Wow....is all I can say as Arizona has dominated the Ducks in the first half jumping out to a commanding 31-14 lead. Dennis Dixon is out with a knee injury so the Ducks will have to depend on Brady Leaf to bring them back in the second half. This potential upset will cost the Pac Ten a bunch of money.
Brady Leaf never got it going in the second half and the #2 Ducks go down to Arizona 34-24. The story of the game was Dixon's injury, and Bellotti's play calling. Oregon panicked plain and simple and should have kept the ball on the ground the rest of the night. Stewart went out late in the game with a leg injury, but Oregon blew this one by not going to it's strength which is running the ball.
So it looks like USC and Arizona State will be playing each other for the Rose Bowl. The Ducks actually could have fallen tonight from the BCS Championship Game all the way to the Sun Bowl...Wow!
I am not an Oregon fan, but too bad about Dixon. Oregon would have won by 21 if he hadn't gotten injured. So in one night the Ducks lose the National Championship and the Heisman Trophy. Your as strong as your weakest link, and backup QB was Oregon's weak link. Leaf simply couldn't run their offense.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Pac Ten Alley
California is coming to town this week and it will be interesting to see how the Huskies play with Jake Locker likely out for the game. Ty keeps hinting that he could still play, but most of that is just to keep Jeff Tedford planning for two QB's. Anyone who saw Jake at the press conference yesterday had to admit that his chances of playing Saturday are pretty slight. He may be one tough kid, but that is a tough injury to recover from in a week.
Backtalk with Johnny B
Nathan Ware, and I are a day late with our backtalk column this week. Losing can be physically exhausting even if you are just watching from the stands, or on TV. This was one of those weeks where we had to dig a bit to keep it interesting because so much had been hashed over from the game already. Now many times can you talk about the play Jake got hurt on?
John: Let's start off with the question all inquiring minds are asking. It's third and two; we are driving down the field with plenty of time left, why throw the ball when you have two downs left to pick up the yardage?
Nathan: UW Offensive Coordinator Tim Lappano said he wishes he could have a "do over" on that play call. Throwing a fade route was certainly a risky play call considering the circumstances. At the time, UW was running the ball fairly effectively. There were several curious calls during the game, though. The two-point conversion, the offensive drive in the first half that had three straight deep balls, going for it on fourth down in the 3rd quarter, etc. I'd like to have a "do over" on the whole game.
Pac Ten Alley
Lets take a walk down the West Coast to see what the neighbors are up to.
California is having a down year after being rated as high as #2 in the polls at one time this year. For the Bears there is still hope as they play a team that is struggling more than they are this week. It was only a few years ago when the Bear faithful would have been excited about a season like this. Expectations have now changed and they are looking for scapegoats.
There are only two games left in the Cal football team’s season and finally someone is taking responsibility for the Bears’ fourth loss in five games. Certainly no one wants to point fingers, but the person who should be admitting to his own failures has finally spoken. Quarterback Nate Longshore is owning up at last to his mistakes after a 24-17 loss to USC, and it’s about time. For the first time this season, he admitted that he was fallible, and it was a relief to hear someone say it at last. “It’s just culmination of the loss of this season,” Longshore said about why he was taking the loss to the Trojans so hard. “I haven’t been playing well enough to win. That’s what it comes down to and I’ll be the first one to say that. Our guys have been playing hard out there. I just need to make some more plays and give us that opportunity to win.” Despite Longshore’s lackluster play throughout the game, the Bears still had the chance to force the game into overtime. After Forsett rumbled 34 yards down the sideline on Cal’s last drive, the Bears had the ball on USC’s 36-yard line. On the next play, senior wideout Robert Jordan went out on a hook route on the near sideline. But there was a hesitance to Longshore that has
plagued him all year and that was not present in his 3,000-yard campaign last season. There was a hesitance in his throw, a hesitance in his reaction. And when Longshore threw the ball, there was Terrell Thomas, waiting for the interception.
We are going to have a Q&A next week with the boys from the WSU blog. It should be pretty entertaining stuff. You have to hand it to the Cougs this year for looking better almost every week.
It's never a good thing to see your starting TE on crutches. Especially a TE who happens to lead all Pac-10 TE's in catches with 52 (did you know Collins ranks 6th in the entire conference in catches per game? Not bad for a guy who ran a "wind-aided 5-flat 40"!). But things are looking up for Collins, as Doba says he is now probable for Saturday.
Guess what the topic is at UCLA this week?
As far as I am concerned, it is all about the coaching search now . The soft L.A. media can try to make excuses for Dorrell; he can act like he's still working on the future; but it doesn't matter. Dorrell is gone. If I'm somehow wrong, so be it; but I am going to concentrate on the all-important task of looking for a new coach. Of course, I'm not the one who will make the decision, though I sort of wish I were. I wish that I could be sure that Dan Guerrero and whomever he chooses to help with the process are going to do it in the right way: systematically, thoroughly and patiently. Please don't rush this hire just to try to save a few recruits whom you are probably not going to lose anyway. Please don't make it impossible to get a really good coach by turning him off with demands that he keep Walker or any of the other assistants; let him have a free hand in recommending his own choices. And don't do what UCLA usually does: rush this process because it somehow feels uncomfortable to be looking, and you feel it is embarrassing to be turned down by your first or even your second choice. All that ultimately matters is that you end up with the best possible coach, even if it should take you three months to get him.
USC faces ASU this week in the battle for what could be a Rose Bowl berth against Ohio State.
Defensive end Kyle Moore will see a hand specialist today because of a bruised nerve in his forearm that prevents him opening his hand and could place his status against Arizona State in doubt.``I can't extend my fingers at all,'' Moore said. ``It was numb (against Cal). I can't open my hand and grab anybody.''Moore wore a soccer shin guard on his forearm against Cal to protect the nerve but USC coach Pete Carroll said he was not sure how long Moore would be out.Moore is not practicing this week and vowed he would play against Arizona State on Thanksgiving.``I'll be back and play with one arm,'' he said
The house of Heat is reeling this week after a loss to Oregon, but they better buckle up that chin strap because USC is up next.
So we lost. The sting isn't as bad as it was immediately following the game, but the BCS is looking like a streatch barring a complete catastrophe, not that the 2007 college football season hasn't been without the unbelievable. More on that in a moment, but what the hell happened?We got beat by a better team but I think Oregon fans will admit that Saturday's game wasn't their best performance. There were several dropped passes by the Ducks, they were without superman Dennis Dixon for the fourth quarter, and the Oregon pass D was less than spectacular. While many doors were left open for ASU throughout the night, the Sun Devils couldn't seem to walk through any of them. Here's my list of gripes:
Michael at the Oregon Blog is letting the pictures do the talking this week, and why not, his Ducks may be the best team in the country.
Michael Wines over at the Oregon Blog has gone video happy this week. You really can't blame him because a picture tells one thousand words, and each of those video's help explain why the Oregon Ducks are now the best team in college football.
Arizona and Oregon square off on in a Thursday night game on ESPN.
Much is being made of the Oregon offense, and rightly so. But Arizona better account for No. 49, defensive end Nick Reed. The junior can be as daunting as Heisman Trophy favorite Dennis Dixon or tailback Jonathan Stewart. Reed doesn’t get the national exposure that he deserves. That could change with a nationally televised showcase against the Wildcats on Thursday in an ESPN broadcast. What makes Reed so good?
Stanford is getting a much needed bye so John Wilner is taking all your questions about Bay Area college football.
We’ve got 10 days worth of comments and questions to address here, so I’ll keep the intro short. One thing, though: Although I went back to Hotline posts from early last week for this item, I did not include questions that were asked from my Nov. 4 Associated Press poll — the reason being that I thought everything was a bit dated since I’ve done another ballot in the meantime (and since Ohio State has lost).
I had a lot of fun with Jake last week doing the Q&A for what turned out to be a pretty ugly game that should keep the rivalry charged into next year. I also get a kick out of the fact that Julia's Bra Shop is now a sponsor of his blog....way to go Jake!
Lyle Moevao had a good game for his first collegiate start, throwing for 109 yards on ten completions. I like the way Lyle went deep several times, and I wish he could have completed the deep ball to James Rodgers during the Beaver's second drive. I loved the block Moevao threw on DE Grayson Gunheim, in which he pancaked all 265 pounds of him on the turf. Riley said that Moevao was begging for that play. It's hard to grade Moevao at this point because we've hardly seen him, but I think the C+ is safe right now.
Hawaii keeps steaming along, and while they haven't cracked the top ten yet they should end up in a BCS bowl if they can beat UW at the end of the year.
Let's face it: There is not a powerhouse in college football this season. There are a lot of good teams, and maybe a great team or two. Who is to say that Hawaii is not one of them?Hawaii certainly has not played the schedules of some of these teams, but they haven't lost either. They have had close calls, as have the BCS conference teams, but each time they have risen to—and beat—the challenge. Looking beyond just record and schedule, there are other reasons why Hawaii's season merits inclusion in the title game.Everyone knows that road games in hostile environments are difficult for any team to overcome. Hawaii must deal with all that adversity after flying halfway across the Pacific Ocean.
Backtalk with Johnny B
Nathan Ware, and I are a day late with our backtalk column this week. Losing can be physically exhausting even if you are just watching from the stands, or on TV. This was one of those weeks where we had to dig a bit to keep it interesting because so much had been hashed over from the game already. Now many times can you talk about the play Jake got hurt on?
John: Let's start off with the question all inquiring minds are asking. It's third and two; we are driving down the field with plenty of time left, why throw the ball when you have two downs left to pick up the yardage?
Nathan: UW Offensive Coordinator Tim Lappano said he wishes he could have a "do over" on that play call. Throwing a fade route was certainly a risky play call considering the circumstances. At the time, UW was running the ball fairly effectively. There were several curious calls during the game, though. The two-point conversion, the offensive drive in the first half that had three straight deep balls, going for it on fourth down in the 3rd quarter, etc. I'd like to have a "do over" on the whole game.
Pac Ten Alley
Lets take a walk down the West Coast to see what the neighbors are up to.
California is having a down year after being rated as high as #2 in the polls at one time this year. For the Bears there is still hope as they play a team that is struggling more than they are this week. It was only a few years ago when the Bear faithful would have been excited about a season like this. Expectations have now changed and they are looking for scapegoats.
There are only two games left in the Cal football team’s season and finally someone is taking responsibility for the Bears’ fourth loss in five games. Certainly no one wants to point fingers, but the person who should be admitting to his own failures has finally spoken. Quarterback Nate Longshore is owning up at last to his mistakes after a 24-17 loss to USC, and it’s about time. For the first time this season, he admitted that he was fallible, and it was a relief to hear someone say it at last. “It’s just culmination of the loss of this season,” Longshore said about why he was taking the loss to the Trojans so hard. “I haven’t been playing well enough to win. That’s what it comes down to and I’ll be the first one to say that. Our guys have been playing hard out there. I just need to make some more plays and give us that opportunity to win.” Despite Longshore’s lackluster play throughout the game, the Bears still had the chance to force the game into overtime. After Forsett rumbled 34 yards down the sideline on Cal’s last drive, the Bears had the ball on USC’s 36-yard line. On the next play, senior wideout Robert Jordan went out on a hook route on the near sideline. But there was a hesitance to Longshore that has
plagued him all year and that was not present in his 3,000-yard campaign last season. There was a hesitance in his throw, a hesitance in his reaction. And when Longshore threw the ball, there was Terrell Thomas, waiting for the interception.
We are going to have a Q&A next week with the boys from the WSU blog. It should be pretty entertaining stuff. You have to hand it to the Cougs this year for looking better almost every week.
It's never a good thing to see your starting TE on crutches. Especially a TE who happens to lead all Pac-10 TE's in catches with 52 (did you know Collins ranks 6th in the entire conference in catches per game? Not bad for a guy who ran a "wind-aided 5-flat 40"!). But things are looking up for Collins, as Doba says he is now probable for Saturday.
Guess what the topic is at UCLA this week?
As far as I am concerned, it is all about the coaching search now . The soft L.A. media can try to make excuses for Dorrell; he can act like he's still working on the future; but it doesn't matter. Dorrell is gone. If I'm somehow wrong, so be it; but I am going to concentrate on the all-important task of looking for a new coach. Of course, I'm not the one who will make the decision, though I sort of wish I were. I wish that I could be sure that Dan Guerrero and whomever he chooses to help with the process are going to do it in the right way: systematically, thoroughly and patiently. Please don't rush this hire just to try to save a few recruits whom you are probably not going to lose anyway. Please don't make it impossible to get a really good coach by turning him off with demands that he keep Walker or any of the other assistants; let him have a free hand in recommending his own choices. And don't do what UCLA usually does: rush this process because it somehow feels uncomfortable to be looking, and you feel it is embarrassing to be turned down by your first or even your second choice. All that ultimately matters is that you end up with the best possible coach, even if it should take you three months to get him.
USC faces ASU this week in the battle for what could be a Rose Bowl berth against Ohio State.
Defensive end Kyle Moore will see a hand specialist today because of a bruised nerve in his forearm that prevents him opening his hand and could place his status against Arizona State in doubt.``I can't extend my fingers at all,'' Moore said. ``It was numb (against Cal). I can't open my hand and grab anybody.''Moore wore a soccer shin guard on his forearm against Cal to protect the nerve but USC coach Pete Carroll said he was not sure how long Moore would be out.Moore is not practicing this week and vowed he would play against Arizona State on Thanksgiving.``I'll be back and play with one arm,'' he said
The house of Heat is reeling this week after a loss to Oregon, but they better buckle up that chin strap because USC is up next.
So we lost. The sting isn't as bad as it was immediately following the game, but the BCS is looking like a streatch barring a complete catastrophe, not that the 2007 college football season hasn't been without the unbelievable. More on that in a moment, but what the hell happened?We got beat by a better team but I think Oregon fans will admit that Saturday's game wasn't their best performance. There were several dropped passes by the Ducks, they were without superman Dennis Dixon for the fourth quarter, and the Oregon pass D was less than spectacular. While many doors were left open for ASU throughout the night, the Sun Devils couldn't seem to walk through any of them. Here's my list of gripes:
Michael at the Oregon Blog is letting the pictures do the talking this week, and why not, his Ducks may be the best team in the country.
Michael Wines over at the Oregon Blog has gone video happy this week. You really can't blame him because a picture tells one thousand words, and each of those video's help explain why the Oregon Ducks are now the best team in college football.
Arizona and Oregon square off on in a Thursday night game on ESPN.
Much is being made of the Oregon offense, and rightly so. But Arizona better account for No. 49, defensive end Nick Reed. The junior can be as daunting as Heisman Trophy favorite Dennis Dixon or tailback Jonathan Stewart. Reed doesn’t get the national exposure that he deserves. That could change with a nationally televised showcase against the Wildcats on Thursday in an ESPN broadcast. What makes Reed so good?
Stanford is getting a much needed bye so John Wilner is taking all your questions about Bay Area college football.
We’ve got 10 days worth of comments and questions to address here, so I’ll keep the intro short. One thing, though: Although I went back to Hotline posts from early last week for this item, I did not include questions that were asked from my Nov. 4 Associated Press poll — the reason being that I thought everything was a bit dated since I’ve done another ballot in the meantime (and since Ohio State has lost).
I had a lot of fun with Jake last week doing the Q&A for what turned out to be a pretty ugly game that should keep the rivalry charged into next year. I also get a kick out of the fact that Julia's Bra Shop is now a sponsor of his blog....way to go Jake!
Lyle Moevao had a good game for his first collegiate start, throwing for 109 yards on ten completions. I like the way Lyle went deep several times, and I wish he could have completed the deep ball to James Rodgers during the Beaver's second drive. I loved the block Moevao threw on DE Grayson Gunheim, in which he pancaked all 265 pounds of him on the turf. Riley said that Moevao was begging for that play. It's hard to grade Moevao at this point because we've hardly seen him, but I think the C+ is safe right now.
Hawaii keeps steaming along, and while they haven't cracked the top ten yet they should end up in a BCS bowl if they can beat UW at the end of the year.
Let's face it: There is not a powerhouse in college football this season. There are a lot of good teams, and maybe a great team or two. Who is to say that Hawaii is not one of them?Hawaii certainly has not played the schedules of some of these teams, but they haven't lost either. They have had close calls, as have the BCS conference teams, but each time they have risen to—and beat—the challenge. Looking beyond just record and schedule, there are other reasons why Hawaii's season merits inclusion in the title game.Everyone knows that road games in hostile environments are difficult for any team to overcome. Hawaii must deal with all that adversity after flying halfway across the Pacific Ocean.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Where exactly do you go now?
Where exactly do you go now?
The program won't finish with a winning record, there will be no bowl, and public confidence is eroding as far as the coaching staff is concerned.
This is Willingham's third year and the seat is starting to get pretty hot after losses to Arizona, and Oregon State. Those losses guarantee that Washington will be fighting to avoid the cellar this year. For most Husky fans it is unacceptable, no Husky coach has ever had three losing seasons in a row, Willingham will be the first.
The questions most fans have is if Ty should get another year to try to turn things around. We all have mixed feeling about it, but most feel that at the very least there should be turnover as far as the coaching staff is concerned. While Coach Baer has put together a couple of decent defensive outings the last two weeks most fans want him replaced.
Jim Mora Jr is they guy that everyone would like to see become the new head coach at Washington. There is a little urgency there because he also might be in line to become the next head coach of the Seahawks. The situation reminds me a quite a bit of Urban Meyer and Notre Dame. The boosters wanted Willingham out so they could grab Meyer. Meyer surprised everyone by choosing to go to Florida. Washington boosters don't want to miss out on this window of opportunity concerning Jim Mora Jr. while he is still available.
