Tag Archives: UW Huskies

by | October 19, 2013 · 10:13 am

UW vs. ASU Predictions

The Huskies season is at a crossroads as they head toward kickoff in Tempe.  Right now, they are where everyone expected them to be.  One might have hoped for five wins or worried about three losses, but 4-2 right now was the most realistic positive scenario.  The question is where they go from here.

The Huskies of the last few years would struggle with all of the tough road games remaining.  We’d hope they’d take one of the ASU, OSU and UCLA games.  That still might happen.  I think this team is different though.

There are certain things a winning team does.  There are always excuses and reasons for not winning games.  It would’ve been nice to have a more than 1 of 5 of the Huskies toughest games at home, rather than have the five easiest opponents in Husky Stadium.  That’s unfortunate.  Every season has these types of scenarios, though, where not everything comes up perfectly.  The good teams win despite the circumstances.  And then, on those incredibly rare occasions where everything falls perfectly into place, the good teams become great and challenge for Rose Bowls and national championships.

I don’t know if the Huskies are quite to that level yet, but I think they’re closer to being the type of team unaffected by their circumstances than they are to the team that’s stumbled to seven wins of late.  They play with a confidence and assurity that is new this season.  They still have to prove it, though, every game.  A trip to Arizona State is the perfect place to start.

Joe

Three losses in a row is a very real possibility for the Dawgs this weekend, something UW has done every year under Sark.  On the road in Tempe is never easy, especially when ASU has talent, which they have this season. That said, this team seems to be different.  They’ve played well in both road games this year and were in the game vs Oregon last week until Mariota went all Mariota on them.  Bishop Sankey is *the* best running back in America and I don’t think ASU slows him down.  Look for Kasen and ASJ to have bounce back games.  The Sun Devils are a step down from Stanford and Oregon, and it will show. UW takes this one in front of 20k+ Husky fans who make the trip south.

UW 43 – ASU 32

Andrew

I’m not really sure what to expect tomorrow.  In the past decade there is no way this team would win this game.  They are about equal in talent to Arizona State (although I’d say the Huskies have more talent), it’s a road game and the team just played two very tough games.  I do believe that this team is different though and that’s why I’m picking the Huskies today.  If they play fast and don’t come out flat, I don’t know why they would lose.  They match-up pretty well against the Sun Devils and I think Bishop will have another big day.  Let’s hope so!  Go Dawgs!

UW 38 – ASU 30

Dan

The question Husky Nation has been asking for the last few years is when will this team take the next step, from good to great. 5 years ago all we wanted was to be respectable, but bowl games are the norm again and there’s no doubt this season will end at a bowl game. But there’s a big difference, at least in perception, between 6-8 wins and 9-11. The arrow is pointing up for UW but it’s time to take that next step, and a win on the road against a ranked opponent would be huge. Great teams win these games, while good ones take care of inferior opponents, win the occasional home game upset, but then lose road games versus good teams. That’s pretty much been UW in the Sark era.

As for the game itself, it sure feels like  we will see a lot of offense. ASU has a ton of weapons and when Taylor Kelly is on his game, he is a top 5 QB in this conference. I think he’s the key to the game. The Huskies proved at Stanford that they can bring their game on the road and compete, but can they finish the job? Let’s not forget that this game is huge for ASU too, similarly a potential season definer. In the end, I think the Huskies have a great shot to win this game, but until I see that they can win a game like this, I have a hard time picking them.

Sun Devils 34 – Huskies 27

Matthew

I think if this game were on a neutral field, the Huskies would win fairly easily.  ASU is a good team, especially on offense.  Their defense has been mediocre though, and the offense one-dimensional enough to be stoppable.  ASU has been much better at home, particularly Taylor Kelly.  I think the Huskies are a different team on the road this season, but I’m worried playing at home will bring out the potentially elite side of ASU, instead of the average-ish side they show often.

