Author Archives: Andrew Long

by | September 26, 2010 · 5:27 pm

Around the Pac-10: Week 4

Alright, time for me to get back on schedule with the blog.  This was about the best week possible for the Pac-10 from a national perspective.   I’ll take a look at the conference games first:

Oregon -42 Arizona State- 31

So, is Oregon not quite as dominant as they looked in the first 3 games?  Or is Arizona State actually a good team?  The easiest answer is a little bit of both.  The Oregon defense was torn apart and Arizona State’s defense played pretty well against the Ducks amazing run game.  If the Sun Devils hadn’t committed 7 turnovers who knows what would have happened.  Take into account that it was 100 degrees and this score seems a little more reasonable.  Still, the feeling after this game is that Oregon might not be as far ahead of the Pac-10 as we thought.

Arizona – 10 Cal -9

This is weird.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to watch any of these games, I’ve only read about them but this is pretty far from the prediction I had for this game.  After getting torn apart by Nevada, I thought California wouldn’t be able to keep up with Arizona’s offense.  They did.  The Wildcats needed a late touchdown to win this one and Cal seemed in control most of the game.  Arizona’s defense is obviously good but their offense can’t disappear like this if they want to win the Pac.  When they’re at their best, the Wildcats could win the conference but when they aren’t, they’re just an average team.  Give credit to the Cal defense for playing so well.  Kevin Riley needs to be a lot better if they want to have a chance to contend.  But, Kevin Riley isn’t very good so that probably won’t happen.

USC – 50 WSU -16

While the other two games weren’t what I expected, this was exactly what I expected.  The Cougars scored first and passed pretty well against a questionable Trojan secondary but they never really stood a chance.  Matt Barkley made a few questionable decisions in the first half, throwing two interceptions.  He went on to say after the game that if they hadn’t committed 3 turnovers they would have scored 70.  Good observation, Matt.  Running back, Marc Tyler, told a reporter he could have run through the holes that the offensive line was making.  To complete the awesome quotes, WSU receiver, Jeffrey Solomon, said, “We’re so close to being good, it’s not even funny.”  This is my favorite quote of the year.  I wish I would have started Stanley Havili on my fantasy team this game, as he was the Trojan’s leading rusher and receiver.  Lane Kiffen lives to make me mad.

Now, the non-conference games:

UCLA – 34 Texas -12

Well, I thought Texas was overrated but I also thought UCLA was just pretty bad.  Credit the Bruins, they have really turned things around since getting drilled by Stanford.  Beating a national power like Texas at Texas is a huge achievement.  UCLA didn’t look great in the first half, only picking up 77 yards but they took control in the 2nd and were never close to losing this game.  Their defense is really starting to play well.  Now, we get to see if they can sustain this success or not.  Maybe the Pac-10 is really that much better than the Big-12.  That’s what I like to think, but Nebraska showed me otherwise.

Oregon State – 24 Boise St – 37

I’m starting to believe the Bronco hype.  This is the first year where I think they could actually challenge for the Pac-10 title.  The poor Beavers will learn that they shouldn’t schedule two teams that are in the top-10, on the road, for their non-conference schedule.  So, the Beavers aren’t an extremely elite team but they’re still dangerous.  They played TCU and Boise close and are the best 1-2 team in the country.  I don’t think that’s enough to challenge for the top of the Pac though.

Stanford – 37 Notre Dame -14

Yes, the Irish aren’t that great but Stanford looks fantastic.  We knew the Cardinal had a lot of potential but it looks like they may be even better than what we expected.  They are so physical and fundamentally sound that it just makes it tough to foresee a future letdown.  With that being said, they haven’t been tested like they will be this week against Oregon.  They dominated yesterday and look to ride that momentum into an early season showdown.

Next Week:

UCLA @ WSU
Arizona State @ Oregon State
UW @ USC
Stanford @ Oregon

Wow, those are some really interesting games.  Someone should write to the Pac-10 and tell them not to have the Stanford-Oregon game at the same time as UW-USC.  Because, I know that would do a lot of good to write to them…  Power rankings after the jump.  Continue reading →

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by | September 22, 2010 · 5:14 pm

Wow…

Ummm…. Jose Lopez just hit his 3rd home run of the game.  Did you hear that Hell froze over earlier today?

Andrew

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by | September 21, 2010 · 11:20 pm

The Overload

It finally happened.  For 8 months I had written through the few good times and the numerous down times for my sports teams.  I had held on to glimmers of hope and was a loyal fan.  But, this weekend I suffered Sports Overload.

