Husky Trails

Huskies End the Streak

2009-09-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Washington finally has a win, after having to wait nearly two calendar years between this one and the last one. Washington beat the Idaho Vandals 42-23 today in Husky Stadium.

During a day of beautiful weather the Washington offense showed that there are playmakers on the team.

They also showed that the defense is as leaky as ever, giving the Vandals more yardage than the Huskies, 412 to 374.

First with the good news, quarterback Jake Locker looked extremely sharp on the day.

He was 17 of 25 for 253 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 18 yards on the ground with one rushing touchdown.

Chris Polk added 80 yards rushing with a rushing touchdown.

D'andre Goodwin had 83 yards on three catches and looked sharp after being shut down in the LSU game.

The defense, though, was not sharp today, and allowed too many yards against a team who will be nowhere near the talent of next weeks game against USC.

The defense played zone most of the night and gave up a lot of space underneath to the short passing game.

Idaho was able to make a lot of first downs and keep drives alive.

The Husky defense didn't break until the second half, but gave up two soft touchdowns in the second.

There were two sacks that the defense nabbed, but overall they looked rather ineffective.

It will be interesting to see if it was just having the USC offense on the mind or if it was a sign of things to come.

Still, a win is a win, and it's great to end that streak.

Enthusiasm is Contagious for Downtrodden Dawgs

2009-09-10T10:54:00.001-07:00

The Huskies came out of the gate last Saturday firing, outgaining the LSU Tigers in yardage despite losing 31-23.

Many pundits and fans around Seattle and the country proclaimed a successful debut for head coach Steve Sarkisian, and many felt this is a sign the Huskies are back.

Even Jim Moore, the scourge of many Husky fans, claimed that the Huskies looked like a Pac-10 team again, with playmakers abound.

There is no question that the Huskies looked great on Saturday, and will look great again Saturday the 12th against Idaho. The Vandals will have difficulty keeping up with the Dawgs.

That being said, the real test comes September 19th when USC rolls into town.

Pete Carroll, for all his talk about supporting Sarkisian leaving, could still be in the mood to punish someone like Nick Holt for walking out on the Trojans.

The game will be hard fought, but USC will lay the hammer down the way they did against San Jose State.

How the team picks themselves up after that game will be the true test of Sarkisian's coaching ability.

Let's be honest and say that since LSU was such a high profile opponent, and the trials of last season, it was easy for the Huskies to get up and play.

They will get up and play against Idaho to finally end the losing streak and give Sarkisian his first win in purple and gold.

However, the season is a marathon, and there will inevitably be some disappointment along the way. Let's not forget there was a fair amount of wasted yardage by the Huskies where they didn't score or gave up bad turnovers.

The schedule is easier than it has been in the past couple years, but it is by no means easy.

It will be interesting to see how Sarkisian keeps these players held high in the low points, and how he keeps success from going to their heads after wins.

In any case, it looks to be a more enjoyable season to watch than 2008, regardless of how many loses the Huskies have.

Huskies Sharper in Sark Debut

2009-09-06T18:13:00.001-07:00

There really should be no surprise that LSU won last night's contest and the UW Huskies continued their losing streak. That being said, the 31-23 loss by the Huskies did not leave a bad taste in the mouth at all.

Last night was the debut of new head coach Steve Sarkisian, and the return from injury for quarterback Jake Locker.

Obviously a loss is not ideal, but there are positives to be pulled from the game.

The team looks completely different than it did last year, there is just such a bigger buzz around the Huskies during gametime.

The best example is that after the first score the entire team huddled up on the sideline and started jumping up and down chanting and cheering.

In terms of field performance, the Huskies outgained the LSU Tigers in passing and rushing. Something that you could hardly have said about the Huskies last season.

Locker looked sharp in the game, throwing for 25 of 45 passing with 321 yards and two touchdowns.

He would have looked better but for some throw away balls and some rather horrendous drops as well. The interception was about the worst he looked the whole night passing, which is to be expected.

Running back Chris Polk ran with purpose for 90 yards on 21 carries.

The offensive line looked great, for as many questions as there were going into the season, you really could not ask for much more out of them.

That being said, the running game diminished during the second half, with most of the second half yards coming from Jake Locker.

It's also key to point out that the staff did not use all the running backs, as they had said they would.

Defensively, they played with so much more fire and intensity than they ever did under Tyrone Willingham's staff. They made several impressive stops, in spite of allowing 321 yards and 31 points.

The secondary got a bit tossed around by the LSU receivers, Terence Toliver especially, but they will get better.

There were some heavy hits too, with one massive hit on Jordan Jefferson by Nate Williams springing to mind. Williams shook himself up on the hit.

The front seven did a great job stuffing the middle running, with most of the biggest running plays coming around the outside.

The biggest complaint about the Huskies, and I'm going back and forth on if it is truly a complaint, is that the Huskies basically beat themselves with turnovers and penalties.

There were some bad personal fouls, several substitution infractions, and others on top of the typical offsides, false starts, and what not.

There is certainly a lot of things needed to be cleaned up. The beauty of the game last night was that every play did not feel like it had the potential to blow up in the Huskies face.

They played well, they didn't feel lucky, the way it felt under the Willingham staff.

There is a lot to build on, and a lot to be proud of, in spite of the loss.

Conditioning is the Key For a Successful Season

2009-09-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

With the season fast approaching for the Huskies, a lot is being made of the chances the Huskies are going to have for a successful season.

Essentially, the consensus is that the Huskies will make little to no impact on the college football landscape. No upsets on the clocks, only a few wins, and another Pac-10 cellar appearance.

However, the Huskies will be better this year, maybe not in the wins/losses column, but certainly in how competitive the team plays.

Coach Steve Sarkisian stated earlier this week that he did not expect a win against LSU, but did expect them to respect the Huskies after the game.

Bold words for a team who showed up as badly as they did last year.

If the team is going to gain any respect this year, and by conventional logic they will make a better showing of themselves, it comes down to conditioning.

Sarkisian's first priority in coming to UW was getting the conditioning program back on track. The team needed to get leaner and stamina needed to be bred back into the program.

The hiring of head strength coach Ivan Lewis was one of the most underrated assistant hires that Sarkisian made, and it is paying dividends.

The offense line has lost, all told, almost 200 pounds between all the players.

If any of you watched the debacle of the Tyrone Willingham era, you'd know that the team looked sluggish at best, and almost always faded in the fourth quarter as they wore out.

The loss of weight on the offensive line is the biggest news. Last year the line was supposed to be a strength, with experienced and huge offensive linemen.

It became apparent quickly though that no mount of experience could make up for the fact that the line was too big, and couldn't keep up with the faster defensive lines around the conference.

If the 2009 team is going to have any success, it is going to come on the back of having a leaner and more athletic team than it did in the past.

This Saturday is going to be a huge test, against a strong LSU team, but the team is hardly shying away from the challenge. They are enthusiastic to start playing and to put everything that Sark has taught them on the field.

It's going to be an exciting season, there is no doubt.

Slideshow Posted On B/R

2009-08-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

Just posted a great slideshow of some of the better Husky players for this season on Bleacher Report. You can find the link here:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/244917-husky-trails-the-washington-husky-power-players

Five Keys for the 2009 Huskies Season

2009-08-25T16:47:00.000-07:00

With the season fast approaching, it is easy to get caught up in all the rhetoric that naturally flies around fall camps. The optimism can be contagious.

Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian has done an excellent job at bringing a fresh look to the Huskies. While it remains to be seen what he does on the field, he should be lauded for taking that first step.

If Sarkisian is going to be successful this season, here are going to be the keys.

Running the football.

There is no doubt that the Husky running game struggled last year. Not only did the backs themselves struggle, but the offensive line had difficulty creating holes for them.

Frankly, a starter needs to emerge out of the stables. Sarkisian was only able to rotate backs the last couple years because they all were supreme talents.

It just won't work the same here at Washington.

Chris Polk and Johri Fogerson have looked the best in camp so far, but so have Curtis Shaw and Willie Griffin.

Polk is the assumed starter, after all the drama surrounding him becoming starter last year and flopping. He has used this last season as a learning experience and as a chance to get stronger.

It's difficult because the two best runners from last year, David Freeman and Terence Dailey, are both gone from the program. That was the reason that Fogerson moved over to the running back slot from safety.

The Sarkisian offense is run oriented, so this is piece number one that Sarkisian needs to put into place. Otherwise the Sarkisian era could begin in disaster.

If the running game can succeed, it will take a massive weight off of quarterback Jake Locker's shoulders. Which in turn will help him develop into the talent he has the potential to be.

Improved Quarterback Accuracy

Both Jake Locker and Ronnie Fouch need to make great strides in their accuracy. Fouch won't see much of the field if Locker is healthy, but who knows how the season will go.

