Category Archives: Huskies Football

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by | October 26, 2010 · 3:26 pm

UW-UA Post-game Thought

I never got to the Husky predictions on Saturday.  I hope you can trust me in saying that everyone picked Arizona except for Joe.  Sorry, Joe.

This game isn’t worth diving into.  The Huskies were manhandled on both sides of the ball.  There was no push by either line.  There was secondary to speak of.  And the offense was inconsistent, aside from Chris Polk and Jesse Callier.

But my “game thought” is something I will address.  That thought is, how can we, as sports fan tell when a game is over?  I bring this up because this Husky game was clearly over before the clocks hit 0:00 in the 4th quarter.  If you watch sports enough, you can earn this gift of knowing when a game is over.

Take the Mariners home opener this year, for example.  Oakland had scored 4 runs in the 6th inning to take a 4-0 lead.  There was tons of time left in the game but that game was over after they had scored.  This was before knowing that the Mariner offense was historically bad.  The environment was dead.  There was no excitement.  Everyone knew the game was over (except for kids under the age of 12 and adults who watch baseball once a year).

The moment you know the game is over can be devastating, it’s an “oh crap!” moment where you suddenly realize something bad has happened.  But, those moments can pass quickly.  Once you understand the game’s over, without it being completely over, you’re free to enjoy the little things in the game.  You can laugh at the unintelligent conversation going on next to you.  You can focus on certain players instead of the entire game.  If nothing less, it softens the blow of your favorite team losing suddenly.

The “Oh crap!” moment happened to me early in the Arizona game.  In fact, it was when the game was tied.  The Dawgs had taken an early lead but then Arizona drove down and scored immediately.  On that drive, it was easy to see our team was over-matched on this certain night.  The hope after that was the offense could keep up, but they were shut down the next drive and the game was basically over.  It was easy to tell it just wasn’t the Huskies night.  Sure, the Huskies would get within 3 of the Wildcats at 17-14 but there was never any chance of the defense stopping them.

From that point on the pain of the loss was diminished.  I didn’t really enjoy any of the little things but the loss was inevitable and I couldn’t stop it.  I could enjoy the rest of my Saturday night instead of being miserable after the game.  I could watch Braveheart and enjoy being with my family.

Don’t get me wrong.  I’m mad that the Huskies are so inconsistent.  I’m mad that they didn’t play anywhere close to their potential on Saturday.  And I’m mad that a bowl game is looking tougher and tougher to get to.  But, my heart and soul didn’t have to be wrapped around the game once I knew it was over and for that I’m thankful.

Andrew

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by | October 21, 2010 · 10:45 pm

Scouting Arizona

The Dawgs play Arizona on Saturday night at 7 pm in Tuscon.  Here’s a look at what they’re up against.

Quarterback

If you haven’t heard by now, Arizona’s starting quarterback, Nick Foles, is out for this game with a knee injury.  This is good news for Dawg fans because Foles is one of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-10.  Taking his spot for the game will be a very capable backup, Matt Scott.  Scott played a little bit last year and showed that he’s a solid quarterback.  He also played last week against Wazzu.  He was decent in that showing.  Scott is more athletic than Foles, meaning we could see him break the pocket a few more times than we’d like.  With that being said, I think people have been downplaying the loss of Foles.  He’s one of the top quarterbacks in the Pac-10 and their offense could struggle without him.  We’ll see.

Running Back

The Wildcats have a solid 2 back combination in Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin.  Neither are in the upper echelon of backs in the conference but both are solid in their own right.  Nic Grigsby has 340 and Antolin has 218 yards on the year.  The truth is, Arizona is a pass first team.  But, with Foles out, they may turn to the run more.  Both of these guys can catch pretty well out of the backfield.  Grigsby and Antolin are both capable of big days, but they aren’t on the same level as Jacquizz Rodgers, who was phenomenal last week (just thought I needed to throw that in there).

