It seems like a lifetime ago.
Washington marched down the field, kicked a game-winner against Southern California, and reveled in the proclamations that the program had been revived.
Simple. Quick. Surprising in its swiftness yet inspiring in its ferocity. The comeback had begun.
“Hopefully, it sends a message of where we’re headed and what we’re trying to do,” first-year coach Steve Sarkisian said then.
But a funny thing happened on the way to the revival. And if there’s anything the intervening 10 weeks have taught us about the every-game-is-important world of college football, it is this: A victory in today’s Apple Cup would be more important to Sarkisian’s Huskies than that long-ago win over USC.
Sure, today’s game is against Washington State. Woeful, woebegone, woe-is-me Washington State. The Cougars might be a poor excuse for a rival, having been outscored 173-6 in the first quarter this season, but they’re Washington’s rival and there’s no getting around that.
“I’d say it’s a high dislike,” WSU coach Paul Wulff said of the matchup.
So while the victory over USC likely will be the centerpiece of Washington’s 2009 highlight video, the contest against Washington State could have the strongest lingering impact. As far as recruiting and public perception and the level of attention throughout the state, there is nothing like a victory over your rival to establish the foundation for a program.
Why, in 1991, Oregon State under first-year coach Jerry Pettibone had the gall to produce a video titled “We Own the State” after beating Oregon. The Beavers finished 1-10.
In 2000, Ohio State fired John Cooper and his .715 winning percentage because he was 2-10-1 against Michigan.
Rivalry games in college football have a knack for killing coaching careers or preserving them for at least one more year.
As for the Apple Cup?
“It’s a special one in that there’s a lot of emotions involved,” Sarkisian said. “That’s the beauty of college football.”
Since the victory over USC, Sarkisian’s revival has been scuttled by six losses in seven games. A Washington victory in the Apple Cup would indicate that the program is still on track; but a loss would relegate what happened 10 weeks ago to the dust bin of history.
For WSU, a win would be important, but it wouldn’t drastically change the perception of the program. There’s a lot of work to be done, regardless of the Apple Cup outcome. A 3-21 record over two years, with the losses coming by an average of 35 points, tends to temper expectations.
Which means that today’s game is more important for the long-term fortunes of Washington than it is for Washington State.
If the Huskies truly are going to experience a revival under Sarkisian, it needs to start here. They must establish dominance within the state, then build a recruiting advantage at home, then compete for Northwest supremacy against the resurgent Oregon schools.
Then, and only then, will Washington be prepared to challenge Southern Cal on an annual basis.
As much as the fans and the media hoped to bypass a couple of those steps and declare that Husky football was back, reality has set in over the second half of the season. And while Sarkisian is taking part in the Apple Cup for the first time, there’s a sense that he understands this.
“It doesn’t take long to realize the importance of this game from the standpoint of what it means in the state and the community,” Sarkisian said.
Because a loss to your rival can truly linger for a lifetime.
Greg Jayne is Sports editor of The Columbian. He can be reached at 360-735-4531, or by e-mail at greg.jayne@columbian.com. To read his blog, go to columbian.com/section/GregJayne
