Category Archives: Huskies Football

Posts dealing with Huskies football

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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by | October 5, 2013 · 10:41 am

UW vs. Stanford Predictions

I don’t have much time, so I’ll be short on the intro here.  I just want to point out that today it is absolutely perfect in the Seattle area.  It’s supposed to be sunny and in the 60s, with a sky as blue as UCLA’s jerseys.  Anyone remember last Saturday?  That time when the the Huskies played Arizona, with a bunch of high level recruits in the stands and rain seemingly defying the laws of gravity to blow up under people’s ponchoes and raincoats.  What a difference a week makes.  Come on nature!  Figure it out!  One rain game a year is enough.  I like football in the cold, but here’s to a night next week, with Oregon in town, that’s as clear and as crisp as this morning has been.  Here’s the picks.

Dan

How big would a Huskies win at Stanford be? Consider this. If UW pulls off the upset, they will likely jump to about 10th in the nation, and would host college gameday next week for a matchup vs. #2 Oregon. That would be monumental. If UW could do the unthinkable and win their next 3, at Stanford, vs Oregon, at ASU, the Dawgs would likely be ranked 1 or 2 in the country. Now, the odds are slim, but how many teams in America can think about winning 3 games to jump into the top 3 in the nation? This really is a cool opportunity awaiting the Huskies.

As for tomorrow’s game, I think Washington goes down and knocks off Stanford…once or twice if they played 10 times. Stanford is really good on both sides of the ball, and they will want to avenge the loss they suffered last year in Seattle. The Huskies are good too, maybe even great, but this feels like UW is walking into a buzzsaw. The Cardinal are ranked #5 in the country, and the Huskies last road win at a top 5 team came at Wazzu in 2002. There is reason to think UW’s speed and up tempo offense might give Stanford trouble, but it will take a near flawless game to do the unthinkable. A win would put the Huskies among college football’s elite, but I just don’t see it happening.

Cardinal  35 – Huskies 17

Matthew

I would love to pick the Huskies in this one, but I just can’t quite do it.  I think they are quite capable of pulling out a victory.  If it were in Seattle, I might even call for the upset.  In Palo Alto, against a surging Stanford team, I just can’t quite do it.  Stanford is big, physical and disciplined.  Although they’re creative in their schemes, they don’t feel like they’re trying to pull anything over on you.  They just play like they’re better and smarter than every other team.  Their emerging passing attack is the missing link for them, although I’m still not convinced it’s as good as it’s looked the last couple of weeks.  This is as tough as winnable games get.  The fact that it’s eminently winnable is a testament to how much the Huskies have improved.  I see three keys here (I’ve learned that these always come in threes): 1. The UW defense has to make the Stanford offense relatively one-dimensional. 2. The offensive line has to give Keith Price enough time to react and not feel nervous and constantly overwhelmed.  3. Price has to have a phenomenal day and the receivers have to get open and make at least one guy miss each play.  They can do those things, but it will be a tall order.  I see a close game, but I think the Huskies trail and ultimately lose for the first time this season.

Stanford 27 – UW 20

Andrew

Leading up to each Husky game, my brain goes through several stages in analyzing the game.  First, I assess how the Dawgs did the previous week.  Then, I move on to the opponent, what they did the previous week, and their whole season.  Next, I move on to the keys for the Huskies to win and their chances of winning.  After that, I do the same for the opponent.  These stages flip-flop until I come up with who I think will win.  Then, it ends in me being incredibly nervous and excited come game time.  These stages take different amount of time each week.  Let me take you through this weeks stages in abbreviated form.

1.  The Huskies played a great game last week.  Danny Shelton may have had his best game as a Husky and the defense carried the Dawgs until the conditions allowed for the offense to get rolling (yes, the conditions were that bad).
2.  Stanford had their most dominating win of the season, pulverizing WSU.  They have come on strong in the last two weeks and they look to be worthy of the lofty ranking they have.  Personally, I’d have them at number two in the country right now.  I think their front 7 on defense is the best in the nation and their offense is getting stronger every week.
3.  The Huskies could win this game.  They have superior statistics to Stanford in almost every facet of the game and have probably played a tougher schedule so far.  The key for the Huskies to win while on defense is making sure their corners (Peters and Ducre) don’t allow any big plays in pass.  They need to be left out on an island in order for the safeties to help with the run and can’t be beat while being out there.  Stopping the run is obviously huge and the front 7 need to be as stout as ever.
On offense it’s a little trickier, I think the Huskies need to stay true to who they are.  Run the ball even when it’s not working, use your speed in the passing game and take a shot or two to keep the defense honest.  Speed is where the Huskies have the edge on this side of the ball and they need to find ways to take advantage of that.
4.  Stanford, frankly, has a great chance of winning this game.  They just have more experience in this type of game and are incredibly physical.