Wide Receivers

Arizona has one of the best receivers in the country in Juron Criner.  He’s extremely fast and is a big play waiting to happen.  Criner has 34 receptions for 562 yards on the year.  He was limited last game because of “soreness” but that is ready to go this week.  After Criner, no one has been a huge threat.  David Douglas has put up some decent numbers, 250 receiving yards.  William Wright and  David Roberts are also names to look out for.  The Wildcats really throw the ball around, so don’t be surprised if someone you’ve never heard of ends up with a big game. 

Offensive Line

To be honest, there’s not much information on Arizona’s offensive line.  They have over 700 rushing yards on the year, so that shows that they are pretty decent in that area.  Arizona runs a quick hitting, spread offense that doesn’t involve a lot of sitting in the pocket.  This makes it hard to  know how good the pass protection is.  I’ll get back to  you on this area after the game.

To the defense after the jump.  Continue reading →

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by | October 20, 2010 · 11:45 pm

More Postgame thoughts on UW-OSU

This will be short and sweet, before we look ahead to this week and other Pac-10 teams.  Since bullet points are awesome, I’ll just write a few.

  • This team is frustrating.  To be honest, they remind me of the Husky basketball team last year.  They may not have as much potential to be great, like that team did, but they show flashes of greatness and then look like a different team.  This was the case with the offense on Saturday.  They jumped out to a 21-0 lead, scoring on the 3 of their first 4 possessions and then didn’t look near as good until overtime.  I have a few theories as to why this happened but none of them are proven.  Do the coaches over-think things and try to get too complicated rather than sticking with what works?  Do the players lose focus, causing the dumb penalties?  Is the line not good enough to sustain the success for long periods of time?  I don’t know.  But, if they ever put it completely together they could score 40 points a game.  It’s frustrating but, on the bright side, at least Casey Paus isn’t the quarterback.
  • Mason Foster is easily the first half MVP of this team.  He could make a run at Pac-10 defensive player of the year if the Huskies don’t fall completely out of contention.  That arm tackle he made on Katz in the 4th quarter was absolutely amazing.  If the Huskies go on a little run and make a bowl game, we can call that “The Tackle That Saved the Season.”  Mason is my favorite player on the team and is playing out of his mind right now.
  • The rest of the defense is growing up.  They are getting better, as we can see by the overall performance on Saturday, but they still suffer some growing pains, as we could see by the 21 straight points they gave up.  But, the defense, as a unit, won Saturday’s game for the Huskies.  When is the last time we can say that?
  • The crowd had a bigger impact on this game than any game in recent memory.  They caused a few false starts and a burnt time out.  But, bigger than that, they caused the Huskies defensive ends to get a head start.  Brock Huard pointed out on the broadcast that, with the crowd noise, the offensive tackles are very slow off the ball.  He said that it gives the defensive ends up to half of a second head start on the tackles.   This thought is both good and bad.  Good job on the crowd, they brought the noise even when things were a little bit frustrating.  The bad is on the thought that our defensive ends really have improved in the last week or two.  Yes, they have improved but, maybe it’s not quite as much as everyone has been pointing out since Saturday.  This week will be a better test of how far they have truly come.
  • The line changes were good.  Greg Christine got pushed around quite a bit, but he brings a great effort and gives leadership.  Ryan Tolar played his best game of the year, in my opinion.  He had some nice blocks while pulling.  Colin Porter is a big guy and played really well in his first collegiate start.  I’m looking forward to him playing more and more.  With Kohler practicing this week, it makes me wonder if we’ll see more changes.  I’d love to see Porter and Kohler out there together.  Two true freshmen are in our top five offensive lineman.  That may not be great news for the present, but it bodes well for the future.
  • Chris Polk is amazing.  I don’t know what else I can say about him.  I love that guy.
  • Locker and Kearse had bounce back games, which was pretty predictable.  Locker hung in the pocket and made some great throws.  This game really showed how far Jake has come in the last year and a half under Sark.  No, it wasn’t his most impressive game but the overtime session showed that he’s comfortable hanging in the pocket.  We couldn’t say that 2 years ago.  Some of the throws he made off his back foot last week were amazing.
  • Some penalties and calls were questionable.  I’ll leave it at that.
  • There is quite a bit of debate whether the last pass of the game was dropped or knocked away.  It may have been dropped but that was a really tough catch that people aren’t taking into account.  In any other situation, I feel that most people wouldn’t count on a player to make that catch.  Dennison got there right when the ball did and the throw was low and hard.  Yes, it was a catchable ball and a player needs to rise to the occasion in that moment, but don’t forget to credit Cort in making a great play.

