Pac Ten Alley

I am back from vacation over in the islands and I have to tell you it was a whole lot better than hanging out in Chicago. I didn't write a lot while I was over there because frankly there wasn't a lot of football stuff to write about which is typical for late May.

Here are few brief tidbits that have come up that are interesting.

First of all Juan Garcia is progressing well without surgery.

The cast on his foot has been removed and he will bear partial weight on the foot over the next four weeks. After that period, he will be able to put full weight on his foot. He will remain on crutches the next few weeks in order to keep his full weight off the injured foot."

We all know that it took a full year for Stanback to recover from this injury, but Juan's injury wasn't nearly as serious which is a very good thing. Still the odds of him being the starting center against Oregon are not in his favor. Camp should open around the first of August, and that leaves him only a month to get back into shape, and regain full mobility for the start of practice....pretty tall order.

Realistically if we get a half season out of Garcia it is a bonus for the program, and even a bigger one for the kid who has NFL aspirations. He should be more than fully recovered when combines roll around next spring.

On the recruiting front Washington hasn't signed a player yet for the 2009 class, that will change in June during camp, but don't look for UW to sign many kids early this year as it is a wait and see year for Tyrone.

As for Tyrone it is extremely doubtful he is going to get a fifth year. Ty needs to win seven games next season for that type of consideration, and while the team will continue to improve the wins aren't likely going to be there. Every publication in the country lists him as being on the hottest seat. I don't want to go into details, but I don't think the team is very united behind Ty at this point which won't help matters this Fall. Bottom line....they aren't buying what he is selling, and playing football for him isn't fun.

The new AD, Scott Woodward, and Mark Emmert will make the call on the next head coach, and don't doubt for a minute that there isn't a candidate list already being put together for 2009.

I heard an interesting name this week, and it was current Seahawk coach Mike Holmgren. Holmgren of course will retire from the Seahawks after this season, but don't think for a minute that he is done with coaching. I know it is a longshot, but I thought I would throw it out there since Holmgren wouldn't mind staying in the area long term.

Another name of course is Jeff Tedford of California. Tedford is the hardest working guy on the Pacific Coast, and you have to think the stall in facility building in Berkeley is getting old. Add Chris Petersen of Boise State to the fantasy list also.

As far as the AD search goes UW is finding out that top candidates from other schools have no interest. The AD at Georgia Tech who was probably the front runner took his name off the list. Back on the list is former Oregon AD Bill Moos, and of course current UTEP AD Bob Stull. I think one of those two guys will get the nod despite being a little long in the tooth.

Pac Ten Alley

We open with lots of good, and not so good stuff in the Cougar blog. You hate to see a kid do something like this to himself, but before you pass judgement know that Cal is a good kid who made some pretty stupid mistakes. I predict he will bounce back and finish on top.

Dang. This is too bad. Calvin Schmidtke, the QB who tore it up last year in a pass-happy offense and a guy many compared to Jason Gesser, Chase Daniel and Todd Reesing among others? The kid who looked like the perfect fit in the new Todd Sturdy offense? Well, according to today's TNT, Schmidtke is OUT. That's right, Paul Wulff and Jim Sterk made the decision to release the promising young QB before he ever set foot on campus.

Michael Wines weighs in with some commentary on Phil Knight, and the coverage that his influence on the Oregon program has gotten over the past month nationally. Nice job Michael!

Personally, I don't think anyone will deny that "Uncle Phil" has a lot of pull at the U of O athletic department. But let's get realistic, why shouldn't he? Where was Oregon Sports 15 years ago? Have they improved, are the facilities something to be proud of (and still growing)? If the answers to these questions were no, then I say we having something to complain about.

As usual Jon Wilner contributes some good info from the Bay Area.

Now that there’s a chance they could happily snag Robin Lopez at 14 and not have to agonize over Brook Lopez at 3. (Do Nelson/Mullin think B Lopez is worth the third pick? I’m not so sure.)

A little baseball commentary from the Arizona blog. Bottom line is there are too many good teams in the Pac Ten.

Favoritism exists in college baseball, that can’t be denied. Two-time defending national champion Oregon State won’t get a chance for the repeat as they were left out of the field of 64, while Oklahoma and Arkansas were admitted to NCAA baseball playoffs. The Razorbacks didn’t even qualify to play in their SEC tournament.

Tedford has some comments about DeSean Jackson.

Cal Coach Jeff Tedford told the Daily News the problem last year wasn't so much with Jackson as it was with his family. "With outside opinions and outside advice always eating at DeSean, he was in a very tough spot," Tedford said

NIT Baseball tornament for OSU, is there really such a thing?

After an intense round of analysis and debate the first super-official college baseball NIT selection committee announced half of the field last night. Baylor received top honors. The Bears (32-26), who finished sixth in the Big-12 and missed out on the NCAA tournament, will continue their season this weekend as the top regional host in the NIT tournament. The College of Charlestown (39-20) and Missouri State (40-17) presented solid alternatives but in the end Baylor’s state of the art home field and demanding schedule carried the day.

USC picked up their 11th commit of the year and it is still May.

USC received its 11th commitment from defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo of Mt. San Antonio College. Now there's a name I can't wait to write on a daily basis.How good is Fangupo? I don't know but I know he was offered by Tennessee, Oregon, Arizona State, Oregon State, Missouri and Arizona.The Trojans might not be done at Mt. SAC. They are also looking at cornerback Dominick Gaisie, who is originally from Bishop Amat.

ASU wins Pac Ten Baseball Title.

No. 2 Arizona State clinched its second consecutive Pac-10 championship with a 13-6 win over Arizona Thursday night at Kindall Field at Sancet Stadium in Tucson. The win marks the second straight year the Sun Devils have clinched the conference title against the rival Wildcats, and it improves their record to 45-9, 16-6 in the Pac-10.

The Bruin Baseball team made the regionals. Nice new look over at the Bruin Blog!

Here's a look at this weekend's Fullerton regional where the Bruins will make their third consecutive postseason appearance. I'll have an in depth look at the Bruins' opening game versus Virginia Thursday afternoon. Teams have played up to 58 games. Some have won regular season conference titles; others have won conference tournament titles. A select few have even won both. One team has a mere 16 wins, while another has a gaudy 48 wins. However, starting Friday all of that gets thrown out the window as college baseball's second season gets underway with 16 regionals nationwide. One of those regionals is in Fullerton where the Titans will host UCLA, Virginia and Rider at Goodwin Field.

Hansen Retiring

I heard today that Tom Hansen the Pac Ten commisioner was retiring and that Dan White the Notre Dame AD, and Dan Bebee the current Big Twelve Commisioner were the two top choices at this time to replace him.

I always liked the fact that Hansen was a Husky, but the glow on that Rose faded over a decade ago, he is more of a dinosaur than a Husky.

Huskies Host LSU in 2009

Those of you hoping for a let up in the schedule may have been pretty surprised today to read that the Huskies will open the 2009 season against LSU. Other non conference games that season will be Notre Dame, and Idaho.

I am all for big non conference games, but feel one per year is enough at this time when you consider the current state of the program. Even in good years playing Notre Dame who we have never beaten, and LSU is like penciling in a couple of losses in advance.

In a year with ND already schedules I would prefer to then play a WAC, and a MWC opponent to balance things out.

A Little Vacation

I am taking a little time off this week for vacation. My wife and I are kicking back over in Maui getting some beach, and pool time.

As far as Husky news goes not much going on this week so far.

The AD search has been quiet, and we don't expect word on a decision till sometime in late June.

Husky assistant Paul Fortier is under consideration for a head coaching job at Brown.

Franklin HS standout Peyton Siva is headed to Louisville rather than UW.

Aloha!

Husky Poll Question

Last week we asked this question?

Which Husky Sport is your favorite following football, and basketball?

Crew 31% (14 votes)
Baseball 27% (12 votes)
Women's Basketball 4% (2 votes)
Softball 4% (2 votes)
Track and Field 7% (3 votes)
Golf 0% (0 votes)
Gymnastics 0% (0 votes)
Swimming 0% (0 votes)
Tennis 2% (1 votes)
Cross Country 0% (0 votes)
Soccer 11% (5 votes)
Volleyball 11% (5 votes)
Other: 2% (1 votes)

Crew and Baseball were the overwhelming picks in this one, and I would have to say they are my top two with Crew getting the nod.

This weeks question is:

How many yards per game will the Husky Defense give up in 2008?

Interesting question, and probably one of the biggest keys to success in the 2008 season.

2007 TOTAL DEFENSE

1. USC - 273.22.
2. Oregon State - 306.23.
3. UCLA - 343.24.
4. Arizona State - 345.25.
5. Arizona - 372.26.
6. California - 378.8
7. Oregon - 382.08.
8. Washington State - 421.19.
9. Stanford - 435.510.
10. Washington - 446.4

Pac Ten Alley

We start off with a new article from Seattle PI Husky Football Beat Writer Molly Yanity. She reviews the QB's the Huskies will face in 2008.

While the Washington spring football game might have revealed an improved -- but untested -- defense, the images of last year's second-half defensive meltdowns still haunt the Huskies.
How did Todd Boeckman hit Brian Robiskie for a 68-yard touchdown pass to change the tenor of the Huskies' dogfight with Ohio State? How did Oregon's Dennis Dixon mess up the Huskies so much they allowed 465 yards on the ground? How did Arizona's Willie Tuitama transform into a Heisman Trophy contender? And how did Colt Brennan of Hawaii erase a 21-point Huskies lead in the season finale?

I think most of us think Washington will average 30-35 points per game next season on offense even though the Huskies will have a green receiving corps, and a trio of young running backs. That is asking a lot, and once again seems to put a lot of the burden of success squarely on the shoulders of sophomore QB Jake Locker.

Defensively everyone expects the performance to improve because Ed Donatell has taken over at DC. We saw glimpses this Spring that we are going to enjoy the way he uses his schemes in 2008. We are finally going to mix it up, and dump the ten yard cushion as our basic defensive backfield alignment.

