It was a massacre. An embarrassment. A good ol’ fashioned butt whuppin’.

Whatever you want to call it, the Washington football team’s 48-21 loss to Oregon State was not what we’ve learned to expect from this Husky squad.

Through the first nine games of this season, it was evident that the Huskies had made quite the turnaround from last year’s 0-12 debacle. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and his coaching staff were doing something right, and despite the fact that the Huskies had only three wins as of Saturday, they have been competing and in contention nearly every game this season.

Except for Saturday’s bout with the Beavers.

It was over before the Huskies could even put any points on the scoreboard. When OSU’s James Rodgers caught a 6-yard touchdown pass to put the Beavers up 20-0 with seven minutes left in the first half, Husky fans took a deep breath and tried not to remember how similar this game was to last year.

Will Mahan crushed a punt 7 yards. The Rodgers brothers ran circles around the UW defense. And the OSU offense came up with big play after big play like it was nothing. Much like last year, it was just one of the games where you wonder what the team did all week in practice.

There’s no way it was the same group of players that came away with one of the biggest wins in history against USC almost two months ago. That team showed a ferocious aggression on the defensive side, and the offense actually moved the ball against a then-decent USC defense.

So now the Huskies sit at 3-7 and are officially out of bowl contention. Even though their goal of playing in a bowl game is not reachable, there’s still something to play for this season. In fact, there’s a lot to play for.

Their final two games will make or break the season. After a much-needed bye week this weekend, the Huskies have two consecutive home games to close out the season. Washington State visits Seattle Nov. 28 for the Apple Cup, and the season wraps up with a game against California one week later.

A loss against California would be bad, but losing to Washington State at home for the third consecutive year would put a damper on whatever accomplishments this team has made all year. The Huskies have lost two Apple Cup games in a row and four out of the past five. Another loss at home to the doormat of the conference would be straight up embarrassing.

Two wins to close out the season means a 5-7 effort. That would mean five more games won than last year, and one of the biggest one-year improvements of any team in the nation. Considering what happened last year and the fact that this team is made up of almost all the same players as last season, winning five games would be an accomplishment in itself.

Pride is on the line here, and that’s when it really comes down to the players. The coaches can plan and strategize all they want, but in the end, it’s the efforts of the players that can make or break a game, and in this case, the season.

California and WSU are beatable teams, especially at Husky Stadium. If the players realize what is at stake — the 2009 season, rivalry bragging rights, and momentum into next year — there’s no doubt they’ll come out with fire and passion that was clearly nonexistent at Oregon State.

Reach columnist Taylor Soper at sports@dailyuw.com.