The 2008 Washington Huskies football team represented the University of Washington in the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by fourth-year head coach Tyrone Willingham, the team played its home games at Husky Stadium in Seattle. The Huskies were winless at 0–12, the worst record in the program's history.
On October 27, the Monday after a 33–7 home loss to Notre Dame, it was announced that Willingham would step down as head coach at the end of the season. UW president Mark Emmert indicated the decision to fire Willingham had been made shortly after the prior week's game against Oregon State. Athletic director Scott Woodward said the announcement ended speculation of what was going to happen with Willingham, who had a year remaining on his contract.
"It became quite obvious that the performance on the football field wasn't up to what we talked about at the beginning of the season and previous to the season and it became more obvious as time went on," Woodward said in explaining his decision to make the move.
Schedule
Roster
Game summaries
At No. 21 Oregon
Statistics WASHORE First downs 18 23 Total yards 242 496 Rushing yards 95 256 Passing yards 147 240 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 35:43 24:17 Team Category Player StatisticsWashington Passing Jake Locker 12/28, 103 yards Rushing Jake Locker 16 rushes, 57 yards Receiving D'Andre Goodwin 10 receptions, 71 yardsOregon Passing Jeremiah Masoli 9/17, 126 yards, 2 TD Rushing Jeremiah Johnson 15 rushes, 124 yards, 2 TD Receiving Jeremiah Johnson 16 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD
Washington opened the season with a game versus the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. It was the first time Washington opened the season with a conference opponent since 1998, when they defeated Arizona State, 42–38 in Tempe, Arizona.
Oregon crushed the Huskies, 44–10. Washington averaged a mere 2.2 rushing yards per carry, and was held scoreless in the second half.
"We just couldn't run the ball", coach Tyrone Willingham said.
The win was the 5th straight for the Ducks against the Huskies, which marks the first time Oregon has accomplished that feat since the series began in 1900.
No. 15 BYU
Statistics BYUWASH First downs 25 22 Total yards 475 337 Rushing yards 137 133 Passing yards 338 204 Turnovers 2 0 Time of possession 31:04 28:56 Team Category Player StatisticsBYU Passing Max Hall 30/41, 338 yards, 3 TD, INT Rushing Harvey Unga 23 rushes, 136 yards Receiving Dennis Pitta 10 receptions, 148 yards, TDWashington Passing Jake Locker 17/32, 204 yards, TD Rushing Jake Locker 18 rushes, 62 yards, 2 TD Receiving D'Andre Goodwin 5 receptions, 83 yards
The Huskies and Cougars met for the seventh time, with #15 BYU avoiding the upset in front of 64,611 fans at Husky Stadium.
A late Washington rally fell short and the game ended in controversy. Quarterback Jake Locker scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 2 seconds remaining in the game, cutting BYU's lead to 28–27. But Locker was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, and the extra point attempt was moved back 15 yards. The ensuing PAT try was blocked, BYU players rushed the field, and a chorus of boos rained down from the Husky faithful.
"After scoring the touchdown, the player threw the ball into the air and we are required, by rule, to assess a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty", Referee Larry Farina said in a statement given to Washington officials. "It is a celebration rule that we are required to call. It was not a judgment call."
Cougar quarterback Max Hall had 339 yards passing and three touchdowns, including a 15-yarder to tight end Dennis Pitta with 3:31 left in the game.
Locker finished 17-for-32 passing for 204 yards and added 62 yards rushing on 18 carries.
Washington safety Nate Williams had a game high 13 tackles. He also put the hit on BYU tailback Harvey Unga that forced a touchdown saving fumble that UW's Tripper Johnson recovered in the end zone in the 4th quarter.
No. 3 Oklahoma
Statistics OKLAWASH First downs 28 23 Total yards 591 336 Rushing yards 274 87 Passing yards 317 249 Turnovers 0 3 Time of possession 27:56 32:04 Team Category Player StatisticsOklahoma Passing Sam Bradford 18/21, 304 yards, 5 TD Rushing Chris Brown 13 rushes, 107 yards Receiving Jermaine Gresham 3 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TDWashington Passing Jake Locker 16/24, 154 yards Rushing Jake Locker 12 rushes, 44 yards, TD Receiving D'Andre Goodwin 9 receptions, 82 yards
Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford completed 18 of 21 passes for 304 yards, matched his career high with five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth score to lead the Sooners in a rout against the overmatched Huskies, 55–14.
The Sooners scored their most points on the road against a school from a BCS conference since a 56–25 win at Texas Tech on November 22, 2003. They also handed Washington its largest margin of defeat at home since October 12, 1929, when it lost 48–0 to Southern California, a scant two weeks before the Wall Street Crash of 1929.
Washington lost three fumbles, missed two field goals and punted three times in the first half. The Huskies went into the locker room down 34–0 and didn't get on the board until Jake Locker scored on a 15-yard touchdown run with 5:37 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Oklahoma, the highest-ranked nonconference team to visit Husky Stadium since 1969, gained 591 yards of total offense on the day.
Stanford
Statistics STANWASH First downs 21 27 Total yards 466 377 Rushing yards 244 140 Passing yards 222 237 Turnovers 1 1 Time of possession 28:50 31:10 Team Category Player StatisticsStanford Passing Tavita Pritchard 16/24, 222 yards, 3 TD Rushing Anthony Kimble 15 rushes, 157 yards, 2 TD Receiving Ryan Whalen 7 receptions, 76 yards, TDWashington Passing Ronnie Fouch 13/27, 186 yards, TD Rushing Jordan Polk 2 rushes, 30 yards Receiving D'Andre Goodwin 5 receptions, 83 yards
The Huskies fell to 0–4 (0–2 in the Pac-10) with a 35–28 loss to Stanford, and also lost quarterback Jake Locker for the rest of the season when he broke his right thumb in the second quarter while blocking downfield.