I saw a lot of improvement in the defensive backfield this Spring, but the big question mark for me is at the line of scrimmage. Will they be able to get improved interior line play out of Elisara, Matthews, Kirton, or any of the newcomers?

Washington needs to lop off around 125 or more yards per game in total defense before they can hope to contend, or stay around late in the fourth quarter. You do that by playing physical, and getting a good rush on the passer. The best pass defense is an opposing QB on his back clutching the ball, and hearing the phone ring in his head.

If a team is scoring 30-35 points per game they can win some football games with an average defense. I don't expect our defense to be great, but if we were rated in the middle of the league which is very doable, we should win enough games to become bowl eligible. Can we hold opposing teams under 30 points, and 400 yards per game?

Shouldn't we be able to do that?

If you start taking away those big plays from 2007, and start creating some of your own you should be able to do that.

Marcel Reese

Marcel impressed the Raiders enough at their Mini Camp to get offered a contract which is a bit of a surprise. Good going Marcel! A guy that big, and that fast should be able to find a place in the NFL.

Pac Ten Alley

Let's take a walk down the coast to see what the neighbors are up to.

Oregon's Patrick Chung is up for honors in 2008.

The Football Writers Association of America named Oregon seniors Nick Reed and Patrick Chung to the watch list for the 2008 Bronko Nagurski Trophy. It is awarded to the best defensive player in college football and sponsored by the Charlotte Touchdown Club.

We all know there is no real Stanford Blog, but Jon Wilner always has news about the Bay Area Pac Ten Teams.

It’s sure to be the most-anticipated Bay Area college basketball game of the 2008-09 season, maybe the most-anticipated Bay Area college basketball game in many seasons:
Mike Montgomery, back in Maples Pavilion as the enemy coach — as the Cal coach.

The Wildcats pick up a good looking LB.

Four-star linebacker Trevor Erno left Tucson last night for a flight back to the Los Angeles area, but not before committing to the University of Arizona football team. “He liked what he saw there and he seemed really excited when he called,” said Tina Erno, Trevor’s mom who confirmed his pledge to the Wildcats.

the Bears and Tedford looking for a better year in 2008.

UC Berkeley football coach Jeff Tedford had a good year in 2007 — a very good year. Sure, the Bears finished the regular season with a dismal 6-6 record and an invitation to the insignificant Armed Forces Bowl, where they barely beat Air Force, 42-36. But Tedford collected as much money in that one year as many of us will earn in a lifetime — $2.8 million.

Jake at the Oregon State Blog has done a wonderful job as usual this year covering Pac Ten baseball.

Here's where the Beavers stand after the series with UCLA. It should be noted that the Beavers already have more conference wins (11) than they did all of last season (10). But last year, the non-conference record was much more impressive.

Jon Wilner has this take on USC's OJ Mayo.

For the purposes of this Hotline item, let’s assume the allegations on “Outside the Lines” are true and O.J. Mayo did indeed take ten of thousands of dollars from a “promoter” while in high school and during his freshman year at USC.

ASU is playing Notre Dame in Dallas for some strange reason in 2013.

In case you haven't heard by now, we're playing against Notre Dame at the Cowboys new facility, in 2013 .The good news is, Brock Osweiler could be our starting quarterback at the time. I just hope Dennis Erickson isn't on the Notre Dame sidelines by that time.

UCLA picks up a basketball recruit.

Sources told FOXSports.com that new LSU coach Trent Johnson plans to honor signee J'Mison Morgan's request and will release the senior big man from his letter-of-intent on Tuesday afternoon, effectively paving the way for Morgan to land at UCLA.The 6-foot-10, 270-pound Morgan signed with former LSU coach John Brady and appeared to stick with his decision even after Trent Johnson was announced as the Tigers new coach on April 10. However, the family had a change of heart last week and asked for his release.

The Cougar Blog examines Oklahoma State, the first team that WSU will lose to this year.

As the opener is a mere 110 days away(!), what better time than to start looking ahead? Today we'll examine our first opponent, Oklahoma State, in their post-spring state, to get an idea of what we're in for August 30th.Last year - The 'Boys finished 7-6, culminating with a big 49-33 win over Indiana in the Insight Bowl. QB Zac Robinson capped his breakthrough season with 5 TD's as the Okies rolled up over 500 yards of total offense in the blowout win.

The Monday Morning Wash

I was looking at the conceptual plans for the new Oregon baseball stadium that is going to cost in the neighborhood of $15 million. Pretty nice digs for a school that hasn't had a baseball team since 1981. The new stadium is the latest development for a department that is undergoing a tremendous growth spurt: It's added two sports, renovated Hayward Field, pushed forward the plans to build a new basketball arena, and intends to build a stadium for its new baseball team.

While most of us aren't Duck fans it is pretty hard not to be impressed with what continues to happen at both Oregon, and Oregon State. This isn't all about Bill Knight, this is about a state coming together over the last 15 years and supporting intercollegiate sports. While Knight has spent a lot of his own money, he has also been the catalyst at both schools for other alumni and boosters to start contributing.

I remember going to Eugene in the 60's, 70's, and 80's to see games and it seemed like a hopeless proposition as far as turning around those overall programs go. They didn't have the population base, they didn't have the attendance, and both schools lacked support from the state of Oregon legislature.

Washington has all of that, and we will always have as many, and as more resources available as any school in the conference. What we lack at this point is passion, and the unifying presence to pull it all together.

The Husky Baseball team is enjoying a good season and is currently third in the conference playing in the worst facility in the Pac Ten. The Huskies new baseball facility remains 1/3 built stalled by a lack of donations. The actual diamond, and outfield are fine, but permanent stands, locker rooms, dugouts etc... were never built.

Washington has been falling behind for almost a decade despite the Olympic sports facility improvements made under Barbara Hedges. A lack of leadership, winning, and the general lethargy created by a lack of stability at the school need to be reversed immediately by the new athletic director.

The question of course is who that new AD is going to be. The two most discussed names out there are Bob Stull from UTEP, and Bill Moos formerly of Oregon. Both have considerable interest in the job, both have Washington roots, and both have the ability to get the job done.

Both Moos, and Stull are older than you would like which means if they are picked they will probably have tenures of around five years which may not be enough to get it all turned around. Make no mistake, this is a major reconstruction job similar to when Washington hired Mike Lude. A tenure of ten years seems to be the ideal they are looking for. Todd Turner of course fell under that type of guideline, so maybe possible length of tenure is not the most important thing.

Look for UW to have a new AD hired in time for the start of football season. Look for the new AD to have a background in football, and building new facilities.

UW needs to hire a charismatic leader with the right type of experience to pull it all together.

Reece Gets Another Shot

Former UW receiver Marcel Reece, cut earlier this week by the Dolphins, is now in mini-camp with the Oakland Raiders. Reece won a shiny new helmet as the offensive MVP of the Raiders three-day rookie mini camp Sunday. At 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, Reece was second in receiving at the University of Washington with 39 receptions for 761 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 19.5 yards per reception. Reece had a big gainer during practice Sunday when quarterback Jeff Otis play-faked to Michael Bush and hit him in stride with a reverse roll.

Ex Huskies looking for Gold

World champion Brad Walker, a former Washington Huskies standout, won the pole vault at the Osaka Grand Prix meet Saturday in Japan. Walker cleared 17 feet, 8 ½ inches in the rain and cold while fellow American Russ Buller was second at 17-4 ½. "In an Olympic year, you want to jump as high as possible to give yourself confidence," the 26-year-old Walker said. "But with the conditions today, I decided it was best not to push things." Another ex-Husky, Aretha Thurmond, 31, was third in the discus at 196-10. Song Aimin of China won the event with a throw of 198-1.

Web Cams and Recruiting

A look at some major colleges football programs' takes on the new technique of head coaches using Web cams to talk to recruits, which is allowed by the NCAA: -LSU's Les Miles, Tennessee's Phillip Fulmer and Alabama's Nick Saban have begun using Web cams following a new NCAA rule that keeps head coaches from visiting high school campuses during the spring.

USC Keeps Giving Back to It's Athletes

Former USC basketball player O.J. Mayo, a projected lottery pick in this year's NBA draft, received thousands of dollars in cash, clothes and other benefits in apparent violation of NCAA rules while he was still in high school and during his one year in college, a former Mayo associate told ESPN's "Outside the Lines."

WSU's Roof Caves In

Pullman police have recommended that one second-degree assault charge and five fourth-degree assault charges be filed against Washington State defensive tackle Andy Roof. Bill Druffel, senior deputy prosecutor in the Whitman County prosecutor's office, said Thursday that the decision on what charges will be filed will be made next week after a review of the evidence. Roof didn't play last season because his three alcohol-related arrests resulted in suspension from the team. Roof returned to WSU for spring semester and was moved from offensive line to defensive line for spring drills.

Baseball

Jayson Miller fell one strike short of pitching a shutout as Washington State stopped No. 30 Washington's five-game win streak 5-1 Saturday in a Pac-10 baseball game at Husky Ballpark.
The Huskies (30-17 overall, 9-8 Pac-10) dropped to fourth place with the loss to WSU (27-21, 6-11).

Nick Haughian struck out 11 in a complete-game victory, and Kyle Conley hit a pair of two-run homers as the Washington baseball team defeated Washington State 5-1 Sunday at Husky Ballpark. The victory gave the Huskies (31-17, 10-8 Pac-10) a 2-1 win in the Apple Cup series and, coupled with a California loss to Stanford, put them back in third place in the conference.

Softball

Senior Cambria Miranda hit her 10th home run of the season in the bottom of the seventh, leading Oregon State to a 3-2 win over No. 24 Washington Thursday in Corvallis, Ore.
Washington (26-22-1, 5-13 in the Pac-10) got seven hits, including two singles by sophomore Amanda Fleischman.

The University of Washington softball team was selected on Sunday night for their 15th-straight postseason appearance and will head to the Houston, Texas regional where they will face Texas this Friday. Washington and Texas are joined by Delaware State and host Houston. Games will be played May 16-18 at Cougar Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of Houston.
The Huskies, ranked 24th in the last USA Today/NFCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, finished tied for fifth in the Pac-10 this season with a 7-14 record, and finished 28-23-1 overall. This is their 15th-straight trip to the NCAA Tournament, which is tied with Oklahoma for the fifth-most consecutive appearances.

