3 Things from Petersen's Monday Presser

UW desire, WSU offense and Kirkland were addressed in UW football coach's weekly media exchange

It's Apple Cup week, but Huskies coach Chris Petersen found himself pressed more about stark reality rather than the traditional rivalry when he met with reporters. Five losses will do that to you. Three things that came out of his Monday news conference (which is available below):

Husky Motivation

Petersen was quizzed about his team's state of mind, whether it has the proper desire as the setbacks have piled up this season, with the Huskies losing four of their past six games. "It's not a matter of want," the coach said, reluctant to give any great explanation. "Everyone wants to win. We just didn't get it done." He summed up the Huskies' 20-14 loss at Colorado as rooted in isolated player breakdowns--it was one guy here and one guy there--before acknowledging some loss of composure "I thought there was a little bit of panic," he said of his offense. "Too many 3-and-outs."

WSU's Offensive Churn

The UW coach, taking stock of high-octane Washington State and its 54-53 victory over Oregon State on Saturday night, conceded the Cougars might have a little more firepower than usual under Mike Leach, if that's at all possible. "Maybe they explode a little better than they have, but it's the same thing," Petersen said. "It definitely works. Time tells. You're definitely going to put up points."

Kirkland Update

Right offensive guard Jaxson Kirkland, the only starter questionable  for the Apple Cup because of health, lasted only two offensive series against Colorado before going down with what looked like a serious leg injury. Two people had to help the sophomore off the field. Said Petersen, not big on discussing injuries, "He's all right. It's not a serious injury. We'll see if we can get him (back)."