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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by | September 2, 2013 · 12:21 pm

A Few Thoughts on a Perfect Husky Win

HSThe Huskies christened the new Husky Stadium on Saturday with their best win in years.  They’ve had wins against better teams, like the upsets of USC and Stanford, but it’s been a long time since they dominated a good team so thoroughly.  I’m not sure how good Boise State will be this year, but they looked like a solid team and were still outclassed in every way by the Huskies.  I’m not going to give a full recap, but here are a few thoughts:

  • First, the stadium.  Simply put, it is everything fans could have asked for.  It’s not glitzy and opulent, but it’s classy and open and perfectly designed for the fans.  And it is so close.  The proximity to the field without the track is what grabbed me immediately.  It’s such a sizable difference, there’s no real way to describe it.  You really have to walk through the stands and see it for yourself.  If you weren’t there Saturday, I’d make every effort to see a game this season.  You won’t be disappointed.  There are also a full day’s worth of high school games there this Saturday, including some big-time local match-ups and quite a few Husky recruits. I can’t imagine a better place to watch a college football game.  The location has always been perfect.  Now there’s a building that not only doesn’t feel like it’s about to fall down, but is also up-to-date and beautiful and possessing all the amenities anyone could want.

    From Our East End Zone Seats

    From Our East End Zone Seats

  • Sean Parker may have saved the season.  The air had gone out of the stadium a bit after Price’s interception and BSU’s first few plays going for easy yardage.  Who knows what would have happened had BSU gone for a touchdown to start the game.  Luckily, Parker saved them with a beautiful interception that reignited the crowd.  The offense went straight down the field for a TD, and there was no looking back from there.
  • Speaking of Parker, the whole secondary looked excellent.  The two new starters, Greg Ducre and Will Shamburger, were solid, particularly Shamburger, who was everywhere.  Marcus Peters made multiple plays and showed a physicality unseen in a UW corner for a while. This group had questions before the year, but for one game, they looked fast, physical and good.
  • The defense was excellent and had a ton of guys make plays, but Danny Shelton really stood out to me.  BSU ran the ball decently, but that was to be expected.  It was quite noticeable when Shelton left the field.  He did a solid job all day moving the middle of the line.  By the third and fourth quarter, he had completely worn down his opposition and was getting pressure right in Joe Southwick’s face.  Shelton is the key to the defense, and the signs are very impressive after one game.
  • One last thing on the defense.  They gave up yards, but they came up huge when they had too.  Peters’ pass break-up in the back of the end zone  at the beginning of the third was huge.  So was the fourth down stop toward the end of the third.  My favorite play was the third down stop in the first before the blocked field goal.  Kikaha (great for his first game back) broke into the backfield to get the first hit, and then the Dawgs swarmed Ajayi.  He ended up going down in a pile of about eight Huskies.
  • I wrote on Friday that a key would be finding a receiver or two to contribute.  The Huskies did better than that.  Jaydon Mickens and John Ross were revelations.  The Broncos had no answers for them when they caught a screen or quick pass to the edge.  The Huskies had significantly better playmakers all day, and it feels like that might not change for much of the season.  Kevin Smith also had a solid day, and while the back-up tight ends didn’t do a lot in the receiving game, they blocked well and did get a touchdown on a beautiful play by a scrambling Price to Joshua Perkins.  I don’t think there was a Husky skill player getting regular minutes who didn’t do something impressive.
  • Keith Price and his offensive line were excellent as well.  Price shook off the interception to be nearly perfect.  He looked loose and confident, and he got more creative and exciting as the game progressed.  The quick throws are a good fit for him.  It helped to not be on his back every play.  The line did an excellent job in both pass and run blocking.  They need to clean up a few penalties, but they made a good case Saturday that they are night and day better than last year.  I’ll be curious to watch them improve as the season goes. It’s still a young group.  Also interesting will be seeing if the Huskies will start to throw deep more and how ASJ’s return will influence defenses.  In case you forgot, the Huskies were playing without an All-American.

There was nothing to dislike about this game.  The Huskies gave up yards, but they didn’t give up a play of more than 18 yards or a touchdown.  I wasn’t excited about the Husky pass rush while I was at the game, but it looks better rewatching it on TV.  Mostly, the Huskies looked like a team taking the next step.  They executed crisply, didn’t make mistakes, and didn’t let up at any point.  They were athletic and skilled.  This is what we’ve been waiting to see, and if the Dawgs keep playing like this, they’re going to win a lot of games.