Tennis

The Washington men's tennis team had its season come to a close today as the 32nd-ranked Huskies fell to No. 33 Wisconsin, 4-1, in the first round of the NCAA Championships. The loss followed a familiar and painful script for the Huskies, who lost to the Badgers in the first round last year as well, despite winning the doubles point in each match. Wisconsin moves on to face UCLA in the second round tomorrow at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. The match came down to the third and fourth singles positions, which Wisconsin pulled out in tight third sets. Had the match continued, UW was on the verge of winning at No. 5 singles, and was early in a third set at No. 2 singles as well.

Golf

Washington women's golf shot a second-round score of 22-over 310 to remain in 18th place at the NCAA Central Regional Championship at the University of Texas Golf Club, Friday.
The Huskies improved upon their first round score by two strokes and will enter Saturday's final round at 46-over 622. Washington is two shots behind 25th-ranked Notre Dame and six shots behind Texas State. Top-seeded UCLA remains the team leader at even-par 576. For the second-straight day, sophomore Molly Aronsson and freshman Karinn Dickinson fired the low rounds for the Huskies. Both carded second-round scores of 4-over 76. After turning in scores of 3-over 75 in the first round, the UW duo is tied for 37th on the individual leaderboard at 7-over 151.

The NCAA West Regional will be one of three regional tournaments conducted to determine the 30 teams and six individuals not on a qualifying team that will compete in the 2008 NCAA Div. I Men's Golf Championship, May 28-31 at Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind.

Track

Senior Carl Moe authored a rousing end to the 2008 Washington track and field home season this evening, flying around Husky Stadium in 4:01.53 to win the mile run in his last appearance in front of the Husky faithful.

The Dardanelles

The University of Washington is offering $1,000 and a place in history to someone who can come up with a new school anthem.

The alma mater, or anthem is different of course than the fight song which also has a few oblique references that many people have trouble referring to today.

"I think most people know the very beginning, 'Bow Down to Washington,' but after that it becomes a lot of 'Watermelon, watermelon, watermelon,' " McDavid said. "Most students today don't know what the Dardanelles are."

I can understand what McDavid is saying, but why adjust it every twenty years so it is more relative with the times? Why not take the time to explain the nature of the fight song and the history behind it to incoming students each year?

As for the Alma Mater a catchy new tune by Bill Conti is just fine since the old Alma Mater or Anthem really never has caught on.

Whatever you do, don't ever touch Bow Down to Washington!

As my wife who went to Boston College says....Bow Down to Washington sound sounds like this.

We're coming to kick your ass......we're coming to kick your ass!

I like the ring of that.

A friend of mine who went to Michigan said that Bow Down to Washington was the most condescending fight song he had ever heard.

I like that too, because we're coming to kick you ass, or at least we did till 2001.

Bow Down To Washington

Bow down to Washington,
Bow down to Washington,
Mighty are the men
Who wear the purple and the gold,
Joyfully we welcome them
Within the victors fold.
We will carve their names (names!)
In the Hall of Fame (fame!)
To preserve the memory of our devotion.
So heaven help the foes of Washington;
They're trembling at the feet
Of mighty Washington,
Our boys are there with bells (bells!),
Their fighting blood excels (excels!),
It's harder to push them over the line
Than pass the Dardanelles.
So victory's the cry of Washington
Our leather lungs together
With a Rah! Rah! Rah!
And o'er the land
The loyal band
Will sing the glory
Of Washington forever.

In recent years, some fans have been heard replacing "with a rah! rah! rah!" with "with a 'F*ck Wazzu!'"--a jab at UW's biggest rival, Washington State University. It is also common to replace the line "It's harder to push them over the line than pass the Dardanelles" with "If you don't go to Washington, then you can go to hell."

The original words to Bow Down to Washington included "Dobie, Dobie, pride of Washington! They’re trembling at the feet of mighty Washington!” in respect of the football head coach Gil Dobie.

Pac Ten Alley

I did a pretty thorough wrap up on Monday of what has been going on in Huskyland. One new piece of information is that are sports programs are doing well academically and will not face sanctions like WSU, and Idaho.

Just like any NCAA rule this one is beating up on the have nots, and not the haves. Taking scholarships away from WSU, and Idaho solves nothing at all. Do you really think athletes at Tennessee, and Georgia are taking academics more seriously than athletes at WSU and Idaho?

Pac Ten Alley

It is tough to be a Cougar fan today because they are losing eight football scholarships because of NCAA academic sanctions. This isn't exactly what Paul Wulff needs to start rebuilding the program.

Afternoon update - We're now out EIGHT scholarships. 22 for next year's signing class, 77 total. That makes us the worst in the BCS. Good thing we have so much outstanding depth, isn't it?? Looks like Idaho took stupid pills too, as they are also out eight scholies. WONDERFUL.

Ivan Maisel takes a look at the Bruins new coaching staff.

All Chow brought upstairs was a mechanical pencil and a handful of play sheets. He grabbed a Diet Coke from the little refrigerator in the booth when he arrived. In the two chairs to the left of Chow sat coaching interns Jake Peetz and Pat Girardi. To his right sat David Raih, who charted the play calls. Peetz and Raih are former walk-ons at Nebraska and Iowa, respectively. Girardi is a former co-captain at Columbia.The logistics of a new staff working in a new press box illustrate all the moving parts in a football team's engine. Coaches take for granted that the communication will go smoothly from press box to sideline. It's spring practice for the headsets, too. UCLA has new audio equipment. Chow couldn't hear the sideline. Then Girardi informed Chow that he and offensive line coach Bob Palcic were on different channels. Chow didn't take it well.

Washington has pulled ahead of Oregon State and is now nationally ranked and in the Pac Ten top three.

Recapping the Spring Game is still on the to-do list, but that will have to wait for now. After all, the countdown to football season is still in three figures. We'll have plenty of time to talk about the pigskin between Omaha and August 2. Heading into Pullman, the Beavers knew that the Cougars were a sweepable team. In other words, if OSU won series' against Arizona State and Arizona, a sweep against WSU couldn't be so hard. But that's when the game of baseball caught up to the back to back National Champions. After the Beavers dropped two games to Gonzaga earlier in the week, they dropped two straight to the Cougs- in blowout fashion. The Beavs lost 10-3 on Saturday, and 11-4 on Sunday. They salvaged a win on Monday, bombarding the Cougars with 19 runs on 17 hits for a final score of 19-9.

Nate Longshore is pencilled in as Cal's starting QB....but.... .

Nate Long-Shot? ... While Jeff Tedford continues to stress that incumbent Nate Longshore is his quarterback, a pec injury that curtailed his spring hasn't helped in his fight to hold off Kevin Riley. Riley moves better than Longshore and was flawless in his last game, a comeback win over Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl. Don't buy Tedford's smokescreen. Riley is closing the gap on Longshore all the time and might be ready to surpass him in August.

Jon Wilner takes a look at Stanford and the rest of the Pac Ten after Spring football.

If I could take one sentences to state the ridiculously obvious: The Pac-10 is a quarterback’s conference — always has been and always will be. When it has a first-rate array of quarterbacks, as it did in ‘07, the Pac-10 is one of the top conferences in the country. When it doesn’t have a first-rate array of quarterbacks, well, it’s a second-rate league (within the BCS grouping). And based on winter/spring developments from Tucson to Pullman, that very well might be the case in ‘08.

Scott Wolf inside USC.

USC lost four starters on its offensive line, but that's really not quite as dramatic as it sounds. Center Kris O'Dowd started the first three games as a true freshman until he injured his knee. Tackle Butch Lewis started in place of All-American Sam Baker and played respectable. Guard Zack Heberer started two games and tackle Charles Brown started one.

UA baseball is in contention

The University of Arizona baseball team is hoping to not only make a late push for a Pac-10 title, but to host a regional. The Wildcats could do both still. It will take a lot more wins down the stretch, and a few more fans coming out to the ballpark for a team that has won 12 straight to accomplish both.

The Ducks pick up a JC QB late which tells you that they are having a problem replacing Dixon.

Prize JC quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was snagged by the Ducks yesterday. He played for City College of San Francisco last year and led them to the junior college national title.

Pitchfork Nation has a nice lineup of everything going on Sun Devil this week.

Baseball dropped a game on the road to a mediocre Kansas State team last night. They try to rebound against a very formidable Wichita State team, who is looking for a big win to secure a spot hosting a regional.

Spring Round Up for BYU

BYU starting spring practice on March 17th and the Cougars who had consecutive 11-2 seasons and back to back Mountain West Conference titles, and now the Cougars are looking to make it to the BCS in 2008. The Cougars do not lose much offensively with frosh All-American Harvey Unga and QB Max Hall, plus multiple other key positions. The things that BYU needs to figure out in this spring ball is to find replacements for Bryan Kehl and Kelly Popinga at the linebacker position and also they need to find more depth and improve the secondary overall. The should be fine, because of the amazing job the coaching staff did when injuries really hurt that position with the Cougars playing 2nd and 3rd string players and still able to defeat Utah and UCLA.

Oklahoma fans are looking ahead to UW game.

Television and the kick-off time has been set for Oklahoma's trip to Seattle to play the Washington Huskies on September 13th. The game will air on ESPN and will kick-off, in prime time, at 6:45 PM. It will be the Sooners third game of the season and barring tragedy they should go into that game with a 2-0 record and ranked in the Top 10. An impressive performance on national television against the Pac 10 and the ESPN Hype Machine will be rolling in the Sooners' favor.

Recap of the Notre Dame Spring Game

You’ll notice we didn’t have a lot of (any) coverage of spring practices this year, including limited mention of Saturday’s Blue-Gold game. The main reason for this is that there was a lot of other stuff going on (March Madness, Frozen Four, weather getting nicer) and a ton of other sites covering the twenty minutes of practice that were open each day. If you’d like me to try and prognosticate on the upcoming season due to how well someone there said Duval Kamara was stretching, I can try, but it would be a waste of everyone’s time. As Pat at BGS said, there were just an obscene amount of outlets covering the goings-on that there was a very limited amount of what we could have added to the conversation.

