Monthly Archives: October 2013

by | October 26, 2013 · 10:53 am

UW vs. Cal Predictions

It’s been a pretty bad week for Husky fans.  On the heels of the debacle in Tempe, word came that Don James had passed away.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends and all those left with a hole in their lives by his passing.

The death of a beloved sports figure is kind of a complicated thing for fans, in my mind.  Life and death and all of their trappings are so much more important than sports. It sometimes feels silly to claim grief as a fan when others actually knew the person.  It feels like we need to push sports completely aside in these times, like the football pales in comparison to the gravity of his death.  I never met Coach James, and I don’t even remember his teams terribly well.  His personal influence on me should be next to nothing.

And yet the impact Don James made on me is huge.  I hear it when my dad talks about those Rose Bowl winning teams, and I remember it, hazily, in memories of childhood Apple Cups in the snow and my dad yelling as Napolean Kaufman broke down the sideline.  I witness it on Saturdays in the fall as I walk into Husky Stadium with my family.  At those moments, there is no place I’d rather be, and that is due largely to Don James’ legacy.

I never met Don James, but without him, a huge part of my life might not exist.  That pales in comparison to the hole his wife and loved ones are experiencing, but his loss shouldn’t be diminished for those of us who are just fans.  Instead, it’s just another testament to the full life Coach James led, on the field and off.  He was a man who touched thousands of lives in countless ways.  To me, that sounds like the definition of a life well lived.

Thank you, Don James.  We appreciate everything you did, and we are thankful your  impact does not end with your death.  We will remember you every time we walk into Husky Stadium and with every moment of joy Husky football brings us.

Andrew

Last week was awful.  It’s time to move on.  This week the Huskies play an opponent that is extremely different than the three previous weeks.  They play an opponent that is bad.  Cal’s defense is awful and their offense has struggled as of late.  The Huskies should be able to regain their confidence and get healthy during this game.  I expect a heavy dose of the run game, as well as a focus of getting the ball to ASJ and Kasen.  The only way I see this going bad is if Cal gets out to a lead and the Huskies lose their confidence like last week.  I’m guessing that won’t happen.  On a night where the school honors the best coach ever to grace Husky Stadium’s sidelines, this year’s Husky team will pound a conference foe just like James would have.

UW 38 – CAL 13

Dan

Last minute entry! Cal is really bad. Haha you suck Cal! Dawgs win big because I see no other possible outcome.

UW 33 – CAL 17

Matthew

The Huskies were terrible last week, and it’s generated the expected despair from fans.  Luckily, Cal is really terrible right now.  They’re missing over half of their starting line-up to injuries, and they probably wouldn’t have been great to start.  The one good thing they’ve had going for them, a dynamic passing attack, has faded as true freshman Jared Goff has lost his accuracy and confidence after getting pounded for much of the season.  This is a game the Huskies will have to work hard to lose, especially since it’s in Seattle.  I hope to see the Dawgs figure out what they want to do on offense.  Can the line function with Erik Kohler filling in for Dexter Charles?  Will they find a balance between the run, downfield passing and perimeter passing?  This should be a good week to find answers.  The Huskies are a much better team than they showed last week, and a blowout would go a long way to reminding the players of that.

UW45 – Cal 16

Go Dawgs!

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by | October 25, 2013 · 1:34 pm

Pac-12 Picks – Week 9

Well, last week was rough.  First the game on Saturday and then the passing of Don James on Sunday made for a very dark weekend for Husky fans.

In a way, this week has been therapeutic.  The stories that KJR has run this weekend on the Dawgfather have been fantastic, especially the Honks on Tuesday and Neuheisel’s song today.  Listening to the stories has brought everyone together and I hope for a celebration tomorrow night that is unforgettable.  Our prayers and thoughts go out to Carol James and the rest of the James family.

In the last few weeks, Dan has pulled away in our picking standings.  We all have a little too much faith in the Huskies and he’s been a little more realistic I guess.  Let’s see if we can catch him.  Here are this week’s picks!

Utah vs. USC – 1:00 P.M.
Dan, Joe, Matthew – USC
Andrew – Utah

UCLA vs. Oregon – 4:00 P.M.
The Good Guys – Oregon

Arizona vs. Colorado – 5:00 P.M.
The Good Guys – Arizona

Stanford vs. Oregon State – 7:30 P.M.
Andrew, Matthew – Stanford
Dan, Joe – Oregon State

Standings:
Dan 50-8 (.862)
Matthew 48-10 (.827)
Andrew 47-11 (.810)
Joe 45-13 (.776)
Tyler (Commenter) 30-10 (.750)

Go Dawgs! And thank you, Don James.

