Huskies trudge home still winless

By Don Ruiz | The News Tribune • Published November 22, 2008

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PULLMAN – "Let's go home."

That is what Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said he told his team Saturday after falling to 0-11 with a double-overtime 16-13 loss at Washington State.

"There's nothing really (he) can say," senior Johnie Kirton said. "It was 'Let's just go home.' Nobody wants to sit around here after a loss like that."

However, the Huskies did not return home to put away their pads until spring, as they do after most Apple Cups.

This season's schedule sends them into a bye week before finally finishing up Dec. 7 at California.

And despite suffering what many of them considered the most painful loss of the season — or maybe because of that — most Huskies said they are glad the season didn't end at Martin Stadium.

"Going into this game we were 0-10, that's difficult enough," senior Mesphin Forrester said. "And then to lose the Apple Cup, it hurts. It just feels like a nightmare. We just have to find a way to get a win this season by any means necessary. We just have to find a way to get better in this bye week and come out strong against Cal."

Willingham simply stared at a reporter who asked him if he would continue to coach through the Cal game. But under follow-up questions — which he didn't seem to like any better — Willingham said that he continues to believe he is helping his team by remaining.

"My heart goes out to him, because he's done everything he can," senior tight end Michael Gottlieb said. "You get the feeling at the end of these games like he's said everything he can. We've been here so many times, there's nothing you can say any more that would even be relevant. I just feel horrible that we couldn't do this for him. He's done everything he can."

Washington (0-11 overall, 0-8 Pac-10) has lost 13 straight games, the longest losing streak in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The streak began in the Apple Cup game last season. And it seemed on the verge of ending in the Apple Cup game Saturday.

The Huskies held a 10-point lead at halftime and a three-point lead with 56 second left in regulation.

However, Washington State moved from its own 20 to the UW 11, where the Cougars tied it with a field goal on the final play of regulation.

"We had time and yardage on our side, and we didn't finish the deal," defensive coordinator Ed Donatell said. "That's where we had the greatest advantage. When you go into overtime, then it's an even battle again. We had the trump cards playing them, and we didn't finish the job."

The key play was a 48-yard completion from Kevin Lipina to Jared Karstetter, who managed to get behind the Huskies four-deep defense.

"We let the ball get behind us, which was a huge mistake for on the secondary, on our behalf," senior cornerback Mesphin Forrester said. "But we've just got to find a way to stop those big plays. We could have really stopped them and won that game if we would have stopped that play."

Having failed, they say are grateful for their one last chance to avoid the school's first winless season since the university's second football team went 0-0-1 in 1890.

"We've just got to keep working and pushing forward," quarterback Ronnie Fouch said. "I say that every week. It seems I say that a lot, but that's what we have to do."