Husky Poll Question

Before Spring practice began I asked "Who is the most improved player on the Husky roster this Spring?"

One kid I left off the list was Quinton Richardson, and if he had been on there he would have ended up as one of the top three vote getters. Richardson came out of Spring as the #1 CB on the entire roster which is saying quite a bit for someone they just moved over from Safety.

QB Jake Locker 17% (15 votes)

I think everyone was impressed with the way Jake was throwing the ball. His backup Ronnie Fouch cam on quite a bit too.

RB Brandon Johnson 2% (2 votes)

Brandon was dinged up so he didn't show what he could do over the last 5-6 practices.

S Nate Williams 6% (5 votes)

Nate looks real solid to me at Safety and it is going to take a lot of work by Wells to dislodge him in the fall. Like Aieyewa below he may end up being one of the better all time safeties at UW.

S Victor Aieywa 33% (30 votes)

Tough not to notice this kid patrolling the Safety position in a way we haven't seen since the days of Akbar, and Williams. this kid is big and raw, and has the potential to be one of the best before he goes.

DT Tyrone Duncan 3% (3 votes)

Tyrone finished the Spring out at DE after an initial burst at tackle. Like fellow RS Nick Wood he needs more time

CB Matt Mosley 0% (0 votes)

Nobody voted for Matt, but he is firmly entrenched in the rotation at corner.

LB Mason Foster 4% (4 votes)

Mason had about as good a Spring as anyone at UW.

WR Goodwin 31% (28 votes)

This kid had a breakthrough Spring

TE Izbicki 1% (1 votes)

Other: 2% (2 votes)

This weeks question is :

"Which Husky Sport is your favorite following Football and Men's Basketball?"

The Monday Morning Wash

The Washington Crew swept the annual Opening Day Windemere Cup races on the Montlake Cut on Saturday. Patrons of the the Worlds largest attended rowing event were treated to victories by both the Men's and Women's Crews who rowed against intercollegiate, and international competition.

The undefeated Huskies covered the 2,000-meter, yacht-lined gauntlet leading from Lake Washington into the Montlake Cut in 5 minutes, 49.31 seconds. The Polish crew was second in 5:56.48 and Navy was third in 6:00.59.

The Huskies women's varsity also prevailed on the drizzly, overcast morning, winning for the first time in four weeks. The UW women were clocked in 6:35.17, easily defeating Navy (6:50.17) and the University of Melbourne (6:52.38).

Men's Windermere Cup (Varsity Eight)

1. Washington, 5:49.31. 2. Poland, 5:56.48. 3. Navy, 6:00.59

Women's Windermere Cup (Varsity Eight)

1. Washington. 6:35.17. 2. Navy, 6:50.17. 3. Melbourne University (Australia), 6:52.38

The Original Dawgblawg

Nathan Ware bids us adieu till Fall camp opens up in August.

As I wrap up my season on the Blawg, I wanted to have one more good conversation with my friend and fellow blogger, John Berkowitz. Our conversations have become a staple on the Blawg during football season and I figured it was a proper way to conclude the spring football discussion. We talk UW football every Monday during the season.

Steve Kelley on the Women's Basketball Program

On the cover of last season's UW women's basketball media guide, new coach Tia Jackson held a basketball that glowed, white hot. The theme: "Turning Up The Heat." But for some players, that first season got too hot. For others, it was tropically lush.

Instant Impact

We all know that Chris Polk, Devin Aguilar, and Anthony Boyles will make some instant impact in 2008, but here are a few guys arriving in the Fall who are being considered for immediate playing time.

1. TE - Kavario Middleton....The top prospect of the 2008 recruiting class is being counted on to add an instant threat where non exited last year. Kavario is the most eagerly awaited TE at UW since Aberdeen's Mark Breuner. The kid can do acrobatic things going for the ball and gain yards after the catch.


2. CB - Adam Long....The coaches love his speed, and he just may be the fastest kid on the squad in 2008. The Huskies have plenty of depth at corner, so they must like this kid a lot. The move of Forrester over to CB could keep him on the bench unless they envision using his speed on special teams.


3. DT - Ta'amu Alameda.....The undersized UW DL held its own this Spring, but it needs a run stopping giant if possible. This kid is very big, and very strong. The question will he be able to adapt to the speed and footwork of the college game.


4. WR - Jermain Kearse....If you took a good look at the WR's this Spring you noticed that they were talented and green. Kearse can come in and steal a spot.


5. WR - Cody Bruns....Remember guys like Paul Skansi, Chris Juergens, maybe even Steve Largent? Cody is a guy that coaches love because he runs precise routes, gets open, and catches the ball.


6. DE -Senio Kelemente....This guy has the motor and strength to play right away. In most years he would have been the highest rated recruit in the state. If I had to pick one DL who was the most ready to play it would be Senio.


7. DT - Craig Noble....He came up here from California to play early. He will get every chance to compete for a rotation spot in an undersized defensive line.


8. S - Johri Fogerson....I have high hopes for this kid, and I predict he will move over from RB to get a better chance for playing time at safety. He has a nasty streak and can lay a lick.


9. DE - Everette Thompson....He is probably going to RS, but he will get a long look this Fall if he can rush the passer.


10. LB - Kurt Mangum got a step up on the competition by attending his first Spring practice before his HS class graduated. Like any freshman he was swimming out there, but he has great size.

Television

Two of Washington's three non-conference home football games this fall will be televised by ESPN and/or ABC, according to a schedule of the network's Pacific-10 Conference appearances released today.

The Huskies' September 13 contest against the University of Oklahoma will kickoff at 4:45 p.m. (Pacific) and will be televised nationally on ESPN. Washington's October 25 game against the University of Notre Dame will begin at 5 p.m. and will be televised by either ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

In addition, Washington was notified that it's Dec. 6 contest at California will be televised by either ESPN, ESPN2 or FSN. Both networks (ESPN and FSN) have selections that day and there are two games on the Pac-10 schedule - with Arizona State at Arizona being the other.

Free Agents

Five players from last year's University of Washington football team have signed free agent contracts with teams in the National Football League following last weekend's NFL Draft, according to league and team reports.

Bay Area natives defensive end Greyson Gunheim (Sebastopol, Calif.) and running back Louis Rankin (Stockton, Calif.) signed with the Oakland Raiders. Cornerback Roy Lewis (Los Angeles, Calif.) and defensive tackle Jordan Reffett (Moses Lake, Wash.) signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And, Seattle-area receiver Anthony Russo (Lakewood, Wash.) signed with the hometown Seattle Seahawks. Offensive lineman Chad Macklin (Visalia, Calif.) signed with the Minnesota Vikings and receiver Marcel Reece (Hesperia, Calif.) inked a deal with the Miami Dolphins.

Basketball

Lorenzo Romar and his basletball team got a big break today when Isaiah Thomas passed his ACT which means the sparkplug guard will be able to enroll at UW in the Fall. thomas is exactly the type of player Washington needs on the perimeter to compete for a conference championship. There has been a changing of the guard due to graduation and coaching changes in the PAc Ten this off season. What that means is Washington will return a veteran team that should be ready to compete with the addition of some fine frosh pieces in 2008.

Baseball

Andy Lentz went 5-for-5 and Kyle Conley capped a big weekend with two hits and four RBI as the Washington completed a three-game sweep of USC with a 11-4 win Sunday at Dedeaux Field. The sweep was the Huskies' first-ever over USC in Los Angeles and their first Pac-10 sweep since the first weekend of Pac-10 play last year at Washington State.

Washington (28-16 overall and 8-7 in the Pac-10) took a quick lead, scoring three runs with two outs in the first inning. With the bases loaded on a single, a walk and a hit batter, Brian Pearl was hit by a pitch to force in one run. First baseman Troy Scott, who went 3-for-5, followed with a two-run single up the middle and the UW lead, 3-0.

Softball

Arizona's Taryne Mowatt threw a complete-game no-hitter to lead the 12th-ranked Wildcats past No. 23 Washington, 3-0, on Sunday in Pac-10 softball action. Arizona improved its record to 33-16 and 10-8 in the Pac-10, while the Huskies lost their third straight and fell to 26-21-1 and 5-12 in the conference.

Track

Another NCAA-leading run by junior sprinter Jordan Boase was certainly the performance of the day, but the Washington State track and field teams prevailed over Washington in the yearly dual meet at Mooberry Field.

Golf

The Washington women's golf team received a berth in the 2008 NCAA Central Regional and as the No. 16 seed will compete at the University of Texas in Austin, May 8-10, the NCAA announced Monday.

Washington shot a final-round score of 10-over 365 to finish seventh at the Pac-10 Men's Golf Championships which wrapped up at the Meadow Club, Wednesday.

Mariner's Off Topic

One of the more intriguing deals of the Winter was the trade that sent Mariner offensive prodigy CF Adam Jones, LHP's George Sherrill and Tony Butler, and RHP's Chris Tillman and Kam Mickolio for Baltimore's Erik Bedard.

That is quite a lot of players to give up for one player that doesn't set your table.

Bedard is a pretty good pitcher, in fact he is a possible Cy Young winner under the right circumstances, but the Mariner's gave up quite a bit to get him, and problems in the bullpen, and in the starting offensive lineup illustrate that problem in the early going of the 2008 season.

The M's starting pitching staff has been dinged up to start the year, but they have done well enough only to be done in by the lack of offense the team has produced. That has been coupled with a slow start by Putz, and the rest of the bullpen.

For that trade to work this M's this season they needed a few things to happen:

1. Richie Sexson needs to rebound
2. Put needed to repeat his 2007 performance.
3. Someone needed to step up to fill in for the loss of George Sherrill.
4. Somebody need to make up for the lost offense and defense the Jones would have provided.
5. Jose Vidro needed to reproduce the last half of the 2007 season.
6. Aging regulars such as Johjima, and Ibanez needed to keep up their past performance.

