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Take 2: Why the seeds of the Washington Huskies’ football turnaround were planted in a bitter desert defeat

If Washington football fans thought the Huskies’ second-half meltdown at Arizona State two weeks ago was hard to watch on TV, I can assure you no one took it harder than some of the diehards I was sitting with on that glorious, sun-drenched afternoon in Tempe, Ariz.

As Washington’s 17-0 lead in the second quarter wilted to 17-10 in the third quarter, and then completely evaporated in the desert heat in the fourth quarter, the purple-clad fan in front of me was inconsolable.

Chatty for most of the first half, he had spent much of the second half silent, head in his hands.