With '91 National Champs Watching, UW Takes Down Stanford
September 30, 2016 | Football, General
Mason Kelley
GoHuskies.com
As Carol James was wrapped in a hug she pointed toward the night sky.
Surrounded by members of the Washington's 1991 national championship team and standing in front of the trophy, James, the wife of legendary Husky coach Don James, said, "He's watching."
On a night when the No. 7 Huskies honored past glory, the current group of Washington players competed in a way that would make coach James proud. During a 44-6 win over No. 7 Stanford, the program provided a tribute every bit as meaningful as the halftime ceremony.
"When we go out there on that field, we're not just playing for us," linebacker Keishawn Bierria said. "We're playing for Husky Nation, everybody who came before us. It runs deep. It's emotional for us. We take pride in this."
For Washington, the win provided the program's largest margin of victory over a top-10 team. And the Huskies' eight sacks were the most since coach Chris Petersen took over the program. Not to mention the defense held Heisman hopeful Christian McCaffery to 49 rushing yards, while the offense piled up 214 yards on the ground β Myles Gaskin finished with 100 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.
And when it was over, the Huskies celebrated as a team with 72,000 of their closest friends, you know the fans who stormed the field.
"It felt like winning a million dollars," said senior Joe Mathis, who finished with a pair of sacks. "I'm speechless. I'm just so happy. I just want to be around my teammates. I love them so much. We worked so hard for this, for this moment, and we made it happen. We saw an opportunity and we didn't stop, we just kept going."
For the Huskies, this wasn't an opportunity to prove something to themselves β they already believed, carrying an understated confidence throughout their preparations during a short week.
"We know who we are," said Bierria, who finished with eight tackles. "Today was about showing who we are to the world. That was definitely a glimpse right there on that field."
That glimpse included quarterback Jake Browning throwing for 210 yards and three touchdowns. That glimpse included Psalm Wooching piling up three sacks. It included John Ross and Dante Pettis hauling in touchdown passes.
And it included a group of teammates that celebrated each of their successes together.
"These kids care about each other," Petersen said. "They're really excited when other guys make plays, even at their position if they're behind a guy or in front of a guy and we're always working on that. I don't think you've ever arrived there. The close a team comes, the better the team becomes."
And, as far as Washington's coach is concerned the mentality of this group is simply the reason people choose to play a team game.
"If you're not about the guy next to you, go do an individual sport," he said. "It's just weird, because you've got to grind through so many hard things to get to a point where you get a really cool win and it's better than winning something by yourself. That's the beauty of team sports."
And, when a team comes together like that well, well, big wins on national television become the byproduct. Β
"That's how we play," Wooching said. "That's us. If we keep executing, practicing like we did this week, that's Death Row. That's our offense. That's who we are."
It was a night meant to celebrate the past, while the present provided a signature moment. It was a game coach James would have enjoyed. Β
"It was amazing to have those guys there (the 1991 team)," Wooching said. "A few of them came up to me and said, 'That's how you play. That reminded us of us.' That's an honor. The 1991 national champs, that's awesome."
