Tag Archives: Jake Locker

by | October 5, 2010 · 4:01 pm

A Few More Thoughts After Rewatching the Husky Game

Well, it took me 2 days but I finally made it through all of the USC game.  I can only wonder how many times I would watch it if it wasn’t a busy week.   Anyway, I came away with a few more thoughts that I’ll share before putting this game to rest and moving on to this week’s opponent,  Arizona State.

  • Let’s start with the worst part of the game, the rushing defense.  There’s no denying that they were terrible.  After watching it again, it was very clear that the problems weren’t because of a lack of schemes.  They tried just about everything.  They put at least 8 guys in the box every time.  I counted 10 guys in the box for several plays.  10 guys!  They also tried a 3-4 several times to be a little more athletic.  The problem was with what was happening on the field.  The defensive line was terrible.  Ta’amu played a decent game, but the rest of the defensive line was awful.  There were guys getting pushed back 5-10 yards every play.  Then, the linebackers seemed a bit timid.  They didn’t attack the runner for most of the game, they let the runner come to them.  By the time the runner got there, those linebackers were blocked.  I understand that they can’t completely sell out against the run because they have to watch for play-action, but their reaction time does need to be quicker.  Last but not least, the tackling was terrible.  It was just as bad as it was against Nebraska, if not worse.  I was on a mission to count the missed tackles but I lost track.  I lost track at the end of the first quarter.
  • One more negative thought on the defense before we move to brighter spots.   I think several players had the worst game of their career on Saturday.  Nate Fellner had one great pass break-up, but the rest of the game he struggled.  He was sucked into the wrong position and missed quite a few tackles.  Quinton Richardson missed an easy sack on Barkley because he forgot he had arms on the play.  He was taken out after that, I’ll be interested to see if he plays as much the rest of this season.  Where is Adam Long?  Cort Dennison looked a little rusty and slow after missing the Nebraska game.  Those players, along with the defensive line, were beaten up pretty well on Saturday.  Thank goodness we have Mason Foster.
  • With all that, give credit to the defense for not allowing a touchdown in the 4th quarter.  They buckled down and made some stops.  There’s no doubt they need to get better, but they made some plays that kept the Huskies in the game.

More thoughts after the jump. Continue reading →

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by | October 3, 2010 · 1:12 pm

UW vs. USC: Postgame

When we began the season, 2-2 was the record most people predicted after4 games, myself included.  A win against BYU and Syracuse and then a team that would probably be out-matched by the talent of Nebraska and USC.  That’s not exactly what happened, but it’s better this way.

After showing a serious amount of inconsistency the first 3 games, the Husky offense turned in a showing that all Dawg fans have been dreaming of since demolishing Cal last December.  Because of this, the Huskies won their first road game in 3 years and started Pac-10 play with a victory against powerhouse USC.

Since many people have covered this game, and did a better job than I could, I’m going to keep this short.  I’ll have more in-depth analysis once I watch this game again later tonight but for now, I’ll look at what this game means.  As several coaches and players said, this win was huge for a number of reasons.  Let’s take a look at those reasons.

  • Redemption: The Huskies were just 2 weeks removed from playing the worst game of the Sark era.  Being embarrassed at home, 56-21, caused many people to question whether the program was actually on the right track.  There were all kinds of criticism coming at the Huskies, and rightfully so.  The game-plan was bad, the team didn’t, and Jake Locker played the worst game of his career.  But, last night the Huskies came back and had the best game-plan (offensively, anyway) of the Sark era, showed more heart than I’ve seen in years, and had Locker play the best game we’ve seen yet.  People didn’t know if this team was built up too much, and they still have reasons to question that, but last night, the Huskies found redemption in the L.A. Coliseum.  And, for a week at least, that feels pretty good.
  • A Road Victory! As I mentioned earlier, the Huskies had not won a road game since 2007.  That was against a bad Stanford team.  You could argue that this is the most impressive Husky road victory, as far as quality of opponent, since their 2002 road victory at Oregon.  Now, the monkey is off the back.  Of course, this doesn’t mean that they’re going to go on and win the rest of their road games.  But, as we saw with this years Husky basketball, winning that first road game can do wonders for a teams psyche.  If nothing else, people won’t be able to say that, “They just don’t know how to win on the road.”  Which is a blessing in its’ own right.

