Tag Archives: Keith Price

by | November 4, 2011 · 12:37 am

It Must be Oregon Week

If you were to ask my girlfriend, she would say that I’ve acted a little differently than normal this week.  She’s the one who spends the most time with me and the only one, aside from me, who probably noticed but she’s right.  I wouldn’t say that I’ve been in a bad mood or not fun to be around.  No, I’d just say that I’m a little more on edge than I usually am.  I didn’t know why, but this afternoon it became clear to me.

I was listening to Kevin Calabro and Jim Moore (I don’t know why, that show is not very good) on my way to school tonight and a Duck fan called in.  He talked about how any thoughts of the Huskies winning were ridiculous.  He said that if the Huskies were thinking about taking some shots on Darron Thomas, then Keith Price was going to be in a world of hurt.  Then, he said that even though Chip Kelly and Oregon are under NCAA investigation that Husky fans are celebrating a cheater Saturday, who had to resign because of sanctions.

That last comment really ticked me off.  I went into Starbucks and, while glaring at a lady who walked in the shop wearing an Oregon sweatshirt, realized what had been bugging me all week.  It’s just the Ducks.  Last year I wrote a quick post about why I hate the Ducks and, frankly, while reading back through it I thought of more and more reasons.

I’m not going to make this post into a list of reasons why I hate the Ducks, that would get me angry and you would get bored around reason number 53 or so.  Instead, I wanted to pass along a quote given by our very own Good Guy, Joe., about his trip to Eugene.

“As we drove into Eugene on I-5 signs were hanging on the overpasses saying all sorts of stuff, mostly i cant repeat.  Then, because we all had Husky gear on, the parking attendants made us park like 3 miles from Autzen and then forced us to walk right through the alumni parking lot.

Then after the parking lot, we had to walk to the visitors seating gate. We sat with the teams parents, one of Sams high school buddies played for UW, Nick Newton.  That gate is right next to the UO student gate.  Let me tell you, there’s no more pathetic group of humans.  Our band was coming in at the same time and the UO students were all over them, yelling and throwing crap at them.  THE BAND!!!!!
IT WAS ALL I COULD DO NOT TO JUST GO BALLISTIC!!”

This is one of the many stories I’ve heard from Husky fans about Autzen Stadium.  I’ve heard many fans say they will never take their kids or their wife there.  Not that Husky fans are saints.  I’m sure that there have been plenty of altercations that were started by Husky fans over the years and I’m sure there will be more on Saturday night, but my biased opinion is that Oregon has the most classless fan-base in America.  When I take my seat on Saturday I expect to see a few fans in green and yellow around me, holding up a symbol with their hands that is supposed to resemble an ‘O’.  I’ll mutter a few things under my breath, then move on.  If one of them dares to say something during the honoring of Don James or the ’91 team, things will get ugly in the stadium.

There wasn’t a huge point to this post (frankly, it’s quite a waste of the Good Guys’ 500th post), but one thought that keeps me going is wondering what the rivalry will be like when these two teams are even.  One part of me thinks that it’ll be more heated because the game will mean more.  Then again, my hate might die down once the Huskies put this terrible losing streak behind them.  Let’s face it, the Duck’s dominance over the Huskies in the last 7 years probably sours our view of them even more.  Ted Miller sums up that the  Huskies winning would be good for the conference.  I’m thinking that I could care less about the conference come Saturday, I just want to beat the dang Ducks.

A few bullets holes after the jump.  Continue reading →

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by | October 29, 2011 · 8:47 am

UW vs. Arizona Predictions

This was a pretty horrible week for Seattle sports fans.  After bad losses for the Huskies, I tend to tune out the media for a few days.  I guess it’s an attempt to avoid depression.  Still, a week without sports seems empty and dumb, so I turned my attention elsewhere.

I figured I’d think about the Mariners for a while.  The baseball offseason is always fun, at least until players start signing and Prince Fielder goes to Texas.  Then I read this and I got depressed again, although Seattle Sports Insider came to the rescue with a more optimistic view later in the week (starting here, with hopefully more thoughts on this later this week from the Good Guys).  Regardless of any offseason hopes, the Mariners have a lot of work to do.