On Friday, Felix pitched one of the best games of his career.  I had planned on going to the game with some friends, but it didn’t work out so I went to dinner with my family instead.  I almost missed Felix’s no-hitter.  I make a point of not trying to miss a Felix start, but the one I did he almost threw a no-hitter.  Of course, I was happy for the King.  He’s my favorite player in baseball and I’m happy to see him do well.  But, I should have known that missing this start would be a bad omen for the rest of the weekend.

We know what happened Saturday and Sunday.  The Huskies and Seahawks each laid an egg, the Huskies more so than the Seahawks.  There isn’t much point in retelling these games.  Dan and Joe did a good job already and I don’t have a lot to add.  I was disappointed, maybe as disappointed as I’d ever been for a Husky game and that’s saying a lot.  For the record, I still see the Huskies making it to a bowl and that game did not define Locker’s career.  But dang, that second half was hard to watch.

That was the final straw, really.  After that and my college fantasy team laying an embarrassing 51 points that day, I took the rest of the night off from sports.  I went to a concert and had the best night I’d had in quite some time.  I casually followed the Seahawks the next day but I couldn’t get into it.  My vacation from sports was still on through Sunday and it decided to make it a long weekend and last through Monday and Tuesday, too.

Five months of watching terrible baseball combined with a terrible weekend of football did me in.  Today, I started following the Tacoma Rainiers championship game online.  When I turned on the gameday feed I saw Tacoma was down 12-3 so, I turned it off and played guitar.  The vacation continues for at least another day.

So, forgive me for not taking a look around the Pac-10 this week.  I’m sorry for not writing my thoughts on the Husky game or on what the next step is.  I’ll get around to that later but I’m not ready to dive in quite yet.  The Mariners will get a little more interesting tomorrow when they call up more players from Tacoma.  The Seahawks play at home this weekend so they have a much better chance.  And the Huskies play again and I can’t help but write about them, as you’ve probably noticed.  Things will get better, but for now I’ve caught Sports Overload and the syndrome is sticking around for another day or two.

I did see Ichiro went 4-4 tonight, that makes me smile.  Shame on you for ever thinking he might not get to 200 hits this season.

Thanks for reading a piece that tells you nothing informative!

Andrew

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by | September 17, 2010 · 8:39 pm

Husky Predictions: Week 3

The Dawgs face Nebraska at 12:30 tomorrow.  Go purple, be gold!  (One of these days I’m going to write about how bad Seattle teams are at making little slogans.  Or maybe that’s every team).

Matthew’s Prediction:
I want to pick the Huskies to win this game, but I just can’t quite do it. Still, a week or two ago, I gave them little chance, while now I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they won. Reasons for my change in perspective: I’m not so sure that Nebraska’s as good as their ranking, and they’re starting a freshman quarterback in front of the biggest Husky Stadium crowd in years. Unfortunately, those reasons are all about the Huskers. Part of that is because I know much more about the Huskies, but it’s mostly because I’m not convinced that UW can do enough to win this game. Can they stop a spread option offense similar to the Oregon offense that has run over them the last few years? Can the offensive line open enough holes to provide the rushing attack that will be necessary? Can Jake be accurate enough to work against a 7 man secondary? I can see the answer to any of those questions being “yes”, but I’m not willing to commit on any of them. This game is getting compared to the USC victory last year, but I think a win here would be different. That game, the Dawgs were huge underdogs who caught USC sleeping. That won’t happen Saturday. A win against Nebraska would be a statement rather than a surprise. I think they can make the statement, but I’m doubtful they will.
Nebraska 31, UW 24

Dan’s Prediction:
Watching the Holiday Bowl last year, and seeing the 20th ranked Huskers dismantle Arizona 33-0, I remember thinking NU may be a top 10 team by the time UW faces them. As it has turned out, Nebraska is #8 in the country and rightfully so. For Washington to compete in this game, it starts up front on both sides of the ball. On defense, UW must be effective stopping Nebraska’a potent rushing attack, and on offense, the O-line had better protect Jake against a stellar D-line. I don’t think Big Red knows exactly what it’s in for in terms of hostile atmosphere, similar to when LSU came to town last year. The crowd noise should rattle Martinez, their freshman QB, and some misty, overcast conditions will paint a perfect backdrop for a USC-esque upset. However, I just don’t have the confidence to pick UW in this one. Nebraska reminds me of Oregon with their mobile quarterback and zone read option attack. This deceptive style of offense has killed the Huskies in recent years. Keep Martinez under 250 total yards and I like our chances. On offense, the Huskies have the weapons, but Nebraska counters with a great secondary and given the pressure Jake will be under, he might start forcing some throws.
I have waited for this game for a while, but ultimately I see Nebraska winning, 31-20.

