I'm eager to hear how it looked on ESPN?

It struck me as pretty impressive. I thought Jake Locker was even better than his numbers indicated (those numbers are below). He was dominating enough that Syracuse had to account for him on every play, and I think that helped every other phase of the game, especially Louis Rankin, who also was dazzling.

Syracuse may be one of the very worst teams in Division IA, and we'll get a much better read on these guys next week. But that was a very impressive start in a lot of ways.

Some highlights:

Player of the game
In his college debut, Washington quarterback Jake Locker completed 14 of 19 passes for 142 yards and ran for 83 yards and two touchdowns. He forced Syracuse to account for him on every play, which likely helped tailback Louis Rankin to a pretty nice night of his own: a career-high 147 yards and three touchdowns.

Key stats
Washington rushed for 302 yards, while Syracuse managed only 8 yards on the ground. The Huskies defense also notched seven sacks, while Syracuse got none.

Turning point
After Syracuse took a 3-0 lead, a field-reversing 15-yard burst by Rankin seemed to get the Huskies going, and they outscored the Orange 35-3 in the second and third quarters.

Special play
After all the uncertainty about the Huskies’ kicking game, everything turned out fine in the opener. Ryan Perkins hit all six extra points, Jared Ballman averaged 46.2 yards on four punts, and Ballman and Perkins regularly sent kickoffs inside the 5.

Newcomers
Approximately 30 Huskies, including 11 true freshmen, made their first trip as college players and 19 saw their first game action. One of those with the highest profile was true freshman Vonzell McDowell Jr., who started at cornerback and performed well.
“I had a couple of butterflies,” he said. “When I first got on the field, this is what I love to do, so it just felt natural to me. … After I had broken on a ball a couple of times and covered my position right a couple of times and came up for a couple of hits, I realized that I could really do this.”
Other Huskies making their debuts included true freshman Nate Williams as the nickel back, and tailbacks Brandon Johnson and Curtis Shaw.

Quote
“It’s a hard loss, and our expectations were higher than that. We can play better than that. It’s really a matter of how do we respond from this point.” – Syracuse coach Greg Robinson

Extra points
Fullback Luke Kravitz was the only significant injury mentioned. Coach Tyrone Willingham gave no other details. … Fullback Paul Homer carried the ball for the first time, ending up with 9 yards on three carries. … Receiver D’Andre Goodwin also got his first carry, gaining 31 yards on a reverse. … UW captains were Dan Howell, Louis Rankin, Juan Garcia and Jordan Reffett. … Basketball coach Lorenzo Romar and some of the UW delegation traveling in Greece watched the game over the Internet. … Syracuse surprised their fans by taking the field in orange helmets, jerseys and pants. It was their first time in all orange since Nov. 6, 2004, when they defeated Pittsburgh in double-overtime. … A statue honoring Syracuse’s lone Heisman Trophy winner, tailback Ernie Davis, was unveiled at halftime.

Next
Boise State, 12:30 p.m., Sept. 8, FSN.

Utter domination right now, and the Syracuse fans have seen enough. They are filing to the exits ... muttering.

If this margin holds up -- or, of course, grows -- it will be the biggest UW win of the Willingham era.

Locker just took over in the second quarter, expecially running. For those 15 minutes, at least, he was everything he was billed to be. He was dangerous enough to change the Syracuse defense, as they kept a player spying on him and even that couldn't slow him.

However, it's a game of adjustments, and it's clear that SU coach Greg Robinson had to halftime task more important that finding a way to slow Locker. It will be interesting to see what he came up with, and interesting then to see what UW/Willingham/Locker do to answer the Orange changes.

The defense has looked solid.

Also, we finally got the answer to a few of those lingering camp questions. Ben Ossai started at left tackle. Vonzell McDowell has been impressive at corner. Nate Williams is playing as the nickle back (and broke up a would-be touchdown on Syracuse's final drive.

