Monthly Archives: August 2012

by | August 31, 2012 · 9:42 pm

UW vs. San Diego St. Predictions

And here we are.  In about 25 hours, the Huskies will have a game in the books.  It’s strange that, after waiting for months for the season to start, it will now be over in 3 short months.  By the end of September, the Dawgs will have played half of their home games.  Or slightly less than half if they host the Pac-12 championship.  Time keeps passing, but it will slow down for a few hours tomorrow night.

I just got home from dinner, and the drive took me along the east edge of Lake Sammamish, which is one of the better drives in the area, even in the dark.  Tonight, there was a clear sky and big moon lighting up some low hanging, patchy clouds.  It was exactly the kind of night I associate with autumn and football.  I grew up in Yakima, where clear skies are common, but in the fall as the temperatures drop, the sky takes on this misty quality that I can’t really describe.  The moon seems bigger, the stars brighter, the night clearer.

That kind of night will be forever linked in my mind with high school football games.  I never played, but I’m not sure I ever missed a game, either.  Our small stadium had bleachers sandwiched between a couple of small grassy berms where the students stood, on the left if you were in middle school, to the right for high schoolers.  There are not many places I remember more fondly than that stadium, huddled with friends, shivering in the cold.

I have no real reason for sharing all this, except tonight reminded me of those nights, which seems fitting for this weekend.  It’s not cold enough to really have the same effect, but I was glad that, a couple of miles up the plateau from where I drove, Skyline and Bothell were facing off in a bigtime season-opener.  Last night, Bellevue beat a Texas powerhouse in overtime in Memorial Stadium.  Tomorrow, the Huskies take on the Aztecs under the lights.  It’s the best time of year.

I hope you get to be at Century Link or your stadium of choice tomorrow.  I cannot tell you much joy it brings me to enter the stadium, waiting for kickoff.  If college games aren’t an option, check out your local high school.  There are few things better than cheering on a random high school team with some friends, or sharing a blanket with your lady (or man).  I’m rambling now, so I’ll stop and get on to the predictions.  Welcome to football season, everybody!

Joe

I have pretty high expectations coming into this season opener with SDSU. My expectation surround two areas: Keith Price and the defense.  Price is the unquestioned leader of the team, and a deep sleeper Heisman candidate.  Price has an opportunity early on to set the tone for year and show he is an elite level QB.  Look for Price to come out aggressive and throw deep a lot to give the fans some excitement right off the bat.  For obvious reasons, I’m excited to see the defense play.  After the nightmare in the Alamo Bowl, Sark fired the whole defensive staff and replaced them with young, energetic, but most importantly, talented defensive coaches.  Justin Wilcox is a clear upgrade at DC.  I’m excited to see how the unit gels over the first few weeks, and matching up against a solid Aztecs squad will be a great test.  Should be a fun Saturday night!

UW 31 – SDSU 20

Matt

I don’t really know what to expect from this game, except a win.  It could be close, it could be a blowout.  The offense could dominate, or it could struggle like in last year’s opener.  I’m hoping the offense can dominate without having to open the playbook too much and the defense can consistently tackle and make a few big plays.  I don’t think that’s too much to ask.  It doesn’t help that San Diego St. is hard to get a handle on, but I’m pretty sure the Dawgs are better.  I’m just hoping they play that way.

UW 38 – SDSU 17

Dan

No prediction from Dan yet.  I (Matthew) have decided that, since I’m the one compiling the predictions, I get to make fun of whoever doesn’t send one in.  So here goes.  Man, Dan is a smelly guy.  He is so smelly.  I think he forgets to shower and takes a bath in the drainage pond by his house instead.  Geez, that guy’s smelly.  I’m glad I’m not sitting by him right now.  Go take a shower!

