While a handful of delusional Husky fans predicted a UW upset over heavily-favored Louisiana State in yesterday’s season (and home) football opener, most privately confessed that they’d be satisfied if there were a reason to re-enter the stadium after halftime. And, in fact, there was: the Dawgs trailed by a mere four points at the break, and stayed in the game until a late LSU touchdown put the Tigers up 31-16 (a last-second UW touchdown narrowed the final gap to 31-23). The result is encouraging, but not as surprising as one might think for a team coming off an historically bad 0-12 season. Before he suffered a season-ending injury last year, quarterback Jake Locker led the Dawgs to a one-point loss to BYU, a top-ranked non-conference opponent that UW might have beaten were it not for Locker’s getting unfairly flagged for overzealously celebrating a late-game touchdown. UW’s equation is, in essence, the same as it was last year: If Locker is healthy, they can play with anyone. If he’s not, they can’t.That said, yesterday’s game left no doubt that the Dawgs are primed to turn a modest corner. Steve Sarkisian’s offense was, as predicted, less reliant on Jake’s legs than Ty Willingham’s. But, thankfully, it featured plenty of roll-out scenarios; and when the team needed two or three yards in short-yardage situations, it was Locker’s number that got called straightaway. Still, the fact that the junior QB set a career record for passing attempts (45) should tell you something about Coach Sark’s airborne intent. Other encouraging signs: The Husky offense grossed nearly 500 yards, and Locker wasn’t the leading rusher (Chris Polk was with 90 yards on 21 carries; Locker had 51 on 12). These, folks, are clear signals that the first-year coach represents a significant upgrade over his predecessor.Next week, the Huskies play an even bigger home game, against Idaho. We realize this statement sounds insane on his face; Idaho is the sort of creampuff the Dawgs used to route at home as it built up strength for a grueling Pac-10 season. But those days are quickly slipping from memory, and simply finishing a game with more points than its opponent will represent a Herculean feat for a team that hasn’t won a game since 2007. For the first time in awhile, Husky fans — and handicappers — will actually be expecting UW to win. Forget LSU; that’s pressure.