A few stats: Locker eight carries for 67 yards. Ranking nine for 57. Locker passing: 7-of-11 for 47 tards. Receiving: Reece, Rankin and Russo two catches each. Tackles: Mesphin Forrester, five.

Huskies got off to a slow start. Locker's first pass was incomplete. His first run lost 2 yards. But they seem to be opening things up a bit now and have just moved into Syracuse territory for the first time.

Syracuse just came out on the field in uniforms that might make the Oregon Ducks gag: orange helmets, orange jerseys, orange pants.

The school had announced previously that the team would debut new helmets: the traditional orange but with a new block "S." However, it was assumed they would go along with the usual uniform of last season: navy jerseys and orange pants.

However, we have just received a note saying that the team last won all orange on Nov. 6, 2004 and they defeated Pitt in double-overtime. The time before that, they routed Temple, 41-7.

I got to the dome just about the time the Huskies did. There were a few dozen fans in purple cheering them on as they took the trek from bus to dome.

Then I walked into the building, which is as warm as billed. It's a near-perfect day outside, and certainly several degrees cooler than in here.

The place looks like the little brother of BC Place up in Vancouver -- with the semi-transparent air-suspended roof -- but much smaller. It really feels about halfway in size between the Tacoma Dome and BC Place.

It not high on charm or tradition, but they've done what they can. Some of the otherwise grey walls are decorated with orange-tinted tributes to Syracuse athletic achievements -- there's one to Jim Brown and to the school's national lacrosse championships, for example. And, of course, to the 1959 football champions. And above that, hands a large Syracuse football jersey with the No. 44, now retired in tribute to Brown, Ernie Davis and Floyd Little.

Just after the gates were opened to the Syracuse students -- easy to spot in there purple – the Syracuse players ran across the field to interact a bit with the student section/.

Now, a few Huskies are out on the field going through very light warm ups in their purple game pants and white T-shirts.

15 MINUTES TILL KICKOFF, the teams have left the field and been replaced by the Syracuse band.

The crowd, however, is tiny as of now. The place seats about 50,000, and it seems less than half of that now. The locals day they're expecting about 30,000.

However, a lot of Husky fans traveled. There are about three sections of purple low in one end zone of what will be the top left part of your TV screen. About 60 of them were expected to be the Locker traveling party, according to Jake's dad, Scott.

FIVE MINUTES TILL KICKOFF: UW captains for the opener are UW captains were Dan Howell, Louis Rankin, Juan Garcia and Jordan Reffett.

Game day has dawned here in Syracuse, and with all fall camp and all the build up behind us, it's time for the Huskies to to start the 2007 season.

We've heard a lot about the heat inside the Carrier Dome, but it isn't expected to be a sizzling day here: A high around 74, and probably well below that by the 5 p.m. PDT start, which is 8 p.m. out here.

I'm not expecting any more news to report until getting to the stadium, but I'll file as information comes in, then a little during the game, and then I hope you'll join in for some post-game discussion as we did last football season.

At 2:20 this afternoon I'll be talking about the Huskies' opener at Syracuse with the Groz on KJR, 950-AM. The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

Next week, I believe we'll slide back to the 2:20 p.m. Wednesday position, which out default slot for the rest of the football season.

By the way, today is the day of The News Tribune's annual college football section. And we hope you'll grab a copy and use it all season. But there is a good version of most of the features online too.

The Huskies arrived last night in Syracuse, land of Jim Brown, Ernie David and Floyd Little, and so did I.

One of the odd little footnotes of UW camp the past couple of days has been Tyrone Willingham's contention that one element of playing in the Carrier Dome is that certain open doors might affect the wind currents inside.

So, it was interested to arrive in Syracuse last night just in time to watch the local news, in which the Syracuse media asked coach Greg Robinson about that. Robinson gave mostly a "huh?" answer, finally adding that he's never noticed anything like that.

