By Barry Markowitz, Special to the Star-Bulletin
Washington's Brock Huard shows off his moves
during a luau Friday night.
Decision no snap
for Washington QB
Sophomore Brock Huard
By Paul Arnett
might exit college after
the Aloha Bowl
Star-BulletinBrock Huard knew the question was coming, he just didn't know when. Would it be after the University of Washington quarterback talked about how great it is to be in Hawaii for the 16th annual Jeep Aloha Bowl? Or would it come after he told reporters what he expected from the Michigan State defense?
Finally, just as it appeared the huddle of reporters was about to break, it came.
"I guess you're glad you don't have to hear the three letters N-F-L all the time," a reporter from Washington said, then broke into a tentative smile.
Huard, who is expected to follow Huskies center Olin Kreutz and come out early for the National Football League draft, glanced down at the floor and paused for a moment before replying.
"It's been nice to get away from everything," said Huard, who at 6-foot-5 and 220-pounds has the prototype body of an NFL quarterback. "Not that when I was home I was sitting, thinking of pulling hairs out. I haven't done any of that.
"I've just come over here and really enjoyed my teammates and being with everybody, and that's what college is about. I'm just having a great time. So I'm not even thinking about that right now."
Then came the obligatory follow-up question -- when does he need to decide about turning pro?
"It tells you how much I've been thinking about it. It's January ninth or eighth, or somewhere around there, so it is pretty quick," Huard said. "It (the January deadline) speeds up all the scouting and gives those guys a chance to evaluate you (before the NFL combine in February)."
No doubt, the scouts already have a pretty good idea of what Huard can do. He's the son of a high school head coach, brother of an NFL quarterback and has a live, accurate arm.
Huard helped the Huskies set a single-season passing record with 2,790 yards, despite a nasty ankle sprain that forced the sophomore to miss a half against Nebraska in September and a game with Oregon seven weeks later.
He was responsible for 2,140 of those yards, completing 146 of 244 passes. He tossed 23 touchdowns and was intercepted only 10 times. His 36 touchdown passes in two years broke Sonny Sixkiller's team mark of 35 set 25 years ago.
"Brock is everything you want your quarterback to be," Washington head coach Jim Lambright said. "He's a drop-back passer who has poise in the pocket.
"His father was a head coach, so he has a tremendous understanding of the game. When he wasn't in there this season, we struggled.
"I know he's looking forward to competing in this game (the Aloha Bowl). We all are. We haven't done well in postseason lately, and this is an opportunity for us to change that."
For that to happen, Huard will have to succeed against perhaps the best cornerback tandem in the Big Ten. Junior Amp Campbell and senior Ray Hill played such solid man-to-man defense this season that the Spartans were able to put eight men up front to combat the run.
Hill and Campbell each had 14 pass breakups and combined for nine interceptions, including a 43-yarder for a touchdown by Campbell. None of this was lost on Huard, who has been studying film in preparation for the Christmas Day game.
"We've faced some pretty good cornerbacks in the Pac-10," Huard said. He singled out the defensive backs at Arizona and Southern California. "These Michigan State guys match up well with what we saw in the Pac-10. They're physical guys who run well. But I think our guys on our end are looking forward to that challenge."
Since arriving in Hawaii, Huard hasn't spent all his time locked away in a film room, studying his opponent. He and his teammates have enjoyed what Hawaii has to offer -- particularly at a luau, where Huard hoped no cameras were in use.
"I'm keeping that quiet," Huard said of his participation in a Tahitian dance at the luau. "I already told my girlfriend about it and called her right away. But I've got to keep that on the down low.
"I'm sure there are going to be some pictures sent back. Maybe some blackmail going on, so I've got to keep that as quiet as possible. That was pretty fun. It's great coming here and experiencing a whole different culture and background. In our three years, this is the best bowl game."
Now, if Washington could only win one. The Huskies have lost their last three bowl games.
"I don't think there's more pressure," Huard said. "I think there's more understanding on a lot of the guys' parts and the senior class that we'd like to do something we haven't done here and that's win a bowl game."
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