In spring and most of fall Locker has looked much improved, a mix of both being asked to make easier throws and having more solid receiver play.

The Sarkisian offense is predicated on more intermediate throws with the onus put on the receiver to gain the extra yards.

The offense of the last couple years was run oriented, with all the passing coming on really long third downs, or on big plays.

Drops have been an issue, but with the maturation of the younger receivers, that should be an occurrence that will be diminished.

Sarkisian has targeted an accuracy of 60 percent for Locker, and that may be high, but Locker looks well on his way there.

Receivers Need to Score Touchdowns

Last season was remarkably devoid of scoring, as evidenced by the 0-12 record, and the receivers scored very few of the touchdowns.

D'Andre Goodwin, the leading returning receiver for the Pac-10, had only one touchdown catches for the whole of last season.

The whole of the receiving unit? Six total catches.

Essentially the receiving corps needs to make that next step, either to get open on longer routes, or catch tough balls in the endzone.

Washington just needs to score more this season, plain and simple.

Pressure Opposing QBs More

It wasn't until the fifth game of the season did the Huskies record a single sack. The defense as a whole was atrocious at run stopping, and opposing quarterbacks had all the time in the world to throw.

It was something on the order of, on average, 63 percent completions by opposing quarterbacks during 2008.

Watching the team was frustrating because you could see them striving to get to the quarterback, but they couldn't quite make it there.

Opposing offensive lines just bossed them up and down the field.

The only bright spot has been Daniel T'eo-nesheim, who most likely will make all-PAc-10 honors this season. The guy just has a motor.

EJ Savannah coming back will have a huge impact on stopping the run game, it's up to the rest of the defensive front seven to pick up their game.

Intercept the Ball

The Husky defense only forced seven interceptions, and Husky defenders only broke up 26 passes all year.

The aforementioned 63 percent completion rate by opposing quarterbacks was no joke. They missed basically only when the quarterback couldn't throw the ball well enough, or the receiver couldn't catch it.

The bright spots are that both Nate Williams and Quinton Richardson got a lot of playing time and have looked like they can be special players for the Huskies.

The bad news is that the Huskies still haven't really sorted out the other safety and cornerback slots.

Thus far the leaders are Greg Walker at safety and Justin Glenn at cornerback, but it's really anybodies game.

Sarkisian hired both a safeties coach and a cornerbacks coach this year, as opposed to just one secondary coach, in the hopes of breathing some fire into both positions.

Jeff Mills, the safeties coach, and Demetrius Martin, the cornerbacks coach, have their work cut out for them, but have a lot of energy.

We'll see come game time if Sarkisian's hirings have succeeded.

Massive Commitment News

2009-08-25T11:30:00.000-07:00

Offensive Lineman Erik Kohler, of Oaks Chrisitan High School, has committed to play for the Huskies. This is a huge pick up, literally and figuratively.

Kohler plays on the same team as Husky commit Nick Montana.

This pulls the Husky class to 17 commits so far, with a healthy complement of offensive linemen.

Greg Walker Is Showing That Impact On the Defense

2009-08-20T19:25:00.000-07:00

If you are Nick Holt, the number one priority in getting this Washington defense prepared is nailing down the secondary slots.

Thus far it has been a challenge, through spring and fall. There have only been two players that have put a hold on their positions; Nate Williams controls the strong safety spot and Quinton Richardson has one of the cornerback slots.

As for free safety and the other cornerback slot, it's anybodies game at this point.

That being said, over the past week, redshirt freshman Greg Walker has started to make and impact on that open free safety slot.

He has gotten praise from the coaches for his ability to hit and make plays. He's shown a pair of soft hands in catching interceptions to complement his hitting ability.

He also seems to communicate well with his fellow teammates on the defense, which is a very underrated skill sometimes.

There was a great interview with him on GoHuskies.com the other day that highlighted what I think is a fantastic attribute about him, he sounds very smart.

He knows his strengths and he knows his weaknesses, and most of all, he seems to know his place on the field in Holt's defense.

Taking some of the interviews with players over fall camp, it seems that often times the Willingham staff was not always clear on what players were supposed to do.

Chris Polk was scathing in his attack of the Willingham team, and how it had fractured right down the middle during the 0-12 season.

To have a player like Walker, who know's his job on the field, and communicates well with his fellow players, it shows serious potential for this rebuilding defense.

At the end of the day, there are a million and one reasons why this Sarkisian team is better than any Willingham team. Most of all, it comes down to team chemistry and intensity.

Looking purely at before a ball has even been hiked, Sarkisian's team has got it, Willingham's didn't.

Guys like Greg Walker help this aspect out immensely.

News and Notes

Some good news, Desmond Trufant got over his NCAA Clearinghouse issues and is with the team practicing. It should add even more competition to that cornerback battle.

Practice went short today with limited contact as Sarkisian has stressed that keeping the players fresh is the most important.

Will The Kicking Game Progress This Year?

2009-08-19T11:52:00.000-07:00

I think, as Husky fans, we can all remember the heartbreak that was last years Apple Cup. The real culprit was the shoddy kicking game. (Not to mention Tripper Johnson's absolutely blown coverage)

Last years kicker, Ryan Perkins, is gone, retiring because of constant injuries. Sophomore Erik Folk is now taking over.

For those of you who went to the Spring Game this year, I'm sure you remember the horror of Folk missing two extra point attempts.

Let's face it, the Huskies special teams over the last year or two have been absolutely horrendous.

It would be a huge bonus for the team if they are able to get the kicking and punting down pat. All reports are that the new punter, Will Mahan, is looking impressive and should help out immediately.

Folk needs to learn to slow down his kicking and not worry about what is going on around him.

It's been stated in some articles around the net and from my own observation that he rushes through the kick to get it out there as fast as possible.

Special teams coach Johnny Nansen also claims he has a tendency to look up early to watch the ball go through the uprights. The same problem I have when I whiff the ball playing golf.

Folk has a good pedigree, his older brother Nick is the kicker for the Dallas Cowboys, and he showed amazing leg strength in high school.

However, since coming to school, he's been hung up by injuries and the mental transition to college. He just isn't nearly back yet.

That being said, I think he has looked a hell of a lot better than he did in spring. There is still half a month to go to the first game, and he'll be sure to get plenty of reps in before September 5th.

Scrimmage Highlights Good Back Play

2009-08-18T20:33:00.000-07:00

Tuesday marked the the first scrimmage practice for the Huskies, and while the number one offense saw little of the field, the running backs had a great day.

Several busted off some big runs or some big catches out of the backfield.

Some of the numbers are as follows:

Curtis Shaw: 4-70 with a long of 50

Johri Fogerson: 6-48 with a 48 yard reception

Demetrius Bronson: 6-31

Chris Polk: 4-8 but with a 33 yard reception

Willie Griffin: 3-16

The running back situation is going to be key in the coming year. The progress made at this position will make or break a lot of what Sarkisian is trying to install.

With no clear starter being pushed to the front, it's easy to assume that Sarkisian may employ a committee system like the last couple years at USC.

It doesn't bode well for any single running back to get that star presence, but it may be the only answer.

Locker needs a lot of weight lifted off of his shoulders to really flourish this season.

There has been a lot made of the strides he's been making as a passer, but it will be a difficult task for him if he has to throw on 3rd and 8 rather than 3rd and 3 every time.

Chris Polk has been so highly touted his first two years here, especially in the preseason. Yet, he has fizzled in the the actually game situations he's been in.

It would not be a surprise if guys like Curtis Shaw or Willie Griffin make more of an impact over the course of the year than Polk, even if Polk is the starter.

The guy who is making the biggest move is sophomore Johri Fogerson.

The former safety is looking comfortable in his new position, enough so that it is a bit of a wonder why he wasn't playing running back sooner.

The pro-style offense Sarkisian runs relies heavily on the run game, so it is good news when the backs are playing well.

The only caveat I can give is that so far they have only played the Husky defense, which was notoriously atrocious at run stopping the last couple years.

It will be a whole different animal when the Tigers of LSU roll into town.

Let's hope the backs are still up for the challenge.

Defense Seems to be Carrying the Day

2009-08-15T15:15:00.001-07:00

Going into day six of the Washington Huskies fall camp, the trend thus far has been for dominate defensive play.

The way that head coach Steve Sarkisian tailors his practices is by holding a points competition between offense and defense, with a winner chosen each day.

The defense has won three of the first five practices. According to Sarkisian they came close to winning a fourth time but for some last minute heroics by the offense.

It's going to be interesting how this camp translates into the full season. The team as a whole could benefit greatly from the defense being better.

A dynamic threat like Locker benefits by having to not carry as much of the burden as he has in the past. Knowing that each drive doesn't necessarily have to be a scoring drive is important.

The only way the team has come close to winning the last several years has been in shoot-outs because the defense has given up so many points. I point you to the Oregon-UW game in 2007.

