by | September 27, 2013 · 8:33 pm

UW vs. Arizona Predictions

Hello Husky fans.  Sorry for the lack of coverage this week.  Between company, life and Andrew getting a new job and having a birthday, it’s been a busy week.  Coming off the Idaho State beatdown, there wasn’t a lot to discuss anyway.  The Bengals were easily the worst team I ever remember the Huskies playing.  It seems a little pointless to play a game like that, but at least they get an easy win.  It was also good to see the Huskies not mess around and just take care of business.  They were able to play every eligible player on the roster as well.

The schedule gets much more interesting for everyone this week.  This game will tell a lot about both the Huskies and Wildcats.  It’s also a bit of a do or die game for Arizona St. and USC, at least if either want to stay in contention in the south.  We also might learn whether any of the past cellar-dwellars off to good starts (WSU, Colorado, etc.) are for real.  Colorado will have a tough time stopping OSU’s passing attack, but they might be able to put up enough points of their own to squeak to a 3-0 start.  WSU takes on Stanford at Century Link in a fascinating game.  The Cougar defense has looked greatly improved, but they haven’t faced much of a challenge.  I doubt they pull out the upset, but there are still a few doubts about Stanford as well.  It should be a fun Saturday.

I didn’t put out my weekly rankings of who had the best week, mostly because most of the games were so pathetic.  That will return next week, along with actual power rankings of the whole conference, now that we’re about a third of the way through the season.  I’m also planning to write on the Mariners, but every time I start to do that, some new fiasco happens.  As good as the football teams in Seattle look, the Mariners are that clueless right now.  Anyway, if you want to check back next week, we should have that and more up, and hopefully 4-0 starts to celebrate for both the Huskies and Hawks for the first time in… forever?  On to the predictions.

Joe

Joe’s out hiking the countryside and didn’t have time to write up anything, but he did send a score.  Happy hiking, Joe!

UW 33 – UA 20

Matthew

If the Huskies hadn’t been demolished in Tucson last year, I would think this would be a reasonably easy win.  It helps that the Wildcats lost QB Matt Scott and replaced him with BJ Denker, who has shown no ability to be a dangerous passing threat.  If the Dawgs can slow down Denker and All-American Ka’deem Carey, I don’t think Arizona can do enough through the air to win.  The Cats defense has been better, but I don’t think they’re good enough to stop Washington consistently.  This one might stay close, but I’m betting the Huskies eventually pull away for a double-digit win.  It’s hard to know what Arizona can do, and Carey and Rich Rodriguez should not be underestimated.  Still, if the Huskies are as good as I think they might be, they should win this one handily.

UW41 – UA 17

Danny

The Huskies lost to Arizona by 35 points last year, and yet, I think most Husky fans would be surprised if the Dawgs didn’t knock off the Cats tomorrow. Count me as one of those fans. Arizona has played 3 cupcakes, all at home, so the 3-0 record is deceiving and the jury is still out on them. On the other side, the Huskies have been tested and look like a good, if not great, football team. When these teams clash tomorrow night, 3 things stick out to me as reasons why I do not see a repeat of last year. First, the Huskies are at home, which is the biggest factor of all. Second, the QB matchup is not Matt Scott vs. a struggling Keith Price, but rather “Vanilla Vick” Denker vs. a red hot Keith Price. Finally, the revenge factor is an aspect of this game that I think has weighed on coaches’ and players’ minds all week. Losing 52-17 last year was embarrassing, particularly for the defense. Look for Wilcox to have his D locked in, and in all phases, I just think UW has the edge. Windy weather might be a factor in the pass game but I still predict a lot of points.

UW 38 – UA 20

Andrew

Husky:  “WOOF WOOF WOOF!!! I’M A DAAAWWWWG! BARK!”
Wildcat:  “Meow…”
Husky:  “That’s all you can say? Meow? Roooof! Grooowwwwll.”
Wildcat:  “Meow…”
Husky:  “You’re an idiot.”
Wildcat:  “Meow”
Husky:  “Oh, that’s right.  You’re a Wildcat.”
Wildcat:  “Meow”
Husky:  “Now, I must kill you.”

