Donald Butler News

During his first season as football coach at the University of Washington, Steve Sarkisian has shown the Huskies how to snap plenty of streaks of futility.

It's not often that a 3-6 team can feel proud of its accomplishments. After all, losing two-thirds of your games can make any player or coach feel a sense of embarrassment.

Nick Holt was hired amid much fanfare last January, the highest-paid assistant football coach in University of Washington history, lured from USC with a contract that could pay him $2.1 million over three years.

Chris Polk has 100 yards on just seven carries and the Washington Huskies lead UCLA 16-14 at halftime at the Rose Bowl.

With rapidly changing rosters, lengthy losing streaks in college football tend to resonate more with fans and coaches than players.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince has left the Bruins' game against Washington after receiving a helmet-to-helmet hit from linebacker Donald Butler.

From game to game in this 2009 season, there have not been many constants for the Washington Huskies football team.

Cruel as it may sound, when Nick Holt took over as defensive coordinator of the University of Washington football team nine months ago, he essentially was being asked to make a Mercedes Benz out of spare parts found in a junkyard.

On a day when very little went right for the University of Washington football team, little went more wrong than the UW's special teams.

Donald Butler has been around long enough to appreciate how much the Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks hate each other.

Fifteen years ago this week Oregon's Kenny Wheaton intercepted Washington's Damon Huard and sprinted 97 yards for a clinching touchdown, a moment that is still revered by all Ducks and rekindled a rivalry that was a purple-and-gold pounding for decades.

We'll start the links with one UW fans will like --- Phil Steele picking the Huskies to beat Oregon Saturday 26-23. You can obviously read it for yourself, but in essence Steele says the uncertainty over Oregon's QB situation and Washington's home field advantage have him siding with the Huskies.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller The joke entering the season was Washington couldn't get any worse.

I have arrived home safely from the desert, a little sleep-deprived but otherwise none the worse for the wear.

Washington quarterback Jake Locker and the Huskies face the nation's No. 3-ranked defense today in Arizona State.

Mason Foster was late getting where he needed to be a step behind on a pass play like he and most of his teammates had been all game.

Arizona's Greg Nwoko carries the ball for a touchdown after taking a handoff from Nick Foles, back right, as Washington's Donald Butler defends during the first quarter more... Arizona's Nick Foles is hit by Washington's Daniel Te'o-Nesheim as he makes a pass during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game in Seattle, Saturday, Oct.

The Washington Huskies scored 15 points in the last 3 minutesA of Saturday Night's game with the Arizona WildcatsA in which was a "Miracle by the Lake." The Huskies took the lead on Mason Foster's big interception which bounced off an Arizona player's foot and was returned it for a 37 yard touchdown with 2:37 remaining in the fourth quarter to lift ...

Throughout the second half, the Arizona Wildcats exploited the Huskies on the perimeter with bubble screen passes to both sides of the field.

Suffice to say, the Huskies are happy to be back. The road hasn't treated UW as well this year.