The offense, however, needs to pick up the pace. No matter how good the defense, if they are playing the majority of the game they rapidly lose effectiveness.

The defense has earned good praise so far from the head coach. It would seem that hiring Nick Holt as defensive coordinator has paid off so far.

The unit that is mentioned constantly is the linebacker corps.

Donald Butler, Mason Foster, and EJ Savannah have been singled out for praise on multiple occasions.

Savannah claimed in a post season practice the other day that this unit ranks among the best in the country.

While that statement is completely hyperbolic, it attests to the amount of swagger that the team has picked up so far. A swagger that was completely lacking last season.

The secondary, as well, has looked eager to get back to their best. They have made quite a few of breakups and interceptions.

However, they also get picked apart on some of the bigger pass plays, so it's still a give and take in that respect.

The one troubling unit is the defensive line, with only Daniel Te'o-nesheim really ever being singled out for praise in each practice.

The rest of the line seems a bit anonymous so far. Coach Sarkisian even stated in his newest post practice interview that if it was game time tomorrow that true-freshman linemen Semisi Tokolahi, Andru Pulu, and Talia Crichton would play.

I'm thrilled that Sarkisian is seeing such good things out of those guys, but it does not inspire confidence that the line is performing to it's potential.

Also, notice the disaster that was last season to show the dangers of playing so many true freshmen during a season.

It would seem that the defense as a whole, though, is poised to take a step up over the last couple years.

It remains to be seen how much that will affect the wins and losses column.

Locker Named to Maxwell List

2009-08-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

Jake Locker was named to the watchlist for the Maxwell award today. The award is given to the nation's top college player.

This is good news for Locker, as he was named to the O'Brien award for best quarterback as well.

This news comes on the heels of Daniel Teo'nesheim being named to the Bednarik award list for the nations best defensive player.

As I said for that story as well, the awards list really shine the light on who the best players on the Huskies are, even for an 0-12 team.

Congrats Jake on making the list!

The rest of the list can be found here.

Clarification on Tui's Role At Practice

2009-08-14T10:33:00.001-07:00

So, if you remember a couple posts back I stated that Marques Tuiasasopo was back with the team as an assistant strentgh coach.

I looked up a lot of different sources and found that he's in this role while he sorts out his NFL future. He has stated that if an NFL team came calling that would be his first choice, though he is happy being here with the Dawgs.

For those of you wondering how it is possible for him to be a coach, the NCAA rules state you can't have more than 10 coaches including the head coach, but stipulate little on support staff.

Tui has to be careful not to give any football advice, as that would be a violation, but he can assist with a lot of administrative stuff with the running of practice.

It was definitely a treat to go to practice and see him running around the field. It goes without saying that the former Rose Bowl MVP will always be a legend around Montlake.

Coach Sark has done an excellent job of including ex-Huskies in the day to day operations of the Dawgs.

He has had former greats come and talk to the team about what it means to be a Dawg. Plus, former coaches like Don James and Jim Lambright are kept close to the program.

It bodes well for Sarkisian that so many of the people from the "golden years" are flocking back to the program and offering their praise.

Teo-nesheim Named to the Bendarik List

2009-08-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Daniel Teo'nesheim was named to the Bendarik Award watch list. The award is given out to the nation's best defensive player. He joins quarterback Jake Locker in reaching lists for post-season accolades, Locker being named to the O'Brien award.

While both guys are long shots for the awards, it bears out who are the best players for the team.

Congrats Daniel!

James Johnson Is Coming On Strong

2009-08-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

A quick canvas of stories about fall camp will bring up one name for all of them, true freshman wideout James Johnson.

A quick receiver from San Diego who rated as a three star recruit by Rivals, has really caught the attention of the coaches, as well as, the fans and media.

He was recruited by most of the Pac-10 schools and also by San Diego State and Utah, and Sarkisian praised the staff's ability to hold onto him and bring him to Seattle.

He was praised during signing day as probably one of the most marquee players out of a fairly mediocre class, granted the staff only had so long to put it together.

Sarkisian praised the young man for the speed with which he has caught onto the system and tried to make an impact.

Wide receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty claims he is unafraid of the challenge or the spotlight, and that "when the bullets were flying today, he really stepped up."

So far he has shown good bursts of speed and incredibly solid hands. He has shown a propensity for catching passes in the endzone.

Yesterday was the first day that I was able to get out to practice, and to be honest the defense had the offenses number all day long.

Locker threw several interceptions and the defense broke up a lot of passes either through some decent coverage or some hard hits.

However, the highlight of the day was Locker thrown up a little jump ball in the corner of the endzone and Johnson coming down with it one-handed in the endzone.

It brought everyone in the stadium to their feet.

Johnson finished the practice with a good amount of catches and three touchdowns on the day. It's hard to see him as merely a true freshman.

Sarkisian, in a post- practice interview, said that the evaluation period is long but "if we were playing a game Saturday, he would play, that's for sure."

Obviously guys like D'Andre Goodwin and Jermaine Kearse are being groomed as the starters, but Johnson is making a very strong case to challenge for that role as well.

Let's not forget as well that he is only in his first year, so there is plenty of time for him to develop.

It gets hard to say when so much needs work, but it will be a great development for the offense if the receiving corps takes that step up.

Heading Out To Practice

2009-08-12T13:18:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, heading out to my first practice for fall camp. Gonna go observe the Dawgs in action after summer. I should have a recap up by tomorrow morning, so stay tuned!

The Clean Slate

2009-08-10T20:09:00.000-07:00

Coming off a season in which the Washington Huskies went 0-12, it is interesting to see in season previews how the past comes back to haunt the Huskies.

In truth, there is more different with this team than there is the same. The players are still the same, but so much has changed.

It's nothing to surprising, considering that there is an all new face to the program. None of the coaches from the previous regime were kept, even long time coaches like Randy Hart weren't safe.

Coach Steve Sarkisian has replaced that dour silence of Tyrone Willingham with the youthful enthusiasm of a brand new staff.

The effects are starting to show.

For one, there is a huge emphasis being placed on strength and conditioning, with coach Ivan Lewis being credited with creating a leaner and meaner team as a whole.

Bob Condotta actually has an excellent breakdown on the shape that a lot of the kids are in here.

For a second thing, Jake Locker is back, healthy, and looking extremely comfortable learning the pro-style offense.

Sarkisian said in a radio interview several days ago that there is going to be a lot of give and take between the system he wants to run and the talents of Locker as a runner.

It would seem that Sarkisian understands that while he has a system that he likes, the sheer physical tools that Locker possess give a special kind of advantage. Assuming of course they are used correctly.

The thing that bodes well is that the offense coaches seem to understand the game to an acute detail.

Coach Doug Nussmeier, the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is a proven groomer of quarterbacks and shows the direction Sarkisian wants to go with the offense.

Proven quarterback play will be the key to the offense, and it is up to Locker to fulfill that duty. Luckily he has shown the acumen and the drive to be a force on the football field.

It's up to the supporting cast to help him out now.

Since fall camp is just starting, it will be interesting to see how the lot of this shakes itself out.

News and Notes

Marques Tuiasasopo, the Husky legend himself, has been helping out during fall camp as an assistant strength coach while trying to sort out his NFL future. I'll try to have more on this as I learn more, as this is great news to have some of the greats coming back to help with practices.

Desmond Trufant, freshman cornerback and brother of Seattle Seahawk Marcus Trufant, had one of the classes he took in high school rejected by the NCAA clearinghouse and will not be able to suit up for the team in practice yet.

New Layout For the Washington Site

2009-08-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

Gohuskies.com got a face lift recently, and it looks really fresh. Check it out when you get a chance.

Will The Huskies' Defense Get That Fire Back?

2009-08-06T20:22:00.001-07:00

If you are a follower of the Washington Huskies and you don't frequent coach Steve Sarkisian's blog/website, it would benefit you to jump aboard now.

It's a great source for the behind the scenes information on the Purple and Gold.

This story caught my attention; it shows the cover of the Huskies' new defensive playbook.

The cover more or less speaks for itself on the direction of the new Husky defense under defensive coordinator Nick Holt.

The picture shows snarling Huskies, each with speech bubbles: 'Say Who?!' and 'Say What?!'

The words are part of a popular player chant, which, according to Seattle Times blogger Bob Condotta, has been forbidden the last couple years.

The story brings up the obvious question of whether fire can be breathed back into a unit that has been completely lifeless the last couple years.

The addition of Nick Holt was an excellent step in the right direction. Watching him in the last set of spring practices was a treat. I was getting pumped up just watching, imagine how it was for the players.

While Holt was the most high profile addition to the staff, some of the other coaches are real high energy and fiery. Defensive line coach Johnny Nansen is one of the loudest guys on the field behind Sarkisian and Holt.