I have been a little bit out of the loop as of late but it seems like people are downplaying this game a little bit.  I don’t really understand why.  Last year, the Wildcats handed the Huskies their worst loss of the season.  The defense seemed to never have a chance and the offense never could get rolling.  Arizona just seemed to have our number.

This season, the Huskies appear to be much improved but they have yet to face a team with the speed Arizona has.  Arizona hasn’t played anyone good in their non-conference portion of the schedule and somehow this has been a bit of an indictment of their talent level, even though they have handled their business with ease.  Their defense should be better than last season and they have one of the best players in the nation.  Needless to say, I’m a little bit concerned.

The amount of experts picking blowout for this game doesn’t seem quite right to me but I do think the Huskies will pull away.  They seem to be on a revenge kick this year and I imagine there is some motivation from last year’s disaster.  The Huskies have improved their speed on both sides of the ball and are now used to playing up-tempo.  Arizona’s QB may have some trouble in the rain and in his first intimidating road-start.  The Huskies should be able to run the ball at will and they need to limit Ka’Deem Carey’s yards.

It should be a fun game and the Huskies hope to get to 4-0.  There should be about 200 plays run total and the pace could be frantic.  With the rain and wind coming down, it will feel like a true Fall Saturday in Seattle.  All in all, I see the Huskies winning a game that is fairly close.

UW 42 – UA 31

Go Dawgs!

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by | September 27, 2013 · 1:08 pm

Pac-12 Picks – Week 5

Sorry, things have been a little bit busy this week so we skipped over the Idaho State recap (did we really need it anyway?) and the mascot post (inexcusable).  I’ll try to get back to these regularly scheduled posts in the next few weeks but there are things to do!

For now, we have our picks for the week!  After last week’s lame slate of games, this week has a chance of real excitement!  Conference play begins and things always get more interesting.  Tomorrow night at 10, we will have 3 conference games all in their second half!  Party!  Leave your picks in the comments if you want to.

Colorado vs. Oregon State – Noon
Andrew, Dan, Matthew:  Oregon State
Joe:  Colorado

Stanford vs. WSU – 7:00 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Stanford

USC vs. Arizona State – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Arizona State

Cal vs. Oregon – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Oregon

Current Standings:
Andrew 30-5 (.857)
Dan 29-6 (.829)
Joe 29-6 (.829)
Matthew 28-7 (.800)
Tyler (Commenter) 13-4 (.765) 

As always, the Husky picks will come a little bit later.  Let’s do this, football!

– Andrew

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by | September 20, 2013 · 8:46 pm

UW vs. Idaho State Predictions

tumblr_mqjxrzgzcx1rftit5o1_500Yep, that’s a shopping cart of Huskies.

Matthew

It’s been hard to muster a lot of excitement for this game.  There’s a reason the Huskies are 50+ point favorites.  Idaho State is a fairly bad FCS team.  The Huskies are a top 20 team in the nation.  The Huskies have played bad teams, and they’ve played FCS teams, in years past, but I don’t know if they’ve played anyone at Idaho State’s level.  This should be a game that is over in a quarter or less.  The Huskies need to come out with energy and execute immediately.  They need to dominate continuously and make it possible for the back-ups to play most of the second half.  This season is about the Huskies taking the next steps in their maturity, and a big part of that is dominating the teams they should dominate.  This is a game that should never be in doubt.  I don’t know if they Huskies will cover the massive spread, but only because Sark doesn’t like to run up the score.  I think the Huskies win this one easily and get some good rest for the starters before the schedule gets interesting next week.

UW52 – ISU 10

Dan

Few times can you go into a weekend knowing your 2 hometown teams will win barring a collapse or natural disaster or 35 injuries. But that’s the case this weekend, with the Huskies and Seahawks a combined 73 point favorites. In UW’s case, they are 53 point favs and the question is not if we will win the game, but by how much, and how much will we see from the backups. In essence, this is a preseason game played in season, that counts. So I guess it’s the opposite of a preseason game. But anyways, I know nothing of Idaho State other than they are 2-0 and probably hate the Vandals and Broncos. Over in Pullman, the Cougs will take on Idaho, so this really is a Washington vs. Idaho weekend. Here’s a question…if you combined the rosters of Idaho and Idaho State, would they be able to knock off Boise State? I tend to think not, but what say you?