This is the third time Mora's name has come up in conjunction with the job. The first time was when Neuheisel left. Both Charlie Weis, and Jim Mora Jr expressed interest in the job that went to Willingham. When the Huskies canned Gilbertson he was the hot first year coach of the Atlanta Falcons, so even though he wanted the job he wasn't in the position to take it. Now with Ty on the hot seat he is the obvious choice to take over if Washington makes the move.
What makes Jim Mora Jr a great candidate is that he has always wanted this job. It is something that the has been working toward for over twenty years. He understands Husky tradition and culture because he has been part of that culture most of his adult life. Jim understands what Husky fans want in their head coach.
The question is do you make the move at the end of the season, or do you give Ty another year to show that he has the program headed in the right direction?
You can also build a case for keeping Ty at least one more season. I don't think any coach could have turned this program around in three years. Most of his recruits will be sophomores, redshirts, and frosh next season, you win championships with juniors, and seniors. You can fairly make a case saying that Ty needs more time.
You can point to a 2008 recruiting class that will have up to twenty eight players that is currently half full with the best of Washington still trying to make up their minds. Players like Kearse, Middleton, Thompson, and Ta'amu like Willingham and his staff. Kids also like to win, and they also want to spend their four to five years of college with the staff that recruited them. It isn't like these kids, and their don't know that Willingham is on the hot seat.
Do you roll the dice that Ty is going to, change up his staff, bring these kids in during December, or do you make a move and see if Mora can close the deal? You could always let Ty give it a shot through Christmas and can him in January if recruiting isn't going well. That decision while cold would save the UW around two million, and it would also coincide with the time you would expect Mora to be available.
The future of the program over the next five years is closely tied to this upcoming class. You can't screw up when you are planning to bring in twenty eight players which would just happen to be over one third of your roster. These are the kids that are going to help flank Jake Locker and bring championships back to Washington.
I haven't seen the Husky Nation ever this down, I really haven't. We have had some great years, good years, and real bad years, but this five year stretch has really taken the steam out of the program. I like a lot of the things Ty has done, but overall the program lacks pizzazz as Todd Turner would say. It also lacks great game day coaching. Even though they are rebuilding, the Huskies should be beating OSU, and Arizona by now. They should be getting better, and overall they are not even though the players are going at it hard.
Oregon is on the verge of winning a national championship and having a Heisman Trophy winner. That is make quite an impact as far as recruiting goes. Does Coach Willingham have what it takes to compete against Oregon for the best players in Washington, and California? I mean that is all it really comes down too. Can he being in a top twenty class, put a fence around the state, make changes to his staff, and finally, lead us to a bowl game in 2008?
President Emmert has some big decisions to make in December. This program needs the excitement, and enthusiasm that Jim Mora Jr can bring. The window isn't going to be open long for Mora, the Seahawks, or another NFL team will likely come calling in the off season. Washington either needs to bite the bullet on Mora or give Ty Willingham an extension so he can continue to recruit with confidence.
The program won't finish with a winning record, there will be no bowl, and public confidence is eroding as far as the coaching staff is concerned.
This is Willingham's third year and the seat is starting to get pretty hot after losses to Arizona, and Oregon State. Those losses guarantee that Washington will be fighting to avoid the cellar this year. For most Husky fans it is unacceptable, no Husky coach has ever had three losing seasons in a row, Willingham will be the first.
The questions most fans have is if Ty should get another year to try to turn things around. We all have mixed feeling about it, but most feel that at the very least there should be turnover as far as the coaching staff is concerned. While Coach Baer has put together a couple of decent defensive outings the last two weeks most fans want him replaced.
Jim Mora Jr is they guy that everyone would like to see become the new head coach at Washington. There is a little urgency there because he also might be in line to become the next head coach of the Seahawks. The situation reminds me a quite a bit of Urban Meyer and Notre Dame. The boosters wanted Willingham out so they could grab Meyer. Meyer surprised everyone by choosing to go to Florida. Washington boosters don't want to miss out on this window of opportunity concerning Jim Mora Jr. while he is still available.
This is the third time Mora's name has come up in conjunction with the job. The first time was when Neuheisel left. Both Charlie Weis, and Jim Mora Jr expressed interest in the job that went to Willingham. When the Huskies canned Gilbertson he was the hot first year coach of the Atlanta Falcons, so even though he wanted the job he wasn't in the position to take it. Now with Ty on the hot seat he is the obvious choice to take over if Washington makes the move.
What makes Jim Mora Jr a great candidate is that he has always wanted this job. It is something that the has been working toward for over twenty years. He understands Husky tradition and culture because he has been part of that culture most of his adult life. Jim understands what Husky fans want in their head coach.
The question is do you make the move at the end of the season, or do you give Ty another year to show that he has the program headed in the right direction?
You can also build a case for keeping Ty at least one more season. I don't think any coach could have turned this program around in three years. Most of his recruits will be sophomores, redshirts, and frosh next season, you win championships with juniors, and seniors. You can fairly make a case saying that Ty needs more time.
You can point to a 2008 recruiting class that will have up to twenty eight players that is currently half full with the best of Washington still trying to make up their minds. Players like Kearse, Middleton, Thompson, and Ta'amu like Willingham and his staff. Kids also like to win, and they also want to spend their four to five years of college with the staff that recruited them. It isn't like these kids, and their don't know that Willingham is on the hot seat.
Do you roll the dice that Ty is going to, change up his staff, bring these kids in during December, or do you make a move and see if Mora can close the deal? You could always let Ty give it a shot through Christmas and can him in January if recruiting isn't going well. That decision while cold would save the UW around two million, and it would also coincide with the time you would expect Mora to be available.
The future of the program over the next five years is closely tied to this upcoming class. You can't screw up when you are planning to bring in twenty eight players which would just happen to be over one third of your roster. These are the kids that are going to help flank Jake Locker and bring championships back to Washington.
I haven't seen the Husky Nation ever this down, I really haven't. We have had some great years, good years, and real bad years, but this five year stretch has really taken the steam out of the program. I like a lot of the things Ty has done, but overall the program lacks pizzazz as Todd Turner would say. It also lacks great game day coaching. Even though they are rebuilding, the Huskies should be beating OSU, and Arizona by now. They should be getting better, and overall they are not even though the players are going at it hard.
Oregon is on the verge of winning a national championship and having a Heisman Trophy winner. That is make quite an impact as far as recruiting goes. Does Coach Willingham have what it takes to compete against Oregon for the best players in Washington, and California? I mean that is all it really comes down too. Can he being in a top twenty class, put a fence around the state, make changes to his staff, and finally, lead us to a bowl game in 2008?
President Emmert has some big decisions to make in December. This program needs the excitement, and enthusiasm that Jim Mora Jr can bring. The window isn't going to be open long for Mora, the Seahawks, or another NFL team will likely come calling in the off season. Washington either needs to bite the bullet on Mora or give Ty Willingham an extension so he can continue to recruit with confidence.
Monday, November 12, 2007
The Monday Morning Wash
This is going to be a short this morning today because of conflicts this morning, but I will be back with more in the afternoon.
One of the more unusual things I saw this weekend after the game was the number of Oregon State fans that made comments on the blog that I had to delete. I am usually pretty fair, but it was pretty harsh after the game in reference to Jake Locker.
It is OK to want your team to win, it is OK to be critical of the other team, and it is OK to present a view that differs from what is going on over here in Huskyland. What is not OK is to be obscene, make threats, and defame UW players. Some of the things posted were simply ugly, and twisted. I have to hand it to you Beaver fans, you now make the Ducks look pretty good in comparison. We got more than a few comments from OSU fans who hoped Jake was permanently injured. I don't get that, I don't get that at all.
People get fired up after they have had a few, but there is no excuse for comments, or thoughts like that no matter what your level of inebriation is.
Postgame Q&A with Jake from Oregon State
Jake from "Building the Dam" thought it would be interesting to some chat post game since it had to be one of the crazier games we have seen in quite some time.
Jake: I've read what Tyrone Willingham and Scott Locker had to say about the Locker hit, but what are your thoughts?
John: I agree with Ty in the assessment of the situation. I also understand Scott Lockers concerns about his son's safety. I have watched every game this season, and in almost every game someone has tried to take Jakes head off with a helmet to helmet type hit. Spearing whether it is intentional, or unintentional is a penalty that should result in ejection. I have mixed feeling on whether the play was intentional or not, really only Afalava knows the answer to that one.
John: How do you feel about the play?
Jake: I feel for Locker, and I also understand that Scott is concerned about his son's safety. I don't think the hit was intentional, he was just trying to stop Locker from getting the first down. If you watch the replay, Locker was leaning out for the first, and Afalava was in a difficult position to make a tackle. As Riley said after the game, "I don't know how Al is going to make that tackle unless he goes down to meet him." Afalava is known for big hits, but I don't think he was intentionally trying to hurt Jake. Don't know if you've read it, but Al said he said a prayer for Locker during the time when he was being attended too on the field. Also, there was really no "wow" factor to that play. It was just another college quarterback fighting and scraping for a first down. If Locker doesn't lay on the field and get transported away in an ambulance, nobody probably mentions that play again. I'm not trying to sound like a dick, but it didn't look bad until we saw the result. Football is played at a very high speed, and sometimes plays like that are unavoidable. Bottom line, I'm glad Jake is okay.
Jake: I read on the Husky website that Jake suffered a stinger and trapezius muscle strain, however I haven't heard how long he will be sidelined. Have you?
John: Jake could be back as soon as this weekend depending on how he feels. He looked pretty stiff in the fourth quarter when he came back to the stadium so I am thinking this week might be just a little optimistic. Carl Bonnell who came in for him is a good quarterback, so if Jake can't play we are still in good shape with Carl. I am pretty sure the UW staff is going to be on the cautious side with Jake.
John: What was your take on the Bernard fumble that was returned for forty yards?
Jake: It sure looked like a touchdown, and if it wasn't, he was down at the 1, and the Beavers have the ball second and goal. It was just poor officiating, as the referee and one other guy were standing at the goal line like idiots, holding the spot, while everyone else was taking off down the field. If they truly thought it was a fumble, wouldn't they be running up the field too? It was clearly a case of the referees not calling a play on the field because they know it will be reviewed. And that one wasn't. I didn't really realize how much time was left on the clock during all of this until the Huskies started their drive and I saw that there was only one or two minutes left on the clock. That was a big, big, call, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be reviewed. You should have seen Bernard on the sideline when the Huskies got the snap off.
Jake: I assume that you were watching the game on TV-- did you think it was a correct call? There was a Husky sitting next to me during the game who told me he wouldn't feel good about the game if the Huskies won. Also, what did you think of Lyle Moevao flat backing Gunheim?
John: I thought it was a terrible call, you have to review a play like that. UW did the right thing by snapping the ball quickly so it could not be reviewed. The Pac Ten officials are the worst in the country, calls like that prove it. It was a hard hitting game on both sides of the ball, you have to like it when your QB lays some lumber on a defensive end.
John: I heard a lot of Husky fans had trouble with OSU fans at the game, did you see any of that going on? I mean you don't want to emulate Oregon do you?
Jake: Haha... Well, I had box seats at Reser for the first time on Saturday, so I wasn't in the "OSU/UW mosh pit". There were some Husky fans in our box, but everyone was good-natured, however slightly under the influence. Walking out of the stadium I didn't run into any trouble either, but I'm sure there was some bickering going on. It was just and ugly, ugly game. It's safe to say the most Beavers hate the Huskies even more after Saturday's game, but I don't think our animosity adds up to Oregon's.
Jake: Carl Bonnell came on in relief of Issiah Stanback after he went down last year, right? How will Husky fans feel if he gets the start against Cal?
John: Carl almost beat Cal last year on the road in a game that went in to overtime. Husky fans like Carl, and more than a few thought he should have been the starter at the beginning of the season. Carl is a redshirt senior and he deserves some playing time before he graduates even though you hate to see it happen this way. I think our chances are better with Jake, but I am fine if Carl starts.
Thanks Jake!
One of the more unusual things I saw this weekend after the game was the number of Oregon State fans that made comments on the blog that I had to delete. I am usually pretty fair, but it was pretty harsh after the game in reference to Jake Locker.
It is OK to want your team to win, it is OK to be critical of the other team, and it is OK to present a view that differs from what is going on over here in Huskyland. What is not OK is to be obscene, make threats, and defame UW players. Some of the things posted were simply ugly, and twisted. I have to hand it to you Beaver fans, you now make the Ducks look pretty good in comparison. We got more than a few comments from OSU fans who hoped Jake was permanently injured. I don't get that, I don't get that at all.
People get fired up after they have had a few, but there is no excuse for comments, or thoughts like that no matter what your level of inebriation is.
Postgame Q&A with Jake from Oregon State
Jake from "Building the Dam" thought it would be interesting to some chat post game since it had to be one of the crazier games we have seen in quite some time.
Jake: I've read what Tyrone Willingham and Scott Locker had to say about the Locker hit, but what are your thoughts?
John: I agree with Ty in the assessment of the situation. I also understand Scott Lockers concerns about his son's safety. I have watched every game this season, and in almost every game someone has tried to take Jakes head off with a helmet to helmet type hit. Spearing whether it is intentional, or unintentional is a penalty that should result in ejection. I have mixed feeling on whether the play was intentional or not, really only Afalava knows the answer to that one.
John: How do you feel about the play?
Jake: I feel for Locker, and I also understand that Scott is concerned about his son's safety. I don't think the hit was intentional, he was just trying to stop Locker from getting the first down. If you watch the replay, Locker was leaning out for the first, and Afalava was in a difficult position to make a tackle. As Riley said after the game, "I don't know how Al is going to make that tackle unless he goes down to meet him." Afalava is known for big hits, but I don't think he was intentionally trying to hurt Jake. Don't know if you've read it, but Al said he said a prayer for Locker during the time when he was being attended too on the field. Also, there was really no "wow" factor to that play. It was just another college quarterback fighting and scraping for a first down. If Locker doesn't lay on the field and get transported away in an ambulance, nobody probably mentions that play again. I'm not trying to sound like a dick, but it didn't look bad until we saw the result. Football is played at a very high speed, and sometimes plays like that are unavoidable. Bottom line, I'm glad Jake is okay.
Jake: I read on the Husky website that Jake suffered a stinger and trapezius muscle strain, however I haven't heard how long he will be sidelined. Have you?
John: Jake could be back as soon as this weekend depending on how he feels. He looked pretty stiff in the fourth quarter when he came back to the stadium so I am thinking this week might be just a little optimistic. Carl Bonnell who came in for him is a good quarterback, so if Jake can't play we are still in good shape with Carl. I am pretty sure the UW staff is going to be on the cautious side with Jake.
John: What was your take on the Bernard fumble that was returned for forty yards?
Jake: It sure looked like a touchdown, and if it wasn't, he was down at the 1, and the Beavers have the ball second and goal. It was just poor officiating, as the referee and one other guy were standing at the goal line like idiots, holding the spot, while everyone else was taking off down the field. If they truly thought it was a fumble, wouldn't they be running up the field too? It was clearly a case of the referees not calling a play on the field because they know it will be reviewed. And that one wasn't. I didn't really realize how much time was left on the clock during all of this until the Huskies started their drive and I saw that there was only one or two minutes left on the clock. That was a big, big, call, and there's no reason why that shouldn't be reviewed. You should have seen Bernard on the sideline when the Huskies got the snap off.
Jake: I assume that you were watching the game on TV-- did you think it was a correct call? There was a Husky sitting next to me during the game who told me he wouldn't feel good about the game if the Huskies won. Also, what did you think of Lyle Moevao flat backing Gunheim?
John: I thought it was a terrible call, you have to review a play like that. UW did the right thing by snapping the ball quickly so it could not be reviewed. The Pac Ten officials are the worst in the country, calls like that prove it. It was a hard hitting game on both sides of the ball, you have to like it when your QB lays some lumber on a defensive end.
John: I heard a lot of Husky fans had trouble with OSU fans at the game, did you see any of that going on? I mean you don't want to emulate Oregon do you?
Jake: Haha... Well, I had box seats at Reser for the first time on Saturday, so I wasn't in the "OSU/UW mosh pit". There were some Husky fans in our box, but everyone was good-natured, however slightly under the influence. Walking out of the stadium I didn't run into any trouble either, but I'm sure there was some bickering going on. It was just and ugly, ugly game. It's safe to say the most Beavers hate the Huskies even more after Saturday's game, but I don't think our animosity adds up to Oregon's.
Jake: Carl Bonnell came on in relief of Issiah Stanback after he went down last year, right? How will Husky fans feel if he gets the start against Cal?
John: Carl almost beat Cal last year on the road in a game that went in to overtime. Husky fans like Carl, and more than a few thought he should have been the starter at the beginning of the season. Carl is a redshirt senior and he deserves some playing time before he graduates even though you hate to see it happen this way. I think our chances are better with Jake, but I am fine if Carl starts.
Thanks Jake!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Third and two?
I'm not the type of guy that cries easily, but tears were streaming down my face last night when Jake Locker was injured. My prayers were going out to our good friend last night, and when he stiffly walked back on the field at the end of the game it was obvious those prayers were answered.
The hit was questionable, it was helmet to helmet. It was obvious that Afalava led with his helmet. If you abide by the rules of the game he should have ejected even though I don't think his intent was to hurt Locker.