-Matthew

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by | August 30, 2013 · 10:16 pm

UW vs. Boise State Predictions

Hello Dawg fans!  Husky football’s biggest night in over a decade is finally here.  It promises to be a magical night, full of the type of ceremony and occasion reserved for the uniquest of games.  Hopefully the pregame magic carries into the game.

I usually write something at the beginning of these predictions, but all of the Good Guys wrote novels this week, so I’ll keep it short. I did hear something this morning while listening to Rick Neuheisel that caught my attention, though.  He was giving an overview of the Pac-12, which he expects to be very strong.  He then said that the conference is loaded with talented young quarterbacks.  This caught me by surprise, because I kind of think of the conference as down in QBs right now.  Mariota and Hundley are elite. Taylor Kelly’s very good.  After that, there are a handful of veterans who are solid and could get better, and then a bunch of underclassmen in their first seasons as starters.  It doesn’t seem loaded to me.

Neuheisel didn’t elaborate, so he could have been referring mainly to Mariota, Hundley and Kelly.  Maybe he’s seen some of the young starters and thinks highly of them.  Whatever he meant, it will be an interesting year to watch the quarterbacks.  For years, the leaders of the conference could be determined by who had senior quarterbacks that year.  That’s changed slightly as offensive systems have changed and so forth, but it’s still the most important position and always will be.

The implications for the Huskies are obvious, and have been all off-season.  If Keith Price is good, the Huskies should be good.  If Price is great, the Huskies should be in for a special season.  It could be as simple as that.

