SAUL LOEB/ Arizona Daily Wildcat Wildcat senior wide receiver Bobby Wade will look to lead the Wildcats to victory over No. 22 Washington tomorrow in Seattle. Wade enters the game leading the Pacific 10 Conference in receptions per game, receiving yards per game and all-purpose yardage.

UA, UW renew one of the conference's most heated rivalries Saturday in Seattle

Arizona fans looking forward to seeing televised action of Arizona's game against Washington tomorrow will have to rely on highlight shows until the game is shown on tape-delay Sunday night.

But if tomorrow's game is anything like those in recent years, there will be plenty of highlights to go around.

Arizona (3-2, 0-1 Pacific 10 Conference) heads up to Seattle to take on the No. 22 Huskies (3-2, 0-1) in what will likely be a make-or-break game for both teams. And if history holds true, it will likely come down to the wire.

Arizona won a close matchup between the two teams in 1998 thanks to what was likely the greatest single play in the history of the program, referred to as "the leap by the lake." With 10 seconds remaining in that game, then-quarterback Ortege Jenkins won the game by flipping into the end zone over three Washington defenders. The play later won an ESPY award in the "Play of the Year" category.

The precedent was set, and since then, the two teams have played to a near-draw, with only 14 points serving as the margin of victory in the last three games. But all three of those have been won by the Huskies, with last year's game coming down to another last-second rushing touchdown by a quarterback. Washington's Cody Pickett dashed into the end zone from the 3-yard line with 13 seconds left to seal the comeback win in dramatic fashion.

"Every year we go up there, it's a barnburner up to the very end. My true freshman year, O.J. flips into the end zone, and then the last couple of years we've had control of the game and they've got it back at the end. So I look for a lot of the same things this year," said UA senior quarterback and Washington native Jason Johnson.

Where and When · UA at No. 18 Washington Where: Husky Stadium in Seattle When: Saturday at 12:30 p.m. TV: Tape delay Sunday at 12:30 Fox Sports Arizona Radio: KNST 790 live

After losing last weekend to California, Washington is in desperate need of a win to keep their conference title hopes alive, as well as their national ranking. For the Wildcats, who came into the season with little expectation of competing for the top spot in the Pac-10, this game could be a chance to show for the second-straight week that they can play it tough with the big boys.

"If you want to be in the race, you have to step it up that second week. You can't lose two in a row," said UA head coach John Mackovic.

There are quite a few subplots surrounding this game, especially after Washington head coach Rick Neuheisel was penalized earlier this week by the NCAA for recruiting violations committed while he was the head man in Colorado.

But Neuheisel's primary concern will be getting his team back on track after being upset by the Golden Bears and starting the conference season with a loss.

"I'm happy with the direction our team is going in, but we need to turn that corner. We need to turn those good feelings and energy into actual victories," Neuheisel said.

Another pressing issue for the Huskies will be their ground game, usually a strong point for the program. Washington ranks ninth in the conference in rushing ÷ ahead of 10th-place Arizona ÷ with 103.4 yards per game on the ground.

Neuheisel placed much of the blame for the loss to Cal on the paltry 42 rushing yards the Huskies gained, and said things need to change if his team wants to win this weekend.

For Arizona, all the storylines have to do with the litany of injuries suffered by frontline players. In all, there have been 25 missed starts to injury for the Wildcats, and that number will only grow higher.

While standout senior linebacker Lance Briggs, who sat out last weekend's game against Oregon, is expected to play against Washington after practicing all week, junior running back Clarence Farmer and senior cornerback Michael Jolivette are still out and won't be coming back soon. In addition, key players like freshman cornerback Darrell Brooks, junior safety Clay Hardt, and a host of starting offensive linemen will either miss the game or play with injuries.