UW 55 – ISU 10

Joe

Washington comes back home for two games, ISU and UA, that will feel very different from each other.  The Idaho State Bengals will not present a challenge to UW despite the mighty cats from Pocatello’s unblemished record of 2-0 (They hung 40 on Dixie State…).  I expect the Dawgs to score early and often, and to overwhelm ISU defensively.  My biggest concern here is injuries.

UW 46 – ISU 12  (Next week vs Arizona in the conf. opener is the real match up to be excited about. Enormous game for both programs!)

Andrew

The Huskies search for their first 3-0 start in over a decade on Saturday.  They should easily find it.  They play a team that is the third best football team in Idaho (and that might be generous).  Idaho State has really struggled in the past years and that is with playing FCS competition.  They lost to Portland State (the team the Huskies played last year) 77-10 last year.  While Idaho State looks a little more capable this year as their passing game has been pretty impressive and defense fairly stout, they just don’t have near enough weapons to keep up with the Huskies.  With there being zero questions about who the better team is, the storyline turns to the Huskies.  Here are some things that I will be keeping an eye on tomorrow:

Will the Huskies come out fired up and put the Bengals away in the first quarter?  It would be easy for the Huskies to look ahead and not take this game seriously.  If they do that, the Bengals could put up a score or two and some yards in the early going.  I don’t want that.

Will the penalties go away?  Another part of the focus aspect.  Against a team you are superior to, there is no reason for penalties (aside from officiating incompetence, which is all too likely).

How does ASJ fit in?  This is a question that I was mildly curious about last week and now I’m extremely curious.  ASJ struggled last week.  I look for Sark to get him involved early so he gets comfortable before an extremely important game next week.

Which young guy will shine?  Assuming the Huskies get up big early (which they should), there is no reason to keep the starters in much past half time.  Some young guys I’ll be keeping an eye on are:  QB Cyler Miles, RB Dwayne Washington, WR Damore’ea Stringfellow, LT Jake Eldrenkamp, DE Jojo Mathis, S Brandon Beaver, and two freshmen DB’s, Kevin King and Trevor Walker.
All of the factors involved should lead to a Husky blowout.

UW 56 – ISU 6

 

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by | September 19, 2013 · 1:46 pm

Pac-12 Picks – Week 4

After last week’s exciting slate of games, we don’t have a lot of excitement this weekend.  The conference game is our best match-up yet (Stanford-ASU) but other than that there isn’t much to look forward to it.  The Pac-12 is an underdog in only one game (BYU-Utah) and needs to avoid stubbing their toe against weaker competition.

Here are our picks for the week (UW picks come tomorrow).  Add yours in the comments.

Utah State vs. USC – 12:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  USC

Oregon State vs. San Diego State – 3:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Oregon State

ASU vs. Stanford – 4 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Stanford

Utah vs. BYU – 7:15 P.M.
Andrew, Dan, Matthew:  BYU
Joe:  Utah

New Mexico State vs. UCLA – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  UCLA

Idaho at WSU – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  WSU

Here are the standings for the year!

Andrew 24-4 (.857)
Dan 23-5 (.821)
Matthew 22-6 (.786)
Joe 22-6 (.786)
Tyler 7-3 (commenter) (.700)

Enjoy your football, everybody!

Andrew

 

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by | September 18, 2013 · 10:00 am

Around The Pac-12 – Week 4

This is it, fellas.  The last of the non-conference games basically wrap up this weekend and then things get serious in a hurry!  Let’s soak in these light-hearted times before we can’t anymore.

The conference showed well last week in a tough slate of games.  Cal sucked but, well… Arizona State may have gotten a little bit of help but who doesn’t need a little bit of help sometimes?

This week, things seem to be pretty easy for the Pac-12.  There aren’t many games on the slate (just take a look at my fantasy team) and they all seem winnable.  But, have you really looked deeply into the match ups?  Have you looked past the records and the statistics, at something deeper?  Have you ignored the play on the field and looked at the two fully grown human dressed in a full-body costume on the sideline?  That, my friends, is where the true battle is; the battle of the mascots.

