Huskies face a tipping point against Stanford on Saturday

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham said Monday he won't get into detailing for his players the stakes of Saturday's game against Stanford.

For one thing, he figures his players already know.

"I don't talk to our guys in terms of that," he said. "I've always said that the environment around them will let them know what's going on. My job is to make sure that we are well-prepared about what we have to do and keep that focus."

Indeed, UW players said they are well aware that while the team's 0-3 start was far from ideal, 0-4 could be downright disastrous — both for any hopes of making something of the season, and for the future of the coaching staff.

"It obviously means a little extra more to us because we are 0-3," sophomore safety Nate Williams said. "I don't think any of us wanted to start off the year like this. And with the whole Willingham thing about his job being on the line, I think a lot of guys want him to stay. I do. So we are definitely looking to get this win."

If not, the noise from the wolves already baying at Willingham's door will grow even louder, since a winning season might be a necessity for Willingham to retain his job.

And with games remaining at USC and Cal, and home contests against the likes of Arizona State and Notre Dame, an 0-4 start could put a sizable dent into hopes of a winning season before the end of September.

New athletic director Scott Woodward said last week that an in-season coaching change would be unlikely, meaning a loss to Stanford might not result in any immediate action but could set the Huskies on a long march to a potentially sad inevitability.

Williams said Willingham's status isn't constantly on players' minds. But he confirmed Willingham's suspicions that it's a topic that has become unavoidable.

"Everybody is talking about it," Williams said. "So we hear about it. But it's not something we think about like, 'Oh, we have got to win this game or coach Willingham is going to leave.' But it's all the media is talking about. We read the newspapers. We listen to the radio. So it's just what is out there."

What's also out there is that if the Huskies can quickly get on a roll, a winning season could be well within reach. While UW was off, other teams in the Pac-10 stumbled through another weekend that punched a significant hole in the conference's national image. Other than a Nov. 1 game at USC, in which UW figures to be a significant underdog, the rest of the games on Washington's schedule loom as attainable.

"Every game is a must-win," said UW linebacker Mason Foster. "But being 0-3 ... we've really got to show teams what you are capable of or you are going to be THAT team in the Pac-10 again. So it's time to really show teams what we are capable of, that we can play with anybody."

So essentially, beat Stanford and all the hopes of the season are still alive. Lose, and more than the season could be lost.

"We feel like once we get that first win under our belt then everybody is just going to keep improving more and the wins will keep on rolling," Williams said. "So this game against Stanford means a lot to us."

Going live

The bye week allowed the Huskies to do some live scrimmaging, and not just with the younger players but also with the starters to work on some of the ailments. Among the chief objectives was improving tackling.

Willingham said the bye week allowed the team to "play all of the game and not just hit and let go, or just bump the guy. We really did some full-scale practicing so you have a chance to practice what you have to do to play."

Players said they think the live tackling in practice will pay off come game time.

"It was kind of weird running to the ball with a real purpose to try and knock somebody out," said defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim. "It's usually just wrap somebody up. So that was pretty hard to get back to treating it like a Saturday. But I think it helped a lot getting guys running to the football, and hopefully we can build on it."

Notes

• Kickoff for the Oct. 4 game at Arizona has been set for 4:30 p.m. so it can be televised nationally on Versus.

• Willingham indicated the heavy hitting during the bye week didn't result in any new injuries of significance.

• One player who remains out is safety Darin Harris, who suffered a concussion against BYU. Willingham said he was "not optimistic" that Harris would be able to return this week and that the team will be "extremely cautious" in handling his return. Another safety, Victor Aiyewa, also remains questionable to return, leaving the safety spot the team's biggest uncertainty. "The safety spot is still very much a concern with some of the injuries," Willingham said. True freshman Johri Fogerson is again listed as a starter at free safety with Williams at strong safety. Tripper Johnson is listed as the backup at both spots.

• In one other possible change, Matt Houston is listed as a co-starter at strongside linebacker with Joshua Gage. Houston saw significant time in the Oklahoma game after the defense struggled early to stop the run.

• Saturday's game will also be a big one for Stanford, which beat San Jose State 23-10 Saturday to improve to 2-2. The Cardinal thinks it has a chance to get to six wins and a bowl game.

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