"We never stopped fighting," Willingham said. "And as a team, we didn't give up."
That is true Ty, but why would you throw long on third and two late in the game while driving with the tired Beavers on their heals? With two plays to get two yards what are you doing throwing the ball?
Another question, why can't you get a play in?
Husky fans, draw your own conclusions.
Five straight years without a bowl game..... .
The hit was questionable, it was helmet to helmet. It was obvious that Afalava led with his helmet. If you abide by the rules of the game he should have ejected even though I don't think his intent was to hurt Locker.
"We never stopped fighting," Willingham said. "And as a team, we didn't give up."
That is true Ty, but why would you throw long on third and two late in the game while driving with the tired Beavers on their heals? With two plays to get two yards what are you doing throwing the ball?
Another question, why can't you get a play in?
Husky fans, draw your own conclusions.
Five straight years without a bowl game..... .
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Oregon State Game Blog
Saturday has rolled around once again and the Huskies will be playing in the nightcap tonight of a long day of college football. This is a big football game for Willingham and his program, a win here would prove that the team is turning the corner and has the capability to finish in the middle tier of the conference rather than the cellar.
Illinois Upsets Ohio State 28-21
Ohio State fell to Illinois this afternoon and it was a great game for the Illini who celebrated a little too long at midfield in Columbus which resulted in some fisticuffs with the Buckeyes. If you are an Oregon fan you have to be excited because now the Ducks are in the drivers seat for the BCS championship game if they can win out.
(Wow, I had the byline as Wisconsin rather than Ohio State...lol...thanks for the heads up ABG!)
Arizona State Sneaks by UCLA 24-20
UCLA is giving Arizona State everything they can handle in the fourth quarter, but just turned the ball over in the endzone with an interception. Dorrell needs to keep it on the ground, he has a RS walkon at QB and still doesn't get it. Looks like ASU is going to slip out of the Rose Bowl with a win today. Too many turnovers by the Bruins today to pull off the upset.
WSU Overpowers Stanford 33-17
It is 20-17 WSU as we start the fourth quarter. Stanford may be crippled, but they certainly aren't pushovers. This game is a lot closer than I thought it would be. Stanford is spunky. WSU wears them down to won the game 33-17. Stanford ran out of gas, but I like the way they play for Harbaugh.
USC leads Cal 17-10 in the early in the third
Cal is holding on, but USC looks like the best team in the first half. USC just hit a FG after intercepting Longshore deep in Cal territory.
Check back through the day, and during the game as we update the blog as things happen.
Pray as Hard as You Can
Washington isn't doing well tonight, the Oregon State defense has contained us all night going out to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. That is the good news, the bad news it looks like Jake Locker has possibly suffered a serious neck, or spinal injury and has been carted off the field. Let's hope he just had his bell rung and will recover after the game. All I can say is say your prayers for our good friend Jake Locker.
16-0 at halftime as Washington has been stylied all evening by the Oregon State defense. Jake is not going to return, and we all hope that he will be fine. Carl Bonnell will lead the Huskies in the second half and I have a sense that this game is going to get ugly. By ugly I mean the Huskies are madder than they have been in over a decade. I think we are going to come out in the second half and play as physical as we have all year. It is going to be a total brawl.
As far as Jake goes it seems he has movement, but his neck is sore. Hard to say what it going on yet till we get a report from the hospital. Hopefully it is just a concussion or a sprain, but it is scary. Once again say a prayer for our friend Jake.
16-10 OSU Early in the third quarter
We have come out with fire in the second half as I expected. 8:29 left and I like our chances. Let's go Carl!
Jake is Going To be Fine
6:00 minutes left and it is 29-23 OSU after a fine scond half performance by Carl Bonnell. We stillhave a chance if we can make a defensive stop.
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.
We have the ball third and two. We throw for the end zone. We have plenty of time, two plays to make two yards and we throw long. Very poor play calling, very poor, and ultimately unforgiveable. You tell me Rankin, or Homer couldn't have gotten two yards on two plays?
Illinois Upsets Ohio State 28-21
Ohio State fell to Illinois this afternoon and it was a great game for the Illini who celebrated a little too long at midfield in Columbus which resulted in some fisticuffs with the Buckeyes. If you are an Oregon fan you have to be excited because now the Ducks are in the drivers seat for the BCS championship game if they can win out.
(Wow, I had the byline as Wisconsin rather than Ohio State...lol...thanks for the heads up ABG!)
Arizona State Sneaks by UCLA 24-20
UCLA is giving Arizona State everything they can handle in the fourth quarter, but just turned the ball over in the endzone with an interception. Dorrell needs to keep it on the ground, he has a RS walkon at QB and still doesn't get it. Looks like ASU is going to slip out of the Rose Bowl with a win today. Too many turnovers by the Bruins today to pull off the upset.
WSU Overpowers Stanford 33-17
It is 20-17 WSU as we start the fourth quarter. Stanford may be crippled, but they certainly aren't pushovers. This game is a lot closer than I thought it would be. Stanford is spunky. WSU wears them down to won the game 33-17. Stanford ran out of gas, but I like the way they play for Harbaugh.
USC leads Cal 17-10 in the early in the third
Cal is holding on, but USC looks like the best team in the first half. USC just hit a FG after intercepting Longshore deep in Cal territory.
Check back through the day, and during the game as we update the blog as things happen.
Pray as Hard as You Can
Washington isn't doing well tonight, the Oregon State defense has contained us all night going out to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. That is the good news, the bad news it looks like Jake Locker has possibly suffered a serious neck, or spinal injury and has been carted off the field. Let's hope he just had his bell rung and will recover after the game. All I can say is say your prayers for our good friend Jake Locker.
16-0 at halftime as Washington has been stylied all evening by the Oregon State defense. Jake is not going to return, and we all hope that he will be fine. Carl Bonnell will lead the Huskies in the second half and I have a sense that this game is going to get ugly. By ugly I mean the Huskies are madder than they have been in over a decade. I think we are going to come out in the second half and play as physical as we have all year. It is going to be a total brawl.
As far as Jake goes it seems he has movement, but his neck is sore. Hard to say what it going on yet till we get a report from the hospital. Hopefully it is just a concussion or a sprain, but it is scary. Once again say a prayer for our friend Jake.
16-10 OSU Early in the third quarter
We have come out with fire in the second half as I expected. 8:29 left and I like our chances. Let's go Carl!
Jake is Going To be Fine
6:00 minutes left and it is 29-23 OSU after a fine scond half performance by Carl Bonnell. We stillhave a chance if we can make a defensive stop.
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid.
We have the ball third and two. We throw for the end zone. We have plenty of time, two plays to make two yards and we throw long. Very poor play calling, very poor, and ultimately unforgiveable. You tell me Rankin, or Homer couldn't have gotten two yards on two plays?
Friday, November 09, 2007
Winning with Experience
One of the things I have been posting over at Dawgman for the last week or two is the theorem that you win with your fifth year seniors, seniors, and juniors. I'm not trying to make excuses for Ty, but it is simply a fact of life in college football.
Oregon State has twenty three seniors including Yvenson Bernard who will be playing their final game in Reser Stadium this weekend. While Washington went through three coaches the Beavers had relative continuity in comparison during the same time period.
The Beavers have a lot more experience and depth in the upper classes than the Huskies do. They have had some injuries and disruptions this year that have hurt them, but they can beat anyone. Give them Jake Locker at QB and this middle of the road Pac Ten team would have been a championship contender. The season can be marked by the redshirting of Sammie Stroughter do to mostly personal reasons, and the lack of an experienced starting QB. Mix in some injuries, and you have a good team that was only a couple of players away from being a top twenty team.
Let's take a look at the Washington senior class.
Rating System
A Plus - Consensus All American (0)
You don't see any do you? No Mark Breuner's, Corey Dillon's, Lawyer Milloys, Steve Emtman, and Reggie Williams. As you can see with Jake Locker having one or two of those guys in each class puts you in championship contention.
A - First Team All Pac Ten (0)
None of these either. No Larry Triplet's, Dave Hoffmann's, Tim Meamber's, or Joe Steele's.
A Minus - NFL Draft Picks (0)
Nope, not here either. I don't see any Cody Pickett's, Rashan Shehee's, or Chuck Nelson's.
B Plus - Conference honors (2) Lewis and Rankin are a couple of guys that will get good looks as NFL free agents. Put them in the same class as a CJ Wallace. You could even slip in Reese here, but I didn't see enough from him this year to think he has what is needed to stick in the NFL
B - Starters (7) Howell, Reese, Russo, Macklin, Gunheim, Afoa, Reffett, are all kids who have played a lot and have had varying degrees of success
C Plus (2) Rayford and Bonnell haven't been full time starters, but they have been key contributors when needed.
C Role Player (6) All these kids have contributed, some have even filled in starting a few games. Quinton Daniels was a pretty good player slowed by injury.
QB Bonnell (C+) Carl was a nice pick up and has been a good reserve.
TB Rankin (B plus) Will likely run 1000 yards in his senior year.
WR Reese (B) (Willingham) Has underperformed.
WR Ellis (C) Has provided epth and a few moments
WR Daniels (C)....Injuried have held him back.
WR Russo (B) Has been the most consistent WR.
TE Lewis (C) Has played here and there, was always a tweener.
T Macklin (B) The guy has been a rock, not a big rock, but a rock
T Berglund (C) Came back after quitting for two productive years in the depth
DT Afoa (B) Never got better after his sophomore year
DT Reffett (B) He really came on the 4th, and 5th years
DT Lobos (C) Has been inconsistent
DE Gunhein (Gilbertson) (B) Too stiff, never lived up to potential
DE Rayford (Gilbertson) (C+) Should never have played early
LB Howell (Gilbertson) (B) Has not had a good senior year
LB Trew (C-) Another tweener
CB Lewis (B Plus) Has developed into one of the better CB's on the coast
Oregon State
Take a good look at the quality and experience on the Oregon State defense.
DE Dorian Smith 6-3, 260, Sr., 1V
DE Naymon Frank 6-5, 288, Sr., 3V
DT Jeff Van Orsow 6-4, 262, Sr., 3V
DT Gerard Lee 6-1, 285, Sr., JC
DT W. Akauola Vea 6-2, 285, Sr., 2V
DT Curtis Coker 6-1, 302, Sr., 3V
LB Derrick Doggett 6-3, 210, Sr., 3V
LB Joey LaRocque 6-2, 235, Sr., JC
LB Alan Darlin 6-1, 238, Sr., 3V
CB Keenan Lewis 6-1, 199, Jr., 2V
CB Brandon Hughes 5-11, 177, Jr., 2V
CB Gerard Lawson 5-11, 196, Sr., 3V
S Daniel Drayton 5-10, 210, Sr., 2V
S Al Afalava 5-11, 209, Jr., 3V
Inexperience at QB, and the lack of All American Sammie Stroughter at WR this year has hurt the Beaver offense. Still when you look at this team you see a lot more talent in the upper classes on both sides of the ball than Washington in most positions.
RB Yvenson Bernard 5-9, 202, Sr., 4V
FB Andy Stewart 5-11, 235, Sr., 1V
WR Anthony Brown 6-1, 209, Sr., 3V
WR Brandon Powers 6-2, 218, Sr., 3V
OT Tavita Thompson 6-6, 293, Jr., 2V
OT Andy Levitre 6-3, 311, Jr., 2V
OG Adam Speer 6-3, 284, Jr., 2V
OG Roy Schuening 6-4, 320, Sr., 3V
C Kyle DeVan 6-2, 306, Sr., 3V
A Final Note
Oregon State has twenty three seniors including Yvenson Bernard who will be playing their final game in Reser Stadium this weekend. While Washington went through three coaches the Beavers had relative continuity in comparison during the same time period.
The Beavers have a lot more experience and depth in the upper classes than the Huskies do. They have had some injuries and disruptions this year that have hurt them, but they can beat anyone. Give them Jake Locker at QB and this middle of the road Pac Ten team would have been a championship contender. The season can be marked by the redshirting of Sammie Stroughter do to mostly personal reasons, and the lack of an experienced starting QB. Mix in some injuries, and you have a good team that was only a couple of players away from being a top twenty team.
Let's take a look at the Washington senior class.
Rating System
A Plus - Consensus All American (0)
You don't see any do you? No Mark Breuner's, Corey Dillon's, Lawyer Milloys, Steve Emtman, and Reggie Williams. As you can see with Jake Locker having one or two of those guys in each class puts you in championship contention.
A - First Team All Pac Ten (0)
None of these either. No Larry Triplet's, Dave Hoffmann's, Tim Meamber's, or Joe Steele's.
A Minus - NFL Draft Picks (0)
Nope, not here either. I don't see any Cody Pickett's, Rashan Shehee's, or Chuck Nelson's.
B Plus - Conference honors (2) Lewis and Rankin are a couple of guys that will get good looks as NFL free agents. Put them in the same class as a CJ Wallace. You could even slip in Reese here, but I didn't see enough from him this year to think he has what is needed to stick in the NFL
B - Starters (7) Howell, Reese, Russo, Macklin, Gunheim, Afoa, Reffett, are all kids who have played a lot and have had varying degrees of success
C Plus (2) Rayford and Bonnell haven't been full time starters, but they have been key contributors when needed.
C Role Player (6) All these kids have contributed, some have even filled in starting a few games. Quinton Daniels was a pretty good player slowed by injury.
QB Bonnell (C+) Carl was a nice pick up and has been a good reserve.
TB Rankin (B plus) Will likely run 1000 yards in his senior year.
WR Reese (B) (Willingham) Has underperformed.
WR Ellis (C) Has provided epth and a few moments
WR Daniels (C)....Injuried have held him back.
WR Russo (B) Has been the most consistent WR.
TE Lewis (C) Has played here and there, was always a tweener.
T Macklin (B) The guy has been a rock, not a big rock, but a rock
T Berglund (C) Came back after quitting for two productive years in the depth
DT Afoa (B) Never got better after his sophomore year
DT Reffett (B) He really came on the 4th, and 5th years
DT Lobos (C) Has been inconsistent
DE Gunhein (Gilbertson) (B) Too stiff, never lived up to potential
DE Rayford (Gilbertson) (C+) Should never have played early
LB Howell (Gilbertson) (B) Has not had a good senior year
LB Trew (C-) Another tweener
CB Lewis (B Plus) Has developed into one of the better CB's on the coast
Oregon State
Take a good look at the quality and experience on the Oregon State defense.
DE Dorian Smith 6-3, 260, Sr., 1V
DE Naymon Frank 6-5, 288, Sr., 3V
DT Jeff Van Orsow 6-4, 262, Sr., 3V
DT Gerard Lee 6-1, 285, Sr., JC
DT W. Akauola Vea 6-2, 285, Sr., 2V
DT Curtis Coker 6-1, 302, Sr., 3V
LB Derrick Doggett 6-3, 210, Sr., 3V
LB Joey LaRocque 6-2, 235, Sr., JC
LB Alan Darlin 6-1, 238, Sr., 3V
CB Keenan Lewis 6-1, 199, Jr., 2V
CB Brandon Hughes 5-11, 177, Jr., 2V
CB Gerard Lawson 5-11, 196, Sr., 3V
S Daniel Drayton 5-10, 210, Sr., 2V
S Al Afalava 5-11, 209, Jr., 3V
Inexperience at QB, and the lack of All American Sammie Stroughter at WR this year has hurt the Beaver offense. Still when you look at this team you see a lot more talent in the upper classes on both sides of the ball than Washington in most positions.
RB Yvenson Bernard 5-9, 202, Sr., 4V
FB Andy Stewart 5-11, 235, Sr., 1V
WR Anthony Brown 6-1, 209, Sr., 3V
WR Brandon Powers 6-2, 218, Sr., 3V
OT Tavita Thompson 6-6, 293, Jr., 2V
OT Andy Levitre 6-3, 311, Jr., 2V
OG Adam Speer 6-3, 284, Jr., 2V
OG Roy Schuening 6-4, 320, Sr., 3V
C Kyle DeVan 6-2, 306, Sr., 3V
A Final Note
Things don't get easier for Washington experience wise. This program is going to grow up completely around current RS frosh QB Jake Locker. Next year Washington's team will most likely consist of over 60 players in the sophomore, redshirt, and true frosh classes. UW will only have 16 seniors with only five projecting right now as starters. They only will have ten juniors, but the good news is that most will start or contribute quite a bit. I think by Jakes junior year this program should be back in championship contention no matter who the head coach is.
Washington and Oregon State Q&A
Jake Bertalotto from "Building the Dam" joins us on the eve of the game for a little Q&A. I think most of you have been over to Jakes blog in the past and realize he does a great job covering Oregon State Beaver sports.
John: How much will it impact the Oregon State offense having Canfield out this week?
Jake: Canfield is obviously our best quarterback, so it will definitely hurt us. He's had problems with interceptions this year, but he is our best passer. Moevao has a strong arm and quick feet but he's short-- I'm sure you guys will try hard to get in his face, as he gets a lot of passes batted down as is. Between Canfield and Moevao, Canfield has the best command of the offense right now, and I'm kind of worried about how Moevao will manage the game.
While Canfield has gotten the job done enough to have won five games, he hasn't been spectacular. Personally, I want to see what Moevao will do with the entire game to himself. We've only seen him play while splitting time with Canfield or in mop-up situations. However, the key for OSU's offense is the return and effectiveness of Yvenson Bernard.
Jake: I've heard that Locker should be good to go on Saturday-- What exactly happened to him? And will the injury he is recovering from affect his mobility and/or passing ability?
