Huskies won’t receive a pass from Devils

Washington Huskies defensive coordinator Kent Baer yawns and runs his left hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. His eyes are bloodshot, his demeanor gruff. He admits to being tired, but there is still work to do.

Baer and his defensive coaches aren’t different from any other defensive staff in the Pacific-10 Conference. They are weary in their effort to slow the ever-expanding offenses that face their teams.

For Washington, last week was USC – the most prolific scoring offense the nation knows. Today it is Arizona State, one of the country’s best when it comes to throwing the ball.

“I don’t think it’s frustrating. It’s just that you have to keep pace with a changing game,” coach Tyrone Willingham said. “That means you’ve got to change your techniques, and strategies and techniques that you might have held years ago. They might not be appropriate today.”

Because of injuries, lack of depth and the absences of a true lock-down cornerback and dominant pass rusher, the Huskies defense is being shredded.

Oregon’s 45-17 victory over the Huskies revealed Washington’s defensive flaws.

Ducks quarterback Kellen Clemens completed 36 passes on 48 attempts for 425 yards and four touchdowns. The short- to midrange passes turned into longer ones when defenders missed tackles.

USC scored 51 points as quarterback Matt Leinart went 20 for 26 for 201 yards and four touchdowns.

Most would offer the Huskies a pass for the Trojans, but there will be no pass today when the Huskies visit Sun Devil Stadium at 3:30. Washington is beginning a four-game stretch from which fans expect a few wins.

But the Sun Devils present as much of – if not bigger – challenge to the Huskies defense.

Arizona State (3-4, 1-3 in the Pac-10) has the conference’s best passing offense. The Sun Devils have put up 372.7 yards per game with a conference-best 25 touchdowns.

Coach Dirk Koetter’s offense averages 38.3 points a game and has averaged 27.8 points in its four losses.