However, there is one thing about the Carrier Dome that everyone seems to agree on, and that is that it is hot and humid. And that, unfortunately, could be a real issue in the game tomorrow, because it's in the '80s here now. They're predicting a "cold front" to move through today, but that's expected to bring rain and maybe even thunderstorms, but not notably lower temperatures.

The Huskies are scheduled for a walk-though at the Dome today, but neither UW nor Syracuse plans any contact with the media, so I might not have much more to write today. However, I plan to swing by the campus today and get a look at the dome, and I'll post back is there's anything worth posting.

And finally, I'm supposed to be on KJR again today, discussing the UW opener with the Groz. However, I'm not sure if that's the usual 2:20 p.m. time or not. I'll also try to post a note on that when the time is set.

The Huskies leave for Syracuse this afternoon.

Tuesday news: Cornerback Byron Davenport’s hamstring injury has made significant recent progress, and he is likely to travel with the team. However, true freshman will start against Syracuse regardless.

Kicker Nick Folk (back) likely won’t travel, but the kicking/punting duties haven’t yet been assigned to either Ryan Perkins or Jared Ballman.

Linebacker Donald Butler (knee) is improving, but if he can’t start Saturday, Willingham expressed confidence in Trenton Tuiasosopo.

The left tackle competition between Cody Habben and Ben Ossai also remains unsettled. At Tuesday practice, Habben started with the No. 1 offense.

At this morning's Pac-10 Conference coaches teleconference, Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh announced that former Auburn quarterback Kellen Kiilsgaard has been moved to fullback.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pound freshman isn't on the two-deep for the season (and Pac-10) opener Saturday against UCLA.

Other notes from the non-Washington schools:

OREGON STATE, the first Pac-10 team to begin the season, hosting Utah on Thursday: Coach Mike Riley said he explained his plan to start quarterback Sean Canfield in the first quarter and then use Lyle Moevao in second quarter, regardless of how Canfield performs. “These two guys haven’t separated enough to force a decision,” Riley said. “So I want each to have a chance to contribute in their own way.” … Riley also said that star receiver Sammie Stroughter “probably won’t play” in the opener and that even though he is back practice with the team, his “future remains his decision and family decision.” Stroughter left the team and planned to leave school, citing grief in dealing with the death of several people close to him. However, he quickly returned to practice and now apparently plans to stay. “We’re kind of going day by day,” Riley said. Riley also announced that kicker Alex Serna is now also handling the punting.

OREGON, which hosts Houston on Saturday: Coach Mike Bellotti reports that starting quarterback Dennis Dixon has “looked very good, physically and with decision making.” He reports the heath of the Ducks is good health. Said the question mark defense is front seven, “but I think we have a chance to be solid inside.”

ARIZONA, which visits BYU on Saturday: Coach Mike Stoops said quarterback Willie Tuitama and the rest of the team is dealing well with the new spread offense. “I think our kids have really grasped this system well and we have kids that fit this system really well,” he said.

USC, which hosts a reluctant Idaho on Saturday. Coach Pete Carroll explained that this game was arranged when Nick Holt was coach at Idaho. After Hold left to join Carroll’s USC staff, Idaho tried to get out of the game. However, USC chose to hold the Vandals to their contract, citing the difficulty in finding an acceptable new opponent on that date. … Carroll also said that the starter from his crowded field of talented tailbacks won’t be named until game time. … He also gave a glowing progress report on sophomore free safety Taylor Mays of O’Dea in Seattle, calling him “a fantastic kid, a great competitor.”

UCLA, which opens at Stanford. Coach Karl Dorrell starting guard Shannon Tevaga is coming along well in the rehabilitation of his shoulder and eager to play.

ARIZONA STATE, which hosts San Jose State on Saturday: New coach Dennis Erickson said is goals at ASU are “to be competitive, try to win it, and try to get to the BCS. We have a way to go, but that’s what our plan is at this time.” … Erickson likened USC’s ongoing dynasty to his own at Miami. “You get the best players and if you lose one game that’s too much,” he said.