Stanford quarterback Tavita Pritchard, formerly of Clover Park High School, completed 16 of 24 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.
The Huskies' defense gave up 466 yards – and 244 of those came on the ground, despite Washington's agreement all week that its top defensive priority was stopping the run.
The Huskies were trailing 14–7 when Locker was hurt, and while replacement Ronnie Fouch injected some enthusiasm with some accurate passing, the Dawgs ultimately couldn't overcome another porous performance from its defense.
Just about the time Locker emerged from the locker room in the third quarter, Stanford's Anthony Kimble ran 83 yards for a touchdown with 9:35 left in the third quarter to put Stanford ahead 28–14, and all hope seemed to be gone.
Willingham opened his postgame news conference by saying it was "very difficult for me to stand before you...I felt like we could win the football game."
At Arizona
Statistics WASHARIZ First downs 12 28 Total yards 244 449 Rushing yards 63 256 Passing yards 181 193 Turnovers 2 0 Time of possession 23:48 36:07 Team Category Player StatisticsWashington Passing Ronnie Fouch 12/28, 181 yards, TD, INT Rushing Brandon Johnson 13 rushes, 35 yards Receiving Jermaine Kearse 1 reception, 62 yardsArizona Passing Willie Tuitama 17/21, 193 yards, 3 TD Rushing Nic Grigsby 14 rushes, 113 yards, TD Receiving Rob Gronkowski 5 receptions, 109 yards, 3 TD
On a breezy night in the Tucson desert, Arizona wasted little time putting away the Huskies. Arizona took a 17–0 lead after the first quarter and never looked back.
Facing the nation's second-ranked defense, Washington struggled behind quarterback Ronnie Fouch, a redshirt freshman making his first college start. Fouch completed 12 of 28 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown, a 20-yarder to Michael Gottlieb midway through the fourth quarter. Fouch also threw an interception.
"We played a complete game on offense, defense and special teams", Arizona coach Mike Stoops said. "We were very efficient and balanced. Our running backs were strong. (quarterback) Willie Tuitama was excellent."
It was the Huskies' fifth loss of the season and seventh straight dating back to last season, giving the Dawgs the dubious distinction of having the longest losing streak in major college football.
Washington athletic director Scott Woodward met with reporters after the game to say that he stands by the position he has held all along – he does not intend to fire head coach Tyrone Willingham midseason.
"I stick with what I said last week", he said. "I told you last week that I was less happy than I was the week before. Well, I'm even less happy than I was. But we have seven games, and we are going to play those seven games and no, there is not going to be a change this week. We will look at the whole body of work of the season and assess it at the end of the season."
Oregon State
Statistics ORSTWASH First downs 19 16 Total yards 421 377 Rushing yards 230 101 Passing yards 191 276 Turnovers 0 4 Time of possession 31:11 28:49 Team Category Player StatisticsOregon State Passing Lyle Moevao 18/22, 191 yards, TD Rushing James Rodgers 3 rushes, 110 yards, 2 TD Receiving Shane Morales 4 receptions, 61 yardsWashington Passing Ronnie Fouch 17/32, 276 yards, 3 INT Rushing Terrance Dailey 16 rushes, 102 yards, TD Receiving D'Andre Goodwin 5 receptions, 136 yards
Oregon State's James Rodgers zipped through Washington's defense for 216 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns as the Beavers won their fifth straight over Washington for the first time in the series' history.
James' brother, Jacquizz Rodgers, did his part too: 94 yards rushing on 20 carries and a touchdown.
The Beavers ran for 230 yards and the Huskies turned the ball over four times in front of a disappointed homecoming crowd at Husky Stadium. The biggest cheers of the night were for former Husky head coach Don James and the 1977 Washington team that won the Rose Bowl when they were honored on the field after the third quarter.
The Huskies dropped their eighth straight dating back to last season, tied with North Texas for the longest losing streak in the country.
Washington took a rare lead on Jared Ballman's 45-yard field goal early in the first quarter. The Huskies had not led since the third quarter against BYU on September 6, and it was only their second lead of the entire season.
With under 3 minutes to go in the first quarter, Oregon State coach Mike Riley took a chance by going for it on fourth-and-1 at his own 43, and converted with Jacquizz Rodgers going for five yards. On the next play, the Beavers faked a dive to Jacquizz and handed instead to James Rodgers on a reverse, then watched him dash in front of the Beavers' bench for a 52-yard touchdown.
Later in the half, after Fouch was sacked and fumbled near midfield, James Rodgers struck again. Rodgers found space in the middle of Washington interior on a middle screen, then sprinted away from three Huskies for a 33-yard scoring pass to make it 17–3.
The Huskies were 3 of 12 on 3rd down conversions.
Notre Dame
Statistics NDWASH First downs 25 9 Total yards 459 124 Rushing yards 252 26 Passing yards 207 98 Turnovers 1 0 Time of possession 37:28 22:32 Team Category Player StatisticsNotre Dame Passing Jimmy Clausen 14/26, 201 yards, TD, INT Rushing James Aldridge 13 rushes, 84 yards, 2 TD Receiving Michael Floyd 4 receptions, 107 yards, TDWashington Passing Ronnie Fouch 11/25, 98 yards, TD Rushing Terrance Dailey 8 rushes, 24 yards Receiving D'Andre Goodwin 7 receptions, 47 yards, TD