UW Football Notebook | Huskies want to play keepaway

Much as they might like to think otherwise, the Washington Huskies know the best way to stop Hawaii's high-octane offense Saturday night is simply to keep it off the field, watching UW's offense instead.

"No one's stopped it yet," UW receiver Marcel Reece said of a Hawaii offense that is first in the nation in scoring (47.2 points per game) and yards (528.5). "No one's outscored them this season. So we are going to try to be the first team to do that. And I know we can. I definitely know we can."

Huskies coaches say that means trying to run the ball as much, and as well, as possible.

"We need to manage the clock and we need to be able to control the clock," said UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano. "And that means run the football. It's really important that we are able to run the football and manage the clock, because you are not going to shut them out."

Lappano said Hawaii blitzes about 35 percent of the time, which could open the door for some big plays for UW if the Huskies can pick up the blitzes.

"We need to stay on the field and convert third downs," he said. "We can't drop balls, can't fumble the ball, can't miss throws, can't worry about the crowd noise. It's going to be loud, we're going into a real hostile environment and a hornet's nest. But the pressure's on them. They are the undefeated team and playing for a BCS berth."

Lappano pointed out that the game could be worth millions to Hawaii and the WAC if the Warriors can get into a BCS game — the WAC would get about $6 million as a result (the WAC is part of a five-conference consortium and would share some of the money with other conferences).

UW can help the Pac-10 by winning and knocking out Hawaii, which could help the conference get a second team into the BCS and earn an additional $9 million payout.

Pasco grad looks

forward to UW

Hawaii's second-leading rusher is Leon Wright-Jackson, known as simply Leon Jackson when he starred at Pasco High School. He later played a year at Nebraska before transferring, and then spent a year at Columbia Basin CC before landing at Hawaii this fall.

He has 219 yards on 33 carries for the Warriors and told The Honolulu Advertiser he's eager to play the Huskies.

Wright-Jackson said he considered UW out of high school but noted that was 2004, when the Huskies were in the midst of firing Keith Gilbertson and hiring Tyrone Willingham. "They didn't know who the head coach was going to be, so that drew me away," he said.

Notes

• Lappano said he wanted to give Carl Bonnell a series or two in the Apple Cup and would like to this week if it works out. "I think he deserves to play one more time," Lappano said.

• Jake Locker and Ryan Tolar were named to the Rivals.com Freshman All-American second team.

• Lappano said he is confident that center Juan Garcia will return next season. Garcia is a senior but was granted a sixth year of eligibility.