CALIFORNIA, which is trying to play down the revenge and redemption angles of its rematch with Tennessee on Saturday. “It’s more about how we play,” coach Jeff Tedford said. “That’s how we’re going into the game, making sure that we reach our full potential and not so much about who we play.” He acknowledged, however, that fans are putting extra emphasis on avenging the 35-18 loss to the Vols, which opened Cal’s 2006 season. “It comes up constantly,” he said. “When you talk about last season, you win 10 games, and they remember the bowl game a lot (a 45-10 win over Texas A&M in the Holiday Bowl), but it seems it always comes back to Tennessee.”

We just got a brief interview with Syracuse coach Greg Robinson.

He gave us an update on his team, including this overview on fall camp:

"We were undefeated and now we’re looking forward to going to the regular season. Camp went well. I haven’t met a coach yet who didn’t think (preseason practices) went well. Our players are working hard and I think they’re very enthused about the idea of playing on national television, playing against the Huskies, playing an intersectional rivalry like thi. It’s a nice thing to be a part of. It’s exciting for us."

We're also getting some time with all the Pac-10 coaches today, some Husky players, and of course coach Tyrone Willingham. I'll pop in with news as it develops.

We got our first game-week briefing from coach Tyrone Willingham this morning, including a new set of two-deeps.

The most interesting name was Vonzell McDowell, true freshman, who will start at cornerback Friday at Syracuse.

And the most interesting missing name was that of Cory Nicol, who had been competing with McDowell for that spot. Willingham announced that Nicol had decided over the weekend to leave the team. Nicol later told reporters his departure was due to a nagging groin injury.

Redshirt freshman Matt Mosley will back up McDowell.

Elsewhere across the roster, a handful of depth chart decisions remain undecided.

On offense, Cody Habben and Ben Ossai are still competing for the starting left tackle spot; and at tight end, Michael Gottlieb, Johnie Kirton and Robert Lewis remain in the running.

At tailback, the reserve position behind Louis Rankin remains up for grabs between J.R. Hasty and true freshmen Curtis Shaw, Brandon Johnson and Willie Griffin.

On special teams, Willingham indicated that Jared Ballman might have an edge on Ryan Perkins for the punting job, while Perkins may have the advantage on Ballman for the kicking job. However, neither of those responsibilities is yet settled.

UW reports that the Husky men's basketball team is still scheduled to depart Monday morning to Greece, despite the fires raging though that country.

As of Sunday evening, the Huskies had received no information that any of the games will be cancelled.

In recent weeks, at least three books have come across my desk that I thought might be of interest to some of you.

One is "A Football Band of Brothers: Forging the University of Washington's First National Championship" by Tom Porter. It tells the story of the 1960 Huskies, whose claim to at least a share of the national football title will be recognized by the univeristy Sept. 29 at halftime of this season's USC game. I'll take a much more detailed look at that team/book/issue in the week leading up to that game.

Also out is "Husky Football in the Don James Era," by Derek Johnson. As you might have guessed from the title, the book details years 1975-1993 when Don James coached the Huskies to their most glorious of glory days. The book includes personal accounts from Huskies such as Warren Moon, Napoleon Kaufman, Steve Emtman, Chris Chandler, Ed Cunningham and others - even former Washington State Cougar coach Jim Walden. The book is available online through DerekJohnsonBooks.com.

Finally, if you're interested is psyching up for the Huskies upcoming home opener, there's "Blue Magic," by Idaho Statesman reporter Chadd Cripe and columnist Brian Murphy, telling the story of Boise State's 2006 unbeaten run to and including their amazing win in the Fiesta Bowl.

I got caught in the traffic from that nasty I-5 wreck today and missed the UW briefing. (Which is ironic. I had been fearing that huge predicted traffic mess in downtown Seattle, and that turned out to be almost nothing. Then, on the day when that construction project concludes, I get trapped in Fife.)