John: Jake bruised his shoulder a bit running for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Stanford. After the game the trainers iced him down like Nolan Ryan after nine inning at age 45. It turned out just to be precautionary and he was 100% all week. Jake shouldn't have any problems on Saturday except for the eleven guys dressed in black and orange.
Jake: Of course, you must flaunt the fact that Jake was running for a touchdown when he was hurt ;). Canfield injured his shoulder on an 18 yard scramble that resulted in him being slammed into the turf as he attempted to slide.
John: What about Yvenson Bernard, it sounds like he is still pretty sore, how do you think he will do this weekend?
Jake: Bernard will probably still be sore this weekend, but he won't show it. He plays through pain all the time, and I'm glad he removed himself from the game when the actual shoulder sprain occurred. This dude is tough, and not much can stop him from playing.
Jake: The Huskies haven't played at Reser Stadium since 2003. That was two renovations ago. With the Beavers expecting the largest crowd in school history, what are your thoughts on the 'Dawgs playing at Reser? It's going to be loud, but I know the Huskies have experience playing in a loud stadium.
John: I would love to see Reser again in person, and it looks great from the photos I have seen. As far as crowd noise you get that on the road everywhere you play except for Stanford, so the Huskies should be prepared for it. I have been to Reser quite a few times, but I can't remember it being particularly loud like Oregon, or ASU. I was at ASU this year and it was just an intimidating circus. I think the weather will play a lot bigger part in the game than the crowd. It is going to be slick, and cold out there, so the team that hangs on to the ball the best should have the advantage.
John: Tell me a little about the running backs behind Bernard. I have a feeling that OSU is going to be running most of the day, and that means they will probably rotate their backs.
Jake: Behind Bernard, the Beavers have Matthew Sieverson and Clinton Polk. Matt is listed as second string on the depth chart, but I think Clinton is the better back. Matt is a senior out of Bend, Oregon who is a hard worker and earned every bit of the playing time he's gotten. He's a bit slow for a Pac-10 back. But he's a quality back, and a quality guy. Clinton is a better runner in my opinion, but I think he has some disciplinary problems. Don't know this for sure, but it's my assumption. He's the one that took over for Bernard last year and proceeded to put 100 yards up on USC to help out in a 33-31 win.
Along with Bernard, those are the three guys you will most likely see out of the backfield. The guy to watch out for is #8, James Rodgers. He's perfected the fly sweep, and Oregon State usually runs it 2-3 times a game. The Beavers ran it first play against USC, and he ripped off 39 yards when it looked like he would be tackled for a loss. He's short-- but speedy and strong. His brother Jacquizz just committed to Oregon State, and he's a RB, so watch out for him in a few years. Don't know why you needed to know that.
Now that we've got the backs covered, you might want to watch out for Moevao. Word on the street is that he can run better than Canfield, we just haven't seen it yet. He's not going to put up Dennis Dixon numbers on the ground, but it could mean an extra first down or two.
Jake: Tell me a little about the balance of your offense. We saw Rankin put up a stellar performance last week at Stanford, and we know Locker can run. If Oregon State's defense dominates the line of scrimmage, what strategy will the Huskies turn to? What should we look for out of Reese, Russo, Williams and the rest of the receivers?
John: I think Oregon State is going to dominate the line of scrimmage defensively on Saturday. As you well know the Beavers are rated second in the country in rushing defense. Oregon State is going to stack the line of scrimmage and pinch down to take away the run. Your linebackers are very fast and they should be able to contain Locker in most situations just like they handled Stanback last year. The key for Washington will be hitting some early passes to loosen up the Beaver defense. Locker throws a nice long ball and a couple of strikes early can change the way the game is played by both teams. Washington's receivers are very average. They have trouble playing against man defenses, they don't get much separation, and you can count on them to drop plenty of balls on Saturday. Reese is the most explosive, and has the most potential of the group. He caught a 98 yard TD pass against Arizona when the Wildcats were stacking up against the run. Russo doesn't provide many yards after the catch. Williams bobbles everything thrown at him. For Washington to win on Saturday they need to turn in a better game than we have seen up to this point.
John: Can you update me on the health of the OSU offensive line? I hear that there are some key players out for the game on Saturday.
Jake: The Offensive Line returned in it's entirety for this year, but since the beginning of the year, things have gone downhill. Jeremy Perry went down with a broken leg the first game of the season. This week it seems like everyone is playing a different position than they're used to. Part of that reason is because freshman Ryan Pohl got dominated at USC, and we had to make some changes to get him out of the lineup. It's nothing against him, he's just lacking experience at this point. He's also had a sprained ankle bugging him.
Here's the line you are likely to see on Saturday: Jeremy Perry at LG, Adam Speer at RG, Roy Schuening at RT, and Andy Levitre at LT, with Kyle DeVan at C. The changes are Perry for Speer at LG. Speer replaces Schuening at RG, then Schuening moves over to RT for Levitre, and Levitre going to LT. Lots of guys will be playing positions they haven't played before, or at least in a long time. Supposedly, they were still getting the footwork down as of Tuesday.
Jake: Washington's passing defense is statistically a lot better than their rush defense, which benefits the Beavers, a rushing team. With Moevao at the helm, how will the Huskies get in his face? What's the game plan going to be?
John: Well Jake, a lot of people in Seattle are wondering the same thing. Washington's defense isn't very good, it doesn't matter how you attack them, by air, or on the ground, they give up a lot of yards. We play a bend but don't break type of defense which gives receivers quite a bit of cushion, so throwing it out to the sides to see what your receivers can do after the catch is always a good strategy. What Washington should do against OSU is constantly blitz in passing situations. That being said because our D.C. doesn't get it, expect Washington to only blitz around 12% of the game. UW fears Bernard, and for good reason, when healthy he is one of the best backs in the country. UW doesn't want to give up the big run, so expect them to stay home most of the night to contain Bernard.
John: What will OSU do to contain Jake Locker?
Jake: Oregon State hasn't faced a quarterback with the style of Jake Locker, but we should be ready to contain him. Our D-Line has been rotating all year by situations (we have certain linemen for pass rush situations, run situations, etc.) so that shouldn't be a problem. Really, I think the defense will just do their thing. We've got some great linebackers and a great secondary, so I have no worries there. This isn't to say that Jake Locker won't be productive- I'm sure he will. I just expect our defense to keep him under control, and not allow him to dominate the game.
John: Lets finish it off by asking each other who is going to win the game?
Jake: I am not a fan of predicting the score for Beaver games. Obviously I hope the Beavers win and get to bowl eligibility with two games left in the regular season. As for the score though, I'd prefer not to say. I'll let these two teams battle it out in the crappy weather on Saturday night. (I have box seats for this game--haha!)
John: Jake, I really liked it last year when you ran game simulations on your play station, I thought it was a cool feature.
I think it is going to be a tough game dictated by the weather and decided by field goals. I will go along with you and leave it up to the guys on the field to decide who is going to win this one. To be sure in crappy weather the team with the most heart is going to win.
I had fun Jake, let's do it again during basketball season!
John: How much will it impact the Oregon State offense having Canfield out this week?
Jake: Canfield is obviously our best quarterback, so it will definitely hurt us. He's had problems with interceptions this year, but he is our best passer. Moevao has a strong arm and quick feet but he's short-- I'm sure you guys will try hard to get in his face, as he gets a lot of passes batted down as is. Between Canfield and Moevao, Canfield has the best command of the offense right now, and I'm kind of worried about how Moevao will manage the game.
While Canfield has gotten the job done enough to have won five games, he hasn't been spectacular. Personally, I want to see what Moevao will do with the entire game to himself. We've only seen him play while splitting time with Canfield or in mop-up situations. However, the key for OSU's offense is the return and effectiveness of Yvenson Bernard.
Jake: I've heard that Locker should be good to go on Saturday-- What exactly happened to him? And will the injury he is recovering from affect his mobility and/or passing ability?
John: Jake bruised his shoulder a bit running for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter against Stanford. After the game the trainers iced him down like Nolan Ryan after nine inning at age 45. It turned out just to be precautionary and he was 100% all week. Jake shouldn't have any problems on Saturday except for the eleven guys dressed in black and orange.
Jake: Of course, you must flaunt the fact that Jake was running for a touchdown when he was hurt ;). Canfield injured his shoulder on an 18 yard scramble that resulted in him being slammed into the turf as he attempted to slide.
John: What about Yvenson Bernard, it sounds like he is still pretty sore, how do you think he will do this weekend?
Jake: Bernard will probably still be sore this weekend, but he won't show it. He plays through pain all the time, and I'm glad he removed himself from the game when the actual shoulder sprain occurred. This dude is tough, and not much can stop him from playing.
Jake: The Huskies haven't played at Reser Stadium since 2003. That was two renovations ago. With the Beavers expecting the largest crowd in school history, what are your thoughts on the 'Dawgs playing at Reser? It's going to be loud, but I know the Huskies have experience playing in a loud stadium.
John: I would love to see Reser again in person, and it looks great from the photos I have seen. As far as crowd noise you get that on the road everywhere you play except for Stanford, so the Huskies should be prepared for it. I have been to Reser quite a few times, but I can't remember it being particularly loud like Oregon, or ASU. I was at ASU this year and it was just an intimidating circus. I think the weather will play a lot bigger part in the game than the crowd. It is going to be slick, and cold out there, so the team that hangs on to the ball the best should have the advantage.
John: Tell me a little about the running backs behind Bernard. I have a feeling that OSU is going to be running most of the day, and that means they will probably rotate their backs.
Jake: Behind Bernard, the Beavers have Matthew Sieverson and Clinton Polk. Matt is listed as second string on the depth chart, but I think Clinton is the better back. Matt is a senior out of Bend, Oregon who is a hard worker and earned every bit of the playing time he's gotten. He's a bit slow for a Pac-10 back. But he's a quality back, and a quality guy. Clinton is a better runner in my opinion, but I think he has some disciplinary problems. Don't know this for sure, but it's my assumption. He's the one that took over for Bernard last year and proceeded to put 100 yards up on USC to help out in a 33-31 win.
Along with Bernard, those are the three guys you will most likely see out of the backfield. The guy to watch out for is #8, James Rodgers. He's perfected the fly sweep, and Oregon State usually runs it 2-3 times a game. The Beavers ran it first play against USC, and he ripped off 39 yards when it looked like he would be tackled for a loss. He's short-- but speedy and strong. His brother Jacquizz just committed to Oregon State, and he's a RB, so watch out for him in a few years. Don't know why you needed to know that.
Now that we've got the backs covered, you might want to watch out for Moevao. Word on the street is that he can run better than Canfield, we just haven't seen it yet. He's not going to put up Dennis Dixon numbers on the ground, but it could mean an extra first down or two.
Jake: Tell me a little about the balance of your offense. We saw Rankin put up a stellar performance last week at Stanford, and we know Locker can run. If Oregon State's defense dominates the line of scrimmage, what strategy will the Huskies turn to? What should we look for out of Reese, Russo, Williams and the rest of the receivers?
John: I think Oregon State is going to dominate the line of scrimmage defensively on Saturday. As you well know the Beavers are rated second in the country in rushing defense. Oregon State is going to stack the line of scrimmage and pinch down to take away the run. Your linebackers are very fast and they should be able to contain Locker in most situations just like they handled Stanback last year. The key for Washington will be hitting some early passes to loosen up the Beaver defense. Locker throws a nice long ball and a couple of strikes early can change the way the game is played by both teams. Washington's receivers are very average. They have trouble playing against man defenses, they don't get much separation, and you can count on them to drop plenty of balls on Saturday. Reese is the most explosive, and has the most potential of the group. He caught a 98 yard TD pass against Arizona when the Wildcats were stacking up against the run. Russo doesn't provide many yards after the catch. Williams bobbles everything thrown at him. For Washington to win on Saturday they need to turn in a better game than we have seen up to this point.
John: Can you update me on the health of the OSU offensive line? I hear that there are some key players out for the game on Saturday.
Jake: The Offensive Line returned in it's entirety for this year, but since the beginning of the year, things have gone downhill. Jeremy Perry went down with a broken leg the first game of the season. This week it seems like everyone is playing a different position than they're used to. Part of that reason is because freshman Ryan Pohl got dominated at USC, and we had to make some changes to get him out of the lineup. It's nothing against him, he's just lacking experience at this point. He's also had a sprained ankle bugging him.
Here's the line you are likely to see on Saturday: Jeremy Perry at LG, Adam Speer at RG, Roy Schuening at RT, and Andy Levitre at LT, with Kyle DeVan at C. The changes are Perry for Speer at LG. Speer replaces Schuening at RG, then Schuening moves over to RT for Levitre, and Levitre going to LT. Lots of guys will be playing positions they haven't played before, or at least in a long time. Supposedly, they were still getting the footwork down as of Tuesday.
Jake: Washington's passing defense is statistically a lot better than their rush defense, which benefits the Beavers, a rushing team. With Moevao at the helm, how will the Huskies get in his face? What's the game plan going to be?
John: Well Jake, a lot of people in Seattle are wondering the same thing. Washington's defense isn't very good, it doesn't matter how you attack them, by air, or on the ground, they give up a lot of yards. We play a bend but don't break type of defense which gives receivers quite a bit of cushion, so throwing it out to the sides to see what your receivers can do after the catch is always a good strategy. What Washington should do against OSU is constantly blitz in passing situations. That being said because our D.C. doesn't get it, expect Washington to only blitz around 12% of the game. UW fears Bernard, and for good reason, when healthy he is one of the best backs in the country. UW doesn't want to give up the big run, so expect them to stay home most of the night to contain Bernard.
John: What will OSU do to contain Jake Locker?
Jake: Oregon State hasn't faced a quarterback with the style of Jake Locker, but we should be ready to contain him. Our D-Line has been rotating all year by situations (we have certain linemen for pass rush situations, run situations, etc.) so that shouldn't be a problem. Really, I think the defense will just do their thing. We've got some great linebackers and a great secondary, so I have no worries there. This isn't to say that Jake Locker won't be productive- I'm sure he will. I just expect our defense to keep him under control, and not allow him to dominate the game.
John: Lets finish it off by asking each other who is going to win the game?
Jake: I am not a fan of predicting the score for Beaver games. Obviously I hope the Beavers win and get to bowl eligibility with two games left in the regular season. As for the score though, I'd prefer not to say. I'll let these two teams battle it out in the crappy weather on Saturday night. (I have box seats for this game--haha!)
John: Jake, I really liked it last year when you ran game simulations on your play station, I thought it was a cool feature.
I think it is going to be a tough game dictated by the weather and decided by field goals. I will go along with you and leave it up to the guys on the field to decide who is going to win this one. To be sure in crappy weather the team with the most heart is going to win.
I had fun Jake, let's do it again during basketball season!
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Not much today
Not much new out there today on the football team as they prepare for Oregon State. Once again it is a big game against a much better opponent than last week. This game will tell us a lot about exactly where this team is going into the end of the schedule.
I was surprised to hear that the womens basketball team lost to SPU in an exhibition opener, not exactly the way you want to start the year off. I imagine it will take awhile for the new coach and her players to jell.
I was surprised to hear that the womens basketball team lost to SPU in an exhibition opener, not exactly the way you want to start the year off. I imagine it will take awhile for the new coach and her players to jell.
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Pac Ten Alley
Barbara Hedges once said, that was then, and this is now.
Only few weeks ago I wrote a column in favor of keeping Ty till the end of his contract. I felt that Washington had played better this season despite starting off the season 2-5. I felt losses to Ohio St, USC, UCLA, Arizona State, and Oregon were OK for a team in a rebuilding year. That all came crashing down in a loss at home to Arizona.
After becoming unglued after that loss I decided to retract a bit and wait to see how we finish the season. The logic of course was the Huskies still could finish with a winning season and go to a bowl game. Would anyone of us have a problem with that?
Last week we took care of Stanford and dominated them in almost every area but the scoreboard, 27-10 just didn't do it for me when you run for over 300 yards. It wasn't a great game, but it was a win, and like everyone else we were glad to take it.
This week is the one that really means something. Oregon State even with the injuries has been a better team than us this year. If we beat Oregon State on the road in Corvallis I will start getting excited again. After that we have Cal, WSU, and Hawaii.
My thinking is if we beat Oregon State we have the ability to win the rest of our games and go bowling, and if that happens you really shouldn't be urging anyone to fire the coach.
On the other hand if Washington loses the next four it is time to get the pitchforks, and torches ready again. If we split I don't think anything will happen at the end of the year, but lose out and the pressure on UW from boosters will be tremendous with favorite son Jim Mora Jr waiting in the wings.
So in conclusion I think this is one of the biggest games of the year. UW heads into this one with some confidence, winning a game, any game guarantees to give your team a big boost. A win in Corvallis will keep hopes alive, and most importantly it will mean that we have a very good chance of winning the next three.
Pac Ten Alley
Lets take a stroll down the coast to see what the neighbors are up to.
It looks like Yvenson Bernard is going to give it a go with his tender shoulder in his final home game for Oregon State.
The big things we learned: Canfield is 99% sitting out this week against Washington. Moevao will get the start. Yvenson will probably be back. Defense end Dorian Smith will also be out with a knee sprain. We'll examine these two injuries in greater depth late in the week. Now, for some quotes from Riley.
Could Bob Gregory be the next head man at WSU? Now that Cal is eliminated from championship contention expect more stories like this as Tedford assistants get a good look from around the country.
Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, a Washington State graduate, is among a group of logical candidates for the Cougars' head coaching job if Bill Doba is fired, which has been the subject of widespread speculation on the Internet. Gregory's first job interview - a 20-17 win over the Cougars - was nearly flawless. The Bears didn't give up a touchdown until the game's final minute and allowed Washington State to put together only two drives of more than 70 yards. Cal limited the Cougars to 52 rushing yards, 17 first downs and 4-of-16 on third-down conversions. "We played very well against a very good offense," Gregory said. "Hopefully, a game like this will give us a little confidence." Washington State came into the game averaging 24.9 points and 129.2 rushing yards a game. Quarterback Alex Brink, who averages 293.8 passing yards a game, had only 138 yards through three quarters. Two late drives pushed Brink's total to 306 passing yards.
WSU finally received their first verbal commitment. Karstetter is a good looking kid who didn't receive an offer from cross state Washington.
Stop the presses! A verbal commitment! Unbelievable. And a Ferris kid to boot. In all seriousness, this is a solid "get". Tall and lanky at 6-4, 195, a very good athlete. Hey, it's a start. A good hoops player as well, who knows, maybe this is more about the hoops team?? For some reason he's a bit under the radar though. Offers from schools like Air Force, UNLV, Idaho and Eastern, but didn't get offers from ASU or UW, schools on his list. From Scout.com:Karstetter racked up 71 receptions for 1,002 yards with 12 TDs in 10 games as a junior. He took home all-league and AP all-state honors, along with the WIAA/Seattle Times State Athlete of the Week Award for a 174-yard, two touchdown performance against Shadle Park. Karstetter is also one of the state's top basketball players, taking home the MVP of the Greater Spokane League and AP first team all-state honors as the Saxons won the 2007 state 4A hoops title.
Hawaii looks like it will slide into a BCS bowl game if they can get by Washington.
So far this season Brennan is 225 of 328 for 2,820 yards and 26 touchdowns. Twenty-four quarterbacks have attempted more passes than Brennan, but only three have more touchdown passes. He's seventh in the nation in passing efficiency with a 160.3 rating. Eight quarterbacks have more passing yards.
UCLA is on the skids as usual. You can guess what the topic is.
I honestly don’t see why these kids should rush back to play for losers like Dorrell or Walker. Why risk their careers playing for coaches who do not deserve to be here next here? If I were Harwell’s parents, I’d strongly consider advising the kid to take a medical red shirt, and come back strong under a new coaching staff next season.
Booty is shaking off some rust for USC
Quarterback John David Booty attributed some high passes against Oregon State to rust after he broke his finger. "I've been out three games. Usually, when you first come back to camp or spring ball, they aren't perfect,’’ Booty said. "A couple of throws were high on me."He also overthrew freshman wide receiver Ronald Johnson on a deep pass. What's interesting is Carroll praised freshman wide receiver Ronald Johnson on the play. "We just missed him," Carroll said. "(Johnson is) doing his part."
The bubble has burst in Tempe, but they can still go to a BCS game if they get by USC.
So we lost. The sting isn't as bad as it was immediately following the game, but the BCS is looking like a stretch barring a complete catastrophe, not that the 2007 college football season hasn't been without the unbelievable. More on that in a moment, but what the hell happened?We got beat by a better team but I think Oregon fans will admit that Saturday's game wasn't their best performance. There were several dropped passes by the Ducks, they were without superman Dennis Dixon for the fourth quarter, and the Oregon pass D was less than spectacular. While many doors were left open for ASU throughout the night, the Sun Devils couldn't seem to walk through any of them.
Our favorite team to hate is probably the best football team in the country. tough to say if they can get by Ohio State, or LSU to get into the title game.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, a record crowd of 59,379, watched their high flying Ducks win the biggest game in Autzen history. The game was not as close as the score would indicate as we had a few miscues that could have led to even more Oregon points.
Arizona has won two in a row!
Arizona cornerback Antoine Cason is among the 12 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to college football's top defensive back. The list will be cut to three finalists on Nov. 19. Cason, a senior, has four interceptions this season. He has broken up six passes, forced two fumbles and has 62 tackles, including a sack.
The Stanford team Washington beat last Saturday may be the most injury depleted squad in the conference.
Consider this a combo effort from myself and Merc beat writer Darren Sabedra, who has been all over the Stanford injury situation all season — and it has been a long and ever-growing situation. At this time of year, every team has injury issues. It’s just that Stanford has been hit hard at one position (tailback).
Only few weeks ago I wrote a column in favor of keeping Ty till the end of his contract. I felt that Washington had played better this season despite starting off the season 2-5. I felt losses to Ohio St, USC, UCLA, Arizona State, and Oregon were OK for a team in a rebuilding year. That all came crashing down in a loss at home to Arizona.
After becoming unglued after that loss I decided to retract a bit and wait to see how we finish the season. The logic of course was the Huskies still could finish with a winning season and go to a bowl game. Would anyone of us have a problem with that?
Last week we took care of Stanford and dominated them in almost every area but the scoreboard, 27-10 just didn't do it for me when you run for over 300 yards. It wasn't a great game, but it was a win, and like everyone else we were glad to take it.
This week is the one that really means something. Oregon State even with the injuries has been a better team than us this year. If we beat Oregon State on the road in Corvallis I will start getting excited again. After that we have Cal, WSU, and Hawaii.
My thinking is if we beat Oregon State we have the ability to win the rest of our games and go bowling, and if that happens you really shouldn't be urging anyone to fire the coach.
On the other hand if Washington loses the next four it is time to get the pitchforks, and torches ready again. If we split I don't think anything will happen at the end of the year, but lose out and the pressure on UW from boosters will be tremendous with favorite son Jim Mora Jr waiting in the wings.
So in conclusion I think this is one of the biggest games of the year. UW heads into this one with some confidence, winning a game, any game guarantees to give your team a big boost. A win in Corvallis will keep hopes alive, and most importantly it will mean that we have a very good chance of winning the next three.
Pac Ten Alley
Lets take a stroll down the coast to see what the neighbors are up to.
It looks like Yvenson Bernard is going to give it a go with his tender shoulder in his final home game for Oregon State.
The big things we learned: Canfield is 99% sitting out this week against Washington. Moevao will get the start. Yvenson will probably be back. Defense end Dorian Smith will also be out with a knee sprain. We'll examine these two injuries in greater depth late in the week. Now, for some quotes from Riley.
Could Bob Gregory be the next head man at WSU? Now that Cal is eliminated from championship contention expect more stories like this as Tedford assistants get a good look from around the country.
Cal defensive coordinator Bob Gregory, a Washington State graduate, is among a group of logical candidates for the Cougars' head coaching job if Bill Doba is fired, which has been the subject of widespread speculation on the Internet. Gregory's first job interview - a 20-17 win over the Cougars - was nearly flawless. The Bears didn't give up a touchdown until the game's final minute and allowed Washington State to put together only two drives of more than 70 yards. Cal limited the Cougars to 52 rushing yards, 17 first downs and 4-of-16 on third-down conversions. "We played very well against a very good offense," Gregory said. "Hopefully, a game like this will give us a little confidence." Washington State came into the game averaging 24.9 points and 129.2 rushing yards a game. Quarterback Alex Brink, who averages 293.8 passing yards a game, had only 138 yards through three quarters. Two late drives pushed Brink's total to 306 passing yards.
WSU finally received their first verbal commitment. Karstetter is a good looking kid who didn't receive an offer from cross state Washington.
Stop the presses! A verbal commitment! Unbelievable. And a Ferris kid to boot. In all seriousness, this is a solid "get". Tall and lanky at 6-4, 195, a very good athlete. Hey, it's a start. A good hoops player as well, who knows, maybe this is more about the hoops team?? For some reason he's a bit under the radar though. Offers from schools like Air Force, UNLV, Idaho and Eastern, but didn't get offers from ASU or UW, schools on his list. From Scout.com:Karstetter racked up 71 receptions for 1,002 yards with 12 TDs in 10 games as a junior. He took home all-league and AP all-state honors, along with the WIAA/Seattle Times State Athlete of the Week Award for a 174-yard, two touchdown performance against Shadle Park. Karstetter is also one of the state's top basketball players, taking home the MVP of the Greater Spokane League and AP first team all-state honors as the Saxons won the 2007 state 4A hoops title.
Hawaii looks like it will slide into a BCS bowl game if they can get by Washington.
So far this season Brennan is 225 of 328 for 2,820 yards and 26 touchdowns. Twenty-four quarterbacks have attempted more passes than Brennan, but only three have more touchdown passes. He's seventh in the nation in passing efficiency with a 160.3 rating. Eight quarterbacks have more passing yards.
UCLA is on the skids as usual. You can guess what the topic is.
I honestly don’t see why these kids should rush back to play for losers like Dorrell or Walker. Why risk their careers playing for coaches who do not deserve to be here next here? If I were Harwell’s parents, I’d strongly consider advising the kid to take a medical red shirt, and come back strong under a new coaching staff next season.
Booty is shaking off some rust for USC
Quarterback John David Booty attributed some high passes against Oregon State to rust after he broke his finger. "I've been out three games. Usually, when you first come back to camp or spring ball, they aren't perfect,’’ Booty said. "A couple of throws were high on me."He also overthrew freshman wide receiver Ronald Johnson on a deep pass. What's interesting is Carroll praised freshman wide receiver Ronald Johnson on the play. "We just missed him," Carroll said. "(Johnson is) doing his part."
The bubble has burst in Tempe, but they can still go to a BCS game if they get by USC.
So we lost. The sting isn't as bad as it was immediately following the game, but the BCS is looking like a stretch barring a complete catastrophe, not that the 2007 college football season hasn't been without the unbelievable. More on that in a moment, but what the hell happened?We got beat by a better team but I think Oregon fans will admit that Saturday's game wasn't their best performance. There were several dropped passes by the Ducks, they were without superman Dennis Dixon for the fourth quarter, and the Oregon pass D was less than spectacular. While many doors were left open for ASU throughout the night, the Sun Devils couldn't seem to walk through any of them.
Our favorite team to hate is probably the best football team in the country. tough to say if they can get by Ohio State, or LSU to get into the title game.
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon, a record crowd of 59,379, watched their high flying Ducks win the biggest game in Autzen history. The game was not as close as the score would indicate as we had a few miscues that could have led to even more Oregon points.
Arizona has won two in a row!
Arizona cornerback Antoine Cason is among the 12 semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to college football's top defensive back. The list will be cut to three finalists on Nov. 19. Cason, a senior, has four interceptions this season. He has broken up six passes, forced two fumbles and has 62 tackles, including a sack.
The Stanford team Washington beat last Saturday may be the most injury depleted squad in the conference.
Consider this a combo effort from myself and Merc beat writer Darren Sabedra, who has been all over the Stanford injury situation all season — and it has been a long and ever-growing situation. At this time of year, every team has injury issues. It’s just that Stanford has been hit hard at one position (tailback).
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Battle for the line of scrimmage
The one thing that scares me about Oregon State is how physical they play on both sides of the ball. Don't judge the Beavers by the play of quarterback Sean Canfield who likely will miss Saturday's game. Judge the Beavers on their ability to shut down the run on defense, and open holes for their running back on offense. What that is called is dominating the line of scrimmage, and it is the main reason the Beavers are competitive in a season where they haven't been able to pass the ball well.
The main thing Washington hasn't done much of this season is dominate the line of scrimmage. Let see, they did it against Syracuse, they did it against Boise St in the first half, then they put together a complete game against Stanford last weekend. Even though they played a close game against now #1 Ohio State it was obvious from the onset who was in charge. Same thing can be said for UCLA, USC, Arizona State, and especially Oregon. We did a good job on offense against Arizona, but once again the defense couldn't get to a immobile QB which led to that upset loss which still has the program reeling in recovery.
Ted Miller of the PI brought up the Huskies "Anger" factor in almost mocking fashion in his column today. He thinks anger simply isn't going to do it against the Beavers because they simply have better players than Washington.
What's physical? It's a defense that nearly matches USC's collection of future NFL Pro Bowlers. The Beavers own the nation's fifth-best run defense, are second in the nation in sacks and join the Trojans as the conference's only other defense surrendering less than 300 total yards per game. No other conference team has forced more turnovers than the Beavers (22), and one could reasonably conjecture that the defense would look even better if its hapless offensive counterparts hadn't given the ball back an astounding 25 times. The Huskies, meanwhile, own the Pac-10's worst run defense, have forced the fewest turnovers in the conference and are surrendering 31 points a game.
In one paragraph Ted was able to summarize why the Huskies shouldn't win this football game on Saturday. OSU doesn't let a lot of stuff get outside them on defense. The Beavers have no problem stacking the line with eight players all night to funnel everything inside where their excellent linebackers can lean up the play.
Washington is going to have to do some things to take them out of that. One example would be the 98 yard TD pass the Huskies completed against Arizona. The Wildcats were stacking the line and Marcel Reese got behind them and took the the Jake Locker pass to the house. Doing things like that opens it up for you because the defense can no longer cheat. Now it doesn't always work like that, last week Washington wasn't able to complete the long pass even though Jake was on target most of the night. The receivers need to do a much better job catching the ball if Washington wants to win this one.
On offense no matter who the quarterback is the Beavers are going to run all night until Washington shows they can stop them. Bernard is banged up with a bruised shoulder so it is imperative that Washington gets some clean hits on him at the line of scrimmage. Important not to our linebackers, and safeties, arm tackles are not going to work on Bernard, or any Beaver running back. If the Huskies arm tackle OSU is going to rack up some big yards on the ground.
Nathan Ware and I discuss the upcoming game in his PI blog. I asked him how many yards he expected the Beavers to put up on the ground this weekend.
Nathan: Yeah, let's see, in 2005, the Beavers ran for 127 yards against the Dawgs. In 2006, the Beavs ran for 180 yards against UW. This year, they are averaging 149 yards per game on the ground. I'd say they get around 200 yards this weekend.
Holding the Beavers to 200 yards or less may be a pretty good game for the Husky defense if they can control the Beavers through the air. The air by the way hasn't been friendly to the Beavers at all this year. Sean Canfield who may be out has been pretty much atrocious all year, the kid has been a turnover machine. force the Beavers into throwing the ball on Saturday and we just may come away with a victory.
The main thing Washington hasn't done much of this season is dominate the line of scrimmage. Let see, they did it against Syracuse, they did it against Boise St in the first half, then they put together a complete game against Stanford last weekend. Even though they played a close game against now #1 Ohio State it was obvious from the onset who was in charge. Same thing can be said for UCLA, USC, Arizona State, and especially Oregon. We did a good job on offense against Arizona, but once again the defense couldn't get to a immobile QB which led to that upset loss which still has the program reeling in recovery.
Ted Miller of the PI brought up the Huskies "Anger" factor in almost mocking fashion in his column today. He thinks anger simply isn't going to do it against the Beavers because they simply have better players than Washington.
What's physical? It's a defense that nearly matches USC's collection of future NFL Pro Bowlers. The Beavers own the nation's fifth-best run defense, are second in the nation in sacks and join the Trojans as the conference's only other defense surrendering less than 300 total yards per game. No other conference team has forced more turnovers than the Beavers (22), and one could reasonably conjecture that the defense would look even better if its hapless offensive counterparts hadn't given the ball back an astounding 25 times. The Huskies, meanwhile, own the Pac-10's worst run defense, have forced the fewest turnovers in the conference and are surrendering 31 points a game.
In one paragraph Ted was able to summarize why the Huskies shouldn't win this football game on Saturday. OSU doesn't let a lot of stuff get outside them on defense. The Beavers have no problem stacking the line with eight players all night to funnel everything inside where their excellent linebackers can lean up the play.
Washington is going to have to do some things to take them out of that. One example would be the 98 yard TD pass the Huskies completed against Arizona. The Wildcats were stacking the line and Marcel Reese got behind them and took the the Jake Locker pass to the house. Doing things like that opens it up for you because the defense can no longer cheat. Now it doesn't always work like that, last week Washington wasn't able to complete the long pass even though Jake was on target most of the night. The receivers need to do a much better job catching the ball if Washington wants to win this one.
On offense no matter who the quarterback is the Beavers are going to run all night until Washington shows they can stop them. Bernard is banged up with a bruised shoulder so it is imperative that Washington gets some clean hits on him at the line of scrimmage. Important not to our linebackers, and safeties, arm tackles are not going to work on Bernard, or any Beaver running back. If the Huskies arm tackle OSU is going to rack up some big yards on the ground.
Nathan Ware and I discuss the upcoming game in his PI blog. I asked him how many yards he expected the Beavers to put up on the ground this weekend.
Nathan: Yeah, let's see, in 2005, the Beavers ran for 127 yards against the Dawgs. In 2006, the Beavs ran for 180 yards against UW. This year, they are averaging 149 yards per game on the ground. I'd say they get around 200 yards this weekend.
Holding the Beavers to 200 yards or less may be a pretty good game for the Husky defense if they can control the Beavers through the air. The air by the way hasn't been friendly to the Beavers at all this year. Sean Canfield who may be out has been pretty much atrocious all year, the kid has been a turnover machine. force the Beavers into throwing the ball on Saturday and we just may come away with a victory.
A Close One
Washington opened the season last night with an exhibition against SPU. The Falcons showed why they are one of the best programs in Division II by giving the Huskies all they could handle. Local sharp shooter Rob Diedrich's lit up the Huskies from the outside last night for 36, and Washington turned the ball over twenty plus times.
One bright spot was the play of freshman Venoy Overton who finished with 16 points, 4 assists, and five rebounds. Added to those impressive totals were four turnovers which I wouldn't be immediately concerned about from a frosh point guard playing his first game.