– Andrew

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by | October 19, 2013 · 10:13 am

UW vs. ASU Predictions

The Huskies season is at a crossroads as they head toward kickoff in Tempe.  Right now, they are where everyone expected them to be.  One might have hoped for five wins or worried about three losses, but 4-2 right now was the most realistic positive scenario.  The question is where they go from here.

The Huskies of the last few years would struggle with all of the tough road games remaining.  We’d hope they’d take one of the ASU, OSU and UCLA games.  That still might happen.  I think this team is different though.

There are certain things a winning team does.  There are always excuses and reasons for not winning games.  It would’ve been nice to have a more than 1 of 5 of the Huskies toughest games at home, rather than have the five easiest opponents in Husky Stadium.  That’s unfortunate.  Every season has these types of scenarios, though, where not everything comes up perfectly.  The good teams win despite the circumstances.  And then, on those incredibly rare occasions where everything falls perfectly into place, the good teams become great and challenge for Rose Bowls and national championships.

I don’t know if the Huskies are quite to that level yet, but I think they’re closer to being the type of team unaffected by their circumstances than they are to the team that’s stumbled to seven wins of late.  They play with a confidence and assurity that is new this season.  They still have to prove it, though, every game.  A trip to Arizona State is the perfect place to start.

Joe

Three losses in a row is a very real possibility for the Dawgs this weekend, something UW has done every year under Sark.  On the road in Tempe is never easy, especially when ASU has talent, which they have this season. That said, this team seems to be different.  They’ve played well in both road games this year and were in the game vs Oregon last week until Mariota went all Mariota on them.  Bishop Sankey is *the* best running back in America and I don’t think ASU slows him down.  Look for Kasen and ASJ to have bounce back games.  The Sun Devils are a step down from Stanford and Oregon, and it will show. UW takes this one in front of 20k+ Husky fans who make the trip south.

UW 43 – ASU 32

Andrew

I’m not really sure what to expect tomorrow.  In the past decade there is no way this team would win this game.  They are about equal in talent to Arizona State (although I’d say the Huskies have more talent), it’s a road game and the team just played two very tough games.  I do believe that this team is different though and that’s why I’m picking the Huskies today.  If they play fast and don’t come out flat, I don’t know why they would lose.  They match-up pretty well against the Sun Devils and I think Bishop will have another big day.  Let’s hope so!  Go Dawgs!

UW 38 – ASU 30

Dan

The question Husky Nation has been asking for the last few years is when will this team take the next step, from good to great. 5 years ago all we wanted was to be respectable, but bowl games are the norm again and there’s no doubt this season will end at a bowl game. But there’s a big difference, at least in perception, between 6-8 wins and 9-11. The arrow is pointing up for UW but it’s time to take that next step, and a win on the road against a ranked opponent would be huge. Great teams win these games, while good ones take care of inferior opponents, win the occasional home game upset, but then lose road games versus good teams. That’s pretty much been UW in the Sark era.

As for the game itself, it sure feels like  we will see a lot of offense. ASU has a ton of weapons and when Taylor Kelly is on his game, he is a top 5 QB in this conference. I think he’s the key to the game. The Huskies proved at Stanford that they can bring their game on the road and compete, but can they finish the job? Let’s not forget that this game is huge for ASU too, similarly a potential season definer. In the end, I think the Huskies have a great shot to win this game, but until I see that they can win a game like this, I have a hard time picking them.

Sun Devils 34 – Huskies 27

Matthew

I think if this game were on a neutral field, the Huskies would win fairly easily.  ASU is a good team, especially on offense.  Their defense has been mediocre though, and the offense one-dimensional enough to be stoppable.  ASU has been much better at home, particularly Taylor Kelly.  I think the Huskies are a different team on the road this season, but I’m worried playing at home will bring out the potentially elite side of ASU, instead of the average-ish side they show often.

I’m still not terribly worried about the Husky defense.  They’ll have their hands full with the Sun Devils, but it’s a manageable job.  I’m a little more worried about the offense.  They still seem to be looking for an identity in the passing game.  They’ve gone away from the quick screens and perimeter attack in favor of attacking the intermediate sidelines, with the occasional pass over the middle, usually deep.  If they can find the right balance, and figure out a way to better incorporate ASJ, the offense could explode.  The line also needs to continue to improve, especially with Will Sutton and Carl Bradford aimed at Keith Price.  I’m betting on the Huskies today, because I think they’ve become a team that wins these games, but it’ll be tough down in the desert.