The tradition at a place like Washington has been for good defenses with a lot of fire. It would be a great thing for the fans to get back to that.

In his opening press conference Sarkisian explicitly stated that's on of the things he wanted to bring back to Husky Stadium.

Steve Emtman, the defensive stalwart of the 1991 National Championship team, stated in an interview that what the current direction of the defense is back to the old ways.

He also said in the interview that his defensive line coach, Randy Hart, now of Notre Dame, coached them to play like animals.

Seeing the new defensive playbook, it's safe to assume that that mentality is back for the Huskies defense.

Let's hope it pays immediate dividends.

News and Notes

Safety Johri Fogerson has moved back to running back, the position he started his college career at. This is to add depth to the position, something I had questioned in my last article, but also throws the safety depth chart a bit out of whack.

This would mean Greg Walker has the lead for the free safety spot to couple with Nate Williams at strong safety. However, I wouldn't be surprised to see Fogerson back at safety if that unit continues to struggle.

Positions That Need Work This Fall

2009-08-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

If you are getting excited these days and you don't know why, do not adjust yourself, it's just the college football season looming large in front of us.

If you are a UW Huskies fan, you have even more to be excited about, there is a new era happening on Montlake.

With fall practices coming up next week, August 10th to be exact, what are the positions that need the most work before the first game against LSU?

Here's the list according to this humble columnist.

Cornerback

I can't stress enough how difficult the job Nick Holt is going to have coaching up this defense to the levels he had a USC. There's promise but not as much on a nationally recognize level.

The problem with the cornerback slot is that while sophomore Quinton Richardson has got one of the slots on lockdown, the other has four players listed at starter.

Justin Glenn and Anthony Gobern, two names considered for the other job, are both young and untested. However, the staff must like what they see since they are named in that starter stable.

That may be that the experienced guys on the list, Matt Mosely and Vonzell McDowell Jr., are just playing that badly.

It wouldn't be a surprise, since the unit has been so bad over the last couple years. It will be a huge benefit to have guys with experience at the position.

The next couple years are going to be interesting, considering that no matter how the secondary plays over the next year, almost all of the guys are coming back next season too.

That continuity is going to pay dividends, if not this year, then next year.

In the meantime, this set of practices is going to be essential for figuring out the pecking order at that other cornerback slot. If Holt can't figure it out by September 5th and LSU then it could be a long evening for Husky fans.

Running Back

The running back position was extremely erratic last season, and all signs point to it being the same this year if Chris Polk can't lay a stranglehold on the spot.

If he can, great, that is one less worry for the team. If he can't the depth behind him is sparse because of injuries and academic losses.

Willie Griffin is good, but he also missed all of last season for personal reasons, and the year before that the Willingham staff had him switching between running back and receiver all season.

Demetrius Bronson is a name that keeps coming up from the staff, but keep in mind he is a freshman and could potentially have the same stage fright as Polk did last season.

There are no running backs coming into the program from last season recruiting class. Sarkisian chose to focus on it in this recruiting class.

Let's hope, as fans, that doesn't come back to bite him.

Center

Through spring, the staff couldn't decide between the old hand Ryan Tolar, who is a converted guard, or redshirt freshman Mykenna Ikehara.

With the right side of the line composed of guys, in Drew Schaefer and Senio Kelemete, who have yet to play a competitive game of football on the offensive line, getting the center position down is key.

In the end it will most likely go to Tolar, who has bounced around the line most of his time here. The rationale was, I assume, that he was the most talented and thus the most likely to fill the gaps in need.

The left side of the line is solid with tackle Cody Habben and guard Ben Ossai coming back. Ossai will most likely nail that spot down, despite reports to the contrary.

The only way that Ossai won't play is if Ikehara lays claim to the center spot and the staff like Tolar better at the guard spot. Otherwise there is no reason to keep him off the field.

Locker Named to Davey O'Brien Watch List

2009-08-04T18:27:00.000-07:00

The award is given to the nation's best quarterback and Locker is included in a list of 33 players that includes former Heisman winners Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow.

Locker is a bit of a long shot with such illustrious names on the list, but if Locker can pull some wins and improve his accuracy he will catapult into national recognition.

The other PAC-10 quarterbacks that made it onto the list are Kevin Riley of California, Jeremiah Masoli of Oregon, and Aaron Corps of USC.

The one odd name is Corps, considering he hasn't been a starter for the Trojan. It's a testament to the prestige of being the quarterback for USC, and the acclaim (and burden) that brings.

The rest of the names are as follows:

Sam Bradford, Oklahoma, Jr., Big 12
Jarrett Brown, West Virginia, Sr., Big East
Daryll Clark, Penn State, Sr., Big Ten
Jimmy Clausen, Notre Dame, Jr., IND
Aaron Corp, USC, So., Pac-10
Robert Griffin, Baylor, So., Big 12
Matt Grothe, South Florida, Sr., Big East
Max Hall, BYU, Sr., MWC
Tim Hiller, Western Michigan, Sr., MAC
Jordan Jefferson, LSU, So., SEC
Colin Kaepernick, Nevada, Jr., WAC
Case Keenum, Houston, Jr., C-USA
Dan LeFevour, Central Michigan, Sr., MAC
Jake Locker, Washington, Jr., Pac-10
Ryan Mallett, Arkansas, So., SEC
Jeremiah Masoli, Oregon, Jr., Pac-10
Colt McCoy, Texas, Sr., Big 12
Kellen Moore, Boise State, So., WAC
Josh Nesbitt, Georgia Tech, Jr., ACC
Tony Pike, Cincinnati, Sr., Big East
Taylor Potts, Texas Tech, Jr., Big 12
Terrelle Pryor, Ohio State, So., Big Ten
Todd Reesing, Kansas, Sr., Big 12
Kevin Riley, California, Jr., Pac-10
Zac Robinson, Oklahoma State, Sr., Big 12
Riley Skinner, Wake Forest, Sr., ACC
Rusty Smith, Florida Atlantic, Sr., Sun Belt
Jevan Snead, Ole Miss, Jr., SEC
Tyrod Taylor, Virginia Tech, Jr., ACC
Tim Tebow, Florida, Sr., SEC
Adam Weber, Minnesota, Jr., Big Ten
Juice Williams, Illinois, Sr., Big Ten

Russell Wilson, North Carolina State, So., ACC

Apologize For The Break

2009-08-02T19:25:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

So I've got some of those pesky life issues creeping up and preventing me from getting regular service here on Husky Trails. I should have an article up sometime this week, but for sure next week things will get going.

Practice starts August 10th!

Izbicki Will Be the Next Great Husky Tight End

2009-07-28T16:32:00.000-07:00

Let's remember that the Huskies used to be one of the great tight end factories in the country, sending many to the NFL. Unsurprisingly this has dropped off considerably in recent years

It's hard for some people to really recognize that Chris Izbicki could be the next star, since he hasn't really ever seen the field, and many consider Kavario Middleton the star in waiting.

Izbicki, the star recruit out of the 2007 class, is going to have a monster year in 2009.

At times I am loathe to make such definitive statements with so many variables coming off a winless season, but this is something I'm convinced of.

Initially Izbicki struggled under the old regime; with off the field legal problems hampering his relationship with Willingham.

However, enter the new staff and the clean slate they brought and it has been a renaissance for the Kirkland, WA product.

During spring Izbicki's name was constantly on the tongue of the coaching staff, much to the surprise of many. Kavario Middleton is still considered one of the top potential talents on the team, following only maybe Jake Locker.

Izbicki put his nose to the grindstone and churned out enough effort to get named the starter at tight end following the spring game.

He has shown a really good presence on the field, with soft hands and a big frame to help with blocking.

What leads me to predict he will have a big year is coach Steve Sarkisian's preference for the tight end position. A lot of times Izbicki and Middleton will be on the field together, and will also get a lot of balls thrown their way.

Naturally, being on a team that was winless last year and probably won't win a ton of games this year means he probably won't be in contention for national awards. Relatively speaking though, Izbicki is sure to be one of the big names for the Huskies this season.

And frankly, I've said it once and I'll say it again, I can't wait for the season to start.

Practice Schedule

2009-07-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

So the Huskies' fall practice is coming up in just a paltry 2 weeks. Building on the theme that Sarkisian brought in spring, the practices are going to be open to the public as well.

So I hope to see all of you there, practices are great fun if you are itching for a little taste of football.