I don’t care about the Seahawks as much as the other local teams, but even if I did, they were no help.  A 6-3 loss might be the worst football score there is.  Maybe it’s 3-0, but at least someone’s getting a shutout there.  The NBA has gone to great lengths to make sure Seattleites hate professional basketball, first stealing our team and then going into a lockout with no end in sight.  Even Old Reliable, UW basketball, had slightly bad news, with freshman phenom Tony Wroten undergoing minor knee surgery over the weekend and the season still a few weeks away.

Here’s to hoping for a better week.  Until then, keep your head up, Seattle.  In the words of local boys Blue Scholars, “Anybody in the town into sports, God bless ’em.  We heard that all underdogs go to heaven.”

Dan

A month ago this game did not scare me. Arizona was a mess, Stoops was coaching his last games in Tucson, and the Huskies were exceeding expectations behind Keith Price. It’s too soon to tell, but Arizona seems to be rising, and Washington is facing real adversity for the first time this season. A common theme when analyzing a UW game is, the offense should be able to score, but the game will come down to how well the defense performs. Truth is, until the defense shows a consistent ability to stop the opposition, the team’s success will hinge on the offense putting up enough points to win the game. This is a big problem, and one that I didn’t think would so glaring yet again. As for tomorrow’s contest, Arizona does not exactly have a juggernaut defense either, and I think the offenses are about a wash (Foles may very well go for 400 yards). I’ll give the advantage to UW because of home field and a little more program stability, which should translate to the little things like tackling, penalties, and taking advantage of opportunities. Take the over in this shoot out!

Huskies-44, Wildcats-38

Andrew

I’ve come to realize that I have the worst record in predictions for the Good Guys.  I’m pretty shook up about it.  Anyway, I don’t see the Huskies losing tomorrow.  Arizona has been talked up more this week than any 2-5 team I can remember.  Yes, they are dangerous but, playing away from home without the energy, they don’t scare me.  The Huskies are too dangerous on offense and the defense won’t be great but it will at least answer some of the criticism that it’s rightfully received this week.  This game will be close for the first 2 and a half quarters and then the Dawgs will pull away.  Go Dawgs!

UW 48 – UA 31

Joe

After the butt whuppin Stanford put on UW last week, I don’t know what to expect vs Arizona. I do expect the Dawgs to come out focused and determined to put last week behind them, which they must. The next two games at home will make or break their season in many ways. Lose to Arizona and Oregon, and you are 5-4 going on the road to two hostile environments with a rivalry game on the back end. Things could get sketchy. Beat Arizona and they set up nicely no matter what happens v Oregon. 6-2 looks a whole lot better than 5-3 with the specter of 5-4. I realize Arizona beat down UCLA last week, but cmon, that was Doogie lost the Bruins a while ago. Arizona traditionally stinks on the road and I believe have quite a few suspensions from their brawl last week. I fully expect UW to win this game. I expect the D to play really well. Traditionally, under Sark, the Huskies play really well coming off losses. I see no reason this game will buck the trend.

UW 38 – UA 27

Matthew

This game is a little scarier than I would have ever anticipated a few weeks ago, but less scary than it probably should be.  Last Saturday’s results are getting slightly overblown for both teams, in my opinion.  Yes, UW’s defense is terrible.  You know who else’s defense is terrible?  Arizona’s, and they’re playing without most of their secondary for at least half of the game.  Nick Foles is phenomenal, and the Wildcat running game was much improved last week.  Keith Price isn’t significantly worse, and the Husky running game is significantly better.  Arizona was playing at home with the emotion of a few coach, who isn’t Mike Stoops.  That should be worth a few touchdowns right there.  Some of that emotion will likely wear off this week.  I still expect Arizona to look much better than they did a month ago, but the Huskies should handle them.  They might not hold them under 35 points, but this should be a win for the Dawgs.

UW 45, UA 34

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by | October 22, 2011 · 10:42 pm

‘The 2-Hour Rule’

On Thursday night I wrote about what tonight’s game meant for the Washington football program.  A win, or even a respectable, hard-fought loss would have earned this team national respect and shown that the Dawgs are another step up Sark’s metaphorical mountain.  Well, instead of that happening, the Huskies took out their toboggans and sled down the mountain as if it were the historical December of 2008 (Ty’s last game as Husky head coach).

