Latest Football PostsToday is the day we've been waiting for. Here are some Husky football news and notes to get you ready for today's game:
- Ryan Divish reports that although UW's defensive stats aren't impressive, Baylor respects the Huskies' defensive unit.
- Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times writes that UW could use a signature victory.
- Ted Miller of ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog provides some details about the new agreement between the Pac-12 and Big Ten.
- You can check out the UW Daily's Alamo Bowl coverage here.
- Here is some UW injury news from SBnation.com. It looks like Kevin Smith won't be able to play due to a sprained knee and Will Shamburger is unlikely to play as well.
Enjoy the game and good luck, Huskies!
Here are some news and notes from around the web from the last few days:
- On Saturday, the Seattle Times' Bob Condotta wrote a story on Senio Kelemete. The Senior left tackle and team captain has come a long way and now looks like a potential draft pick in next year's NFL draft.
- The San Antonio Express-News had a story on Saturday about the last few years at UW under coach Sark and the culture change he has brought with him. The Express-News also has a story giving some insight into Baylor's recent athletic turn-around.
- Scott Johnson of the Kitsap Sun writes about the tough decision that Chris Polk has to make about whether to leave for the NFL or come back to UW for his senior season.
- SportsPressNW.com provides a very detailed statistical comparison between UW and Baylor to see how they match up.
- Baylor Defensive End Tevin Elliott won't be able to play in the Alamo Bowl due to a knee injury.
- Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune writes about the Huskies' under-appreciated wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. While Kearse has taken some criticism over the years, his time at UW has been very productive.
Here are some Husky football tidbits from around the web:
- Scott Johnson takes a look back at John Timu's scary injury against Cal and how lucky he feels to be back to playing football.
- For the Dawgs in diaspora here is a list of viewing parties for the Alamo bowl, courtesy of the UW Alumni Association.
- Bob Condotta writes about the growth and development of Austin Seferian-Jenkins. During his freshman season ASJ has learned some valuable lessons as well as produced on the field.
- Progress has been made on bringing down the old Husky Stadium. Here is video of the south side's roof coming down from yesterday.
Here's a quick recap of the weekend's Husky football news and notes:
- Scott Johnson of the Kitsap Sun writes that Keith Price may not be 100% but he's feeling a lot better. All of the time off has really helped but now the dawgs are back to work getting ready for Baylor.
- Former Husky and current Tennessee Titan QB Jake Locker looked good yesterday in relief of a hobbling Matt Hasselbeck against the Indianapolis Colts. Locker led them to their only touchdown of the game and was able to flash some of the magic that Husky fans know all about. The Tennessean writes about the QB dilemma that having both Hasselbeck and Locker presents for the Titans.
- Speaking of former Huskies, Mason Foster of the Tamba Bay Buccaneers is leading all rookies in tackles this season, which doesn't really surprise anyone who watched him play at UW. Here you can see how his stats compare to other rookies.
- In Saturday's Seattle Times Bob Condotta wrote about the legacies of UW's veteran wide receivers Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar.
- The Huskies' cornerbacks are feeling the loss of their position coach since the departure of CB coach Demetrice Martin. Martin left UW last week to join Jim Mora's staff at UCLA.
Here's some news and notes from around the web:
- With bowl season just around the corner, Bud Withers gives us a quick preview of all 35 bowl games. And ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog has some previews of the bowl games that the Pac-12 is a part of.
- In addition to his Heisman Trophy, yesterday Robert Griffin III was named the Sporting News' Player of the Year.
- It's looking more and more like former dawg Jake Locker could get his first career start in the NFL this Sunday in Indianapolis.
Here are some Husky football-related goodies from around the web:
- Ted Miller of ESPN.com lists Austin Seferian-Jenkins on his list of the Pac-12's top true freshmen and defensive lineman Josh Shirley is on his list of the conference's top redshirt freshmen.
- Chris Polk received an honorable mention for SI.com's 2011 All-America list.
- The San Antonio Express-News writes that since Baylor QB Robert Griffin III won the Heisman Trophy ticket sales for the Alamo Bowl have been on the rise.
Here's a quick roundup of some Husky football-related news and notes from the weekend:
- In case you missed it, Baylor's Robert Griffin III won the first Heisman Trophy in Baylor history. The Huskies will be facing Griffin and the Baylor Bears Dec. 29 in the Alamo Bowl but coach Sark doesn't think playing against the Heisman winner won't give the dawgs any extra motivation.
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes that Chris Polk isn't worrying about his pro prospects just yet. There's still work left to do this season before deciding whether or not to go pro.
- And if Polk does decide to stay, ESPN.com thinks he's on the short list of Pac-12 players that could win the Heisman in 2012.
Here are a some news and notes from around the web:
- Yesterday coach Sark and Baylor coach Art Briles met with media in San Antonio. The coaches discussed the lack of a history between the two schools, both schools' impressive quarterbacks and more.
- Adding to his trophy case, last night Baylor QB Rober Griffin III became the seventh Big-12 signal caller in the last eleven years to win the Davey O'Brien award. This award is given to the top quarterback in the nation.
- Scott Johnson of the Kitsap Sun writes that coach Sark sees a lot of similarities between his own team and the Baylor squad he will be facing later this month.
Here are some news and notes from around the web:
- Sportingnews.com is the latest to give a preview of the Alamo Bowl. They believe that Robert Griffin III will be the difference in the game and will lead Baylor to victory. And here's a picture of the coaches that will be participating in this highly anticipated game, taken at a press conference today.
- We all know that Chris Polk is one of the conference's best running backs, but yesterday Bucky Brooks of NFL.com listed Polk as the 5th best running back in all of college football. All week long Brooks is releasing his lists of the best college players by position.
- Athlonsports.com has made some early predictions of what 2012's preseason rankings might look like. They have Washington at no. 24.
- Bud Withers of the Seattle Times explains his Heisman vote.
Here are some more husky football links from around the web:
- The UW-WSU rivalry is heating as Mike Leach has taken over the helm in Pullman. ESPN.com has a story about how Leach thinks they can win big at WSU. Also included in the story is a caveat in his contract, a $25,000 bonus for winning the Apple Cup, not that much extra incentive is needed.
- Also on ESPN.com, Ted Miller ranks the bowls that Pac-12 teams are participating in. Miller, along with many other members of the media, is expecting an exciting shootout for UW and Baylor.
- On his Husky football blog, Bob Condotta does "five questions, five answers" with John Werner of the Waco Tribune-Herald.
- Condotta also writes that Baylor's star QB contemplated going to WSU.
- Kevin Gemmell of ESPN.com provides a quick season recap for UW.
Here are some Husky football links from around the internet:
- Scott Johnson of the Kitsap Sun writes that Baylor coach Art Briles isn't reveling in the fact that his team is a 10.5 point favorite over UW. He knows that the bears can't take this game for granted.
- Ted Miller of ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog shares his thoughts on year #1 of the new Pac-12.
- As many anticipated, the Huskies will be facing a Heisman finalist in their bowl game. Yesterday the list of those players that will be heading to New York for the Heisman presentation include Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. Also included on the list of finalists is Stanford QB Andrew Luck.
- The Baylor Lariat gives a preview of what the bears and their fans can expect to see when they face the Huskies. As usual, Keith Price and Chris Polk are drawing most of the attention.
Here are some links from around the web for your viewing and listening pleasure:
- Yesterday UW Athletic Director Scott Woodward was a guest of the Dave "Softy" Mahler show on KJR-AM. You can listen to the the show here and you can read some notes from the show on Bob Condotta's Husky football blog.
- Stewart Mandel of SportsIllustrated.com writes that WSU did well landing Mike Leach.
- Today is the inaugural Pac-12 Championship game. Many, including ESPN.com, are not expecting an especially close game as Oregon hosts UCLA, but you never know what will happen once the game starts.
It's the beginning of December, good news for those of you out there who can't wait for Bowl season. To hold you over for now, here are some Husky football news and notes from around the web:
- The Husky Haul discusses how the hiring of Mike Leach by WSU affects UW because of his reputation for recruiting well and winning.
- Yesterday we mentioned that coach Sark is moving up the experience ladder among pac-12 coaches. Today, the Kitsap Sun takes a more in depth look at the relative experience of coach Sark and his Pac-12 peers.
- Bleacherreport.com has a slideshow of who it thinks deserves UW's team awards this season. It gives its MVP, runner up and honorable mentions for Offense, Defense and Special Teams.
- In a telephone conference call yesterday, coach Sark talked about Chris Polk, bowl practices, Austin Seferian-Jenkins playing basketball and more.
Here are a few Husky football links from around the web:
- Tim Griffin of MySanAntonion.com thinks that UW is the leading candidate to represent the Pac-12 in the Valero Alamo Bowl.
- The Issaquah Press writes that Saturday's Apple Cup sparked local football fever amongst its city's employees as trash talking and tailgate-style party foods started to appear at Issaquah's City Hall.
- Bleacherrepot.com writes about UW's possible bowl destinations. Although many assume that the Huskies will be going to the Alamo bowl, but this article looks at the different variables at play and what the possibilities are for the bowl game.
- Yesterday Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times pointed out that with all of the coaching changes in the conference, Steve Sarkisian is quickly moving up the coaching tenure ladder in the Pac-12.
Here are some Husky football links from around the web:
- In case you missed it, here's a one of the best highlights from Saturday's Apple Cup: Kasen Williams' hurdle over Cougars' defensive back Nolan Washington. In the video coach Sark, Keith Price and Kasen himself talk about the play.
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times provides some notes from coach Sark's radio show yesterday, his last of the season.
- The All-Pac-12 Conference Teams and the conference individual awards were released yesterday. The Huskies have one first team player, Chris Polk, and two second teamers, Senio Kelemete and Cort Dennison.
Here are some Husky football links from the weekend and this morning:
- Bowl predictions are out. At this point it's not official, but many predictions have the Huskies going to the Alamo bowl in San Antonio to play a Big 12 opponent, such as Oklahoma, on December 29th.
- According to the major polls, UW finished the regular season with rankings ranging from 30th up to the low 40's.
- On Saturday Keith Price threw three more touchdown passes and became the single season record holder for TD passes in school history. He eclipsed Cody Pickett's 2002 total of 26 in leading the Huskies to an Apple Cup victory and has a chance to add to his current record of 28 touchdowns in the bowl game.
- Here are some of coach Sark's post-game quotes from the Apple Cup and the video of his post-game interview.
- One of the big plays of the Apple Cup was the blocked punt by the Huskies. The play that was called: Cougar Block.
The Apple Cup is tomorrow! I repeat, the Apple Cup is tomorrow! Here are some Husky football links to get you ready for the game:
- The Seattle Times takes a look at the quarterback matchup.
- And here is Bob Condotta's story from today about how the Huskies are looking for a strong finish to an up-and-down season.
- Todd Milles of the Olympian writes that UW will be relying on many youngsters on both offense and defense in their first ever Apple Cup.
- Steve Rudman and Art Thiel discuss and debate the outcome of tomorrow's 104th rendition of the Apple Cup.
- Bleacherreport.com also chimes in on the Apple Cup saying the UW should win the game.
Here are some pre-Thanksgiving Husky football links from around the web:
- John McGrath of the News Tribune takes a look at the two head coaches involved in Saturday's game, WSU's Paul Wulff and UW's Steve Sark.
- Chai, an elephant at the Woodland Park Zoo, has made her pick for Saturday's game. Much to the dismay of her local fans Chai has predicted that WSU will win the Apple Cup.
- Here is the Seattle Times' preview of the Apple Cup matchup. Not surprisingly, Chris Polk is expected to be a major factor once again.
- Ryan Divish writes about the emergence of Kasen Williams, who has taken a while to get going but is now an impact player for the Huskies.
- Ted Miller of ESPN.com's Pac-12 Blog will be watching to see how Nick Holt and the Husky defense fare against WSU's 3rd string quarterback as well as several other story lines from around the conference.
Here are some Husky links from around the web:
- Bob Condotta writes that Keith Price will get the start in this Saturday's Apple Cup. Keith sat out most of last week's game against Oregon State, but coach Sark says his knee is looking better.
- This week Condotta is also taking a look at some of the memorable Apple Cup games of the past. Each day he is going to relive "this day in Apple Cup history".
- Vince Grippi of the Spokesman-Review takes a first look at this Saturday's matchup. Grippi thinks that the key matchup of the game will pit Chris Polk against the WSU linebackers.
- Here are some notes from coach Sark's radio show yesterday as well as yesterday's practice.
- Spokane native and UW freshman Bishop Sankey originally committed to WSU. But he changed his mind just before signing day and decided to join the Huskies thanks to a relentless recruiting effort.
Here are some Husky football links from the weekend:
- Ryan Divish of the News Tribune has a wrap-up of Saturday's loss to Oregon State. There you'll also find video of Nick Montana being interviewed after the game.
- The Seattle Times' Bud Withers writes about what we learned in the Pac-12 this week.
- In case you missed it, former Husky quarterback Jake Locker played for the Tennessee Titans yesterday after starting quarterback (and former Seahawk) Matt Hasselbeck was injured. Although his team lost, Locker played well throwing for two touchdowns and almost leading his team to a come-from-behind victory.