However, I think I've picked up most of the highlights of what went on:

For one, the Huskies officially broke camp, with players who live off campus departing the dorms. However, that's almost misleading because the last couple of days of camp were actually more like game-week practices because this will be a short week due to the long travel day on Wednesday and the unusual Friday night game.

The injury list remains mostly unchanged: true freshman tailback Brandon Yakaboski (concussion) wore a red jersey in practice, indicating injury. Tailback J.R. Hasty (ankle), defensive end Darrion Jones (ankle), linebacker Donald Butler, receiver Cody Ellis (hamstring) and cornerback Byron Davenport (hamstring) were out again.

What's new is that coach Tyrone Willingham indicated that long-injured Davenport may not be among the 66-70 players he intends to take to Syracuse. Erik Folk (back) also may not be ready, which would leave the kicking duties to Ryan Perkins and Jared Ballman.

The team won't take the field Sunday, which is Willingham’s usual custom.

Speaking of Sunday, my story for that day's paper will concentrate on the new NCAA rule that will push kickoffs back five yards to the 30. Coaches predict it will make more that five yards worth of difference.

A week from right now, the Huskies will be off to a 1-0 or 0-1 start on their football season.

With kickoff against Syracuse moving ever closer, we'll be shifting into our game-week coverage in the paper. And here, I wanted to pass along a few useful Web sites on the Orange.

We'll start with this straight-shooting Syracuse blog and the Sports section from the city's main paper, The Post-Standard.

And finally, a link to the official Syracuse site.

Sometimes dumb questions get good answers.

In these dog days of fall camp, I asked the four Huskies who go by their initials to explain how that happened.

I thought the answers were all pretty interesting, and especially J.D Williams:

E.J. Savannah, linebacker: “I think it was given to me by dad when I was younger – I mean like a baby. But it stuck with me until now, and now I’ve got it tattooed on my arm. I’ve got no middle name, so it’s Edward Savannah Junior – the ‘J’ for ‘Junior.’”

J.R. Hasty, tailback: “When I was born, my grandmother called me that. It’s for James Ray. My dad is James Edwards, I’m J.R. I don’t know why that is, but it’s cool. It’s what I’ve been called all my life. Some people on my team call me James just to be funny, but it’s J.R.”

T.J. Poe, linebacker: I’m a third. My grandpa is Thomas Poe, and my father is Tom, so I’m T.J. My mom didn’t want it originally, but it just took off that way. I’ve never been called Tom.”

J.D. Williams, secondary coach: “My real name is James Earl. J.D. came from playing at Fresno State. When I was playing there was another James Williams – he was a running back – and he was James Edward Williams, and I was James Earl Williams. My older brother David used to play at Fresno State, and Coach (Jim) Sweeney used to call me ‘David’s brother.’ So he called me ‘James, David’s brother,’ and the J.D. kind of stuck, and here it is. … Everybody that ever knew me before Fresno State calls me James, and after Fresno State they call me J.D.”

Washington center Artem Wallace won't accompany the basketball team on its tour of Greece next week, due to a passport problem. Wallace was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, and holds dual U.S. and Russian citizenship.

"Artem didn't receive a passport and won't be going to Greece with the team," coach Lorenzo Romar said. "It's so confusing, but the bottom line is that he won't be making the trip."

That means only either veteran Huskies will take part in the five-game tour of Greece, for which the team departs Monday. The incoming true freshman class also is ineligible to go because the fall quarter at UW has not yet begun.

Meanwhile, the Huskies also announced that the previously announced season-opening exhibition game against Concordia has been canceled. The Huskies will now begin their 2007-08 season at home on Nov. 5 with an exhibition game against Seattle Pacific.

We're not going to hear from coach Willingham today, but we've gotten pretty good briefings from both coordinators.

I posted on Kent Baer earlier, and Tim Lappano just gave us a nice rundown on the offense.