I’m still not terribly worried about the Husky defense.  They’ll have their hands full with the Sun Devils, but it’s a manageable job.  I’m a little more worried about the offense.  They still seem to be looking for an identity in the passing game.  They’ve gone away from the quick screens and perimeter attack in favor of attacking the intermediate sidelines, with the occasional pass over the middle, usually deep.  If they can find the right balance, and figure out a way to better incorporate ASJ, the offense could explode.  The line also needs to continue to improve, especially with Will Sutton and Carl Bradford aimed at Keith Price.  I’m betting on the Huskies today, because I think they’ve become a team that wins these games, but it’ll be tough down in the desert.

UW 38 – ASU 24

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,

by | October 11, 2013 · 10:12 pm

UW vs. Oregon Predictions

It’s been tradition since this blog’s inception to not make predictions for the Oregon game.  There hasn’t been a time since we started writing when any of us would have picked the Huskies to beat Oregon, and that is just too much to bear when it becomes a whole post.

That comes to an end this year.  The Huskies are better, for one thing.  It’s also, as I told my fellow Good Guys, time to stop treating Oregon as something special.  They are still our hated rival, and still the best team on the schedule, but they are no longer an unconquerable foe.  So here come the predictions.  Anything could happen on the field tomorrow.  We’ll hope most of the good stuff happens for the purple and gold.  Go Dawgs.

Matthew

I can see the Huskies winning this game.  I would be surprised, but not shocked.  The Huskies are good, maybe great.  Oregon is great, but they’re a little untested.  Their defense is a small step down from the last year or two.  Mariota is phenomenal, but he’s had minor accuracy issues this season.  This game should come down to whether the Huskies can score with great frequency, and whether they can significantly limit the Oregon running game.  I think they can.  I don’t think they’ll do quite enough to get the win, though.  Oregon’s tough for anyone to beat, and I’m not sure UW’s defense, especially on the line, is quite capable of controlling them yet.  But if Danny Shelton proves immovable, and the linebackers make camp in Oregon’s backfield, and the secondary doesn’t miss any tackles and has their angles down perfectly… well, this could happen.  If the Huskies keep it close through the first quarter, be prepared to hold your breath until the end.

Oregon 37 – UW 31

Dan

If I blacked out and could not watch or hear the game tomorrow, which is defninitely a possibility, and then at 7 pm someone told me that the Huskies won the turnover battle, had a better 3rd down conversion rate than the Ducks, and scored TDs every time they got in the red zone, I’d feel confident that the Huskies had won the game. My only remaining question would be, did the refs screw us? If not, I definitely see a win. Those would be my keys to the game. My prediction is that not all those things happen, and we could still win of course, but, well, I’m pretty skeptical. Go Dawgs!

Oregon 38 – UW 24

Andrew

We all know Oregon is good.  They score a lot of points and don’t give many up.  They are fast, have playmakers all over and usually have underrated lines.  Frankly, it’s going to be very difficult to win this game.
But, the Huskies are good too.  It’s time to stop pretending that when we stick with or beat a team it’s because they aren’t as good as expected.  UW is every bit as good as Stanford and that’s not because Stanford is overrated.  The Huskies are better than any team we’ve had around here in a decade.  Saturday is truly a marquee matchup, not because of Oregon but because of what Washington has done.
I expect the loudest crowd in Husky Stadium since 2000 tomorrow and if the Huskies limit big plays they could win this game.  Holding them to field goals instead of touchdowns and winning the turnover battle is key.  The talent is as close to even as this matchup has been in a long time.  I think Oregon’s QB, lines, secondary, and special teams may have the edge (I might call the secondary a push and QB is also close).  I think Washington has an edge at RB (if DAT is hobbled, that is), WR, and LB.  And we get the home crowd.  I had every intention when I sat down to write this prediction to not pick the Huskies.  What the heck though.  I hate the Ducks!
UW 41 – Sucks 35
Joe
This is the year our national nightmare ends.  This is UW’s best shot at taking down UO in years. Before this season, Oregon feasted on depth chart thin Sark editions,  “He Who Shall Not Be Named” teams in the mid 2000’s and the Gilby 1-10 trainwreck.  Not exactly stiff competition.  Is that an excuse?  No, it’s reality, UW has sucked, everyone was beating them, not just the Quacks.  Before UW’s “Dark Decade”, the UW/UO rivalry was a good one dating back to 1994.  It was traditionally back and forth, close games.  Before 1994 Oregon was a doormat from day one, as in since the turn of the 20th century, still settling the West, cowboys and Indians, where buffaloes roamed doormat (Young Duck fans forget this… I know some old timer Duck fans who remember the old days and are quite humble and thankful for UO’s recent successes).