- Washington State will be without their starting quarterback for the Apple Cup. Redshirt freshman Connor Halliday suffered a lacerated liver during the Cougars' 30-27 overtime loss on Saturday. Halliday was taken to the hospital but appears to be ok.
- After a week of uncertainty over who would start at quarterback, it was announced yesterday that NIck Montana will be getting his first career start in place of the injured Keith Price. The Kitsap Sun reports that coach Sark is confident in his decision.
- Six UW football players have earned Academic All-Pac-12 honors. Brendan Lopez and Greg Walker were named to the first team while Drew Schaefer, Cort Dennison and William Chandler were named to the second team. Erik Folk received honorable mention.
- Ted Miller of ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog brings you this week's "Pac-12: Did you know?" featuring fun facts from across the conference.
- Tomorrow is the final home game of the season for Oregon State, so they will be honoring their senior class. Paul Buker of the Oregonian talked with some of the veteran Beavers about their time at Oregon State.
- With the announcement that Nick Montana will make his first start tomorrow, Steve Gress of the Corvallis Gazette-Times anticipates a healthy dose of Chris Polk tomorrow for the Huskies.
Here are some Husky football links for Thursday:
- On ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog Ted Miller says that Chris Polk should have a field day against OSU's porous run defense in his weekly preview of the Pac-12. OSU's run defense is ranked 11th in the conference, giving up 183.7 yards per game.
- The big news for the Huskies is still the decision of who will start at quarterback due to Keith Price's injury. In his Wednesday practice report, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes that this decision hasn't yet been made public. Coach Sark said he'll know sometime this morning but until the decision is announced, we can only guess who will be behind center on Saturday.
- On the same note, SeattlePI has an article about Nick Montana with a slide show of pictures of the young quarterback.
- Paul Buker of the Oregonian collaborates with Bob Condotta to bring you "Five Questions, Five Answers" in preparation for Saturday's showdown.
Here are some of Wednesday's Husky football links for you reading pleasure:
- Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune writes that Keith Price got good news following his MRI on his sore left knee. It may not be feeling 100% but the MRI showed no structural damage. It's still unclear whether or not Price or Nick Montana will start, but it's a huge relief knowing that Keith will be alright.
- The News Tribune also provides a scouting report on Oregon State and some fun facts about this weekend's matchup.
- The Gazette-Times of Corvallis has a scouting report on the Huskies as well.
- Coach Sark says it's "gut-check" time for the Huskies. After losing three of their last four games, albeit against tough competition, it's time for the Huskies to rebound and toughen up.
Here are some Husky football links from around the web:
- Coach Steve Sarkisian said at his press conference yesterday that he was prepared to have Nick Montana make his first start this Saturday in Corvallis. You can read all about that and much more from his press conference here.
- The big news of the day is that Keith Price may be unable to play and Nick Montana may have to lead the Huskies. ESPN.com has a story about Price as does Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times and Scott Johnson of the Everett Herald.
- Cliff Kirkpatrick of the Corvallis Gazette-Times writes that OSU's recent skid began last year in their double overtime loss at Washington.
- Bob Clark of the Eugene Register Guard takes a look at the draft stock of several Pac-12 players including Chris Polk.
Here are some Husky football links from the weekend:
- Bob Condotta writes that UW is looking to right the ship this Saturday in Corvallis against Oregon State.
- Oregon State beat writer Cliff Kirkpatrick provides some OSU news and notes following their loss against Cal this past weekend.
- ESPN.com's Ted Miller gives his Pac-12 bowl predictions which include the Huskies going to the Alamo bowl.
- Seattle Times' Bud Withers gives a nice recap of this weekend's happenings around the conference.
- Here are coach Sark's quotes following Saturday's loss at USC.
- The Seattle Times also posted quotes and video of Keith Price from after the game.
- Eugene's Register Guard writes about Oregon State's struggles running the ball and stopping the run and how the Huskies' balanced offensive attack will present many challenges for the Beavers.
Here are some Husky football links for Friday:
- LA Times' Gary Klein discusses tomorrow's game.
- To prepare for this weekend's game, neontommy.com has a Q&A with UW writers Ryan Divish (Tacoma News Tribune) and Jacob Thorpe (UW Daily).
- Some fun facts about the Pac-12 on ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog.
- The Kitsap Sun has a story about coach Sark and the UW offensive line.
- Sean Parker is one of the rughly 35 Huskies from the LA area making a homecoming this weekend. Here he is talking about returning home, his friendship with Trojan receiver Robert Woods and more.
Here are some Husky football links from around the web:
- Each of the past two years UW kicker Erik Folk has come up clutch for the Huskies. Folk talks about what those game winning field goals meant to him, what it's like playing in front of family and friends as a Los Angeles area native and much more.
- The Kitsap Sun writes about the ups and downs of Huskies' star freshmen Kasen Williams and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins.
- Gary Klein of the LA times has a story about how Chris Polk, who was recruited by Steve Sarkisian at USC and made a verbal commitment to the Trojans, chose to go play for the Huskies.
- The LA Times also takes a look at what the Trojans need to do in order to slow down Keith Price and the Huskies.
Here are some Husky football links for Wednesday:
- The fallout from coach Sark's controversial comment about taking USC quarterback Matt Barkley over Stanford's Andrew Luck continue.
- Ted Miller of ESPN.com's Pac-12 blog writes about this week's Pac-12 happenings, calling the UW-USC game a battle for the "third best team in the Pac-12".
- USC senior running back, Marc Tyler, has been cleared to play this weekend against UW.
- The Kitsap Sun writes about the state of Husky football. The Huskies' Rose Bowl hopes may be mostly gone but there is still a lot of incentive to win given the bowl system.
-USC's Daily Trojan writes about the legacies that former USC coaches Nick Holt and Steve Sarkisian left behind when they came up north.
Here are some Husky football links from around the web:
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes that Keith Price says he'll bounce back against USC this weekend.
- Here's a photo gallery giving you a last look at Husky Stadium. Here you'll find pictures from the groundbreaking as well as some from deep within the old stadium.
- In case you haven't heard, the start time for this year's Apple Cup has been released. The November 26 showdown will kick off at 4:30 PT on Versus.
- The Daily Trojan writes about the back-and-forth between UW and USC coaches regarding Nick Holt's comments about preferring to face USC than Oregon. The article goes on to talk about the friendly rivalry and competitive spirit of these two coaching staffs.
- The LA Times lists 5 areas where USC can improve.
Here are some Husky football links to get your week started:
- There may not be a lot to celebrate from this past weekend's loss to Oregon, but the Kitsap Sun talks about freshman receiver Kasen Williams' big game.
- In case you missed the game, here is Bob Condotta's analysis to go along with highlights of the final game at pre-renovation Husky Stadium.
- Gary Klein of the LA Times writes that Washington is looking to rebound against USC this weekend. The Los Angeles newspaper is especially interested in this weekend's matchup because it pits the Trojans against former assistants Steve Sarkisian and Nick Holt.
- The News Tribune takes a look at the USC Trojans. There you can find the USC football preview for this weekend and the Trojan depth chart.
Tomorrow is game day! I know you can't wait, but for now you'll have to make do with these Husky football links from around the web:
- Every day this week prominent people from Husky history have reflected on their most memorable experience from Husky Stadium. Lawyer Milloy shares his favorite Husky Stadium moment in the final installment of the Seattle Times' week-long series.
- For those nostalgic Husky fans that want to read about even more great moments in Husky Stadium's history, the News Tribune recounts nine momentous days from the storied past of a great stadium.
- USA Today previews this weekend's biggest college football games. Number 4 on their list may be especially intriguing to the readers of this blog.
- Here is the audio as well as some notes from Nick Holt's weekly radio show on KJR. Holt talks about Alameda Ta'amu, the depth at safety and much more.
Here are Thursday's Husky football links from around the web: - The Seattle Times chatted with Husky great, Steve Emtman. He talks about hunting, his feelings about the Oregon Ducks and more. - All week long, in anticipation of the last game before the renovation of Husky Stadium, the Seattle Times has been taking a look at some of the most memorable moments in Husky Stadium history. Today's memorable moment comes from Bob Rondeau, the longtime voice of the Huskies. -Scott Johnson of the Kitsap Sun takes a look at the tough task at hand for the Husky defense: stopping Oregon's high-powered offense. - FoxSports West talked to coach Sark about some keys to beating Oregon. He talks about what his team is doing and needs to do to beat the Ducks. Here are some Husky Football Links for Wednesday:
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times has a story about the emergence of Will Shamburger. - Condotta also has several quotes from coach Sark and Oregon coach Chip Kelly from yesterday's Pac-12 teleconference on his Husky Football Blog. - Continuing their series of Husky memorable moments, the Seattle Times is taking a look at some of the greatest memories from Husky Stadium during the final week before its renovation. Today's Husky memorable moment belongs to Hugh McElhenny, the former All-American and only Husky in both the College Foundation Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. - Chris Polk continues to get lots of attention following his great performance last week. SB Nation Seattle takes a detailed look into his role in the Washington offense. - Oregon's star running back, LaMichael James, is recovering from an injury as says he's 100% and ready to go. He also talks a bit about this weekend's match up against the Huskies. Here are some Husky football links from around the web:
- With a week left before the renovation of the stadium begins, now is a great time to reflect on some of the memorable moments and people that have impacted Husky football over the years. Throughout this week the Seattle Times will be sharing peoples' favorite Husky football memories. Today former running back Joe Steele reveals his favorite memory. - Rob Moseley of the Eugene Register-Guard examines Oregon's two quarterbacks and which one, according to coach Chip Kelly, will play against the Huskies this Saturday night. - Bob Condotta writes about Chris Polk's big game and the Huskies becoming bowl eligible. - Coach Sark gets some recognition for his outstanding coaching job from cbssports.com in their week 9 review of Pac-12 winners and losers. - Ryan Divish of Tacoma's News Tribune reflects on Chris Polk's dominant performance from Saturday, when he became the first Husky to reach 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same game...not to mention his five touchdowns. Much was made in the media about Arizona's switch to their famed "Desert Swarm" defense in last week's pasting of UCLA. This physical style of play was introduced by former Wildcats coach Dick Tomey in 1992, and was a foundation to their rise as a program.
With a strong chance Washington will see this defensive look tonight at Husky Stadium, we decided to break it down here on the Dawg Blawg. The defense is key on the down linemen creating havoc at the line of scrimmage, allowing the backers and DBs to "swarm" to the ball-carrier. Speed is a priority over brawn, which is why Arizona players like Tedy Bruschi were able to have such success in the system. In simple terms, it's an eight-man front that many coaches feel is one of the best in stopping an opponent's running game, much like the Chicago Bears old "46 Defense" did in the NFL. And for Arizona, it worked last week as UCLA was held to 37 yards on the ground. The formation: Five defenders reside on the line. The defensive end in the system plays a "7 technique," meaning he lines up inside the tight end on the strong side of the offensive line. In partnership with the neighboring 3-technique defensive tackle, the nose DT lines up in a slanted position, attacking the neck of the center, which makes him hard to double-team and hinders what teams can do on the weak-side (away from the TE). Additionally, there's a "flex" tackle playing a few yards off the LOS on the weak side. Finally, another lineman plays out wide ... WAY off the left tackle, almost at the 9 technique slot. The strong safety overhangs about five yards off the LOS and plays more like a LB. In coverage, the remaining three DBs are often play Cover 3. For more info, local blog SeatownSports has a thorough writeup of Arizona's vintage D that's worth checking out. Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian noted this week he hasn't prepared for the double eagle flex in almost 10 years, but considering few coaches can script a game plan like Sark, Huskies fans shouldn't be worried Here are some news and notes:
-FoxSportsArizona released it scouting report on the Huskies. -Scott Johnson of the Kitsap Sun writes a story about Nick Montana's patience as the backup quarterback and his passion for playing the game of football. -The Seattle Times' Bob Condotta takes a look at Arizona's recent coaching change and compares it to a similar incident in recent Husky history. -ESPN's Pac-12 Blog has some fun facts about the conference and has some good information about all the week's match ups. -On a sad note, former Huskies defensive line star Ron Holmes passed away at the age of 48. Bob Condotta writes that the 1984 All-American had a big impact on the football program as well as the people that knew him. With Arizona coming off a resounding win over UCLA last week in Tucson, the intrigue surrounding this weekend's matchup against Washington has picked up. The two programs staged an epic game in 2009 here in Seattle, with the Huskies needed a shoestring interception return for a touchdown by Mason Foster to ensure victory. Will it be that close again Saturday night at Husky Stadium, with the program instituting a fan-wide blackout. To learn more about the other side of the matchup with talked with the Ryan Finley of the Arizona Daily Star in Tucson, the Wildcats beat writer.