More after the jump.  Continue reading →

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by | October 1, 2010 · 2:28 pm

5 Things To Watch: USC

I thought I’d add a little segment to our Husky game previews about 5 things I will be watching closely on each game.  Five seems like a good, solid number.  Quick, name your favorite athlete that wears the number 5!  It’s harder than it should be for current athletes but Joe DiMaggio wins this game easily.  Okay, here we go!

1.  Jake Locker
Obviously, this is one thing to always watch if you’re a Husky fan.  The team goes as Jake goes and they’re going to need him to get going on Saturday.  This week is a little more intriguing though because he’s coming off the worst performance of his college career (actually, I imagine it’s his worst performance he’s ever had in any sporting event.  Really).  His draft stock has fallen and his team is on the brink of falling into the same terrible seasons they’ve grown accustomed to.  If anyone has the talent to turn this season around in one game, it’s Jake.  I’m hoping that Locker shows up and has a game we all remember, if he does the Huskies will be in good shape.

2.  UW receivers vs. USC secondary
Coming into the season UW supposedly had one of the best receiving corps in the Pac-10.  Through the first 3 games, that hasn’t been the case.  Sure, Jermaine Kearse had a great day against Syracuse, but there hasn’t been separation downfield and they were simply awful against Nebraska.  This week they play a secondary that is not near as good but still has talent.  The Huskies will surely test that secondary.  I’m sure the USC secondary is ready to prove themselves.  Let’s hope that the Dawgs’ receivers are the ones who prove something.

3.  The Special Teams
The Huskies face the best special teams unit they have faced all season and will need to show a ton of improvement.  UW has been absolutely terrible on special teams.  The kicker and punter have been okay.  There isn’t much of a return game to speak of and the coverage units have been just about the worst in the nation.  The hope is that this has improved in the bye week.  If it hasn’t, the Huskies don’t stand a chance.

4.  Erik Kohler
Kohler has been a bright spot in this early season so far.  The true freshman has played pretty well in the last 2 games and I look forward to taking a closer look at him on TV.  He’s going up against one of the better defensive lines in the country and will be matched up against Jurrell Casey, who was a pre-season All-American in some circles.  This is the second time in as many games our true freshman has been matched up against an All-American candidate.  I hope he holds his own and makes a little room for Chris Polk to run.

5.  The Coaches
The first match-up between Lane Kiffen and Sark provides another interesting aspect to the game.  Sark knows USC’s scheme and players pretty well.  Does that matter?  I don’t know.  It might have a tiny bit last year but it wasn’t what won the Huskies the game.  Both teams are close to the same schematically and there will be some mind games going on between coaching staffs.  Hopefully, the Dawgs win and then Kiffen says something stupid, because you know he would.  That guy drives me crazy.

-Andrew


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by | September 20, 2010 · 3:07 pm

Perception vs. Reality

3 games into the 2010 Huskies season, I am not ready to say this team is destined for a Mariner-esque flop, but the similarities are there; year 2 of the new regime, Locker is back (kind of like the Cliff Lee acquisition), and expectations are high following a promising first year. Now that Washington is 1-2 and headed to USC in 2 weeks, the Seattle sports fan in me can’t help but think of what became of the M’s this year. Following Saturday’s debacle, it occurred to me that Nebraska may have exposed our true colors. Whether the Huskies rally around this “reality check” remains to be seen, but I’m wondering if my perception of this team, and Jake Locker, may be a bit off. Should 6-6 be the realistic goal in year 2 of the Sark era? Will Jake ever reach his potential while at UW? Is the defense any better? Through 3 weeks, these are questions I am asking.

When you follow a team closely in sports, perception and reality tend to blur. It’s what being a homer is all about; You view your own higher than others do. Following the Huskies closely like I do, of course I am inclined to drink the Kool-Aid. Ask me in August and I’d say our wide receivers are a superb group, that our coaching is top notch, our quarterback is the best in the nation, and our secondary is solid. Maybe some of this is true, maybe it isn’t. One thing is certain, perception and reality often differ.

When it comes to Jake Locker, I love the guy. Heck, my dog is named after him. I love that he picked UW over the likes of USC, that he stuck through these hard times, and that he came back for his senior season. I love his humility, his grit, and leadership. I will love Jake at the next level, and will cheer for him no matter what team he plays for. He is a martyr for Husky nation. But my perception of Jake as the best quarterback in the nation may not be reality. Heck, he may not even be a top 3 QB in his conference.