The schedule starts on August 10 and goes as follows:

Mon., Aug. 10 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Tue., Aug. 11 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 12 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Thu., Aug. 13 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 14 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 15 - Two-a-Day Practices, 8:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 16 - Picture Day, 10:00 a.m. (no practice)
Mon., Aug. 17 - Two-a-Day Practices, 8:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m.
Tue., Aug. 18 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 19 - Two-a-Day Practices, 8:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m.
Thu., Aug. 20 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 21 - Two-a-Day Practices, 8:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 22 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 23 - Off Day
Mon., Aug. 24 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Tue., Aug. 25 - Two-a-Day Practices, 8:45 a.m. and 6:45 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 26 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.
Thu., Aug. 27 - Two-a-Day Practices, 8:45 a.m. and 4:15 p.m.
Fri., Aug. 28 - Practice, 3:00 p.m.; Raise the Woof! Dinner, 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 29 - Practice, 10:15 a.m. (Fall Camp Ends)
Sun., Aug. 30 - Off Day

(Schedule courtesy of gohuskies.com)

The games will start September 5th with LSU.

2009-07-27T15:56:00.000-07:00

With football season fast approaching, thought I might share some of the photos I took last season. Maybe it will get the purple and gold blood pumping!

LSU pulls out the guns for the Huskies

2009-07-24T10:25:00.000-07:00

No, not some super potent weapon in the LSU Tigers arsenal, nor is it some tricks up Les Miles' sleeves.

But the band is traveling to come see the Tigers play the University of Washington Huskies.

This comes on the back of a decision the college made to save money by not bringing the band on away games, to save money in this economic crisis.

However, in the face of criticism by many fans the school reversed its decision and the band is heading to Seattle.

It won't be the full band, just a pep band, but they will also send this smaller band to all the away games too.

This is why I love college football, the passion that goes into your team. What is a college game without the band, right?

Hey, maybe I'm stretching for news here, but I'm genuinely excited to see LSU come play up at Husky Stadium. The last time the SEC played in Seattle was 1978, so this is a rare treat.

The meeting of two vastly different cultures, not just football cultures, is going to be excellent. No matter what happens on the field I think it will be a good game for everyone involved.

Washington may be 0-12 coming in, but they will but up more of a fight than they did in most games last year. I think the fans and the players are buying what Sarkisian is selling at this point.

Ideally, I'd love for LSU fans to come away impressed with their experience in Seattle. I'm tired of SEC fans looking down their noses at the Pac-10.

So I say to you Husky fans, we've got a little over a month left until the game. Get your tickets, get your purple and gold facepaint and attire, practice your chants.

Let's give these guys the real Husky experience, because god knows they are going to give us the real Tigers experience even though they are 2,000 miles from home.

Part 2 of the Depth Chart: Defense

2009-07-21T17:38:00.001-07:00

We've taken a look at the offensive side of the ball, so now let's look at the defense.

One of the most glaring issues in the 0-12 2008 campaign was just how bad the Huskies defense was. They couldn't defend against the pass, there was no pass rush or run stop, and it took well into the season for them to even record a sack.

New coach Steve Sarkisian made wholesale changes to the program, bringing in an all new staff headlined by defensive coordinator Nick Holt, late of USC.

Spring provided some good displays for the defense. However, while some positions are now crystal clear, others are still hopelessly muddy.

Let's take a look:

Defensive End - Daniel Teo'nesheim/Everette Thompson

Defensive Tackle - Alameda Ta'amu/Tyrone Duncan

Defensive Tackle - Cameron Elisara/De'Shon Matthews

Defensive End - Darrion Jones/Kalani Aldrich

Outside Linebacker - EJ Savannah/Josh Gage

Middle Linebacker - Donald Butler/Trenton Tuiasasopo

Outside Linebacker - Mason Foster/Fred Wiggs

Cornerback - Matt Mosley/Vonzell McDowell

Cornerback - Quinton Richardson/Adam Long

Strong Safety - Nate Williams/Victor Aiyewa

Free Safety - Johri Fogerson/Alvin Logan (if Jason Wells is healthy, expect him to make the strongest case for this positions starter slot)

Essentially, the defense is pretty easy to predict with the exception of the cornerback slot opposite Quinton Richardson.

The defensive ends are a lot stronger this year than they were last year. Teo'nesheim brings such a huge presence that the staff have had him rotating in and outside on the line all practice, to use his energy for the greatest effect.

Darrion Jones provides a solid foil for the opposite side as well. Kalani Aldrich and Everette Thompson are young backups but have the potential to be good defensive ends for the future.

The inside of the line really needs to step up, though. Cameron Elisara needs to fulfill his potential. The inside was very stale last season so this should be a priority for Nick Holt.

Alameda Ta'amu is a huge load up the middle, and if he has any kind of speed he can bowl over linemen and plug up gaps.

The backups are more or less untested, however, so the starters need to play well and play healthy.

The linebacker corps, as I've said all season, could be really good. Depending on how ready EJ Savannah is, the corps could be considered to have three returning starters.

Not only that, the backups in Gage, Tuiasasopo, and Wiggs all have game experience.

The secondary has only two clear starters, in Nate Williams at strong safety and Quinton Richardson at cornerback.

Williams, an honorable mention All-Pac-10 selection, has shown a penchant for hitting hard in his two years at UW. He could be a force for the team this year and next, and I truly believe he could be a late round pick for the NFL at least, but we'll see.

In the same way, Quinton Richardson had a solid debut last season, and reinforced his position with good play during spring.

The other cornerback spot is a mess, though, with four players listed at the spot. Mosely and McDowell have the most experience of the group, but one of them has to step up and grab the spot with both hands.

The same with the free safety spot, which I would defer to Jason Wells if he can prove that he is fit enough to play and can shake off the rust after missing last season.

If that's not the case, Johri Fogerson showed he could play the position last season. Alvin Logan is the wild card, since he was moved from receiver to defensive back at the end of spring. I only got to see him play the position once.

It is going to be an interesting year for the Huskies defense. Since expectations are essentially non-existent, if they can manage almost anything this year it would be considered a successful development year.

However, that's the worrying part. This is most likely a developmental/transitional year as the staff upgrades the talent at the positions.

We'll see, as with everything this offseason.

An Early Offensive Depth Chart

2009-07-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

In the absence of anything completely newsworthy outside of recruiting the past few days, thought I might try my hand at predicting the Washington Huskies depth chart.

I'll profile each side of the ball in two separate posts.

Some positions are pretty easy to predict, like Jake Locker at quarterback. While others are incredibly difficult to predict, like offensive line and cornerback. Head coach Steve Sarkisian will have his hands full this fall trying to figure some of these out.

So here is what I think the offensive depth chart will look like next year:

Quarterback - Jake Locker/Ronnie Fouch
Running Back - Chris Polk/Willie Griffin
Full Back - Paul Homer/Austin Sylvester
Wide Receiver - D'Andre Goodwin/Anthony Boyles
Wide Receiver - Jermaine Kearse/Devin Aguilar
Wide Receiver - Jordan Polk/Cody Bruns
Tight End - Chris Izbicki and Kavario Middleton (Expect Sarkisian to use a lot of two tight end sets)
Left Tackle - Cody Habben/Mark Armelin
Left Guard - Ben Ossai/(this is a position in flux to be certain)
Center - Ryan Tolar/Mykenna Ikehara
Right Guard - Senio Kelemete/Morgan Rosborough
Right Tackle - Drew Schaefer/Skyler Fancher

Essentially there isn't too much surprise, but I threw in a couple surprising picks for starters just based on what I saw in spring. Does anyone expect Ronnie Fouch to unseat Jake Locker this fall? Austin Sylvester to unseat Paul Homer at fullback?

I think easily one of the most contraversial picks is that of Jordan Polk at wide-receiver rather than, say, Devin Aguilar. However, Polk was one of the most improved performers in my book, and showed some of the most drive out of all the receivers.

D'Andre Goodwin and Jermain Kearse are the other two locks at the position just based on their skillsets. Goodwin is a solid hands receiver with good run after the catch ability; while Kearse has shown excellent ability on the long passes.

I would say that the receiving corps has a lot of promise in the coming months. New recruit James Johnson is also highly regarded and could make a strong case for playing time this fall.

The Running Back slot is most likely going to be shouldered by Chris Polk, and I would go so far as to say the staff have him penciled in in the first slot. Griffin is good, but there are connections between Polk and Sarkisian going back to the recruiting phase when he originally was going to go to USC.

The offensive line, though, is the hardest to pick.

I'm going to say right now, that while the staff is high on Mykenna Ikehara at center, they go with experience in Ryan Tolar.

Ben Ossai and Cody Habben have gametime experience and are used to playing together on the line, so I think they are going to get the right side spots.

The left side, however, is anyone's game. No one has gametime experience on that side of the ball (Senio Kelemete played on the defensive line last year) and the chemistry may or may not be there.

For the purposes of this article I took Sarkisian at his word with the official depth chart. The play of the offensive line was adequate, but it is such a subtly nuanced position that it's tough for me to make the most of my spring judgements.

The real test for the offense will be how well they mesh together under the new offensive scheme. I wouldn't be surprised if it may be a mess during the first game or two, with mistakes inevitably going to happen.