Q: How surprising is it that Arizona was capable of such a turnaround after the coaching change in the program? What happened during the bye that led Tim Kish to change the culture? A: I don't think Arizona's win over UCLA was surprising, necessarily; the way the Wildcats were able to beat them was. For the first time all season, the UA was able to start fast and hold a lead. The Wildcats also seemed to play freer, which is a testament to Kish's positive approach. In the span of 10 days, Kish brought back much of the fun that was lost during the final month of Mike Stoops' tenure. The Wildcats scrimmaged more in practices, were looser in meetings and even dusted off an old look -- the double-eagle flex defense that the famed "Desert Swarm" team used in the mid-90s. Q: While Arizona has struggled this year, the Wildcats still have one of the nation's best QBs. Now he's scripting plays a la Andrew Luck. Was this something that changed Tim Kish took over? A: Nick Foles had a lot of responsibility within the offense when Stoops was the head coach, but being able to script and call plays is a new level for him. Kish gave the Wildcats' offensive coaches total control over game planning and play-calling for the rest of the season; they've passed some of that responsibility on to Foles. Q: The running game returned to form against UCLA. In your opinion, is that a fluke or a sign of the Arizona offense to come? Why were the Wildcats able to generate yardage running the ball against the Bruins? A: I think it was probably a combination of better execution and a struggling opponent. Nobody will ever confuse Arizona with Tailback U, but the Wildcats' run game continues to improve. Right now, they're experimenting with a shotgun, full-house attack that they call the "bone." Q: What is the biggest storyline this week coming out of Tucson? A: People are still talking about the streaker and the ensuing brawl that marred the Wildcats' last game and led to four UA players being suspended for all or part of Saturday's game. Cornerback Shaquille Richardson and nickel back Jourdon Grandon, both starters, have been suspended for the entire game, while backups Lyle Brown and Mark Watley will miss the first half. The UA is so thin in the secondary that coaches have moved a few wide receivers to corner, just in case. Q: With a quartet of defensive backs out for the game, how do the Wildcats cope with the passing acumen/decision-making of Keith Price? A: Arizona would be smart to try to control the clock, offensively, for the first half. I can see the UA playing nickel and possibly dime in the first half, forcing the Huskies to run the ball. Of course, given Arizona's struggles against the run this year and Chris Polk's success, it's a pick-your-poison situation. Q: What does Washington need to do to win the game? A: Take care of the football. Arizona forced two turnovers in the first half of last week's win over UCLA, and it turned the game in the Wildcats' favor for good. If Price is responsible with the ball and Polk stays true to form, the Huskies will be in fine shape. Q: What does Arizona need to do to win the game? A: Control the clock. The best way to stop Price, Polk and the Huskies might be to just keep them off the field. If Arizona can show some balance offensively, move the ball and dominate time of possession, it'll win. Stanford showed last week that conservative play -- and some stellar executioin -- might be the blueprint to beating the Huskies. Q: Have any of the Arizona players talked about the 2009 game at Husky Stadium? Or is that a distant memory? A: Oh, they remember. Time has mellowed their anger over what they thought was a bad call, but it's still a memory. Mostly, the Wildcats remember the flukey finish as one of the strangest games they've ever been associated with. Taking a swing through this morning's football coverage around the web.
- The Kitsap Sun's Scott Johnson takes a closer look at Chris Polk's impressive season so far and how he is quietly having his best season yet.
Two of the best quarterbacks in the nation are facing off this weekend when Washington meets Stanford in Palo Alto. One, Andrew Luck, is already cemented as the No. 1 pick in next spring's NFL Draft, while another, Keith Price, is just starting to introduce himself to America.
![]() Q: Andrew Luck is obviously a focal point but it's hard to discount the strength of Stanford's offensive line. What does the team do so well that makes it hard to pressure/hit/sack Luck? A: Partly it's Luck's superb pocket presence. He's very aware of where the pass rushers are and can slide and move up in the pocket as needed. He also throws very well on the dead run. His line has been improving steadily, led by veterans RG David DeCastro and LT Jonathan Martin. They and the new starters this year-- C Sam Schwartzstein, LG David Yankey and RT Cameron Fleming -- have been excellent at pass protection. The tight ends have also excelled at that. Lastly, RB Stepfan Taylor is terrific at picking up blitzes. That's one reason why he plays so much, even though Stanford has some other very good backs. Q: You could argue the Huskies haven't faced a defense like the one Stanford presents this weekend? Although the Cardinal line up in vanilla formations, what is it about the D that makes it extremely difficult for teams to move the ball consistently? They are constantly switching things around. They vary their blitzes quite a bit. The main thing, though, is they've been very stout against the run. NT Terrence Stephens has stepped in nicely for Sione Fua, and DEs Ben Gardner and Matt Masifilo have played very well too. At some point, the loss of ILB Shayne Skov (knee) is going to come back and bite them, but it hasn't yet because Jarek Lancaster and A.J. Tarpley have been OK in that spot. Safeties Delano Howell and Michael Thomas have been great, although Howell won't play Saturday because of hand injury. Basically, Stanford has shut down the running games and forced teams into third-and-long. Q: In your opinion, what caused Stanford to look out-of-sync in the first half at Washington State last weekend? A: I think they were trying a little too hard to get the wide receivers involved since so much of the offense has revolved around the three tight ends. Luck's first pass was picked; it was underthrown and Jamal-Rashad Patterson didn't put up enough of a battle for it. On the next series, Luck tried unsuccessfully to hit Chris Owusu deep, then tried a pass to him over the middle on which the safety smacked Owusu, putting him out of the game. Stepfan Taylor lost a fumble, so that meant two turnovers in one half, very rare for Stanford. Q: What concerns does Stanford have about Keith Price and a Washington offense that has scored 30+ points in each game this season? A: They are very concerned with Price's ability to buy time for the excellent receivers to get open. Stanford seems to have trouble making tackles in space, so if those wideouts and (Austin) Seferian-Jenkins can get open, they could cause trouble. The Cardinal also are well aware of Chris Polk's ability to run and catch. Q: Washington has a tight end (Austin Seferian-Jenkins) that causes matchup problems for opposing defenses, much like the Stanford trio of tight ends. How does the play of that group open up things for the rest of the Stanford offense? If the linebackers and safeties concentrate on stopping the tight ends - Coby Fleener, Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo - that can open space downfield for the WRs or on short patterns for fullback Ryan Hewitt, who's a good receiver. It can also open things up for screen passes, although Stanford doesn't run a lot of screens. When the defenders take off with TEs, it can open up the running game as well. Q: What's the biggest storyline coming out of the Stanford camp this week? A: The hand injury to Delano Howell, who's the hardest hitter on the defense and one of the leading tacklers. He'll be missed this week. Q: What will Washington need to do to win the game this weekend? A: They need to run the ball with Polk to chew up some clock, but mainly they need to hit some big pass plays. Stanford is not an easy team to mount a sustained drive against because they are so sound defensively, mainly against the run. Q: What will Stanford need to do to win the game this weekend? A: Score at least 37 points, as they've done every game this year. I don't see the UW defense containing them for long, especially since Stanford is even more concerned with ball security after last week. It won't be 41-0 like last year, but I'd imagine Stanford will win by 2-3 touchdowns. ![]() Coming off that performance, here's a five things we learned about the Huskies. The Dawgs Are Road Warriors: For the first time since the 2000 season the Huskies have won three straight road games within the conference. With last Saturday's 31-14 win at Utah, the Huskies have piggybacked off last season's dramatic close, which saw the Dawgs pick up victories at California and at Washington State. For Coach Sarkisian, this comes down to a tried-and-true philosophy of defense and ball control, as the Utes rushed the ball for just 17 yards and faced a steady diet of Chris Polk in the second half. This took a lot of the steam out of a boisterous crowd at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Defense Continues To Improve: Utah piled up 305 yards through the air, but did so by completely abandoning their run-game. By making the Utes one-dimensional, the Huskies were able to pin their ears back on defense, play fast, and force turnovers. All in all, Washington had five takeaways (two interceptions and three fumble recoveries), including one that it took back for a score. Utes running back John White found zero room to run, thanks to some stellar play from defensive tackles Alameda Ta'Amu and Semisi Tokolahi. Chris Polk Is A Bell Cow: When all else fails, the Huskies know they can hand the ball off to their junior TB and find yards. Polk rushed for 189 yards, and although he didn't have a touchdown he was able to soften up the Utes defense and open throwing lanes for Keith Price. The highlight of the evening was a 49-yard scamper down the left sideline, a gashing run that put Utah right on its heels to start the second half. Polk is averaging 122 yards per game on the ground, second in the Pac-12 and 10th nationally. Keith Price Embraces A Challenge: Much was made after the game about how Coach Sarkisian playfully challenged his sophomore quarterback during halftime. Whatever the tenor of the discussion was, the message hit home. Price threw three touchdowns in the second half, and performed surgery on the Utes secondary by spreading the ball to a variety of receivers. And there's the problem for opposing defenses. Key in too much on one player, and Price will coolly distribute it to someone else. He hit eight different receivers during the Utah game, completing 22-of-30 passes in the process. Another note: with 17 TD passes on the season, Price has already moved into a tie for seventh in single-season TD tosses. The record is 28 (set by Cody Pickett). Offensive Line Responds As Well: The success of Price and Polk wouldn't be possible without the improved play of the O-line, which shrugged off a sluggish first-half performance to wear down the Utes late. During his weekly meeting with reporters, Sarkisian credited the work of offensive line coach Dan Cozzetto in making some halftime adjustments, which shored up the protection of Price and opened holes for Polk. Hope Solo breezed through Week 1 of "Dancing With The Stars," thanks to flawless execution of a Viennese waltz that earned the former Huskies GK 21 points. Of course, there might be no bigger supporters for Solo than the members of the Husky women's soccer team, who put together a cool - and hilarious - video with help from their student-athlete friends on the football team. Be sure to check it out below.
![]() At the end of the walk-through, Sarkisian gathered his troops at midfield and told then, "we're all we've got," meaning the Huskies need to play for each other tomorrow in a sea of red. Once back at the hotel, the Huskies went through position meetings and then gathered as a group with Coach Sark. These kinds of speeches tend to get inspiring, often carrying the team through the next day. Highlight of the walk-through? Going through the tunnel and seeing the red 1991 plaque. Nebraska went 9-2-1 that year, but was collared with a 36-21 loss to the Huskies in Lincoln. Lots of players made sure to snap iPhone pictures of that one. Overcast skies greeted the Huskies when they awoke at their hotel in Lincoln, Neb. Thankfully we haven't heard any quips (yet) about whether we brought the weather with us.
On the agenda is breakfast and meetings. We decided to poke around the web to see what the national pundits are saying about the matchup at Memorial Stadium this weekend (Sat. 12:30 p.m. PST, ABC/ESPN). Needless to say, we feel the Huskies have the talent to prove some people wrong this weekend. Stewart Mandel, Sports Illustrated Nebraska 30, Washington 14 "It's the third meeting in 12 months for the Huskies and Huskers. The first was a disaster for Washington, the second a bowl debacle for Nebraska. Expect more of the former. Taylor Martinez may make mistakes, but he'll still cause problems for a suspect UW defense. Meanwhile, Jared Crick, Cameron Meredith and the rest of the Huskers' defensive front will put heavy pressure on Huskies QB Keith Price." Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News Pick: Nebraska "Difficult assignment for the Huskies, and not because Lincoln is a tough place to play (it can't compare to Pac-12 venues like Autzen or Arizona Stadium). Rather, it's a tough assignment because the Cornhuskers are good. Very good. And because UW's defense allowed two lesser teams, Hawaii and EWU, to roll up 892 yards and 59 points." Pat Forde, ESPN Pick: Nebraska (starts at the 1:50 mark of the video) Bud Withers, Seattle Times Nebraska 37, Washington 17 "The prevailing theory is that the Huskies have closed the gap considerably on the Huskers, who have an inexperienced offensive line and a much less imposing secondary than they did a year ago. I don't dispute that. But I'm guessing that the Holiday Bowl comeuppance the Huskers suffered at the hands of Washington is going to be a huge motivational factor for Nebraska. That, coupled with the youth of Washington linebackers and QB Keith Price, makes this uphill for the Huskies." Extra Points - Ted Miller of ESPN has his preview of the Washington-Nebraska tilt up on the Pac-12 blog. Like many analysts, he ties the Huskies chances to Chris Polk, considering the tailback rushed for 177 yards in the Holiday Bowl win over the Cornhuskers. - Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times has a look back at the Huskies' last win in Lincoln, a game that UW dominated but needed a fourth-quarter rally to secure a 36-21 victory. - On the Nebraska side of things, the folks at Huskers Extra have a video previewing the game. ![]() A smooth three-hour flight brought the Washington football program from Seattle to Lincoln, Neb., a nice start to the first road trip of the season. Before departing UW, the Huskies held a light practice (just shorts & helmets) to re-emphasize the game plan against the Cornhuskers.
Travel at UW is a pain-free operation. Student-athletes, coaches and administrators board four buses and cruise over to Sea-Tac, right on the tarmac. Then it's wheels up on the charter, which took the traveling party direct to Lincoln. Special shoutout to Assistant Athletic Director of Football Operations Dennis Slutak for coordinating all the travel logistics. On the flight, most of the student-athletes either sleep or listen to music/watch movies. Cool to see the voice of the Huskies, Bob Rondeau, digest a wealth of information leading up to the game, scanning through Nebraska clips, media guides, etc. Once in Nebraska, the group split - players to their hotel and donors/administrators to another. The Huskies will meet downstairs later for a snack, but the importance is for them to rest. Now that we're in the Cornhusker State, we'll pass on a few links related to the Huskies from behind enemy lines.