I think UW’s defense will be up to the task, along with Keith and Bishop playing well.  Am I getting my hopes up too high?  Maybe.  I
have no reason to think Oregon won’t play well, they always do.  They are one of the most talented teams in the nation, and are certainly the fastest.  They are coached up well and tend to let their play on the field do the talking (unlike their fans).  So in order for UW to win, they must play up, mitigate turnovers, mitigate the big play ability of UO’s skill players, be air tight on special teams and stop with the silly pre snap penalties.  That’s a lot.  I know.  Dare to dream.

UW 35 – UO 31

*As a bonus, I thought I’d include this little bit from Andrew.  He doesn’t like me to share these, but too bad!
I hope you’re keepin’ it real.  Oh wait, you always are!  Way to go.
Here’s a little something I put together for this intro that only you and I read.  Taken from ‘Kill The Beast’ from Walt Disney’s Beauty and the Beast  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh98Kscctw4
Grandpa Sankey: The duck fans will swear at your children,
they’ll come out of their trailers in the night.
We’re not safe ’till the mascots head is mounted on my wall.
I say we kill the Ducks!

Softy: We’re not safe until he’s dead.
Hugh Millen: They move swift through the night.
Mrs. Sark: They’re set to come after our team with a monstrous appetite.
Dick Baird: They’ll wreak havok on our plumbing if we let them wander free!

Sark: So it’s time to take some action boys!
It’s time—to—fol—low—me!

Through the wind, through the rain,
through the lake and the bus stops.
It’s time consuming but it one exciting ride.
Say a prayer, then we’re there,
at the floating bridge of Lake Washington,
and there’s something truly ugly inside.

It’s a duck, they’ve got helmets ugly yellow ones.
Massive idiots, one good decade and a century of ‘suck’.
Hear them quack, see them roam,
but we’re not going home,
’till they’re dead, good and dead. Kill the Ducks!

Team Chorus:
Get your torch, mount you horse,

Gaston:
Through your courage to our fortress.

Chorus:
We’re counting on our coach to lead the way.
Through a mist past the lake, where we see Husky Stadium,
something’s lurking that you don’t see every day.
It’s the ducks, we don’t need luck,
We won’t rest ’till he’s good and deceased.
Steady fourth, tally ho! Grab your sword, grab your bow!
Let’s get on and here we go!

Grandpa Sankey: We’ll lay seige to the duck, and bring back his head!

Husky fans Chorus: We don’t like them at all…
9 years but now they fall,
and those uniforms are ugly as muck.
Bring your voices, our time arrives,
bring children and and your wives,
so protect our home and our lives!
LETS KILL THE DUCKS!

chorus:
Raise the purple, sing this song,
here we come at seventy-thousand strong.
Let’s get loud on third and long,
let’s kill the ducks!

1 Comment

Filed under Huskies Football

Tagged as , ,

by | October 5, 2013 · 10:41 am

UW vs. Stanford Predictions

I don’t have much time, so I’ll be short on the intro here.  I just want to point out that today it is absolutely perfect in the Seattle area.  It’s supposed to be sunny and in the 60s, with a sky as blue as UCLA’s jerseys.  Anyone remember last Saturday?  That time when the the Huskies played Arizona, with a bunch of high level recruits in the stands and rain seemingly defying the laws of gravity to blow up under people’s ponchoes and raincoats.  What a difference a week makes.  Come on nature!  Figure it out!  One rain game a year is enough.  I like football in the cold, but here’s to a night next week, with Oregon in town, that’s as clear and as crisp as this morning has been.  Here’s the picks.