I do think, though, that the team has the talent to really shine if given the opportunity too, they just need someone to bring it out.

Plus, they desperately need that next win to have something to bond around.

The 2009 Huskies Secondary: Good or Bad?

2009-07-15T09:49:00.001-07:00

You know your secondary is terrible when looking through the Getty/Bleacher Report archive of pictures, you can't find any good pictures of your defensive backs making plays.

It's even worse when most of the pictures are of them getting burned.

It goes without saying that the Washington Huskies defense needs a complete transfusion of energy and talent at safety and cornerback.

That or they just need concentrated coaching and athletic conditioning.

Going into 2009, the defense seems more or less set in its rotation at defensive line, and the linebacker lineup is a forgone conclusion. However there has been a constant rotation of players and both safety and cornerback.

Guys like Nate Williams, an honorable mention for All-Pac-10 honors last season, seems to be the only sure shot at any of the position. For what it's worth, he could potentially be a huge star for the team. He plays the position well and loves to hit hard.

The return of Jason Wells at safety is absolutely vital to creating depth at the position. The other big name safety on the team, Victor Aiyewa, has had injury problems and this creates depth problems at the position.

Tyrone Willingham moved freshman running back Johri Fogerson to the position to add backup, and now Steve Sarkisian has move wide receiver Alvin Logan to safety as well.

The pattern emerging is that the coaches have been severely dissatisfied with either the talent or depth at the position.

At cornerback the problem isn't depth but who pairs up with Quinton Richardson. The coaches have penciled him in at the starting cornerback spot, but have no less than four players listed at the other one.

Through the entirety of spring, neither Justin Glenn, Matt Mosley, Anthony Gobern, or Vonzell McDowell staked a convincing claim to the position.

It is a worrying statistic that perhaps there is no leader, but perhaps it could lead to an increase in talent based on the competition for the slot.

It really just depends on whether these guys are playing up to get the spot or playing timid because they don't want to be the guy to screw up on saturdays.

Potentially, depending on how well he picks up the system, the Huskies may have a short term solution in junior college transfer Dominique Gaisie. However, he will have the least amount of time in the program since he'll be joining with the JC transfers in fall.

Gaisie, along with safety David Batts should add much needed cover to a unit that has just been atrocious the last couple years.

Baseline, it may be another year until the talent has matured enough to be an effective unit. Nick Holt needs to create schemes which will help out the players and provide the best possible cover for the field.

The offense will be learning all year long, so it will often be up to the defense to keep the Huskies in the game.

I wouldn't hold out too much hope for a massive turnaround, but the team has matured, and there is new energy.

We will find out starting September 5th whether that helps or not.

What is the Realistic Over Under for the Huskies

2009-07-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Ted Miller has this great piece on the Huskies, a bit optimistic to be sure, but good nonetheless. He puts the over-under on wins for the Huskies at four wins.

Seattle Times beat writer Bob Condotta, one of the best sources on the Huskies out there, agrees.

For what it's worth, I do too. Sorry to be a buzzkill for those looking for something different than what is out there currently. Looking at this squad and the schedule coming up, it just is the number that screams out of that mess.

Where those wins will come from is trickier to predict, and in truth could be in the two to three range.

The Idaho game is one that most are labeling as a given, and if the Sarkisian staff loses this game they really should be fired on the spot. I think most Husky fans agree that even though it is a lesser opponent it is still a certain must-win.

I agree with Miller also when he states that this team is deceiving in it's talent level. A healthy Jake Locker really raises this team, but that is hard to see over last year's 0-12 debacle.

In truth, I firmly believe that if the Huskies pull a win against BYU, instead of losing by one point, the Huskies would have gone on to have a much better season.

If Nick Holt can figure out the cornerbacks, this defense could be a lot more solid too. I've been a huge fan of Nate Williams since he got to campus, and I think he will look good this year after a year of experience.

The middle is going to be stronger, with Teo'nesheim moving all along the line throughout games and the season. Plus, adding EJ Savannah to this linebacker unit will be a huge boost.

Granted, this is a lot of optimism, and I'm sure someone will just label me a homer. It's true, I can't deny that sometimes I have a lot of bias for my team.

However, I do stand behind the things I say here, and if the Huskies pull out the four victories, this will be the reason why.

All things considered, I cannot wait for the season to start. I can't wait to see how the new staff and the players have gelled.

Less than two months left now...

Good Offensive Line News

2009-07-08T21:20:00.000-07:00

Erik Kohler, offensive lineman out of Oaks Christian high in Westlake Village, CA, said that he has the Huskies out in front. Kohler is a teamate of current recruit Nick Montana and is a highly touted offensive line recruit.

I'm picking this story up from Rivals, but since that is a pay site you can get a somewhat abridged version from ESPN's Greg Biggins here.

Kohler remarked that his visit really helped to solidify the Huskies in his mind, as well as a very successful meeting with coach Steve Sarkisian and offensive line coach Dan Cozzetto. Here's a little excerpt of what he had to say:

"One coach that is outstanding, unbelievable and has always impressed me every single time I talk to him, and reassures me of what Washington will be able to do, is coach Sarkisian."

He has also stated that the Montana's have really been pushing the recruiting as well, with Montana's mom emailing Kohler's mom; to complement Nick pushing the school with his teamate.

That has to feel good if you are a Huskies fan to have such a prestigious football family backing UW.

Off-Field Attrition Claims Husky Running Backs

2009-07-08T14:51:00.001-07:00

Leading into the 2009 season it looked like head coach Steve Sarkisian was going to suffer the same problem he had at USC, an overabundance of running backs. A committee system seemed just as likely at Washington.

The difference, of course, at Washington is that the running back who proved the least bad was going to get it. At USC it was the the player who was the best, and in truth it almost didn't matter who was played, they were all just as good.

Well, it seems that Sarkisian now has three less backs to worry about in his equation.

David Freeman and Brandon Johnson have both been declared academically ineligible and Brandon Yakaboski has had a setback on his knee injury.

Freeman is the biggest hit. A true freshman last season, he showed the most promise of all the backs played. He ran with the most purpose despite his small frame.

Johnson's career at UW has shown flashes of being quite promising, but has been held up by injury over the last two years.

Yakaboski has yet to suit up for the Huskies in a game situation.

It leaves the Huskies with four backs instead of seven, which could be more than enough if one of the remaining backs asserts himself.

Freshmen Chris Polk and Demetrius Bronson, along with sophomores Willie Griffin and Curtis Shaw are the only remaining backs.

Chris Polk is the most probable starter, after being listed at the top of the depth chart after spring along with Griffin.

Bronson as well made a good impression on the new staff during spring and there is no doubt he will see the field if the two starters in front of him falter.

This news affects two areas on the team, off the field, as well.

It frees up some scholarship room for players, with the current cap being 85 for the team. This has become a challenging issue for coaches across the country and has made recruiting a much more acute challenge.

That leads to the second part that this news affects, the recruiting front. Sarkisian has stated on several occasions that recruiting running backs is a priority in this class. Especially since none were signed in the last one.

Now with the loss of two, plus worrying injury problems for another, you can imagine the staff is redoubling efforts to sign more.

Currently the 2010 class only holds two running backs, with Zach Fogerson being slated as a fullback. This leaves Melvin Davis, of Harbor City, CA, has the only true running back slated to be signed.

It will be interesting to see how this saga plays itself out. It will also be interesting to see, if these players can get their academics back on track, if they can play for UW in the future.

Dead Period

2009-06-27T21:12:00.001-07:00

I have to say, this is a pretty dull time to be a college football writer. I embarked on this project of "Husky Trails" to provide comprehensive insight into the happenings of Washington football, and it's been great so far.

This last week, however, has been a bit tricky in terms of the column (not to mention starting a new job on the side haha). Things have been pretty dead.

Basically, the coaches are all on furlough, since they can't really do a ton of recruiting or coaching. The players are in their summer conditioning programs and that's kind of what they are doing.

About the biggest news over the last week was the loss of wide receiver recruit Tevin Carter to Cal.

Carter, a speedy southern california receiver prospect, committed early to the Dawgs since they were about the only ones that were coming in for him.

Within the last several weeks, after a steller showing at one of the California track meets, he has been getting looks from his in-state schools. Thus the change, since he wants to play closer to home.

The only other news of note is that assistant strength coach Charr Gahagan has left to be the head strength coach at North Texas. This follows the North Texas strength coach moving on to Tennessee.

Gahagan was one of the strength guys that Sarkisian lured away from USC when he came up to UW.

So far through spring the teams has gotten good reviews on their progress in strength and conditioning. The programs Gahagan and head strength coach Ivan Lewis have put together have worked.

The new strength and conditioning program may be the missing link as well, to finally overcome that last hurdle towards progress. The Tyrone Willingham teams were at best short on endurance, and most of the time looked extremely sluggish.