There's plenty of national intrigue surrounding Washington's trip to Nebraska this weekend to take on Big Red in Lincoln. The two programs are now meeting for the third time within a year, an extreme rarity in college football. The Cornhuskers won the first meeting in Seattle 56-21 before the Huskies had their revenge at the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, dominating the game from a physical standpoint in a 19-7 victory.
![]() Q: Third time in the same year these teams are facing each other. How is the Nebraska football program viewing the matchup with UW? It doesn't seem as if motivation will be a factor this time around? A: Some of Nebraska's players are referring to it as "Washington Week," so I'd say the Huskies have their full attention. The Holiday Bowl woke up the Huskers, especially when UW prepared so well for the game and played with such purpose. Maybe revenge is a small part of NU's mindset, but it's more like this: Nebraska knows now what Washington is really capable of doing. Q: In your opinion, what caused Nebraska to struggle with Fresno State until late in the game? A: Poor coverage units - Fresno returned a punt for a touchdown - and poor defense. Nebraska didn't stop the run very well and didn't have its usual great night in pass coverage. The defensive coaches - and players - were disappointed in the whole performance. NU's top corner - Alfonzo Dennard, who had the Pick Six off of Jake Locker in Round 1 - hasn't played yet this year after suffering a pulled leg muscle in camp. He makes Nebraska's whole defense better. After a slow start, Nebraska's offense hit several big plays in a row on Fresno State's defense. Q: Carl Pelini said the Washington offense was "very different" in the Holiday Bowl than what the team had seen earlier on. What concerns does Nebraska have facing a new QB in Keith Price? A: (Keith) Price hasn't run much in two games, but Nebraska knows he's mobile and able to turn broken plays into big gains. Washington's receivers have NU's attention, as does the big freshman tight end (Austin Seferian-Jenkins). It goes without saying that Chris Polk is a focal point, too. Q: The Huskies are by all indications a young team. Can you describe the challenges for teams who aren't familiar with the atmosphere that is Memorial Stadium? A: You don't want to get behind early in Memorial Stadium. The crowd can be electric when NU stakes a lead, and opponents struggle to find their footing. Another thing you wouldn't expect is that Nebraska has five video boards, and coaches sometimes have to remind their kids not to watch the dang things all the time. Q: What's the biggest storyline coming from Nebraska camp this week? A: Getting the defense back on track. Nebraska's coaches are rightly confident that it'll happen, because when the defense has been punched in the nose, it generally rebounds quite well under Bo Pelini. Beyond that, because it's Nebraska, there's always chatter about the play of the offensive line. Fans and writers have a high standard there. Q: How has the play of Taylor Martinez (a name many here in Washington are familiar with) been the first two weeks of the season? A: Depends on who you ask. If you ask me, Martinez is still the straw that stirs Nebraska's drink. He's back to full speed, he's had five runs already over 35 yards, and when he does find the corner on an option play, he's hard to catch. He's been given much more freedom to audible this year, and he's done pretty well with it. He's a stronger leader, too, by all accounts. He still struggles with fumbles and bad decisions outside of the pocket. He's completed fewer than 50 percent of his passes, as well. Q: Opposing quarterbacks have had two big games against the Huskies so far. Although the Nebraska strength is running the ball, do you feel the Huskers will try and diversify their attack this weekend? A: Yes. Nebraska did that against Fresno State. NU has a lot of young, fast receivers and running backs who can stretch the field. They're inexperienced, but pretty explosive. Q: What will Washington need to do to win the game this weekend? A: Win the turnover battle, run the ball with Polk, hit a few deep passes and try to contain Martinez in the running game. Martinez might hit a long pass or two, but his big runs deflate a defense more. Q: What will Nebraska need to do to win the game this weekend? A: Stop Washington's running game, run the ball consistently and get an early lead. Q: Where should hungry and thirsty Washington fans go in Lincoln on Friday night? A: The conventional answer is Misty's Steakhouse in retro neighborhood called Havelock, an old Lincoln landmark where a lot of football legends have had a drink, held court and tucked into a steak. But since it's a landmark and people tend to gravitate there, I'd advise getting there pretty early in the night. If you're closer to downtown, there's a second Misty's nearby are plenty of sports bars. Lazlo's, in the Haymarket, is popular, but also a hot ticket. There's a popular group of NU-themed musicians called The Sidetrack Band playing at 10th and P. The best of the wing joints is probably The Watering Hole. The Mexican food in town is better than you might expect, but Lincolnites rarely agree on what's best. ![]() For a handful of Huskies this weekend, the matchup with Hawai'i runs a little deeper than your traditional college football opponent. Washington has five Hawaiians on its roster, most of whom passed up opportunities to play on the islands in favor of coming to UW.
Hau'oli Jamora told reporters this week his brother-in-law (Corey Paredes) is a senior linebacker for the Warriors. And while there is pressure on the islands to play for Hawai'i, Jamora also noted family friends prodded him to make his own decision. The other Hawaiians on the UW roster include Micah Hatchie (Haleiwa, HI), Lawrence Lagafuaina (Alea, HI), Taz Stephenson (Milliani, HI) and Semisi Tokolahi (Hilo, HI). All but Tokolahi grew up on the island of Oahu. Look for the Hawai'i pipeline to continue with Steve Sarkisian at the helm. The third-year coach has recruited the islands dating back to his days as an assistant at USC, and has familiarity there. So does Johnny Nansen, the defensive line assistant who's been instrumental in helping the Huskies establish a presence on the islands. One reason that Sark recruits the islands so heavily is the intense brand of football played between the schools, many of which have deep-seeded rivalries. Sark added that physical style of play meshes well with the Huskies' own philosophies. But the tradition of bringing Hawai'i players to Seattle dates back a few more years. As Bob Condotta notes, some of the Huskies most-known players have come from our nation's 50th state. This includes long time NFL center Olin Kreutz, and most recently Daniel Te'o-Ne'sheim, who is currently on the Philadelphia Eagles practice squad. We should also note that DTN dressed as if he never left the islands, never without his shorts and flip-flops, no matter the weather conditions in Seattle. We'll have more this week on the Dawg Blawg of the Huskies matchup with Hawaii, which takes place at 12:30 p.m. at Husky Stadium. ![]() Picture Day brought thousands of fans to Husky Stadium on Sunday, and allowed Washington's passionate fan base to meet the 2011 Huskies. The entire football team, plus coaches, signed autographs and took photos with fans for almost two hours. There will be a full photo gallery later on GoHuskies.com, but we wanted to offer a few select shots from Picture Day.
Before meeting with fans, the Huskies had their head shots taken. Those will be used by TV graphic crews. Then the Huskies went behind a green screen to have their introductions taped, which will appear on the HuskyTron. Less than two weeks until the Huskies take on Eastern Washington at Husky Stadium. If you haven't been out to Husky Stadium to check this team out, make sure you do. The Huskies return to practice on Monday afternoon at 3:15 p.m. ![]() The Huskies held a spirited scrimmage on Saturday in Montlake, which also marked the halfway point of fall camp. And while coach Steve Sarkisian would like his squad a little healthier at this point of the season, he's pleased with how everything has transpired so far. On Seattle's hottest day of the year, the Huskies made the most of the 90-minute workout. Fans took advantage of the weather as well, with plenty of Dawg fans making the trip over to Husky Stadium.
Defense Had The Edge There were no turnovers during the scrimmage, but there were plenty of hits. Greg Walker created a stir with his leveling of a Huskies wide receiver, preventing an easy completion. There were plenty of quarterback pressures from the defensive line, which kept Keith Price and Nick Montana out of the pocket and on the move. Will Shamburger had the best chance at an interception, but dropped a gift-wrapped pass, earning him a little razzing from teammates on the sideline. The Offensive Standouts Evan Hudson had the first touchdown, finding a soft spot in the end zone to come down with a 3-yard pass from Montana. Price scored the other touchdown, scrambling for 10 yards down the right sideline and diving into the end zone, a play that earned kudos from Sarkisian afterward. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins would have scored a 20-yard touchdown, but the play was waived off after an offensive penalty. Don't Forget Special Teams Kevin Smith leads the way with his kickoff return for a touchdown. The play was blocked so well that the sophomore wide receiver wasn't touched en route to the score. Sarkisian also had plenty of compliments for Erik Folk, particularly his distance on kickoffs. Odds & Ends After practice, the team had the typical routine of ice baths and media obligations. Then they boarded a bus and headed over to a local movie theater to watch "Conan" as a group ... ESPN personality Kenny Mayne was at practice and filmed a small segment with the Huskies, which he said would air Sept. 11 on "NFL Countdown." Mayne, we should point out, was a member of the Husky football team for a brief moment before transferring to UNLV. Mayne was assisted, btw, by former UW softball player Bailey Stenson ... The post-practice routine was briefly interrupted by a former Huskies player taking his new bride on the field for some wedding photos. Coach Sark joined the couples on the W logo for a few portraits as well. ![]() Come Saturday morning, there will be just two weeks remaining before the Huskies take the field against Eastern Washington on Sept. 3. With time dwindling down before the season begins in earnest, Coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters the position battles are beginning to cement.
Scrimmage Warmup The Huskies will scrimmage at Saturday afternoon's practice, which begins at 3:15 p.m. Sark acknowledged this would be the last chance for Huskies further down the depth chart to state their case. On Friday night, the Huskies were in full pads but tackling was not emphasized. Instead, the team did a lot of work within position groups and on special teams before finishing the evening with 11-on-11 action. Playmakers At Linebacker Garrett Gilliland had another interception in practice, this one during the 7-on-7 drills. The sophomore linebacker from Orange County has continued to make plays in practice, attracting the attention of the Huskies coaches. When asked about the linebackers by the media, Sarkisian said the team has a nice rotation going now heading towards the season. Once Again, Kasen Williams This seems redundant on the Dawg Blawg, but the frosh WR made another terrific play in simulated game action Friday. Williams snared a difficult ball in traffic, and then split the safeties to score what would have been a 70-yard touchdown. Kevin Smith also had a standout reception, tip-toeing the sideline to haul in a bullet from QB Keith Price. But it should be noted the wide receivers as a whole have been one of the top position groups in camp. One of the best catches of the night, though, came via the tight ends. Marlion Barnett secured a ball between two defenders, increasing the degree-of-difficulty by absorbing a pair of hits as well. Dawgs Doing Just Fine At Next Level One of the top plays from NFL action on Thursday night came when Tampa Bay rookie Mason Foster put a charge into boisterous Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco. The hit was instant highlight fodder, although Foster was flagged on the play. Should he be fined as well, his bank account will be unscathed. That's because Ochocinco was so impressed by the former Washington star that he offered to pay the fine. This, of course, all transpired over Twitter. ![]() More Photos Available
Make sure you check out CoachSark.com each day for additional photos from practice. Great roundup tonight posted on their photo blog. ![]() The reason Steve Sarkisian stresses competition in camp is to make sure all his troops are ready to step up on a moment's notice. So when a situation arises like today, when the Huskies announced Chris Polk had his knee scoped, the program can plug in a capable replacement.
Polk is expected to miss between 2-4 weeks, meaning there is a small chance he will not play in the team's opener on Sept. 3 against Eastern Washington. Sarkisian told media members he wanted to take care of Polk's knee issue "right away." It's important to know the Huskies have plenty of depth at the position, with Jesse Callier now expected to take a bulk of the carries in practice going forward. The sophomore from Downey, Calif., has put in a lot of hard work over the summer to add muscle to his frame, hoping to make the transition from fly sweep specialist to all-around back. During practice, Callier had several nice runs between the tackles. For more of Callier's interview with the media, check out the video at the bottom of the blog. "I felt like (strength coach) Ivan (Lewis) got me right," Callier said, who noted he's up to 205 from 195. "I've been lifting hard every day, running, just eating right." In addition, the Huskies have Johri Fogerson and Bishop Sankey in the wings, both of whom have had outstanding fall camps. Sarkisian Makes Trip To California The Huskies coach made a trip to California earlier in the morning to mourn the passing of his long-time mentor mentor in Torrance - Fred Petersen. Sarkisian was back at Husky Stadium about halfway through practice. Evaluations Go On Everything is beginning to build toward the Huskies' scrimmage on Saturday. The team worked out in shells on Thursday afternoon. The UW coaches are looking at the scrimmage as a final audition of sorts, before moving forward with plans for the opener against EWU. During practice, several young players continued to make an impact. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins and Kasen Williams both caught TD passes in 11-on-11 situations. Travis Feeney was a ball-hawk during drills as well, showcasing plenty of range in coverage. Anthony Gobern continued to play with the Huskies' top defense. Come Out To Picture Day A friendly reminder that the team's annual picture day is this Sunday at Husky Stadium, beginning at 11:30 a.m. This is an opportunity for fans to come meet the 2011-12 team, all of whom will be in uniform and signing autographs. Video Of The Day Callier talks about his progression as a tailback, and some of the issues that cropped up last season. The sophomore is ready and capable to assume the starting job should Polk have to miss any regular-season action. ![]() The Huskies made progressive steps towards the regular season on Tuesday, holding a spirited scrimmage at Husky Stadium. Didn't hurt that Seattle provided a near-perfect August afternoon, giving fans plenty of incentive to make the trip over to Montlake.