Joe’s Prediction:
This game is a brutal one for me.  I am picking Nebraska to win, but that is not what my heart says will happen.  I am a Husky through and through, so of course my soul says the Dawgs always win.  But throughout the day today, all I can think about is Taylor Martinez running all over the UW defense.  The Dawgs have been systematically unable over the past year to stop an opponent for all 4 quarters.  Every game, the opponent rips off a big play, or converts a 3rd and long, which breaks the Huskies backs.  I will say the UW defense has played better this year for sure, but a highly talented scrambling QB like Martinez will cause problems.  I have 100% confidence the Husky offense will score, no matter how good Nebraska’s defense is.  The Dawgs have too many weapons.  They will get their points (the BYU game was an aberration).  I just keep coming back to the dreaded “Big Play” that will invariably be the downfall of the Huskies.  I hope I am completely and utterly wrong on this prediction.
Nebraska 34 – Washington 31

Andrew’s Prediction:
This may be the biggest Husky game in years.  It definitely is the biggest since around 2003, since the Huskies have their best team since then.  Many people have compared this game to the USC one last year, but, like Matthew, I don’t see it that way.  If the Dawgs pull off the upset I see this game more like the Miami game in 2000.  If UW wins this game it could really jump-start them.  The Huskies will be ready and I don’t think they’ll get blown out.  I expect a competitive game but in the end I don’t see us winning this one.  It’s not out of the question by any means, as the week went on I started to believe more and more.  If the Huskies lose this it will be because of the battle on the lines.  Both lines need to step up against a superior opponent.  The skill positions are fine.  Our quarterback, receivers, and linebackers are better than theirs.  But, it’s lost on the lines I think.  It will be great to see Husky Stadium packed and hear it rock like it hasn’t in years.  I’m praying for a repeat of that 2000 Miami game, but I don’t think they can quite do it.
Nebraska 24 – Huskies 21

Go Dawgs!

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by | September 16, 2010 · 11:11 am

The End of an Era

My family has had Husky season tickets for 13 years.  We started with 3 and then upgraded to 4 once I got older and my sister got interested.  Husky games became more than just football games, they became family events.  They were a chance to see my brother, who was here in Seattle while I was in Yakima.  They became a chance to hang out with my older siblings, as we walked from our bleachers to Dempsey Indoor to Hec. Ed and back before the band took the field.  Saturdays became day long events with the family and the Dawgs fit right in with family.  It became routine, but not the kind of routine that you take for granted, the kind you cherish.

My sister would miss a game here and there because of coaching gymnastics, still she was more faithful than almost all Husky fans during this time.  My friend Derek would come along whenever we found an extra ticket, which was often.  My dad was there all the time.  He loves the Dawgs, but something tells me he goes to these games more than just to watch football.  My brother and fellow Good Guy, Matthew, was a constant.  In fact, Matthew and I haven’t missed a home game since 2003.  That changes this week.

As Matthew goes back to school to pursue his masters in teaching, he has to miss a game this Saturday.  So, the streak of 46 games in a row together ends.  This streak has seen the full tenure of 3 head coaches for the Huskies.  The Seahawks have also gone through 3 head coaches during this span.  The Mariners have gone through 5.  We’ve seen some bad football together but we all kept showing up.

To make matters worse, my sister won’t be able to make the game this week either because of a gymnastics conference.  Frankly, I’ll be a little lost on Saturday.  I’m sure whoever takes the extra ticket will fill in just fine but they won’t have Matthew’s knowledge of the game or Rachel’s tenacity in walking straight into other opponent’s fans.  The person who fills in won’t know the routine.  I’ll be sure to teach it to them but it won’t feel quite right.

This week has the potential to be one of the greatest Husky games in the last decade.  It could vault the Dawgs into the top-25 and give them momentum heading into conference play.  I will be ecstatic if they win.  But, it won’t feel quite right.  It’ll feel better in a few weeks when we play Arizona State and each take our respective roles in the bleachers under the Husky-tron.

I know the saying, “streaks are meant to be broken.”  But, I’d rather this one wasn’t.  It’s the end of an era, just as the Huskies are trying to start a new era of winning.  Maybe it’s fitting that we’ll have to start a new streak, just as UW looks like they’re turning the program around.  In a time when the Huskies have gone through the worst spell in their history, loyal fans have been harder to come by.  That’s what makes my brothers streak even more impressive.