With both of these departures it belies a potential problem that Sarkisian is going to have in the coming year.

First, that some of the recruits have committed early and the real challenge is not so much the initial commitment but rather keeping them onboard.

Second, any success this staff has will mean that programs will start poaching the assistant coaches. What the Huskies need is not one good year, but sustained success, and that comes with a more or less solid core staff.

That being said, success does need to come.

The Recruiting News Just Gets Better For the Huskies

2009-06-14T23:31:00.001-07:00

The Washington Huskies and head coach Steve Sarkisian have capped off an excellent week of recruiting, with four solid recruits heading to Montlake.

Today the Huskies received news from highly regarded athlete Keonon Lowe from Portland, Oregon and tight end/defensive end Michael Hartvigson from Bothell, Washington.

They join current recruits Nick Montana, arguably the biggest get of the group, and offensive lineman Colin Porter.

Erik Kohler, a teammate of Montana's, made a visit to Seattle this weekend and came away really impressed. The four star lineman didn't commit but cited how the new staff have assuaged any doubts about the 0-12 2008 campaign.

Michael Hartvigson is an interesting recruit, with upside on both sides of the ball. He had been recruited by as highly regarded programs as Florida in the past. However, this can be traced back to former Washington tight end coach Brian White switching to coaching for Gators.

He is a self professed lifelong Dawg fan and said that the visit completely sealed the deal for him. So much so he jumped up in the middle of the meeting and shouted "I'm a Dawg!"

This was considered great news by the staff assembled for the meeting, and even drew a tender moment from defensive coordinator Nick Holt. The verbally profuse hardman was so excited he kissed Hartvigson on the forehead.

A bit extreme perhaps, but a complete departure from the previous regime to be sure.

Keonon Lowe is another great get, and is rated the highest in the Huskies class by Rivals right now.

Lowe was recruited as a receiver and joins current receiver recruits Jamaal Kearse and Tevin Carter in this class. He made his decision after visiting Montlake as well. The staff has done well to make the campus and the energy there a real selling point this recruiting season.

The best news about Lowe, from this humble fans perspective, and barring his high regard, is the fact that the Huskies stole him away from Duck territory.

Naturally, of course, the Duck fans will all say that he isn't that good and the Ducks can survive. Something along the lines of that it doesn't matter in the greater scheme of things.

In truth, it doesn't, but it has to be a moral victory for a brand new staff, that hasn't even won a game yet, to be able to steal a highly regarded recruit from a bitter rivals backyard.

It will in no way bring parity back to the old ways, i.e. the Huskies dominating, but Washington needs all the help it can get at this point.

Four recruits in a week is a great haul, especially after coming off such a dire season and it also being the off-season.

The real question is, if things go bad this year, can Sarkisian hold onto this group.

Time will tell.

Huskies Nab a New Lineman

2009-06-12T23:22:00.001-07:00

For those of you a bit giddy on the news about Nick Montana's commitment, I bring more good news. Washington received its second offensive lineman commit today from local product Colin Porter.

Porter, who played for Redmond last season, is an impressive 6'5" 313 pound guard. Coupled with Ben Riva this is a much needed recruiting need filled.

The Huskies are looking to beef up their complement of linemen with this class by hopefully signing three or four, so half way there for Sarkisian and company.

Porter cited the Montana commitment as one of the influences on his decision. He said it showed the new staff's commitment to adding quality players and getting the program back where it needed to be.

He also said that he was flattered by the interest shown in him by the Husky staff. On the last day of February, the last in which coaches could go out on visits in the spring evaluation period, six Husky coaches packed into his school to see him.

The Porter commitment makes it the tenth for this class but also, more importantly, the sixth in state commitment as well. I've harped on this point a lot in the past, but its very important to point out that UW only received two in state commitments in all of last year's class.

However, it also key to point out this staff has only sent out one more scholarship offer to in state players, to Bothell tight end Michael Hartvigson. It will be interesting to see who picks up some offers as the season goes on.

Just as a side note, while Washington has picked up two linemen commits, they only have one true running back commit in Melvin Davis (Zach Fogerson is going to be a fullback). Both positions were focuses for this recruiting year so it will be interesting to see who else they pick up.

Still, another good day to be a DAWG!

Joe Montana at Husky Stadium?

2009-06-12T23:21:00.000-07:00

Great news tonight for all you Husky fans out there. The Washington Huskies just reeled in one of the recruits they had to get in Nick Montana, a quarterback from Oaks Christian High School.

After the somewhat disappointing loss to BYU of the services of heralded in-state recruit Jake Heaps, this has to come as some good news.

Even better, Montana is a bit of a better fit for the style of offense that Steve Sarkisian wants to run. It also bodes well for Sarkisian's recruiting ability, with the big-name QB signing with an 0-12 team.

Montana threw for 2,404 yards and 33 touchdowns as a junior last season.

Montana had offers from schools all over the country, including Arizona, Arizona State, Stanford, Washington, Alabama, Georgia, LSU, South Carolina, Florida State, Maryland, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and Ohio State.

Notre Dame was thought to be the leader because of the ties his father Joe Montana has there, but in the end Nick chose Washington.

Montana's high school coach claimed the Husky staff did an excellent job recruiting the young quarterback. Montana himself said that coming to campus and meeting the staff really sealed the deal.

Montana will join Ronnie Fouch and Keith Price as the backups to current starter Jake Locker in 2010, but with a fairly open competition at this point, it's going to be interesting going into 2011.

Nonetheless, it will be pretty great for Husky football to have a legend like Joe Montana hanging around the program more often.

At least, it's pretty cool from my perspective, being a lifelong 49ers fan.

It's all smoke and mirrors at this point before a ball is even hiked, but it's obvious from the energy Sarkisian brings why he was brought into the program.

What The Heaps Decision Means for UW

2009-06-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Today heralded Washington state recruit Jake Heaps is expected to make his decision to play for Brigham Young University. Washington was in late with the Sammamish quarterback, but lost out to BYU's considerable lead. This could probably be considered the first disappoinment of the Steve Sarkisian era.

The problem revolves around the Willingham staff waiting to long to open up his recruitment. Because of his Mormon faith, BYU opened up his recruitment after his sophomore season.

The question now is where the Huskies go from here. Sarkisian has stated that signing a quarterback is a must for the 2010 recruiting class. They are recruiting two big name athletes in Jesse Scroggins from Lakewood, California and Nick Montana, son of the 49er great Joe Montana.

However, since Washington went 0-12 last season, the chances of signing those two players were long even before Heaps committed. Heaps would have been the most likely out of that trio to sign with UW.

That being said, many pundits have stated that this may turn out well for the Huskies in the long run. Heaps was thought to be a better fit for the BYU offense than for Sark's offense, with BYU's being predicated on much shorter timing routes.

The Washington offense under Sarkisian is going to have longer timing because of Sark's desire to work out of play-action. Many pundits have also stated that the best choice of the three big name quarterbacks is Scroggins.

Bruce Feldman had this excellent piece detailing Scroggins, who received his first offer back in February from the Washington staff. Since then he's gone on to receive some big name offers from around the country, including Florida, LSU, Tennessee, Pittsburg, Cal, Nebraska, and many others.

While a long-shot still, Sarkisian and Co. are highly recruiting two of his teamates at Lakewood in wide receiver Kevin Anderson and safety Dion Bailey. Getting any one of those guys would be great, any two would be wonderful, and god forbid all three would count as a major coup.

The Huskies also signed defensive end Talia Crichton from Lakewood in last seasons class. It would certainly help recruiting Scroggins to have some of his friends and teamates on the field.

Montana, on the other hand, is the longest shot. He is scheduled for an unofficial visit this weekend and Husky fans can only hope that Sarkisian makes a big enough impression on Montana and family.

Washington has made the last cut down to seven, mostly on the back of Sarkisian and offensive coordinator Nussmeier's reputation as quarterback groomers. Many feel that while Washington has its merits, it won't make it through the next cuts.

Many have said that Notre Dame will be the destination because of his dad's legacy there. However, as evidenced by the Jack Elway situation at Arizona State, following a big name athlete father isn't always the easiest.

My bias would love to see a Montana at UW because I'm a life long 49ers fan, but I think that UW is a huge long shot for both of these quarterbacks. If one looks at the offer lists for both the remaining of the three, there is some tough selling to do considering UW was 0-12 last season.

Sarkisian and staff are sure to be looking at other quarterbacks that are down their list. Andrew Manley of Wahiawa, Hawaii has stated the Washington staff have been looking at him along with four other quarterbacks. It's unclear who the last one of that group is.

While Sarkisian has stated a quarterback is a must for this class, it seems to point to a lack of confidence in Fouch to take the reins from Locker.