Andrew

Season openers haven’t exactly been Steve Sarkisian’s strong point.  He’s 1-2 in them but the only good performance in these games came in his first season against LSU.  Last year, we had to sit through a nail biter as the Dawgs held on to beat Eastern Washington.  This year, they play a decent San Diego State team who will come to play.  I think the Huskies will be ready though.  Maybe I’m just being optimistic but I think as the second half wears on, the Dawgs will start to pull away and end up winning by 20.  Here are 3 reasons why:

1.  Keith Price is the best quarterback San Diego will face all year, and, even with 5 defensive backs on the field. the Aztecs just won’t have an answer to Price and ASJ.
2.  The Husky lines will be better than the Aztecs.  There haven’t been many times in the last decade where I think the Huskies will win the battle in the trenches but tomorrow is one of those days.  San Diego State is replacing quite a few guys up front and the Dawgs will rack up a surprising amount of rushing yards.
3.  The defense will be better.  Of course, it can’t be worse but I mean to say that the D will surprise some people.  They’ll have a few mistakes but they’ll make plays and they’ll look much faster.  Because they are.  Danny Shelton will have a good game and the secondary will cover up the linebackers mistakes.  At least for this week.

So, there you go.  Expect Shaq Thompson to wow you.  Expect to be frustrated at some points.  But, Keith Price and the Husky offense will be just too much for the Aztecs.

Huskies 45 – Aztecs 24

Go Dawgs!

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by | August 31, 2012 · 12:37 pm

Tomorrow’s Dreams

This post is not a preview of what I think will happen this season.  It is a detailed post of what could be possible.  This was inspired by Jeff Sullivan of Lookout Landing.

Looking back, maybe we shouldn’t have been so surprised.  We all thought this team was one year away from the big-time national scene.  We could settle for another trip to the Holiday Bowl, or, dare I say it, the Sun Bowl, this year if it meant bigger things next year.  Us fans knew that the Dawgs were young and expecting too much felt somewhat unreasonable.  Now, we see that the phrase ‘Next year’ may be uttered far too often in Seattle sports.

Before I get too far ahead of myself though, the Alamo Bowl still isn’t out of the question.  In fact, it’s a very strong possibility.  Tomorrow, the 30th of November, the Huskies will play USC for the Pac-12 championship.  If they lose, another trip to San Antonio is likely.  If they win though…  Man, if they win.

Back to the expectations at the beginning of the season.  Sometimes, I don’t think we allow ourselves to dream quite enough.  But, the early season didn’t give us many reasons to.

While the Huskies won fairly easily in their opener against the Aztecs, the game didn’t provide many answers to questions.  The defense allowed too many yards.  The running game didn’t amass as many yards as we hoped.  Keith Price just made plays, which is what Keith Price does.  But, one man can’t win every game and we saw that the next week.  LSU brought pressure off the edge and sacked Price 6 times.  The defense, while improved, just didn’t make enough stops and the SEC proved dominant, once again, as our Dawgs lost by 17.  It wasn’t a catastrophe but it wasn’t the statement we wanted.

An easy win against Portland State followed but Portland isn’t even a state.  Then came a Thursday night game against Stanford, who came in with a record of 2-1 (the loss being to USC).  People talk about turning points in a season all the time in sports.  After years of observation, I’m not a real believer in them.  Sure, sometimes it feels like all momentum shifts to one team and that team is unbeatable.  Remember the Mariners 8 game winning streak way back in August?  But, most of the time, I think turning points are an easy way for the media to write a story.  I don’t know what exactly happened on September 27th, 2012 but it changed the Huskies season.

The team had of course been blown out by Stanford the previous years and, while this game wasn’t a blow out, the Dawgs still lost.  They weren’t physically dominated like before and the defense had obviously made improvements.  The Huskies lost by seven but if there ever was a loss to feel good about, it was this one.  Right when Husky fans had made up their minds about that, reports started to surface about yelling in the team locker room.  Sark had evidently got after the team pretty good and said, “I don’t care if that’s better than we did last year!  Losses aren’t acceptable.  They won’t be tolerated anymore.”  And then, they weren’t.

Of course, this all seemed ridiculous.  It seemed like coach speak, at best.  Playing at Oregon was up next on the schedule and that was followed by USC.  Most fans, including myself had losses penciled in on the schedule.  I don’t need to recount the Oregon game play by-play.  You all have heard about it enough by now.  Keith Price scrambling for a touchdown with 36 seconds remaining and Sean Parker’s clinching interception 3 plays later.  Those were plays that will be held in Husky lore.  Eight years of torture were ever.

