Huskies Can't Run From Their Troubles — It's Pound the Ball or Else

The UW won't win at Michigan without generating a pounding rushing attack.

Sixty-five yards.

Corey Dillon more than tripled that rushing total once in a Husky first quarter.

Twenty-five years later, this was all the University of Washington football team could muster in an entire game against Montana.

Long run of 13 yards.

Average play went for 2.4.

It was borderline inept. 

On Saturday, the Huskies need vast improvement as a rushing team at the Big House on ABC-TV against to have any chance against host Michigan Wolverines, who have made a stern commitment to running the ball, as well.

It's the Big Ten way.

Three yards and a cloud of Astroturf.

Over and over and over. 

If the UW can't get Richard Newton or Cam Davis loose in Ann Arbor, they stand no chance of making the 107,000-plus crowd uneasy, of entertaining the national audience over the airwaves, of beating the boys in the Maize and Blue.

Newton won the tailback job in fall camp.

It was the last lineup slot to be decided before the opener. 

He has plenty of football gifts and toughness, but he needs some help.

Now his enormous and experienced UW offensive line, embarrassed by that FCS opponent, needs to step up and give the bruising sophomore back from Lancaster, California, plenty of room to run. 

Newton beat out Sean McGrew, Kamari Pleasant and Davis.

Pulled 17 carries to Davis' 4 against the Grizzlies. 

Gained 62 yards to Cam's 8.

Relegated Pleasant to special-teams duty only and McGrew to a spectator's role. 

Whereas last year McGrew and Pleasant were rotating Husky starters and Newton and Davis filled in behind them, it's a two-man job now.

Newton, then Davis.

One's a power back, the other a speedster.

With a couple of elusive runs, the order could flip to Davis in an instance.

Both are highly capable players. 

Richard Newton had 62 yards rushing on 17 carries against Montana :: Joe Nicholson/USA TODAY Sports

The Huskies must establish the run or turn into a Pac-12 also-ran.  

This is a measure of toughness. The UW didn't have it against Montana. They won't survive without it against the Wolverines. 

The first time a Husky team visited the Big House, it was outrushed 373-99 in a 50-0 defeat in 1953. 

It was the mighty and the weak.

In the school's biggest Big Ten road win, the UW went into Ohio State and unleashed the incomparable Donnie Moore for 221 yards and a pair of touchdown runs and won 38-22 in 1966.

It's no mystery here what has to happen or what will take place if it doesn't.

It's either run the damn ball effectively or get run out of the stadium. 

Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated

Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven