2006 Washington Huskies

2006 Washington Huskies Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

Nov. 18
Washington 35 ... Washington State 32
In a game of several home runs, Washington got a 64-yard touchdown catch from Cody Ellis, a 69-yard touchdown catch from Marcel Reese, and a blocked punt for a score from Chris Reese, but didn't finally put the game away for good until a 77-yard Louis Rankin touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Washington State stayed around with a 43-yard interception return for a score from Eric Frampton and two Alex Brink fourth quarter touchdown passes, but wasn't able to go anywhere on a final drive with a Caesar Rayford sack ending the Cougars' final shot. The two teams combined for 19 tackles for loss with Wazzu's Mkristo Bruce coming up with four, but the Huskies outsacked the Cougars five to two.
Player of the game ... Washington QB Carl Bonnell completed 14 of 27 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Carl Bonnell, 14-27, 271 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 17-118, 2 TD. Receiving: Marcel Reece, 3-107, 1 TD
Washington State - Passing: Alex Brink, 32-54, 328 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dwight Tardy, 19-105, 1 TD  Receiving: Brandon Gibson, 8-129, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Never discount the hex Washington always seems to have over Wazzu in the Apple Cup. Carl Bonnell bounced back from an awful performance against Stanford to bomb away on the Cougar secondary. Just as important as coming up with big plays was his ability to overcome the bad ones. With Louis Rankin running well and Bonnell hitting the home runs, this was how the offense was supposed to work over the second half of the season.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 4-8 2005 Record: 5-7 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/2	San Jose State W 35-28
9/9	at Oklahoma L 37-20
9/16	Fresno State W 21-20
9/23	UCLA W 29-19
9/30	at Arizona W 21-10
10/7	at USC L 26-20
10/14	Oregon State L 27-17
10/21	at California L 31-24 OT
10/28	Arizona St L 26-23 OT
11/4	at Oregon L 34-14
11/11	Stanford L 20-3
11/18	at Washi St W 35-32

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 2-9 2005 Record: 2-9 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/3	Air Force  L 20-17
9/10	California L 56-17
9/17	Idaho W 34-6
9/24	Notre Dame L 36-17
10/1	at UCLA L 21-17
10/15	at Oregon L 45-21
10/22	USC  L 51-24
10/29	at Arizona St L 44-21
11/5	Oregon State L 18-10
11/12	at Arizona W 38-14
11/19	Washington St L 26-22

Nov. 11
Stanford 20 ... Washington 3
Stanford stunned Washington with 20 unanswered points on a 49-yard Bo McNally interception return for a touchdown and a 74-yard Richard Sherman scoring catch in the fourth quarter. Washington started off the scoring with a 28-yard field goal, but the Cardinal tied it as time ran out at the end of the half on a 29-yard Aaron Zagory field goal. The Huskies only gained 161 yards.
Player of the game ... Stanford WR Richard Sherman caught six passes for 177 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Carl Bonnell, 10-35, 118 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kenny James, 13-23. Receiving: Quintin Daniels, 4-40
Stanford - Passing: T.C. Ostrander, 11-20, 206 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Anthony Kimble, 11-35  Receiving: Richard Sherman, 6-177, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... How could the Huskies be so bad against the league's worst team with bowl eligibility still there for the taking? Stanford somehow made the UW quarterbacks look awful with Carl Bonnell and Johnny DuRocher off all game long. The offensive line got no push for the running game, but no one was sharp. On a six game losing streak and with the season shot, Ty Willingham has to do his best coaching job yet to get the team up for Washington State. A win in the Apple Cup would do wonders going into the off-season. To pull it off, the quarterbacks have to be much, much sharper in their decision making.

Nov. 4
Oregon 34 ... Washington 14
Oregon outgained Washington 316 rushing yards to 13 with Jonathan Stewart running for 159 yards and scoring from five and four yards out. Patrick Chung started out the scoring for the Ducks with a 59-yard punt return for a touchdown, but the Huskies converted off a Dennis Dixon interception getting a nine-yard touchdown catch from Sonny Shackelford. The second Dixon interception led to an 11-yard Quintin Daniels scoring grab to pull the Huskies within three early in the second half, and then Oregon went on a roll scoring 17 unanswered points with a Stewart scoring run, a one-yard touchdown from Jeremiah Johnson, and Paul Martinez's second field goal of the day.
Player of the game ... Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart ran 25 times for 159 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Oregon - Passing: Dennis Dixon, 14-25, 109 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Jonathan Stewart, 25-159, 2 TD, Receiving: Dante Rosario, 4-34
Washington - Passing: Carl Bonnell, 15-34, 125 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 10-33  Receiving: Sonny Shackelford, 6-31, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Washington's strong season has quickly gone into the tank with a five-game losing streak hurt by an inconsistent offense and a D that's not coming up with any game-changing stops. The attack is desperately missing the steadiness and leadership of Isaiah Stanback and isn't getting nearly enough push from the running game; you're not going to win much in the Pac 10 when you gain just 138 total yards of offense like the Dawgs did against Oregon. A bowl bid is still possible, but now they have to beat Stanford and Washington State to get an extra game. A loss to the Cardinal would be disastrous and could ruin all the good things the team did over the first half of the year.