Being out of the game at halftime was a sight Husky fans have grown accustomed  to seeing but we thought it was behind us.  Tonight it wasn’t behind us and that’s a pretty disgusting and annoying feeling.  The defense didn’t move and the offense, while racking up quite a bit of yards, didn’t have the firepower to stay with a physically dominant Stanford team.  The Huskies will be elite again soon, we’ve seen flashes of it, but that doesn’t change how frustrating that game was.

There.  I’ve said it and it’s out my system.  As far as the Good Guys go, Dan and Joe are usually the emotional reactors.  They have no problem telling us about how much our teams sucked it up.  There’s value in that because without it, you get the Cougar syndrome (I’ve coined this phrase right now and I do apologize Cougar fans) and then, you justify your team keeping a coach for a 4th year even though he’d won 2 pac-10 games in his tenure.  Matthew and I usually take things a little differently then that and try to be a little more optimistic (as hard as that is with Seattle sports).  There’s value in that too, especially when talking about the Huskies this year.  It’s easy to get greedy, and start dreaming of Rose Bowls but the truth is this team is still only 3 seasons removed from 0-12 and has made steady progress each year.

Having said that, Dan was the one who sent me a text to remind just how far the Huskies have come in a short amount of time and how great this coaching staff has been for the program.  There is progress being made and there’s no reason to doubt that progress won’t continue, even after tonight’s debacle.

No, maybe the Huskies aren’t quite ready for a regular slot in prime-time.  They are a good football team, who clearly wasn’t at their best tonight, that is fun to watch and will continue to grow.  If they plan to continue to grow they have to forget about this game quickly.

Sark has a 24 hour-rule, where the team is allowed to think about the game for 24 hours afterwards whether it’s a win or a loss.  From what I can tell in his tenure, this rule has worked and the team has generally shown up to play the week after an ugly loss.  Maybe this week the 24 hour-rule should turn into a 2 hour-rule though.  And maybe this rule should go for fans this week too?  There is no point in dwelling on this game.  There may be a few teachable moments for the team, but mostly they got beat by a much better team tonight.  That might not be the case next year, but it is this year.  Because of that, it’s time to move on.  Once the team gets off that plane tonight I hope Keith Price is smiling, Sark is scheming up some more amazing offensive game-plans, Nick Holt is coaching instead of screaming, and our Dawgs are ready to beat the crap out of Arizona.

A few more thoughts after the jump and then the 2-hour rule (it might be 3 hour-rule by the time I’m done writing this) kicks in. Continue reading →

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by | October 22, 2011 · 10:15 am

UW vs. Stanford Predictions

A couple of quick thoughts before we get to the predictions:

Most people have probably heard about the Arizona-UCLA game Thursday night.  It had a lot of implications for a Thursday night game between two bad teams, namely that it’s probably the game that ensures Rick Neuheisel will be fired and it might signal a bit of an awakening for the Wildcats.  The most interesting part of the ingame action, though, came with 8 seconds left in the first half.  UCLA was lining up for a possible Hail Mary when someone ran on the field from the stands.  Like usual, the cameras didn’t show him, instead focusing on a shot of a referee and some players.  Suddenly, those players took off running and a full-scale brawl broke out.  When it was eventually broken up, two players were ejected, Kevin Prince threw an unsuccessful pass toward the end zone, and both teams walked off, the coaches looking disgusted.

I understand why they don’t show streakers or other people who get on the field.  I personally would rather see what’s going on, but the idea of not giving these people attention is fine.  However, I find it ironic that they won’t show some dummy running through the end zone, but they’ll show a fight between 100 college kids that perfectly embodies the poor sportsmanship that society discourages.  I’m not saying that TV should show the guy on the field or shouldn’t show a brawl.  I just think that if the choice is between having someone toilet paper my house or break in and beat me with a baseball bat because they don’t like how I care for my yard, I know which option I’m picking.