Matthew, we salute you.

Andrew

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by | September 15, 2010 · 6:41 pm

Scouting Nebraska

The Huskies face their toughest task yet this week in Husky Stadium, a top-ten Nebraska team.  We know a little more about Nebraska than the first two teams of the season just because they don’t have so many question marks.  That being said, there are still a few unknowns for the Huskers.  Nebraska hasn’t played anyone good yet.  They played Western Kentucky the first week and beat them 49-10.  Last week they beat Idaho 38-17 in a very sloppy game.  Let’s looks at this Good Guy’s style, position by position:

Quarterback: Taylor Martinez starts for Nebraska.  If you have read anything at all about this game you’ve probably heard Martinez’s name come up.  He’s a red-shirt freshman that surpassed last year’s starter, Zac Lee, during the off-season.  Martinez is fast.  Jake Locker fast.  He’s said to have 4.5 40 and has run up and down the field against his first two opponents.  Martinez is averaging 13.8 yards a carry and has the capability to break a huge run.  I could see him running right by the Huskies defensive ends the entire game.  Throwing may be a different story.  He’s said to be perfectly capable with his arm but hasn’t proved that yet.  Frankly, Nebraska hasn’t needed to throw the football very much yet.  Martinez is 22-34 on the season throwing the football.  That’s a good completion percentage, but keep in mind the competition.  Martinez, and the Nebraska offense as a whole, has been a little turnover-prone in the first couple games.  Last week, the Cornhuskers fumbled 8 times!  Yes, 8 times!  They lost 3 of them and Martinez also threw an interception.  All in all, the quarterback position seems to be in good hands at Nebraska.  Still, it’s the first road start for a freshman in a Husky Stadium that should be louder than it has in years.  Martinez is a stud but still unproven.

Running Back: Roy Helu Jr. and Rex Burkhead are Nebraska’s main backs.  Helu is supposedly the lightning to Burkhead’s thunder.  Burkhead is a very solid guy with a good burst but is lacking the big-play speed.  He is also a good receiver out of the backfield.  Helu is a lot the same except he isn’t used as a receiver quite as much.  Helu did rush for 1,147 yards last year.  Obviously, he’s a proven, good player.  He may have a little better overall speed, but Martinez is the big play guy in the Nebraska backfield.  The Huskers go without a fullback generally, because of their spread offense attack.  Think Oregon as far as formations go.  Burkhead has also lined up in the Wildcat quite a bit.  I don’t really understand why the Huskers would do this since they have Martinez now but don’t be surprised if you see that on Saturday.

Wide Receiver: This is probably the biggest question mark for Nebraska.  They have two really big guys, Niles Paul and Brandon Kinnie, who are both over 6’2″, 220.  Paul also runs a little bit in a fly-sweep type play.  The two guys I mentioned are possession type receivers, but given their size, it seems like they would be pretty good down-field, also. The Huskers don’t really have any proven deep threats, yet.  We’ll see if they take any chances this week.  Mike McNeil plays a tight end/receiver type role.  He’s another giant, standing at 6’4″, 230.  The rest of the receiving corps is an unknown and they seem to lack consistency as a whole.

Offensive Line: Nebraska returns 4 of 5 starters on the offensive line but did lose their best player to graduation.  The line doesn’t have any huge stars but they’ve been solid thus far, leading the Huskers to 324 rushing yards a game.  The line wasn’t great last year, but wasn’t bad either.  Their line might not be quite as good as BYU but it’ll be a tough match-up for the Dawgs up front.  The Huskies will most likely bring a lot of guys in the box to try to stop the rushing attack.  The Husker line is pretty strong, all in all.

We’ll get to the defensive side of the ball after the jump. Continue reading →

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by | September 13, 2010 · 9:53 pm

Around the Pac-10: Week 3

The Pac-10 had a much better week, going undefeated in non-conference games.  The schedule is a lot tougher this week.  Let’s jump right in:

Arizona
Last Week:  Arizona 52, The Citadel 6
Up Next: Home vs. Iowa
So, we still don’t know much about Arizona but they have been impressive in killing people.  Needless to say, The Citadel isn’t good and this score doesn’t really matter.  This week Arizona has Iowa coming in and we’ll know if the Wildcats are for real.  Iowa is a really good football team and it will be exciting to see if this team can stack up.  I think they can but will it be enough to win?  By the way, this was the game that should have gotten ESPN Gameday in my opinion.  Not that I care a whole lot.

