Washington and Arizona State are each looking to bring meaning to season

When seasons have long since gone off the rails, players and coaches look for meaning anywhere they can find it.

Washington and Arizona State, for instance, meet in a game today that looks as appetizing as three-day-old takeout.

The teams have combined for 16 straight losses, each tying a school record — UW's 10-game streak tying a mark set in 1968-69, Arizona State's six-gamer matching a record set in 1929.

"You know we are better than that," said UW senior defensive tackle Johnie Kirton.

The only way to prove it, however, is to get a victory and avoid going down in Huskies infamy. A loss today would also match the 0-9 start of the 1969 team as the worst in school history.

There's also simply the desire to have a few Saturday afternoons that give a little payoff to all of those 6:30 a.m. offseason workouts.

"Our No. 1 priority is still to win as many football games as we can," UW offensive line coach Mike Denbrock said this week.

On the other sideline, Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson has an additional personal goal, along with the obvious one to get his team's season back on track. At 2-6, the Sun Devils could still qualify for a bowl game by winning their last four.

The Everett native, who grew up attending UW games with his father, this week rattled off the names of some of the heroes of his youth: Hugh McElhenny, Rick Redman, Bob Schloredt.

But in an eight-year Pac-10 coaching career in which he has gone 31-28-1 in conference games, one place Erickson has never won is Husky Stadium. He's 0-3 here, having lost the 1987 Apple Cup while coach at Washington State, and in 2000 and 2002 with Oregon State; the 2000 loss was the only defeat in the Beavers' 11-1 season.

"I have a lot of great memories about Husky Stadium," said Erickson, also coach of the Seahawks from 1995 to 1998. "It would obviously be nice to win one there."

The oddsmakers think it will happen today, and have installed ASU as a 14 ½-point favorite.

Many have remarked about the oddity of a team having lost six in a row going on the road in a conference game as a two-touchdown favorite.

But the Huskies inspired that kind of pessimism with last week's 56-0 shutout loss at USC. That defeat gave every appearance of a team that had quit in the wake of news that coach Tyrone Willingham won't be back after this season.

The blowout also caused additional questions about the wisdom of letting Willingham finish the season.

And then this week, center Juan Garcia made some pointed comments to reporters questioning the commitment of some of his teammates: "Some guys, I look at them and just go, 'Man, I just feel like kicking them off the team.' "

Garcia went on to say that he feels it's mostly losing that is taking a toll on the team. Regardless, the national perception is of a program completely rudderless with an uncertain future and a miserable present.

Arizona State, at least, has one thing in its favor — a potentially explosive passing attack led by senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who is ninth all-time in Pac-10 passing yards. He needs 385 to pass UW's career leader, Cody Pickett, and move into eighth.

Carpenter has had a spotty season, but the blame for the team's struggles has fallen mostly on a shaky offensive line that has led to a subpar running game. Erickson, however, has continued to experiment, and the offensive line will have another new look this week. Also, junior Shaun DeWitty is likely to get his second start at tailback after a 110-yard outing at Oregon State last week. Arizona State stayed with the Beavers all game before losing 27-25 when a last-minute two-point conversion was unsuccessful.

Given the fragile mental state of each team, the opening minutes could prove critical. Washington has been outscored 100-17 in the first quarter this season, ASU 44-19.

Erickson could have been speaking for both teams when he answered a question this week: "You've just got to find a way to get a win. It doesn't make any difference [how]. You've just got to find a way to win."

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