Locker will most likely have this season and next to mature before going into the NFL, leaving Fouch with an extra year of eligibility after that. There's no reason why any of these big name recruits are going to want to wait two years at least to play. Therefore, Fouch must be scheduled for backup duty.

Don't forget as well that highly regarded recruit Keith Price is arriving this summer on campus, and will also be developed.

The conventional logic is that Sarkisian is looking for a quarterback of his own, with the physical tools he wants, that he can groom and shepard into his system. Fouch and Price were both Willingham recruits.

This isn't as much of a critical juncture for the Huskies under Sarkisian, because there is only so much recruiting he can do on hope for the future. It's hard to deal with that 0-12 hanging over the program right now.

He's done extremely well on the recruiting front so far, especially in state, but the loss of Heaps stings a little for a lot of Husky fans. The best they can do is cross their fingers and hope Sark and Co. can get it done with Scroggins and/or Montana.

It will all come into place. Hopefully.

Another batch of links

2009-06-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

Well everybody, we are on the downhill slope heading into the 2009 season, but I doubt it can come fast enough for most of you fans. I know it's a slow time here at Husky Trails.

In my capacity of providing coverage for the Washington Huskies football team, I feel it's appropriate to pass along the stories I find interesting about the program.

Enjoy the list!

-The Sporting News had a good interview with new head coach Steve Sarkisian. Sark had some positive words about quarterback Jake Locker and his progress in the new offense.

-As passed along by Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Tom Luginbill of ESPN's Scouts Inc. says highly touted in state recruit Jake Heaps will pick BYU over UW. I don't know how much of a lead BYU has, but apparently they were in first while the Willingham staff hardly recruited him.

Luginbill also asserts that Heaps may not be the best fit in the system Sarkisian wants to use. Jesse Scroggins of California, another Washington target, would probably be the best fit.

-Another Condotta story here, detailing what UW does now for the Husky Stadium renovation. My take on it is that athletic director Scott Woodward is still being unnecessarily difficult still.

In response to trying to scale back the scope of the project or do it in stages he has been very negative. Unfortunately, to get this project done, sacrifices are going to have to be made.

-Bruce Feldman, of ESPN, has Washington as one of his ten most improved teams in 2009. He cites the 18 returning starters and the Sarkisian enthusiasm bump as possible reasons for it.

-Congrats to the UW softball team for winning their first national championship! The Huskies topped the Florida Gators by winning the first two games of the series.

Three Games Worth Watching in 2009

2009-05-31T11:35:00.002-07:00

In the depths of my withdrawal from college football (and with no end seemingly in sight haha) I feel it is only pertinent to provide those who follow the Huskies the three best chances to watch the Washington Huskies next year.

Going 0-12 is naturally not going to garner much interest in the larger college football community. However, there are a few games worth watching, even if some of them my be losses.

The games listed below are the games in which the Huskies could potentially be the most competitive. The chance for some surprising wins, which would be a nice surprise.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian is instituting a new system, and it's safe to assume that the team will be rusty going into the first game with LSU. The Tigers of LSU may have rust of their own but that's about the best any Husky fan can hope for.

Therefore, LSU and Idaho need to be stricken from this specific list. They represent great game opportunities, but their outcomes seem assured.

In the same vein, the Apple Cup is stricken from this list for always being a game to watch on the Huskies calendar. So without further adieu, here are the three games to watch in 2009.

@ Stanford 9/26/09

This is an away game, but both these programs have been in the doldrums lately. Their respective talent levels have made for interesting games the last several years.

The win two years ago at Stanford was a bit of a blast from the past. The run game was on display with Louis Rankin recording the fourth best single game rushing performance in Huskies history.

Last years was the fateful game in which Locker broke his thumb, forcing him out for the season. Backup Ronnie Fouch helped them stay competitive, but it was still a loss. One in which Willingham never full recovered, making it one of the death knells for his career at UW.

This years game really revolves around Stanford's quarterback play. If the Cardinal are still struggling to decide between Andrew Luck and Tavita Pritchard it could become an interesting game.

Luck will be playing for the first time, so it really comes down to that talent versus experience argument for Stanford.

At the same time, if Washington can maintain Locker's health that will be a huge boost.

This game comes on the back of LSU and USC in the previous three weeks, so it's a bit of a must-win for Sarkisian. A loss at Stanford would do the same thing as last year and send the Huskies into a tailspin.

The difference being, Sarkisian seems infinitely more inclined to get up and motivate his players, unlike Willingham.

v. Arizona 10/10/09

This was a game that the Huskies were always competitive in, except for last year. Two years ago it was a shooting fest, with the Huskies losing on a late touchdown, but the two years previous were both wins in several drab seasons.

Arizona has the great misfortune of trying to break in a new quarterback for their system. No matter whole it comes down to, no one really has very much game experience on the roster.

Sonny Dykes' system is quarterback friendly, in that there is a lot of throwing, but they have struggled against the Huskies in terms of sacks.

Last year was a terrible year for the Washington defensive line, and Arizona was the first team to give up some quarterback takedowns to that unit.

Years previous there were as many as six against Tuitama. Nick Holt will be looking to attack Arizona's youthful quarterbacks this way.

The problem is, Arizona has a born playmaker in the tight end Rob Grankowski. To stay in the game, the Huskies are going to need to find a counter for him.

The honeymoon with Mike Stoops after getting to a bowl game last year will start to fade by this point of the season. I see the Wildcats struggling over the stretch as the coaching staff takes their foot off the gas now that they aren't on the hotseat.

That relaxation may be just what the Huskies need.

This game falls after a a roadtrip to Stanford and Notre Dame. The home schedule for the Huskies isn't great, with the exception of Washington State and Idaho. This is one of the games that Sark will be looking to dominate the homefield advantage.

v. Oregon 10/24/09

This one will be controversial, especially to many Duck fans, but I'm going to go out on a limb right now and say that this could be a special game in the rivalry, if not a win for UW.

Oregon has won way too many of the games in this recent series, and with the new staffs I think this game will be spicy. Husky stadium will be packed with Oregon and Washington fans as well, which makes it one of the best games to go see live.

Remember as well, the Huskies hung with the Ducks for three and half quarters until they fell under the Dennis Dixon/Jonathan Stewart onslaught.

Masoli is a great quarterback, but it remains to be seen if LeGarrette Blount can carry the load the same as Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson. He is a good back, but has his off the field problems and hasn't been the number one guy yet.

I would also worry that now that Justin Roper has transferred that could become a problem position for the Ducks. If Masoli has a "sophomore slump" or a season ending injury it could spell trouble.

Also, Aaron Pflugard, one of the top performers this spring at wide receiver, is transferring as well.

Chip Kelly certainly has his system, and the offensive mind to get people going in it, but it has to be disconcerting to see two players like this leave the program.

Roper being the bigger loss of course, who I thought was a really good player for them but had the misforturne of being injured and Masoli playing like a man possessed.

I think that the Ducks probably will win this game again, don't get me wrong, but I think a lot has to go right for it to be out and out a definitive fact. I can guarantee it will be a great game to watch, a la the 2007 game.

But that's what a Oregon-Washington game is supposed to be, right?

An End to the Pac-10 Round Robin?

2009-05-31T11:35:00.001-07:00

An informal poll of the Pac-10 coaches done by Ted Miller of ESPN has them voting six to four in favor of ending the current round robin scheduling in the Pac-10. Currently every team plays the other once during the season, which is an important feather in the Pac-10 cap.

The advantages of dumping the schedule are immense, in that it allows for an easier route to get six wins (something the Huskies desperately need) and an easier time getting into BCS bowl games.

The problems would be that there would be a large dearth in visits from and visits to, say, the California schools for the Huskies.

Remember the Huskies didn't play UCLA in 1991 and 1992, and didn't play USC in 1999 and 2000. They also didn't play UCLA at home for four years between 1990 and 1994.

The only stipulation of the new schedules is that each team must play its natural rival every year.

UCLA v. USC, Cal v. Stanford, and Washington v. WSU all will stay. It's rivalries like Washington v. Oregon that could become tricky to schedule.

Ask any Oregon fan, and they will tell you they want to play the Huskies every year, and vice versa. Not saying it can't be done; it would just be more difficult.

In the same vein, the southern California schools would want to make sure they had the Bay Area schools too.

The Arizona schools, of course, being somewhat loners.

In terms of Husky news, this may prove fruitful. While taking away a home conference game every year, they can add a fourth non-conference foe. Ideally that would be someone like another Idaho or other mid-major.

Knowing the schedulers at Washington, however, it would be Florida or someone.

The round robin schedule is a huge deal for a lot of proponents of the conference. It provides them with a moral high ground when they argue (I've used it myself on many occasions).

It would be interesting to see how the perception of the league would rise or fall based on losing the round robin—especially in the eyes of the voters.

Suffice it to say, it's still going to be a contentious issue when the next Pac-10 meetings roll around.