It has been a struggle for coach Tyrone Willingham in his first season at Washington (1-6, 0-4), as the Huskies' conference losing streak now stands at 12 games and a second straight losing season is already assured.
However, Willingham is glad his team is still working hard to get better.
"I think our football team is still giving good effort," Willingham said. "You start with the fight of the team, and I think our team is still fighting."
This weekend is also the start of a lighter stretch for the Huskies to finish the season. Their last four games have all been against top-15 foes in Notre Dame, UCLA, Oregon and USC, but these final four games are against teams with a combined 11-17 record, including fellow winless in the Pac-10 teams Arizona and Washington State, so the team has a chance to get their first conference win since 2003.
"They recognize that there are still four great opportunities out there," Willingham said. "They will all be very difficult. I don't think we can sit here and say they will be easy, but I think our football team recognizes that. They've been working, and they believe in themselves. We've got to continue that, and we've got a chance."
The Huskies lost last week to No. 1 USC 51-24, but there were some positives to take from the game. One that especially stood out was the run defense, which held the Trojans to just 118 total rushing yards.
"That is as highly touted and productive an offense as anybody has said they've seen in quite some time," Willingham said. "They have a back (Reggie Bush) that most people believe is a shoo-in for the Heisman, and we held both he and a guy I have great respect for in LenDale White to minimal yardage. So I think that's something to be very positive about in our program."
Another bright spot was junior quarterback Isaiah Stanback, who was 14-18 for 201 yards with a passing and a rushing touchdown. However, Willingham remains focused on the primary goal of winning the games.
"We're not into moral victories or yardage victories," he said. "Those things are nice, but we want to win the football game, and I think that will be the focus for our coaches and our players."
Reach the reporter at matthew.storey@asu.edu.
