By Anthony Gimino
FOXSportsArizona.com
TUCSON -- The conversation is always the same when playing Washington: How do you stop quarterback Jake Locker?
Arizona hasn't had the answer.
Locker had his biggest career game in terms of total yardage against the Wildcats as a freshman, when he passed for 336 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 157 yards and two scores.
He didn't play against Arizona in 2008 because of injury but was back to his dangerous self last season, running for 92 yards and a touchdown while passing for three scores and 140 yards.
"Everything goes through him," said Arizona coach Mike Stoops. "He's a very dangerous and very skilled player. They do a lot of stuff with him. ... He's going to make plays. That's just part of his DNA. He's a tough guy to corral for four quarters."
Locker is coming off a five-touchdown passing game against Oregon State. A few weeks ago, he had 420 total yards in an upset victory at USC.
On the flip side, his national reputation took a hit, and any Heisman talked stopped, after a miserable day against Nebraska last month. Locker was 4 of 20 passing, with two interceptions, although that was against arguably the best secondary in the country.
Stoops said what makes Locker more dangerous this season is his supporting cast, which includes big-play receiver Jermaine Kearse (he has 19 career touchdown receptions in 30 games) and sophomore running back Chris Polk, on pace for his second 1,000-yard season.
"We can't just worry about him and not all the other guys," Stoops said of Locker. "They have a lot of other good players. He's one of many on offense."
No Washington for Washington
Arizona redshirt freshman Justin Washington, who has four sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, was considered doubtful for this week's game against the Huskies because of a sprained knee, Stoops said Wednesday.
He'll be replaced by a combination of Sione Tuihalamaka, Dominique Austin and Willie Mobley.
Wide receiver Juron Criner, who missed most of the second half of last week's game because of a lingering turf toe injury, said Wednesday he was "feeling good, well-rested and ready to go." Criner is Arizona's deep threat, having caught 33 passes for 551 yards, both team highs.
Remembering 2009
Last year's Arizona-Washington game featured one of the strangest plays of the college football season.
The Huskies scored the winning touchdown late in the game when Arizona receiver Delashaun Dean, while falling to the ground to try to haul in a low pass, deflected the ball off his left hand, off his shoe (or perhaps the turf, depending on who you ask) and into the arms of Washington linebacker Mason Foster.
He returned the interception 37 yards for a score and a 36-33 victory.
"That was a tough one last year," said receiver David Douglas. "It's something we think about, and it kind of motivates us throughout the week and we're ready to get them at our place and get after them."
Updated October 22, 2010
