The Biddle engine that could

It's 2:45 a.m. and Owen Biddle is slouched down on the couch, eyes glued to the TV, refusing to leave. He endures the long commercial breaks and ignores the urge to channel flip. He stays up despite a full day of football practice the following day. Owen, for Don James' sake, go to bed. "No," he says, "I have to watch this."

It's a late-night showing of Rudy, a heartening tale of a 5-foot-nothing's love of football. Rudy walks on to the fabled -- yes, it was good once -- Notre Dame football team. Rudy Ruettiger suffers all the physical and mental anguish for the right to be called a Notre Dame football player.

"That's me, man," says Biddle, a junior. "That's me. I've had to work for everything."

Out of Bellevue High School, Biddle was one of the top running backs in the state. He set a conference record with 1,576 rushing yards, and the Associated Press picked him to its all-state team. However, no Pac-10 school recruited him -- no one wanted a 5-foot nothing. Officially in the media guide, he's listed at 5-foot-10 -- he's more like 5-foot-9.

Biddle was determined to prove wrong those who thought he was too short and too slow he could play college ball. He sent tapes of himself to all the Pac-10 schools. He sent eight to the UW because of the coaching change in 1999. The responses were a reality check.

"They saw the tapes," Biddle said, "and they said, 'Thanks, but this isn't going to work out.'"

Biddle was angry and frustrated during his senior year in high school. In his eyes, he was good enough to earn a scholarship from a Division I school. After the season, he decided to accept the UW's offer to walk on as a safety.

"I didn't want to go to a small school," Biddle said. "I wanted the big time."

And the big-time is what he got. He finally donned the uniform and the helmet he admired as a child. Maybe, just maybe, he might play special teams down the road. And maybe he could play a few downs his senior year.

Well, he has defied all expectations, including his own. Biddle, in his sophomore year, played in nine of the Huskies' 11 games, a regular on the kickoff and punt teams. And before the season, Husky coach Rick Neuheisel awarded Biddle a scholarship. Two weeks ago, he finally started his first game against UCLA. The coaching staff has said he may start tomorrow against Arizona State.

It's obvious Biddle isn't the fastest player or the most athletic, but he has a knack for the ball and is one of the best open-field tacklers on the team. Through six games he has 13 tackles, 10 of those unassisted.

"Owen Biddle has great tenacity and great confidence. And when you have both of those you're able to perform," Neuheisel said. "He's also got a lot of talent. It isn't as though it's the Little Engine That Could. This is a guy who can play. He just doesn't come in a package that immediately catches your eye."

Every football player relies on his emotions -- good or bad -- to prepare himself for 60 minutes of controlled violence. Biddle finds his source from the past, a time when people expected to watch him play at Central or Eastern Washington.

"Everyone thought I was just small and white and not the type," he said. "Some of that motivates me to play hard."

Biddle's career is far from over. The Huskies have five more games, and each game he plays in is a testament to his dedication, resiliency and will to succeed.

"I came in here as a walk-on," Biddle said, "and I was able to move up. I've played a lot this year and next year, hopefully, I'll be the top safety as a starter.

"That's a pretty good career, don't you think?"

Indeed.