So, all in all, I think I will go with Stanford.  To win, the Huskies need to play their best road game in… a decade? Two decades?  They are more than capable of that but I don’t know if they will.  Intensity and readiness shouldn’t be a problem.  I just think Stanford has too much going for them this week.  I hope I’m wrong and the Huskies get their biggest win since 2000.  Go Dawgs!

Stanford 28 – UW 24

Joe

Washington comes into this week starting the “October Gauntlet” of Stanford, Oregon and ASU three weeks in a row.  Thankfully, UW is 4-0, so their margin of error is not razor thin, but it’s close.  Many fans would take a 1-2 record with a win over Oregon.  I say 2-1 is acceptable.  The one loss?  Unfortunately, it will come Saturday night on The Farm.  I think Stanford is a legit national title contender, and I think they show it vs UW.  I don’t think this game is as much about how good or bad UW plays, but a show case for how good Stanford is.  The Cardinal don’t ever beat themselves, play tight, tough defense, and with Hogan at QB are able to throw the ball down field.  In order for UW to win, the Huskies will need to play flawless and hope Stanford is sloppy.  Any scenario with UW turning the ball over or committing penalties will result in a blow out.  I do think UW will play well, I think Sankey will get his yards, but I don’t see UW overcoming Stanford’s discipline and skill.  The game will be close and well played, but the Cardinal win.

Stanford 30 – UW 20

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by | September 17, 2013 · 8:40 pm

Runnin’ With The Pac: Week 3

Once again, rankings of who had the best week in the Pac-12.  These are not overall power rankings, just who had the best game/week last week.  Teams on a bye are excluded unless something warrants it.

1. UCLA Bruins beat Nebraska 41-21

What a tough week for the Bruins.  Last Sunday they lost a player, Nick Pasquale, who was killed in a car wreck.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, teammates and coaches.  Dealing with a death like that is so far beyond anything happening on the football field, and it showed as UCLA struggled in the first half on Saturday.  They stormed back to blow-out Nebraska and earn the Pac-12’s best victory thus far.  No matter how you usually feel about UCLA, this was a win everyone can be excited for them to get.  It doesn’t replace losing a member of their family, but if it helps give them meaning and a chance to move on, it will be worth something.  Best wishes to everyone involved, and we hope you find overwhelming love and support through the next months.

2. ASU Sun Devils beat Wisconsin 32-30

ASU didn’t always look good, but they looked better most of the game than did the Badgers.  And come on, how great was that ending!  It was wrong in oh so many ways, and Wisconsin has every right to be furious.  It was also one of the craziest things I’ve seen on the field in a while.  I’d put them number two just because of how much enjoyment it brought me, but it was also a solid win against a ranked team.  ASU didn’t look perfect, but they’re a tough team when they get rolling.

3. USC Trojans beat Boston College 35-7

After their terrible showing against WSU, the Trojans finally did some things right.  Kiffin named Cody Kessler as quarterback, and he was solid.  Even more encouraging was a strong day in the running game and signs that Marquise Lee is getting untracked.  He only caught two balls, but they went for 90 yards.  BC isn’t good, but USC did exactly what they needed to get their season at least going in the direction of the right track.

4. Oregon Ducks beat Tennessee 59-14

Not much to say here, as Oregon pummeled yet another mediocre opponent.  I wish we could see them play someone, but they’re disposing quickly of anyone they see.

5. UW Huskies beat Illinois 34-24

Illinois is probably about as good as Tennessee, but the Huskies weren’t nearly as dominant as Oregon was.  Still, road wins are always good, and the Dawgs were a few mistakes from a blow-out.  They need to stop making mistakes.  Don’t do dumb stuff, Huskies!

6. Oregon State Beavers beat Utah 51-48

The Beavs are tied with WSU for the Pac-12 lead.  Have a good laugh.  Take your time.  The good news is that, in what was something of a must win, the Beavers did, and salvaged any hope their season had.  The bad news is they didn’t look too great doing it and the defense continues to struggle mightily.  OSU usually improves over the year, except for that year they really didn’t.  They’re going to score plenty of points, but the defense doesn’t have any answers right now.  Glad to see Storm Woods is okay, though.  That was a scary moment for a talented guy.