None of the above has happened, so the Mariners have called up Clement and Balentien to provide some momentum. In the bull pen they are looking for one more unlikely good year out of Arthur Rhodes to fill the void for Sherrill.

It isn't enough, and John McLaren went off on the them tonight which is a foreshadow of him being fired in June along with Bavasi if he cannot get the team kick started.

It's obvious, the M's pitching will be fine over time in the starting rotation, and in the bullpen, but they need some more offense.

I say bring back Ken Griffey Jr for the last two to three years of his career, do it now, do it while the Reds have a surplus of outfielders and would love to jettison some salary. Griffey at DH would add quite a bit to this team, and it would help balance the lineup.

Scott Woodward Bows Out

Scott Woodward is pulling out of consideration for the AD job at Washington choosing to concentrate on his job as VP of External Affairs.

Bob Condotta of the Times is following the story and he found the comment below interesting. If you have been following the UW athletic department for the last decade the comments sure ring true.

An interesting comment Scott Woodward made today in his announcement that he would not pursue the AD job permanently is that he worried there was maybe an "acceptance of mediocrity'' in the department.

I guess the question everyone is asking is what kind of AD will UW eventually hire? Will it be Todd Turner II with better PR skills, or will it be someone driven to win?

Gordon Hungar Passes

The Seattle P-I dubbed him "the Last Minute Kid," supplying Gordon Hungar with a nickname created from sportswriter exasperation as much as admiration.

In 1945, Hungar, a freshman running back for Washington, came off the bench and surprised everyone by slipping free for a 38-yard touchdown run with three minutes left to play at Husky Stadium to beat Washington State 6-0 in the first post-World War II meeting between the rival schools.

Hungar was an unknown, a third-team player from Lake Stevens without a scholarship, someone whose name was neither listed in the game program nor familiar to anyone covering the team.

While reporters frantically scrambled to come up with any information they could find on this instant hero, P-I sports editor Royal Brougham sat down and reflexively typed what he knew, labeling the running back the Last Minute Kid.

On Tuesday, Hungar died at Northwest Hospital and Medical Center from a sudden illness brought on by complications from asbestos exposure. He was 81. No one had to ask who he was now.

Pac Ten Alley

May is almost upon us and that means things will seriously step up on the recruiting front. This is the time of year when coaches hit the road, and the combines begin. It is also the time when you expect to see a few local commitments.

Washington, and Washington State are the only Pac Ten schools who have not received a single commitment for the 2009 class. One reason for that is it will be a comparative down year in Washington State talent and numbers wise. Another reason is WSU has a new head coach, and Washington has a coach who is about to jump out of the frying pan, and into the fire.

There are some nuggets out there in state, but expect Washington to win out in most cases even though Paul Wulff at WSU is going to make a strong early run for the available in state talent.

Here is a quick look at the top talent in Washington which will be supplying the 2009 recruiting class in no particular order.

1. De'Andre Coleman DT Garfield (UW Offer)
2. Desmond Trufant CB Wilson (UW Offer)
3. Tony Heard LB Edmonds-Woodway (UW Offer)
4. Alex Ferguson RB Kentridge
5. Gino Simone WR Eastlake (UW Offer)
6. Allen Mooney LB O'Dea
7. Kirby Moore WR Prosser
8. Travis Long TE Gonzaga
9. Danny Kistler OL O'Dea
10. Anthony Luna OL Gonzaga
11. Marcel Sealey LB Kamiak
12. Tre Watson CB Kennedy
13. Nolan Washington CB Kennedy
14. Lucas Schindelle QB Bellarmine

I would expect that the Huskies will offer another 4-5 in state players once the evaulation process is completed in June. UW likes to see the majority of the players at their camp before making offers.

Pac Ten Alley

Now its time to take a walk down the coast to see what the neighbors have been up to.

I don't think Oregon will miss Jonathan Stewart that much in 2008. They are loaded and at least three deep at running back.

Watching LeGarrette Blount run over and around flailing Oregon defenders during spring practices -- thereby easing concerns over the departure of first-round NFL draft pick Jonathan Stewart -- it's impossible not to wonder how this elusive, 6-foot-2, 230-pound running back got away from the southern regional powers that coveted him, such as Alabama and Florida State, which were far closer to his hometown of Perry, Fla."

Paul Wulff is rebuilding the culture at WSU, but don't expect "Cow Tipping" to be a casualty.

“There's improvement, but we're not where we need to be," he said. "We still have players that don't fully understand the responsibility you have of being a college student-athlete, and that it's different than being a college student. They need to be held to a higher standard – whether they like it or not they're going to be – so they might as well accept it. There's a lot of success so far, we're just not where our culture's gonna be yet. We're working on that.”

News from the gridiron at OSU.

OSU ran 25-odd plays in a full 11 on 11 scrimmage with no restrictions on hitting (except YOU CANNOT BELT THE QB) ... then the Beavers did some red zone stuff. "There were some good parts, but nothing altogether looked very good,'' was Riley's quote about the scrimmage. ... I think he was trying to say it was nothing special.

California is trying to reclaim some attitude.

The in-house word last season was that Cal was missing Desmond Bishop and Marshawn Lynch, guys who were vocal enough to gain their teammates' attention throughout the practice week and athletic enough to demand it for Saturday game days. Though injuries stood in the way of the development of some of the sexier stories during spring, the leadership problem, which was mostly blamed for the fall from No. 2 in the nation to a 7-6 record, might have been answered.

Johnny Dawkins takes over down on the Farm.

Johnny Dawkins was officially ushered in as the new head coach of the men’s basketball team during a 4 p.m. press conference held by the athletic department yesterday. Introduced by Athletic Director Bob Bowlsby, Dawkins seemed cool throughout the conference, although he continually emphasized his excitement at the opportunity to be at the helm of the Stanford program.

The Trojans had ten players drafted this weekend.

More than a week before the NFL draft, USC quarterback John David Booty ignored convention and said on a national television broadcast that he hoped to be selected by the Minnesota Vikings. The admission was a bold break from potential draftees' usual statements about not caring whether a particular team selected them.On Sunday, Booty got his wish when the Vikings traded up in the fifth round to choose the quarterback who led the Trojans to two consecutive Pacific 10 Conference titles and Rose Bowl victories.Booty, the sixth quarterback chosen in the draft, would have preferred to be selected higher than the 137th overall pick, but the result suited him fine because he joins a Vikings team that is without a truly established starting quarterback.

UCLA wraps up the spring with Olson in command at QB.

Olson, who started the last two seasons but was Cowan's backup this spring, moves way into the forefront of a quarterback derby.However, before he gets on the field, the broken bone in his right foot must heal. He will meet with doctors Monday to decide whether or not to have surgery to implant a screw to aid in the healing. "Everybody I talked to with this type of fracture said the screw is probably the way to go, but I haven't made any decisions yet," Olson said. "I want to do the thing that is best for my body and get back as fast as I can. The screw sounds like the way to go." Olson should be back in June, which gives him plenty of time to get ready for August training camp and the Sept. 1 opener against Tennessee. But after being relegated to second-string just a third of the way through spring practice, he wasn't taking for the starting position for granted."It's not my call," Olson said. "It never has been, and never will be. All I can do is just try to keep a positive attitude and just keep working. It's not a good thing to be out six to eight weeks, but luckily it's toward the end of spring ball and I'll be back for fall camp, but it's tough because you're missing time you can be (practicing) what we learned (in spring ball)."

Most people expected a lot more out of the UA defensive ends including me. I thought the Wildcats had hit the mother lode with these two kids, but they sputtered.

University of Arizona defensive ends Jason Parker and Louis Holmes have found themselves a place in the NFL as free agents. Parker is heading to Kansas City, while Holmes has been picked up by the San Francico 49ers. "I think this is a perfect fit for me," Parker said. "I've really beenworking out hard since pro timing day, and I'm ready. I am going to a mini camp on Thursday and I'm going there to stick out and not just be one of the guys."

ASU looks like the team to beat in Omaha this year.

No. 16-ranked California played like Little Leaguers on Sunday right down to their early bailout from an 18-2 embarrassment against No. 4 Arizona State. Cal coach Dave Esquer called no mas after the top of the seventh inning at Packard Stadium, using travel curfew as an explanation for a game then at 3 hours, 22 minutes, not especially long by Pac-10 finale standards. ASU coach Pat Murphy naturally agreed to the mercy killing since his team got in extra at-bats by sending 16 to the plate in a 10-run second and 11 in a five-run fifth.

Husky Depth Chart

Here is a quick look at the Husky depth chart going into August camp including the incoming freshmen.