Joe

2013 is the dawning of a new era in Husky football:  the opening of new Husky Stadium.  Don’t underestimate the importance of this. When AD Scott Woodward took over in 2008, renovating Husky Stadium was number one on his to-do list. Coming from LSU and helping oversee renovations to their athletic facilities, as well as seeing first hand how Nick Saban won a national title in 2003, gave Woodward the blue print for success: find the right head coach and get the football facilities upgraded to first class.  With the hiring of Steve Sarkisian, Woodward went all in and gave the reigns of the program to Coach Sark, therefore freeing him up to focus on renovating Husky Stadium.  Five years later, on Aug 31, 2013, Husky Stadium will re-open to the public as arguably the most state-of-the-art college stadium in America.  This was the plan all along, to compete at the highest levels of CFB.  A lot has been made of the past four seasons under Sark.  Year one going 5-7, bringing respectability to the program after the darkness that was the Willingham era.  Then three straight 7-6 seasons have left some wondering if Sark has the ability to take the next step.  I say he does, but with a caveat:  let’s see how the next couple years play out with the new facilities as the recruiting tool we all think it can be.  This program has been in “facilities limbo” for the better part of three years, which doesn’t help recruiting.  Now being settled into home sweet home, let’s let this regime prove one way or another it belongs with the elite.
On the field, Saturday night’s game is the most important early season home game since hosting Miami in 2000. Short and simple, it’s a must win, for many reasons.  Obviously, it’s big because it’s the opening of the new stadium, it’s national TV, it’s a rematch against a team you probably should have beat in the Vegas Bowl nine months ago.  But for me it’s huge because of the toughness of UW’s schedule (we’ve been down this road before) and the perceived expectations put on the program by fans.  UW *must* go 3-0 in non conference, and then beat Arizona in their Pac-12 opener at Husky Stadium to move to 4-0.  The consensus is UW has to get to *at least* 8 wins, but probably 9, maybe 10.  In order for that to happen, their margin of error is nil.  A 7-0 home record is a must in light of their conference road games: Stanford, ASU, UCLA and Oregon State.  Have fun Googling the last time UW won at any of those road venues.  It’s been a while.  And with the mediocre road performances by Sark’s teams in the past, the “8-10” win confidence from UW fans leaves me a bit scared, but not upset; I love the high expectations.  So you can see the math here:  UW going 7-0 at home (includes beating Oregon which they haven’t done in nine straight tries, none of which were close), then 1-3 on the road gets them to 8-4.  Razor thin margin of error.  Hence, the importance of Saturdays game.  Throw in the fact UW’s last two games were total heart breakers to the abysmal Wazzu Cougars and Boise State, and this team has a healthy Mt. Rainier size chip on their shoulder.  Add all of this up and I see a UW victory Saturday night.
Prediction:  UW 30 – Boise St 21
Andrew
Finally, it’s here.  I’ve been counting down for 91 days.  I just spent half an hour watching Husky highlights and I have some other games in mind for later this evening.  This game comes with hype and no lack of story lines.  Last night, news broke that ASJ has been suspended for this game, met with the media’s approval.  We have Deontae Cooper’s first game in a Husky uniform after working back from 3 ACL tears.  We have two teams playing a rematch from last season’s bowl, which was a very close football game.  Not to mention, this is the first game of the year which holds it’s own excitement.  None of these really matter to me.
Tomorrow night, a new age of Husky Football begins.  A renovated Husky Stadium will be open after 20 months of Dawg fans being held out of it.  There have been only been rave reviews of this place from those that have gone inside and toured.  It’s expected that Husky Stadium will now be considered one of the very best stadiums in the nation.  With this new stadium comes a new team that is as talented as any team the Dawgs have had in a decade.  There is more depth, potential stars, and speed than Sark has ever had.
Boise State comes to play the Huskies tomorrow night and I can hardly focus on the game.  I’m just so excited to be back in one of the places that I grew up.  With that being said, how can I pick a Husky loss?  The renovated stadium brings hope and that hope transfers over to the feelings I have for this team.  Yes, I’m concerned about Boise State’s pass rush against our offensive line.  I’m concerned about the defensive line holding up against BSU’s up and coming running back.  Yes, I’m concerned about their tall receivers against our smaller cornerbacks.  Yes, I’m concerned about how efficiently Boise usually operates under Coach Petersen’s great coaching. But, that’s not enough for me to think even once about picking the Broncos.
I believe the crowd will be rocking and no amount of training will get Boise ready for the noise they’ll hear on that first third down. Like Green Bay at the Clink last year, it may take them a whole half to adjust to the noise.  I believe the Huskies will have some more playmakers step up in ASJ’s absence (if he is indeed suspended), notably John Ross and Kevin Smith.  I believe the defense will speed around like we haven’t seen in years.  I believe that Keith Price will finally be back to himself after a year hiatus.  I just believe in this team.  It’s good to be home.
Prediction: Huskies 31 – Boise 21
Dan
Anyone else sick of Boise? I won’t be heartbroken if we don’t play them for another decade, but for tomorrow, they are the perfect opponent. Boise commands respect, and the Huskies know it first hand, so whereas some opponents may get overlooked with all the hype surrounding this game, I am confident UW is focused on Boise. Speaking of the hype, all forms of mojo will be on Washington’s side. The stadium, night game, revenge from last year, you name it. Tomorrow really will be a special night, and I can’t envision a script that doesn’t end with the Huskies winning. The ASJ suspension hurts, but it is not a death blow by any stretch. These teams were as even as could be last December in the Vegas Bowl. Fast forward to now, and you have a Boise team bringing back 6 starters, the fewest in the country. UW brings back 20, and is playing at home. I think the defense will carry the Huskies, and the offense will have enough to send us all home happy.

Prediction: UW 24 – Boise 16

Matthew
I see three keys to this game.  First, the Husky defense must make Boise State one dimensional.  I don’t expect them to stop the run and the pass consistently, but they have to do a solid job against one of them.  Second, the offensive line has to make it’s presence felt, both in the run game and while protecting Keith Price.  Finally, a receiver (or two or three) need to make a difference, especially if ASJ is indeed out.
I have to admit, this game scares me.  BSU is talented and the type of team that doesn’t usually get rattled first game of the year.  They should be ready to go and well-prepared.  They’ve also likely never played in an environment like this game will have, so to some degree, this game will be a test of who better handles the moment.
Too often of late, we’ve watched the Huskies come out flat or inconsistent, losing games or making them closer than they need to be. It makes it hard to trust them.  If the Dawgs are going to take the next step this year, playing with consistent toughness and effort while minimizing mistakes will be key.  Ultimately, the Huskies just need to be better.  I think it will be readily apparent early on what type of team this will be.  They don’t have to blow out Boise State, but I expect a higher level of proficiency this season.  I’m crossing my fingers that UW is able to feed off the excitement rather than being distracted and burdened by the moment.  I think a magical night will end with a win.
Prediction: Huskies 30 – BSU 24

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by | August 28, 2013 · 7:17 pm

Pac 12 Picks – Week 1

FOOTBALL IS HERE!