7. (Tie) Arizona Wildcats beat UTSA 38-13 & WSU Cougars beat Southern Utah 48-10

Both teams beat weak opponents fairly handily, so I’m giving them the tie.  I saw some of the WSU game and none of Arizona’s so I can’t say a ton.  WSU looked shaky early, but they managed to take care of business.  Both teams are doing what they need to do, but stiffer challenges await.

9. Stanford Cardinal beat Army 34-20

Unimpressive win for a top five Stanford squad.  The passing game is looking better than expected, but the defense struggled a bit with Army.  That shouldn’t happen.  Stanford is probably fine, but they look a bit suspect, and that’s enough to drop them to 9th in a strong week for the conference.

10. California Golden Bears lost to Ohio St. 52-34

Cal got whupped by OSU, but they did manage to put up 34 points.  QB Jared Goff is a keeper (literally. I have him in fantasy.  I might keep him) and the offense is fairly loaded and in a system well-fitted to their strengths.  Unfortunately for the Bears, the defense is horrendous.  I mean, it’s really bad.  Really really bad.  Cal could be good soon, but I don’t think it’s going to happen this year.

11. Utah Utes lost to OSU 51-48

The Utes get the basement for losing a conference game at home they were in position to win.  The good news is they were in position to win, and the offense is dramatically improved from last year.  Alas, they still lost, and the Utes aren’t good enough yet to be losing conference games at which they have a shot.

Honorary Listing: Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado had their match with Fresno State postponed due to the incredible flooding taking place.  Again, prayers and well wishes to all those suffering loss in the tragedy.  Cancelling the game was the right move.  Still, it was probably unfortunate for Colorado, who have been playing reasonably well and were looking for some revenge against FSU for last year’s beating.  Last I heard, they haven’t decided for sure if the game will be rescheduled, although they hope to.  Hopefully Colorado dries out soon and the Buffs can resume their slow improvement on the field.

Here’s to a week with fewer tragedies and even more great games.  Stay safe everybody.

-Matthew

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by | September 16, 2013 · 11:39 pm

Washington-Illinois Review

The Dawgs moved to 2-0 on Saturday night against a feisty Illinois team.  From the get go it was obvious that U-Dub was the better team but the game was in doubt as late as the fourth quarter.  If you’re reading this, you probably have already read/watched/heard about the game so I’m not going to tell you what happened.  I’ll just add a few notes here and there and move on to this week.  Unfortunately, there isn’t a replay on TV (with it being on the Big-10 Network) and I’m not sure I want to hear those announcers for another 3 hours anyway.  In other words, I’m not going to do quite the breakdown I did against Boise.  I’ve made this weird little outline that pretty much encapsulates the main notes I have on the game.  Enjoy!

Distractions:  First, this trip seemed a little hectic for the Huskies.  On the radio show today, Sark said their bus showed up late at the airport when they landed.  He also mentioned that Northwestern University (their mascot is the Wildcats, if you need any more proof that they are stupid) cancelled on letting the Huskies having a walk-through on their field.  This led to the Dawgs having a practice in a large, public park in downtown Chicago.

Dumber Distractions:  Then, the officials happened.  Yes, the Huskies committed too many penalties, without a doubt.  The Huskies ended with 12 penalties for 104 yards.  I can remember 4 or 5 penalties I don’t particularly agree with.  ASJ was called for holding without touching anyone.  Danny Shelton was called for a late hit on a guy that was still in-bounds (although he did launch himself, this will usually be a penalty).  Jaydon Mickens was called for a late hit and was shown walking around while the player was being tackled, so I don’t know how it could be a late hit.  Josh Shirley was called for a roughing the passer penalty because he was pushed into the quarterback and his arm touched him.  There were a few other holding penalties that didn’t seem quite right.  If you take away just three of the four penalties I mentioned, the yardage is down to about 70 yards.  That’s not good but it’s not nearly as crippling, obviously.

Dumbest Distractions:  The Huskies also fought off a number of trick plays.  There was around ten trick plays the Illini tried.  Most of them worked for about ten yards.  One led to a big first down on a pivotal play and went for about 40 yards.  Other than that, the Huskies survived.  I hate those plays.  Not as much as my fellow Good Guys hate them but I can’t stand them.  It seemed fitting that the Huskies pretty much ended the game by intercepting a double pass.

