Hawaii 35, Washington 28
We haven't read a ton of military history, but we've read enough to know that the most grievous mistakes by battle commanders aren't those that lead to defeat, but those that are made in the wake of victory.
The biggest mistakes are by commanders who, having driven their opposition into full retreat, fail to press the advantage, chase the retreaters down, and destroy them.
To cite just one example, had Confederate General P.G.T Beauregard ordered his troops to chase panicked Union forces back to Washington after the Battle of Bull Run , we might all be tawkin' lahk thee-is.
Here's the part where we reluctantly but inevitably make a parallel between military history and football.
The Husky defense did exactly what we'd hoped they'd do, in the first quarter of their 35-28 loss to Hawaii. They blitzed, they disguised coverages, they played aggressive.
This led to three Hawaii turnovers and a 21-0 Washington lead. Hawaii fans were booing their undefeated team. The Warriors' body language was that of a defeated team.
Had the Huskies (led by defensive coordinator Kent Baer) pressed their advantage, continued to blitz, continued to play aggressive, they might have broken the game open.
Instead, they went conservative. They played conventional. And Hawaii QB Colt Brennan was able to finish the half with 12 straight completions and three touchdowns, bringing confidence and momentum back to the Hawaii sideline.
Sure, the Husky offense went scoreless in the second half, and surely the enduring image of this game will be Marcel Reece letting the tying touchdown pass bounce off his pads and into the arms of a Hawaii DB.
Sure, the Husky defense allowed only 14 points in the second half, after they went back to blitzing and disguising coverages.
But had Kent Baer pressed the advantage when he had it, the game could have turned into a rout.
In the grand scheme of things, the Dawgs went toe-to-toe with the #12 team in the country, at their place. A good sign. The Huskies' next game is September 6th, 2008, at Husky Stadium, vs. BYU.