Oct. 28
Arizona State 26 ... Washington 23 OT
Arizona State answered Washington's 47-yard overtime field goal from Michael Braunstein with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Brent Miller for the win. ASU QB Rudy Carpenter started off the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Lewis and Keegan Herring made it 20-6 with touchdown runs from 19 and 65 yards out, but Washington came roaring back in the fourth quarter with WR Sonny Shackelford throwing a 41-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Russo and scoring on a four-yard pass from Johnny DuRocher, who filled in for an injured Carl Bonnell, with 2:19 to play to force overtime.
Player of the game ... Arizona State RB Ryan Torian ran 23 times for 98 yards and caught three passes for 30 yards.
Stat Leaders: Arizona State - Passing: Rudy Carpenter, 16-22, 170 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ryan Torian, 23-98  Receiving: Keegan Herring, 3-43
Washington - Passing: Carl Bonnell, 9-23, 67 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 25-67  Receiving: Louis Rankin, 6-46
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Even though bowl hopes ere all but shattered with a second straight overtime loss, the team fought well against Arizona State despite losing QB Carl Bonnell. Bonnell wasn't playing well before getting knocked out, and the offense did a good job of coming back in the fourth quarter with Johnny Durocher at the helm. Interestingly enough, the coaching staff didn't put in star freshman Jake Locker preserving the redshirt status. The worst of all possible worlds, at this point, would be to miss a bowl and also burn Locker's extra year.

Oct. 21
California 31 ... Washington 24 OT
In a wild finish, Washington forced overtime with a 40-yard Hail Mary that bounced around into the hands of Marlon Wood for a score as time expired. On Cal's overtime possession, Marshawn Lynch, on two gimpy ankles, ran for a 22-yard touchdown run, and then LB Desmond Bishop picked off Carl Bonnell to seal the win. Lynch gave Cal the lead with a 17-yard scoring run in the final two minutes before the Huskies went on their miraculous drive, but the Cal offense was held mostly to field goals with Tom Schneider hitting from 21, 29, and a bomb from 50 yards out. The Huskies got two touchdown passes from Bonnell as well as a seven-yard scoring run, but he threw five interceptions.
Player of the game ... California RB Marshawn Lynch ran 21 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns and LB Desmond Bishop made 16 tackles, forced a fumble, made 3.5 tackles for loss, and sealed the win with an interception
Stat Leaders: California - Passing: Nate Longshore, 21-36, 291 yds
Rushing: Marshawn Lynch, 21-150, 2 TD  Receiving: Lavelle Hawkins, 6-99
Washington - Passing: Carl Bonnell, 17-31, 284 yds, 2 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 22-88  Receiving: Anthony Russo, 3-91, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Washington's obviously going to be angry about losing to Cal, but it proved once again that it can hang around with the Pac 10's best of the best and keep a high-octane offense under wraps. Even with five interceptions, Carl Bonnell played well showing off good running skills while throwing well enough to keep the chains moving. There will be more shootouts ahead facing Arizona State and Oregon, but if the Huskies can win one of those two, it'll have the layup against Stanford become bowl eligible taking the pressure off the Apple Cup battle at Washington State.

