Huskies battle Trojan hangover

A year ago, the situation was the same: The Huskies were 4-4 overall after eight games.

But in 2003, the Huskies get two of their fiercest rivals at home. Instead of traveling to hostile crowds, Washington looks forward to having an encouraging one behind it.

With Oregon this Saturday and Washington State Nov. 22, the Huskies not only need this win over the Ducks to get back over .500, but also to be in good shape for road visits to Cal and Arizona.

Oregon's win last weekend over Stanford snapped a three-game skid, but the Huskies know how badly the Ducks have to get dumped on again to secure bowl-game hopes.

"This game is huge. Firsts things first, we have to take it step by step," said cornerback Derrick Johnson. "We have to take each week like it's our last week -- go out there and leave it all on the field."

One of Johnson's tests against the Ducks will be to defend receiver Samie Parker from making big plays; Parker averages 84.6 yards per game receiving. With Oregon touting a two-quarterback system of Jason Fife and Kellen Clemens, expect the defense to pressure it.

The passing game is how Oregon amassed a 14-0 lead last year in Eugene before the Huskies scored 42 unanswered points to squash the Ducks. Pressure made perfect that day.

"We need to get a pass rush going and put pressure on the quarterback," explained Johnson. "They threw a lot of trick plays at us early -- that's how they got up on us early. It comes down to settling down and making some plays."

On offense, Kenny James filled in fairly well for Rich Alexis in the USC loss. Coach Keith Gilbertson said Alexis will be ready for Oregon after being sidelined with an injury caused by the unfriendly Reser Stadium turf in the OSU win Oct. 18.

"If Oregon State is listening, or reading, please get rid of that turf," said Alexis.

The hopeful return couldn't get any better for Alexis; he has beefs with the green-and-yellow fellows.

"I'm not going to lie: I don't like Oregon and they don't like us," Alexis said. "With me, it started with how we got treated out there; it's a lot of things, but I don't want to start naming stuff.

"It's going to be a tough football game. Hopefully we can get us a win."

Reggie Williams had one of his best games of his career when beating the Ducks last fall with 14 catches for 198 yards and three touchdowns. In his third year as a Husky, he also has some knowledge about the Northwest rivalry.

"We know it's crunch time and we got to win these next four, or it will be a real bad year," said Williams. "We have to take advantage of our opportunities; we need to score in the red zone and capitalize after a turnover."