USC came to town next and were ranked number one.  They may not have looked as amazing as everyone thought they’d be but they still hadn’t lost a game.  This was the week the Clink went from being a temporary home to a gathering pl ace.  Yes, home field advantage was present in the three previous games but once the sell-out was announced on Tuesday of game week, there was a buzz in Seattle that we don’t hear unless the Seahawks are in the playoffs.

The whole game was a party.  Although it was a fairly close game, it felt that the Huskies had control of it the whole way through.  Winning by 14 felt easy.  There were Keith Price’s 3 touchdown passes compared to Barkley’s 2.  There was the defense causing 3 turnovers.  There was the Josh Shirley sack on the first USC offensive play in the second half that let us know that our team wasn’t letting up.  Then, there was the Shaq Thompson kickoff.  For years, it has felt like USC has been having those kind of special plays against us, with their superior athletes, now it was our turn.  On that day, we were better than USC.  USC hasn’t lost since then and looks to claim a spot in the national championship with a win tomorrow.  They’re good.  But, maybe we’ll be better again.The rest of the season felt euphoric.  UW – 45, Arizona – 28.  UW – 49, OSU – 24.

The showdown in Berkeley on a Friday night, on national TV was another highlight.  California had been talking all week long about Tosh Lupoi and how payback was going to be sweet.  Shaq Thompson stuffed the box score (1 interception, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss, and 7 tackles total) and shut up Cal.  UW- 35, Cal -17.  The defense had improved emphatically.  They weren’t your dad’s Huskies but they were good in a conference of bad defenses.  A day later, USC beat Oregon in a barn burner.

Utah caused the biggest scare, the rest of the way.  The whole game, they stuffed the run and made the Huskies one-dimensional.  At this point, Sankey and Callier both had gone over 500 yards on the season and made up a balanced offensive attack.  We found that Keith Price couldn’t do it all even if he had to.  But, the thing about memorable teams is there’s always a unit that steps up.  In this game, it was the defense.  Nate Fellner and John Timu bottled up John White, thanks in large part to Danny Shelton and Semisi Tokolahi.  Desmond Trufant showed why other quarterbacks never throw to his side of the field, as he collected 2, of his season total 5, interceptions.  The safeties proved why they were all conference.  The team held Utah to 17 points and as Keith Price took over on the Huskies 30 yard line with a 1:26 remaining, he was smiling.  He marched down the field to Utah’s 12.  Perfect passes to Kasen, Smith, and Mickens.  Heck, even Bruns had a first down catch.  That set up for Travis Coons game-winner that barely made it inside of the upright.

As the Huskies played Colorado, and proceeded to blow them out, most Dawg fans had their eyes on the Oregon-Stanford game.  For once, we were all Duck fans and for once they did what we willed them to.  Oregon beat Stanford easily and the Huskies controlled their own destiny in the Pac-12 North.

Wazzu was next and that didn’t prove to be much of a challenge.  There was much hoopla leading up to the game but it was mostly due to the Huskies being on the verge of clinching a spot in the Pac-12 championship.  While it was clear that the Cougars had improved as the year went on, their defense was put to shame by the Huskies attack and the Dawgs won 52-28.  Purple flooded the field in Pullman and now we’re here.  A day away from the most important Husky game in 11 years.

Sark’s boys have moved up to number 7 in the BCS.  But, the rankings don’t really matter.  If the Huskies win they’ll be in the Rose Bowl, if they don’t it’ll most likely be the Alamo.  I don’t know what will happen.  No one predicted that this was how the season would turn out so there’s not much point in predicting how tomorrow will go.  Yes, we beat USC once but it will be tough to repeat the Huskies most complete performance since 1994.  I hope, I pray for a win.

I guess the moral of this year is that maybe we should stop thinking about next year.  Oh, next year will be great.  While Price won’t likely win the Heisman this year, next year he comes in as a top 3 favorite.  The defense will be one year older and only graduates 3 starters.  There’s a top-15 recruiting class coming.  The future is lit up, but how dumb would it be to dream of 2013 when we’re a 60 minutes away from grabbing roses.  We don’t know if Justin Wilcox will be here next year.  We don’t know who will be injured.  So, instead of next year there’s tomorrow.  Who could ask for anything more.