Oct. 14
Oregon State 27 ... Washington 17
Oregon State played it safe early getting down 17-10 in the first half, and then bombed away in the second half with an 80-yard touchdown catch from Sammy Stroughter and a three-yard Yvenson Bernard scoring run. Bernarrd ran for a two-yard score in the first half, but the Huskies got up with two Isaiah Stanback touchdown runs. The UW QB struggled in the passing game and got taken out late with an injured ankle. OSU outgained UW 488 yards to 256.
Player of the game ... Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard ran 29 times for 144 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Isaiah Stanback, 12-24, 162 yds
Rushing: Kenny James, 17-83. Receiving: Anthony Russo, 4-85
Oregon State - Passing: Matt Moore, 14-19, 308 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Yvenson Bernard, 29-144, 2 TD  Receiving: Sammy Stroughter 7-223, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Washington needs to quickly find a way to bounce back from the awful performance against the Beavers. The defense couldn't stop anything the OSU offense tried to do, while the offense had a hard time getting anything consistently going converting one of 13 on third downs and one of four on fourth downs. With a trip to Cal coming up, and with Isaiah Stanback hurting with a bum ankle, does the team have the punch to win a big game? Not unless the defense plays far better.

Oct. 7
USC 26 ... Washington 20
USC held on as Washington got down to the Trojan 15-yard line with two seconds to play, but couldn't get another play off. Mario Danelo hit four field goals for USC, but his first field goal attempt turned into the big play of the game as Steve Smith took caught a pass off a fake for a 20-yard score. Isaiah Stanback threw two touchdown passes including a six-yard play to Johnie Kirton early in the fourth quarter to pull within three, but a 21-yard Danelo field goal with 1:34 to play forced the Huskies to go for a touchdown on their final drive.
Player of the game ... USC LB Keith Rivers made 12 tackles, broke up two passes, and came up with a tackle for loss.
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Isaiah Stanback, 17-38, 212 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Kenny James, 13-84. Receiving: Sonny Shackelford, 9-125
USC - Passing: John David Booty, 23-40, 243 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chauncey Washington, 17-81  Receiving: Patrick Turner, 12-116, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Moral victories aren't going to cut it for Washington anymore, but the team has to be happy that USC needed a fake field goal and had to hang on until the final two seconds to win the game. Isaiah Stanback once again showed how much better he is as a mature, veteran playmaker. The defense did a nice job of bending but not breaking too often with the secondary doing a great job of breaking up several plays. Now the Huskies have to get back on track in a hurry with a home date against Oregon State before dealing with Cal.

Sept. 30
Washington 21 ... Arizona 10
Washington got all the points it would need in the final 6:07 of the first half as Kenny James ran for a four-yard score and Isaiah Stanback threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Sonny Shackelford and connected with Quintin Daniels for a 55-yard score with :22 to play. Arizona started off the scoring with a 52-yard Nick Folk field goal got a juggling 13-yard touchdown grab from Syndric Steptoe, but the UW D stopped the Arizona ground game cold and didn't allow many long drives.
Player of the game ... Washington QB Isaiah Stanback completed 14 of 25 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns with an interception and ran ten times for 47 yards
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Isaiah Stanback, 14-25, 293 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 17-63,. Receiving: Sonny Shackelford, 5-105, 1 TD
Arizona  - Passing: Willie Tuitama, 24-41, 308 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chris Henry, 5-24  Receiving: Mike Thomas, 5-91
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Washington is playing like a team with supreme confidence. The defense swarmed all over Arizona's running game holding it to -7 yards, and got six sacks forcing Willie Tuitama to make bad play after bad play on third downs. Isaiah Stanback is doing a great job of not making any big mistakes and is doing a better job of leading the offense. Now that the ship appears to be turned around, but things can really get going if the Huskies can pull off a stunning win over USC next week. While that might be asking for too much, just holding serve at home will mean a nice bowl bid.

Sept. 23
Washington 29 ... UCLA 19
UW's Dan Howell picked off a Ben Olson pass and took it 33 yards for a touchdown with six minutes to play to put away a tight game. The Huskies got a great game out of Isaiah Stanback with two touchdown passes to Sonny Shackelford and a four-yard scoring pass to Johnie Kirton as part of a 29-3 run after UCLA got out of the gate with the first 16 points of the game. Justin Medlock connected on field goal tries from 28, 23, 51, 23 and 22 yards out for the Bruins. The only touchdown came on a one-yard Chris Markey run in the first quarter.
Player of the game ... Washington QB Isaiah Stanback completed 18 of 29 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns with an interception and ran 13 times for 48 yards
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Isaiah Stanback, 18-29, 200 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Isaiah Stanback, 13-48,. Receiving: Sonny Shackelford, 9-120, 2 TD
UCLA - Passing: Ben Olson, 18-31, 135 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Chris Markey, 19-124, 1 TD  Receiving: Matt Willis, 4-30
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... For the second straight week, Washington won a game with a less than perfect performance in the win over UCLA, but Dawg fans are hardly going to complain. The team appears to be playing with the confidence it was lacking over the last few years making plays it would've missed. Having a steady, veteran at quarterback like Isaiah Stanback certainly helps, but he can't do it alone. He'll need more from the running game if the Huskies are going to get through road games at Arizona and USC. The defense has to continue to generate pressure and it has to keep halting momentum with key third down stops like it did against the Bruins.