The Real Story:  When you take into account and consider these first three points, the Huskies really dominated the game.  The offense racked up over 600 yards, led by a running back who should be considered for the Heisman Trophy.  The defense played fast in the first half and looked like the same team that played against Boise.  They had their lapses (more on those in a minute) but they dominated a team that played with a lot of confidence and tenacity.

Cause For Concern – Offense:  As I said, there were lapses on both sides of the ball.  First the offense.  In the Red Zone, the Huskies settled for field goals twice.  At the end of the half, the Huskies drove down into the red zone before stalling there.  The drive ended because of some really questionable play calling.  There was no running plays once the team got in there even though they had all their time-outs and there was plenty of time on the clock.  The other drive that resulted in a field goal ended similarly.  I know Kasen and ASJ are great Red Zone weapons but right now Sankey is our best weapon.  He needs the ball no matter where we are on the field.  I think Sark will remedy this problem but it’s something to be aware of.

Another Cause for Concern – Offense:  After really impressing in the opener, Dwayne Washington really struggled on Saturday.  He had 2 carries and 2 fumbles.  Not exactly the ratio you want.  Dwayne will get it right, but it was a tough day for the freshman and the Huskies need him to be effective as the season goes on.

Cause for Concern – Defense:  The big plays that were prevented against Boise came against Illinois.  The defense had a few blown coverages and Ducre was burnt for one long touchdown.  That touchdown kept Illinois in the game when it looked like the Huskies were about to put it away completely.  After being so sound defensively in the opener, the Huskies need to clean up some assignments and their mental game to prevent the big play.

Another Darn Cause for Concern – Defense:  In the second half, John Timu sat out because of a shoulder injury.  It is expected that he’ll be able to return, if not this week, next week.  It was apparent that Timu is very important to the defense.  In the second half, Illinois moved the ball pretty well and often ran right up the middle.  The defensive line got pushed around a little bit and the linebackers weren’t as effective because of that.  I’m curious to see if power teams will have success running right at us, even with Timu in.

Lots of Offensive Good News – Now that we have the lowlights out-of-the-way, let’s get to the good stuff.  The whole offense played really well.  I’ll just go position by position here.  Price played a great game.  He was very accurate and made good decisions.  He made a few really good plays and otherwise simply controlled the game.  At running back, Bishop Sankey was the star.  The guy is on fire and might be the best player on the team, right now.  Jesse Callier had a great return and added a few huge plays.  The receivers weren’t quite as good as the opener but were still dynamic and exciting.  Mickens and Smith continue to look fantastic.  I expect a big game from Kasen soon, as he seems to catch the ball every time it’s been thrown at him ASJ looked a little tired and didn’t perform his best.  He was on the field for over 80 snaps, which probably wasn’t the best move for his first game.  The offensive line had one of the best games in recent memory.  They gave Keith sufficient time and dominated the line of scrimmage.  Price was sacked twice but one of those he literally ran to the defender on his right and made sure he was tackled by him.  It was as weird as it sounds.

Don’t Get Defensive, There’s More Good News!  While the defensive came out to be the weaker link this week, they still did plenty of things right.  On the defensive line, Shirley had maybe the best game of his career.  He recorded three sacks, but what I think is more impressive is his two tackles for a loss.  Shirley has been called a liability against the run but he proved to be solid against it on Saturday.  Danny Shelton is not putting up numbers but the defense is noticeably worse when he’s taking a rest.  Hau’oli Kikaha continues to get better and better.  The rest of the D-line was so-so and many of the pressures were due to good coverage.  The linebackers looked very quick in the first half and were often in good position to make plays.  Their tackling, again, wasn’t the best but they are still one of the best groups on the team.  Timu truly makes a huge difference.  The secondary has played really well so far.  Ducre gave up the touchdown, but that was a great play by the offense, and then came back and sealed the game with an interception.  There were a few more blown coverages but the man-to-man defense was great.

Review and Preview:  All in all, it was a great victory by the Dawgs.  After the horror of the Apple Cup last year, the team didn’t buckle when Illinois made a run at them.  The Huskies toughened up when they needed to and ultimately dominated the game statistically.  As they move ahead they get an easy game this week against Idaho State and a home conference opener against Arizona.  The Huskies should be 3-0 and about to breach the top 15 by the time they open Pac-12 play.  It’s been too long since we’ve gotten to say that.