Is Jake better today than say, Kellen Moore? Comparing the two is tough given the talent that surrounds them, and the system they each play in. We know Locker has sky high potential, but the reality is he will probably not reach his peak in college, whereas a player like Kellen Moore most likely will. Jake will be drafted high because of his potential in 5 years, not for what he accomplishes in college. Some players are perfect for the college game (i.e. Eric Crouch, Kellen Moore, Jason White), but not a fit for the NFL, for various reasons. Jake is definitely not one of these players, but at the given time, Moore may be the better quarterback. One bad week should not make or break a player’s image, but it makes you wonder what the reality is.

All this to say, the hype that surrounded this team has taken a hit, and the image of what this team can actually accomplish is gaining clarity. If UW gets blown out at USC and Locker has another 4-20 type game, the bandwagon will have some open seats, similar to Safeco Field by about the middle of June. The jury is still out on this season, and on Jake Locker as a collegiate quarterback, but I’m starting to doubt that we will see massive improvement like we did last year out of this team, and Jake Locker.

-Dan

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by | September 12, 2010 · 1:34 pm

Huskies Post Game: Syracuse

The Huskies got their first win of the year last night at Husky Stadium against Syracuse, 41-20. The Dawgs’ struggled early on; there wasn’t any offensive rhythm and special team’s mistakes led to an early 10-0 lead for the Orange.  But, then the Huskies found it.  They played like the team we had planned on seeing this year.  They outscored Syracuse 41-10 through the rest of the game and it wasn’t much of a contest after the first couple plays in the second half.

Jermaine Kearse had a monster day (9 receptions for 179 yards), as the offense used big plays to dominate.  The defense was solid too.  They gave up two or three big plays but the two touchdowns Syracuse scored were because of a special teams penalty and a turnover.

I’ll review this one by taking a look at each position.  I haven’t been able to find a replay anywhere yet, FSN decided to show a replay of Wyoming and Texas instead, so I won’t be as thorough as I’d like to be but these were my first impressions from being there.  Continue reading →

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by | September 5, 2010 · 9:01 pm

Huskies Post-Game

Well, I guess it’s time one of us do this.  We’ve had over 24 hours to digest a disappointing loss and now I am a little more rational than I was a night ago.

Let me start off by saying that this wasn’t the team we planned on seeing.  This wasn’t the team that had taken a step above last year’s.  Sure, there were some aspects of the team that improved (more on that later) but as a whole this wasn’t the team we expected to see.  This was the Husky team that lost to Arizona State and UCLA on the road last year.  That team wasn’t terrible, but wasn’t good either.  We saw moments where the Huskies looked like a team that was about to take it to the next level but those moments didn’t last.  Will the Huskies become that team?  There is no reason to give up hope on that after the first game.

The game started off the way it was supposed to.  The Dawgs were clearly the better team.  They were faster.  They had more weapons.  They looked like they wanted it more.  Then everything bounced BYU’s way.  A couple of stupid penalties led to a field position switch and the good bounces for BYU became evident with every punt.  Seriously, think about the game (assuming you watched it) and try to remember a bounce that went the Huskies way.  It was unbelievable.

With that being said, you have to put yourself in position to get good bounces and credit BYU for doing that.  The Cougars were better than any of the good guys thought and will go on to win 9 or 10 games this season.  They were a very physical football team and extremely well coached.

Also, the Huskies did put themselves in a position to win the game.  The defense made stops to get the offense the ball.  The offense drove far enough to give us hope.  Who knows?  If the last pass of the game wasn’t tipped we could be talking about a comeback win that will start a season of magic.  Instead, we’re stuck thinking, “Here we go again.”

It’s not all doom and gloom though.  We’ll take a look at that after the jump.

