OFFICIAL Washington vs Stanford Game Thread

WALSH HAS HUSKIES READY FOR STANFORD
By Ken DenlingerSeptember 4, 1993

SEATTLE, SEPT. 3 -- On this sideline for the featured game of college football's first big weekend, wearing red and white and a smug look of purity, the Stanford Cardinal.

On the opposite sideline for the 3:30 p.m. (EDT) kickoff at Husky Stadium, wearing purple and gold and expressions of contempt for remarks Stanford Coach Bill Walsh directed at them, the Washington Huskies.

Even under normal circumstances, Washington vs. Stanford would have been an attractive matchup of top-15 teams trying to get a leg up in the Pacific-10 Conference. The last two weeks, however, have been anything but normal for Washington and Stanford's Walsh.

Washington still has not fully grasped Pac-10-imposed sanctions. The league found the team guilty of 15 violations, among them improper loans to athletes, sloppy handling of visits by recruits and athletes being paid more than the going rate for summer jobs by boosters.

#NEVERFORGET

So, you think it's easy being a genius in the 90's? On his long-awaited return to Husky Stadium, where Bill Walsh's views on the University of Washington's troubled football program had made him public enemy No. 1, the coach of the Stanford Cardinal found that he had more serious problems today than his local popularity ratings.

Problems like an inexperienced defensive secondary and an inability to establish a rushing game, two of the factors that helped the Huskies construct an impressive and emotional 31-14 victory in their first game under their new coach, Jim Lambright.

The Huskies gained 500 yards, including 195 by tailback Napoleon Kaufman on 24 carries. Washington sophomore Damon Huard, in the first start of his career, threw for 174 yards and three touchdowns, including two to tight end Mark Bruener. Meanwhile, Stanford rushed for only 35 yards and endured seven sacks by the Huskies' defense. Stanford Overwhelmed

"They overwhelmed us," Walsh said. "They were just stronger and quicker than we were. It was that simple. We finessed it a little at the start. This is not a team you get to finesse. This is not a team you're going to outsmart."

But Walsh was not alone. Leaflets and banners outside the stadium called for the departure of the Washington president, William P. Gerberding. A fast-selling T-shirt introduced a new purple-and-gold logo -- Pac-9 -- and proclaimed "Roses? . . . We Don't Need No Stinkin' Roses."