Here’s who would win this week’s match-ups if was strictly a fight between the two mascots. All games are on Saturday and listed as Pacific Time.

Idaho State Bengals at Washington Huskies – 12 P.M.

In high school, I was a part of a pretty good student section who made their presence known in games.  We would travel about 2 hours from Yakima to Ephrata at least once a year.  It’s a boring, ugly drive.  Sometimes the weather would be ugly in winter months (basketball season).  We would always eventually make it to Ephrata, one time with 13 people in my car (sorry mom).  We’d take our space on the visiting side and wait for the game to begin.  We were big fans of arriving early so we would wait a long time and then the girls basketball game would begin.  Needless to say, we waited some more.  But Ephrata always had someone who would dress up in a body-size tiger costume.  He’d enter the gymnasium and our section would rise.  We would chant, “Tony! Tony! Tony!”  The mascot and Ephrata’s fans would look around, confused.  Our chant would continue until the mascot would acknowledge us.  This small interaction would usually make that stupid drive well worth it.

Tony the Tiger, while awesome, has really lessened the intimidation of tigers.  As much as Life of Pi tried to remind us that these animals are fierce and terrifying, Frosted Flakes’ spokesman hasn’t done the tiger a lot of good.  Why all this talk about tigers when the mascot is a bengal?  Because Wikipedia tells us that a Bengal is just a subspecies of a tiger and there is no real difference between the two.  So, could a Bengal kill a Husky?  Without a doubt, no matter what Tony has done to the Tiger name.  The Bengal earns his stripes, destroys the Husky.

Utah State Aggies at USC Trojans – 12:30 P.M.

As we learned in week one, the Aggie nickname is short for Agricultarilists.  If you can’t figure out that an agriculturalist doesn’t stand a chance fighting a Trojan warrior, then I don’t know what to tell you.  Aggies get sidetracked trying to find some nice dirt, stabbed and killed by the Trojans.

Arizona State Sun Devils at Stanford Cardinal – 4 P.M.

Experts say that the Sun Devils face a tough early season schedule.  Those people obviously didn’t see that they are treeplaying the Badgers and a color/tree in back-to-back weeks.  I guess the Devil attacks weak things?  Not that a tree is actually weak.  It’s just that it can not do anything else aside from providing shade and fruit.  A tree is very accommodating to its opposition.  God might appreciate this, the Devil probably could care less.  The Sun Devil burns down a tree and the fire is the color Cardinal.

Oregon State Beavers at San Diego State Aztecs – 3:30 P.M.

The Aztec nickname is a good one in my book.  The Aztecs were an ethnic group in Central Mexico from the 14th to 16th century.  San Diego has a strong Mexican population so you have the regional connection as well as a tough group of people.  Beavers are cool animals.  This match-up involves two mascots that are known for building things.  That is neat.  Unfortunately for our furry friends, the Aztecs could probably kill an animal that isn’t known for its ferocity.  Aztecs defeat the Beavers then reshape their dam to make an impressive piece of architecture. 

Utah Utes at BYU Cougars – 7:15 P.M.

These are two mascots that we’ve run across fairly regularly, so let me get straight to the difficulty that I have with this pick.  The Cougar is admittedly a tough animal.  I sure wouldn’t want to run across one in the wild.  But, it’s not the kind of animal that means certain death in my mind.  It’s much tougher than the Beaver or Wildcat, but not quite as tough as a tiger or as enormous as a bear.  The Utes are clearly tougher than me.  They were more used to being out in the wild and hunting.  I’m really in a pickle!  Frankly, I’m just tired of all the humans winning this week.  Cougars barely edge out the Utes.

New Mexico State Aggies at UCLA Bruins – 7:30 P.M.

Oh, great.  More Aggies.  Do people really think that Agriculturalists are that cool?  I don’t care if your school was named after its agricultural beginnings, New Mexico State.  Bruins maul Aggies any time that the two face off.