Well, almost.  At this time tomorrow one Pac-12 game will be wrapping up, another about to begin, and a whole weekend of football will be staring us directly in the eye.  Thank goodness.  It’s been a tough last month without football in the sports world but the dry spell is over! 

This week the Pac-12 has a few games where they could make a statement.  Cal, WSU, and UW all have a chance to prove themselves.  UCLA, Colorado and Utah play teams that are okay.  The rest of the teams need to avoid being embarrassed.  The conference should be in good shape through week one and keep their national perception high. 

As always on the Good Guys, we’ll do Pac-12 picks mid-week and the Husky predictions the day before the game.  We’d love to have you in on the predictions.  If you’re interested, put your predictions in the comments and then I’ll add you to the weekly posts (along with your name in the standings).  On to the predictions!

Utah State at Utah – Thursday 5 P.M.
Joe, Dan – Utah State
Andrew, Matthew – Utah

USC at Hawaii – Thursday 8 P.M.
The Good Guys – USC

Northern Arizona at Arizona – Friday 7 P.M.
The Good Guys – Arizona

Nicholls State at Oregon – Saturday 1 P.M.
The Good Guys – Oregon

Eastern Washington at Oregon State – Saturday 3 P.M.
The Good Guys – Oregon State

Washington State at Auburn – Saturday 4 P.M.
The Good Guys – Auburn

Northwestern at California – Saturday 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys – Northwestern

Colorado vs. Colorado State – Sunday 3 P.M.
Dan, Andrew – Colorado
Matthew, Joe – Colorado State

Football!! 

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by | August 28, 2013 · 11:13 am

Around The Pac-12 – Week 1

 

Football starts in about a day now and that means our weekly look at mascots is back!  If you are new to this, here is how it will work.  During the Pac-12 non-conference schedule, I will write down who’s playing who each week.  I will then decide who will win this game based on who would win in a fight between each school’s mascot.  Some of these are easy, some are more difficult.  These are in no way predictions for the upcoming game.  We will have our predictions for each Pac-12 game but that post will come later in the week (or later today, in this instance).  This post is simply to let you know how dumb or awesome I think a school’s mascot is.  You’re welcome.  Once we move into conference play, I will be changing up the format and putting the mascots into competitions (like last season).  Enjoy!

Utah State Aggies at Utah Utes – Thursday 5 P.M.

This is one of the few match-ups that will have you looking at Wikipedia pages for both teams.  According to that website, Utah State Aggies is short for Agriculturalists.  Maybe that’s common knowledge, but, if it is, I do not have common knowledge.  Agriculturalists?  Really?  You are from Utah, but I bet you could name the team something better.  As for the Utes, they are named after a Native American tribe.  I tend to think of those people as tough.

Native Americans didn’t need Agriculturalists.  Also, I think their weapon of choice is probably a bow and arrow.  What’s an agriculturalist’s weapon of choice?  A hoe?  (Watch your mouth, Andrew). A map?  If anyone is dumb enough to say that a common agriculturalist could conquer a Native American, please post in the comments so that I could tell you how dumb you are.  The Utes win, and it’s no contest.

USC Trojans at Hawaii Rainbow Warriors – Thursday 8 P.M.

Umm… Where to begin?  Trojans are some of the greatest warriors ever known.  The weapon of choice seems to be a sword, a shield, or some giant wooden horse.  I guess I respect the Rainbow Warrior name.  Technically, the football team has chosen to be known as just the Warriors.  I don’t respect that choice.  The Rainbow Warriors, from the information, simply called themselves that because they had a rainbow in their logo.  Can it really be that simple?  Yes, I’m sure that Hawaii has some great rainbows in it, but is that a justifiable reason to just stick the word in front of another word?  Probably not, but it’s pretty funny!

Picture a Trojan fighting a Rainbow Warrior?  Not sure what a Rainbow Warrior looks like?  Me neither and, to avoid any insults, I’m not going to post a picture of one because it would just be my opinion of what it would look like.  Trojans beat the Rainbow Warriors.

Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Arizona Wildcats – Friday 7 P.M.