Until next time, go Dawgs!

Scott Lawyer!!

Scott Lawyer!!

– Andrew

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by | September 12, 2013 · 6:01 pm

Keith Price’s Beginning

The Washington Husky football team and fans have turned their attention from their impressive victory against BoiseKeithPrice to the trip to Chicago this weekend.  Before we post our predictions for that game (which will be out tomorrow night), it seemed fitting to look at one more storyline from that perfect night 12 days ago.

In the second half against Boise, Keith Price took a snap and rolled to his left to avoid pressure.  While running left, Price threw across his body into the end-zone and completed a touchdown pass to Josh Perkins.

It was a perfect pass by Price to a seldom used tight end that gave Keith the school record for touchdown passes in a career.  If I was to guess who would catch Price’s record-setting catch before the season, Perkins would have been down the list around number 10 or so.

Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised though.  Our smiling quarterback wasn’t always known as a prolific passer.  In 2010, when Price was a skinny backup who might not ever see the field, Jake Locker went down in a close game against USC. Keith Price sauntered into the game and every Husky fan thought, “Hand the ball to Chris Polk.”

Keith took the snap, rolled to his left and back pedaled.  He lofted a ball into the end zone and it was caught by seldom used Chris Izbicki.  It was Price’s first of many touchdown passes. (Check the 3 minute mark of the video)

Izbicki finished his career with 5 catches at UW.

I don’t know how Price’s career will end. He could become the most prolific passer in Husky history.  He could return to his 2012 version and get his job taken away.  Whatever happens, he’ll have this school record and it all started so innocently and small.

We’ll always have Price to Izbicki.

– Andrew

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by | September 6, 2013 · 11:16 pm

Moments

Deontae Cooper came to Seattle in January of 2010.  He was one of the crown jewels of Steve Sarkisian’s first full recruiting class.  His legend had spread among Husky fans before he even stepped on to the practice field.  He was the guy who ran for 7,450 yards in high school.  He was the guy who ran for 388 yards in one game.  When he did step on the practice field later that spring it was easy to see how he racked up those gaudy numbers.  Every practice he would break off an unbelievable run.  He was the talk of camp.  Husky insiders mentioned Cooper, who would have been a true freshman, stealing away carries from Chris Polk, who turned out to be one of the best running backs in school history.

Hype and expectations for a player tend to grow when people don’t have anything better to talk about.  That’s exactly what happened that off-season.  Entering Fall Camp of 2010, Cooper could have passed as Superman to some Husky fans.  Were there unreasonable expectations for a 17 year-old?  Yes.  But, some people were made to entertain with their talent and Cooper seemed destined for that.

A few days into Fall Camp, Cooper was running hard, planted on his left knee and made a cut.  No one tackled him but something was off.  He tore his ACL.  He worked hard and came back in time ready for 2011’s Fall Camp.  A few days in, the same thing happened.  The next year?  Lather, rinse, repeat (just switch knees).  He vowed to work hard and come back.  He said that he would tear his ACL 5 more times and still try to come back.  He went from legend to folk hero.  His perseverance was strong but most people realized that he would never see the field at U-Dub in a meaningful game.

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Felix Hernandez was signed as a 16 year-old Venezuelan by the Seattle Mariners organization.  He threw fireballs and was said to have a hammer of a curve.  As Felix advanced through the minor league system, his legend grew.  He earned the nickname ‘King Felix’ before pitching in a major league baseball game.  He eventually made his debut, still a teenager, and eventually lived up to the expectations that were, probably unfairly, placed on his broad 16 year-old shoulders when he signed with the team.

For years, he was the lone shining star on a team that celebrated mediocrity.  He loved Seattle and gave the team and fans everything he had when he’d step out on the mound.  It didn’t matter that his offense probably wouldn’t score runs or that the bullpen would eventually blow his shutouts, Felix pitched, and still pitches, like he’s leaving everything he has in him on the field.

On August 15th, 2012, I watched from a rented beach house as Felix threw a perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays.  It was a performance that Mariner fans will never forget.  A perfect moment that showed Felix’s perseverance against a ball club’s continual mediocrity.

By the end of the year, the Mariners were 77-85.  They finished last place in their division, a place that was all too familiar.

