In many philosophical ways, the Washington Huskies and Kansas State Wildcats couldn't be more different, as they approach Wednesday night's Holiday Bowl in San Diego.

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Where first-year UW coach Rick Neuheisel has cultivated a media-friendly image and says he wants to stress the fun his players can have playing college football, KSU coach Bill Snyder is the ultimate throwback to the my-way-or-the-highway days, the kind of coach who has virtually no public image at all other than that of a workaholic.

Where Washington holds open workouts in San Diego, inviting anyone to stand on the sidelines, KSU is more secretive than the Kremlin.

But stylistically on the field, the teams are more alike than different, especially on offense where both are among the breed of option-runners who stress time of possession.

The oddsmakers seem certain that Kansas State will do it better, as the Wildcats have been installed as 12-point favorites -- the highest point spread of any bowl game.

"They deserve to be the favorites,'' said UW quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo. "We just want to prove that we belong.''

And Neuheisel said he likes the underdog role, adding that it's one that has suited him well throughout his playing and coaching career.

In fact, it's one that has suited the Huskies this season, as the UW seemed to play better when no one expected anything, but faltered when there seemed to be the most to lose.

The Huskies twice had three-game winning streaks that put them in position to rule the Pac-10, then each time were upset -- first by Arizona State and then at UCLA.

Neuheisel has talked of opening up the offense, in part due to the return of several injured players such as WRs Gerald Harris and Chris Juergens, but isn't sure how much he really will do that in the end.

"There's a tendency to want to do that and you have to resist that a little bit because it's not really the time for trial and error but the time to put in as many good plays as you can and at the end of it find a way to have more points than your opponents,'' Neuheisel said. "I don't think the experimental way and the trick 'em way proves successful for very many teams.''

If that's the case, expect the Huskies to throw in a few new gadgets, but to mostly stick to the grind-it-out style that proved so successful this season.

"Obviously, to be successful in this ballgame we have to control the ball,'' Neuheisel said. "But that will be difficult against the No. 2 defense in the country. But that's the challenge ahead of us and what we have to try to get accomplished.''

Defensively, the Huskies have to continue their decent play of the end of the season -- UW did not allow more than 25 points in any of their last three games.

KSU has a balanced and big-play attack, with the key likely being if the Huskies can put the clamps on Wildcat QB Jonathan Beasley, who completed only 44 percent of his passes this year and isn't as swift as his predecessor, Michael Bishop.

The Personnel File

ARNOLD TO GET HIS CHANCE: Based on his 126-yard game in the regular-season finale against Washington State, true freshman Paul Arnold will get a chance to have another breakout game in the Holiday Bowl. Arnold's play against WSU caused some fans to wonder if Neuheisel erred in bringing Arnold along so slowly -- he gained only 251 yards on 40 carries.

"You could always wonder if he would have been capable of that earlier, but I think he's right on schedule,'' Neuheisel said. "By letting it come along naturally, we took a lot of pressure off of him. So no, I don't look back and wish that I had done it differently.''

What has most helped Neuheisel battle the court of public opinion on this one -- which mostly seems to have rested on the side of getting Arnold more carries earlier this year -- is that Arnold agrees with Neuheisel.

"I'm pretty happy about my season,'' said Arnold. "I knew the reason I wasn't playing was that there were people in front of me who were better. Instead of complaining about my minutes, I just worked harder to get more.''

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Marques Tuiasosopo, junior quarterback. UW fans shuddered to think how the season would have turned out had Tuiasosopo ever gotten hurt. He did it all for the Huskies, rushing for 541 yards -- second most on the team -- and throwing for 2,221 yards to finish second in the Pac-10 in total offense. More than the numbers, every teammate pointed to Tuiasosopo as the team's unmistakable leader on and off the field.

OK, he turned the ball over too much (11 interceptions, nine lost fumbles), but he cut down on those as the season went on -- only two in the last three games. The Huskies went as Marques went, and most of the time that was in a good direction -- especially when he passed for 302 yards and ran for 207 in a win against Stanford, the first time in NCAA history that a player had passed the 300-200 barriers.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jermaine Smith, senior cornerback. The defense was something of a disappointment, but Smith was an unsung star.

It's hard to find numbers to quantify what Smith meant -- he picked off only three passes and didn't rank among the Pac-10 leaders in passes defended. But nobody ever seemed to make a big play on Smith, and he always seemed to be preventing even the hint of a long gain, making 52 tackles and emerging as the team's surest tackler.

COACH UPDATE: Neuheisel won over most of his local critics -- he probably won't ever win back all of his critics in Boulder -- with his handling of the Huskies this season.

In what was surely a switch from his first year at Colorado, Neuheisel did all he could to take the attention off himself -- his picture is nowhere to be found on the cover of the team's media guide, for example. He also proved to be more of a disciplinarian than was thought, and more willing to bend his philosophy for the good of the team. Most important, Neuheisel decided to make the option the biggest part of the team's offense after the Huskies started out 0-2, a switch that best fit the talents of Tuiasosopo and was the main reason the team went 7-2 the rest of the year.

STRENGTHS: Tuiasosopo, Tuiasosopo, Tuiasosopo. The UW offensive line also played much better than anyone thought possible, as tackle Kurth Connell and guard Chad Ward each earned second-team all-Pac-10 honors. Most of the special teams were also a vast improvement, particularly kicker John Anderson. And while the defense seemed to under-perform, it always played hard and perfected a bend-but-don't-break scheme that kept the Huskies in every game.

CONCERNS: Other than Tuiasosopo, the Huskies have little in the way of skill position players who scare anybody, although Paul Arnold had a big game against WSU and is sure to see a lot of time in the Holiday Bowl. The defense was stunningly ineffective in getting a rush on the passer, finishing with only 10 sacks.

Noteworthy

BOWL SLUMP: UW hasn't been a very good bowl team lately, which had more than a little to do with Jim Lambright's ouster after last season. The Huskies lost three of four bowls under Lambright, beating only a self-destructing Michigan State team in the 1997 Aloha Bowl, 51-23. UW was hammered by Air Force in the Oahu Bowl last year, 45-25, an embarrassing performance that helped hasten Lambright's ouster.

RECRUITING: Through Dec. 21, the Huskies had 21 verbal commitments, the most in the Pac-10. Neuheisel had said several times that he hoped to have recruiting wrapped up by Christmas and he was close to getting it done.

A Look Ahead

Here's a glance at who the Huskies will have to replace in the starting lineup next season.

OFFENSE: Two -- right tackle Kurth Connell and receiver Dane Looker. Connell was one of the best tackles in the conference and will be hard to replace. Looker didn't have a great senior year but was steady.

DEFENSE: Four -- CB Jermaine Smith, LB Lester Towns, DLs Mac Tuiaea and Jabari Issa. All four were three of four-year starters and will be missed.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Punt returner Joe Jarzynka, who didn't have a great year, is the only loss.