BY TODD DYBAS / SEATTLESPORTSONLINE.COM

Fresh life showed up on the field for three quarters in Husky Stadium Saturday. Less life showed up in the stands. In the end, it was all the same.

Those were the Huskies who scored first. Ryan Perkins' 34-yard field goal capping a drive during which wide receiver Cody Bruns completed a pass for 29 yards to D'Andre Goodwin. Bruns' reverse then throw was the first hint offensive coordinator Tim Lappano had go-go Gadget inspiration in this week's game plan.

A second-quarter touchdown came when Bruns took the ball on a double reverse and threw back to quarterback Ronnie Fouch for a 12-yard touchdown. A flip here, a flip there, and back across to Fouch tying the score at 10. It was a first for Fouch.

"I've never caught one in my life," the quarterback said when asked if he'd accomplished that prior.

It was fun. That's right, fun. Something not been had at Husky Stadium since Jake Locker lofted the ball in celebration in Week 2.

Oh, Washington had its weekly mistakes. Paul Homer fumbled on fourth-and-1, the loose ball then scooped up and returned for an Arizona State touchdown. Fouch threw an interception toward the end of the half, giving Arizona State just enough time to move into field-goal position and carry a three-point lead, 16-13 into the half.

But not to worry. The Huskies came out and scored first in the second half to tie the game at 16. They kicked another field goal to take the lead, 19-16 now in the third quarter, hope springs internal.

"We felt like the game was in our hands," cornerback Matt Mosely said.

Then ... that was it.

Arizona State scored 23 unanswered points, winning 39-19. Washington is 0-9, losers of 11 consecutive, and 18 of 20 since last season. It's a new school record. A streak of ineptness that got the coach fired, boosters in a tizzy and fans disheartened enough to stay home on a Saturday.

It's a numeric embarrassment that leaves one of your captains saying this:

"It's tough to be excited every day and push forward," Homer said of this season's odyssey. "Sometimes they say fake it 'till you make it, and I know sometimes you've got to do that. We're still playing football. To just be able to have the opportunity to play is what keeps people going."

There's nothing fake about that statement. Matter of fact, those are some scary words.

While coach Tyrone Willingham continues to lament the Huskies "just didn't make the plays," Homer's statement gives a clear view behind Washington's purple vale and into the lockerroom temperament of a winless team with a lame-duck coach.

All involved should be lauded for Saturday's start. The ambition at the outset was an altered approach not seen in prior weeks. Washington was amped.

"We had some swagger in the lockerroom that I've never seen since I've been here," Lappano said.

The players were motivated for a variety of reasons.

This week allowed them to fully move forward with an understanding of the coaching situation. While practice last week -- following learning the official fate of Willingham -- was sullen and slow, this week was upbeat and better focused according to Willingham and Fouch.

Second, attendance was poor. The lowest of the season, only 57,013 made it out to the stadium. The players noticed.

"We were very disappointed driving up," Mosely said. "We usually drive by to see the tailgate and all that, so we were definitely disappointed in the fan turnout. We put that on ourselves with our record. Some of the guys took that to heart."

Lastly, Arizona State had lost six consecutive games. That led to belief Washington could win, and just reaching that point has become a victory within itself this season.

All that was gone by the fourth quarter. The Huskies running game would have been equally efficient if the offensive unit was shackled and blindfolded, gaining just 52 yards on 28 carries for the day. As poor as that total is, it's deceiving since it includes Terrance Dailey's meaningless 39-yard run in the fourth quarter. Take out that run, and the Huskies are looking at 13 yards on 27 carries.

Fouch was again erratic, though, of course, having no running game tends to do that to any quarterback. The redshirt freshman threw two interceptions and had four passes hit Arizona State defenders in the hands, then dropped.

UCLA is in town next Saturday, the final home game of the season. While the return of Rick Neuheisel angle will dominate the week, the internal concerns for Washington will remain simple and the same.

"I just want to win a football game," Lappano said. "I don't care who it's against, Dennis Erickson, Neuheisel. I just want to win a freakin' football game."

Todd Dybas is the editor of Seattlesportsonline.com. He can be reached via e-mail at tdybas@seattlesportsonline.com