Scrimmage Highlights Chris Polk opened the scrimmage with a TD on 4th-and-1, churning through a pair of tackles for the score ... Jamaal Kearse returned a fumble for a touchdown after a botched center-QB exchange. Nick Montana led an impressive second drive for a TD. The RS sophomore hooked up with WR James Johnson for a big gain to move his squad into the red zone. Montana then hit fullback Travon Brooks on a play action pass for the touchdown ... Danny Shelton continues to wreck havoc on the defensive line, pushing back two linemen to tackle a running back behind the line of scrimmage. Playing freshmen was a priority for coach Steve Sarkisian, who went exclusively with young players toward the end of scrimmage. "I kept thinking, man, we have an athletic group," Sarkisian said. Injury Front Good news for the Huskies in that Quinton Richardson's scans revealed no serious injuries. The senior CB was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain, and Sark said the team would not try and rush him back for the Sept. 3 opener against Eastern Washington. More Guests At Husky Stadium Fox play-by-play voice Gus Johnson took in practice with the rest of his broadcast crew, which included ex-Minnesota Golden Gophers coach Tim Brewster. Johnson, as many Huskies fans know, had the tremendous end-of-game call of the Pac-10 MBB Championship game between Washington & Arizona. If only Isaiah Thomas could have been out at practice. Turns out the Sacramento Kings PG was pretty bummed about it. ![]() Continue reading Huskies Glean Info From Lively Scrimmage.
![]() It was another primetime practice for the the Washington football program on Monday night, as the team moved to build on a solid first week of work. The Huskies began the workout with a heavy emphasis on special teams before a segue to live action.
Stepping Into The Spotlight The interest throughout practice was in DB Greg Ducre, who filled in as a starter with Quinton Richardson out with an ankle injury. The sophomore from Los Angeles filled in capably, earning plenty of praise from Coach Steve Sarkisian after practice. "I was encouraged by what Ducre brought tonight," Sarkisian said. Injuries occur regularly in football, and Sark wants his reserves ready to step up on a moment's notice. Defense Wins ... This Round During the near 40 plays run by the Huskies, the clear victor was the defense. Josh Shirley was a monster off the edge, racking up a safety, a sack, a forced fumble and numerous QB pressures. Danny Shelton caused a stir when he pushed two offensive linemen into the backfield to help stop a running play dead in its tracks. After practice, the defensive line gathered as a unit to go over specific aspects of their technique and alignment. Not satisfied with just having a good night, this unit has aspirations on doing much more this season. Play Of The Day Austin Sefarian-Jenkins had Husky Stadium buzzing after his one-handed catch over the middle of the field. The frosh TE then outraced defenders for a score. ASJ also made another impressive catch over the middle, and shrugged off two crushing hits from Husky DBs in the process. Power Formation The Huskies closed out the season with a heavy emphasis on defense and a power running game. Both aspects look to be in sync as the UW tailbacks had another excellent practice. Chris Polk bowled over a would-be tackler for a 20-yard gain. Johri Fogerson made several tacklers miss and Bishop Sankey continued to pick up yardage in key spots. Video Highlights Check out the Husky tailbacks at work from their night practice on Saturday. The emphasis is, of course, on work, but the group also knows how to have a little fun as well. The first official weekend of the NFL has come and gone, and we wanted to take a look at how the Huskies fared in the opening round of preseason games.
We'll start in Tennessee, where Jake Locker opened some eyes with a compelling performance against the Minnesota Vikings. And accuracy was clearly no concern on his first NFL touchdown pass, a 45-yard bomb that came on a somewhat busted play. Locker finished 7-of-10 for 89 yards, posting a QB rating of 130.8. Of course, this created a few rumblings about whether the Titans have a QB controversy on their hands. You can see Jake discuss his performance on the Tennessee Titans website. Going around the league, here is how a few other Huskies performed.
![]() Husky Football shifted to prime time on Saturday night, with the Dawgs holding the first two-a-day workouts of Fall Camp. A crowd of several hundred fans came out as well, and the Huskies did not disappoint with their effort. For two hours, Washington practiced with full pads, with particular emphasis on special situations. During the morning workout, the Huskies were in shorts and helmets, with focus primarily on two-minute drills.
Competition Reigns No matter who is on the field for the Huskies, the aim has been to make plays. So when Justin Glenn saw a ball carrier bearing in on him during 11-on-11 drills, the junior safety threw his 206-pound frame at him, even if it meant losing his helmet in the process. This play came just after Glenn charged into the line of scrimmage to stun a running back for just a small gain. Get Hyped It seems whenever the Huskies work on their goal line offensive/defensive packages, both sides of the ball amp up the intensity. After the offense scored a pair of touchdowns, including a Nick Montana to Evan Hudson connection on play-action, the defense stepped up to the challenge with several big-time stops in short-yardage situations. Stepping Up Bishop Sankey has received plenty of compliments for his play in practice, and the freshman responded with another strong effort on Saturday. His best highlight came near the end of the workout, when he took a handoff and scooted 35 yards on a shifty run down field. Play Of The Day Austin Sefarian-Jenkins for his diving, juggling catch (in traffic, no less) on a skinny post route for a touchdown, much to the delight of the fans in attendance. Post-Practice Game Typically after practice, the quarterbacks will line up on the 35 and heave balls at the goal posts. Coach Sark, a former college QB, is usually in the group as well. The winner on Saturday night was walk-on QB Wil Smith, a freshman from Los Altos, Calif., for hitting the bar on consecutive throws. ![]() The first year Steve Sarkisian wanted to add speed. In his second go-round, the goal was strength. Now the third-year coach wants to ensure his Huskies are the most explosive team in the Pac-12.
A summer's worth of time well-spent in the weight room was on display at Husky Stadium on Friday, as the team put on full pads for the first time this camp. As Sark notes, this is the time when the contenders separate themselves from the pack. It was a practice Sark called "as physical as we've been." Hits Delivered, Message Served The play that shook up camp this week was Desmond Trufant's jarring hit on a Husky newcomer, one of those "Welcome to D-I football moments." But the junior defensive back was plenty humble about it afterward, telling media he just wanted to "make a play." But the contact drew plenty of "Oooohs" from the crowd on the sideline ... Frosh Danny Shelton was a terror on the defensive line, and he turned heads when he beat an offensive lineman to stun a ball carrier in the backfield. Stand Up & Take Notice Nick Holt, the son of the Huskies defensive coordinator, scored a touchdown in 11-on-11 drills after catching a pass from Nick Montana. The younger Holt, a graduate of Seattle Prep, made the move to fullback early in camp and has shown a lot of promise at the position ... Bishop Sankey once again earned plaudits for his fearless style of running between the tackles. He had a nice run at the end of practice on a toss sweep, eluding several would-be tacklers ... Derrick Brown had a couple of nice reps during 11-on-11 drills, throwing a deep completion to Josh Perkins that was called back because of a penalty. The 'Are You Kidding Me' Moment? That would go to Kasen Williams, who made a catch in drills that would make Larry Fitzgerald proud. The frosh wide receiver caught a ball one-handed over his shoulders, shocking a crowd of fans in the corner of the end zone. Camp Guests Members of the Huskies men's basketball staff were out at practice, as were student-athletes from the UW women's basketball team. Under The Lights Saturday's practice is the second of two-a-days, and the lone workout of the day open to the public. Practice starts at 7 p.m., at Husky Stadium. Video Of The Day Trufant discusses his offseason work in the weight room, which has led to 10 additional pounds on his frame. The junior wants to move past a sophomore season that wasn't up to his standards, but is confident and has been one of the standouts of camp so far. ![]() The setting at Husky Stadium couldn't have been better Thursday. With the sun-drenched skies offering a picturesque backdrop, the Huskies went back to work on Day 4 of Fall Camp, once again making intensity the theme of the afternoon.
Smashmouth Football When the Huskies broke off into position groups, the best theater came when the offensive line went against the D-line in drills. Both units refused to cede any ground at all, colliding into each other at full force, much to the delight of the sizable crowd gathered around the action. Big Plays On Offense Plenty of mentions to go around. Austin Sefarian-Jenkins caught a long touchdown pass during 11-on-11 drills, finding himself wide-open well behind the defense. Another candidate was when Kasen Williams perfectly high-pointed a ball and ripped it out of the defenders hands. The play of the day, though, went to Chris Polk, who slithered through the defensive line and linebackers before outracing the DBs to the end zone for a long TD run. Defense Stands Out So far this camp, the Husky defense has established itself as a swift, physical unit. The number of available jobs on that side of the ball has increased the level of competition as well. Sean Parker continued his excellent camp with an interception towards the end of practice. He wasn't the only DB to have success on Thursday, as Desmond Trufant broke up several passes during drills. Jonathan Timu, who is locked in a battle for an outside linebacker's job, picked off a tipped pass of his own. Camp Visitors A few members of the Husky softball team took in practice. So did Seattle Sounders FC broadcaster Arlo White, who wandered the sidelines before jumping on the radio with broadcaster Elise Woodward of KJR-AM. Video Of The Day Jonathan Amosa talks to reporters about asking Coach Steve Sarkisian to switch from defense to offense, a move that looks to be paying dividends. Amosa has taken a lot of reps as the No. 1 fullback. At 230 pounds, the Rainier Beach product has dished out more than a few hits as well. ![]() No matter who quarterbacks the Huskies this season, there will be weapons in the arsenal. This much was on display during 11-on-11 drills Wednesday, when a simple Keith Price to Kasen Williams connection turned into a 60-yard score. The prodigious frosh receiver out of Skyline High School snared a five-yard dig route and then raced upfield past several defenders into the end zone.
In the video clip below, Price talks about the camaraderie he's building with all the receivers, particularly Williams. Tab Coach Steve Sarkisian as another who's excited about those possibilities in the fall. "I like those kind of touchdowns," Sark told media members. There were plenty of other highlights on a Day 3, with several defensive Huskies setting a tone once the players were able to put on shells. Desmond Trufant asserted himself in drills and 11-on-11 situations, establishing a ball-hawking standard from the start of practice. Defensive tackle Sione Potoa'e was back on the field after an injury slowed his ability to practice. Cort Dennison had a strong practice as well, jumping a route over the middle to make a diving interception. Another defensive player, Sean Parker, is one more who's been top notch in camp. The sophomore safety was the subject of a Gregg Bell profile on GoHuskies.com on Wednesday, which profiled his return from a debilitating shoulder stinger. The coaching staff is taking advantage of this camp to dole out reps to everyone on the depth chart, meaning there's plenty of opportunity for players to cement roles for the season. ![]() Steve Sarkisian's troops have already set a physical tone this fall, and camp is just two days old. The Huskies showed some bite during a two-hour plus practice at Husky Stadium on Tuesday, despite not being in pads. The tempo was also at a rapid pace, the sure sign of a team comfortable with the head coach's practice regimen.
Early on in practice, the Huskies directed their emphasis towards special teams and individual drills. But there were plenty of standout plays once the teams moved to 11-on-11 action towards the end of practice. One of the highlights came from Nick Montana, who is battling Keith Price for the No. 1 quarterback job in camp. Montana connected with WR Kevin Smith on a deep pass over the middle of the field, drawing plenty of reaction from the Huskies on the sideline. There were plenty of defensive standouts as well. Safety Marquis Persley picked off a pass during team drills. DE Josh Shirley displayed why he's going to be a headache for opposing QBs all season when he broke free off the edge for a sack. Several of the incoming freshmen continue to draw rave reviews from Sarkisian. Bishop Sankey again showed some wiggle in traffic, making several defenders miss (albeit with no pads). Austin Seferian-Jenkins also made some nice plays, and later discussed his transition to DI football with media members, the first time the TE has been able to meet with reporters since arriving on campus last spring. ![]() ![]() Football is back on Montlake as the Dawgs began their preparations for the 2011 season with an afternoon workout at Husky Stadium. Beforehand, Sarkisian met with reporters for his first official press conference of the season. The Huskies coach talked about the expectations that come after a trip to the Holiday Bowl last season, but he likes where his team is at now. "In all, I think we are primed for a great training camp. We still have plenty of work to do," Sarkisian said. "There's a lot to be done not only the football field but off the field. But in a nutshell I think this our most athletic team we've had in three seasons." That much was evident during the workout. Sophomore WR Kevin Smith looked polished running routes. Defensive ends Hau'oli Jamora and Josh Shirley looked stouter after an intense offseason spent in the weight room. Several of the touted incoming freshmen also had standout practices, including WR Kasen Williams. As usual, the practice had the look and feel of a traditional Sarkisian camp. Music blared through the stadium PA speakers, and there were several fans on hand to check out the '11 Huskies. Even ex-Guns N' Roses bassist and noted Seattle sports fan Duff McKagan (pictured above) was at Husky Stadium to check things out. GoHuskies.com will have everything you need throughout fall camp and the regular season. Keep it tuned to the Dawg Blawg as well for plenty of behind-the-scenes surprises. Continue reading Football Camp Marks Start Of '11 Season.