Idaho Vandals at Washington State Cougars – 7:30

Man, another tough decision that involves Cougars!  Let’s hope that sentence is only ever used when addressing mascots and not addressing middle-aged women.  The Vandal nickname is regionally relevant because Idaho is so boring that the only thing to do is vandalize stuff.  Burn!  But, wait!  Idaho isn’t named for the traditional vandal.  From the Idaho website:

What is a Vandal?

Don’t use your dictionary to find Idaho’s definition of a Vandal. No, Idaho’s student-athletes go by a name earned nearly a century ago by a basketball team coached by Hec Edmundson, whose teams played defense with such intensity and ferocity that sports writers said they “vandalized” their opponents. The mark made by that 1917 team went far deeper than wins and losses on the court. In 1917, Harry Lloyd “Jazz” McCarty – a writer for the student newspaper, the Argonaut – subtly tagged the team with a new nickname in a pregame write-up: “The opening game with Whitman will mark a new epoch in Idaho basketball history, for the present gang of ‘Vandals’ have the best material that has ever carried the ‘I’ into action.” McCarty’s indirect suggestion stuck. By 1921, McCarty and Edward Maslin Hulme, the dean of the College of Liberal Arts, succeeded in their push to have Vandals officially adopted as the nickname for Idaho teams. Adding a special touch were Edmundson’s roots. He was from Moscow and made a name for himself at Idaho as one of the nation’s top distance runners. He eventually left Idaho to coach at the University of Washington where the Huskies still play basketball in the building bearing his name – the Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

So, basically their basketball team was really good at defense 96 years ago and a nickname caught on.  This is kind of cool and a bit strange at the same time.  But, that’s how mascots come to be.  Also from the University of Idaho website:

Other Adaptations:

A member of a Germanic people who lived in the area south of the Baltic Sea between the Vistula and the Oder rivers, overran Gaul, Spain, and northern Africa in the fourth and fifth centuries a.d., and in455 sacked Rome.

So, people question the Idaho nickname and then are told about the first story.  It’s an interesting story and one with some real history about the team.  But, every now and then that person who questions it doesn’t fully buy in so the U of I has to throw up this ridiculous extra bit on their website (this adaptation is listed as the second definition of Vandal in the dictionary).  This has nothing to do with their school and their nickname.  They just wanted another adaptation that wasn’t what you traditionally think about when you hear the word ‘vandal’.  You lost me, Idaho.  You almost had me but then you screwed it up.  Cougars maul whatever definition Idaho comes up with for a Vandal.

Andrew

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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 13, 2013 · 7:22 pm

UW vs. Illinois Predictions

Hey everybody, it’s Husky time!  Tomorrow, the Dawgs take on the Illinois Fighting Illini.  I’m realizing as I type this that the Fighting Illini is a strange nickname.  It just sounds strange, and it’s a weird one to type.  Andrew touched on the fuzzy origins of the name earlier this week.  Think about this, though: take out the “Fighting” and it’s just the Illinois Illini.  I don’t know if that’s better or worse.  I don’t know where I’m going with this, either.

Andrew pointed out a moderately fascinating observation to me today.  In his words:

“I wonder if the Huskies have ever opened up the season against two schools that have the school colors of blue and orange.  I mean, what are the chances?  I’m not a math major.  My wife is.  I asked her what the odds were and she ignored me.  But wait!  The last time the Huskies played Boise State was 2007.  Guess who they played the game before that?  Syracuse.  Syracuse’s colors are blue and orange.  Wow.  Groundbreaking stuff.  In 2007 and 2013 the Huskies played consecutive games against teams with blue and orange.  In between those years the Huskies played only two teams with those colors: Syracuse in 2010 and Boise State last year.”

Excellent research!  I’d also note the Huskies won all of those games except for last year against Boise State.  Seems like a good omen.