Moving on, I came across this article on WSU running back Carl Winston.  Winston has 224 yards rushing on the year, with a high of 47 in one game.  In the article, Paul Wulff names Winston as his offensive MVP so far this season.  I’m not trying to pick on Winston, and I honestly don’t remember seeing him play, so maybe I’m underrating him.  Still, let’s compare him to the Husky options for offensive MVP.  The clear choice is Keith Price, who is on pace to obliterate most UW season records for a quarterback.  He is currently fifth in the nation in passer efficiency and second in touchdown passes.  If not for that guy in Stanford, he’d be the clear choice for all-Pac-12 QB, in my opinion.  Even if you don’t want to go with him, Chris Polk has about 500 more yards than Winston and is second in the conference in rushing.  I’m not meaning to pick on the Cougars here; they are significantly improved this season.  Wulff’s comment just reminded me of the Huskies in the last few Willingham years.  I’m sure it’s at least partly coachspeak.  If he had to pick one offensive guy on his team, I’m guessing Winston would be at least third, behind Marquess Wilson and either quarterback.  Wulff’s reasons for calling Winston his MVP consist mainly of his excellent blocking and toughness.  Not sure where I was trying to go with this, but I guess I’m just glad that the Huskies can now recognize players for their incredible production, rather than for their incredible toughness.

On to the predictions!

Andrew

Well, this is an exciting game!  One team has only lost once in their last 10 games and the other has the longest winning streak in the nation.  The whole world thinks Stanford is the better team, and rightfully so.  They are older and the more proven team.  A writer for uwdawgpound.com pointed out that they execute extremely well and don’t make many mistakes.  But, he also pointed out that Stanford doesn’t have any absolute stars on the defensive side of the ball (especially now that Skov and Howell are out).  When you think of their offense you think of power running, tight-ends, and a quarterback who is the best in the nation.  Now, the Husky D isn’t set up to stop the quarterback, no one is, but it seems built to do well against the others.  Stanford will get yards, no doubt about it, but I see a little reason for optimism.  I don’t see any reason to doubt our offense won’t score either.  They are too good not to score.  Stanford has been incredible in the 3rd quarter though (and the 1st quarter but so have the Huskies), and that’s what scares me.  It’s what happened against Nebraska and I’m scared that the Dawgs won’t be ready for the fateful 3rd.  If they are, I see them winning to be honest.  There’s more NFL talent on the Husky roster in my honest opinion, it’s just young talent.  Maybe I’ve talked myself into something bad here.  The Huskies will either get blown out or win a close game, that’s what they do in these games.  But, I’m thinking that tomorrow we win.  This team has been doubted too much and, dang it, I’m ready to believe in them and believe that they’re going to win every single week.  Plus, they’re playing trees… While big, they aren’t agile.  Let’s do it Huskies!  Forget the Holiday or Alamo Bowl, after tomorrow lets be talking about the Rose Bowl!
Huskies – 42 Cardinal – 38

Dan

When I analyzed the schedule this past summer and tried to project outcomes, at Nebraska and at Stanford were my only lock losses.  I just could not envision a scenario, at the time, where the Huskies would march in and win either of those games.  I still don’t think Washigton has a great chance today, but I certainly feel better than 3 months ago, when I see Stanford on the schedule.  This game can be broken down a million ways.  The 41-0 loss last year seems like it should be part of the conversation, the fact that this game is on national tv is intriguing, luck vs. price, etc.  To me, it’s as simple as this: Stanford offense-GOOD, UW offense-GOOD, Stanford defense-GOOD, UW defense-BAD (maybe average).  I think UW is at a point where we can keep this game fairly close most of the way, but until our defense is top 25 good, we won’t win many of these games.  I just don’t see us stopping Stanford, not for 4 quarters anyway.  The only scenario where a win is possible, in my mind, is if the defense forces some turnovers, the offense scores TDs rather than FGs, and we get lucky…impossible to do this post without one luck pun.

Stanford-45, UW-31

Matthew

It’s still really hard to predict what these Huskies will do on a weekly basis.  I think Stanford is still notably better, at least on defense.  The Husky offense is so balanced and creative, but this is the best defense they’ve played.  The UW offense is the best Stanford has played as well.  This might come down to who makes mistakes, which isn’t usually Stanford, but it isn’t really the Huskies either.  I really want to pick the Huskies, but when I think about this game, all I see is Andrew Luck throwing to his tight ends on third down.  Here’s guessing the UW defense isn’t quite ready to stop him.

