Positive observations—
– Chris Polk and Jesse Callier are an excellent backfield combo. They need more touches!
– Our margin for error is very, very small. It seems like the defense needs to hold the opponent under 24 points, while the offense needs to score more than 24. One of these two typically occurs each game, but having them coincide has been a challenge.
– Locker is one heck of a leader, and doing just about everything he can out there given the hand he’s been dealt. Jake deserves more. He deserves a bowl game, a defense that can occasionally shut out an opponent, an o-line that will protect him, and receivers that will catch the ball consistently.
– We have the right coach leading the program. Recruiting, developing, charisma, and of course in-game coaching, he has it all.
Negative observations—
– Our offense is great at times, and very out of sync other times. Inconsistency is a theme on this team.
– Defense lacks big play potential, and still does not have the athletes to fair well in pass coverage and – – Fundamentals leave much to be desired: tackling, pass catching, kickoff coverage to name a few
– Our defense is like the Mariners offense; multiple contributors must play above their ability, and timely plays need to be made in big situations. Typically this doesn’t happen.
– The void at tight end is being felt. Kavario Middleton took some plays off here and there, but he commanded attention, and had big play potential.
– There is still not enough speed on this team, especially on defense.
– Desmond Trufant is not the shut down corner we saw glimpses of last year, and Quinton Richardson has a few bonehead moments every game it seems. The secondary, which many had thought might be the strength of the defense, is not performing well.
– In a year where the Pac-10 is as strong as ever, the Huskies are close to getting lost in the shuffle, which also means the pre-season bowl hopes are fading quick.
To summarize, the Huskies have 1 predictable win (Syracuse), 1 unexpected win (USC), 1 predictable loss (Nebraska), and 2 toss up game losses (BYU and Arizona State). That leaves UW at 2-3, when 3-2 is probably what we had hoped for at this point. So of course there are more negatives that positives. . Of course, a win on Saturday will change everything!
-Dan
andrewlong7
dpscansen
Joe Loughery
Matthew
The Good Guys Sports Blog 
Dan, I think the loss of Middleton is enormous. No one talks about it at all. We essentially have no TE’s that can catch or even be a remote threat on offense. Middleton was a diva, but the guy was a beast in the middle of the field and was a threat in the red zone. I think Jake got really comfortable with him in check down situations last year. Now he doesn’t have that outlet because the TE is simply blocking. It’s a big dimension missing. Good thing we have ASJ coming in next year. Sark loves those pass catching TEs, look at the ones he had at SC…
I definitely agree. It’s hard to remember too many passes down the middle this year. Middleton on a seam route would really open things up. Any chance you’ll be at the game Saturday? It’d be fun to have all four of us there.
As of right now, I am not going to the game, but things can change, I’ll see how I feel. Right now I am strangely optimistic that we can win. The offense will bounce back, and I think the defense is not as horrid as people think, even though they are pretty bad…
I’m thinking you’re right Joe.