Howell interception caps Husky win

[img1]One week ago, while the Washington football team was pulling off its second win of the season against Fresno State, football was the last thing on the mind of linebacker Dan Howell. The UW junior was in Newhall, Calif. to attend the funeral of his father, Keith, who had died a week earlier.

However, last Saturday against UCLA (2-1 overall, 0-1 Pac-10), Howell was back, and in a big way. After quarterback Isaiah Stanback connected with Johnie Kirton to give Washington (3-1 overall, 1-0 Pac-10) its first lead, Howell picked off a Ben Olson pass with 6:02 remaining and returned it 33 yards for the touchdown, cementing the Husky win over the Bruins, 29-19.

"I almost couldn't breathe," Howell said. "It was unbelievable. I just wanted to come out this week and have a great performance for my dad. I knew he was watching me and all I could do was come out and play my hardest. God put me in the right place at the right time."

It was also a special moment for coach Tyrone Willingham who acknowledged that "there are certain things that, at least I think, we have no humanly control over, and I am hoping that [Howell's interception] was one of those things."

This win was also monumental for the rest of the Husky squad, especially the seniors, who have never beaten the Bruins during their time in the purple and gold.

"It feels good to finally get a win on them," said senior guard Stanley Daniels.

The win was not easy for the UW as it took a comeback effort topped only six times in Washington history to come through. After falling behind 16-0 and struggling offensively for roughly the opening 25 minutes of the first half, the Huskies went on a 29-3 run the rest of the way, marking the seventh biggest comeback in team history.

After a terribly slow start which included negative 4 yards of offense in the first quarter, Washington showed a spark when on 3 and 11 with 2:56 remaining in the half, Stanback hooked up with wideout Quintin Daniels for 17 yards and the second Husky first down of the day.

On the next play, Stanback connected with Sonny Shackelford for a 35-yard pass. Five plays later, Stanback once again found his senior wide receiver in the end zone on a 23-yard touchdown heave.

Stanback finished the day passing 18-for-29 with 200 yards and a career-high three touchdowns against the Bruins.

"We didn't want to be out there 16-0 at the half," said Shackelford. "That's not how we're supposed to play. So we came out, put our foot down came out with a 92-yard drive and that got our confidence up, and we finished the game strong."

Shackelford would add another touchdown reception on Washington?s first drive of the second half, when after receiving a pass from Stanback he broke two tackles and outran the last UCLA defender to reach the end zone.

The two drives represented a big swing in the way the game was going, and brought the Huskies to within 2 on the Bruins.

The Huskies not only caught fire offensively, but also muscled up on defense. After surrendering a touchdown and three field goals in the first quarter, the UW defense played much stronger in the red zone. The Bruins first drive in the second half quickly found them inside the 20 yard line, but was stopped abruptly by a Mesphin Forrester interception.

Following a 79-yard punt return by Terrence Austin, UCLA had the ball inside the 10-yard line, but once again failed to reach the end zone, settling for a field goal.

"When we get into the red zone we have to be able to convert for a score," said UCLA running back Chris Markey, "For whatever reason, we are not executing."

Some of the Bruins" woes may have been the result of a Husky defense that, after surrendering 146 yards in the first quarter, went on lockdown in the second half. The Huskies gave up only 83 yards and forced two turnovers. The effort also included shutting down Markey, who had 102 yards in the first half but managed only 31 in the second.

"We did a better job of tackling this week and that helped us out," said Washington linebacker Tahj Bomar, "Playing for the University of Washington, you play against good backs all across the nation so you just have to step up to the challenge."

After winning their first game against UCLA since the 2000 season and improving to 3-1, senior Scott White was quick to refocus the team's attention to its next task.

"We have to be hungrier; we can't be satisfied at 3-1. We can go out and beat any team in this league we feel like," he said.

Reporter Justin Chartrey: justinchartrey@thedaily.washington.edu.