University of Washington business students Marc Barros and Jason Green, each also avid skiers, needed an entry for an entrepreneurial contest. Hey, they thought, why don't we figure out how to attach a camera to a ski helmet and film our runs? "We really just wanted to show our friends what we were doing," he said. The contraption of a camera connected to a battery-powered camcorder won third place in the Business Plan Competition and $20,000. And that helped them start a Seattle-based company, Contour, that last year was rated as one of the fastest growing companies in the nation by Inc. Magazine. The hands-free cameras have been used largely by skiers, cyclists, hunters and similar outdoor enthusiasts, but recently have begun to creep into widespread use in team sports such as football, putting a whole new spotlight on the company. It was one of Contour's cameras that UW coach Steve Sarkisian affixed to his quarterbacks for the school's Spring Game last April. A video of a couple of minutes of Keith Price wearing one was linked by national websites and has had roughly 35,000 views on YouTube. Little known at the time was that Barros, the CEO of the company, is a former soccer player at Issaquah High and UW, attending Washington from 2000 to 2003. Pretty exciting," said Barros of the publicity that has begun to come to the company from the use of the cameras by UW, as well as Notre Dame and by NFL quarterbacks Michael Vick and Peyton Manning, and receiver Wes Welker during a Pro Bowl practice. Sarkisian said that to the general fan, the video helps give a realistic look at what it's like to be a quarterback. "For so long everyone has said, 'Gosh, I wish I could see what the quarterback sees. What that experience is like,' " said Sarkisian, a college quarterback at Brigham Young and later in the Canadian Football League. "And it's the closest I've seen to the reality of what a quarterback is truly seeing." What struck many observers watching the video, including Barros, was the speed of the game. "We were surprised how fast those guys are," Barros said. "The speed is just the most impressive part." Sarkisian said that as a coach, there is huge potential value in being able to eavesdrop on the quarterback on the field. "You can mike him up and listen to him talk and call plays and all that," he said. "But it's another thing to have that miked up and not just have film of him but actually see what he is remotely looking at. You don't necessarily see where his eyes are, but at least what he's going through from a timeline emotionally and what he sounds like. So it works hand-in-hand for us. "It gave us a pretty good perspective what he's like in and out of the huddle and getting plays and his ability to get to the next snap. All of those things really came into play." (By the way, Sarkisian noted that the plays Price is calling on the video don't necessarily correspond with what the viewer then sees being run -- the school took some editing liberties in case future opponents might have decided to watch.) The cameras, which weigh 5.2 ounces, may be worn on top of the helmet instead of on the side, giving the best possible view of what the quarterback is seeing. And for now, only quarterbacks in non-contact periods can wear them since obviously any other player could get hit in the helmet and the camera broken. Barros promises the company will continue to evolve. After winning the $20,000, he had his uncle co-sign on a loan for another $50,000 to get the company started in 2003. The first office was in a warehouse with no heat in Mountlake Terrace. "There was just two of us in a room," he said. "I wouldn't let my mom visit." From those humble beginnings, Contour now has more than 50 employees working out of a downtown Seattle office. Its latest innovation is cameras with real-time GPS (which might actually be handy for all those Little League parents who Barros says buy them to put on their kids playing in the outfield). Sarkisian, meanwhile, said the spring experiment with the cameras will continue. "I'm not sure if it's an everyday operation for us, but it's definitely something we can use going forward," he said. By all accounts, it was a great weekend for Jake Locker at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. He showed off his speed (4.59 officially in the 40 ... and faster than some receivers and tailbacks), but it seems scouts and media members were impressed with his accuracy, which has been dissected, picked apart, etc. Turns out, our quarterback can throw the ball a little bit...
This was echoed by CBSSports.com's Rob Rang, who states that Locker helped himself with his throwing performance in Indy. A good story from the weekend was Danny O'Neil's profile on Locker's Combine experience in the Seattle Times. Here's video from Georgia WR A.J. Green (Locker's workout partner) talking about how well the Washington QB performed in throwing drills. For the past two months, former Washington Huskies QB Jake Locker has been busy prepping for the NFL Draft. He's shuttled between Seattle and Orange County for high-intensity workouts and performed at the Senior Bowl. The NFL Combine is also on his upcoming calendar.
Gatorade is chronicling the journey in partnership with the NFL. The sports drink company recently spent some time up here in Seattle with Jake to film him working out, and those clips made their way onto the trailer for the web program "Everything to Prove." The show will follow 14 NFL prospects as they go through the gauntlet known as the draft process. Be sure to check out the trailer. Let us know what you think in the comments section. Here's the official boiler plate from Gatorade "Everything to Prove" will leverage the talents and knowledge of NFL Films to document the journeys of 14 top-rated rookies. NFL Films and Gatorade will follow these athletes from the moment their college eligibility ends into the first game of the 2011 season, highlighting the myriad of challenges faced by pro prospects: rooming with fellow rookies at the Senior Bowl, lining up for the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, anxiously awaiting their name on Draft Day, moving to a new city, joining their new teammates at training camp, and the countless workouts, hijinx and weight room sessions in between. Featured rookies include:
Jake Locker and Mason Foster are the Washington representatives at Senior Bowl practices this week, where they've been working out with some of the nation's top collegiate seniors in an effort to improve their NFL Draft stock.
Every throw/read/decision is scrutinized by scouts, GMs and other NFL executives. There is also a large contingent of media in Mobile, Ala., which has led to some national ink about the two Huskies' stars. Locker was the subject of an excellent profile in the Washington Post. Writer Rick Maese echoed what we here at Washington have known all along - that Locker had absolutely no regrets about staying for his senior season. His decision to stay has been the topic du jour among NFL executives at the Senior Bowl, as well as reporters. "So, when teams ask me now, I just kind of explain my reasoning a bit," said Locker. "My policy is always to be honest. I have nothing to hide. I feel comfortable with the decisions I made and why I made them." Foster has routinely been applauded this week by NFL execs for his instincts and athleticism, and has now been mentioned as a possible second or third round pick. Danny O'Neil of the Seattle Times writes about Foster's path from Seaside, Calif., to the Senior Bowl. "I never had any doubts about playing at Washington," Foster said. "I knew either way -- if it was football or if it was education -- I knew I was at the right place. I knew I was going to have a good opportunity to do something with my life, if it was playing in the NFL or it was taking my degree and doing something else. I never doubted anything." Former Husky cornerback Roy Lewis, now a captain on the Seahawks, has been named the team's Man of the Year for 2010, joining the likes of Jim Zorn, Steve Largent and a long list of other Seattle greats to have won the honor.
Here's the story from the Hawks' website. It only took 45 minutes for the Huskies to transport themselves to Eugene, Ore, via charter plane. Coincidentally, the Washington football program spent nearly that amount of time during their walkthrough at Autzen Stadium before heading to the team hotel for meetings and dinner.
![]() The No. 1 ranked Ducks present a formidable challenge to the Huskies. But backup QB Keith Price - who will start in place of the injured Jake Locker - was in good spirits while he tossed a football with safety Nate Fellner during the walkthrough. The RS freshman is certainly not intimidated by the task at hand, starting his first-ever game at notoriously raucous Autzen Stadium. No worries. Remember, you can follow the Huskies' trip on Twitter (@UWSportsNews), and on GoHuskies.com, which will hold an interactive chat during Saturday's game. Fans who make the trip to Husky Stadium tonight should plan on seeing a "resilient" effort from the Huskies against Stanford. Dating back to last season, Washington has alternated wins and losses, meaning the Huskies are capable of bouncing back after a tough game.
This was a theme being relayed in the Tacoma News-Tribune, where Steve Sarkisian told beat writer Todd Milles that the UW is more than willing to get off the mat after taking a shot. The Stanford-Washington matchup on Saturday at Husky Stadium (4 p.m., Versus) brings a lot more than just regional intrigue. There will be plenty eyes from around the country watching two of the nation's best quarterbacks in Andrew Luck battle it out.
Upwards of 15 NFL scout credentials have been issued as well. This is the main Husky story in the Tacoma News-Tribune, which also talks with a local NFL draft analyst to breakdown the two QB prospects. Latest Headlines Huskies are young & frisky - Everett Herald Aguilar back for Huskies after a three-week absence - Seattle PI Growing up early: Huskies freshmen pressed into action From the Bay Area perspective Andrew Luck, Jake Locker are NFL ready - San Francisco Chronicle Andrew Luck-Jake Locker matchup has NFL scouts drooling - San Jose Mercury News The special teams units typically ride the third bus of the four-vehicle caravan that shuttles the Huskies to and from the hotel to the away-game stadium. The group has branded themselves "special forces," an elite fighting group capable of restoring order.
For much of the season, punter Kiel Rasp has helped the Huskies escape some potentially hairy situations. He's the subject of a feature in Wednesday's Seattle Times, which talks how the Nathan Hale H.S. graduate has made the most of his opportunity after Will Mahan went down with an injury. "He's been unbelievable so far," said UW special-teams coach Johnny Nansen of Rasp, who is on track to break the school record for season punting average of 43.2 set by Sean Douglas in 2006. Latest Headlines Stanford still haunts Huskies - Tacoma News-Tribune The Luck and Locker showdown - Everett Herald From the Bay Area perspective Stanford secondary needs Delano Howell back - San Francisco Chronicle Stanford's Andrew Luck likes what he sees in Locker - San Jose Mercury News Standing on the field at Arizona Stadium, Jake Locker refused to concede anything about the season. Yes, the Huskies had suffered a tough loss. But there is still "plenty of football" to be played.
And it continues with Stanford this weekend at Husky Stadium. On a positive note, the Huskies return home to the venue that is always capable of producing an upset. Conversely, the Huskies are playing a team ranked No. 13 in both the BCS and AP polls, the third straight ranked opponent the team will face this season. The rallying theme was heavily evident in today's Seattle Times and the story written by Bob Condotta, and echoed by Locker. "I think going forward we will put this one behind us, like we always do, and go out and have a good week of practice again and get ready for another football game," he said. Latest Headlines Kearse keeps climbing up the list for UW - Tacoma News-Tribune From the Stanford perspective Stanford football wary of Washington - San Francisco Chronicle Big man on campus does it all for Stanford - San Jose Mercury News TUCSON, Ariz. -- Good morning from the desert. The Huskies are beginning to wake up and grab breakfast before separating into their position groups for meetings, etc.
The team arrived in Arizona after a 2 1/2 flight from Seattle, where they immediately deplaned and sped off to Arizona Stadium for a brief walk-through. After the light workout, the staff had pizza and wings from Papa John's waiting for the student-athletes on the bus. After the walk-through ended, Coach Steve Sarkisian gathered everyone for a brief pep talk before departing. We have beautiful weather here in Southern Arizona, but chilly conditions are expected at game time tonight (temperature is expected to be just 52 degrees). Latest Headlines Huskies hope to start a win streak against Arizona - Seattle Times For Huskies, Arizona test a 'playoff game.' - Tacoma News-Tribune Huskies have playoff mentality - Everett Herald Preview: Huskies look to knock off another Top-25 foe - Seattle PI From the Arizona perspective Cats to key on Locker - Arizona Daily Star UA's best hope to bag win is to avoid sacks - Arizona Daily Star Locker's response to UA defensive ends is key - Arizona Daily Star New-look UA faces Jake Locker, Washington - Arizona Republic Stoops fortunes at UA changed with 2007 game against UW - Tucson Citizen The Huskies are off to Tucson this afternoon. As usual, the team, coaches and administrative staff will undergo security at Hec Edmundson Pavilion before boarding their charter plane at SeaTac International Airport. Then it's about a 2 1/2 hour flight to Tucson, where the team will deplane, go through a brief walk-through and have dinner.
Remember to keep it tuned to the Dawg Blawg and GoHuskies.com for all the behind-the-scenes pictures and stories from the trip. Latest Headlines Pac-10 Commish manages to pull everything together - Seattle Times Huskies midseason report: 3-3 and they could go up or down - Seattle Times Trouble waiting on the (AZ) ends - Tacoma News-Tribune More good news for the Huskies - Tacoma News-Tribune Huskies' Woodward happy with re-alignment - Everett Herald Locker returns to practice, cleared for Arizona game - Everett Herald Christine embracing chance to lead UW offensive line - Seattle PI From the AZ perspective Big pain, little gain - Arizona Daily Star Wildcats' Insider - Arizona Daily Star Arizona football midseason awards - Tucson Citizen Pac-12 Conference changes will benefit UA, ASU - Arizona Republic Arizona vs. Washington scouting report - Arizona Republic Arizona's Matt Scott shakes bad habits - Arizona Republic The Pac-10 Conference as a whole is still seeking clarity. But after the Huskies beat the ranked Oregon St. Beavers on Saturday, their future is beginning to come into focus.