That’s about it from me, thanks for reading.

Andrew

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by | October 19, 2010 · 7:30 pm

When a Football Game Takes a Bigger Role

I’m completely exhausted.  My shoulders hurt, my ears are plugged, and my voice is hoarse.  Still.  Last Saturday night was intense and I’m still paying the price for it.  If you’ve been hiding a rock since last Saturday, the Huskies won a thrilling double-overtime game against Oregon State, 35-34.

I can’t do the game justice by retelling it.  Thrilling really is the best adjective I can think of and I don’t want to write that word over and over again.  I’ll put up a post with some observations from the game later.  But, ever since the game a bigger question has been on my mind.  Do I put too much into these games?

Now, my body hurting isn’t all from the Huskies game on Saturday.  I did have an intramural game earlier in the day that beat me up a little bit.  Still, when I was sitting on the couch with my brother on Sunday we were both remarking how we were physically and mentally tired.  Also, Dan got a little bit sick at the game and Joe punched a hole in his wall.

Yes, this game was a little more intense than most but Husky games affect my mood quite a bit.  With a loss, the weekend feels like a waste and the next week seems long.  But, with a win, I’m happy.  I’m more talkative, more outgoing, and generally a better version of myself.

After the game on Saturday, I was reading the free forums at Dawgman.com.  This very subject was being addressed in one forum and an overall consensus was that the outcome of Husky games affected fans throughout the week.  Is this too far?  Is it sad?

My mother would say it’s sad and that I shouldn’t care so much.  So would most girls in the world.  But, I have a different view.  It’s good to be passionate about certain things and the Huskies are one of the things I’ve decided to be passionate about.  It makes me upset when they don’t play well but the reward is doubled when they win.  I’m emotionally tied to the Huskies and am still drained from Saturday.  But, it was worth it.  Maybe my shoulders wouldn’t hurt as bad if I hadn’t picked up my brother twice (before they called the pass interference  and when we actually won) and my roommate once.  Maybe my voice wouldn’t be hoarse if I hadn’t yelled to the point where I got light-headed in the 4th quarter.  Maybe I shouldn’t have been so invested in one game.  Or, maybe I did it right because, once that two point conversion was dropped, I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Andrew Long

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by | October 16, 2010 · 8:28 am

UW and the Elusive 5-Star Recruit

Fans are throwing out a lot of reasons and blame for the Huskies’ losing ways, some justified, some ridiculous.  While there are certainly lots of factors, in my mind the only one that’s really significant is the talent level of the current players.  Coaching is a vital part of college sports, the ability to make players better as they spend time in your program.  The previous coaching staff failed miserably at that task.  It remains to be seen how this staff does in that regard.  Just as important, though, is recruiting.  It’s a lot easier to coach those players into impact players when they’re entering at an already high level.

Unfortunately for the Huskies, far too many potential impact players have turned UW down in recent years.  Even in bad years, UW gets their share of good players, probably always will.  But going back to the class of 2002 (as far back as Scout.com’s database shows) and excluding the 2011 class that has yet to sign, the Huskies have only gotten two high school recruits who were listed as 5-star prospects.  Jon Lyon was also a 5-star guy, but he was a junior college recruit and those rankings always seem a little fuzzy to me, so I’m only going to talk about high school here.