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by | August 30, 2012 · 10:35 pm

Getting To Know Your Dawgs – Linebacker

We’re almost done with this series, and I might not get to the secondary portion until after the first game.  We have a few different posts planned for tomorrow and that one might not make the cut.  For now, you get to know the Washington Husky linebackers.  This is a little difficult to decipher who’s a linebacker, who’s a safety and who’s injured.  I’m going to go from the two-deeps that the Huskies released on Monday and I’ll also include a freshman you may have heard of.  As usual, the starters are first.

LB – Travis Feeney (RS Fr.)

Feeney was a top player on the scout team a year ago, as he red-shirted.  He was moved during camp to play linebacker because of the injuries.  He was a safety until he was moved and I think he’ll play a position where he’s able to cover the slot receiver and is used in passing situations more.  He is listed as the starter but expect him to split time with Shaq Thompson.  Also, this is Nate Fellner’s position and once he comes back from injury, Feeney will have a battle on his hands.

MLB – John Timu (So.)

Timu was thrown into the storm last year and played fairly well for being a true freshman.  Coaches have raved about him this off-season and his teammates must feel the same way about Timu because they elected him a team captain.  I expect Timu to have made a huge improvement over last year and be a leader on this team.  He’s the ‘quarterback’ of the defense and I would bet that he’ll lead the team in tackles, barring injuries.

LB – Princeton Fuimaono (Jr.)

Princeton challenges for the coolest name on the team and is also the most experienced linebacker.  Fuimaono had a decent sophomore season and figures to improve this time around.  He has been slowed for most of camp because of a hamstring issue but seems to be on the mend.  Princeton is a guy who will definitely need to play against the power teams.  He isn’t as quick in pass coverage as the converted safeties, but I’m betting he’s better against the run.

Rover – Shaq Thompson (Fr.)

Shaq is listed on the depth chart as a nickel back (which is a 3rd corner, essentially) but expect him to play more of an outside linebacker while lining up all over the field.  I could list Thompson in the secondary, but he’s been doing drills with linebackers recently and I think, to the less educated eye like mine and most fans, he’ll act and appear more as a linebacker.  Matthew and I have written about Thompson in a couple of different places.  I think he’s a game changer and the coaches seem to, as well.  He may not be a game changer this year but he’ll show flashes of that.  Shaq will make mistakes but he’s the type of player the Huskies haven’t had on defense in a decade.  I think you could call this defense a 3-4, a 4-3, a 3-3-5, or a 4-2-5.  I tend to think of it simply as a 4-3 but that puts in Shaq with the linebackers.  Expect 2 of the Thompson, Fuimaono, and Feeney trio to be on the field most of the time and Timu being on the field almost all of the time.

The others who will see time:  MLB Thomas Tutogi (Jr.), LB Taz Stevenson (Jr.), LB Nate Fellner (Sr.)

All of these guys will see time on the field.  Tutogi came to U-Dub last year after transferring in and could be a solid contributor.  He will definitely see time on special teams (he blocked the punt in the Apple Cup).  I think Tutogi will play more and more as the season goes on and he’s more than a capable back-up.  Taz was moved off of the safety position and is playing the same position Feeney and Fellner are playing.  He played quite a bit his freshman year but was injured a good share of his sophomore year.  Fellner was going to be a starting linebacker before suffering an injury in camp.  He may be back by the third or fourth game.  Fellner is a veteran who always seemed like he could be a good linebacker.  In a quest to get the best 11 players on the field, the coaches moved him there this spring and he seemed to transition well.  I hope he can make it back and I think the defense will be better if it does.  All of these guys suffered injuries in Fall camp.  Tutogi and Taz are healthy now but their injuries put them behind a little bit.

Thanks for reading!

Andrew

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by | August 30, 2012 · 8:47 am

The Good Guys Pac-12 Picks

Before I begin, I’ve seen rumors swirling that James Johnson will red-shirt this year because he doesn’t want to miss half of his senior season.  This has not been confirmed and is speculation so far but I think it’s pretty good speculation. Take it as you will.  Now, on to the post!

It’s the first week of Pac-12 picks and today is the first game.  Nothing can really describe my excitement.  I understand that some of you are bigger fans of the NFL and don’t share my level of excitement for the college game.  That’s fine.  But, for me, the college game is so precious.  It’s here for 12 or 13 times a year and then it is gone.  Those 12 or 13 games a year have supplied some of the best days of my life and always bring a fresh air of excitement to my sports world.

