Notre Dame no big deal for winless Ty Willingham

Tyrone Willingham's grin seemed to grow a little with each Notre Dame-related question that came his way Monday.

He appeared increasingly amused that there was still so much attention devoted to the angle of his current team, Washington, playing his former team, Notre Dame, this Saturday at Husky Stadium.

"That's something that everyone else will dwell on," he said. "After we finish up [a news conference] this morning, I will simply be focused on our football game and trying to move our football team in that direction. And at some point some of you will tire of that so you will move on to something else."

Such as continuing to rehash the team's 0-6 start, UW's worst in 39 years, and eight-game losing streak, tied with North Texas for the longest in the nation?

Given UW's dire straits, the Willingham-Notre Dame angle will at least give media and fans something else to focus on this weekend, even if the coach doesn't quite see it that way.

"I always try to take Tyrone Willingham out of things," said Willingham, who was 21-15 in three years at Notre Dame before being fired after the end of the 2004 regular season and hired at UW a few weeks later. "It's not about me, it's about the two teams for 2008 that will line up on the field and play, and the team that plays the best that day will win."

And to be sure, it's an angle that doesn't quite have the same sizzle it did in 2005, when the Irish visited Seattle the year following his firing in South Bend.

Notre Dame won that game 36-17 with a team that included players mostly recruited by Willingham and his staff.

The Irish now have just three players remaining who were signed while Willingham was coach — defensive end Justin Brown, linebacker Maurice Crum Jr. and cornerback Terrail Lambert, all fifth-year seniors and starters.

Another six players had committed to Notre Dame as part of the school's class of 2005 before Willingham was fired, according to Scout.com.

Four of those players are starters or co-starters, including receiver David Grimes, who along with Crum is one of the team's three captains for this season. The other captain, starting safety David Bruton, was also largely recruited by Willingham and his staff, committing in early January.

Also different from that initial meeting is that there is just one UW assistant left who came with Willingham from Notre Dame, offensive line coach Mike Denbrock. Four others who originally followed Willingham to UW from Notre Dame have since left, including two who were fired after last season — defensive coordinator Kent Baer and special teams/tight ends coach Bob Simmons.

While Willingham said the game held no special personal meaning, Denbrock admitted it had some.

"I consider myself a Husky and I'm very happy to be part of this program," he said. "But obviously it adds a little bit to it having been there."

But given Willingham's seemingly tenuous hold on his job at UW, a win over Notre Dame could serve as a momentary respite, something a few players said they recognize.

"Every game you want to win for coach Willingham since he is taking all this negativity," running back Terrance Dailey said. "So this would be a big game especially to win for him. But we are just trying to get the win and not really paying attention to all that other stuff."

NOTES

• Jake Locker appeared on Willingham's radio show Monday night and said he will have a cast on his broken wrist for 3 ½ weeks and then have another surgery to have a plate removed. He said he then would begin the task of rehabbing the wrist. Asked when he could return to action he said, "I really can't tell you."

• Willingham said UW appeared to suffer no new injuries in Saturday's game that will hold anyone out this week. He said RB David Freeman (ankles) and S Johri Fogerson (illness) could each return this week.

• Denbrock said C Juan Garcia suffered an ankle injury against OSU that is unrelated to his foot injury of last spring, but continued to play on it and shouldn't be limited this week.

• Dailey remains listed as the team's starting tailback this week. He suffered bruised ribs and cuts in his mouth taking a hard hit from OSU safety Al Afalava.

• There were 1,000 tickets available for the game as of Monday morning, on-sale at GoHuskies.com or at the school's ticket office. UW officials expect a sellout, which would be the first of the season. The Oklahoma game drew the largest home crowd so far this year at 67,716.