A win at Arizona would put Washington on more stable footing towards a bowl game. Even though the Wildcats will be without QB Nick Foles, Arizona Stadium should make for an inhospitable host this Saturday. The Wildcats have the added advantage of being able to lean on Nic Grigsby, one of the top running threats in the Pac-10. Latest Headlines The Huskies: Good and Bad - Everett Herald Sarkisian has learned lesson about winning - Tacoma News-Tribune Kearse shrugs off drops with record performance - Tacoma News-Tribune From the Tucson perspective Foles injury puts Arizona season in jeopardy - Tucson Citizen Painful adds sense of urgency - Arizona Daily Wildcat It's adjust or bust with (backup QB) Scott in - Arizona Daily Star The EA Sports Maui Invitational promotional surfboard made an appearance in the Zone prior to the Husky-Oregon State football game on Saturday. Representatives from EA Sports and the Maui Invitational were on hand to hand out leis and assist with photo opportunities for fans and the surfboard. The Husky basketball team were unable to appear in the Zone as the team is in Lacey at St. Martin's College to open practice for the season. But, the team gathered on Wednesday to take photos with the surfboard. The Washington-custom surfboard will stay with the team and be on display in a yet-to-be-decided location. Check out photos of the surfboard below... Much had been made this week when the Huskies doled out a few more practice reps to backup QB Keith Price. No worries for Washington, however, as Jake Locker is set to go this weekend against Oregon State. The senior QB had been a question mark after sickness and a minor thigh bruise kept him limited against Arizona State. But Sarkisian pronounced him ready after a workout on Thursday.
"I thought he moved around good today," Sarkisian said. "We did some things with him running, and he responded well." Latest Headlines Dropped balls give UW pause - Tacoma News-Tribune Huskies' Goodwin bounces back from adversity - Everett Herald Huskies face tough task in Oregon State - Seattle PI From the Oregon State perspective Beavers hope to avoid trap game in Seattle - Oregonian Oregonian feature on Stephen Paea - Oregonian Beavers ready to face the Locker challenge - Corvallis Gazette-Times On Tuesday the Seattle media had access to the defensive coaches/players. Suffice it to say, Desmond Trufant was a popular request. The sophomore cornerback admitted to pressing in an effort to make plays, something his position coach (Demetrice Martin) confirmed.
It's all part of the growth process for the corner, something Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times wrote about for Wednesday's paper. Latest Headlines Huskies expect Trufant to turn corner, and soon - Tacoma News-Tribune Huskies will have hands full with Oregon State - Everett Herald Pressing the issue: Desmond Trufant - Seattle PI From the Oregon State perspective Jacquizz Rodgers isn't sure how to fix running game - Oregonian James Rodgers on his future [video] - Oregonian Riley says Saturday at UW has all the makings of a difficult night - Oregonian Beavers try to move on without James Rodgers - Corvallis Gazette-Times The Huskies sure didn't enjoy the result from Saturday's 24-14 loss to Arizona State at Husky Stadium, but there's little time to beat themselves up mentally. Oregon State travels to Seattle this weekend, a critical game that could put Washington right back into the thick of the Pac-10 race with a win.
Exactly how safety Nate Williams summed it up to the Seattle Times: "Whenever you lose it hurts," he said. "And a lot of guys just hang their heads. But they have to realize we have a job to do next week, and we just have to put this in the past already and just move on to the next opponent." Latest Headlines Wheezing Locker handicapped against ASU - Tacoma News-Tribune Lost opportunity for Dawgs - Everett Herald From the OSU perspective James Rodgers out for UW game, maybe longer - Corvallis Gazette-Times OSU doesn't know if Rodgers is out for the year - Oregonian The Arizona State Sun Devils won't have the benefit of balmy conditions up here in Seattle. Forecast is calling for cold, wet rain, meaning ASU will be out of there element a little at Husky Stadium.
We'll start "Morning Links" with Todd Milles of the Tacoma News-Tribune, who takes an overarching look at the Huskies (2-2) performance so far this season. The Husky beat writer is giving the team "so so" marks after the first four games, with the best grade (B+) going to the Husky running backs. Latest Headlines Dennis Erickson's seat getting a little warm at ASU - Seattle Times Bray bloodlines forged on football field, dinner table - Tacoma News-Tribune Husky defense a work in progress - Everett Herald Huskies looking to limit spread of ASU offense - Seattle PI Huskies attempting to ride high from USC victory - Seattle PI From the ASU perspective ASU-Washington scouting report - Arizona Republic ASU's Hankins a punting machine - Arizona Republic As the Huskies took the field on Monday afternoon for practice, the first song that blared through the loudspeakers ("On to the next one" by Jay-Z) spoke of the direction the team needed to take.
Yes, the USC win was one for the ages. But the Huskies have Arizona State coming in this weekend and need to move on. Perusing the morning papers, Seattle Times' columnist Jerry Brewer remains impressed with what the Huskies accomplished because there was no fluke or luck involved. Washington won with a superior offensive effort, led by QB Jake Locker. These two graphs were the most telling. In the bye week between the two dissimilar performances, the coach figured out something, and this epiphany shouldn't spoil easily. It started with a probing, and likely unpleasant, evaluation. The Huskies did a sincere audit of themselves, and the result was a streamlined offense that looked in perfect alignment with the team's skill set. A lot of the game plan was USC specific, implemented to avoid trying to power up against the Trojans' physical defensive front four, but most of it can and will be applied moving forward. The Huskies did a beautiful job of stretching the field horizontally and vertically. It was a more finesse style that Sarkisian would like -- more fly sweeps, more zone-read option plays, misdirection, quarterback rollouts, naked bootlegs. Latest Headlines Huskies played without fear against USC; can that continue? - Seattle TimesMore chances for Callier - Everett Herald Folk named Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week - Seattle PI From the Arizona State perspective ASU's Dennis Erickson says opponents are baiting LB Vontaze Burfict - Arizona Republic The charter flight back to SeaTac was pure revelry, with the Huskies signing and chanting as the plane took off from LAX. It's safe to say the coaches wanted the kids to enjoy this one a bit.
But the 24-hour rule, a central tenet to the program, is still in effect. The Huskies have now moved on, and must begin preparations for Arizona State this Saturday at Husky Stadium. Moving on to the stories, we'll start with the Seattle Times, which reports the Huskies succeeded because of a philosophy change on offense. Bob Condotta writes that Coach Steve Sarkisian opened up the passing attack, making sure to call plays that would lead to easy completions for Jake Locker. "We just felt like we had to against these guys," Sarkisian said. "They are a big, physical front and we felt the best chance we had was to keep it a spread-out game." Latest Headlines Locker has the rare ability to deal with adversity - Tacoma News-Tribune Folk is Huskies' Mr. Clutch - Everett Herald Huskies, Locker get back on track - Seattle PI From The Arizona State Perspective ASU faces daunting climb after loss to OSU - Arizona Republic The Huskies are preparing to depart, via charter, to Los Angeles this morning. While the weather looks to be a plus for Washington, the Trojans will be far less hospitable.
Recapping the news stories from Thursday, we'll lead off with Bob Condotta's look at how USC is coping with sanctions. For one, it's not affecting their motivation if you judge this quote from Trojans QB Matt Barkley. "I've heard that from a lot of people (wondering if it will) and it's almost the complete opposite," Barkley said. "For us as a team, we are really, really excited to play every week. Our goal is just to win as many games as we can." Remember, you can follow the Huskies during the trip on Twitter. Latest Headlines 30-somethings in common: Lane Kiffin & Steve Sarkisian - Tacoma News-Tribune Can Huskies tackle Trojans - Everett Herald Huskies face off against different look USC - Seattle PI Huskies to play 2012 home schedule at Qwest Field - GoHuskies.com From The USC Perspective USC's Matt Barkley hoping for a better performance against Washington - LA Times Washington's Nick Holt returns to his old stomping grounds - LA Times USC vs. Washington: Who has the edge? - OC Register Trojans secondary cautious of Locker - OC Register Talent at USC is no longer enough - LA Daily News Lots of talk of just how motivated the Trojans are to be facing the Huskies this Saturday. USC was No. 3 in the country when they fell at Husky Stadium last year, and it's clear that they're planning to take this game personally.
"We'll see if it pays off," Kiffin told The Los Angeles Times, "because we've spent a lot of times on these guys." For the Huskies, the goal is the same as always - pick up a win. Doing so would pull the team back to .500 and give them a valuable momentum boost heading into a run of two straight home games against Arizona State and Oregon State. Latest Headlines Huskies James Johnson finally back from ankle injury - Seattle Times Trojans' balance a challenge for Huskies - Tacoma News-Tribune Pac-10 opener a chance for Huskies to start over - Seattle PI From The LA Perspective Stanley Havili remembers last year, not last week - Los Angeles Times Washington is not overlooking Dillon Baxter - Los Angeles Times Kiffin tries to show sense of humor - Los Angeles Daily News Barkley talks about Huskies, interceptions - OC Register The storyline almost writes itself. Steve Sarkisian returning home to Los Angeles to face USC, the school where he previously coached. Add to the mix that he'll face off against Lane Kiffin, one of his best friends in the coaching profession, and it's safe to say there's a lot of easy copy to write this week in the buildup to the Huskies-Trojans on Saturday at 5 p.m.
Thankfully, as Sark pointed out in the Seattle Times, the battle is between the players and not the staffs: "Fortunately for everybody involved, Lane and I aren't going to be blocking or tackling or running or throwing or catching Saturday. So we're all OK there. These are both jobs we thought were special ones, especially in the Pac-10. It's a unique experience, this early in our careers, to be facing each other in such a pivotal ballgame in the Pac-10 race." Latest Headlines Sarkisian readies for first trip back to the Coliseum - Tacoma News-Tribune USC game a true homecoming for Sarkisian - Everett Herald Pete Carroll will watch UW-USC with interest - Seattle PI From The Los Angeles Perspective Lane Kiffin has high praise for Jake Locker - Los Angeles Times Kiffin, Sarkisian ready to take friendship to the next level - Los Angeles Times USC victory is part of the plan - Los Angeles Daily News Kiffin, Sarkisian cut from the same mold - OC Register With a bye this week, the Washington football program has made a few tweaks to their practice schedule. The biggest change was the early start time (10 a.m.). Another has been Coach Steve Sarkisian's effort to go "live" during a few more of the drills. This means game-like situations, with the contact and the intensity ratcheted up to a high level.
On Wednesday, the media had access to the team's "big" players, along with defensive coordinator Nick Holt, who wants a better effort from his troops when the team travels down to face USC on Oct. 2. "No, I think we can be more physical and we are a more physical team than what we showed," Holt said. After breaking down the film, Holt said that while the Huskies took a few knocks playing their freshmen, the lack of physicality was what ultimately did the Huskies in. On another note, make sure to check out this excellent Scott Johnson feature in the Everett Herald today on assistant strength coach Kenechi Udeze. Latest Headlines James Johnson another weapon in the wing for Huskies - Tacoma News-Tribune Lingering on: Johnson's ankle injury tests wide receiver - Seattle PI The Huskies and coach Steve Sarkisian have a 24-hour rule in place after each game. No matter the result, the team is able to enjoy or stew on a win/loss for one day, and then they must move on. This is especially the case coming after a loss to Nebraska, and no one embodies this mantra more than Jake Locker.
The senior QB is not going to let a sub-par game consume him. This is what he told the assembled media on Tuesday morning, and he hammered home the point again and again. And why should he worry? The Huskies have 9 (and potentially 10) games remaining this season. "Obviously you think about it right after and watch the film and see what you can learn from," Locker said to the Seattle Times. "But if you dwell on it, it's going to continue to beat you. The most important thing is coming out here and working hard, having fun, enjoying this game and looking forward to our next opportunity to go out and play. Latest Headlines Locker shrugs off critics, looks forward - Tacoma News-Tribune Locker puts bad outing behind him - Everett Herald It's no secret the Huskies took one on the chin last Saturday vs. Nebraska. But the Washington football team is not ready to toss in the towel. Quite the opposite actually. The bye week comes at an opportune time, as Coach Steve Sarkisian can use the extra week to heal some bumps and bruises nagging his players and create some play packages for the freshmen.
This is the same angle explored in the Seattle Times, which quotes a handful of Husky leaders, all of whom agree this is a temporary setback in the overall path of the season. "We've been through a lot of things here at UW," said senior linebacker Mason Foster. "Everyone's stayed positive. We just have to keep positive. I feel like our team has been through enough where we are just going to bounce back." Latest Headlines Dawgs have work to do following loss to Nebraska - Everett Herald The Huskies and Huskers have played just seven times over their long football histories, compiling a 3-3-1 record against each other. Nebraska has won the last two matchups. But no team has won more than two games in a row in the series, so if history is any indicator, Washington is primed for an upset on Saturday.
We'll start with a look at the rivalry in the Seattle Times. Beat writer Bob Condotta got in touch with some central figures in those early 1990s games (Don James, for example) and and the late 1990s games (Marques Tuiasosopo). The series will continue next season, when the Huskies travel to Lincoln. Latest Headlines Purple sea can drown Huskers - Tacoma News-Tribune Huskies turn to young Dawg - Everett Herald Preview: Cornhuskers looking to run past UW - Seattle PI Kearse eager for Nebraska challenge - ESPN From The Nebraska Perspective Huskers know how to adjust to crowd noise - Omaha World-Herald Notes: Pelini praises Sarkisian - Omaha World-Herald Locker looks to lead Huskies to a special season - Lincoln Journal-Star Mike Caputo ready for road test - Lincoln Journal-Star Let's begin with a matchup that should have fans of both teams salivating. That would be Jermaine Kearse, who is coming off a career performance against Syracuse, and Nebraska's Prince Amukamara, who might be the top cornerback in the nation.