Sept. 16
Washington 21 ... Fresno State 20
A nearly dead-even game was decided by a blocked extra point from Washington's Caesar Rayford following a one-yard Dwayne Wright touchdown run that apparently tied the game late in the fourth. Isaiah Stanback threw two short touchdown passes and ran for a six-yard score, but Fresno State always had an answer. Wright started off the scoring with a one-yard touchdown run, and Paul Williams caught a 38-yard touchdown pass. 
Player of the game ... Washington SS C.J. Wallace made 17 tackles, two tackles for loss, and forced a fumble
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Isaiah Stanback, 15-26, 151 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Isaiah Stanback, 12-91, 1 TD,. Receiving: Anthony Russo, 4-34
Fresno State - Passing: Tom Brandstater, 11-21, 140 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Dwayne Wright, 28-136, 2 TD  Receiving: Paul Williams, 6-85, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It doesn't matter how it happened, Washington has a 2-1 record and a world of confidence going into the Pac 10 season after the win over Fresno State. State of mind was a big issue over the last few years with all the losing building and building on the team causing several problems, and now it appears to be ready to battle a rested UCLA team next week. Isaiah Stanback is a difference maker when he can get defenses worrying about him running. Now he's making teams pay through the air. Punter Sean Douglas is blasting the ball; he was terrific against the Bulldogs.

Sept. 9
Oklahoma 37 ... Washington 20
Paul Thompson and Malcolm Kelly combined for two touchdowns highlighted by a 35-yarder in the third quarter to break open a 13-13 tie. Adrian Peterson took over in the second half running for two scores to help the Sooners finish off a 27-point run. Washington started off hot with a tremendous 54-yard scoring dash from Kenny James and closed out with a two-yard touchdown catch from Sonny Shackelford, but it couldn't keep up in the second half once OU started scoring.
Player of the game ... Oklahoma WR Malcolm Kelly caught six passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Isaiah Stanback, 9-22, 139 yds
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 17-112,. Receiving: Anthony Russo. 3-70
Oklahoma - Passing: Paul Thompson, 21-33, 272 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Adrian Peterson, 32-165, 2 TD  Receiving: Malcolm Kelly, 6-121, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Washington showed off a good running game against Oklahoma and played far better than expected early on, but the lack of a consistent passing game proved to be a killer once the game started to get out of hand. The defense simply wore down against the Sooners once Paul Thompson started throwing the ball well, and then Adrian Peterson took over. Fresno State is going to be tough for the Dawgs to get by unless they're more physical on the defensive front for a full 60 minutes.

Sept. 2
Washington 35 ... San Jose State 29
Washington got two touchdowns from Kenny James and Louis Rankin and out rushed the Spartans 300 yards to 50, but it needed to withstand a storm as Adam Tafralis stepped in and bombed away for 323 yards and three second half touchdowns to James Jones including a six-yard strike with just over two minutes to play. Washington recovered the onside kick and held on. Isaiah Stanback had a brilliant game throwing a touchdown pass and rushing for 102 yards and a score.
Player of the game ... Washington QB Isaiah Stanback completed 16 of 25 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown with an interception. He also ran 17 times for 102 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Washington - Passing: Isaiah Stanback, 16-25, 168 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Louis Rankin, 10-145, 2 TD. Receiving: Anthony Russo, 5-43
San Jose State - Passing: Adam Tafralis, 28-35, 323 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Yonus Davis, 9-33. Receiving: James Jones, 9-130, 3 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Panic sirens will go off after the close call to San Jose State, but there were some major positives to come out of the win and a lot to get excited about. First, Isaiah Stanback played like a quarterback who can carry the team on his back. Stanback, Louis Rankin and the running game were excellent, punter Sean Douglas had a brilliant game, and the run defense was stout. However, the secondary had way too many problems. Fortunately, Oklahoma can't throw the ball, so if the defensive front seven can keep Adrian Peterson in check, next week could be interesting.

2006 Washington Preview

Washington Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

The program can blame past coaching staffs, turmoil and a silly blowup over an NCAA basketball bracket for the speedy downfall from superpower to also-ran to dregs, but now the concern is whether or not things can ever be back to the way they were.

