The Michigan Daily - Rose Bowl Preview- December 10, 1992 - Page 5 Washington's Kaufman nips bad play with good attitude by Drake Witham The Washington Daily It wasn't supposed to be like this. Rather than zigzagging his way across the field on another spectacular punt return, Napolean Kaufman was des- perately chasing the ball, trying to fall on it before a swarm of Arizona play- ers recovered his third fumble of the oame. Kaufman did cover the ball but by botching the return he left the Huskies in poor field position. A few minutes later the game was over and Washing- ton had its first loss in nearly two years. In a season filled with highlight- reel performances, Kaufman rushed for just 50 yards against the Wildcats nd was returned to reality. "My first reaction was that I had a bad game, but I've had seven real good games," Kaufman said. "I had one bad game." Kaufman, with his incredible speed, is used to being successful on the football field. Ever since he started playing as a child he has been a standout. He was recruited by virtu- ally every team in the country and was a household name in Seattle before his freshman year. Now, he is being forced to deal with being partially responsible for the loss. "Just move on, if you lose a game you're not supposed to put your head down," Kaufman said. "We have two more games." Kaufman dealt with the loss by turning to his big brother. He is an only child but senior tailback Beno Bryant serves as his older sibling, giving thesophomore advice andl[elp- ing him deal with situations. "We talked about it and it was kind of funny because he had a similar game against UCLA two years ago," Kaufman said. "We shared our expe- riences and the same stuff happened to both of us. He helped me out." Media attention is nothing new to Kaufman and Bryant and the two ac- knowledge the up and down world that comes with the spotlight. "If you do something good then everybody wants to talk to you and be your buddy, but as soon as you have one bad game everybody is down on you," Kaufman said. "Some of the press like that disturbs us." Bryant and Kaufman have had many of the same experiences with the media. When Greg Lewis was injured two seasons ago, the 5-foot-9 Bryant was forced into action..News- papers printed stories saying he was too small to take an entire game of punishment. When Bryant went down earlier this year, the diminutive Kaufman saw the same articles about himself. He responded with player-of-the- week performances in both the Cali- fornia and Arizona State games, and did nothing to indicate he would not be a solid replacement. A mere sophomore who did not have the luxury of a redshirt season, Kaufman's maturity level has been in question as well. He admits to having matured greatly since last season and doesn't think it matters that the Hus- kies have had to rely on younger play- ers this season. Despite some of the negative clip- pings, getting down on himself is something that Kaufman won't do. In fact, he sees this as a learning experi- ence. In his sophomore year of high school Kaufman faced a similar situ- ation of having to come back after a bad game. "I had a real bad game but we got together and went all the way to the state finals," Kaufman said of the loss, which is still vivid in his mind four years later. "I've had a bad game before and bounced back, so I'm not concerned about that." The speedster that people call "Nip" is one of the more vibrant per- sonalities in the Husky lockerroom. Kaufman is as flamboyant and outgo- ing among his teammates as he is conservative when speaking to the media. That personality helped him through the Arizona loss. "I didn't notice that he was any different than any other player after the Arizona game," Washington coach Don James said. "I'm not going to mope around forever," Kaufman said. "I know what I did wrong and I know I'll correct it." Kaufman would also like another chance to play with his "big brother" in the Husky backfield. Bryant is ap- plying for another year of eligibility because of his hamstring injury and it is likely that he and Kaufman could have another chance to be the league's most electrifying backfield. "That would be real fun," Kaufman said. With his positive attitude and promising talent, good times lie ahead for Kaufman no matter what the situ- ation. Whether he gets to run with Bryant again or if he continues to be doubted for his size, Kaufman will prove himself on the field, laughing all the way to the end zone. t I I 662-1945 OC, ;S '(ictariasonl tica ORINANCE RA UNLIMIT ED Limited Supply BOOTS, COLD WEAT HER, INSULATEI, RIJBBERi FOR WET - COLD USE .. 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