This week on our Pac-12 picks, we picked most of the same teams.  There are only 2 Pac-12 teams that play road games this week.  There’s only one Pac-12 team that is an underdog.  Most schools play teams that we won’t hear about again this season.  That’s okay.  For this week, we’ll give the Pac-12 a break on the schedule and just be thankful that it’s back.

Arizona vs. Toledo – Saturday 7:30 P.M.

The Good Guys:  Arizona

Arizona State vs. Northern Arizona – Thursday 7:30 P.M.

The Good Guys:  Arizona State

California vs. Nevada – Saturday 12 P.M.

The Good Guys:  California

Colorado vs. Colorado State – Saturday 1 P.M.

Andrew, Matthew, Dan:  Colorado

Joe:  Colorado State

Oregon vs. Arkansas State – Saturday 7:30 P.M.

The Good Guys:  Oregon 😦

Oregon State vs. Nicholls State – Postponed

Stanford vs. San Jose St. – Friday 7 P.M.

The Good Guys:  Stanford

UCLA at Rice – Saturday 4:30 P.M.

The Good Guys:  UCLA

USC vs. Hawaii – Saturday 4 P.M.

The Good Guys:  USC

Utah vs. Northern Colorado – Thursday 4:15 P.M.

The Good Guys:  Utah

WSU at BYU – Thursday 7:30 P.M.

Matthew, Andrew, Dan:  BYU

Joe:  WSU

There’s the picks.  I’ll keep track of the records for each of the Good Guys and will post it weekly.  Also, if you’re interested in joining this pick ’em, write all of your picks in the comments and I’ll include you in the standings!  Just have the picks in by 4 P.M. today.  I’ll give you some leeway, as well.

Happy football!

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by | August 29, 2012 · 9:40 pm

A Down and Dirty Pac-12 Preview

The season kicks off tomorrow night for a third of the conference, so here’s a quick preview.

I’m just going to tell you two things: which player I would pick if I could have someone off each team for the Huskies, and how much they concern me.  I’ll rate them 1-10, 1 being a cakewalk win (actually kind of hard to do, cakewalks are tricky), 10 being an almost certain loss.  I’ll also go in the order I think they’ll finish.  So I guess I’m telling you three things.  It’s your lucky day.  My thoughts here aren’t worth much though, so you’re not that lucky.

South Division

1. USC

Player I want: Pretty much anyone off their roster would work.  Especially intriguing are their two 1,000 yard rushers, Curtis McNeal and Silas Redd, or how about All-American DBs Nickell Robey and T.J. McDonald.  Or LB Dion Bailey or one of their elite O-linemen.  That’s not even mentioning Heisman favorite QB Matt Barkley.  #1 USC is not hurting for talent.

For the Huskies though, it would come down to either of their uber-talented WRs, Marquise Lee or Robert Woods.  The Huskies could use a little depth here, and these might be the two best receivers in the conference and country.  Lee is incredible, but Woods is absolutely electric and a bit more versatile.  The only concern is an injury that hampered him in the offseason, but he seems fully recovered.  I’d take Woods and his potential 2,000 all-purpose yards in a heartbeat, as would every program in the nation.

Scare-meter: 9.  USC thumped UW last year, and they should be even better this year.  It’s not an impossible task, but there’s a reason they’re the preseason #1 in the country. Continue reading →

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by | August 29, 2012 · 12:58 pm

Getting To Know Your Dawgs – Defensive Line

Matthew wrote a post a couple of hours ago that is previewing the Husky team as a whole.  I’m posting over it a little bit too soon, so here’s the link because you should go read it.

We’re to the defensive side of the ball in this series and I’ll probably only keep the defensive side to three posts.  Like the offensive line post (which is a few scrolls down from this one), the player information will be less than a skill position.  Linemen don’t often have much to say and I am not able to analyze them as well.  Plus, there’s a lot of them.  I’ll try to cover everyone who will play and I’ll start with the guys who are listed as the starters.  The guys who are going to red-shirt or are buried on the depth chart probably won’t be listed.  If you have any questions about them, leave it in the comments.  Also, Hau’oli Jamora is injured and looks like he could be out all season so I’m going to leave him off on this post.  And here we go!

