2010 Holiday Bowl: Washington 19, Nebraska 7

For Washington football team, progress is also a tale of perseverance

Posted by Jerry Brewer
JamesSarkRutz.jpg
Don James can rest assured that Steve Sarkisian is guiding the program properly.
(Seattle Times photo by Dean Rutz)
You won't remember the 2010 Huskies for how good they were. Just six weeks ago, they were terrible. They entered the UCLA game with a 3-6 record. They were on a three-game losing streak in which they were outscored 138-30. And even though they ended the season with four thrilling victories in a row, their 7-6 record is pedestrian when measured against some of the great teams in Washington football history.
But you will remember the 2010 Huskies for a long, long time. And if the persistence they showed this season built a bridge to future 10-win campaigns and Rose Bowl appearances and national-title chases, then you will remember the 2010 Huskies as fondly as other UW teams that fared much better than this one.
What this team lacked in excellence, it made up for in perseverance. The Huskies might not have always qualified as a good team, but they're a great story. They're an incredible comeback tale. Their late-season surge was tremendous. Their climb from 0-12 to Holiday Bowl victors in two years was even better. It was a thrill to watch the Huskies, individually and collectively, survive long enough for their growth to become apparent.
Thursday night's Holiday Bowl triumph illuminated that growth. It's the perfect closing chapter for the 2010 Huskies. It's a circular ending in which they avenged a 35-point, early-season loss to Nebraska -- the bully they couldn't possibly beat -- with a 19-7 victory.
Sure, the Cornhuskers didn't look like they wanted to be on the field in San Diego, especially in the first half. But that only reinforces how wonderful it was to see Washington embrace its opportunity and play with intensity worthy of a national-title game after an eight-year bowl drought. The Huskies took nothing for granted, hit Nebraska in the mouth from the start and staved off the bully once the Cornhuskers realized they were in for a fight.
It wouldn't have been as impressive a victory if Nebraska had been flat all game, and the Huskies used a couple of big plays or fluke plays to win. Instead, they beat the Huskers at their own game. The Washington offensive and defensive lines, which were mauled earlier this season by Nebraska, were the superior units in the rematch. The D-line did it despite missing three key players. Quarterback Jake Locker, who was embarrassed by Nebraska in the first meeting, took what the defensive gave him this time, used his legs and played a smart football game. Running back Chris Polk ran wild once again, finishing with 177 rushing yards. For the game, the Huskies ran for 268 yards while holding Nebraska's potent rushing attack (383 yards in first meeting) to 91 yards. Linebacker Mason Foster dominated the game, as usual, but so did defensive tackleAlameda Ta'amu and freshman end Hau'oli Jamora.
You couldn't make up this story. There was redemption everywhere.
For Locker, who dissed the NFL to come back for his senior season, only to endure injuries and constant criticism. This victory was proof that he made a good decision. He'll be a better NFL quarterback for going through these struggles and coming out victorious.
For coach Steve Sarkisian, who skillfully guided this team from early-season underachiever to late-season surprise by staying consistent and focused on the big picture and by evolving as an offensive play caller.
For defensive coordinator Nick Holt, whose unit looked lost in mid-November, only to show dramatic improvement in the final four games and become the primary reason the Huskies finished so strong.
The list goes on and on. But the ultimate redemption tale is that of the team itself. To see these players, most of whom are amazing kids, go from winless to joyful has been incredible. They've improved the right way -- steadily, incrementally, with attention to detail. They're not a mirage. It has been about good, old-fashioned player development. The younger players on the roster should continue to get better as the program moves forward.
If Sark had come in and taken the Huskies to a bowl in his first season a year ago and then improved to something like 9-4 this year, it would've been more dramatic. But this route - 5-7, 7-6, bowl victory -- has been more rewarding. Because it hasn't been easy. There have been times when the team and the coaching staff have been exposed. There have been times when the Huskies should've fallen apart.
But they didn't. They persevered. They improved. And at the end of this long, hard climb, they celebrated.
You will remember the joy on their faces most of all.

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