UW 38 – ASU 24

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by | October 19, 2013 · 12:16 am

Pac-12 Picks – Week 8

Sorry about the slow week.  After last weekend being a little bit rough, motivation was lacking.  Here are this week’s Pac-12 picks and the Husky picks will come in the morning I’m guessing.

Charleston Southern vs. Colorado – 11 A.M.
The Good Guys:  Colorado

UCLA vs. Stanford – 12:30 P.M.
Andrew, Dan, Matthew:  Stanford
Joe: UCLA

USC vs. Notre Dame – 4:30 P.M.
Andrew, Joe:  USC
Dan, Matthew:  Notre Dame

Utah vs. Arizona – 7 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Arizona

Washington State vs. Oregon – 7 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Oregon

Oregon State vs. Cal – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Oregon State

Standings: 

Dan 43-8
Andrew 42-9
Matthew 42-9
Joe 41-8
Tyler (Commenter) 25-8

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by | October 11, 2013 · 10:12 pm

UW vs. Oregon Predictions

It’s been tradition since this blog’s inception to not make predictions for the Oregon game.  There hasn’t been a time since we started writing when any of us would have picked the Huskies to beat Oregon, and that is just too much to bear when it becomes a whole post.

That comes to an end this year.  The Huskies are better, for one thing.  It’s also, as I told my fellow Good Guys, time to stop treating Oregon as something special.  They are still our hated rival, and still the best team on the schedule, but they are no longer an unconquerable foe.  So here come the predictions.  Anything could happen on the field tomorrow.  We’ll hope most of the good stuff happens for the purple and gold.  Go Dawgs.

Matthew

I can see the Huskies winning this game.  I would be surprised, but not shocked.  The Huskies are good, maybe great.  Oregon is great, but they’re a little untested.  Their defense is a small step down from the last year or two.  Mariota is phenomenal, but he’s had minor accuracy issues this season.  This game should come down to whether the Huskies can score with great frequency, and whether they can significantly limit the Oregon running game.  I think they can.  I don’t think they’ll do quite enough to get the win, though.  Oregon’s tough for anyone to beat, and I’m not sure UW’s defense, especially on the line, is quite capable of controlling them yet.  But if Danny Shelton proves immovable, and the linebackers make camp in Oregon’s backfield, and the secondary doesn’t miss any tackles and has their angles down perfectly… well, this could happen.  If the Huskies keep it close through the first quarter, be prepared to hold your breath until the end.

Oregon 37 – UW 31

Dan

If I blacked out and could not watch or hear the game tomorrow, which is defninitely a possibility, and then at 7 pm someone told me that the Huskies won the turnover battle, had a better 3rd down conversion rate than the Ducks, and scored TDs every time they got in the red zone, I’d feel confident that the Huskies had won the game. My only remaining question would be, did the refs screw us? If not, I definitely see a win. Those would be my keys to the game. My prediction is that not all those things happen, and we could still win of course, but, well, I’m pretty skeptical. Go Dawgs!

Oregon 38 – UW 24

Andrew

We all know Oregon is good.  They score a lot of points and don’t give many up.  They are fast, have playmakers all over and usually have underrated lines.  Frankly, it’s going to be very difficult to win this game.
But, the Huskies are good too.  It’s time to stop pretending that when we stick with or beat a team it’s because they aren’t as good as expected.  UW is every bit as good as Stanford and that’s not because Stanford is overrated.  The Huskies are better than any team we’ve had around here in a decade.  Saturday is truly a marquee matchup, not because of Oregon but because of what Washington has done.
I expect the loudest crowd in Husky Stadium since 2000 tomorrow and if the Huskies limit big plays they could win this game.  Holding them to field goals instead of touchdowns and winning the turnover battle is key.  The talent is as close to even as this matchup has been in a long time.  I think Oregon’s QB, lines, secondary, and special teams may have the edge (I might call the secondary a push and QB is also close).  I think Washington has an edge at RB (if DAT is hobbled, that is), WR, and LB.  And we get the home crowd.  I had every intention when I sat down to write this prediction to not pick the Huskies.  What the heck though.  I hate the Ducks!
UW 41 – Sucks 35
Joe
This is the year our national nightmare ends.  This is UW’s best shot at taking down UO in years. Before this season, Oregon feasted on depth chart thin Sark editions,  “He Who Shall Not Be Named” teams in the mid 2000’s and the Gilby 1-10 trainwreck.  Not exactly stiff competition.  Is that an excuse?  No, it’s reality, UW has sucked, everyone was beating them, not just the Quacks.  Before UW’s “Dark Decade”, the UW/UO rivalry was a good one dating back to 1994.  It was traditionally back and forth, close games.  Before 1994 Oregon was a doormat from day one, as in since the turn of the 20th century, still settling the West, cowboys and Indians, where buffaloes roamed doormat (Young Duck fans forget this… I know some old timer Duck fans who remember the old days and are quite humble and thankful for UO’s recent successes).