Recruiting stars aren’t always accurate, or predictors of success.  The Huskies best defender, Mason Foster, was a 2-star player.  Jake Locker was a 4-star.  People scout players differently, and the players are high schoolers, meaning they have a ton of growing left to do, both physically and mentally.  Again, college coaching plays a major role as well, which is what really killed the Huskies the past decade.  Regardless, the Huskies are struggling right now because of a lack of impact players, particularly on defense.  They don’t have a Vontaze Burfict or Akeem Ayers or Rahim Moore or Shayne Skov, a freak of nature of whom the offense is always aware.  Continue reading →

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by | October 15, 2010 · 10:40 pm

Husky Predictions

Big game for the Dawgs!  On to the predictions:

Dan

Desperation is a funny thing in sports. The good teams raise their level of play in the face of desperation, while bad teams wilt. Washington’s season is on the line when they take the field against OSU. I don’t mean to overstate the meaning of one game, but the Huskies must play desperate, fiery, and make a statement. I’m tired of the excuses, even the valid ones. It’s about time UW rises to the occasion, and plays lights out at home, under the lights. I trust both offenses will play well, despite the health concerns on both teams. I think it comes down to turnovers and defense in this one, and while I don’t feel good about the Husky D, I think they will do just enough to keep the game close. I’ll be at the game for the first time this season, and after going 3-0 last year (USC, Arizona, WSU), I’m hoping my luck continues. Oregon State is a proven road team, and have played in atmospheres just as, if not more hostile than Husky Stadium. But again, desperation being the theme, I think the Huskies find a way to get it done, and keep the bowl hopes alive. Win one for Jake!
OSU-30, UW-34

Matthew

I’ve been surprised at how many people are picking the Huskies this week. I hope they’re right. I have a hard time seeing UW winning this game. The Beavers have their number, are a better team, and are getting better every week. Maybe Locker will carry the Dawgs and the defense will play their best game of the season, but I’m not getting my hopes up.
OSU 35– UW 27

Andrew

I don’t think there’s a lot in favor of the Dawgs this week.  They don’t have much momentum.  They have several key players injured.  They’re breaking in a new offensive line that seems to have quite a few holes.  And, they’re playing a team that seems to beat them up every single year.  So, I see the Dawgs winning by double digits.  Yes, I know that contradicts everything I’ve said but I’m just trying to keep up with a frustrating, inconsistent team.  I don’t know why I think the Huskies will win.  But, throughout the week I’ve had the feeling that it might happen and this week I’m going with my gut over my head.  Hey, the Beavers are pretty beat up too.  Dawgs win on a cold night.  It’s not even going to be that close.  (This is the worst prediction I’ve made in a long time).
UW-42 OSU-21

Joe

I am too optimistic for my own good.  Maybe because I am a born and bred Seattle sports fan, I have adapted to handle losing by being positive and having fun with bad situations.  The situation the Huskies find themselves in is a bad one, yet I feel good about their prospects against Oregon State.  The way I feel about this game is the same way I felt about USC.  Coming off devastating loses, the Huskies have had an uncanny ability under Sark to bounce back and play well.  I expect this trend to continue.  Locker will play better despite his quad injury.  He won’t be puking on the sidelines.  I think Sark knows he needs to run the ball more, so look for Polk and Callier to get more carries, thus helping the Dawgs win the clock/ball control battle.  The Beavers are still very dangerous even without James Rodgers.  Jacquizz scares the crap out of me.  He’ll have a huge game.  Katz has played well of late too.  The Husky defense must not give up touchdowns.  Hold them in the redzone and give the offense a chance.  I think the Husky O will bounce back bigtime and carry the Dawgs to a win.  Yup.  Mr. Optimistic.
Dawgs 31 – Beavers 30

Go Huskies!

Andrew

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by | October 14, 2010 · 2:20 pm

Scouting Oregon State – Defense

On to the defense today.  I can’t remember the last time the Huskies offense had a good game against the Beavers defense.  This year, it could be a little easier than prior years.  Here we go!

