As rain steadily dropped on Washington players and coaches Wednesday, three days before the Apple Cup, two of last year’s key performers on offense zig-zagged through defenses, doing their thing.

Both aren’t figured prominently into this year’s game plan.

Running back Willie Griffin was the top rusher in the 2008 Apple Cup – a 16-13 WSU victory in Pullman. He ran 26 times for 112 yards, and scored the Huskies’ lone touchdown – a 3-yard scamper in the second quarter.

Receiver D’Andre Goodwin led the UW with his five receptions, which was in line with his season-long production – 60 receptions, which paced the team by a lot.

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This was filed by Don Ruiz, who filled in for me Tuesday at practice:

The timing was suspicious, although all parties indicated it was just the right time for Washington Huskies defensive tackle Cameron Elisara to get healthy from a nagging neck stinger.

Elisara, the junior from Spokane, practiced for a second consecutive day, after sitting out almost six weeks – missing 31/2 games – with a stinger so severe, when it hit, he’d lose all strength in his shoulder and arm areas.

But coming back Apple Cup week?

“This is a good week to be back,” Elisara said. “… It does have, of course, a special meaning. I’ve got a lot of family ties, a lot of friends that go to Wazzu. This is a game for a lot of bragging rights.”

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The UW men’s basketball team returns to the practice court today, preparing for it’s Sunday home game against Montana.

And if the 14th-ranked Huskies need a reminder to stay focused through his holiday week, it should have come last night as the Griz knocked off Oregon at Mac Court.

Here’s a report from the Oregonian.

I asked UW coach Lorenzo Romar today if this result will make it easier for him to get his team’s attention when talking about Montana.

“I would say it gives you more credibility in what you’re saying,” he said. “But our team’s attitude and …

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The usual 25 minutes of unabated optimism that comes from Washington Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian during his Monday meeting with the press corps went as smoothly as a newly-ironed silk shirt.

It’s Apple Cup week. Of course, questions about the rivalry game with Washington State arose. Some were honest. Others were leading. Either way, Sarkisian was prepared like any old ex-quarterback with brain power.

It’s his first taste of the sometimes-bitter rivalry, although lately, both programs had been behaving like pussycats.

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Things are thinning out in both camps heading into another Apple Cup on Saturday in Seattle.

The Washington Huskies have able bodies to fill holes, especially on defense. They spent another bye week looking at their cadre of young talent, seeing where they can best be effective in the short- and long-term.

Washington State? It’s an all-out limp to the finish of 2009.

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In the days leading up to tonight’s game, UW senior Quincy Pondexter didn’t say much about his relationship with former teammate Adrian Oliver, other than that they had only spoken once since Oliver left UW in 2007.

After UW’s win over Oliver and San Jose State tonight, Pondexter filled in the blanks.

“Adrian, he got what he wanted,” Pondexter said. “He got a school where he can score as many points as he wants. But we’re winning games. He scored 32, I got the win.”

If there seems to be some bitterness in that answer, there apparently was.

“I

…

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It was a big night for the University of Washington freshman class of 2006.

The Huskies worked their way past San Jose State, 80-70, tonight at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, and members of that UW freshman class were the leading scorers for both teams.

Senior Quincy Pondexter led Washington with 30 points and 15 rebounds – both career highs. And Adrian Oliver, who arrived on campus with Pondexter before transferring to San Jose, led all scorers with 32 points.

Fourteenth-ranked Washington (4-0) couldn’t shake San Jose (1-1) for most of the first half, but finally took control when Pondexter did. Pondexter scored
Washington’s first 13 points of the second half, and it was during that run that the Huskies finally got some breathing room.

An Elston Turner 3-pointer about 12 minutes from the end finally pushed the lead into double digits. San Jose kept Washington from building on the lead from there, but the Spartans made no serious run.

Now the Huskies get a break in their schedule before returning to action Nov. 29, meeting Montana at Hec Ed.

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Here’s the brand-new, hot-off-the presses 2009-2010 Washington men’s basketball guide.

No surprise that it’s lone senior Quincy Pondexter on the cover.

And by the way, in case you didn’t make it to the final paragraph of my story today, here’s what coach Lorenzo Romar has to say about Q-Pon’s play so far this season:

“I can’t imagine anyone that’s playing better than Quincy is right now. You’re talking about a guy that’s 6-6, averaging a double-double, shooting almost 70 percent from the field and shooting 95 percent from the foul line, and defending, and diving on the …

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