Washington, Hobert Too Tough for Oregon

SEATTLE —  Oregon came closer than expected against third-ranked Washington on Saturday, but that didn’t change Duck Coach Rich Brooks’ opinion of the Huskies.

“I said before the game that Washington is the best team I’ve ever seen in (the Pacific 10),” said Brooks, now in his 15th season at Oregon. “I still stand by that.”

Washington, a 29 1/2-point favorite, rolled up 467 yards on offense in winning, 29-7, but the Huskies hurt themselves with 13 penalties for 110 yards.

Billy Joe Hobert passed for three touchdowns, including two to Mario Bailey, and Travis Hanson kicked three field goals.

“I thought we made them work for it,” Brooks said. “The main problem was we couldn’t move the football against them.”

Hobert completed 23 of 36 passes for 256 yards, including touchdown pass plays of 18 yards to Bailey in the first quarter, 29 yards to Bailey in the second quarter and 16 yards to Orlando McKay in the fourth quarter.

Hobert, who had two passes intercepted, has 13 touchdown passes this season.

Steve Emtman, Washington’s 6-5, 285-pound defensive tackle, sustained a bruise on the side of his leg in the first half and didn’t play in the second, but said he could have. “I’ll be 100% by Monday,” he said.

Hanson kicked field goals of 44, 28 and 33 yards, the first time a Washington kicker had three field goals since John McCallum kicked three against Texas A&M; in 1989.

Washington, 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the Pac-10, took another step toward back-to-back Rose Bowl appearances. The Huskies have Pac-10 games left against Arizona State, USC, Oregon State and Washington State.

The Ducks (3-4, 1-3) averted a shutout when Sean Burwell scored on a 25-yard run with 4:21 left after Oregon’s Muhammad Oliver blocked a punt by John Werdel to give the Ducks the ball on the Huskies’ 25 with 4:28 left.