I’ve got to be honest, I love the nickname Lumberjacks.  The school lies near a large pine forest, so it’s a fitting nickname which is great.  Consider that when the school opened it was named ‘Northern Arizona Normal School’ (you can’t make this stuff up) and this mascot name is off the charts.  Wildcats, on the other hand, are barely more than a house cat.  A wildcat isn’t simply in cat that is from the wild, it is a cat that lives in the wild but is roughly the size of your pet cat, Whiskers.  What a wimpy mascot.

Let’s see here.  A lumberjack with an axe against a cat?  The cat may make it interesting for a few minutes with its quickness and claws but in the end all we have is a cat that’s cut in half.  Lumberjacks win!

Nicholls State Colonels at Oregon Ducks – Saturday 4 P.M.

This one is ugly.  Almost as ugly as this game will be (Nicholls State lost to OSU 77-3 last year.  The Ducks might score 100).  Nicholls State is named after a Confederate soldier.  After realizing that this was a bit racist in 2004 (yes, it took that long) they changed their logo to, what looks like, a Nazi soldier.  But, is this really as bad as a university deciding that their mascot should be a duck?  Yes, it actually is.  The Ducks win by default.

Eastern Washington Eagles at Oregon State Beavers – Saturday 3 P.M.

We’re starting to get into some better mascot match-ups!  I love eagles.  They are as beautiful and majestic as an animal can get.  Plus, they are impressive hunters.  I’m also fond of the Beaver as Oregon State’s mascot.  As far as intimidation goes, a beaver might not be the best choice.  It is unique though and that’s important.  Also, let’s not undersell beavers’ accomplishments.  They build entire fortresses out of sticks!  I imagine that they can be feisty too, although I’ve never seen it.

As far as this battle, I don’t think a beaver can hold up to the aerial attack of an eagle.  The beaver would get pecked together and wouldn’t be quick enough to defend himself.  Eagles>Beavers. 

Washington State Cougars at Auburn Tigers – Saturday 4 P.M.

This is the best match-up so far.  Some really nice cats from the wild battle each other.  Cougars are ferocious, fast and fierce.  Tigers are a little bigger and pack more of a punch.  Does Auburn also get the War Eagle?  To be honest, I don’t really think they need it.  Have you seen Life of Pi?  That tiger is huge.  Tigers win in a close one.

Boise State Broncos at Washington Huskies – Saturday 7 P.M.

I used to have a dog named Monte (R.I.P.).  We lived pretty close to some horses and when we went on walks, Monte inevitably would go over to the horses and start to chase them.  He would nip at their heels and send them into a frenzy, no matter how much we called him back.  He liked the thrill.  He drove those horses crazy but anyone who watched knew that he could be dead by one, well-placed hind kick from the horse.  I just don’t know if the horse was coordinated enough to do it.

This is another nice mascot match.  Broncos are better than just regular horses and huskies are better than just regular dogs.  In the end I think we have to go with that hypothetical hind kick.  Broncos win in a battle that could go on for days.

Northwestern Wildcats at California Golden Bears – Saturday 7:30 P.M.

We discovered in the mascot posts last year that Golden Bears are exactly that.  There is no breed of bear called a Golden Bear anymore.  They have gone extinct.  Then again, Trojans have also gone extinct so I’ve decided to reverse my opinion on the Golden Bear and reinstate them in ‘Mascot Match-ups’ as the power they once were.  I’ll have all season to hold the extinct thing over their head though.  Really?  More stupid Wildcats?  Golden Bears win with one mighty swipe of the paw.

Colorado Buffaloes at Colorado State Rams – Sunday 3 P.M.

Have you ever watched a buffalo run straight towards a ram?  That would be more interesting than this actual football game.  The ram’s horns are a nice weapon but they simply can’t match the size and speed of the buffalo.  If a buffalo runs straight at you, you are probably going to die.  Buffaloes crush Rams.

Buffaloes

Buffaloes

Andrew

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by | August 27, 2013 · 9:19 pm

Good Guys Pac-12 Preview

The season is two days away, so let’s fire up a conference preview!  More comprehensive previews abound, so if you want a rundown of UCLA’s secondary, you’ll have to check somewhere else.  For this preview, I’m telling you two things: which player from each team I would want on the Huskies, and how scared I would be if the Dawgs were playing given team tomorrow.  I’ll rate that 1-10, with one being an almost certain win for the Dawgs and 10 an almost certain loss.  I’ll also go through the teams in the divisional order I’d expect them to finish.  So I guess you get three things!  Enjoy.

