Huskies' win the start of something special

Let's start with the first reaction of Steve Sarkisian, the victorious young coach who bested his mentor, restored Husky pride and rattled the nation during one seismic, seminal, sensational afternoon.

"Wow," Sark said.

Remarkably, that little word managed to contain this enormous feat.

The University of Washington football team, which had lost 15 consecutive games just nine days ago, defeated No. 3 (like, in the whole country, dude) USC 16-13 at Husky Stadium on Saturday.

Wow.

The Huskies won with quarterback Jake Locker delivering the first game-winning fourth-quarter drive of his college career.

Wow.

In one game, they punctuated their rapid return to significance, altered conservative preseason predictions of four or five victories and, most likely, launched themselves into the Top 25 for the first time in six years. Oh, and they avenged a 56-love loss from last season.

Wow.

"It's a great moment," added the 35-year-old Sarkisian. "Hopefully, it sends a message of where we're headed and what we're trying to do."

The Huskies didn't just send a message. They stamped it on the foreheads of everyone who paid attention. They enabled their deprived, resilient fans to transform their years-long frustration into a wild celebration.

When the game ended, the crowd rushed onto the field, dancing, singing, hugging. Sarkisian couldn't reach USC coach Pete Carroll, his mentor, because of the merriment. He couldn't find his wife, either. After a few attempts, he gave up and joined the party.

"Those are things you dream about as a kid," Sarkisian said.

We can debate for hours whether this victory truly means the Huskies are back. We can talk about the team needing to prove its might again. We can talk about USC having to play without quarterback Matt Barkley and safety Taylor Mays and with limping running back Joe McKnight. But here's one undeniable truth that this win illuminates: Wherever you think the Huskies are, they're on an awe-inspiring ascent. And it doesn't feel like they'll stop rising for a while.

"Hands down, this is the greatest day I've ever experienced," said linebacker Donald Butler, who led a defense that forced three USC turnovers. "I'll be telling it to my children, to my grandchildren. I'll be talking about this day for a long time."

The day didn't start with this much hope. The Trojans built a 10-0 in the first 10 minutes. Their offensive line dominated the Huskies early, providing mammoth holes, making it easy for McKnight and his fellow running backs. After the first USC drive — a touchdown after six plays and 80 yards of leisure — Sarkisian thought to himself, "Uh oh." He'd seen this before. He'd coached on the other side, during times when the USC offense would get rolling and turn invincible. He wondered how the Huskies would respond.

After USC made a field goal on its second drive, the coach gathered his players and said, "Hey, it's 10-0. Big deal."

Well, it was a big deal, but fortunately, there were 50 minutes of game time left. He focused on those, and for the rest of the game, the Huskies played more aggressive, more poised, and watched the Trojans stumble and falter amid an uncharacteristic display of penalties, turnovers and bad quarterbacking.

In the end, the most impressive accomplishment was that the Huskies, considered a clone of USC because Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt coached there, beat the supposed better version straight up — no tricks, no individuals playing beyond their abilities, no bizarre plays that skewed the game.

Wow.

It means the Huskies are legitimately good. It means that Sarkisian's effusive promise to revive the program quickly is more than hype.

"I firmly believed that," Sarkisian said of his promise. "Some people in the world, maybe outside of our own little domain, thought that was just press conference-speak. But when you get around our kids, when you get around our coaches, I firmly believe that it's not going to take us very long."

And I firmly believe what he firmly believes. Sark is special. These players have shown tremendous fortitude in recovering so triumphantly from despair. Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009, will always be known as the day the Huskies became the Huskies again. The day impossible became possible again.

"I've never felt like this ever in my life," freshman cornerback Desmond Trufant said.

Get used to it, kid. This is merely the beginning. You're in for a lot of glory.

Jerry Brewer: 206-464-2277 or jbrewer@seattletimes.com, Twitter: @Jerry_Brewer