UDUBNation.com - Resolve will be tested

September 10, 2012

Justin Rowland
UDUBNation.com Publisher

Not too many people outside the Huskies' locker room could probably say they were shocked by the outcome of the game inside Tiger Stadium on Saturday night.

Impressed? You bet. But surprised?

This was the LSU team that was widely regarded as the national favorite for much of last year, and the Tigers have looked totally capable of challenging for their third BCS title in the last decade yet again.

So while Steve Sarkisian, his staff, Keith Price and the rest of the players fully expected to make it more of a game, most of the country probably wasn't floored by the 41-3 drubbing.

No doubt, the program still has a long way to go to build the kind of foundation necessary to compete in a game like that. But this team has goals, among them finishing near the top of the Pac-12 and securing another solid bowl bid. That's how programs are build.

The Dawgs' resolve will be tested. Washington may well have the toughest first half of the season out of any school in the country, and we knew that resolve and their character would be tested at some point.

But it was the way in which Washington was beat that is sure to prompt some soul searching. It wasn't just a beat down. It was ugly. Sure, the Dawgs went into the game less than full strength. They came out even more banged up.

And perhaps the most frustrating thing about the game on Saturday night? Nothing worked.

The line was beat. The receivers couldn't get open. LSU's offense moved the ball. And there weren't even late scores the players could hang their hats on or take some momentum from.

The good news is that Washington won't face a defense like that for the rest of the year. Certainly not Oregon, who has been giving up plenty of points. And not Southern Cal, either. Those teams will present their own set of challenges. But they won't be the same kind of three-hour physical, suffocating test the Bayou Bengals presented over the weekend.

Fortunately, Washington can bounce back against Portland State. Then they've got some extra time to heal before Stanford. In that sense the schedule which appears so unforgiving does the Huskies a big favor.

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