DE – Talia Crichton (Sr.)

Every time I’ve heard it mentioned this camp that Crichton was a senior I did a double-take.  It seems weird to me.  Talia was a guy who probably should have red-shirted his first year but the depth wasn’t so good and he was needed.  He was over-matched that year and never has been a huge factor on the defense.  Now, he gets his chance as a senior, with Jamora out, to make a real contribution.  The coaches all say that he’s had a good camp (although, what else would they say?) and has gotten better and better.  He has definitely beefed up since his younger years, playing at 265.  With that being said, he is probably the biggest question mark on the line and doesn’t have proven depth behind him.

NT – Danny Shelton (So.)

I think there are a few guys on the defense that we can expect to take a big step forward this year and Danny leads that charge.  A lot has been thrown at the big fella but he looks to be ready to handle it.  With the Dawgs switching to a quicker, smaller defensive line this year, Shelton has to be the guy that stops the run.  He needs to demand double teams so he can let the athletes at safety and linebacker to make the play.  The coaches wouldn’t have tried this defense if they didn’t think Shelton was capable so I think we have to trust their judgment.  I think by the end of the season, Shelton will be one of the three best players on the defense and he showed flashes of that last year.  This is all as a true sophomore, by the way.

DE – Andrew Hudson (RS So.)

This position could also be called defensive tackle.  If you look at the defense as a 3-4 (3 defensive linemen, 4 linebackers), then Hudson is the defensive end.  I think of it more as a 4-3, which I’ll get into more in a minute.  Hudson had to add some weight to play this position and will also be counted on to help against the run.  Just to reiterate the point, this is not a tradition defensive end position.  Hudson started 2 games last year at end and played in all of them.  He was another guy who got better as the season wore on and I think we’ll see a big improvement from him this season.  When the Huskies play against teams that want to pound the ball down our throat (think Stanford, LSU, and Utah) I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hudson move over and share time with Crichton, leaving this space for Tokolahi and Potoa’e  Before I move on, keep an eye on how young these guys are.  It’s the same theme as the offensive line, there are a whole lot of sophomores.  I think that’s when a good share of guys show the most progress (especially if they’ve red-shirted).

Rush End – Josh Shirley (RS So.)

This is a new position to the defense that many aren’t familiar with.  This position, in my mind, is still a part of the defensive line but the player may be standing up more (like a linebacker).  The focus of this position is to rush the quarterback so a guy who stands up and rushes off the edge will be playing here.  Josh Shirley is that guy.  He came to U-Dub after being kicked off the UCLA team a couple of weeks after he went to school there.  It turned out that the incident wasn’t a big deal and after a red-shirt year and a solid freshman campaign, people are expecting big things from Shirley.  This position was essentially made for him and he should be solid in it.  He’s a little undersized to be considered a conventional defensive end but his quickness is what will scare teams.  He had a great game against Baylor in the Alamo Bowl and looks to continue that going forward.  Don’t be surprised if once in a while he isn’t rushing, but will stand up and drop into coverage.  That probably won’t happen much but it will enough times to make the quarterback think of it.

5 Others To Watch:  DE – Pio Vatuvei (Fr.), N/DT – Semisi Tokolahi (RS Sr.), NT – Lawrence Lagafuaina (RS So.), DE/T – Sione Potoa’e (Jr.), RE – Connor Cree (RS Fr.)

Pio Vatuvei will probably be slowly mixed into the rotation.  He is a freshman that flipped from USC to U-Dub late last year in the recruiting game.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he had an impact like Hau’oli Jamora did his freshman year.  If he does, that would be a huge boost to this Husky defensive line.  Semisi Tokolahi was great in 2010.  He was one of the best lineman on the team and then he broke his leg in the Apple Cup and never made it all the way back last year.  I expect him to start (or play a lot) against running teams.  I’ve read from many places that he looks fully recovered from the injury.  Lawrence Lagafuaina is another big guy who could fill the middle.  He’s got a few guys in front of him on the depth chart but he’ll be used in goal line packages to stop the run.  Sione Potoa’e is a little bit of a forgotten man.  He came to U-Dub as a heralded recruit, and rightfully so.  He had to play his true freshman year and that may have hurt his development or confidence.  He still has the makings of a very good player.  He’s another guy I’d expect to see in against running teams quite a bit.  This is the most quality depth the Huskies have had at defensive tackle in quite some time.  I expect to see Connor Cree in on special teams more than anything else.  He is built like Josh Shirley and could be valuable rushing off the edge.

