Category Archives: UW Game Previews

by | September 28, 2010 · 9:50 pm

Scouting USC Part 1

On to Pac-10 play and teams that I know much more about!  Here we go!  Because of a lack of time I’m going to put these posts into 2 parts, offense and defense.

Quarterback: Matt Barkley plays the quarterback position for the Trojans.  He is a True Sophomore and seems to be coming into his own this season.  Plus, he’s just so gosh darn cute.  The knock on him is that he’s a little bit inconsistent still.  He tore apart Hawaii but didn’t look quite as good against Virginia and Minnesota.  He threw the ball all over the place against Wazzu but he was also picked off twice.  Barkley can force throws but he makes a good share of them.  In the next 2 years Barkley will be the best quarterback in the conference but not quite yet.  He’s still maturing and hopefully will go through some growing pains on Saturday.  He’s enough to scare me and could pick apart the secondary.  Although, the UW secondary may be the best he’s played, which is really, really pathetic.

Running Back: The Trojans have played 5 guys at this position.  I’d tell you who the starter is for this week but only Kiffen knows, and I wonder if he even knows.  Last week, Stanley Havili ran all over WSU.  Havili is a big back, the kind that UW has had trouble with in the past.  He has played fullback most of his career but is a good power runner.  He’s also a good receiver out of the backfield.  Marc Tyler is the Trojans leading rusher on the year.  He ran for a lot of yards against Hawaii in the opener but has seen a ton of action since then.  I don’t know why.  Allen Bradford is back there.  He’s another big power-back but not quite to the extent of Havili.  He does have pretty good speed though.  C.J. Gable is there to fill in the Joe McKnight role.  I’d say he’s there to fill the Reggie Bush role but he’s not near the player that Bush was in college.  Then, there’s true freshman Dillon Baxter.  He was close to the top running back recruit in the country last year but he hasn’t really gone off yet.  He’s been solid in limited playing time, but not amazing.  Any 5 of these guys could kill you.  Heck, they probably have someone behind these guys on the depth chart that could kill you too.

Wide Receiver/Tight End: The Trojans have many weapons here too.  We’ll start with Ronald Johnson.  He’s the leading receiver on the team and also the punt returner.  His punt return for a touchdown against Hawaii was a thing of beauty.  He has 249 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns on the year.  He might be the best skill position player the Trojans have, which is obviously saying something.  Robert Woods is their next guy.  Woods, a freshman, has caught 13 balls for 175 yards on the year.  Barkley does a nice job of spreading the ball around to other guys also.  His running backs are used a ton out of the backfield.  Brice Butler had a solid year last year, as a receiver, but hasn’t done a ton this year.  Keep an eye on him.  At tight end, USC has Rhett Ellison.  He’s their 4th leading receiver and does a nice job in both aspects, blocking and receiving, of the tight end’s game.

Offensive Line: The Trojans are strong up front.  They have averaged over 6 yards a carry this season and have done a pretty nice job of protecting Barkley.   Led by center, Kristofer O’dowd, USC returns 3 offensive lineman from last year.  This unit wasn’t as good against Virginia and Minnesota but they played really well against WSU.  Maybe because it’s WSU or maybe it’s because they’re coming together as a unit.  They do lack depth here as opposed to the other offensive positions, but at the moment they’re healthy.

I’ll be back with the defensive scouting in the next couple days.  Thanks for reading!

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 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 10, 2010 · 9:38 pm

Husky Prediction: Week 2

So, all 4 of the good guys’ started 0-1 on the Huskies.  Now as Husky nation is in a state of panic, the Dawgs looks to get back on the winning side against Syracuse.  Frankly, I’m not sure why everyone is in a state of panic.  If you didn’t think this was a possibility before the season started than you didn’t know a ton about the Huskies or BYU.  Let’s move on and hope that this week is better!  On to the predictions:

Matthew:
I have no idea how this game is going to play out. I’d love to see the Huskies completely dominate for 60 minutes, but I have my doubts about that. I think Syracuse can put up a fight, and I’m still a little skeptical of the Huskies. Even so, there are too many factors in the Dawgs’ favor, namely an apparent big advantage in talent. The Huskies offensive playmakers should be the difference if the game ends up close. There’s a lot of talk around Syracuse about the improvement of the program under second year coach Doug Marrone. That might be the case, but I think 9:00 tomorrow night will find Syracuse in a similar position as UW was in after the BYU game: on the way back, but not quite as far along as they might have thought. Huskies get out to a big lead before Syracuse narrows the gap slightly late, but a comfortable win for UW.

UW 41- Syracuse 27

Andrew:
Let me start off by saying that Syracuse is better than most Husky fans think.  They aren’t even close to the same team that Jake Locker beat in his debut.  They also aren’t as good as some of the Syracuse fans seem to think.  Some of the comments coming from their players after beating Akron have made me laugh this week.  I expect a comfortable win but not a complete blow out.  I think the Orange compare to Arizona State last year as far as talent and how far along their program is.  Being at home will help the Dawgs win this one.  They also won’t be over-matched on the lines like they were at times last week.  Jake has a great game and Kearse redeems himself for the dropped passes last week.  The defensive line shows some improvement and the Huskies get their first win of the 2010 season.

