There was something different about Saturday’s homecoming victory over University of the Pacific.

It had nothing to do with LeShon Johnson running for over 200 yards because he does that often. It was different however because of the cast of Huskies that played a very supportive role, players that don’t usually find themselves in highlight talks.

Let’s start with sophomore quarterback Ron Reichert who replaced injured Scott Crabtree early in the first quarter. Reichert completed his first college career pass on a six-yard strike to Raymond Roberts. That would be the first of seven completions that would earn him 89 yards passing. He did throw eight incompletions which he credited to overexcitement.

While Reichert’s passing performance may not be as impressive as some of Crabtree’s, he was just as successful at running the offense. The Huskies gained 368 of their 412 total yards during Reichert’s stint. The offense didn’t lose any confidence, and whenever Reichert had the option pitch taken away he always seemed to find a hole (6 carries, 24 yards and one TD).

“That’s credit to both Ron and the offensive line,” commented head coach Charlie Sadler. “The offense did a good job of blocking on all our plays and Ron has a feel for running the option.”

What would a Huskie game be like without the use of the reverse play? But this week it was done differently. Instead of using Sean Allgood or Vaurice Patterson, Sadler put in the secret weapon – Arthur Russell.

Yes, Arthur Russell. The junior flankerback carried both reverse attempts for nine- and 17-yard gains. He also started the third quarter by hauling in a 20-yard pass from Reichert in the drive which eventually led to Brian Steger’s 41-yard field goal.

“Art is a very tough and competitive individual,” said Sadler. “Not only did he make a nice catch and good runs, but he’s probably as good a blocker for a wide receiver as we have. He really contributed to this win.”

The crucial factor in this game, however, would be the outstanding play of the defense, more specifically the secondary. They combined for six of the nine pass deflections. Their leader? None other than junior safety Sam Denson who just recently moved into the starting strong safety spot.

“Denson has really gotten better and better with each game,” said Sadler.

Denson had three pass deflections, two of which came in the fourth quarter. He also had eight tackles in the game, which was second on the team behind Gerald Nickleberry’s 12. Denson currently leads the team in interceptions with three.

Sadler noted that Denson had some motivation for this game. Pacific’s wide receiver Kerry Brown is Denson’s half-brother. And if that wasn’t motivation enough, Denson’s mother was able to make the trip up from Florida to watch him play.

“She got to see both those guys play today and it’s really a great thing for at least Sam’s part of the family to have success,” said Sadler.