OFFENSE

QUARTERBACK

Jake Locker So
Ronnie Fouch RS
Dominique Blackman Fr
Luther Leonard Fr
Taylor Bean RS (Walk On)

TAILBACK

Brandon Johnson So
Willie Griffin RS
Brandon Yakaboski RS
Terrance Dailey Fr
Demerius Bronson Fr
David Freeman Fr

FULLBACK

Paul Homer Jr
Luke Kravitz Sr
Austin Sylvester RS
Tobias Togi RS (Walk On)

TIGHT END

Michael Gottlieb Sr
Chris Izbicki RS
Romeo Savant RS
Walt Winter Sr
Kavario Middleton Fr

OFFENSIVE LINE

LT Ben Ossai Jr
LT Mark Armelin RS
LT Drew Schaeffer Fr

RT Cody Habben So
RT Skyler Fancher RS
RT Terrence Thomas Fr

LG Ryan Tolar So
LG Jordan White-Frisbee Sr
LG Scott Shugert RS

RG Casey Bulyca Sr
RG Morgan Rosborough Jr
RG Allan Carroll Fr

C Matt Sedillo So
C Greg Christine So (Walk On)
C Mykena Ikehara Fr

RECEIVER

D'Andre Goodwin, So
Charles Hawkins, Sr
Alvin Logan RS
Anthony Boyles Fr
Devin Aguilar Fr
Jermaine Kearse Fr
Cody Bruns Fr
Jordan Polk Fr

Slotback

Chris Polk Fr
Curtis Shaw So
Tony Chidiac Jr

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim Jr.
DE Kalani Aldrich RS
DE Everette Thompson Fr

DE Darrion Jones Jr
DE Tyrone Duncan RS
DE Senio Kelemente Fr

DT Cameron Elisara So
DT Nick Wood RS
DT Jovon O'Connor Sr
DT Craig Noble Fr

DT De'Shon Matthews So
DT Johnie Kirton Sr
DT Alameda Ta'amu Fr

LINEBACKERS

SLB Mason Foster So
SLB Chris Stevens Sr
SLB Cort Dennison Fr
SLB Fred Wiggs Jr (Walk On)

MLB Donald Butler Jr
MLB Trenton Tuiasosopo Sr
MLB Kurt Mangum Fr

WLB E.J. Savannah Jr
WLB Matt Houston So
WLB Joshua Gage Jr
WLB Bradly Roussel Fr

SECONDARY

CB Quinton Richardson RS
CB Vonzell McDowell So
CB Matt Mosley So
CB Marquis Persley RS
CB Justin Glenn Fr

CB Mesphin Forrester Sr
CB Byron Davenport Sr
CB Jordan Murchison Sr
CB Adam Long Fr
CB Anthony Gobern Fr

SS Victor Aiyewa So
SS Darin Harris Sr
SS Johri Fogerson Fr
SS Greg Walker Fr

FS Nate Williams, So.
FS Jason Wells Sr.
FS Tripper Johnson Jr
FS Vince Taylor Fr

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK Ryan Perkins Jr
PK Erik Folk RS

P Jared Ballman S

S Danny Morovick Jr
H Ronnie Fouch RS

KO RETURNS

Chris Polk Fr
Curtis Shaw So

PUNT RETURNS

Curtis Shaw So
D'Andre Goodwin So

The Monday Morning Wash

It's always hard to tell whether a low-scoring spring game indicates a strong defense or a weak offense. In my mind, it doesn't indicate much of anything since in these type of affairs like these I keep an eye on the individual performances rather than the scoreboard.

Both teams really played vanilla because, as offensive coordinator Tim Lappano pointed out, there were Oregon scouts in the stands. Also, the running clock made for fewer offensive plays than a typical game. Willingham worked it like a typical scrimmage stretching the rules here, and there to give his team the opportunity to work on what he thought was important.

One thing I noticed which was positive was the mood of the head coach, you can tell he likes what he is starting to see out there. Ty seemed relaxed, but excitied on radio, and he wasn't monotone at all which is something we all enjoy when he departs that mode.

Kudo's to the UW athletic department for showing the live video at the website, and of course KJR for having a full blown Honks show before the game, and excellent play by play during.

From my view I thought the young receivers responded well, and Chris Izbicki made a couple nice grabs at the TE spot that we haven't seen in quite awhile.

Goodwin, Logan, and Polk are probably going to end up being the starters next year base don what I saw. Goodwin still has work to do, but he is by far the most complete player out there. Logan can catch well and lay some lumber, it is good to see a WR with size that can block well.

Polk will only get better as time goes on. He was impressive running inside at TB, and he had a good day catching the ball.

Shaw, Aguilar, and Boyles showed that they belong. Aguilar in particular made some very good grabs. I think the WR position will be just fine. Give these kids the Summer to work with Jake and it will all start coming together. Unlike the old group these kids have a high ceiling which isn't close to being touched yet. They will get better every week.

I like all three RB's including Polk who is listed at WR. Chris got some carries and is going to be very good. Johnson was a little dinged up, but he sucked it up and played most of the day. The workhouse, and one of the players of the game was Willie Griffin who had very good day out there. Nobody busted a long one, but getting positive yards on almost every carry may be more important.

I thought the defensive backs played well on Saturday. All the corners are improved, and Quinton Richardson looks like he is going to stick as a starter. Byron Davenport had a good day along with Forrester, McDowell, and Mosley. Keep an eye on Persley, he had a good day too, and you have to love his great size. McDowell is a lot bigger than he was last Fall, and I think that will really help him in 2008. I think Donatell, and Williams have solidified this unit.

It is good to see a healthy Donald Butler, he was laying some lumber along with Tuiasosopo, Foster, and Savannah. I don't have any worries about the LB's as long as they stay healthy. Butler is a completely different player when he is healthy, he is going to be a good one. EJ had a great game, and will have a great 2008 if he dedicates himself to the work out schedule.

I thought both of the ends played well. Jones, and Teo Nesheim are a very good pair. I think Jone is ready to do some good things. He played right away as a frosh LB, then he got hurt, he redshirted the next season, and played sparingly last year because of the depth, and his gimpyness. Aldrich is coming on, if he can keep adding weight he will be just fine.

Inside nobody really distinguished themselves, but they were not blown out either as they all held their own. Matthews played some inside as the Huskies experiment with using different size and speed lines situationally. I kept an eye on Johnnie Kirton, he blocked a FG, and made a few tackles, I think he has the potential to contribute some quality time with his speed. We need some size.

Noble, Ta'amu, and Kelemente are all going to get a shot next season to play early. The Huskies need the beef in the middle, and I would say that Ta'amu may be the guy who gets the call because he is your ideal NT.

The kicking game was cut back for the game to avoid injuries, but despite returning the same players from last year it wasn't a good day as the Huskies missed numerous FG attempts. Ryan Perkins doesn't have a lot left in the tank, he already announced this will be his last season. Folk is finely healthy, and we all know what to expect out of Ballman who had a great year punting the ball in 2007.

Grading It Out

QB -B - I thought Locker and Fouch both played very well. Neither had a chance to use their speed, or much of the play book, but what they did, they did well. Locker had a very high percentage of completions, and Fouch would have been right there if the receivers on his side didn't get the dropsies. Jake is still making too many mental mistakes, but you hope that continues to decrease over the Summer. Those mistakes of course are magnified when he can't run to correct it.

RB -B - All four kids did well at TB, they all get positive yards. We didn't see any big gains on the ground, but since the dimension of a running QB was removed that took away most of the mystery for the defense. Paul Homer, Luke Kravitz, and Austin Sylvester make up a great trio at FB. Willie Griffin showed me quite a bit yesterday, and obviously was the best back out there with Johnson banged up. Did you see the way Polk slashes at the line of scrimmage? Rankin had better speed than anyone despite maybe Polk, but these kids turn it up field so much better, no dancing!

WR -B - We have more potential and talent at these positions than we have had in a decade. Goodwin is ready to go, and Polk is going to add some serious dimensions to what the offense can do. As a whole they need to get better at running routes, gaining seperation, and most importantly holding on to the ball. Hawkins kept getting open, but he dropped way too many balls which means he will likely fade out of the rotation this Fall if he does not correct it.

TE - B - Was this the awakening of Chris Izbicki? He had two very nice grabs with something we haven't seen out of a TE in years, yards after the catch. I was hoping to see more of Savant. Gottleib was banged up, but we know what he can do. Walt Winter got to play a little.

OL - C+ - The pass protection was just ok, the defense got too many sacks, but how many of those sacks would have been turned around if the QB's could have run? The absence of Garcia, and Tolar is being felt. If Tolar proves he can snap the ball this summer he will likely line up at center if Garcia doesn't get his miracle. We will know at the end of May whether that miracle will happen for Juan. Sedillo did a good job filling in with a bad ankle. On a whole these guys should have done a better job against a second string undersized defensive line.

DT - C+ - Way too small up front, and not enough penetration. I think guys like Kirton, and Matthews can help during different situations, but we need a run stopper to emerge. Can't tell you what I think of Elisara because I didn't get a chance to focus on him, but I never heard his name called. Nick Wood had his name called a couple of times for jumping off side, at first glance he looked smallish which really sums up our interior at this point.

DE - A - Jones and Teo'Neshiem are going to fine out here backed up by Matthews and Aldrich. All four of these guys did well yesterday, but DL of the day was Jones who was everywhere. This kid is ready to make an impact.

LB - A -I saw solid LB play for the first time in a couple of years. A healthy Butler, and Tui, flanked by Foster, and Savannah will be one of the better units on the coast next year. Cheers to the backups who all played well. It is hard to imagine UW not going with four LB's a majority of the time next year.

CB - B - I saw some good things out of every kid in this group. Everyone is improved, and Byron Davenport most likely has locked in a starting spot if he stays healthy. Quinton Richardson will only get better, and I like the addition of Forrester who was always a safety in a CB's body. forrester does best as a nickle back. I think this group will do well against the run next year, and thank god Donatell is not a cushion guy.

S - A - These kids can hit, man they can hit. Aiyewa is a freak, and Williams gets better every snap. Wells of course will come back in the Fall and claim one of the starting spots, but the future is bright in the Husky defensive backfield.

Kicking - F - All the guys are back from last year, but they didn't have a very good day. Perkins is a kid that is hanging by a thread. It is obvious that he is having physical problems that are getting worse every day he is out there. Falk has great bloodlines and a strong leg, but the accuracy wasn't there. Ballman hasn't punted well this spring, but he had a great 2007 so you have to think he will be good to go in the Fall.

Returns - I - To prevent injuries the Huskies were not focusing on this part of the game during the scrimmage. D'Andre Goodwin, Curtis Shaw, and Chris Polk are the kids you need to keep an eye on this Fall. They want the ball in Polk's hands, so expect him to be one of the KO return guys. As for punt returns you want the kid with the surest hands, and fortunately the kid with the surest hands is one of the fastest on the team in Goodwin. The "I" stands for incomplete.

Huskies Stroke Past California

The top-ranked Washington men's varsity eight defeated California on Saturday in the annual dual regatta between West Coast rowing powers. The undefeated Huskies opened a boat-length lead midway in the race and won by open water, covering the 2,000-meter course in 5 minutes, 42.11 seconds. Cal's time was 5:48.71.

The 15th-ranked Huskies women's varsity eight suffered its third consecutive dual-regatta defeat, losing to top-ranked Cal. The Huskies had lost home dual regattas to Washington State and Oregon State after being the surprise winner at the San Diego Crew Classic.

