorak said he was double-teamed the entire second half.

“We needed more push from our inside guys,” he said. “If one guy is double-teamed, some of the others only have to beat one man. I guess some people just think the reputation of big, bad Washington is going to win some games.”

Washington State won in Seattle for the first time since 1985.

“Washington State is a team of destiny,” Huard said. “Whatever that is, we’ve got to become a team like them.”