Huskies aim high for final stretch

Washington's bye week didn't mark an exact split in the schedule, not that that is even possible with 13 games this year.

But for UW players and coaches, the off week felt like a midseason break, considering they had a three-week training camp, then played five games before getting a bye Saturday.

Now comes a date at Arizona State on Saturday night to begin a homestretch of eight games in eight weeks that will determine the fate of UW's season.

Monday the Huskies said their goals remain as high as they were two months ago despite a three-game losing streak that has UW at 2-3 overall and 0-2 in Pac-10 play.

"I feel like we can still go 8-0 [the final eight games]," said center Juan Garcia. "Other seasons when I've been here there's a point where you're like, 'Man, you know we are probably going to miss out on another bowl game.' But everyone feels good. We just need to put a game together and break out. One of these games, it is going to happen where Husky football breaks out and it's like, 'Here we go.' "

Not that it will be easy.

The Huskies have four games against teams ranked this week in the top 16 in the AP poll: No. 2 Cal, No. 9 Oregon, No. 14 ASU and No. 16 Hawaii.

Washington could conceivably be favored to win just twice more — at home against Arizona and Washington State. The game at Stanford Nov. 3 took on a new tenor with the Cardinal's upset of USC on Saturday, and a date at Oregon State on Nov. 10 also looms problematic.

And remember, UW has to win seven games to go to a bowl game this year because it is playing 13.

But the Huskies insist that the fate of the season lies within, that it's more about them than their opponents.

"It's just little things we have to correct, things we can clean up here and there," said quarterback Jake Locker.

Some of the obvious areas of improvement for UW are:

• The offense: OK, so that's one really big thing. But the numbers are stark: UW remains last in the Pac-10 in total offense at 332.4 yards per game and is also last in passing offense at 172.2 yards per game and fifth in rushing offense (160.2).

The passing offense struggles are fairly easy to define. Locker has been not as accurate as he would have hoped, completing 51.8 percent of his throws; and the receivers have dropped too many passes. On the bye week, Locker worked on throwing on the run.

The running game appears to be a mix of problems: blocking up front and getting consistency out of Louis Rankin. UW hopes that the low numbers are because it played two of the top four run defenses in the conference in USC and UCLA (plus Ohio State).

The Huskies have to get more running from someone other than Locker, who has 411 of UW's 801 rushing yards. Locker has 1,205 yards of total offense, 72.5 percent of UW's total of 1,662.

• Run defense: Not that the secondary doesn't still have issues, but UW figured it might have some struggles there because of the overall inexperience in the back end. But the defensive front figured to be a strength and keep opponent running games in check. Instead, UW ranks last in rushing defense at 184.8 per game and 4.7 yards per carry.

Coaches and players say the main problems are being out of position at key times and missing tackles.

"We've had a couple of rough patches against the run but we are a defense that prides ourselves on being tough and being physical and that's what we have to do," said defensive tackle Jordan Reffett.

• Special teams: The stats aren't pretty here, either, as UW ranks last in kickoff returns and kickoff coverage and ninth in field goals (3 for 5 overall, with the three field goals made the fewest) and sixth in net punting, One highlight: UW is second in punt-return average at 12.8.

But while the three-game losing streak has taken the luster off a quick start, players say the future remains bright.

"Overall, the morale and attitude of the team is where we wanted it to be," Locker said. "Everyone is positive and really confident, and that was one of our goals going into the season."

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com