Stanback key to Husky season

Before the season started all of the talk surrounding this Husky football team centered on one man. As a senior quarterback, Isaiah Stanback was supposed to be the shoulders on which the immediate fate of the Washington program would rest.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

If he arose to the challenge, the Huskies might find themselves in a bowl game, and if he fell on his face, they would find themselves mired in yet another season of rainy days and miserable football.[HTML_REMOVED]

It was an either/or proposition. He was going to be a savior or a pariah, and most people figured he would fall into the latter category.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

During his time as the signal caller on Montlake, he hasn't exactly given the fans and media reason for optimism about his future as a quarterback. Whether it was his mental gaffes, costly mistakes or indecision, Stanback was a thorn in the side for those who call the Huskies their team.[HTML_REMOVED]

Sure, he has the athleticism -- notice his wide receiver speed-- and the arm, as Arizona can attest, but he never put it all together, until now.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

We are four weeks into the season at this point, and the one thing we know for sure is this: the importance of Stanback was anything but underestimated. He has been the most crucial clog in a Husky team that not only looks improved over the past two seasons but may actually be competitive in the middle of the Pac-10 conference this year.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

Witness how the UW offense struggled last Saturday against UCLA when Stanback's passes were hitting the turf, and how it magically looked unstoppable when he was finding his receivers and taking the running lanes the Bruins gave him.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

He is the key to Husky success unlike any quarterback since Marques Tuiasosopo led the 2000 squad to a Rose Bowl berth, and if Stanback performs well, the sky is almost the limit for this group.[HTML_REMOVED]

But if Stanback is going to do his best Tuiasosopo impression, it will be because of a defense that has gotten increasingly better this season. They've evolved from a group that couldn't stop San Jose State's backup quarterback in the second half during the season opener to a bunch who put up an inspired effort to keep the Huskies in the game last Saturday.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

If the defense can keep improving and show that the past two weeks have not been a fluke, Washington is going to be a tough out, for everyone. Holding the game close enough for Stanback to work his magic will be the key to the rest of the season.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

Tyrone Willingham has said he believes this is not only a bowl team but also a squad with a shot at winning the Pac-10 title. [HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

I'm not sure I'd go that far, but we will know whether his words were just an overly-positive coach speaking or realistic expectations in two weeks.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

When Washington returns from USC a week from this Sunday, we will have a better idea of what to expect the rest of the way. If the Huskies can defeat Arizona next weekend on the road and stay competitive with a Trojan team that doesn't appear to have missed a beat since last year, we could be talking about a very good Husky team.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

And if that's going to happen, it will be because Stanback has continued playing at a level that very few thought he could reach.[HTML_REMOVED][HTML_REMOVED]

Columnist Ben Miller: benmiller@thedaily.washington.edu.