The Huskies came out of the gate last Saturday firing, outgaining the LSU Tigers in yardage despite losing 31-23.
Many pundits and fans around Seattle and the country proclaimed a successful debut for head coach Steve Sarkisian, and many felt this is a sign the Huskies are back.
Even Jim Moore, the scourge of many Husky fans, claimed that the Huskies looked like a Pac-10 team again, with playmakers abound.
There is no question that the Huskies looked great on Saturday, and will look great again Saturday the 12th against Idaho. The Vandals will have difficulty keeping up with the Dawgs.
That being said, the real test comes September 19th when USC rolls into town.
Pete Carroll, for all his talk about supporting Sarkisian leaving, could still be in the mood to punish someone like Nick Holt for walking out on the Trojans.
The game will be hard fought, but USC will lay the hammer down the way they did against San Jose State.
How the team picks themselves up after that game will be the true test of Sarkisian's coaching ability.
Let's be honest and say that since LSU was such a high profile opponent, and the trials of last season, it was easy for the Huskies to get up and play.
They will get up and play against Idaho to finally end the losing streak and give Sarkisian his first win in purple and gold.
However, the season is a marathon, and there will inevitably be some disappointment along the way. Let's not forget there was a fair amount of wasted yardage by the Huskies where they didn't score or gave up bad turnovers.
The schedule is easier than it has been in the past couple years, but it is by no means easy.
It will be interesting to see how Sarkisian keeps these players held high in the low points, and how he keeps success from going to their heads after wins.
In any case, it looks to be a more enjoyable season to watch than 2008, regardless of how many loses the Huskies have.
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