South Division

1. Arizona State

Player I Want (PIW): This is the easiest choice in the conference, because  DT Will Sutton might be the best player in the conference.  He’s one of the best pass rushing tackles in recent memory, and has a chance to win conference defensive player of the year for the second time in a row.  That hasn’t happened since Mr. Steve Emtman.  Sutton would fit perfectly next to Danny Shelton, transforming the Husky D Line from a bit of a worry to a huge strength.

Scare-o-meter: 7.  ASU took a big step forward last year, and I think they’ll continue to move up.  They have some issues, but they also have a ton of talent on both sides of the ball.  Taylor Kelly was one of the best QBs in the conference last year, and DJ Foster and Marion Grice is the top running back duo in the Pac-12.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish as low as third in the south, but I’m betting they fight off a tough early schedule to make the Pac-12 Championship Game.

2. USC

PIW: Also an easy choice: Marquise Lee, the best receiver in all the land.  Lee brings me to an interesting point in deciding on these players.  The best player on a team isn’t always the guy who would help the Huskies the most.  Defensive lineman Morgan Breslin, for instance, plays at a position of greater need for UW.  In close calls, UW’s need wins out.  Sometimes the greatness of one player far outweighs the utility of another, though.  Anyone who would turn down a chance to see Marquise Lee on their side every Saturday is crazy.

Scare-o-meter: 6.  As usual, USC has as much talent as anyone in the conference.  They have three questions holding them back: 1. Who’s QB? Max Wittek and Cody Kessler are both expected to play on Thursday. 2. Running back is uncertain, with Silas Redd injured.  Lots of talent here though.  3. Lane Kiffin is still coach.  He’s a complete x-factor.  Still, aside from losing Matt Barkley and a few others, this is a roster that was expected to challenge for a national championship last year.  They could be a load if a QB emerges and Kiffin doesn’t sabotage them.

3. UCLA Continue reading →

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by | August 26, 2013 · 2:01 pm

Dawgs As Dogs

As taken by the Wikipedia entry for each dog breed:

Shaq Thompson = Golden Retriever

The Golden Retrievers’ intelligence makes it a versatile breed and allows it to fill a variety of roles.  The Golden Retriever is a large, strongly-built breed.  A natural retrieving ability means it is also competitive in flyball and field trials.  They are used for many important jobs.  

Bishop Sankey = Labrador 

Labrador’s instinctively enjoy holding objects.  

Sean Parker = German Shepherd

German Shepherds are highly active dogs and described in breed standards as self-assured.  They are expected to patrol the boundaries.  

Dexter Charles = Boxer

Their suspicion of strangers, alertness, agility, and strength make them formidable guard dogs.

Travis Feeney = Rottweiler

Their behaviour self-assured, steady and fearless. They react to their surroundings with great alertness.

Erik Kohler = Doberman

They may suffer from a number of health concerns.  Their size, strength and aggression towards strangers makes them potentially dangerous

Danny Shelton = Great Dane

They are known for their enormous bodies and tall height.  

We are all Huskies.  5 days.

Husky

Andrew

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by | August 24, 2013 · 10:19 pm

Keys to a Breakout

Steve Sarkisian has done a solid job of transforming the Huskies from a winless and destitute program into a perfectly average squad.  They’ve won seven games for three straight years, marking 2013 as the time to step past average.  Realizing that it’s time for this to happen is easy, but actually accomplishing it is not.

While it’s not easy for bad teams to get back to mediocre or average, it’s also not terribly difficult.  When a team is terrible, especially as bad as the 2008 Huskies were, there are so many areas for improvement.  If every area of the team is bad, each area improved brings the team up.  The players brought in don’t have to be amazing, they just have to be better than the bad ones they’re replacing.  Often, just the change in coaching or attitude summons improvement from the holdovers.  Improving from terrible is not that hard.

Improving from average to good or great is hard.  Becoming good and then great requires good and great players, and unsurprisingly, those players are a lot harder to find.  Sometimes, coaching can elevate average players, and sometimes offensive or defensive schemes can neutralize talent disparities.  Most often, a team just needs to find better talent and better athletes.  Talent often underachieves, but poor talent rarely beats elite talent.  It’s just the way it is. Continue reading →

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