I think UW’s defense will be up to the task, along with Keith and Bishop playing well.  Am I getting my hopes up too high?  Maybe.  I
have no reason to think Oregon won’t play well, they always do.  They are one of the most talented teams in the nation, and are certainly the fastest.  They are coached up well and tend to let their play on the field do the talking (unlike their fans).  So in order for UW to win, they must play up, mitigate turnovers, mitigate the big play ability of UO’s skill players, be air tight on special teams and stop with the silly pre snap penalties.  That’s a lot.  I know.  Dare to dream.

UW 35 – UO 31

*As a bonus, I thought I’d include this little bit from Andrew.  He doesn’t like me to share these, but too bad!
I hope you’re keepin’ it real.  Oh wait, you always are!  Way to go.
Here’s a little something I put together for this intro that only you and I read.  Taken from ‘Kill The Beast’ from Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh98Kscctw4
Grandpa Sankey: The duck fans will swear at your children,
they’ll come out of their trailers in the night.
We’re not safe ’till the mascots head is mounted on my wall.
I say we kill the Ducks!

Softy: We’re not safe until he’s dead.
Hugh Millen: They move swift through the night.
Mrs. Sark: They’re set to come after our team with a monstrous appetite.
Dick Baird: They’ll wreak havok on our plumbing if we let them wander free!

Sark: So it’s time to take some action boys!
It’s time—to—fol—low—me!

Through the wind, through the rain,
through the lake and the bus stops.
It’s time consuming but it one exciting ride.
Say a prayer, then we’re there,
at the floating bridge of Lake Washington,
and there’s something truly ugly inside.

It’s a duck, they’ve got helmets ugly yellow ones.
Massive idiots, one good decade and a century of ‘suck’.
Hear them quack, see them roam,
but we’re not going home,
’till they’re dead, good and dead. Kill the Ducks!

Team Chorus:
Get your torch, mount you horse,

Gaston:
Through your courage to our fortress.

Chorus:
We’re counting on our coach to lead the way.
Through a mist past the lake, where we see Husky Stadium,
something’s lurking that you don’t see every day.
It’s the ducks, we don’t need luck,
We won’t rest ’till he’s good and deceased.
Steady fourth, tally ho! Grab your sword, grab your bow!
Let’s get on and here we go!

Grandpa Sankey: We’ll lay seige to the duck, and bring back his head!

Husky fans Chorus: We don’t like them at all…
9 years but now they fall,
and those uniforms are ugly as muck.
Bring your voices, our time arrives,
bring children and and your wives,
so protect our home and our lives!
LETS KILL THE DUCKS!

chorus:
Raise the purple, sing this song,
here we come at seventy-thousand strong.
Let’s get loud on third and long,
let’s kill the ducks!

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by | October 11, 2013 · 3:20 pm

Ranking The Mascots – Who’s Going To Be Your Friend?

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve talked about mascots.  I’m sorry about that because writing 1,500-2,000 word posts about mascots is worth everyone’s time.

Now that we’ve moved into conference play, it is time to name a category and then rank the Pac-12 mascots in that category.  That brings us to what the opening category of the 2013 football season should be.  Javelin throwing?  Nah.  Carpentry?  I don’t think so.

If you have read my mascot posts before you know that I value intimidation when determining how awesome a mascot is.  But, that shouldn’t be the end all.  Having a mascot that’s endearing has some value, as well.  If you can strike 70/30 intimidation to endearment ratio then you’ve nailed it.  Anyway, today’s mascot rankings are based on how well the mascot would be your friend.  Seems simple enough.  Let’s get this started!