Stanford 41, UW 31

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by | September 30, 2011 · 8:38 pm

UW vs. Utah Predictions

Here’s a joke:

A midget’s walking down the street.  As he’s turning a corner, he runs into Wilt Chamberlain.

The midget looks up and says, “Utah!”

Joe

This game is a tough read. The Dawgs are scoring points and moving the ball well. Keith Price is playing at an All-American level. With an offense as potent as UW’s, it’s hard to count them out of any game. The Huskies have already played one tough game on the road in Nebraska, so they will not be intimidated by the rowdy Utes crowd. They played at BYU last season in the altitude, so they should know what to expect. Nevertheless, they are 10 point dogs. I understand why. This is Utah’s Pac-12 home opener, it’s homecoming, the Utes are coming off a beat down of rival BYU, and they just had their bye. Those are all very good signs for Utah. I’ve watched Utah play a couple games this year vs USC and BYU. I wasn’t too impressed with them at USC, and I am not sure how good BYU is, so while the crushing of the Cougars is impressive, just how impressive is yet to be seen depending on how BYU ends up.

This game is very simple, if the Huskies defense plays well, and by well I mean get a few 3rd down stops and don’t give up bone headed plays in the secondary, the Dawgs have a very good chance to win because their offense cannot be stopped, I don’t care how good the Utes D is. My problem is I don’t trust the defense. I just simply have no faith they can put together four quarters of solid defense, and on the road, you can’t afford silly mistakes. They haven’t eliminated the mistakes, so until they do, these games will always be brutal, what could have been finals. Another heart-breaker:

Utah 35 – UW 31

Danny

I used to intern for David Locke at 950 KJR, and he is now a radio host for KFAN in Salt Lake City.  I follow him on twitter and I’ve learned this week that Utah is buzzing over this game.  In fact, ask a Utes fan and he will tell you this game is the most anticipated since the Fiesta Bowl in 2005.  This is not a rivalry, nor a matchup of ranked teams, but Utah is playing its first ever Pac 12 home game.  Apparently this is a really big deal; heck, even a pre-game fireworks show is planned.  In games like this, the first quarter is crucial.  If UW comes in and shuts up the 45,000 “mini” sea of red, then I like our chances to keep it close until the end.  It’s obvious that Utah’s strength is their defense, and their weakness is putting up points.  The Huskies are prolific on offense, but far from great on defense.  Home field advantage, turnovers, special teams, and weird stuff will all loom large, but I think the side that can elevate their weakness will win this game.  My guess is the bye week gives Utah’s offense an advantage, and the atmosphere inspires the defense.

Utah-38, UW-27

Andrew

Does anyone have any idea what’s going to happen in these games?  Why do we make predictions in the first place?  Why does the sun come up in the morning?  One of these has to do with science and the other two questions I’m truly looking for an answer to.  All this pressure of making a prediction just makes me so nervous for the game because I start to think about the game even more than I do in my everyday life (which is quite a lot), and then I get nervous a full 24 hours earlier than I would otherwise.  To summarize, these things are dumb!

But, you want my take on the game?  I think Utah has been talked up way too much.  They beat BYU by 44 points because BYU turned the ball over 8 times.  8 times!  That is ridiculous!  Their other games, they’ve looked solid but nothing more.  That sentence could have been said about the Huskies too.  The Utah offense is suspect, but so is the Husky defense.  The Husky offense is very good, but so is the Utah defense.  It’s a stalemate.  Does that mean it comes down to special teams?  That would mean the Huskies would have a slight edge.  But, I’m picking Utah because this is a game that top-20 teams in the nation win.  I don’t have the faith that the Huskies are quite there yet, but if they win then, for the first time since 2001 (or maybe 2002) I’ll truly believe the Huskies can win any game.  Go Dawgs.

Utah – 34  UW – 27

Matthew

The Huskies seem to be continually faced with games which could possibly come to define them as a football team.  Some, such as the Nebraska game, they’ve lost.  Some, they’ve won.  And still we’re not sure what this team is.  Tomorrow’s game seems like the latest and most definite of these defining contests.  If the Huskies are a better than mediocre team, they should beat Utah on the road.  At the very least, they should keep it competetive until the end.  The truth is, we have no idea what will happen in this game because the Huskies are still incredibly unpredictable, and until they can play well consistently, no single game is defining.

