Flanked by his wife and three children, the Husky band and a robust turnout of fans desperate to find something to be excited about, Steve Sarkisian was introduced as the next head football coach of the University of Washington at the Don James Center in Husky Stadium Dec. 9.
But before he was able to dive full-fledged into his duties at Washington, Sarkisian had one last task to finish up at his old job — beating Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
Sarkisian, USC’s offensive coordinator, masterminded a game plan that drew national attention for its execution and inventiveness. The Trojans opened up the passing game and took advantage of Penn State’s overmatched secondary in the 38-24 trouncing that wasn’t really as close as the score indicates.
Statistical evidence of said game plan: USC quarterback Mark Sanchez threw for a career-high 413 yards on 28-of-35 passing, along with four touchdown passes and a rushing score. He also set a Rose Bowl record for completion percentage.
The Trojans piled up 474 yards of total offense — a total lowered by a significant loss on a botched punt snap — as TV broadcasters Brent Musburger and Kirk Herbstreit heaped praise on Sarkisian at every opportunity.
All that may bode well for the Huskies, especially on the recruiting front. Potential recruits watching the Rose Bowl and wondering what exactly the hype is about most likely got enough to satisfy their curiosity as to whether Sarkisian is capable of piecing together a successful game plan against a quality opponent.
At his introductory press conference last month, Sarkisian told those in attendance that Pasadena is where the Huskies need to be.
“It’s about time for us to get back to the Rose Bowl,”
Sarkisian said before a crowd of more than 100 fans and media. “It’s about time for us to get back to compete for conference championships. It’s about time for us to get back and compete for national championships, and that’s what our goal is.”
That task will prove as difficult as any the 34-year-old first-time head coach has faced in his career, as he is charged with resurrecting an 0-12 team that is riding a 14-game losing streak and has compiled an 11-37 record during the last four seasons.
Washington hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2002, its last winning season.
Sarkisian was an assistant at USC from 2001-2003 before taking the quarterbacks coach position with the Oakland Raiders in 2004. He returned to USC the next season, serving as assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach from 2005-2006 before being handed the team’s play-calling duties.
He was a second-team All-America selection as a senior quarterback at BYU, guiding the Cougars to a 14-1 record and No. 5 national ranking in 1996 — their lone loss was to Washington at Husky Stadium.