The problem for Washington, at this point, isn't if it can get any better, it's if the rest of the Pac 10 can come back to the pack. USC isn't looking like it's going to slow down too much, Oregon has rebounded, Cal is on the verge of really big things, Arizona State and UCLA continue to be strong, Arizona isn't going to get any worse, Stanford showed last year it can hang with anyone, and Oregon State and Washington State appear to be better. Unless the Huskies have a few tricks up their sleeve, this might be another very long season.

So what was learned by beating Idaho, Arizona and San Jose State over the last two seasons? That's what second year head man Ty Willingham and his staff must figure out right away. There are good athletes on both sides of the ball and there are players with Pac 10 talent, at least there are as many as most of the teams that'll finish in the bottom half. Now they need a little bit of confidence that can only come from winning.

Things couldn't have started out worse for Willingham as he tried to pull the team up out of the 2004 nosedive. There was the stunning last-minute home loss to Air Force to start the season followed up by a blowout by Cal and then seven more losses out of the final nine games. Ticket sales have been a problem, the Seahawks are one of the NFL's best teams putting more interest in the pro game, and once again, the Pac 10 has improved.

But that doesn't mean this can't be the Pac 10's deep sleeper. If you believe the adage that veteran teams win close games, then the 15 returning starters, along with all the experienced depth in many key spots, should be enough to win the squeakers that last year's struggling team lost. A confident, positive attitude team would've beaten Air Force. It would've hung on against UCLA, found a way to get by the weird game against Oregon State, and would've come up with the Apple Cup win. Veteran, positive teams tend to get the needed breaks for a 6-5 season instead of a 2-9 stinker.

If QB Isaiah Stanback can be this year's Michael Robinson and make the senior year transformation the former Penn State star was able to make, and if the deep stable of running backs turns into something special, and if the questions can be answered at corner, and if there can be some semblance of a steady pass rush from the front four, this really, truly could be a turnaround season.

The Schedule: It's not a peach after the opener against San Jose State. Forget about the road trip to Oklahoma, the team really needs to not clunk at home against Fresno State with UCLA coming into town the following week. The Huskies aren't likely to beat USC, Cal or Oregon this year without things being drastically different, so those games might as well be on the road. However, that means home dates with teams like Oregon State and Stanford are must wins to have any hope of a bowl season.

Best Offensive Player: Redshirt freshman J.R. Hasty. But he's not on the team this year being declared academically ineligible. The Washington state high school superstar is one of the few potential difference makers on the offense ... next year. QB Isaiah Stanback might turn out to be the team's best offensive player, and number one receiver Sonny Shackelford is the team's steadiest offensive producer, and RB Louis Rankin might get the starting call on opening day, but Hasty is the most talented player on offense.

Best Defensive Player: Senior SS C.J. Wallace. Safety/corner Dashon Goldson is the far better pro prospect, but Wallace is the tone setter for the defensive back seven with his linebacker-like hits and great support in the running game. Now he has to make more plays when the ball is in the air.

Key player to a successful season: Senior QB Isaiah Stanback. If he doesn't pull out a least three wins by the end of September, there might be a change at quarterback just to get looks at some of the other talented options. Washington fans know all too well what has happened over the last few years when the quarterbacks start to rotate. Stanback has to be the one who makes the team a winner in his third year under center.

The season will be a success if ... Washington wins seven games. There has to be a big upset or two to set a fire under the fan base, while a win in the Apple Cup over Washington State, and a 5-1 home record, would do wonders to get the program rolling into 2007 when the program will finally be three years removed from all the past problems.

Key game: Sept. 23 vs. UCLA. Washington must win the Pac 10 home opener for confidence before a two game road trip to Arizona and USC. The Wildcats are going to want payback after last year's 38-14 loss, while USC is, well, USC. A win over the Bruins would do wonders for the team's psyche and could set the tone for a good home season.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Fourth quarter scoring: Opponents 116 - Washington 70
- Penalties: Opponents 85 for 712 yards - Washington 68 for 556 yards
- Completion percentage: Opponents 66.8% - Washington 52.5%

The Last Time Washington…
…played in a bowl game…2002 (Sun Bowl vs. Purdue)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1997 (USC)
…was shutout…2004 (USC)
…scored 50 points…2001 (Idaho)
…went undefeated…1991
…won a conference title…2000
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2003 (Cody Pickett)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…1997 (Rashaan Shehee)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2003 (Reggie Williams)
…had a first-round draft choice…2004 (WR Reggie Williams)