12.  Arizona State Sun Devils – Well, this is about as obvious as can be.  Usually I have to make up fake excuses why the Devil shouldn’t win these contests every week (try to forget I said that by next week) but this week they easily finish last.  It’s hard to think of anything less friendly than the devil.  There probably isn’t anything.  You lose!

11.  Oregon Ducks – What can a duck do for you.  All they do is float around, eat your bread, and make an annoying sound.  Of course, they won’t really hurt you either which is the only reason they finish above the devil.  At least the devil will give you short-term benefits for your soul.  The duck gives no benefit it just doesn’t ruin your life.  Donald Duck is kind of funny.

10. 9.  Washington State Cougars – I do like the Cougar mascot but it doesn’t bode well for them here.  Cougars are hardly ever seen as friendly and wouldn’t make a great pet.  The odds of catching and training a Cougar are pretty low in my opinion.  They would be very helpful hunters if you did though.  Credit where credit is due.

9. 8.  Stanford Cardinal – This is about as far as a tree has ever made it in these rankings.  The truth is, a tree isn’t the worst company.  Sometimes they give us nice snacks.  They give us nice shade on a hot day or a little bit of cover in the rain.  They always provide a place to lean and rest our legs.  That is all pretty nice and I’d rate them higher if they weren’t a tree.  I mean, seriously?  Your mascot is a tree?  Trees can have benefits but in the end they just turn into dead leaves and some wood.

7. 6.  Cal Golden Bears and UCLA Bruins (tie) – I know what you’re thinking.  “You have a cougar back in the rankings because of its ferocity but you have bears 3 places ahead?”  Fair point.  Counter points: Have you seen those Coke commercials with the cute polar bears?  Have you ever seen the movie Brave where the bear is really the mother of the main character and their relationship is much better once she’s turned into a bear?  Have you ever heard the term ‘bear hug’?  What about the bears in Anchorman who let the news team live once they’ve had a thoughtful debate with Baxter (the dog)?  There are many examples of bears overcoming their natural angry instincts and being the cozy, cuddly creature that we’d like them to be.  Because of that they finish 7th.

6.  10.  Arizona Wildcats – Wildcats are essentially house cats that aren’t tamed and live in the wild.  Can you think of anything that’s more annoying than that?  Stop biting my ankles you dumb cat!  I changed my mind, move these dumb things to number 10 and move everything else up a spot.

5.  USC Trojans – Trojans are actual humans so that shot them up the list pretty easily.  But from what we know about Trojans, they killed a lot of people.  I don’t have a lot of trust there.  Of course, conversation is a nice thing to have and that’s why USC is up at number 5 and not lower.

4.  Colorado Buffaloes – I don’t really know why…

3.  Oregon State Beavers – Beavers have given us something that we have really put to use, dams!  That’s important!  Thanks Beavers!  Also, I was walking by a river once and a beaver was just hanging out there.  He let me get pretty close to him and take his picture.  He seemed nice and since I’ve always had a nice relationship with those furry friends.

2.  Utah Utes – I don’t know much about the Utes history even after extensive Wikipedia research.  They finish 3 spots above the other humans because they aren’t known for wars and killing a bunch of people by using a fake wooden horse.  The Utes must have been fine people and are well-respected in Utah.  Conversation is a nice thing to have and the Utes could probably supply some form of that.

1.  Washington Huskies – I have to admit as Mascot Rankings Commissioner that I picked a category that the Huskies would win this week.  I apologize but it seemed fitting during ‘Duck Week’.  Dogs are man’s best friend.  They are loyal, happy, and somewhat helpful.  It’s just hard to beat a dog.

A good dawg.

A good dawg.

Andrew

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by | October 10, 2013 · 4:31 pm

Pac-12 Picks – Week 7

Things are heating up for the Good Guys.  We had a round-table post up this morning and Matthew’s weekly power rankings.  Following this post we’ll have a mascot post and our Husky predictions tomorrow.  In other words, catch up on your reading and stay tuned!  The truth is, I have to write some stuff to keep my head off finding a person in green and yellow and yelling at them (self note: remind wife to not wear green or yellow in the next few days).