Continue reading →

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by | September 4, 2010 · 1:38 pm

Good Guys’ 2010-11 NCAA FB Predictions

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by | September 2, 2010 · 12:53 pm

A Roadmap to Pasadena

When a college team hits rock bottom, as the Huskies did following their 0-12 season in 2008, the best case scenario is to re-build and contend for the conference within 3 years. For the Huskies to accomplish this lofty goal, the process looks something like this:

Step 1, off season—Fire coach, hire new one that brings fresh approach. Begin a culture change by recruiting differently, practicing differently, thinking differently.
Step 2, in season—Back up the talk by winning a few games in year 1.
Step 3, off season—With systems in-place, raise the bar and expect more from returning players in the off-season. Focus the recruiting on keeping in-state kids at home.
Step 4, in season—Challenge for a .500 season and possibly a bowl game in year 2.
Step 5, off season—Get bigger, stronger, faster. Win some recruiting battles and sign a blue chip or two.
Step 6, in season—Compete for a winning season and possibly a conference championship.

In the Sarkisian era, Washington is entering Step 4 of this process, and thus far the first 3 steps are checked off with an A+ grade. A .500 season and possibly a bowl game would be right on track to accomplish the 3 year turnaround. But anyone who follows this team knows the hype and expectations are higher than just 6-6 this year. The X factor is, of course, the return of Jake Locker. In fact, there may as well be an asterisk under step 3 that says, “If Locker returns, skip steps 4 and 5, and move onto 6. But is conference contending hype reasonable at this point for the Huskies? Could Jake conceivably slash a year off what is already an aggressive 3 year re-build process from winless to champs? Let’s breakdown just how realistic a Rose Bowl season could be by forecasting 5 assumptions, and ranking the probability of each on a scale of 1-10.

  • Assumption 1: The Pac-10 is a 6 team race—Realistic scale: 9

    • The Pac-10 is a 10 team division, of which 4 teams can already be written off—Washington State, Arizona State, USC and UCLA will not be playing in the Rose Bowl on 1/1/11. This is not a fact, but realistically, 3 of these teams are not set up to win the Pac-10 this year, and USC is not eligible for a bowl game. Under this assumption, this is really a 6 team race, and UW is in the thick of it.

  • Assumption 2: The Pac-10 champion will have 2 conference losses—Realistic scale: 6

    • Reviewing the past 8 seasons, only twice has the Pac-10 champ gone undefeated in conference play (both times USC did it). 4 times the champ lost just 1 conference game, and twice, the champion suffered 2 losses. This year is as wide open as any of the previous 8 years, especially with USC out of the race, so my assumption is the conference champion will have 2 losses.

  • Assumption 3: The Huskies will go undefeated at home in conference play—Realistic scale: 6

    • Coach Sark has already said the Huskies will go undefeated at home this year, so the assumption is that Washington will record conference wins against Arizona State, Oregon State, Stanford, and UCLA. Wahoo!

  • Assumption 4: The Huskies will go 3-2 on the road in conference play—Realistic scale: 5

    • Of the contending competition, the Huskies are on the road against Arizona, Oregon, and Cal. UW also visits Washington State and USC this year, neither of whom factor into the conference race, but a loss to either counts the same. Assuming UW wins the Apple Cup (no I’m not counting this as a separate assumption), the road schedule boils down to 4 games, of which the Huskies had better win at least 2 if they want to be in Pasadena in January. Let’s assume the Dawgs claw out 2 wins in these games, and we’ll move on to the final assumption.

  • Assumption 5: The Huskies will win any tie-breaker atop the conference—Realistic scale: 4

    • Given the assumptions I’ve made, a 2 loss Washington team will probably have company atop the conference. Let’s assume Oregon and/or Oregon State have 2 losses as well. It is impossible to know how these teams will have accrued 2 losses, and what tie-breakers may facture in at this point, but one thing we do know is that Oregon or Oregon State will play each other in the Civil War, and I would not be surprised if this game has major implications for the Huskies, especially if 2 losses is the magic number that I’m assuming it will be. At this point, Washington may just be a team of destiny, so let’s assume the tie-breakers favor UW, and that the Ducks, who only needed a Civil War win to be conference champs stumbled in Corvallis. How sweet it would be.

    By making just 5 fairly reasonable assumptions, the Huskies have landed in Pasadena. The conventional re-build model suggests a 6-6 season is nice progress in year 2, but the moment Locker announced his return, this season became un-conventional. With so many unknowns in this conference, the Locker led Huskies have as good a shot as any. So throw the 7-8 win goal out the window, and go all in for this team. Who knows, maybe Jake Locker’s last game will be in Pasadena.

    -Dan

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