Arizona State
Last Week:  ASU 41, Northern Arizona 20
Up Next:  @ Wisconsin
ASU survived a scare from Northern Arizona.  This game was a lot closer than the final score indicates; ASU didn’t pull away until the 4th quarter.  They could have been looking ahead to a tough match-up this week.  Or, they might not be very good.  I’m guessing it’s a mix of both.  Anyway, Wisconsin should kill ASU but who knows if the Big-10 is as good as people think.  This could be a game to keep an eye on.  I don’t really know what to expect.

Cal
Last Week:  Cal 52, Colorado 7
Up Next:  @ Nevada
Cal may have had the most impressive win this week, outside of Oregon.  I know Colorado sucks but they are still a Big-12, soon to be Pac-12, team.  So, is Cal any good?  We still don’t know for sure and this week will tell us much more.  Nevada is a much tougher opponent and it will be a good test for the Golden Bears defense.  If they win this game, count me in as a believer.

Oregon
Last Week:  Oregon 48, Tennessee 13
Up Next:  Home vs. Portland State
Oregon looks really good.  I don’t want to say much else because it drives me crazy.  They could win the national championship.  In brighter news, Portland State is probably a little better than New Mexico.  Oregon’s defense hasn’t really been tested yet.  Still, they’ve outscored opponents 120-13 so far.  Wow.

Oregon State
Last Week:  Bye week
Up Next:  Home vs. Louisville
The Beavers had the week off.  This week they play a team they should handle pretty easily.  Louisville isn’t a complete push over but are more like a solid tune-up before Boise next week.  Keep everyone healthy Beavs!  All the mid-major haters are counting on you!

Stanford
Last Week: Stanford 35, UCLA 0
Up Next:  Home vs. Wake Forest
The Cardinal demolished UCLA, but I’m left thinking this is more because the Bruins suck than it is the Cardinal being great.  Stanford has weapons but I want to see them against a good offense before I make a final judgment.  With that being said, I do think they are in the upper half of the Pac-10 and could challenge for the conference title.  The Demon Deacons of Wake Forest surprised the Cardinal last year with a second half comeback.  Expect revenge to be sweet this year for the Stanford, boys.  Wake Forest isn’t too great.

UCLA
Last Week:  Stanford 35, UCLA 0
Up Next:  Home vs. Houston
UCLA looks absolutely terrible.  If Wazzu wasn’t on their schedule I don’t know if they’d win a game.  This week they play a Houston team who may be missing their star quarterback.  If he isn’t playing they might stand a chance, if he is than I’d be surprised if it’s close.  UCLA’s offense looks terrible and their defense doesn’t look much better.  But, they have enough talent to play a good game or two.  Slick Rick may be job-hunting if they keep going at this pace.

USC
Last Week:  USC 17, Virginia 14
Up Next:  @ Minnesota
Who is this team?  Surely, they aren’t as bad as they have looked.  They are 2-0 but still.  A team with this talent should have won more convincingly than they have so far.  Maybe they put it together this week.  Even if they don’t, they should beat a Minnesota team that just lost to an FCS team.  But, Pac-10 play starts soon for the Trojans and they better figure a few things out before it does.

Wazzu
Last Week:  WSU 23, Montana St. 22
Up Next: @ SMU
They won.  Still, should Cougar fans be excited about that?  I don’t know.  A win is a win but that cliche doesn’t sit as easily when it’s a miracle win against Montana State.  In other words, a win sometimes is a little less than a win.  The Cougars will ride their momentum into a showdown with SMU.  Could any Pac-10 team in history ever be a 20 point underdog to this SMU team?  Probably not.  They look worse than last year.  Really.

Power Rankings after the jump.  Continue reading →

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by | September 12, 2010 · 1:34 pm

Huskies Post Game: Syracuse

The Huskies got their first win of the year last night at Husky Stadium against Syracuse, 41-20. The Dawgs’ struggled early on; there wasn’t any offensive rhythm and special team’s mistakes led to an early 10-0 lead for the Orange.  But, then the Huskies found it.  They played like the team we had planned on seeing this year.  They outscored Syracuse 41-10 through the rest of the game and it wasn’t much of a contest after the first couple plays in the second half.

Jermaine Kearse had a monster day (9 receptions for 179 yards), as the offense used big plays to dominate.  The defense was solid too.  They gave up two or three big plays but the two touchdowns Syracuse scored were because of a special teams penalty and a turnover.

I’ll review this one by taking a look at each position.  I haven’t been able to find a replay anywhere yet, FSN decided to show a replay of Wyoming and Texas instead, so I won’t be as thorough as I’d like to be but these were my first impressions from being there.  Continue reading →

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