If you've seen the way Jets' DB Darrelle Revis has erased seemingly every Pro Bowl WR he's covered, you know the difference a shutdown corner can make in a game. This was the feature in Thursday's Seattle Times, a matchup that Bob Condotta explores. Should be worth the price of admission. "He's real aggressive," Kearse said of the 6-1, 205-pound Amukamara. "He's got good feet, he's a bigger-size corner compared to the corners we've been playing against the past two weeks. So it's going to be a real good challenge. I'm looking forward to it." Latest Headlines Holt: The Huskers can be very, very scary - Tacoma News-Tribune Nebraska's defense is one of the nation's best - Everett Herald Huskies wideouts backing up the hype - Seattle PI From The Nebraska Perspective Nebraska ready to unveil vertical attack, but can they execute - Omaha World-Herald Notebook: NU relishes the chance to face Locker - Omaha World-Herald Huskers safety Rickey Thenarse overcoming doubts - Lincoln Journal Star Practice Report; Ron Brown knows all about Husky Stadium - Lincoln Journal Star Finally, USA Today spent some time in Seattle this week and knocked out a killer profile on Jake Locker. It's well worth the read. In their glory days, Nebraska might have been one of the most transparent teams in terms of offense. The old Tom Osborne teams wore teams down with simple I-formation and triple option runs, daring opponents to do anything about it.
After a brief switch to the spread offense, Nebraska is back to option football. This time, the Bo Pelini-led Cornhuskers run the Oregon-style zone read, where the QB makes a decision based on what the defensive end does on a given play. Install a fast QB, like Nebraska has done with RS frosh Taylor Martinez, and there is the potential for damage. Martinez is averaging 13.5 yards per carry, and he clearly has the attention of the Huskies defense. In a story for the Tacoma News-Tribune, writer Ryan Divish talks about how the last thing the Huskies want is Martinez one-on-one with a safety or defensive back. They key for the Huskies is for the front seven to handle the running game, so the corners are not susceptible to play-action passes. Latest Headlines Woodward says Pelini could have been on UW short list - Seattle Times UW-Nebraska highest grossing game of the week - Seattle PI From The Nebraska Perspective The Omaha World-Herald filed their first dispatch from here in Seattle, noting how Saturday's game at Husky Stadium will have a decidedly pro-Nebraska feel to it, as up to 25,000 fans are expected to make the trip. There's little else to say - Nebraska fans travel far and wide to support the Huskers. The article mostly talks about transplanted Nebraskans in the Seattle area, including one who flies a giant "N" flag from his home in Fremont. It's Nebraska week. In terms of inter-sectional matchups at Husky Stadium, there are few teams coming to Seattle who can bring the type of prestige and history that Nebraska does. And coming off a big win over Syracuse, there's a lot of optimism on the Washington side.
One problem - the Huskers are bringing a high-powered offense to the Pacific Northwest with them. This was the main take in the Seattle Times, where Bob Condotta noted that Nebraska runs a version of the zone-read option that mirrors a lot of what Oregon does. Latest Headlines Kearse turns out to be a catch - Tacoma News-Tribune Sylvester happy to be anonymous battering ram - Tacoma News-Tribune Williams leads with attitude - Everett Herald Catching on: Kearse turns in career day for Huskies - Seattle PI From The Nebraska Perspective Nebraska secondary to get tougher test from Locker - Associated Press The Husker Hurt Locker - Nebraska State Paper Next up for NU: Washington - Lincoln Journal-Star NU focusing on strategy, not Locker rating - Omaha World-Herald Syracuse has already landed in Seattle and will hold a light walk-through at Husky Stadium tonight. Washington should have a more appropriate welcome set for Saturday, when the two teams will square off at Husky Stadium (kickoff at 4 p.m.).
In the Seattle Times, beat writer Bob Condotta takes a look at the rebuilding project Syracuse is undertaking with new coach Doug Marrone, a former Orange lineman who always dreamed of coaching for his alma mater. And much like Steve Sarkisian here at the UW, Marrone wanted to change the culture at Syracuse. "He came in with rules, and the people who didn't want to follow the rules are gone, and those who did want to follow stayed," said senior linebacker Derrell Smith. "The players who are here now are a lot closer than we were before." Latest Headlines Orange defense vastly improved since 2007 - Tacoma News-Tribune UW needs to force turnovers to have success - Everett Herald UW looking for its first win against improved Syracuse - Seattle PI Bud Withers' football picks - Seattle Times From The Syracuse Perspective Orange Insider: Syracuse at Washington - Syracuse Post-Standard Who stands between Syracuse and 2-0? Jake Locker - Syracuse Post-Standard Big step forward for Syracuse - Syracuse Post-Standard Syracuse D-Ends must keep Locker under lock and key - Syracuse Post-Standard After Jesse Callier took his first collegiate carry 39 yards (the longest for any Husky last Saturday against BYU), it was fairly evident to everyone watching the frosh from California was ready for big-time football. But is he ready to take on a bigger role with the Huskies?
That's the question posed by Todd Milles in the Tacoma News-Tribune, who writes that Callier could be in line for more action this Saturday against Syracuse. Callier didn't just have success running the ball, according to his position coach Joel Thomas. "What people don't notice ... he had a great cut block in our base protection, and a downfield block on the long throw to Jermaine (Kearse)," said Thomas, who said the newcomer graded out in the mid-90 percent area on his assignments." Latest Headlines Injury ends punter Will Mahan's season - Seattle Times Huskies O-Line needs to get physical - Everett Herald UW punter Mahan out for season with knee injury - Everett Herald From The Syracuse Perspective MacPherson's presence still felt within SU program - Daily Orange After opening-night jitters, larger test awaits for SU frosh - Syracuse Post-Standard Top Dog: From small town kid to stardom, Locker stays true to roots - Daily Orange No question about it, the Huskies need to get pressure on the quarterback when they host Syracuse this Saturday at 4 p.m. After not collecting a single sack or a turnover at BYU, the majority of the questions asked by local media dealt with how Washington plans on attacking the Orange QB at Husky Stadium.
We'll lead off with the Seattle Times. Mason Kelley wrote that while the Huskies might dial up more blitzes against Syracuse, the d-linemen are taking ownership of generating pressure on their own. "Obviously, we're going to try to rush the passer and get sacks," sophomore defensive end Talia Crichton said in the Seattle Times. "That's the bottom line. That's what we're working on right now. Other than the blitz, it's just our responsibility to do that." Latest Headlines Huskies defense under pressure to apply pressure - Everett Herald From The Syracuse Perspective Washington QB Jake Locker is the man with the golden arm - Syracuse Post-Standard Syracuse secondary takes a step at turning the corner - Syracuse Post-Standard In a nutshell, the Huskies might have been a few special teams plays away from escaping Provo with a win. So it appears Washington is well ahead of everything when Coach Steve Sarkisian told the media on Monday that he will add another return man on kickoffs.
This fell lockstep with what the Seattle Times wrote for Tuesday's paper. But it should also be noted that Sarkisian is adding the extra returner to guard against the "shanks" and "mis-hits" that can make fielding the ball a nightmare. Latest Headlines Breakdowns put Husky linemen on notice - Tacoma News-Tribune Huskies look on the bright side of loss - Everett Herald Changes coming for UW return game - Seattle PI From The Syracuse Perspective Syracuse football faces 'difficult task' in trip to Washington - Syracuse Post-Standard 'Cuse QB Ryan Nassib took bump on knee, but is fine - Syracuse Post-Standard These are the words Huskies fans have been waiting all summer to hear - it's gameday. In a few hours the University of Washington will be taking the field against BYU, and we're on the ground here in Provo.
First, we wanted to make sure you've seen our Gameday page on GoHuskies.com. It has EVERYTHING you could possibly want to prepare you for the Huskies game, including a live chat. And with that, we'll get to the links. Latest Headlines Former Huskies greats say Jake Locker's legacy depends on senior season - Seattle Times Bob Condotta chimes in on the TV situation - Seattle Times Seattle Times Scouting Report on UW-BYU BYU provides yardstick to gauge Huskies progress - Tacoma News-Tribune Another Huard behind the mike - Tacoma News-Tribune UW ready to put its new-found confidence on display - Everett Herald From The BYU Perspective Can BYU's two-QB plan work? - Salt Lake Tribune Jim McMahon forever BYU's favorite rebel - Deseret News Sarkisian says Cougars look eerily familiar - Deseret News Quarterback play key in BYU-Washington opener - Provo Daily Herald Factory Recall: The QBs that made BYU great return - Provo Daily Herald ![]() PROVO, Utah - The Huskies arrived at the site of their 2010 season-opening game against BYU without incident, and now the team has decamped to its hotel to gather for meetings. A contingent of student-athletes, coaches and staffers boarded a charter plane for a brief flight to Provo Municipal Airport. Once everyone was on the ground, the team headed over to LaVell Edwards Stadium for a walk-through. The key was to acclimatize the student-athletes to the advanced altitude and get them used to new environs. A few Huskies fans greeted the team as the buses pulled up to the scenic stadium, which is set in view of the picturesque Wasatch Mountains. While the team got a chance to stretch out their legs, a few staff members met with the talent/producers from CBS College Sports, the broadcast unit who will air the Huskies-BYU game Saturday evening. Later, the talent met with QB Jake Locker and Coach Steve Sarkisian to discuss some broad parts of the upcoming game. In total, the Huskies spent just over 30 minutes at LES. The majority of the real work was done at a walk-through on Friday morning in Seattle. After the walk-through, the buses headed south (facing traffic) to dinner at Magleby's in Springville, Utah. What greeted the team was a spread of BBQ ribs, prime rib and penne pasta. The group made short work of the meal before heading to their hotel and gathering for position meetings. Following meetings and a snack, the Huskies have lights out. Because the day has been so eventful, the goal is to keep the players rested and off their feet at night. Last night, the college football season began with a slew of games on all ESPN family of networks. But the one we're looking forward to the most is still another day away. This afternoon, the Huskies will fly out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport directly to Provo. We should land in Utah around 4 p.m., and the plan is to head directly to LaVell Edwards Stadium for a walk-through.
Keep it tuned to GoHuskies.com, CoachSark.com and the Dawg Blawg for everything behind-the-scenes you could possibly want. Latest Headlines Cody Bruns ready to contribute for UW - Seattle Times Jermaine Kearse: Huskies' go-to guy - Tacoma News-Tribune Another Huard behind the 'mike - Tacoma News-Tribune History on Huskies' side - Everett Herald UW release video, rendering of Husky Stadium upgrade - Seattle PI From The BYU Perspective BYU: running backs will share the load - Salt Lake Tribune Sarkisian wants to savor return to Provo with a win - Salt Lake Tribune Jake Heaps & Jake Locker will square off Saturday - Deseret News Locker is looking for redemption in rematch - Deseret News Cougars could get sacked by two-headed QB system - Deseret News Washington players familiar with Heaps - Provo Daily Herald The Dawgs open the season this weekend at BYU before returning home to Husky Stadium on September 11. In anticipation for the first homecoming of the season, UW Athletics will be giving away a pair of tickets to the game! Dawg fans need to become a fan of the UW Athletics Official Facebook page and post your most spirited photo cheering on the Dawgs vs. BYU this Saturday. Let's see how you show your Husky Pride - whether it is in your living room, at the game or at a restaurant! Deadline for submission is noon on Tuesday, September 7. There are also tickets available for purchase through the Husky Ticket Office - purchase yours online at GoHuskies.com or by calling 206-543-2200. Good luck, Dawg Fans! On Wednesdays during football season, the media is able to talk with the football team's offensive players/coaches. We'll begin Football Links with Steve Kelley of the Seattle Times and his excellent column on Greg Christine, who is now a STARTING guard one year after breaking his leg. It's a tremendous story, but if you know Christine and his work ethic, it's not the least bit surprising.
Meanwhile, you can follow Christine on Twitter at @preach63 Latest Headlines Maybe Polk's getting game face on a bit early - Tacoma News-Tribune Do Huskies have best receiving corps in the nation - Everett Herald ESPN Pac-10 blogger picks the Huskies over BYU - ESPN Pac-10 UW Season Preview: Offense primed for 2010 - Seattle PI From The BYU Perspective BYU independent, walks away from MWC - Deseret News BYU strikes unprecedented deals with ESPN, Notre Dame - Provo Daily Herald Lots of Bronco Mendenhall quotes on Cougar Tracks - Cougar Tracks Blog BYU passers return to Provo - Deseret News Last June, Men's Health flew out to Seattle to gather information for a story about Jake Locker. The magazine contracted John Keatley, a local photographer to shoot the Huskies quarterback for in the inside spread. Keatley and Locker also took part in a photo shoot last year at Conibear Shellhouse.
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