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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bracing for Bruins


The Huskies hope to find offensive support for quarterback Jake Locker, center. Associated Press
 (Associated Press / The Spokesman-Review)
John Boyle Everett Herald

SEATTLE – In January, the Rose Bowl will take place in Pasadena amidst much fanfare. This weekend, under a much dimmer spotlight, UCLA and Washington will take part in the rebound bowl in the same stadium.

After entering week three of the college football season with 2-0 records and high hopes, the Huskies and Bruins both suffered disappointing – or in the case of UCLA, horrifically embarrassing – losses. Now both are desperate to get back on track.

“I think that is the normal thought that they will be very upset and very angry about their loss, but why shouldn’t we very angry about our loss?” said Washington coach Tyrone Willingham.

Washington may be angry after a 33-14 loss to No. 10 Ohio State, but the Huskies can’t be nearly as upset as the Bruins, who were ranked11th before losing 44-6 to winless Utah.

UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said his team still believes in itself despite the ugly loss.

“Their confidence isn’t shattered,” he said. “We had a chance to watch the tape and view the things that we’ve done. We didn’t perform to the level we can perform. … There were a lot of things that we felt can be fixed.”

Don’t be fooled, by UCLA’s slow defensive start, warns Washington offensive coordinator Tim Lappano.

“I’m not buying the fact that they’re ranked No. 9 in the Pac-10 right now,” he said. “These guys are a good defense. They have 10 returning starters from the team that came up here last year.”

Extra offensive help wanted

Through three games, Jake Locker and Louis Rankin account for almost all of Washington’s rushing offense, combining for 88 of 115 carries, and 503 of 577 yards.

“We’re looking for a guy to take a little bit of the load off of (Rankin) a little bit,” Lappano said. “We need fresh guys in there all the time, so that everything we do, whether we’re pass blocking, whether we’re running a route, whether we’re carrying the ball, we want a guy who can play 100 percent all the time.”

Goodwin awaits chances

D’Andre Goodwin is said to be the fastest player on the team, but the sophomore hasn’t had many chances to show it so far.

On his first college touch, he gained 31 yards on a reverse against Syracuse, but he has had few opportunities since. He had one catch for 4 yards against Boise State and gained 1 yard on a reverse against Ohio State.

The Huskies plan on involving Goodwin more this weekend.

Line sticks with six

The Huskies have stayed with a six-man rotation on the offensive line, with Cody Habben and Ben Ossai splitting time at left tackle, while Ryan Tolar (left guard), Juan Garcia (center), Casey Bulyca (right guard) and Chad Macklin (right tackle) have been on the field for almost every meaningful play.