UW 38 – Syracuse 20

Dan:
Landing between BYU and Nebraska, this matchup would normally scream trap game. However, Washington is not at a point where it can possibly assume victories, and I doubt anyone is overlooking Syracuse, a formidable BCS conference opponent. There are reasons for concern from what we witnessed in Provo, and everything I hear is how undervalued Syracuse is, and if the Orange can stay close and somehow pull out a victory, this season could unravel rapidly. But home field ought to prevail in this one and I look for the Huskies to get off to a quick start, and never look back.

UW 27-17

We’ll get Joe’s prediction up here soon but here’s this for now!  Go Dawgs!

Andrew

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by | September 7, 2010 · 11:45 pm

Syracuse Scouting Report

The Husky come home to face one of the weaker opponents on the schedule this week.  With that being said, Syracuse may not be the pushover people say they are.  Like BYU, I don’t know a ton about Syracuse and only had one game to scout from.  So, here goes my best shot at a scouting report (position by position).

Overview from last game:
Syracuse played at Akron last Saturday and won 29-3.  They didn’t truly pull away until the end of the 3rd quarter but they did win on the road and there’s something to be said for that, as we Husky fans know all too well.  The Syracuse defense was very solid throughout the game.  Of course, they were playing Akron but they definitely shut down their running game.  Their offense was okay.  They pounded the ball with the good running back that they have and that will be a common occurrence this season.  Their special teams were terrible, much like the Huskies but we’ll blame both teams on first game jitters and a little bit of bad luck.  The game is online at ESPN3 if you’re dying to watch it.  I did so I could write this but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it.  It was a pretty boring game.

Quarterback:
Last season the Orange were led by former Duke basketball player Greg Paulus.  This year they hand the position over to Ryan Nassib.  Nassib did get some experience last season, completing 38 of 68 passes.  He was brought in for deep passing situations, so that tells us that he has a stronger arm than Greg Paulus.  In other words, that tells us nothing.  Nassib is elusive in the pocket, several times escaping Akron’s rush and dumping the ball off to a tight end or running back.  I didn’t see him throw down the field a ton but he seemed fairly accurate.  A couple of times he forced balls and that was his biggest drawback from what I could see.  The Huskies could get a chance for a few turnovers if he does that.  His backups are completely unproven.

Running Back:
Running back may be the best position the Orange (how have I not mentioned how lame their nickname is) have.  They have a senior, Delone Carter, who rushed for 1,021 yards last year.  Carter is a power back who runs between the tackles.  Akron loaded the box against him and that kept him in check for a good share of the game.  He still got his yards and is the kind of back where you don’t realize how many yards he picks up until you look at the stats after the game.  His backups are Antwon Bailey, who is another power back, and Prince Tyson-Gulley who is the explosive, make you miss guy in the offense.  He didn’t play much against Akron though.  Their fullback, Adam Harris, sounds like a pretty normal, solid fullback.

Wide Receivers/Tight End:
The Orange have a bunch of possession receivers and don’t seem to have any deep threats.  Their best receiver is probably Alec Lemon.  He caught 29 balls last season as a true freshman and is sure-handed.  The rest of the receivers don’t have a ton of experience and don’t seem like great playmakers.  Junior tight end, Nick Provo, might be the best receiver the Orange have and he’ll definitely be an asset on Saturday.  This group isn’t terrible but definitely lacks explosiveness.

Offensive Line:
The line only returns one guy from a unit that wasn’t very good last year.  Ryan Bartholomew is the returning starter and has switched to center after playing most of his career at guard.  The unit is built up to be physical and aggressive.  They aren’t as big as BYU but they aren’t small by any means (no one is under 287 lbs.).  There were no huge holes against Akron and they didn’t seem to dominate the game but Akron did load the box which made it a little bit hard to get a read on the running game.  They were okay in pass protection, not great though.  They have absolutely no depth, for what it’s worth.

Defensive Line:
The Orange were very good against the run last year and that started with the defensive line.  They lost their star defensive tackle, Arthur Jones, to graduation and their top defensive end to knee problems but the Orange still have a lot of experienced players on the line.  It’s tough to get a read on how good these guys are.  They got a lot of help from a solid linebacking crew behind them in the first game but there also weren’t a ton of holes Akron had to run through.  Again, it was Akron.  Their mascot is the Zips…

Linebackers:
Along with running back, this is the Orange’s best position.  They have two leaders, Derrell Smith and Doug Hogue, who are about as solid as they come.  Expect to hear their names a lot.  After those two guys, there’s a bunch of young players.  The other starter is true freshman, Marquis Spruill, who has good size and speed.  There isn’t much depth but the top two guys at this position make it strong.