Dan

How big would a Huskies win at Stanford be? Consider this. If UW pulls off the upset, they will likely jump to about 10th in the nation, and would host college gameday next week for a matchup vs. #2 Oregon. That would be monumental. If UW could do the unthinkable and win their next 3, at Stanford, vs Oregon, at ASU, the Dawgs would likely be ranked 1 or 2 in the country. Now, the odds are slim, but how many teams in America can think about winning 3 games to jump into the top 3 in the nation? This really is a cool opportunity awaiting the Huskies.

As for tomorrow’s game, I think Washington goes down and knocks off Stanford…once or twice if they played 10 times. Stanford is really good on both sides of the ball, and they will want to avenge the loss they suffered last year in Seattle. The Huskies are good too, maybe even great, but this feels like UW is walking into a buzzsaw. The Cardinal are ranked #5 in the country, and the Huskies last road win at a top 5 team came at Wazzu in 2002. There is reason to think UW’s speed and up tempo offense might give Stanford trouble, but it will take a near flawless game to do the unthinkable. A win would put the Huskies among college football’s elite, but I just don’t see it happening.

Cardinal  35 – Huskies 17

Matthew

I would love to pick the Huskies in this one, but I just can’t quite do it.  I think they are quite capable of pulling out a victory.  If it were in Seattle, I might even call for the upset.  In Palo Alto, against a surging Stanford team, I just can’t quite do it.  Stanford is big, physical and disciplined.  Although they’re creative in their schemes, they don’t feel like they’re trying to pull anything over on you.  They just play like they’re better and smarter than every other team.  Their emerging passing attack is the missing link for them, although I’m still not convinced it’s as good as it’s looked the last couple of weeks.  This is as tough as winnable games get.  The fact that it’s eminently winnable is a testament to how much the Huskies have improved.  I see three keys here (I’ve learned that these always come in threes): 1. The UW defense has to make the Stanford offense relatively one-dimensional. 2. The offensive line has to give Keith Price enough time to react and not feel nervous and constantly overwhelmed.  3. Price has to have a phenomenal day and the receivers have to get open and make at least one guy miss each play.  They can do those things, but it will be a tall order.  I see a close game, but I think the Huskies trail and ultimately lose for the first time this season.

Stanford 27 – UW 20

Andrew

Leading up to each Husky game, my brain goes through several stages in analyzing the game.  First, I assess how the Dawgs did the previous week.  Then, I move on to the opponent, what they did the previous week, and their whole season.  Next, I move on to the keys for the Huskies to win and their chances of winning.  After that, I do the same for the opponent.  These stages flip-flop until I come up with who I think will win.  Then, it ends in me being incredibly nervous and excited come game time.  These stages take different amount of time each week.  Let me take you through this weeks stages in abbreviated form.

1.  The Huskies played a great game last week.  Danny Shelton may have had his best game as a Husky and the defense carried the Dawgs until the conditions allowed for the offense to get rolling (yes, the conditions were that bad).
2.  Stanford had their most dominating win of the season, pulverizing WSU.  They have come on strong in the last two weeks and they look to be worthy of the lofty ranking they have.  Personally, I’d have them at number two in the country right now.  I think their front 7 on defense is the best in the nation and their offense is getting stronger every week.
3.  The Huskies could win this game.  They have superior statistics to Stanford in almost every facet of the game and have probably played a tougher schedule so far.  The key for the Huskies to win while on defense is making sure their corners (Peters and Ducre) don’t allow any big plays in pass.  They need to be left out on an island in order for the safeties to help with the run and can’t be beat while being out there.  Stopping the run is obviously huge and the front 7 need to be as stout as ever.
On offense it’s a little trickier, I think the Huskies need to stay true to who they are.  Run the ball even when it’s not working, use your speed in the passing game and take a shot or two to keep the defense honest.  Speed is where the Huskies have the edge on this side of the ball and they need to find ways to take advantage of that.
4.  Stanford, frankly, has a great chance of winning this game.  They just have more experience in this type of game and are incredibly physical.

