Apple Cup Notebook | UW's senior status still draws protests

Chris Hemphill showed up to Washington's practice Tuesday wearing No. 58, the jersey of teammate Juan Garcia.

It's part of a tradition where seniors are allowed to wear the uniform of another player for their final week of practice.

It was yet another symbol of the move that is threatening to overshadow the end to Washington's season — the decision last week by coach Tyrone Willingham to have four players who had been listed as juniors suddenly designated seniors, meaning they likely won't be asked back next season.

Among the four are Hemphill, who has started the past two games at free safety, making 24 tackles, and kicker Michael Braunstein.

Hemphill and Braunstein have made it clear they would like to return. Tuesday, on Facebook.com, a Web site popular among college students, Hemphill and Braunstein stated their case on a web page they helped organize.

The page carried the title "I support Braunstein and Hemphill."

On the page, which lists each of the two players as an administrator, the move by Willingham is called "absolutely ridiculous" and says "two players who are doing their jobs on the field should never be removed from a team. This not only disrupts team chemistry, but also creates a precedent that no recruit's future at Washington is certain. After that loss to Stanford on Nov. 11, 2006, the coaching staff might want to think about cutting themselves."

As of Tuesday afternoon, nine current players were listed as members of the group, apparently acknowledging their support of the page's sentiments. Most current players have said that Willingham's move with Braunstein and Hemphill did not impact their play in a 20-3 loss to Stanford on Saturday.

But one, senior guard Stanley Daniels, said Tuesday he thinks it probably did.

"Of course it had some effect on the team because these are guys on our team that we live with every day and work with and sweat and bleed with, and when you hear something like that it kind of discourages you a little bit," Daniels said.

Asked about the policy, Daniels said it was a change from what the players who were brought in before Willingham had come to expect. Daniels was recruited to UW by Rick Neuheisel.

"It was a new thing for us when coach Willingham [said] he was handling our fifth year like that," he said. "We came in with guaranteed five years. You come to UW, you get five years guaranteed, you get your degree and play some great football — that's what was told to me when I was a young high-school kid. So when coach Willingham came he had different policies. But we respect that. It's his team, his players. It's unfortunate he chose some of the guys he chose to enforce that policy on."

Sweetman backing up

Johnny DuRocher was not able to return to practice Tuesday while still suffering the effects of a concussion incurred against Stanford.

So that made fifth-year walk-on senior Felix Sweetman the backup quarterback to Carl Bonnell, a status he could keep if DuRocher is unable to return by Saturday.

For Sweetman, who attended Lakes High School, the possibility of taking meaningful snaps against the Cougars "would be a dream," he said Tuesday.

Sweetman has taken only three snaps as a quarterback for the Huskies, all the final play of a game, including Saturday. He has also been the up back on the punt team in recent weeks and suffered a shoulder stinger Saturday. But he said he's recovered now. He showed up Monday morning in the office of offensive coordinator Tim Lappano and spent several hours watching film.

"They told me to prepare like I'm going to play," said Sweetman. "When I think about [playing] I lose sleep. I can't eat. It would be an amazing feeling."

Cougars take break

For the first time this season, the Cougars practiced without pads on a Tuesday.

"Right now, I can tell you in all honesty, with 12 straight games without a bye, our kids are tired and beat up," said coach Bill Doba. "I'm sure the Huskies are the same way. So, we're going to take the pads off and try to get healthy and be fresh."

NOTES

• Starting WSU senior linebacker Scott Davis (fractured wrist) will play with a cast. "You'd have to tear his heart out not to have him play in this one," Doba said.

• The annual Kappa Sigma fraternity run across the state with a football for the Apple Cup begins today at the UW chapter house. The UW Kappa Sigs will hand the ball over to WSU Kappa Sigs at Wenatchee on Thursday at noon where a fund-raising event is set. The ball is due to arrive Friday in Pullman.