Whenever Washington and Arizona get together at Husky Stadium, one team always leaves a lasting impression.

Last year, Willie Hurst's spectacular spin off of the field turf on a 23-yard burst into the endzone swung the momentum in a dramatic 35-32 Husky victory.

In 1998, Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins literally leaped over the Washington defense at the goal line for a last-second touchdown to spoil the Huskies' chances in a 31-28 loss.

If the Wildcats' season thus far is any indication of their potential, Arizona (0-3 Pac-10, 3-3 overall) should feel grateful if it even gets the opportunity for any last-second heroics. The Wildcats have found themselves at the bottom of the Pac-10 after three straight, lopsided losses to Washington State, Oregon and Oregon State by a combined 97 points.

Former coach Dick Tomey, who coached Arizona to seven bowl berths in during his 14-year tenure, resigned due to the pressure after a mediocre 5-6 season that ended with five straight losses.

Although John Mackovic had been in the broadcast booth since 1997, the Wildcats lured the coach back into the game and gave him the responsibility of resurrecting the program to its former glory.

And while Mackovic has tried to resurrect the "Desert Swarm" by hiring Larry MacDuff as defensive coordinator, he has not seen the desired effect on the field. This week, Arizona will try to shut down a Husky running game that netted negative 8 yards against UCLA last week, fourth worst in school history.

Even though Washington's offensive line has shown its inexperience, that shouldn't give any kind of confidence boost to the Wildcats, who rank eighth in the Pac-10 in defense by surrendering 400.5 yards per game.

"Maybe we can play a little stronger against the run up front and that will give us a little better play against the pass," Mackovic said.

Injuries have hurt them as well, and defensive contributors Austin Uku, Eli Wnek, Scott McKee and Fata Avegalio are all listed as questionable for this week's game. The only positive comes from linebacker Lance Briggs, who leads the conference with 59 tackles and has played with a fractured left hand.

The offense has shown few bright spots as well, managing a meager three points last week against Oregon State. Starting quarterback Jason Johnson stepped into that role this season after the graduation of Jenkins.

Johnson's seven interceptions lead the Pac-10, and he is struggling to make sound decisions and proper reads despite his style as a traditional drop-back passer. All but one wide receiver from the final 2000 depth charts returns, including Bobby Wade, who earned all Pac-10 honorable mention at the position last year.

Wade has caught three touchdowns this season and trails only running back Clarence Farmer who has taken it to the house four times on the ground.

Unless Arizona comes out with a vastly different team than the one that has showed up the last three weeks, Washington will be the only team taking it to the house.