So, all in all, I think I will go with Stanford.  To win, the Huskies need to play their best road game in… a decade? Two decades?  They are more than capable of that but I don’t know if they will.  Intensity and readiness shouldn’t be a problem.  I just think Stanford has too much going for them this week.  I hope I’m wrong and the Huskies get their biggest win since 2000.  Go Dawgs!

Stanford 28 – UW 24

Joe

Washington comes into this week starting the “October Gauntlet” of Stanford, Oregon and ASU three weeks in a row.  Thankfully, UW is 4-0, so their margin of error is not razor thin, but it’s close.  Many fans would take a 1-2 record with a win over Oregon.  I say 2-1 is acceptable.  The one loss?  Unfortunately, it will come Saturday night on The Farm.  I think Stanford is a legit national title contender, and I think they show it vs UW.  I don’t think this game is as much about how good or bad UW plays, but a show case for how good Stanford is.  The Cardinal don’t ever beat themselves, play tight, tough defense, and with Hogan at QB are able to throw the ball down field.  In order for UW to win, the Huskies will need to play flawless and hope Stanford is sloppy.  Any scenario with UW turning the ball over or committing penalties will result in a blow out.  I do think UW will play well, I think Sankey will get his yards, but I don’t see UW overcoming Stanford’s discipline and skill.  The game will be close and well played, but the Cardinal win.

Stanford 30 – UW 20

1 Comment

Filed under Huskies Football

Tagged as , , ,

by | October 2, 2013 · 11:59 am

Running with the Pac: Week 5

And we’re back with our rankings of who had the best week in the Pac-12. Remember, these aren’t overall power rankings for the season (those will come in a day or two).  They are just rankings of which teams had the best games and weeks.  Teams on a bye are left off unless something happens to warrant inclusion.

1. Stanford Cardinal beat WSU 55-17

I had doubts about the Cardinal before the season, and their first few weeks didn’t do a lot to quell them.  An offense already short on playmakers lost two excellent tight ends and a star running back.  A defense supposed to be among the best in the country looked a bit lackluster for the first couple of games as well.  Stanford has changed course in a hurry.  The defense pounded WSU, knocking Connor Halliday out of the game, and the offense has added a vertical passing dimension it hasn’t had in a while.  I’m still not a complete believer in Stanford, but they look like a completely different offense from the one the Huskies beat last year.

2. Arizona State Sun Devils beat USC 62-41

ASU badly needed a win to maintain any shot at challenging UCLA in the south, and they got it in unexpected fashion.  Everyone knows about USC’s offensive woes, but their defense had been excellent.  ASU showed all of their offensive weapons in an explosion that cost Lane Kiffin his job.  Giving up 41 is concerning, but the win is still big.

3. UW Huskies beat Arizona 31-13

It’s unclear how good the Huskies opponents have been, which makes it tough to know how the Huskies are.  Or maybe it’s the other way around.  Either way, the Huskies handled what looked like a solid but limited Arizona squad.  It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t the blowout Dawg fans were hoping for, but I think that had as much to do with the first half monsoon as with anything the Huskies did.  There was a point where both teams seemed to give up on doing anything more than handing off, and that was a bigger detriment to UW than Arizona.  The defense was stingy all day, and the offense exerted its will most of the game.  It’s a big win for the Huskies, but it didn’t provide as much clarity on the Huskies ability as I’d hoped.  That’ll come soon.