All that being said, this has the makings of a great game, and a win really could be a catalyst toward a big season.  As Joe said, it’s going to rest with the defense.  If they can figure out how to get off the field on third down even half the time, the Dawgs will run away with this game.  I’m not really sure what Utah is.  They are always well-coached, they have solid talent, but their offense is probably the least threatening UW has seen thus far.  Their defense is solid, but the Husky offense is better than that.  Utah is coming off a blowout of BYU followed by a bye.  As Andrew said, BYU had 8 turnovers and almost lost to Utah State tonight.  BYU isn’t very good.  That doesn’t mean Utah isn’t good, but I’m thinking the Dawgs grow up in Salt Lake City tomorrow and pull out the win.

UW 34, Utah 27

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by | September 26, 2011 · 4:12 pm

Recapping Cal and Looking Ahead

On Saturday, the Huskies won a thrilling game against California 31-23.  You’ve all probably either watched the game or read the stories, so there’s not much point in me giving a blow-by-blow recap.  I will point out a few things that stuck out to me.

First of all, what a great birthday.  Saturday was my 21st and I got to spend it with my family and my girlfriend.  As far as I can remember, this was the first time my entire family had gone to a Husky game and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.  To many guys, Saturdays are their day off to spend in front of the TV (or at a game) getting some time by themselves and drinking a few beers.  That’s all good and I don’t mind watching a game by myself now and then, but Saturdays in the fall are family affairs at Husky Stadium and I’m so incredibly thankful for that.

It was also a great birthday because the Huskies won.  As we’ve all grown somewhat accustomed to, they won in a nail-biter.  Our Dawgs have won 7 of their last 8 games and only 2 of those wins have been by double digits.  It sure would be nice to beat a time by a couple of touchdowns but, in a ploy to make more people buy season tickets because every game is nerve wracking, the Huskies have decided to make sure they win in the last second, if they win at all.  Matthew and I were talking about if they will ever win in a blow-out.  We decided that will happen in about 2017.

With that paragraph full of sarcasm out of me, it’s amazing how far this program has come in a short amount of time.  This would have been the kind of game the Huskies easily would have lost a few years ago.  A few years ago, this team would have been 1-3 after 4 games.  0-4 wouldn’t be out of the question right now.  Sark has done a phenomenal job and it says a ton about how far he’s taken us when we say that we expect more out of this team.  And we all should expect more because this team can be quite a bit better.

Some bullet holes on the game and what lies ahead after the jump.   Continue reading →

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by | September 23, 2011 · 10:46 pm

UW vs. California Predictions

Let me take you inside the absolutely fascinating inner workings of Good Guy Prediction posts.  I (being Matthew) send Danny, Andrew and Joe a text at some point on Friday that says, “Hey, send me your predictions when you get a second.”  They all send me an email, and when I get home that night, I combine them in a post, write an incredibly exciting intro, and that’s that.

Ideally, this process would happen on Wednesday or Thursday, so that people could read the predictions before gametime and so my fellow Good Guys have a little more time to respond.  Alas, I’m lucky if I think about this post before lunch on Friday, so occasionally you get a predictions post with two predictions instead of four, like today.  Joe’s off hiking somewhere, which sounds great if you’re into that sort of thing.  Andrew played a show tonight (which was great) and has his 21st birthday Saturday (happy birthday!), so he’s a little otherwise occupied.  Dan and I will hold the fort for this week.

Edit: And Andrew pulls through with his email as soon as I posted this.  Good job, the little guy! (That’s his nickname.)

Dan

After beating Cal on the road last season, it would seem unlikely that the Huskies would let the Bears return the favor tomorrow, especially considering UW appears to be improved from last year. But Cal may have finally found a playmaking quarterback, something they have lacked for the past couple years. Maynard is a dual threat QB whose game apparently resembles Keith Price. He has weapons to throw to in Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones, and I’d imagine the Bears will gobble up yards like most teams seem to do against UW. However, I have a hunch the Dawgs will yield less points than one might expect, if for no other reason than the defense is bound to come out hungry. This game is a virtual toss up in Vegas, but  for no good reason I think the Huskies put all 3 phases together tomorrow, and Sark can finally smile. Maybe the homer in me is talking, but I think Cal is catching UW at the wrong time.