Secondary:
The secondary was pretty bad last year but they do have experience now.  They didn’t impress me very much during the Akron game but they weren’t bad.  Mike Holmes is one of their corners and is pretty solid.  The rest of this group makes me think that the Huskies will be passing a lot on Saturday.

So, there you have it.  Hopefully this was a little bit helpful.  We’ll have predictions coming soon and more!

Andrew

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by | September 2, 2010 · 5:13 pm

BYU’s Scouting Report

I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on BYU, to be honest I’m not sure there is an expert on them this year with a few unknowns, but it’s time to find out what we’re up against on Saturday.  I’ll go position by position, this should become a regular appearance on the blog.  Lots of posting going on today and tomorrow so make sure you scroll down!  Here we go:

While finishing 11-2 the last 3 years, the Cougars figure to take a little bit of a step back this year.  They have quite a few new starters and will be breaking in new players on Saturday.

Quarterback: As you’ve probably heard by now, BYU will be playing two quarterbacks on Saturday.  One is a more mobile quarterback, Riley Nelson.  The other is true freshman, Jake Heaps.  Heaps has excellent passing skills but doesn’t have the athletic ability that Nelson has.  I wouldn’t say this will be a position of weakness at BYU, both guys are very talented, but it’s certainly an unknown.  It’s hard to know what a quarterback will be like in their first game.  These guys are definitely a drop off from the graduated Max Hall though (at least in this point in time).  I’ve never thought that playing two quarterbacks is the best way, but it can work if it’s used correctly.

Running Back: Harvey Unga was kicked off the team this off-season and that’s great news for the Huskies.  Unga was a running back in the mold of Toby Gerhart, who ran all over the Huskies in 2008.  This year, BYU will be a running back by committee team.  The two guys who figure to the get the most carries are J.J. DiLuigi (cool name) and Bryan Kariya.  DiLuigi is more of a big play back and will get the start.  So, that’s two skill positions that will use more than one guy at the position.  That’s the good news.  Both of these guys did put up respectable numbers as back-ups last year though.

Wide Receivers and Tight End: BYU graduated their leading receiver last year but returns a pretty steady group.  McKay Jacobson figures to be the leading receiver after having 23 receptions for 556 yards last year while battling injuries.  O’Neil Chambers also was solid last year (32 receptions for over 300 yards).  Other guys that figure in are Luke Ashworth, Spencer Hafoka, and a few really tall, freshmen receivers.

The tight end spot is a complete unknown.  There are 5 freshman battling for the starting job and Mendenhall hasn’t said who will start.

Offensive Line: This is the strength of the Cougars offense.  Led by All-American left tackle, Matt Reynolds, this is the biggest mismatch BYU has on UW.  These guys are big (average of 306 lbs.) and have quite a bit of experience.  Nick Alletto was at the other tackle position last year but is now moved to right guard.  Both of those guys are 330 lbs.  Braden Hansen and Terance Brown started every game at the guard positions last year.  Brown has now been moved to center.  Braden will take his spot at right tackle and may rotate with Walter Kahaialii.  If BYU wins this game, I think it will be because of this line.

To the defense after the jump!  Continue reading →

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by | August 30, 2010 · 5:03 pm

Huskies Release Depth Chart for BYU Game, Other Notes

UW released the official depth chart for Saturday’s game today.  You can find it here.  There aren’t really any surprises.  The back-up QB spot is listed as Price or Montana, so no answers there.  Not that an answer is needed until one of them has to play.  D’Andre Goodwin is listed as the third starting WR, a product of a good camp for him and James Johnson missing time with an injury.  Johnson will play, but might not be quite up to full-speed after missing parts of the last two weeks.  Some other notes about the Huskies and the rest of the Pac-10.

  • Sarkisian said that all 12 true freshman on the two-deeps would likely play, along with a couple more possibilities.  When asked about Josh Shirley and Sione Potoa’e, Sark gave an uncomittal, “Potentially.”
  • BYU is planning to play both quarterbacks after failing to choose between Jake Heaps and Riley Nelson.  Nelson is more of a scrambler, while local boy Heaps can throw the ball all over the place.
  • ASU decided on Steven Threet as their quarterback, although Brock Osweiler will get chances to play in the first few games.  Luckily for ASU, they play Portland State and Northern Arizona their first two games, which should give them a chance to test both quarterbacks while still winning fairly easily.  The Sun Devils are also breaking in a new spread offensive system.  There’s always the potential for new offenses to click quickly and surprise opponents for a while.  I’m not betting on it here, but ASU is a bit of a sleeper to me.
  • We’ll have a deeper look at this week’s Pac-10 games later this week, but there are some big ones, especially OSU at TCU.  OSU often starts the season slowly, so if they can come out and beat a top 10 team, it could get them rolling quickly.  It would also knock TCU out of a chance at the national championship, which would make me happy, if only because we wouldn’t have to listen to talk about it all season long.  We’ll get enough of that from Boise State fans, unless OSU can beat them as well.  In related news, I’m close to annointing OSU as my second favorite Pac-10 team, in case you were wondering.

That’s all for now.  Only 5 days till game time!

-Matthew

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