Do the Huskies miss Ryan Appleby? They really do because he is the one sure guy they have that can light it up from outside even though he isn't very quick when it comes to defense.
One thing for sure after this one the Huskies need to play much better defense, and handle the ball better if they want to go to the tournament this year.
One bright spot was the play of freshman Venoy Overton who finished with 16 points, 4 assists, and five rebounds. Added to those impressive totals were four turnovers which I wouldn't be immediately concerned about from a frosh point guard playing his first game.
Do the Huskies miss Ryan Appleby? They really do because he is the one sure guy they have that can light it up from outside even though he isn't very quick when it comes to defense.
One thing for sure after this one the Huskies need to play much better defense, and handle the ball better if they want to go to the tournament this year.
Monday, November 05, 2007
The Monday Morning Wash
Let's wrap up Saturdays game by saying it is nice to win, and it is even nicer for the players, and staff to be able to practice this week with the confidence a win gives you. The Huskies are still in the thick of things as far as being bowl eligible is concerned. There are very four winnable games left on the schedule.
The next team on the schedule is Oregon State which has been losing players all season. This isn't one of those years where the Beavers have had the chance to jell for a late run. There is a very strong possibility that TB Yvenson Bernard, and QB Sean Canfield may not play next week. That would be a big plus for Washington. Las Vegas thinks so too, and they haven't issued a line for the game yet while they wait for the injury report today. Jake Locker also is hurting a bit after taking a big hit on his right shoulder late in the game, so that will figure in the odds makers decisions too. If Locker is out Washington is still in better shape since Carl Bonnell is more than just an adequate back up.
I feel for the Beavers late this season because the one team you want to avoid when you are banged up is a very physical USC team. The Trojans may be having a sub par season, but they still hit the crap out of you on every single play. OSU is probably a very sore team this Monday morning.
No matter who starts for the Beavers, Washington will have to do two things to beat the Oregon State and their stout defense next Saturday.
1. Stop the run
As we have seen it really doesn't matter who is in the backfield for the opposing team, we still have trouble stopping the run. Even if Bernard is out the Beavers will run all day till they are stopped by the Huskies. Stanford gained nearly 100 yards on Saturday with a fifth string running back. Bad things happen to OSU when they put the ball in the air, so they will attack the Huskies on the ground no matter who starts at TB. UW needs to find a way to stop them.
2. Run the ball
Louis Rankin had the game of his career last week in Palo Alto. He is still dancing way too much for my liking, and I can't believe he ran out of bounds when Locker was blocking a player down the field in front of him. That being said it is tough to knock a kid who is coming off one of the greatest running days in husky history. It really all comes down to the offensive line, they need to open holes in the Beaver defense.
Around the Pac Ten
Oregon won the game of the day against Arizona State. The Sun Devils were really never in this one as Oregon played it's "A" game and exposed the Sun Devils a bit on Saturday. It could have been different if this one was played in Sun Devil Stadium, but it wasn't. Erickson still has a chance to qualify his team for a BCS bowl and it will be interesting to see how they finish.
As for the Ducks I really think they are the best football team in the country right now. They are currently third in the rankings and it would be a shame if they can't move by LSU, or Ohio state by the end of the season to qualify for the BCS championship game. Michigan is rounding into shape and looks like a team that could handle Ohio State in the finale.
WSU gave California everything they could handle but fell short this weekend. The Cougars are a team that is getting better every single week and they will not be tough to beat in the Apple Cup. California on the other hand isn't getting better every week because of the toll injuries have taken. The Bears are very beatable each week.
USC put together a great second quarter against the Beavers than held OSU scoreless in the second half to cruise to the victory. Only three points for the Beavers in this one, and as I mentioned earlier Bernard, and Canfield are very questionable for next week.
Arizona 4-6 put what was probably the last nail in Karl's coffin with a dominating type of victory in the desert. Not sure how this affects the tenure of Mike Stoops at this point as the Wildcats face Oregon, and Arizona State to finish the season....ouch.
Boston College dropped out of the National Championship race by losing to Florida State on Saturday night. This was a tough one for my wife to take. She was however excited that Navy beat Notre Dame, like all BC grads, and most of the free world, she hates Notre Dame. The BC loss saved me a lot of money because if they had been in the national championship game she would have insisted we attend.
Pac Ten Power Ratings
1. Oregon....As I said earlier the Ducks are probably the best team in the country. They finish with Arizona, UCLA, and Oregon St.
2. Arizona State....Tough loss for Sparky. They finish with UCLA, USC, and Arizona. The game with USC will likely be for the Rose Bowl.
3. USC....These guys just aren't playing on all cylinders, but they do have a chance to win out and head to Pasadena. They finish up with Cal, ASU, and UCLA which is hardly a cakewalk.
4. California....The Bears are just holding on at this point. They finish with USC, Washington, and Stanford. Realistically the Bears will have to fight to not finish 1-2. Tough to play UW on the road after playing an emotional game with USC.
5. Arizona....Why is a 4-6 team rated #5 that is likely to finish 4-8? If you look at the teams behind them you can't say any are playing better than Arizona right now. The Wildcats finish with Oregon, and ASU.
6. WSU....They were oh so close last week to beating Cal. The Cougs finish with Stanford, Oregon St, Washington and could sweep all three to finish 6-6. By the way I am not in the fire Doba camp no matter how they finish.
7. Oregon State....These guys are beaten up right now and it could result in them losing the rest of the way. The Beavers finish with Washington, WSU, and the Mighty Ducks.
8. UCLA....The Bruins are just playing terrible right now and there is no excuse because they have too much talent. Bruin fans will get what they want this Christmas, a Neu head coach. the Bruins finish with ASU, Oregon, and USC...Ouch!
9. Washington....Beating Stanford does one thing, and that is you no longer are in the cellar by yourself. The Huskies finish with OSU, CAL, WSU, and Hawaii. Will all four and you could have an upper division finish and a minor bowl game. Lose all four and Jim Mora could be in the wings.
10. Stanford....You have to hand it to Stanford for beating USC earlier this year, but they are way too banged up to win another game this season unless the Leland Stanford Junior Band helps out. That's right, the Irish will win another game against a Pac Ten opponent or Charlie Weis is in big trouble. The Cards finish with WSU, Notre Dame, and California.
The next team on the schedule is Oregon State which has been losing players all season. This isn't one of those years where the Beavers have had the chance to jell for a late run. There is a very strong possibility that TB Yvenson Bernard, and QB Sean Canfield may not play next week. That would be a big plus for Washington. Las Vegas thinks so too, and they haven't issued a line for the game yet while they wait for the injury report today. Jake Locker also is hurting a bit after taking a big hit on his right shoulder late in the game, so that will figure in the odds makers decisions too. If Locker is out Washington is still in better shape since Carl Bonnell is more than just an adequate back up.
I feel for the Beavers late this season because the one team you want to avoid when you are banged up is a very physical USC team. The Trojans may be having a sub par season, but they still hit the crap out of you on every single play. OSU is probably a very sore team this Monday morning.
No matter who starts for the Beavers, Washington will have to do two things to beat the Oregon State and their stout defense next Saturday.
1. Stop the run
As we have seen it really doesn't matter who is in the backfield for the opposing team, we still have trouble stopping the run. Even if Bernard is out the Beavers will run all day till they are stopped by the Huskies. Stanford gained nearly 100 yards on Saturday with a fifth string running back. Bad things happen to OSU when they put the ball in the air, so they will attack the Huskies on the ground no matter who starts at TB. UW needs to find a way to stop them.
2. Run the ball
Louis Rankin had the game of his career last week in Palo Alto. He is still dancing way too much for my liking, and I can't believe he ran out of bounds when Locker was blocking a player down the field in front of him. That being said it is tough to knock a kid who is coming off one of the greatest running days in husky history. It really all comes down to the offensive line, they need to open holes in the Beaver defense.
Around the Pac Ten
Oregon won the game of the day against Arizona State. The Sun Devils were really never in this one as Oregon played it's "A" game and exposed the Sun Devils a bit on Saturday. It could have been different if this one was played in Sun Devil Stadium, but it wasn't. Erickson still has a chance to qualify his team for a BCS bowl and it will be interesting to see how they finish.
As for the Ducks I really think they are the best football team in the country right now. They are currently third in the rankings and it would be a shame if they can't move by LSU, or Ohio state by the end of the season to qualify for the BCS championship game. Michigan is rounding into shape and looks like a team that could handle Ohio State in the finale.
WSU gave California everything they could handle but fell short this weekend. The Cougars are a team that is getting better every single week and they will not be tough to beat in the Apple Cup. California on the other hand isn't getting better every week because of the toll injuries have taken. The Bears are very beatable each week.
USC put together a great second quarter against the Beavers than held OSU scoreless in the second half to cruise to the victory. Only three points for the Beavers in this one, and as I mentioned earlier Bernard, and Canfield are very questionable for next week.
Arizona 4-6 put what was probably the last nail in Karl's coffin with a dominating type of victory in the desert. Not sure how this affects the tenure of Mike Stoops at this point as the Wildcats face Oregon, and Arizona State to finish the season....ouch.
Boston College dropped out of the National Championship race by losing to Florida State on Saturday night. This was a tough one for my wife to take. She was however excited that Navy beat Notre Dame, like all BC grads, and most of the free world, she hates Notre Dame. The BC loss saved me a lot of money because if they had been in the national championship game she would have insisted we attend.
Pac Ten Power Ratings
1. Oregon....As I said earlier the Ducks are probably the best team in the country. They finish with Arizona, UCLA, and Oregon St.
2. Arizona State....Tough loss for Sparky. They finish with UCLA, USC, and Arizona. The game with USC will likely be for the Rose Bowl.
3. USC....These guys just aren't playing on all cylinders, but they do have a chance to win out and head to Pasadena. They finish up with Cal, ASU, and UCLA which is hardly a cakewalk.
4. California....The Bears are just holding on at this point. They finish with USC, Washington, and Stanford. Realistically the Bears will have to fight to not finish 1-2. Tough to play UW on the road after playing an emotional game with USC.
5. Arizona....Why is a 4-6 team rated #5 that is likely to finish 4-8? If you look at the teams behind them you can't say any are playing better than Arizona right now. The Wildcats finish with Oregon, and ASU.
6. WSU....They were oh so close last week to beating Cal. The Cougs finish with Stanford, Oregon St, Washington and could sweep all three to finish 6-6. By the way I am not in the fire Doba camp no matter how they finish.
7. Oregon State....These guys are beaten up right now and it could result in them losing the rest of the way. The Beavers finish with Washington, WSU, and the Mighty Ducks.
8. UCLA....The Bruins are just playing terrible right now and there is no excuse because they have too much talent. Bruin fans will get what they want this Christmas, a Neu head coach. the Bruins finish with ASU, Oregon, and USC...Ouch!
9. Washington....Beating Stanford does one thing, and that is you no longer are in the cellar by yourself. The Huskies finish with OSU, CAL, WSU, and Hawaii. Will all four and you could have an upper division finish and a minor bowl game. Lose all four and Jim Mora could be in the wings.
10. Stanford....You have to hand it to Stanford for beating USC earlier this year, but they are way too banged up to win another game this season unless the Leland Stanford Junior Band helps out. That's right, the Irish will win another game against a Pac Ten opponent or Charlie Weis is in big trouble. The Cards finish with WSU, Notre Dame, and California.
Sunday, November 04, 2007
Not Exactly Artistic
It wasn't an artistic triumph, but if you looked at the film of yesterdays game, Washington dominated Stanford in about every single category on Saturday. The Husky offense is rounding into shape and should be able to be counted on to score at a serious enough clip to keep up in the Pac Ten over the next three years.
Washington's offense has been sub par ever since Pickett's senior year, and the coaches have done a great job rebuilding it over the last three years. Jake Locker of course is the major ingredient, but there was a lot of good blocking going on out there. Louis Rankin doesn't run for 249 yards without good blocking no matter who the opponent is.
The Huskies need to do a better job with turnovers which would have led to at least a couple of more touchdowns yesterday. Let's face it, when you have over 500 yards in total offense you should be scoring quite a bit more.
On defense the Huskies held the Cardinal to only nine points, and only 137 yards yards through the air. The depleted Cardinal did however pick up 116 on the ground which was way too many when you figure that they were down to their 5th string running back. So if you think the defense is fixed you guessed wrong, they still have a lot of work to do just to get to mediocre. The Huskies dodged the bullet because of Cardinal mistakes like fumbling at the one yard line, and being off with their kicking game. Those mistakes cost the Cardinal eleven points, and also a good chance to win this game.
A highlight for me was seeing Jordan Murchison out there playing for the first time in his career. I think the kid did a good job in his first outing and will contribute quite a bit if the coaches let him see action over the last four games.
Next week the Huskies travel to Oregon State, and they are going to have to do a much better job against the run to win that game. Yvenson Bernard sat out the USC game yesterday with a bruised shoulder, but he should be ready to go against Northwest rival Washington next Saturday.
Oregon State is a team this current Husky team should beat. The Beavers are banged up, and they have a QB who is having a terrible year throwing the ball to his own players. The Husky defense needs to be ready to take advantage of those miscues next week to pick up it's second victory in a row.
I have been saying all week that the Mantra is win the next five games. With Stanford out of the way the new Mantra is when the next four. all four of these games are winnable, even Cal who barely got by WSU last night at home. The Cougars probably would have beaten the Bears if James Tardy had been on the active roster this week. I like WSU right now, and I like Doba because his team is getting better over the course of the year and that indicates good coaching. Well coached teams get better, poorly coached teams do not, and banged up teams like Cal just find a way to hold on.
UW is pretty healthy going into the final four game stretch of the season, and that is why I am still optimistic that we can be bowling in December if they can perform at the level they are capable of. Like yesterday, it likely won't be artistic, but you can't diminish the importance of practicing all week as a winner for the first time since the second week of the season. Any way you slice it, yesterday was a big day for Washington.
Washington's offense has been sub par ever since Pickett's senior year, and the coaches have done a great job rebuilding it over the last three years. Jake Locker of course is the major ingredient, but there was a lot of good blocking going on out there. Louis Rankin doesn't run for 249 yards without good blocking no matter who the opponent is.
The Huskies need to do a better job with turnovers which would have led to at least a couple of more touchdowns yesterday. Let's face it, when you have over 500 yards in total offense you should be scoring quite a bit more.
On defense the Huskies held the Cardinal to only nine points, and only 137 yards yards through the air. The depleted Cardinal did however pick up 116 on the ground which was way too many when you figure that they were down to their 5th string running back. So if you think the defense is fixed you guessed wrong, they still have a lot of work to do just to get to mediocre. The Huskies dodged the bullet because of Cardinal mistakes like fumbling at the one yard line, and being off with their kicking game. Those mistakes cost the Cardinal eleven points, and also a good chance to win this game.
A highlight for me was seeing Jordan Murchison out there playing for the first time in his career. I think the kid did a good job in his first outing and will contribute quite a bit if the coaches let him see action over the last four games.
Next week the Huskies travel to Oregon State, and they are going to have to do a much better job against the run to win that game. Yvenson Bernard sat out the USC game yesterday with a bruised shoulder, but he should be ready to go against Northwest rival Washington next Saturday.
Oregon State is a team this current Husky team should beat. The Beavers are banged up, and they have a QB who is having a terrible year throwing the ball to his own players. The Husky defense needs to be ready to take advantage of those miscues next week to pick up it's second victory in a row.
I have been saying all week that the Mantra is win the next five games. With Stanford out of the way the new Mantra is when the next four. all four of these games are winnable, even Cal who barely got by WSU last night at home. The Cougars probably would have beaten the Bears if James Tardy had been on the active roster this week. I like WSU right now, and I like Doba because his team is getting better over the course of the year and that indicates good coaching. Well coached teams get better, poorly coached teams do not, and banged up teams like Cal just find a way to hold on.
UW is pretty healthy going into the final four game stretch of the season, and that is why I am still optimistic that we can be bowling in December if they can perform at the level they are capable of. Like yesterday, it likely won't be artistic, but you can't diminish the importance of practicing all week as a winner for the first time since the second week of the season. Any way you slice it, yesterday was a big day for Washington.
Saturday, November 03, 2007
One Down Four To Go
It is always nice to win even if it is less than impressive. Statistically we dominated Stanford today and even if the score wasn't as lobsided as it should have been it is a big step in the right direction.
Cheers to Louis Rankin for putting together one of the most impressive rushing days of any Husky in history with 254 yards. Did any of you see Locker blocking in front of Rankin on one of his long runs, it was a thing of beauty. Locker finished with 97 yards rushing, giving him 791 to break the mark set by Dennis Fitzpatrick in 1974. Jake is on a pace to gain over 1000 yards on the ground this year.
Rankin's total was the most for a Huskies back since Corey Dillon ran for 259 yards against Oregon in 1996 and fourth most since 1947. Jake Locker also ran for two scores and set the Washington single-season rushing record for a quarterback. Locker took a hard shot to the shoulder on that final TD but said he thinks he'll be fine. But he had a lot of ice on it after the game according to Bob Condotta of the Times.
The Huskies had six sacks and held the Cardinal to 253 yards.
Johnie Kirton gets his first catch of the year in the ninth game of the season, converting a third-and-eight with a 10-yard catch. On the next play Locker threw to him again and the ball bounced off his shoulder.
Jordan Murchison stepped in today substituting for Nate Williams in the nickel. He had some nice plays, nice to see him back.
