What's wrong with the Dawgs?
Are the Huskies going to hell in a hand basket?
By: Malamute, Posted 29 October 2002

What’s wrong with the Dawgs? Not much, really, other than the fact that they play in college football’s toughest conference. Other than what appears to be a dominating USC team, the Huskies are about the equal of most teams in the Pac-10.

Although it may sound like I'm out of my mind, hear me out. First, I'll list some specific factors that could be affecting this season, then try to put it in perspective.  

A. Specific factors that could be affecting this season (from 1 to 10 in importance):

1. The coaching staff is not doing its job.

For the most part, this is the same coaching staff that produced several successful seasons in the past. They’ve grown inept over night? I doubt it. Rating: 1.

2. Mistakes in recruiting the right players may have cost the Dawgs.

During the 2000 recruiting season, the Huskies undoubtedly missed on key players because the coaches' recruiting visits were restricted due to sanctions imposed by the quiet-day scandal of 1999. However, recruiting services during the past few years have consistently ranked the Huskies in the top 20. Rating: 3.

3. The departure of Willie Hurst, Jerramy Stevens, and Larry Tripplett has hurt the Huskies this season.

Hurst gained 185-yards rushing against the Sun Devils last season, more than four times as much as the whole team accounted for on Saturday. Without Hurst this season, the Huskies rank 112^th in the NCAA in rushing yards per game.

Losing Larry Tripplett was a factor. People doubled up on him last season. 

Pickett did not complete a pass to a tight end in the ASU game Saturday night. If Stevens had played, Reggie Williams wouldn't have been blanketed all night.

Rating: 6.

4. Boos from the stands, along with carping from the media, have created a dispirited group of players.

No one likes to be criticized, especially in public in front of others. The querulous complaints from the media have not helped, especially those who persist in reminiscing about the Don James era. For the most part, the Seattle media are hostile to the Huskies--many setting an unrealistic benchmark for success. 

Rating: 6

5. The Huskies are a very young football team, and have suffered from injuries.

Only 10 of the two deeps (44 players) are seniors. A number of players sat out the spring because of injury, which affected their development. Recently, Roc Alexander and Junior Coffin have been lost for the season. Youth and injuries are the most important of the factors.

With 23 seniors on its roster, UCLA thumped the Dawgs last season; Cal has a number of upperclassmen on its roster this season. 

Rating: 7.

B. Putting this season in perspective

1. The Dawgs can only get better, and fans need to be patient, some not aware that the successes of the Don James era, like all good things, have come to an end.

Even James, a la Joe Paterno, would be struggling for breath in the thin atmosphere of parity, and would be the first to admit it.

2. The Huskies are suffering an off-season, much like many notable powers have in recent years--for example, Notre Dame, USC, Penn State, and UCLA.

Their start is really not that confounding when put in the context of other erstwhile perennial powers. 

3. Parity in college football has turned the have-nots into formidable opponents.

This season, California ended 27 years of losing to the Huskies.

4. Effects of the law of averages.

If parity is a predominant factor, than the law of averages becomes more important than it once was in rationalizing success or failure.

To muddy the waters, the media put too much emphasis on the outcome of a single loss or a string of losses in college football, considering that only 11 or 12 games are played in a typical season. Besides having an off day, factors such as bad luck, mistakes, injuries and strength of schedule all can contribute to a loss. The effects of these variables don't average out in a single season, but take several years to play out.

The Dawgs were lucky to win some games during their 12-game winning streak over the past two seasons, and now the law of averages has caught up with them.

If the Huskies were a baseball team, playing a 161-game schedule, nobody in the media would be commenting on their lackluster start. If the Huskies should win their final four games, members of the media will be dumbfounded for years, putting an incredulous face to an "astonishing comeback." It's all part of their act, and, really, it's all about money with them.