Getting Schooled Early Paying Off For Reser, UW Now

Reggie Reser walked while he spoke, moving quickly toward the most important part of his day.

“Yeah, I definitely get up for this,” Reser said of this week’s football game between Washington and Southern Cal. “We’re playing for something. And we’re playing against the best receiver in the country… . You have to take it personally. Everyone should take it personally, whoever is covering him. He’s everybody’s man.”

That man being Keyshawn Johnson, receiver and Heisman Trophy candidate for USC, and the object of Reser’s adulation.

“He’s a big, strong person,” Reser said. “He’s comparable to (J.J.) Stokes.”

The mention of Stokes, now with the San Francisco 49ers, took Reser back to some unpleasant memories of four UCLA touchdowns. That’s why he struck up a friendship with a room full of bars and weights.

“I learned being here is my best friend,” Reser said, having arrived at his destination, the weight room next to Husky Stadium. “Ever since that game, I’ve taken it very seriously.

“I figure those guys are taller, so I have to be stronger. They’re bigger, but they can’t outrun me.”

Reser, who has started 30 games for the Huskies, has defended some of the game’s best receivers - Stokes, Joey Galloway, Curtis Conway, Sean Dawkins - and has learned some lessons the hard way.

These receivers all had big games against Washington and all play in the NFL today Galloway with the Seahawks, Conway with the Bears, Dawkins with the Colts.

Two years ago, Stokes caught 10 passes for 190 yards and four touchdowns. Most of the damage was the result of what Stokes did after the catch.

On Saturday, Reser and the rest of the Huskies secondary will face a receiver in Stokes’ mold. Johnson might be Washington’s biggest challenge yet. Since his days of chasing Stokes down an empty field, Reser has improved his bench press by about 100 pounds and become a better tackler.

The strategy on Johnson is to not let him get big yards on his catches.

“He’ll get his 15 catches,” Reser said. “But if we tackle him right away, we’ll be successful as a defense.

“If Keyshawn has a good day, they win. If he has an average day, Huskies win.”

The Washington secondary is coming off of one of its best games. Though Arizona passed for 310 yards, most of it came in the fourth quarter against the second team. Through three quarters, the Wildcats had only 118 passing yards.

Reser and fellow cornerback Scott Greenlaw were often in man-to-man coverage, playing up on the line of scrimmage instead of sitting deep in a zone.

The aggressive strategy worked well as the Huskies blitzed liberally. But Arizona’s offense is not in the same league as USC’s.

The Huskies probably will employ a mix of deep zones and man-to-man coverages, though they aren’t expected to try the bumpand-run with a player of Johnson’s size and ability.

As always, the Huskies will disguise their pass coverages and give safety Lawyer Milloy, a preseason All-American, opportunities to make plays on Johnson.

Though they will try to double Johnson often, Reser and Greenlaw will eventually find themselves in single coverage.

“That’s when you find out what you’re made of,” Greenlaw said. “I hear he talks a lot, so I’m sure I’m going to hear some garbage. He’s a big, fast receiver, but we’re not going to let him control our defense.”

A Washington secondary has not dominated since holding former Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard to one catch for 35 yards in the 1992 Rose Bowl game.

Stokes had his big game against one of Washington’s deepest secondaries, with two quality backs at every position.

But a secondary is usually only as good as the pass rush. Against Arizona, Washington’s pass rush was excellent.

“You can’t guard a receiver for more than 4 seconds,” Greenlaw said. “If we get good pressure and control the line of scrimmage, our linebackers run freer and our coverages are better.”