One more random note, if anyone is still reading this.  The game is in Chicago at Soldier Field, instead of on-campus in Champaign.  It’s the same idea as the Cougars playing in Seattle.  They get to reach a few more alumni and hopefully make a dent in a major recruiting hotbed.  For the Huskies, it’s a nice little benefit, in that it should be more of a neutral field.  They’re only expecting 45,000 at the most. Anyway, I was thinking about Chicago on the way home today, and I wondered if any city has both a prominent band and song named after it.  Chicago, the band, is on about the third tier of rock band stardom and is my father-in-law’s favorite. “Chicago“, the song by Sufjan Stevens, is one of the best songs of the 2000’s and the most notable track from one of the biggest influences on both the current indie rock and folk movements.  There are lots of songs named after cities, but not that many bands.  Boston comes to mind, but I can’t think of any major songs named Boston.  Any thoughts?  Add them in the comments.

Alright, that’s enough of this dumb intro.  On to the predictions!

Joe

UW rolls into Chicago coming off a bye week that probably wasn’t needed, but no doubt they are still on an emotional high after the thumping of Boise State a week earlier in the home opener. The Boise win validated, at least for a couple weeks, Sark’s new up-tempo fastbreak offense. The Dawgs wore out Boise, a team, coincidentally, that also runs an up-tempo offense. To be able to wear out a very athletic and well coached defense like the Broncos is a serious accomplishment.  In fact, the Huskies’ win over Boise was arguably Sark’s best overall win as UW’s coach. The Huskies played a complete game exhibiting speed and quickness, without committing costly penalties.  Boise was a very good opponent who came ready to play and UW stepped up to the challenge and won in all three phases of the game.  I think this type of win will help UW focus on Illinois since the Illini like to do the Star Wars thing on offense as well, spread the field out, huge gaps between linemen.  None of this will surprise UWs defense, which is as quick a defense as UW has had in two decades. I like the match up for the Huskies.  Sankey will pound the rock, and I expect to see a big performance from Kasen this week, since no doubt ASJ’s return and the emergence of Ross and Mickens will have the Illinois defensive staff on high alert.  It’s a road game, and UW under Sark hasn’t fared well on the road, so it will be close, but I expect UW to prevail.  They are the better, deeper team with a hunger to win on the road.

UW 32 – Illinois 24

Matthew

There are reasons to be concerned about this game.  It’s the Huskies first time on the road, and Illinois has thrown for a ton of yards in a chaotic offense so far.  Illinois also has a defense sure to be overmatched, and the Dawgs should be able to score often and easily if they execute like last week.  I’m most looking forward to seeing how Sark uses ASJ in his return.  Also intriguing is what form the next evolution of the offense will take.  Illinois will surely be looking to blow-up the bubble screens and flare passes.  Watch to see if they’re successful, and what UW does in response.  Ideally, the Huskies will have an easy enough time scoring that they’ll be able to save some wrinkles for future, tougher opponents, but if not, the offense could see some interesting permutations.  The secondary will get a tougher test this week, but if they can hold up and the line can get a bit more pressure, this could be a romp.  This Husky team feels different to me.  They seem like they’ve figured it out.  We’ll see if I’m right.  A road blow-out would be a solid next step in their maturation.

UW 45 – Illinois 20

Andrew

This is kind of a strange game to predict.  As the Huskies and the Illini step out on the field tomorrow, the Dawgs appear to be the superior team.  They have way more speed and better playmakers.  They have equal (and probably much better) lines on both sides of the ball.  But, Illinois played a pretty good game last week and is gaining confidence.  As we’ve seen in the past few years, a young team with confidence can be very dangerous even when facing a superior opponent.  Not to mention, the Huskies are 2,000 miles away from home.  They haven’t exactly been a great team away from home.  So, there are things that concern me.

When looking for a game to compare this to, I think Syracuse a few years ago is a good one.  They weren’t a complete pushover but they have a few really nice players and may be able to stick with the Dawgs, at least for a little bit.  Illinois has a good quarterback.  Also, off topic, but the Illini coach seems like an easy guy to root for based on his interview with Softy a few days ago.  As Husky fans have watched our program grow, we’ve seen that a team with a couple of great players isn’t enough against the elite teams.  Here’s guessing that is true tomorrow and the Dawgs run away with the game in the second half.  If they do, I’m guessing that it’s about time to start calling the Huskies elite.

UW 42 – Illinois 17

Go Dawgs!

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