Thanks for reading!

Andrew

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by | August 29, 2012 · 10:49 am

2012 UW Huskies: It’s Time for Football

I feel like I should write some kind of preview for the Huskies, but I can’t think of any clever or particularly interesting way to do it.  There are tons of previews out there, most of them much better than anything I can offer.  Still, the best day of the year comes this Saturday, so here goes nothing.  I’m just going to give the things I’m concerned with for this year’s team and the things I’m excited about, with the (potentially) bad stuff first.  In no particular order…

Things That Make Me Nervous

  • The new defense.  This one’s complicated, because I think the defense will be much improved (see below).  The problem is that they have a long way to come.  One of the coaches noted that, while the team has looked great in practice, sometimes players get into games and forget what they’re supposed to be doing, especially with a new scheme.  The talent looks improved enough to be at least average, other than possibly the…
  • Linebackers.  The bane of last year’s defense (at least on the field) do look improved, but they have plenty of issues as well.  After receiving a bunch of new bodies from the safeties this spring, they proceeded to average an injured linebacker a day through much of fall camp.  Nate Fellner and Jamaal Kearse are still out for a couple of games, but everyone else is now back.  The enlarged John Timu at middle linebacker has been drawing accolades and should be the one constant throughout the year.  Princeton Fuimaono is probably the number two guy right now.  Former safety Travis Feeney is holding down Fellner’s spot, although Shaquille Thompson will take over a good share of the time in the nickel package.  There’s talent, speed and athleticism here.  Now it just needs to translate to tackles.
  • The offensive tackles.  File this under lack of experience as well.  Both tackles, Micah Hatchie and Ben Riva, left and right respectively, have seen little or no game action.  They have lots of talent and the practice reports are good, but only games will show if they’re actually ready.  I’m optimistic, but without Chris Polk, this line needs to be a strength.  Unless these two excel, it will likely be average at best.
  • The new home field.  Century Link is a great place to play, and it should still be plenty loud, but it’s tough having to adjust to a new routine and a new home.  You know those first couple of months after you move into a new house or apartment?  No matter how nice a place it is and how excited you are to be there, it takes a while to feel completely comfortable.  Hopefully, the adjustment for the Dawgs will be short and easy, with no effects on the field. Continue reading →

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by | August 28, 2012 · 8:06 pm

Around the Pac-12: Week 1

Around the Pac-12 will be a weekly post that reviews and previews each Pac-12 game.  Of course, since this is the first week it will only be previews.  I’m not sure if the Good Guys will be posting their Pac-12 picks every week (hopefully yes), so this post won’t be implying any prediction.  Unless it’s the Ducks because I’ll always imply that I hope the Ducks lose.  I’ll go in alphabetical order, I will show no prejudice except against the teams that are lower in the alphabet.  Also, I’ll be skipping the Huskies because we’ll have plenty of preview on them.

Arizona – Coming Up:  Saturday against Toledo 7:30 PM

This is one of what seems like many cakewalks for Pac-12 teams this week.  Not literal cakewalks.  If two teams faced off in an actual cakewalk, I think it would be hard to pick a favorite for that game.  Anyway, Arizona won the last match-up 41-2.  This is Rich Rodriguez’s first game as head coach of the Wildcats and you may get a feel for what Ka’Deem Carey, Matt Scott and the rest of the Arizona offense may do.  I think they may be a little better than people expect.  The defense could be a different story.

Arizona State – Coming Up:  Thursday against Northern Arizona 7:30 P.M.

Todd Graham makes his Pac-12 coaching debut.  Taylor Kelly makes his quarterback debut.  A number of other players that I don’t really care about make their debut.  Todd Graham, coach of the Sun Devils, made a controversial decision in starting Kelly that I haven’t really heard anyone agree with thus far.  Kelly shouldn’t struggle much against Northern Arizona but it may be something to keep an eye on if you have the game on.

California – Coming Up:  Saturday against Nevada 12:00 P.M.