I’ll keep this pretty short since there is a Pac-12 game in 2 hours.  This is the first week where all of the Pac-12 teams play so that’s exciting.  Mo’ football = No Mo’ problems.  Sorry about that.  There is a few interesting games outside of the marquee match-up of UW-Oregon (Ducks suck).  Arizona-USC, which is tonight, will knock a team completely out of the South division race and will go a long ways in to deciding bowl order.  Stanford-Utah is interesting because no one can decide exactly how good Stanford or Utah is (people seem to forget that Utah lost to Oregon State at home and Stanford beat two ranked teams).  Oregon State-WSU is a nice match-up that should produce a lot of entertainment and points.  So, there are no shortage of interesting picks this week.  Here we go!

Arizona vs. USC – Thursday 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  USC

Stanford vs. Utah – Saturday 3:00 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Stanford

Colorado vs. ASU – 7:00 P.M.
The Good Guys:  ASU

Cal vs. UCLA – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  UCLA

OSU vs. WSU – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  OSU

I can’t believe we all picked the same teams.  It seemed like there might be a chance for some separation in the pick ’em standings this week.  No such luck.  Here are the standings:

Andrew 38-7 (.844)
Dan 38-7 (.844)
Joe 37-8 (.822)
Matthew 37-8 (.822)
Tyler (Commenter) 21-6 (.778)

Go Dawgs!

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by | October 10, 2013 · 11:12 am

A Q&A At A Square Table

After last weekend’s heartbreaking affairs, the Good Guys felt it was time to gather together and face the hard questions.  Okay, they aren’t really hard questions but there are some answers to a few questions.  Enjoy everybody!

After Saturday’s game, do you think Stanford is a top-5 team?  Does that mean the Huskies are a top-10 team based on their performance?

Dan:  I’m not sure if Stanford is a top 5 team because the offense and defense both seem good but not great. Top 5 teams have an elite “something” and I don’t see it’d on Stanford. I think both UW and Stanford are in the 7-10 range. Look, if your only loss is by 3 points on the road to the #5 team, and you outplay them in nearly all facets, you belong in the top 10.

Joe:  I agree with Dan that Stanford is a top 10 team, and that UW could be a top 10.  The problem I have is Stanford hasn’t been tested on the road yet, with two home games vs ranked teams, and in both cases, ASU and UW moved the ball just fine on their defense, out gaining Stanford in both games.  But I understand a win is a win, so I’ll let that sleeping dog lie.  I think Stanford is a very good football team, very well-disciplined, they just don’t beat themselves, and that’s why they are undefeated right now.
Matthew: I think Stanford is capable of beating anyone in the country, but I don’t think they’re good enough to go undefeated and win the championship.  I don’t know if that puts them in the top five or not, but I imagine they’ll hang in that range most of the year.  I see them losing to Oregon and maybe one more team. I would have the Huskies in the 10-15 range right now.  If they keep playing like they have been, however, I don’t see them losing many more games.  They could easily be a a top 10 team, and I think they’re playing like it right now.  It’s just a matter of keeping it up.
Andrew:  It appears that I’m in the minority here but I do believe Stanford is a top-5 team.  Outside of Alabama, I’m not sure that anyone has a better resume than Stanford right now.  I think their front 7 is elite and is probably the best in the country.  As for the Huskies, they really do look like a top-10 team to me.  I think they can play with anyone because of the weapons on their team and because of the growth on the coaching staff.  This weekend will go a long ways in showing whether the Huskies are or not.
What was your favorite play from Saturday’s game?

Dan:  I thought the 3rd and 1 stop with 2 mins left was amazing. Peters was off-balance and Hogan appeared to have an easy path to getting a yard or 2 outside, but Marcus recovered and made a phenomenal play that only elite D’s pull off.

Joe:  Any play that involved Bishop Sankey doing something awesome, and then seeing Grandpa Sankey go nuts.
Matthew: I’ll second both of those.  Grandpa Sankey was great, but that third down stop by Peters was incredible.  I’ve been raving about it ever since.  It came out of the same formation as Stanford scored (I think) their last touchdown: 8 lineman, shotgun, two backs beside the quarterback.  It’s very symmetrical and looks like a goal line offense.  Because of that, UW got sucked into the middle on the touchdown, and Tyler Gaffney was untouched going off-tackle to the right.  There are so many different plays that can be run out of that alignment. They can hand off either direction, go right up the gut, slip the tight end or a back out for a pass.  This time Hogan kept it, Peters mostly stayed home and then closed and made a difficult tackle.  Given the circumstances and level of difficulty, that was one of the better defensive plays we’ll see all year.
Andrew:  I can’t disagree with the Peters play.  It would have been my favorite UW play, maybe ever, if the Dawgs had pulled the game out.

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