This weeks meet shows that the Washington Men's Crew is ready to defend it's national Championship this June in the IRA. For the Women it shows how much work Bob Ernst has left to do to rebuild what was once the preeminent power in women's rowing.

Softball

Rosey Niell drew a based-loaded walk with two outs in the 10th inning to lift No. 7 Stanford past No. 22 Washington, 2-1, on Friday night in a Pac-10 Conference game at Boyd & Jill Smith Stadium. After the Huskies rallied in the seventh to tie it at 1-1, the game went into extra innings. Neither team threatened again until the 10th, when Stanford got two of its four hits and benefited from two walks issued by UW starter Aleah Macon.

A change in the batting order is just what Jace Williams needed. With only two hits in her previous 15 at-bats, Williams went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs on Saturday afternoon to lead No. 22 Washington past No. 21 California, 6-5.

Baseball

Junior starter Jorden Merry held UCLA to two runs on four hits over eight innings, tying his career-high with nine strikeouts, as the Washington baseball team opened a three-game series with a 5-2 win over the Bruins Friday night at Husky Ballpark. Merry, a right-hander from Pasco, improved his spotless record to 6-0 on the season. Washington got a two-run homer from Troy Scott and a solo shot from Kyle Conley to account for their first three runs.

UCLA first baseman Casey Haerther went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a three-run homer and starter Charles Brewer limited the Washington baseball team to one run over six and one-third innings as the Bruins beat the Huskies, 8-1, Saturday at Husky Ballpark. A crowd of 1,743 on a sunny day watched as the Bruins (21-17 overall, 5-6 in the Pac-10) drew even in the three-game series with the UW (25-15 overall, 5-6 in the Pac-10). The Huskies won the opener, 5-2, on Friday.

Tennis

The final Washington men's tennis players were eliminated from competition today on the semifinal day of the Pac-10 Championships at Libbey Park. David Chu and the doubles duo of Tobi Obenaus and Martin Kildahl both lost in the invitational draws. Chu, a junior from Vancouver, B.C., saw his three-match win streak end against fourth-seeded Wes Miller of Arizona State. Miller advanced to the final with a 6-3, 6-1 win, where he will now play California's Bozhidar Katsarov. Obenaus (Waidhofen, Austria) and Kildahl (Oslo, Norway) made a strong run for a pair of freshmen making their first Ojai appearances, but the fourth-seeds fell to USC's Jack Levis and Jason McNaughton, 8-5.

The Husky women's tennis team posted a couple victories in doubles today but at the end of the evening they were ousted from the Pac-10 Championships at the Ojai Athletic Club.

Golf

Washington freshman Anya Alvarez led the Husky women's golf team on the final day of the Pac-10 Championships, shooting a 4-over 75 to finish in a tie for 14th on the individual leaderboard.

Washington men's golf will head to Fairfax, Calif., for the 2008 Pac-10 Championships, Monday, April 28, through Wednesday, April 30. The tournament, hosted by the University of California, will be held at the par-71, 6,686-yard Meadow Club. The three-day tournament includes a 72-hole format with 36 holes to be played Monday and 18-hole rounds played on Tuesday and Wednesday. Teams will consist of six players with the five low scores counting towards each 18-hole score. Both team and individual champions will be crowned at the conference tournament.

Track and Field

A career day for junior Falesha Ankton and the debut of Washington's top men's relays highlighted an impressive showing by the Husky track and field team at the Oregon Relays at Hayward Field. On the final day of the two-day meet, the Huskies posted four new NCAA Regional qualifying marks, bringing their total number of qualifying marks to 25 with several weeks to go until the West Regional meet in Northridge, Calif.

Spring Game

The Spring game is going to be broadcast on Go Huskies Dot Com.

The 2008 Husky Football team will put their talents on display for the first time to the general public at 12:45 pm. If you can't make it down to the stadium, tune into GoHuskies.com for a live video stream of the game or tune into KJR-AM 950 for the radio broadcast. I think it is great because if you can't be there at least you will be able to get a Spring glimpse of what is going on out there.

It isn't going to be much of a contest, everything will be extremely dumbed down, the QB's will be in yellow shirts, and don't expect Jake to be running it. That is no problem, I want to see Jake spending his time passing the ball. I want to see how the new receivers are doing. I want to see a little Izbicki, and Savant at TE. Savant supposedly has made a move toward the rotation this Spring.

First Quarter

Locker hit Logan for an 18 yarder to start the game, but the Purple stalled at 3rd and two being stopped on a short run, then being stopped on 4th and short after Locker mishandled a shot gun snap. Fouch and the Gold took over and almost hit a 49 yard TD to Hawkins who dropped the ball in the endzone. The drive stalled.

Locker and the Purple hit Goodwin with a 12 yard toss on third down. We get to see some Yakaboski who picks up a nice 5 yard run by bouncing it outside. Goodwin takes an end around for a couple. Jake hits Goodwin on a fade for a 28 year fade down the sideline, then Goodwin gets hit for 15 for unsportsmanlike. the drive stalls after that.

Fouch takes over for the Gold. Walk on Charles Hawkins has been dropping some passes that would have resulted in some pretty big gains. Charles needs to rebound because this is his time to make enough of an impression to get into the rotation next Spring.

Second Quarter

Walter Winter is getting some time at TE. Hawkins redeems himself to pick up a couple of catches to start the second. Anthony Boyles makes his first catch. Matt Mosley and Tripper Johnson are looking good on defense. the drive sputters at mid field.

Quinton Richardson intercepts Locker in the end zone near the end of the second quarter.

Fouch goes three and out.

Locker gets one more try with 40 seconds left, he goes 4 and out.

3-0 Gold at Halftime.

Third Quarter

The Gold start our with Fouch at the helm and he is again victimized by drops, this time Boyles is the culprit, he has dropped a couple today. Fouch hits Aguilar with a very nice over the shoulder pass. You have to like the way Fouch is tossing it around today. Nick Wood picks up his second off side penalty of the day. Willie Griffin has been picking up some good yards today at TB. Persley is looking solid at CB. The drive stalls and the Gold settles for a FG. Folk hooks it and misses the 12 yard FG.

Jake hits Chris Polk for an eleven yard gain. Locker floats a beauty to Curtis Shaw for 30 yards. Polk takes a hand off at RB and picks up 4. He hits Polk again for 4. Donald Butler is looking pretty good out there, same with Mason Foster. Locker hits Polk again for 7. 4th and 5 from the 24 and they are going for it. Not a bad crowd in the stands for the game. Locker hits Izbicki for a first down at the 16. Nice first catch by the RS frosh. Johnson takes it down to the 10 for a six yard gain. Locker hits Goodwin for the TD. 5 catches so far and 71 yards for Goodwin to go along with the TE. 80 yards in 13 plays.

Purple 7 - Gold 3

Fouch starts off at the 30. Boyles makes a very nice reach back grab for 10. Griffin picks up 4, he has been steady all day. 14 carries so far for 55 yards. Griffin also has a nice set of hands as he picks up 7 on a flair pass. He hits Hawkins at the 23 for another first down.

Fourth Quarter

Fouch hits Aguilar for a sensational catch in the endzone for a TD. Ronnie Fouch has been solid all day, and the kid is going to be ready next year of Jake goes down. His numbers aren't spectacular, but his WR's have dropped five so far, one was for a probable TD.

Gold 10 - Purple 7

Jake tries to get it all back on the first play but Goodwin and Polk get jammed by the safeties. Yakaboski picks up five. Kurt Mangum makes the stop in his first action as a Husky. Fouch comes into the game for the Purple, and will likely play for both teams which means this one is about in the books. Fouch hits Shaw for a completion, but it is negated by a holding call. Izbicki makes another nice catch and picks up a long 1st down with a nice run after catch. Polk picks up 4. Goodwin picks up 25 on a sideline catch. Nice run after the catch! Goodwin is looking really good. Kirton picks up a tackle as Yakaboski picks up 3. Fouch hits Polk for 9. Polk is having a very nice debut today. Johnson picks up 3, he looks a little gimpy, so he is probably down for the day. Vonzell McDowell came up and made a nice tackle for loss. The Purple try a FG, and Kirton blocks it.

Taylor Bean has taken over at QB for the Gold. Austin Sylvester is getting time at FB, he moved over from LB late last season. The Gold go nowhere, and the purple take over.

Fouch takes over from the 48. Polk is getting some time at RB, and picks up 5. On the next play he picks up another 5 for the first down. Nice slashing runner with very quick cuts. Ryan Perkins misses a 47 yard FG wide right.

Willingham comments that there were too many dropped passes, and the second unit defense gave up too many yards, but the was pleased overall because he feels the overall defense is quite a bit better. He loves his RB's, he feels all three of them not including Polk who will play bith TB, and WR are a pretty good group.

Nobody was hurt, the offense wasn't allowed to show much because the QB's were basically handcuffed all day. IF you can imagine the team with the handcuffs off you have to be pleased with the progress Locker, and Fouch have made throwing the ball. Both of these guys are mobile QB's, and when you give them that option it is a whole new ballgame.

NFL Draft

By the way the Seahawks traded their 1st round - 25th pick to the Cowboys for the 28th pick and grab a 5th rounder, and 7th rounder. Tumwater's Jonathan Stewart went to Carolina as the 13th pick of the draft.

The Seahawks select 6'4 270lb DE Lawrence Jackson from USC which is a great pick considering that they also picked up a couple of extra draft choices by trading down with Dallas. the hawks get the player that they wanted at 25, and get the extra picks, nice move!

State of the Defense

I was talking to Nathan Ware the other day on the phone and he told me that I am just going to love what I see on defense next season. He thinks Donatell has done a super job putting talent in the right places, and developing a set of schemes which are light years ahead of what Baer brought to the table the three past years.

Nathan went on to say that the Donatell has been one step ahead of Lappano all Spring in scrimmages. He prefaced the remark with the simple fact that Ed usually knows what the offense will be throwing at him which makes the task easier. I take this as a good sign because Coach Baer was never one step ahead of anybody during his time at UW.