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The other day, I was in a McDonald’s, with my wife, about to order some breakfast.  We were in a rougher part of Seattle, a block or so away from a Methadone clinic.  I know we were that close to the clinic because the guy in front of us in line told us he had come from there.  He was dressed in some worn down clothes and seemed like a guy who had gone through his share of struggles.  I noticed he was holding a dollar and a few coins.  He was studying the menu intently, trying to find something that fit his budget.

In front of him was a lady who had seemed like she might haven’t gotten caught up in the wrong part of town.  She seemed a bit frazzled, to put it lightly.  She was frantically looking through her purse, trying to find the money that would pay for her meal.  Amongst the scramble, a few belongings from her purse had fallen on to the ground without her noticing.  By the time she had noticed, the gentleman in front of me had picked them up and hurriedly gave them back to her, in a nervous and shy sort of way.  It was a moment of genuine kindness from a person that the world usually doesn’t expect to see kindness from.

She said, “Thank you.”  They both went on with the rest of their day.

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I’m not sure why we all get caught up in the pessimism.  None of us watch the news to see what’s going right with the world.  Even in sports, ESPN and other sports outlets are generally leading with stories about someone cheating or getting cut from the team instead of the feel-good moments.  In the media’s defense, that’s what the consumer demands.

This isn’t a call to always be positive, the Mariners will probably keep sucking and people do bad things.  Life isn’t easy.  But, I think we all owe it to ourselves to enjoy the moments.  Soak in the little things that aren’t ordinary.  There are plenty of things in our day that aren’t ordinary, no matter how big or small.  It’s just a matter of us choosing to see them before our routine sets in again.

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Last Saturday night, in the second quarter of Washington’s 2013 season opener, Deontae Cooper jogged on to the field.  The center snapped the ball and the quarterback handed it off to Cooper.  He barreled up the middle for a one yard gain, showing a little less zip than what he used to have but a determination that I wish we all had.  The play would be called back because of a penalty.

Deontae Cooper flashing the smile, and optimism, he's famous for among Husky fans.

Deontae Cooper flashing the smile, and optimism, he’s famous for among Husky fans. 

It was a moment that I’m sure he cherished.  A moment he had waited and worked so hard for.  Fans stood up and cheered.  Cooper received an ovation that he was more than worthy of.  Then, everyone sat down and the next play began.

– Andrew

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by | September 3, 2013 · 8:57 pm

Pac-12 Rankings: Week 1

Hello there, and welcome to the first week of the Good Guys Pac-12 power rankings!  These aren’t really going to be true power rankings though, because everyone does those and they never really change from week to week.  Instead, I’m going to rank teams based on who had the best week.

As such, this will mostly be a ranking of who had the weekend’s best wins to worst losses.  It has no bearing on who is the best overall team.  I repeat, these are not rankings of which team is the best.  Looking ahead, UW is number one on the list, because they demolished a ranked team.  I don’t think they’re the best team in the conference, but they easily had the best win.  All clear?

Stanford and Arizona State didn’t play, so I’m leaving them off.  That will be the case for most teams with byes throughout the year, unless something terrible or great happens to them during practice.  Not likely, but players get hurt during practice or arrested in Eugene.  Things happen.  On to the rankings!

1. Washington Huskies

No team made more of a statement than the Huskies.  Whether or not Boise State is a bit down this year, they were maybe the best opponent of any Pac-12 team this weekend.  The Huskies disposed of them with little mercy.  It was a dominating win for a program that needed one.

2. UCLA Bruins

It gets a little harder to distinguish at this point.  Nevada’s a decent team and UCLA whupped them 58-20.  I’m giving them bonus blowout points to bump them ahead of a couple of other teams.

3. Colorado Buffaloes

Colorado beat Colorado State 41-27.  CSU isn’t very good, but if you remember 2012, the Buffs didn’t win too many games.  One, to be exact.  They also lost to CSU to start last year, so this is a big improvement.  By all accounts, Colorado looked greatly improved, and for a program in need of some hope, this is a big win. Continue reading →

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by | September 3, 2013 · 1:07 pm

Washington-Boise State Review

Yesterday, Matthew wrote a few thoughts on the Huskies victory on Saturday night.  It was a great night and the stadium was everything I hoped it would be.  We plan to do a further review on the stadium, complete with pictures, after this weekend.  This post is all about the game.  I wrote about 3 pages worth of notes on the game while watching the replay and tried to go pretty in-depth.  With that being said, I’m not sure how to format this so bear with me as I try to figure it out.  If I get to continue doing this for every game, these posts will get better every week.