Anthony Russo was robbed of a TD pass at the end of first half on the replay. I watched it quite a few times and it was a legit TD, poor call by the officials.
Cheers to Louis Rankin for putting together one of the most impressive rushing days of any Husky in history with 254 yards. Did any of you see Locker blocking in front of Rankin on one of his long runs, it was a thing of beauty. Locker finished with 97 yards rushing, giving him 791 to break the mark set by Dennis Fitzpatrick in 1974. Jake is on a pace to gain over 1000 yards on the ground this year.
Rankin's total was the most for a Huskies back since Corey Dillon ran for 259 yards against Oregon in 1996 and fourth most since 1947. Jake Locker also ran for two scores and set the Washington single-season rushing record for a quarterback. Locker took a hard shot to the shoulder on that final TD but said he thinks he'll be fine. But he had a lot of ice on it after the game according to Bob Condotta of the Times.
The Huskies had six sacks and held the Cardinal to 253 yards.
Johnie Kirton gets his first catch of the year in the ninth game of the season, converting a third-and-eight with a 10-yard catch. On the next play Locker threw to him again and the ball bounced off his shoulder.
Jordan Murchison stepped in today substituting for Nate Williams in the nickel. He had some nice plays, nice to see him back.
Anthony Russo was robbed of a TD pass at the end of first half on the replay. I watched it quite a few times and it was a legit TD, poor call by the officials.
Washington 27 Stanford 9
The Huskies meet Stanford today at 3:30 pm in Palo Alto. Check back through the day, and during the game as I update the blog.As you have all probably read this week the Cardinal are pretty banged up right now, and should be a pretty easy opponent for Washington. The main thing to worry about with these guys is their receivers who are good enough to burn Washington's DB's all day if we don't get pressure. Pressure should be an easy thing to apply since the Cardinal for all intents and purposes do not have a running game to worry about.
Defensively Harbaugh is going to gamble all day. The Cardinal blitz around 55% of the time and that could work for, or against them with a mobile QB like Jake Locker. The Cardinal need to get to Jake if they are going to have a chance. I don't think they have a chance of doing it, and Jake is going to have a lot of territory to lumber through today once he gets past the line of scrimmage. If I was Harbaugh I would be doing some corner blitzes early to see if I could get a good shot at Locker to rattle him. That type of stuff is risky because it gives the Huskies the opportunity to hit the long one, but sideline throws haven't been the strong part of Jakes reportoire yet so I would say it is worth the risk.
Word out of Montlake is the Huskies had some of the best practices of the year this week. Hard to analyze that one since the press is excused after stretching is done. You just have to depend on the remarks of a coach who will be in deep trouble if his team loses this one.
I was absolutely sure we would beat Arizona last week, I feel the same way about Stanford this week. What that means is i don't have a clue of what is going to happen today in the fourth quarter. Washington needs to put these guys away early, if they are hanging around in the fourth quarter watch out.
The New Stanford Stadium
Stanford took the bull by the horns and built a new stadium in under ten months for slightly under 100 million dollars. The new stadium seats only 50,000 which is much less than the old Stanford Stadium which seated around 80,000 fans. Reducing seating was a good idea since the Cal game is the only one which still can attract that amount of spectators. Stanford has their work cut out just filling up the 50,000 seat facility until they start winning consistently. The stadium was designed so additional capacity could be built on in the future if needed.
Here is a link with photos of the new stadium.
The New Stadium being built at Minnesota
The University of Minnesota is also building a new stadium. TCF Bank Stadium will have an open-air horseshoe design with a capacity of 50,000, including general seats as well as an array of club and suite seats. The stadium will complement the campus environment, have a collegiate look and feel, create two landscaped plazas, and accommodate other uses. The design allows for maximum flexibility, including potential expansion to 72,000 to 80,000 seats. The stadium cost is $288.5 million, which includes site preparation, district improvements, and the stadium itself.
Here is a link to the Minnesota Stadium site
A Question?
Why does it cost $188 million dollars less to build the same type of stadium at Stanford? If you look at the photos of the Stanford Stadium and compare it to the Minnesota layout there isn't a lot of difference. Perhaps the difference is site preparations and district improvements. Stanford Stadium was built in the existing bowl of the old stadium, and the Minnesota Stadium is starting completely from scratch.
USC 24 Oregon State 3
Yvenson Bernard could be out this week with a badly bruised shoulder but I think they will dress him up and play him today against the Trojans. If you are a Husky fan you have to root for the Trojans to beat up the Beavers physically today.
The Trojans have a 20-0 record in November games since Carroll became coach in 2001, and were 3-0 in regular-season December games as well before losing to UCLA 13-9 last year, knocking them out of the BCS national championship game.
Scoreless second half in this one as the Trojans coast with a big second quarter lead. Bernard didn't play and OSU was held under 100 yards rushing which was the key to the Trojan victory.
Oregon 35-23
ESPN Gameday goes to Autzen for the second time this year which is pretty cool if you are a Duck fan. I have been saying for quite some time that the Ducks are the best team in the country, and I really mean that. ASU? is going to give these guys a game, but I think the Oregon offense will be too much for the Devils.
21-13 Oregon late in the first half. Looks like I am initially right, the Ducks are moving the ball.
The Ducks just may be the best team in the country.
Arizona 34 UCLA 27
The Bruins travel to Arizona to try to get back on the winning side of the ledger after the disaster at WSU last week. Dorrell is probably on a hotter seat than Willingham right now because there isn't a coach in the country who does so little with so much.
Arizona is off to a 10-7 early first half lead against UCLA. Looks like this one is going to be another shootout as both teams have scored on a couple of big plays. 27-14 at the half with Arizona in the lead. 34-17 Arizona late in the third quarter. Arizona holds on to win 34-27.
California 13 WSU 3 Third Quarter
Win another one for the Doba? I will say this about WSU, they have been getting steadily better all season, and if they can beat UCLA they have a chance against the Bears. A loss to WSU today would really hurt the Bears who have lost three in a row. I don't think it will happen though, the Bears have too many tools to use at home against the Coug's. If WSU does win it will be another big shot in the arm of Coach Doba.
Cal takes an early 7-0 lead in this one. Cal has built on their lead in the second quarter leading 10-0. WSU really misses Tardy. Cal is beatable Husky fans. 10-3 in the early third quarter Cal.
This is a pretty close game and you have to wonder what it would be like for WSU if they had James Tardy.
Navy 48 Notre Dame 46 Triple Overtime
We have enjoyed watching Notre Dame lose almost every week this season. Navy hasn't beaten the Irish since back in the early 60's when a guy named Roger Staubach was the Midshipman QB. Navy wins it 48-46 on a gutsy call to go for two!
Washington 27 Stanford 9
Well it is 7-0 Washington last in the first quarter and I have to tell you that Jake Locker is the most impressive athlete in the Pac Ten. I think the guy is better than Reggie Bush. He may be the player of the decade, and it was a good decade, before he is through. As far as the Huskies go in the first quarter they were terrible except for the TD. Jake had an interception deep in Stanford territory, and the Cards are getting way too many yards against our defense.
The second quarter is very stinky for both teams. Rankin fumbles the ball at the one and Stanford recovers. Stanford fumbles on the next play and gives it back to Washington. We are talking the bottom of the Pac today, a real toilet bowl so far, 10-3 Washington. On the last drive of the half Russo drops an open pass in the endzone that originally looks like a TD. On the next play Jake gets sacked and it takes us out of FG range. Ballman comes in rather than Perkins, and misses wide despite having plenty of distance.
The Huskies put up 303 yards on Stanford and only lead 10-3 at half.
Second Half
The Huskies drive down inside the Stanford ten, stall and have to kick a field goal. Reece caught a TD pass in the endzone but had a foot out of bounds.
Washington 13 Stanford 3
Stanford just drove down the field for a TD easily on the ground.
Washington 13 Stanford 9
The Huskies march right back.
Washington 20 Stanford 9
Locker runs one in for the icing.
Washington 27-9 Final
Hey, it's a win, we will take that even though for the yards we ran up we should have scored 60 points. Next week we play a much better team, and coming off a win it should help us.
Florida State Beats Boston College
Oregon is now officially in the national championship race and should be #3 behind LSU, and Ohio State next week. Kate took the BC loss pretty hard and was really cranky after the game.
Friday, November 02, 2007
Matt Hayes of Sporting News on Washington
1. Staff recruits players.
2. Staff coaches players.
3. Players perform how they are coached.
That's it, people. If Washington is struggling, it's coaching. Willingham has three recruiting seasons under him -- more than enough time to start a turnaround or at least become a respectable team that can beat the Arizona's of the world. If it weren't for Locker, this team would be winless.
Instead, the staff is spineless.
Well that is Matt Hayes reaction after he poured over the Internet, and local newspapers the past week. It just shows you can interpret anything anyway you want.
I think calling the staff spineless is a low blow. The coaches and players have their backs against the wall and are doing their best right now not to be torn apart. If you want to form your opinions based on a few quotes that have been analyzed to the tenth degree go right ahead Matt because you can make a good case either way.
Out here in Seattle we have a favored son coach in waiting by the name of Jim Mora Jr. Ever since he announced in a radio show that he would jump at the UW position if offered Husky fans have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to dump Ty for the favorite son.
I have mixed emotions about all this. I always said it would take five years to rebuild this program because of the fact that Ty took over a young bad team. It was going to take that long to recruit and mature the type of classes it would take to get back on top. It seems to me 2.5 years is a little early to be sending Ty down the river. That all changed in most of our minds, including mine, after the Arizona game.
Ty said this week that his team is close to winning, and winning a lot over the next few years, and I agree with him.
All that being said there are still five game left this season, win all five and the program is back on track. This has been a tough week at Washington, but maybe it was necessary to light a fire under the program, it's players, coaches, and athletic director.
2. Staff coaches players.
3. Players perform how they are coached.
That's it, people. If Washington is struggling, it's coaching. Willingham has three recruiting seasons under him -- more than enough time to start a turnaround or at least become a respectable team that can beat the Arizona's of the world. If it weren't for Locker, this team would be winless.
Instead, the staff is spineless.
Well that is Matt Hayes reaction after he poured over the Internet, and local newspapers the past week. It just shows you can interpret anything anyway you want.
I think calling the staff spineless is a low blow. The coaches and players have their backs against the wall and are doing their best right now not to be torn apart. If you want to form your opinions based on a few quotes that have been analyzed to the tenth degree go right ahead Matt because you can make a good case either way.
Out here in Seattle we have a favored son coach in waiting by the name of Jim Mora Jr. Ever since he announced in a radio show that he would jump at the UW position if offered Husky fans have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to dump Ty for the favorite son.
I have mixed emotions about all this. I always said it would take five years to rebuild this program because of the fact that Ty took over a young bad team. It was going to take that long to recruit and mature the type of classes it would take to get back on top. It seems to me 2.5 years is a little early to be sending Ty down the river. That all changed in most of our minds, including mine, after the Arizona game.
Ty said this week that his team is close to winning, and winning a lot over the next few years, and I agree with him.
All that being said there are still five game left this season, win all five and the program is back on track. This has been a tough week at Washington, but maybe it was necessary to light a fire under the program, it's players, coaches, and athletic director.
D - Day in Palo Alto
So it's Friday, and most UW fans have drawn some lines in the sand this week. Most of us are happy with the direction Locker and the offense is going, and I think we are getting to be close to a team that you have to outscore each week to beat. We aren't Oregon yet, but you can see some major steps in that direction with the way the Husky offense has been progressing.
Defensively everyone wants to fire Coach Baer even though if pressed, most fans and reporters couldn't diagram a basic two-deep zone, the cover two, or let alone a weak-side safety blitz. Kent Baer makes a lot of money to coordinate Washington's defense so the criticism that happens when things don't go right is just part of the job description.
We analyzed what we called the worst defense in the country this week. I came to the conclusion that health, depth, and talent were the main culprit in the mid season collapse of the unit. Sure the scheming could be better, sure they could do a better job of disguising what they are doing, and sure they could be playing a more aggressive type of defense. What it really comes down to is our best players are banged up, and they don't have enough quality behind them to pick up the slack.
We all talked about the offense in glowing terms this week despite the fact that they gave up the ball five times against Arizona. You can say what you want about the maligned defense and its very maligned coordinator but five turnovers is enough to kill any team on any day no matter how brilliant the QB played who made them. Those five turnovers cost us 21 points on offense, and at least seven of defense. That is quite a swing in a 48-41 loss.
I think the criticism and pitch fork waving served a purpose this week, it served notice to the Husky staff that no matter what the excuses were we all expected a better performance against a team we should have beaten in year three. That message was heard at the highest levels and it made an impression on President Emmert who ultimately will be making any decisions that have to be made in December.
So hopefully the team is going into Palo Alto with a D-Day type of mentality this week. Lose this one and the criticism last week will look like a hiccup. Lose this one and it becomes doubtful if the entire staff can survive beyond 2007 no matter how good their intentions.
I have made a concerted effort to try to keep it positive this week by still keeping it real. We know what the columnist's are thinking, we certainly know what Top Dawg is thinking, and we know that one of our readers only wishes is that you buy a Hire Mora T-Shirt so it can be seen on national TV. We also took an objective look at the defensive future and determined that if we don't have a tremendous recruiting year in 2008 it is going to be very difficult to turn around.
So in response to all that I have been urging the team, and it's fans to rally together to finish the season 5-0. Beat Stanford, Oregon St, California, WSU, and Hawaii, and it is that simple. Do that and the main goal of the season which was to finish with a winning record, and go to a bowl game is accomplished.
I think it is a very achievable goal for this football team. I look at our upcoming opponents and sense that they are just as battle worn as we are. If the team can rally, and focus they can finish 5-0 because they have a secret weapon by the name of Jake Locker.
Locker aside, I think the rest of the team is in good mental shape coming into this game, nobody has quit, and even JR Hasty has decided to rejoin the squad which brings a sigh of relief as far as local recruiting is concerned. His father's interview in the newspapers last week, followed by the loss ignited the simmering pile of discontentment.
I'm not sure if JR is going to make the trip this week, and I am not sure he deserves to, but it all starts in Palo Alto tomorrow afternoon, beat the Cardinal and everything is still possible.
Husky Poll
We keep asking the same question every week and that is if the Huskies will be able to beat their opponent. The answer has been almost the same all year. Our readers have predicted that our team would win every game other than the Oregon contest. This week the voting is very close with the people predicting a win holding a narrow 2 vote advantage over the fans who think we are going to lose.
Defensively everyone wants to fire Coach Baer even though if pressed, most fans and reporters couldn't diagram a basic two-deep zone, the cover two, or let alone a weak-side safety blitz. Kent Baer makes a lot of money to coordinate Washington's defense so the criticism that happens when things don't go right is just part of the job description.
We analyzed what we called the worst defense in the country this week. I came to the conclusion that health, depth, and talent were the main culprit in the mid season collapse of the unit. Sure the scheming could be better, sure they could do a better job of disguising what they are doing, and sure they could be playing a more aggressive type of defense. What it really comes down to is our best players are banged up, and they don't have enough quality behind them to pick up the slack.
We all talked about the offense in glowing terms this week despite the fact that they gave up the ball five times against Arizona. You can say what you want about the maligned defense and its very maligned coordinator but five turnovers is enough to kill any team on any day no matter how brilliant the QB played who made them. Those five turnovers cost us 21 points on offense, and at least seven of defense. That is quite a swing in a 48-41 loss.
I think the criticism and pitch fork waving served a purpose this week, it served notice to the Husky staff that no matter what the excuses were we all expected a better performance against a team we should have beaten in year three. That message was heard at the highest levels and it made an impression on President Emmert who ultimately will be making any decisions that have to be made in December.
So hopefully the team is going into Palo Alto with a D-Day type of mentality this week. Lose this one and the criticism last week will look like a hiccup. Lose this one and it becomes doubtful if the entire staff can survive beyond 2007 no matter how good their intentions.
I have made a concerted effort to try to keep it positive this week by still keeping it real. We know what the columnist's are thinking, we certainly know what Top Dawg is thinking, and we know that one of our readers only wishes is that you buy a Hire Mora T-Shirt so it can be seen on national TV. We also took an objective look at the defensive future and determined that if we don't have a tremendous recruiting year in 2008 it is going to be very difficult to turn around.
So in response to all that I have been urging the team, and it's fans to rally together to finish the season 5-0. Beat Stanford, Oregon St, California, WSU, and Hawaii, and it is that simple. Do that and the main goal of the season which was to finish with a winning record, and go to a bowl game is accomplished.
I think it is a very achievable goal for this football team. I look at our upcoming opponents and sense that they are just as battle worn as we are. If the team can rally, and focus they can finish 5-0 because they have a secret weapon by the name of Jake Locker.
Locker aside, I think the rest of the team is in good mental shape coming into this game, nobody has quit, and even JR Hasty has decided to rejoin the squad which brings a sigh of relief as far as local recruiting is concerned. His father's interview in the newspapers last week, followed by the loss ignited the simmering pile of discontentment.
I'm not sure if JR is going to make the trip this week, and I am not sure he deserves to, but it all starts in Palo Alto tomorrow afternoon, beat the Cardinal and everything is still possible.
Husky Poll
We keep asking the same question every week and that is if the Huskies will be able to beat their opponent. The answer has been almost the same all year. Our readers have predicted that our team would win every game other than the Oregon contest. This week the voting is very close with the people predicting a win holding a narrow 2 vote advantage over the fans who think we are going to lose.