Speaking of Tim Lappano, he has been integrating a lot of young players into the skill positions this Spring. Depth at RB has been a concern over the last half of the Spring because of injuries, and attrition. He has a lot of depth at WR, but only Goodwin has emerged so far as a sure thing because of his overall consistency. Look for the rest of the group to continue improving over the Summer.

Nathan and I will be doing one last "Backtalk with Johnny B" column next week after the Spring game in his PI Blog before he takes his summer hiatus.

Almost every person I have spoken to who has been to a practice loves the defense, and the way Donatell interacts with his staff, and players. I take this as a very good sign as spring practice wraps up because this unit as a whole had no other direction to go but up.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times wrote today about changes in the defensive backfield.

One of things I was really looking for this Spring was the emergence of younger players in the defensive backfield. Three second year players, Richardson, Aieywa, and Williams have made their moves and will arrive in the Fall to defend starting jobs they won over the Spring. That doesn't mean incumbent Safety, and team leader Jason Wells has been permanently bumped. Look for Jason to win one of the starting jobs this Fall if he stays healthy. It does mean we have developed some new blood, and the potential for quality depth at the position.

Byron Davenport had been penciled in as a starter at CB, but he simply hasn't gotten that much work this Spring because of nagging injuries. That opened the door for Richardson. Mesphin Forrester who is more suited to being a nickle CB has moved over from Safety and is starting right now. Look for a healthy Davenport, if there is such a thing to beat out Mesphin this Fall.

Linebacker continues to be the strength of the defense, and the Huskies have developed a lot of depth which means they can easily play 4-3, or 3-4 depending on the situation in 2008. Trenton Tuiasosopo has had his best Spring since arriving on campus, and that means the Huskies will be very strong in the middle when you consider they have Butler, and Foster also. Talking about Foster he can play inside or outside, it doesn't really matter where this kid lines up, he will be one of the top eleven kids on the field this Fall.

EJ Savannah returned midway through the Spring after running the stadium stairs for a couple weeks. If he keeps his nose clean he is assured an outside spot. Houston, Dennison, Gage, and Wiggs have all had the chance to assert themselves this Spring and be noticed when he was on the sidelines. Donatell loves to mix things up, and the flexibility and depth of this LB corp will give him a lot of flexibility.

The defensive line is still a work in progress even though some observers have been impressed with what they have seen so far. Once again the ends led by Teo Nesheim, Jones, Matthews, and Aldrich have become a solid group that randy Hart will be able to rely on. Matthews has played a little inside, but that may be just a situational move that they will use on passing downs. He doesn't have the size to play there full time.

On the inside question marks remain. Cameron Elisara is one of the hardest workers on and off the the field for the team. The question is will that translate into an upgrade at one of the tackle spot in 2008? Observers haven't seen him break through the bubble yet. At the other spot Tyrone Duncan has been the man since the first week started as he pushed aside O'Connor and Wood to claim the spot. Johnnie Kirton has been in the mix and will at least in the rotation next Fall. Johnnie has wheels, and lets hope he has a good summer learning the techniques he needs to use to be successful.

Come Fall the defensive line will get a huge influx of young talent when the recruiting class arrives. Thompson, Taamu, Kelemente, and Noble are all going to get a shot at breaking into the rotation from the get go.

Pac Ten Alley

Tough news for Garcia, and Husky fans today.

Juan Garcia, the leader of UW's offensive line having started the last 25 games at center, said Tuesday there's a chance his college career is over after he was diagnosed with a Lisfranc injury, a complex mid-foot sprain, in his left foot.

I think you all remember that this same type of injury knocked Isaiah Stanback out of competition for almost an entire year, so it doesn't look good for Juan to return in 2008 even though his goal will be mid season.

Every injury of course is different, just like any individual, but these type of injuries are tougher to rehab then an ACL tear. As far as future NFL prospects he still will have a decent shot in the next draft since he should be fully recovered by next years draft combine.

Hasty Suspended Again

UW coach Tyrone Willingham announced before practice that running back J.R. Hasty has been officially suspended and is unlikely to return before spring ball. He said he is weighing whether Hasty will be allowed to return, though he wouldn't go into specifics or entertain questions.

Willingham wanted more time to evaluate whether he had made the right decision in allowing him back, Hasty said.

Now what exactly does that mean?

Nathan Ware

Nathan will be wrapping things up until August after the spring game so catch him while you can.

If you go to the spring game, you won't recognize this defense. It's completely different than last year and that's - obviously - a good thing. Donatell has done a nice job in the short term and it would appear that he was an excellent hire. Just the fact that you get different types of plays/looks on each down - as simple as that might seem - is fun to watch.

Pac Ten Alley

Let's take a walk down the coast to see what the neighbors are up to.

There are plenty of insiders who expect Oregon to roll over UW in the opener, but until they get the QB position figured out that will be far from being guaranteed.

On a cold and blustery Friday the defense turned the tables on the offense. Last week it was just the opposite. Besides limiting the passing game to an average of less than two yards per attempt, the defense put the clamps on the running game for lost yardage on 20 of its 48 attemptsThe quarterbacks were a combined 7-of-29 for 45 yards with Cade Cooper as the lone bright spot at quarterback. He had a touchdown drive and went 5-of-8 for 29 yards, and ran nine times for 12 yards. LeGarrette Blount, who had a hay day last week, managed minus 4 yards on his first seven carries. Granted, that was with the 3rd string offensive unit. He did much better on a late drive with the first unit when he went 53 yards on 4 carries, including a 21-yard touchdown run. The Ducks have three more full spring workouts before next Saturday’s Spring Game at 2 p.m. in Autzen Stadium.

The basketball coaching search begins at Stanford, don't expect Mark Few to interview.

Heard from a variety of sources Monday: Finally, there’s news on the Stanford search.
It’s not big news, and it’s not all hard news. Some of it is pseudo-news. But as Bob Bowlsby moves through this hiring process, now two weeks old, the fog is beginning to lift.
Current assistant Doug Oliver interviewed with the search committee Monday afternoon, according to a reliable source.

Not much going on at Arizona now that spring practice has concluded.

Former UA basketball star Andre Iguodala, who has led the Philadelphia 76ers to the playoffs, tells Sports Illustrated he had "no regrets" in leaving the Wildcats for the NBA in 2004 after his sophomore year.

Cal's Spring practices are past the midway point.

Cameron Jordan is on a roll. Literally. Cal's 6-foot-4, 286-pound defensive end is down on the rubberized fake grass of Memorial Stadium, rolling from one goal line to the other. Practice -- the 10th of 15 Cal will conduct this spring -- is over. An autumn-like chill is in the Friday evening air. The weekend awaits, smelling of promise. But Jordan continues his long, strange trip. Roll on, you Bear. He's at the 50... the 40... he could roll all the way. In fact, that's the purpose of this little team-building pseudo-punitive exercise, typically assigned to a player for some minor violation of a little-known -- perhaps even nonexistent -- team rule. A small gaggle of Jordan's linemates shepherd him down the field, heckling him, cheering him, reorienting him when he veers off course.

It is all baseball all the time at the Beaver blog!

Sometimes it's about quality over quantity, and that's the reason Lonnie Lechelt is this week's BTD player of the week. Against Arizona State on Friday, Lonnie came into the game late as a defensive replacement. In his only at-bat, he hit a triple down the left field line to drive in two runs and set the Beavers up for a ninth inning comeback against then No. 2 Arizona State.
He went 1-for-4 with a 3-run homer on Saturday in Oregon State's rout of the Sun Devils, and was back at it again Sunday with a 3-for-5 performance. He doubled in that game, giving him a double, triple, and homer in the series. Lonnie is hitting .326 on the year with two home runs and is 14 for 44 at the plate. He hasn't been getting as much playing time at third base as last year due to Drew George's performances at the plate. But with second base still somewhat up in the air, it looks like Lonnie will get a chance to play there when his bat is hot.

Updates from USC on Spring practice.

Matt Meyer was one of USC's top recruits and driven enough to graduate early and enroll for the spring semester. But during the first part of spring practice, he was described as a ``fish out of water,'' by those inside the program. But slowly, he began to demonstrate a grasp of what was going on. Whether that means he could play next season is debatable. But at least he has a head start on the other freshman linemen who arrive in the summer.

Spring practice is over at ASU.

Arizona State quarterback Rudy Carpenter said he was in agreement with coaches and doctors that waiting until after spring practice to have surgery on his injured throwing thumb was best.
"The doctors said I wouldn't hurt it any more and it's only a four-week recovery," Carpenter said Tuesday. The senior will undergo surgery to repair scar tissue Wednesday. "That's plenty of time to have the surgery, rehab, be recovered and not miss anything in spring ball. It worked out best for everybody. "I talked to coach (Dennis) Erickson and said I wanted to go through spring practice. The doctors told me I could do as much as pain would permit. Back-to-back practices were a little harder for me. The thumb was tender and sore and got a little inflamed so it was hard to hold the ball and painful."

Cowan and Olson are pretty fragile so UCLA better build up some quality depth behind them if they don't want a replay of 2007.

Both Cowan and Coach Rick Neuheisel downplayed the injury and team officials said an MRI came back negative. Still, it was a reminder how fragile the Bruins were at quarterback last season, when they lost Cowan and Ben Olson to injuries for extended periods of time. Cowan suited up and Neuheisel was confident he would return Thursday, when the Bruins practice again. "All I know is there was very little swelling in the morning, so hopefully it is going to be inconsequential," Neuheisel said. "He was out there at practice and he could have gone, but we wanted to give him today. We'll see how he is on Thursday."

Spring practice at WSU has been over for a couple of weeks, but there still is some great news, and general opinion being spewed by the guys at the WSU blog.

A sad story might be taking a turn for the better about Glenn Johnson, the voice of your Cougars. He was hospitalized on Sunday with stroke-like symptoms and very little was known. Now, however, the news is heading in the right direction. He's now doing much better per his wife, and the diagnosis sounds as though it was merely a severe blood-pressure spike with some short-term memory loss.