UW-45, Cal-27

Matthew

It’s hard to be completely sure about anything Husky related right now, but I’m pretty sure that if Keith Price and Chris Polk are on the field, the offense will score at least 30 points against almost anyone.  The defense is anyone’s guess.  They have the talent, but I think there’s a lack of confidence in the new linebackers that’s affecting the whole unit.  Sarkisian’s comments about the defense were revelatory.  Hopefully they cut loose this week and let their athleticism take over.  I’d rather see big plays with a few mistakes than the steady drip of yards they’ve been surrendering.

The last two games between these two have been wins for the Dawgs, a blowout and last year’s game winning touchdown by Polk with no time on the clock.  I’d love another blowout, but I’m expecting a close one.  The Golden Bears are a talented team in almost exactly the same position as the Huskies, as an unproven team with talent.  The winner becomes the front runner for third in the tough northern division.  I think the Huskies pull it out.

UW 38, Cal 34

Andrew

I don’t know what to think of this game.  It’s a very important game in this season where we’re trying to figure out if the Dawgs have taken another step forward.  I have a lot of confidence in the offense, they are moving the ball very well the last 2 weeks.  But, Cal also scares me.  I’m not sure if they’ve earned me being scared of them (I’m not sure they care about me, in general so they are kind of jerks), but they have a strong defense and a decent offense.  Against the Huskies defense, a decent offense is all you need it seems.  But sooner or later, the defense will play better.  It might be the year 2017 or it might be in this game.  I have said almost nothing in this preview.  This game seems even and whoever wins the turnover battle will win the game.  Home field advantage will be a key.  For some reason it sure seems to me like Cal is going to win.  Maybe it’s because it’s my birthday and I’m not sure if the Huskies have ever won on my birthday.  I hope I’m wrong and I hope Chris Polk, Keith Price, and Ta’amu run up to me in the stands after a blow out and deliver me a game ball along with a million dollars.  But, for now I’m going to say Cal wins 35-27.  Prove me wrong Dawgs!  GOOOOOO!!!!! HUSKIES!!!!!

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by | September 20, 2011 · 2:36 pm

Huskies at the Quarter Pole

It’s hard to believe, but the Husky season is already at the quarter point.  Our Dawgs’ have the record we all expected them to have after 3 games, 2-1, even if they’ve taken a strange route to get there.

September started with a game against Eastern Washington where the Huskies were outplayed in almost every area of the game.  They got the win, but panic ensued around Husky nation and people were upset.  Next, Hawaii came in and the Dawgs came out on fire.  They jumped to a 21-0 lead and seemed like a team who could compete with the best of the best.  Then they let Hawaii back into it and held on for a victory.  The Huskies were 2-0 for the first time since 2007 but neither victory provided a ton of confidence in the team.

Yesterday, they went into one of the toughest places to play in the country.  They stood toe-to-toe with Nebraska in the first half, and by all accounts would have had the lead going into halftime if it weren’t for a terrible call.  Then, the third quarter started.  A three-and-out, a terrible call on a punt, a touchdown, a fumbled kick-off, a touchdown, a turnover on downs, and a touchdown later the Huskies were down by 24.

It was a terrible stretch to watch and, judging from post-game interviews, was even worse to play in.  Now that I’ve cooled off and watched the rest of the game, I’ve realized that those stretches are one of the many reasons why I love college football.  On any Saturday, a team can be totally swept up in the momentum of the game and anything can happen.  These players are taking calculus and history classes during the week and all of a sudden they’re dealing with poor officiating and bad bounces of the ball and they completely lose their composure.  That happened to us on Saturday and I’m not saying it’s acceptable, it’s not, but that’s college football and it’s part of the reason why it’s so exciting.

Anyway, the Huskies regained their composure and went on to battle back, fighting valiantly to the finish.  It wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for, but it was probably the best game the Huskies have played all season.

I’ll break down each position after the jump.  Continue reading →

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