For now, I think I will just go with a few main stats on the offensive side of the ball and then lots of bullet points.  My numbers are a tiny bit off (I must have missed a play here or there) but they are only a yard or two off in places.  Enjoy!NCAA Football: Boise State at Washington

Offensive thoughts:

I don’t think anyone is questioning the move to the no-huddle offense after that performance.  The offense did go more to spread concepts, although Sark said they may not use those as much when ASJ plays.  The quarterbacks didn’t take a single snap under center, it was all in shotgun or pistol.  Double tight-end sets were used on multiple occasions and a fullback was used in 3 or 4 drives.  One interesting formation was with Price lined up in the pistol and two tight ends (Perkins and Hartvigson) would both line up on the same side of the line.  The Dawgs had a good bit of success running behind that formation.  Both tight ends did a good job of getting to the second level and making blocks all game long.

While it looked like a completely different offense, it wasn’t.  All of these were things that Sark had used in previous years just not to the extent of what they did Saturday night.  Easy throws, a staple of the spread, were a common occurrence on Saturday night although they didn’t do that as much as I had thought when initially watching.  About 35% of Price’s throws were behind the line of scrimmage. 

These passes behind the line of scrimmage almost always worked.  I only counted one pass behind the line of scrimmage that ended up in a loss of yards.  On the first Husky touchdown drive, the Huskies faced a 3rd and 9 in which Price threw to Mickens 3 yards behind the line of scrimmage.  He took it for a 12 yard gain and a big first down.

Boise didn’t shift a lot when the Huskies sent guys in motion (which was often).  Usually the linebackers would shuffle over but nothing more.  Boise was commonly in a zone and the Huskies took advantage of that.  Our wide receivers were well prepared in who to block in what formation.

The running game was fantastic all night.  There was a good balance of running and throwing in the offense and a pretty good balance of which direction the team would run.  These numbers are a big trivial but I had the Huskies gaining 47% of their rushing yards running to the left side, 27% to the right side, and 26% up the middle.  I’m guessing a big reason for this is that Boise’s star defensive end, Demarcus Lawrence, lined up on the right side of the line so the Huskies ran away from him.  I’ll be interested to see if these numbers keep up in the next few games.

The pass blocking was very good as well.  Riva constantly dealt with Lawrence and he hardly sniffed Price.  Hatchie wasn’t noticed at left tackle, which was a good thing.  The offensive line was clearly in good shape and played well throughout the night.  Yes, Price got rid of the ball quickly but he threw down the field a few times and had plenty of time in those situations.  The one sack the Huskies did give up was on Price, as he could have stayed in the pocket much longer.

Speaking of Price, he played a fantastic game.  When throwing downfield, his receivers would find holes in the zone and sit in them, Price would almost always find these guys.  I counted Price throwing the ball more than 20 yards downfield 4 times.  One sailed over the head of Ross and the Boise safety.  Another pass was completed to Smith on a beautiful throw that fit right between the corner and safety who seemed to be playing a cover two.  The other throws were in succession to Kasen.  The first was a back shoulder throw that was perfectly placed.  Following that came a touchdown in which Kasen found himself wide open.  Why was he wide open?  The safety bit on a slant route that was really a slant and go.  Why did he bite on it?  Maybe because, up until that point Kasen had been targeted by Price 3 times.  2 of those times had been on slant routes.  All in all, Price finished 3/4 on balls that he threw 20 yards+ downfield.  You could count his touchdown pass to Perkins as another but that was right on the border of 20 yards.

In the first half, Price managed the game.  In the second half, Price controlled the game.  Both of these were effective but, obviously, he was the better player in the second half.  He created more plays without forcing them.  Even if Price just manages the game, I think this team will be successful.

A few more thoughts on the offense:

  • Ross and Mickens were fantastic.  They will both be a handful to cover for everyone involved.
  • Deontae Cooper’s first carry was negated by a chop block penalty.  In watching the replay, that looked like a really bad call.  From what I saw, all of the other penalties looked to be right.  (More on Cooper later this week).
  • On the second touchdown drive of the second half Boise put subs in to get their guys some rest.  The Huskies absolutely ran them over.  There wasn’t a gain of less than 6 yards on that drive until the starters came back in for Boise.
  • Dwayne Washington looked great and just ran over some guys.  Him and Bishop could be a very good combo this year.

Defensive Thoughts:   Continue reading →

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