Defensive Line:

The Beavers run defense has struggle this year and that is because they lost some stars in their front seven.  With that being said, they might have the best defensive tackle in the conference, Stephen Paea.  He’s a 6-1, 310 lb. beast up the middle and will give UW’s guards and center all they can handle.  Last year, the Beavers defensive ends created havoc in the backfield.  We haven’t seen them do that so far this year.  They’ve created sacks, but not a huge amount and aren’t as big of a threat.  The entire Beaver defense is stronger inside than they are on the corners, which is a nice change from Arizona State last week.

Linebackers:

This may be the weakest spot on the Oregon State team.  Injuries and attrition have left this spot pretty open.  Dwight Robertson is a steady player at the weak-side linebacker spot. He started last year and was very productive in doing so.  But, the rest of the linebacking group may be the reason for the insane amount of yards being put up on the Beavers (456 yards/game).  Of course, the strength of schedule might have had something to do with that also.

Secondary:

The secondary has seemed a little rough so far this year.  This group returned several starters but they haven’t shown a ton yet.  On paper, this is the best unit of the Beavers defense, but they haven’t come together completely.  James Dockery is a good corner and has experience.  Both safeties are returning starters who combined for 142 tackles last year.  But, teams are still putting up quite a few passing yards on them.  This situation reminds me of the Huskies secondary.  It was thought to be a strength before the season but now it’s a question mark.  They do have potential to be good in this area.

Special Teams:

I’m writing this only because of Alexis Serna.  He’s one of the biggest reasons the Huskies haven’t beat the Beavers in the last 6 games.  That guy never missed.  Thankfully, he isn’t kicking for them anymore.  Justin Kahut, is Oregon State’s kicker and he’s done a decent job.  He really struggled last week, missing two PAT’s but before then was doing pretty well.  The return game isn’t as dangerous now that James Rodgers is out but they still have a few guys who are more than capable of putting up some big returns.

Alright, thanks for reading.  If you have any questions on the match-up put it in the comments and I’ll get to it.

Andrew



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by | October 14, 2010 · 9:38 am

Quick Husky Observations, Through 6 weeks

Positive observations—
– Chris Polk and Jesse Callier are an excellent backfield combo. They need more touches!
– Our margin for error is very, very small. It seems like the defense needs to hold the opponent under 24 points, while the offense needs to score more than 24. One of these two typically occurs each game, but having them coincide has been a challenge.
– Locker is one heck of a leader, and doing just about everything he can out there given the hand he’s been dealt. Jake deserves more. He deserves a bowl game, a defense that can occasionally shut out an opponent, an o-line that will protect him, and receivers that will catch the ball consistently.
– We have the right coach leading the program. Recruiting, developing, charisma, and of course in-game coaching, he has it all.

Negative observations—
– Our offense is great at times, and very out of sync other times. Inconsistency is a theme on this team.
– Defense lacks big play potential, and still does not have the athletes to fair well in pass coverage and – – Fundamentals leave much to be desired: tackling, pass catching, kickoff coverage to name a few
– Our defense is like the Mariners offense; multiple contributors must play above their ability, and timely plays need to be made in big situations. Typically this doesn’t happen.
– The void at tight end is being felt. Kavario Middleton took some plays off here and there, but he commanded attention, and had big play potential.
– There is still not enough speed on this team, especially on defense.
– Desmond Trufant is not the shut down corner we saw glimpses of last year, and Quinton Richardson has a few bonehead moments every game it seems. The secondary, which many had thought might be the strength of the defense, is not performing well.
– In a year where the Pac-10 is as strong as ever, the Huskies are close to getting lost in the shuffle, which also means the pre-season bowl hopes are fading quick.

To summarize, the Huskies have 1 predictable win (Syracuse), 1 unexpected win (USC), 1 predictable loss (Nebraska), and 2 toss up game losses (BYU and Arizona State). That leaves UW at 2-3, when 3-2 is probably what we had hoped for at this point. So of course there are more negatives that positives. . Of course, a win on Saturday will change everything!

-Dan

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