California starts their season against a team that isn’t a cupcake but is very winnable.  Nevada isn’t the same team that knocked Boise State out of the national championship picture a few years ago but they’re okay.  California, specifically Jeff Tedford, is entering a critical season.  If the Bears have a sub-par season Tedford’s seat will only become hotter.

Colorado – Coming Up:  Saturday against Colorado State 1 P.M.

Colorado struggled last season and doesn’t promise to be much better this year.  They do start the season against a pretty soft slate and this is a good chance to start off the year right.  This is yet another team that’s breaking in a new quarterback in Jordan Webb.  He has transferred from Kansas and was named the starter about a week ago.

Oregon – Coming Up:  Saturday against Arkansas State 7:30 P.M.

Have you looked at Oregon’s non-conference schedule?  What a joke.  Have you looked at Oregon’s uniforms?  What a joke.  Have you looked at Oregon’s fans?  What a joke.  They debut a quarterback, Marcus Marioti, and will probably score a lot of points.

Oregon State – Coming Up:  Saturday against Nicholls State 12 P.M.

Beaver fans are hoping this opener goes better than last years loss to an FCS team.  When I type in Nicholls State, the laptop thinks I’m misspelling Nicholls.  That shows you how strong the quality of opponent this is.  I don’t know anything about Nicholls State and probably never will.  Their mascot is the Colonels.  But, when I typed in ‘Nicholls State mascot’ on Google ‘Nicholls State mascot nazi’ was the fourth thing that came up.  Weird.  Now you know.  Expect the Beavers to Storm on the Colonels parade (their running back’s name is Storm Woods and I will be making puns about this all year)!

Stanford – Coming Up:  Friday against San Jose State 7 P.M.

Nicholls State Mascot….

 

The mighty Spartans of San Jose State face off against the Cardinal.  Hmm, lets see a Spartan facing off against a Tree in this mascot battle.  Yeah, this won’t be tough for San Jose State.  Then again, Stepfan Taylor is really good so maybe this won’t come down to which mascot is tougher.  Oh yeah, Josh Nunes makes his Pac-12 debut as the quarterback of Stanford.  They try to live on after Andrew Luck.  I forgot for a few minutes that I was trying to make this post informative.

UCLA – Coming Up:  Thursday at Rice 4:30 P.M.

I’ve never written the phrase ‘at Rice’ before, unfortunately.  This is the game where I remind everyone that the first game of the season is always a little weird, always a little bit unpredictable.  UCLA is traveling quite a ways with a new coach, a new quarterback and, probably, a little over-confidence.  They should beat the Owls, but do you know when Owls come out?  At night.  Do you know when this game is?  At night.  Coincidence?  We’ll see.

USC – Coming Up:  Saturday against Hawaii 4:30 P.M.

The Rainbow Warriors are an okay team.  They might play in a bowl game, despite once being nicknamed the Rainbow Warriors.  That’s overcoming adversity right there.  But, they will probably be destroyed in this game.  USC could score 100 points and I wouldn’t be surprised.  But, they don’t live in Hawaii so who’s the real winner here?

Utah – Coming Up:  Thursday against Northern Colorado 4:15 P.M.

Utah could be very good.  I’m not a real believer yet but they do have a veteran quarterback (who I am not high on but other people are), a star running back, and maybe the best defense in the league.  That’s a pretty good recipe for winning.  Northern Colorado could be very bad.  But, that’s compared to good college programs.  Compared to middle school teams, Northern Colorado would be like gods.  But then the middle school punter would be like, “Coach, why are we playing a college football team?”  Then, the game would be canceled.

Washington State – Coming Up:  Thursday at BYU 7:30 P.M.

Well, I’ve mostly been stalling until I got a chance to talk about this game.  This is the most intriguing game of the week for me.  BYU isn’t amazing but they’re a very solid team.  The type of team that would have killed the Cougars the last 4 years.  Now, things should be different.  Mike Leach should make a huge impact, Jeff Tuel should throw for bunches of yards, and the Cougs should at least keep the game close.  If they don’t, then maybe all of positive vibes coming out of Pullman won’t be around much longer.  Even if the game isn’t close, expect a lot of points on Thursday and for a fun game.  That’s what Mike Leach brings to the table.

Thanks for reading!

Andrew

 

 

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