During an exciting Saturday in college football last weekend, the University of Washington football team could only help but watch, attached to their sofas in their underwear like the rest of us.
Well, not exactly.
The squad did use its bye week to get healthy and practice, but were excluded from the action of upsets around the country.
"You feel kind of bad not being a part of it," said UW coach Tyrone Willingham, who managed to watch parts of the in-conference USC-Stanford surprise. "So we get a chance to throw our hat back in the ring this week."
After three straight losses and a week off, the Huskies will jump back into the mix to face undefeated ASU Saturday night in Tempe.
The bye week may have arrived just in time for UW, who was nursing injuries and was desperate to get younger players some action.
Junior safety Jason Wells won't be returning, however, as he's likely out for the season with a knee injury suffered two weeks ago.
Willingham said many of his team's underclassmen experienced a full game, combining the team's three scrimmages during the week.
With the program's schedule, including USC, Ohio State, Boise State and others, it's been difficult for Willingham to throw inexperienced players into the game.
However, seven of the team's true freshmen have seen action thus far.
After handily defeating Syracuse and Boise State, the young team took some lumps.
Asked if ASU would be an easier opponent this week, senior defensive end Greyson Gunheim quickly shuddered.
"Every game is tough in the Pac-10," he said. "We don't get time off until it's all over."
Willingham said the only deficiencies he noticed in ASU were it's propensity to rack up penalties and let defenders get to junior quarterback Rudy Carpenter.
Expect Gunheim and company to run after Carpenter all game long, but the Huskies have struggled as a defensive unit, yielding 415 yards per game.
And that number is even more obvious when one realizes the offense only manages 332 yards every contest.
Offensively, UW is a different team than the one that lost to ASU 27-24 in Seattle last season.
The Huskies were forced to play three quarterbacks last year due to injury, two of which played against ASU, but Locker has emerged as the present and long-term solution.
He said he and his teammates need to be conscious of ASU's defensive speed and aggressiveness, attributes which usually cause game-changing turnovers.
"That starts with me not throwing interceptions," said Locker, who has seven so far.
Senior tailback Louis Rankin provides a stabilizing force in the backfield.
If nothing else, Rankin, who wears no fashionable gloves, arm bands, or visor, is a tough runner who can break tackles.
Fellow senior Anthony Russo, the team's top wide receiver, can have trouble getting off the line of scrimmage against physical cornerbacks, but his speed makes him a threat via the pass and reverse play.
With most of his players healthy and in uniform this weekend, Willingham scoffs at those who believe ASU is ready to fall.
"I would love to be 6-0," Willingham said. "I don't know if it necessarily matters who you play."
He said beating the teams you're supposed to beat develops a team confidence required for success.
But does UW have that confidence, being just 2-3?
Gunheim said despite the losses, the Husky locker room is in high spirits and ready to prove the rest of the Pac-10 wrong on national television.
"It's always good to be on that big stage," he said. "There's a little extra hype, and for us, guys want to show what they can do."
Reach the reporter at andrew.pentis@asu.edu