4. OSU Beavers beat Colorado 44-17

After their well-documented slow start, the Beavers are rallying.  They haven’t beat anyone of consequence, but they’ve done what’s necessary to get their season back on track.  I still think their defense will keep them out of the top half of the division, but the offense is as dangerous as any.  Sean Mannion to Brandin Cooks is maybe the top duo in the country.

5. Oregon Ducks beat Cal 55-16

Oregon demolished another poor opponent.  The main reason they’re at the bottom of the winning teams is De’Anthony Thomas’s injury.  It doesn’t sound serious, but he’s likely out this weekend, and hopefully (for the Huskies) the one after.

6. Arizona Wildcats lost to UW 31-13

No one had a “good loss” this week, but Arizona’s wasn’t terrible: on the road, to a ranked opponent, competitive.  As I said, the weather made it hard to glean a lot from that game, but Arizona has a solid defense and an excellent running back.  Quarterback is what’s going to hold them down.  BJ Denker gave no indication he can be any passing threat whatsoever.  The Cats can beat the bad teams, but they’re going to struggle greatly against good defenses until they find a semblance of a passing game.

7. Colorado Buffaloes lost to OSU 44-17

The next three are all pretty interchangeable, but we’ll give the Buffs the top spot because we had low expectations of them and they didn’t suffer any notable injuries or embarrassments that I’m aware of.  The loss did show how far Colorado still has to go before they’ll be competitive.

8. California Golden Bears lost to Oregon 55-16

No one expected Cal to keep this close, but I thought they’d put up a few more points, or at least yards.  They now have a bit of a quarterback controversy as well, for reasons unclear to me.  They switched mid-game from starter Jared Goff to give Zach Kline some snaps.  Maybe it was just to protect the less mobile Goff, but if they were expecting more from a true freshman against Oregon, they’re crazy.  Goff was good enough before Saturday to justify the surprising decision to go with him to start the season, and to change now seems strange to me.  I’d expect to see Goff back in there throwing like crazy.  It might not get Cal many wins, but a dynamic passing game is all they have going for them.

9. WSU Cougars lost to Stanford 55-17

The Cougars go below the previous two because they actually had hopes of a win, hopes that Stanford tore apart and sent down the storm drains with the rain.  WSU’s supposedly improved defense was overmatched, and the offense did next to nothing.  I do think WSU’s better than last year, but their improvement has been overstated.  A big problem is the quarterback.  Halliday can do some things, but he balances his plusses with terrible mistakes.  Austin Apodaca looked decent when he came on for the injured Halliday, but he’s not going to be a magical cure should the Cougars go to him more in the future.  The Cougars might be on the right track, but Stanford showed it’s going to be a slower journey than Cougar fans had hoped.

10. USC Trojans lost to ASU 62-41

Let’s recap USC’s Saturday/early Sunday. They were demolished by ASU, giving up more points in one game than they had all season up to that point.  They lost multiple defenders to injury, depleting a roster already demolished due to scholarship sanctions.  All-world WR Marquise Lee, suffering a poor season due to inconsistent quarterback play, had a knee injury that looked bad, although it’s unknown how long he’ll be out.  And, to top it off, Lane Kiffin was fired as soon as the plane landed back in LA.  It’s been about as bad a week as USC could have imagined.  A few positives: USC still has plenty of talent, and it might respond to new coach Ed Orgeron.  The running game with Tre Madden and Justin Davis has been a solid plus for an offensive that’s struggled.  And whatever else one wants to say about Kiffin, his playcalling this season has been strange at best.  A new mind running the offense might get better results.  Or it might not.  It’s hard to know what the rest of the season will bring, but this was an inevitable move.  Let’s just say that as a fan of another Pac-12 team, I’d much rather have Lane Kiffin as USC’s coach than whomever they hire to replace him.

-Matthew

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , ,

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!

3 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , ,

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

 

4 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , ,

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

Leave a comment

Filed under Huskies Football

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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!

4 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as , , ,