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Moore Calls Out the Idiots in Cyberspace
Jim Moore wrote a column defending Kent Baer today in the PI. I like the fact that Jim is taking a different angle by showing the human side of Coach Baer. If anyone ever needed some good PR this week it would be Kent Baer.
Jim also takes a shot at the idiots out in cyberspace. So I guess everyone who thinks we should start firing coaches is an idiot in his opinion.
Let me say this, a lot of people have been making the point that there are five games left in the season, and we should all reserve judgement till the end of the year. Until then we should all do our best to support the coaches, players, and support staff.
I think that is fair.
Did he get stupid overnight?
Did he somehow forget the coaching fundamentals that worked everywhere else?
Based on the screams for his head in chat rooms, apparently so.
But do any of the idiots in cyberspace know what Baer is dealing with here? A lack of talent. A lack of depth. A lack of experience. You see meltdowns against Oregon and Arizona and other second-half collapses, and blame it all on him?
What about UW defensive assistants Randy Hart, Chris Tormey and J.D. Williams? Are they suddenly dummies, too?
I want to make one more point, and that is that maybe Jim Moore, being a Cougar and Husky basher, has totally ulterior motives. Don James was asked what he thought of Joe Kapp as a head coach when he was at California, and James said he hoped Cal kept Kapp as head coach till the end of his career.
I am just telling you, Jim Moore can be tricky that way.
Jim also takes a shot at the idiots out in cyberspace. So I guess everyone who thinks we should start firing coaches is an idiot in his opinion.
Let me say this, a lot of people have been making the point that there are five games left in the season, and we should all reserve judgement till the end of the year. Until then we should all do our best to support the coaches, players, and support staff.
I think that is fair.
Did he get stupid overnight?
Did he somehow forget the coaching fundamentals that worked everywhere else?
Based on the screams for his head in chat rooms, apparently so.
But do any of the idiots in cyberspace know what Baer is dealing with here? A lack of talent. A lack of depth. A lack of experience. You see meltdowns against Oregon and Arizona and other second-half collapses, and blame it all on him?
What about UW defensive assistants Randy Hart, Chris Tormey and J.D. Williams? Are they suddenly dummies, too?
I want to make one more point, and that is that maybe Jim Moore, being a Cougar and Husky basher, has totally ulterior motives. Don James was asked what he thought of Joe Kapp as a head coach when he was at California, and James said he hoped Cal kept Kapp as head coach till the end of his career.
I am just telling you, Jim Moore can be tricky that way.
Stanford Preview
It's time to devote a day to talking about our upcoming opponent Stanford.
Stanford is coming off a 23-6 loss at Oregon State last week while the Huskies were beaten at home by Arizona, 48-41, to run their current losing streak to six ... Stanford has won the last two meetings with Washington, including a 20-3 victory last year in Seattle, which was the Cardinal's only win of the 2006 campaign ... A Stanford victory would give the Cardinal three straight wins in the series, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since Stanford won 10 straight from 1967-76. The series, which dates back to 1893, is led by the Huskies, 39-34-3.
We all know that Jim Harbaugh and his staff have done a marvelous job down on the farm this season, so marvelous that Jim's name is now being tossed around by Michigan as a replacement for Lloyd Carr. For Stanford the goal is simple, make sure you keep Harbaugh as your head coach because a lot of schools are going to come calling over the next couple of years.
Harbaugh of course is not an instant genius after doing an apprenticeship at University of San Diego before getting his first big time gig at Stanford. He spent a lot of time in the NFL, and the one thing he brings to a team is a lot of enthusiasm, and excitement. Stanford by the way is fueled on those two things this year, on paper they don't have a lot of talent left after a wave of injuries descended on the team almost from the get go.
Clover Park's Tavita Pritchard is the young QB leading this team. Tavita is the nephew of ex Cougar great Jack Thompson. Tavita could have been a Cougar, or a Husky but neither team recruited him. I did read a story this week that said he has hated the Huskies his entire life, and his father wouldn't allow anything Purple and Gold in the house while he was growing up. That being said I hope he spends a lot of Saturday on his back, and wakes up with Purple and Gold bruises on Sunday morning.
Sophomore WR Richard Sherman is attempting to become the first player to lead the Cardinal in receptions in back-to-back seasons since Brad Muster led the team three straight years from 1984-86 ... Sherman is also attempting to become the first wide receiver to lead the team in receptions in consecutive seasons since Andre Tyler in 1979-80 ...The second-year Cardinal from Compton, Calif., was Stanford's top receiver a year ago as a true freshman with 34 catches for 581 yards, three touchdowns and a 17.1 average ... He currently leads the team in all receiving categories: 36 receptions, 635 yards, 17.6 average and four touchdowns ... His career yards per catch average of 17.4 is currently sixth in the Cardinal record book ... Sherman's per game average of 79.3 receiving yards per game currently ranks second in the Pac-10 ... If he continues on that pace over the final four games of the season, Sherman could challenge to become only the fifth receiver in Stanford history to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in a season (the last one was Troy Walters in 1999) ... In his brief career on The Farm, Sherman already has 70 receptions for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns.
Stanford's offensive numbers in 2007 are a significant improvement over last year's in every category ... A year ago, the Cardinal averaged 65 yards on the ground, 167 through the air, 232 yards in total offense and 10.6 points per game ... Fast forward to 2007 and those same numbers read: 101 rushing yards per game, 224 passing, 325 yards in total offense and 20.9 points scored per game ... A year ago, Stanford scored more than 20 points in just one of 12 games ... So far in 2007, the Cardinal has scored more than 20 points in five games, including three over 30 points ... In game two vs. San Jose State, the Cardinal offense accounted for 506 yards, the most on The Farm since the 2002 season (563 yards vs. SJS) ... Stanford also rushed for 276 yards against the Spartans, equaling the most for a Cardinal offense since the 2001 season ... In the season opener vs. UCLA, Stanford threw for 346 yards, the most since Nov. 26, 2005 when Stanford passed for 347 yards vs. Notre Dame in the final game of the "old" Stanford Stadium ... The Cardinal's 37 points scored vs. San Jose State in game two was the most by a Cardinal offense in the last 20 games - dating back to Oct. 22, 2005 (45 points vs. ASU).
Stanford has almost doubled the number of sacks it had all of last year - and there is still four more games to play in the regular season ... A year ago, the Cardinal had 14 total sacks and averaged a Pac-10 low 1.3 per game ... In 2007, the Cardinal is No. 2 in the conference and No,. 8 in the nation with 28 sacks and a per game average of 3.38 ... Stanford has also seen a similar increase in tackles for loss over a year ago ... The Cardinal recorded 4.2 tackles for loss per game in 2006; that number has increased to 8.0 in 2007 ... Stanford is third in the Pac-10 and 14th nationally in tackles for loss ... In defeating No. 1 ranked USC, the Cardinal defense accounted for four sacks (-29 yards), six tackles for loss (-34 yards), four interceptions, caused five turnovers, while recording two pass breakups, a forced fumble and fumble recovery ... Stanford also held the Trojans, 10th in the nation averaging 237 yards rushing per game, to just 95 net yards on the ground ... A week later against TCU, the Cardinal defense was credited with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two pass break ups and four quarterback hurries ... In Stanford's 21-20 win at Arizona, Stanford recorded three sacks, eight tackles for loss, a forced fumble, fumble recovery, interception and two fourth down stops that were key to the Cardinal's win ... Stanford was effective again behind the line of scrimmage in its Oct. 27 game at Oregon State as the Cardinal registered six sacks and nine tackles for loss.
In his two seasons as one of the Cardinal's starting linebackers, sophomore Clinton Synder has made his presence known throughout the Pacific-10 Conference ... A year ago, he was 10th in the Pac-10 in tackles per game (6.9); this year, he is among the conference leaders in tackles (7.9), sacks, tackles for loss and forced fumbles ... He began this season battling injuries and saw his play limited in the first two games ... But, over the course of the last six games, he has averaged 10 tackles per game and been one of the team's most active and effective players on defense ... In the past two years, he has started 18, recorded nine of more tackles in 10 of those contests.
Why Stanford Will Win
Stanford will win by keeping the home crowd in the game and feasting on Husky offensive mistakes much like Arizona did last weekend. The Cardinal may be depleted and banged up but they have a tougher defense then the Arizona Wildcats and if they can use it to their advantage and hold Washington to under 21 points they have a very good chance of winning.
On offense the Cardinals have some very good receivers, and Tavita Pritchard keeps improving in his role as starting QB each week. The kid has proven himself a winner after leading his team to an upset of USC that has to be ranked as one of the most stunning upsets in college football history.
The Washington defense is the worst in the conference right now and while Stanford's offense is improved they are no exactly a point producing machine yet. If Stanford can simply play error free ball and keep it close they should be able to close things out in the latter stages if the game.
Why Washington Will Win
Stanford has big time troubles with mobile QB's, and Jake just may be at his best this week with a lot to prove down on the farm. Washington has the ability to put up 40 or more points on the Cardinal this weekend, and Stanford has proven up to this point that they can't score that many points so in a track meet you have to go with Washington this week.
Defensively the Huskies are reeling this week, but we all have the feeling that the coaches and players are going to rally together this week and push things in the right direction. I can't put u finger on it, but I think it all comes down to the fact that this team will not give up no matter what happened last week against Arizona in the fourth quarter.
What Do I Think?
I have to go with the Huskies in this one. I like how the team has circled the wagons this week, and I am pretty sure the team is ready for a breakout game on the road against the Cardinal. Let's face it, Stanford while playing their hearts out each week isn't a very good football team. Washington's offense continues to improve each week, and Locker should run wild against these guys.
Defensively I have have a hard time thinking that our team is dead, and won't start rebounding. I think the coaches have taken the right approach this week under heavy fire and are not conceding anything. this of course is just a feeling, but the Huskies are due to play their first complete game on both sides of the ball on Saturday.
I am going with a 42-24 Washington victory, and another near 500 yard day for Jake Locker. I was close on my prediction last week, at least from an offensive perspective, hopefully the defensive part of the prediction will be here this week.
Stanford is coming off a 23-6 loss at Oregon State last week while the Huskies were beaten at home by Arizona, 48-41, to run their current losing streak to six ... Stanford has won the last two meetings with Washington, including a 20-3 victory last year in Seattle, which was the Cardinal's only win of the 2006 campaign ... A Stanford victory would give the Cardinal three straight wins in the series, a feat that hasn't been accomplished since Stanford won 10 straight from 1967-76. The series, which dates back to 1893, is led by the Huskies, 39-34-3.
We all know that Jim Harbaugh and his staff have done a marvelous job down on the farm this season, so marvelous that Jim's name is now being tossed around by Michigan as a replacement for Lloyd Carr. For Stanford the goal is simple, make sure you keep Harbaugh as your head coach because a lot of schools are going to come calling over the next couple of years.
Harbaugh of course is not an instant genius after doing an apprenticeship at University of San Diego before getting his first big time gig at Stanford. He spent a lot of time in the NFL, and the one thing he brings to a team is a lot of enthusiasm, and excitement. Stanford by the way is fueled on those two things this year, on paper they don't have a lot of talent left after a wave of injuries descended on the team almost from the get go.
Clover Park's Tavita Pritchard is the young QB leading this team. Tavita is the nephew of ex Cougar great Jack Thompson. Tavita could have been a Cougar, or a Husky but neither team recruited him. I did read a story this week that said he has hated the Huskies his entire life, and his father wouldn't allow anything Purple and Gold in the house while he was growing up. That being said I hope he spends a lot of Saturday on his back, and wakes up with Purple and Gold bruises on Sunday morning.
Sophomore WR Richard Sherman is attempting to become the first player to lead the Cardinal in receptions in back-to-back seasons since Brad Muster led the team three straight years from 1984-86 ... Sherman is also attempting to become the first wide receiver to lead the team in receptions in consecutive seasons since Andre Tyler in 1979-80 ...The second-year Cardinal from Compton, Calif., was Stanford's top receiver a year ago as a true freshman with 34 catches for 581 yards, three touchdowns and a 17.1 average ... He currently leads the team in all receiving categories: 36 receptions, 635 yards, 17.6 average and four touchdowns ... His career yards per catch average of 17.4 is currently sixth in the Cardinal record book ... Sherman's per game average of 79.3 receiving yards per game currently ranks second in the Pac-10 ... If he continues on that pace over the final four games of the season, Sherman could challenge to become only the fifth receiver in Stanford history to gain over 1,000 receiving yards in a season (the last one was Troy Walters in 1999) ... In his brief career on The Farm, Sherman already has 70 receptions for 1,216 yards and seven touchdowns.
Stanford's offensive numbers in 2007 are a significant improvement over last year's in every category ... A year ago, the Cardinal averaged 65 yards on the ground, 167 through the air, 232 yards in total offense and 10.6 points per game ... Fast forward to 2007 and those same numbers read: 101 rushing yards per game, 224 passing, 325 yards in total offense and 20.9 points scored per game ... A year ago, Stanford scored more than 20 points in just one of 12 games ... So far in 2007, the Cardinal has scored more than 20 points in five games, including three over 30 points ... In game two vs. San Jose State, the Cardinal offense accounted for 506 yards, the most on The Farm since the 2002 season (563 yards vs. SJS) ... Stanford also rushed for 276 yards against the Spartans, equaling the most for a Cardinal offense since the 2001 season ... In the season opener vs. UCLA, Stanford threw for 346 yards, the most since Nov. 26, 2005 when Stanford passed for 347 yards vs. Notre Dame in the final game of the "old" Stanford Stadium ... The Cardinal's 37 points scored vs. San Jose State in game two was the most by a Cardinal offense in the last 20 games - dating back to Oct. 22, 2005 (45 points vs. ASU).
Stanford has almost doubled the number of sacks it had all of last year - and there is still four more games to play in the regular season ... A year ago, the Cardinal had 14 total sacks and averaged a Pac-10 low 1.3 per game ... In 2007, the Cardinal is No. 2 in the conference and No,. 8 in the nation with 28 sacks and a per game average of 3.38 ... Stanford has also seen a similar increase in tackles for loss over a year ago ... The Cardinal recorded 4.2 tackles for loss per game in 2006; that number has increased to 8.0 in 2007 ... Stanford is third in the Pac-10 and 14th nationally in tackles for loss ... In defeating No. 1 ranked USC, the Cardinal defense accounted for four sacks (-29 yards), six tackles for loss (-34 yards), four interceptions, caused five turnovers, while recording two pass breakups, a forced fumble and fumble recovery ... Stanford also held the Trojans, 10th in the nation averaging 237 yards rushing per game, to just 95 net yards on the ground ... A week later against TCU, the Cardinal defense was credited with eight tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two pass break ups and four quarterback hurries ... In Stanford's 21-20 win at Arizona, Stanford recorded three sacks, eight tackles for loss, a forced fumble, fumble recovery, interception and two fourth down stops that were key to the Cardinal's win ... Stanford was effective again behind the line of scrimmage in its Oct. 27 game at Oregon State as the Cardinal registered six sacks and nine tackles for loss.
In his two seasons as one of the Cardinal's starting linebackers, sophomore Clinton Synder has made his presence known throughout the Pacific-10 Conference ... A year ago, he was 10th in the Pac-10 in tackles per game (6.9); this year, he is among the conference leaders in tackles (7.9), sacks, tackles for loss and forced fumbles ... He began this season battling injuries and saw his play limited in the first two games ... But, over the course of the last six games, he has averaged 10 tackles per game and been one of the team's most active and effective players on defense ... In the past two years, he has started 18, recorded nine of more tackles in 10 of those contests.
Why Stanford Will Win
Stanford will win by keeping the home crowd in the game and feasting on Husky offensive mistakes much like Arizona did last weekend. The Cardinal may be depleted and banged up but they have a tougher defense then the Arizona Wildcats and if they can use it to their advantage and hold Washington to under 21 points they have a very good chance of winning.
On offense the Cardinals have some very good receivers, and Tavita Pritchard keeps improving in his role as starting QB each week. The kid has proven himself a winner after leading his team to an upset of USC that has to be ranked as one of the most stunning upsets in college football history.
The Washington defense is the worst in the conference right now and while Stanford's offense is improved they are no exactly a point producing machine yet. If Stanford can simply play error free ball and keep it close they should be able to close things out in the latter stages if the game.
Why Washington Will Win
Stanford has big time troubles with mobile QB's, and Jake just may be at his best this week with a lot to prove down on the farm. Washington has the ability to put up 40 or more points on the Cardinal this weekend, and Stanford has proven up to this point that they can't score that many points so in a track meet you have to go with Washington this week.
Defensively the Huskies are reeling this week, but we all have the feeling that the coaches and players are going to rally together this week and push things in the right direction. I can't put u finger on it, but I think it all comes down to the fact that this team will not give up no matter what happened last week against Arizona in the fourth quarter.
What Do I Think?
I have to go with the Huskies in this one. I like how the team has circled the wagons this week, and I am pretty sure the team is ready for a breakout game on the road against the Cardinal. Let's face it, Stanford while playing their hearts out each week isn't a very good football team. Washington's offense continues to improve each week, and Locker should run wild against these guys.
Defensively I have have a hard time thinking that our team is dead, and won't start rebounding. I think the coaches have taken the right approach this week under heavy fire and are not conceding anything. this of course is just a feeling, but the Huskies are due to play their first complete game on both sides of the ball on Saturday.
I am going with a 42-24 Washington victory, and another near 500 yard day for Jake Locker. I was close on my prediction last week, at least from an offensive perspective, hopefully the defensive part of the prediction will be here this week.
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