He seemed generally pleased with the first-team offense in yesterday's scrimmage, a tad disappointed in the No. 2s.

But he might have sounded most fired up about true freshman Brandon Johnson (pictured), who apparently runs far harder than you might guess from his size: 5-11, 195. Lappano seems to think Johnson's power and his ability to hold onto the ball could make him the Huskies' long-sought solution for their short-yardage offense.

In general, it seems that J.R. Hasty might remain the No. 2 back behind Louis Rankin, but that all of the freshmen tailbacks are doing good things.

In the lone remaining battle on the offensive line, it sounds like Ben Ossai and Cody Habben will share time at tackle regardless of who starts.

Lappano seemed most disappointed that none of the three tight ends have really claimed the job in fall. Michael Gottlieb seems to at least have scored points for consistency, as Johnie Kirton and Rob Lewis have dropped too many passes.

On the outside, Anthony Russo seems back from his broken pinky and will be ready to go against Syracuse. Also Charles Hawkins just keeps catching most of what is thrown his way, and could have earned a brief appearance.

The Huskies have gone through their final scrimmage of fall and defensive coordinator Kent Baer has watched live and on film. And yet the defensive line seems the only fully settled unit as of now – exactly one week from the opener.

Baer said that Donald Butler and Trenton Tuiasosopo remain in competition at one spot, while E.J. Savannah and Chris Stevens are both in play at another.

Meanwhile, the corner spot opposite Roy Lewis remains the undecided jumble between Cory Nicol, Matt Mosley and even freshman Vonzell McDowell that it's been all camp. However, UCLA-transfer Byron Davenport (pictured) is now out of the mix – at least for Syracuse. At safety, it looks to be Jason Wells and Mesphin Forrester, despite coach Tyrone Willingham's clearly implied interest in getting more out of Forrester.

With the defensive line long settled, the only issue is depth. Look for Caesar Rayford to be used as a pass-rushing end, while some combination of Erick Lobos, Cameron Elisara and perhaps Jovon O'Connor could be rotate through on the inside.

The Huskies concluded their final significant fall scrimmage Thursday afternoon.

The work was closed to the media, but coach Tyrone Willingham called it “a good session.”

The team apparently played one-quarter of game conditions with an emphasis on rhythm and timing. Then they worked on special situations before giving younger players 10-12 plays.

Willingham said his main concerns was coming out healthy, and he almost made it. The lone reported injury was to reserve defensive end Darrion Jones. Willingham wouldn’t reveal the injury but said he doesn’t think it will cost Jones extended time.

A few other notes and quotes:

*"I thought the execution is still not where I'd like it to be in all areas," Willingham said. "But still, we were able to have some big plays, some big runs, some big catches and some overall really good work for us."

*All quarterbacks and tailbacks got "plenty of work," and the offensive linemen were rotated, indicating that the depth chart is still fluid there.

*Pre-existing hamstring injuries kept receiver Cody Ellis and corner Byron Davenport out.

*Willingham said that after watching the tapes, he might be ready to settle some of the position battles that have lingered this deep into camp.

*The high-snap problem evident from the shotgun Saturday didn't reappear Thursday.

*Fred Wiggs, a walk-on recently moved from defensive end to linebacker, "did some nice things."

*Willingham said the place-kickers did fine, making all extra points although one field goal was missed in the red zone. Willingham didn't say who missed, but he said Erik Folk made all of his.

*Willingham said all three quarterbacks "did a really nice job." He said receivers dropped some of freshman Ronnie Fouch's passes, but that Fouch's mechanics looked good. Willingham also repeated his often-repeated advice to his quarterbacks: "Take what the defense gives you."

*Willingham acknowledged that the "question marks" at the cornerback opposite Roy Lewis and the safety spot opposite Jason Wells "still hasn't sorted itself out." Including the safety position in the mix was something of a surprise because Mesphin Forrester had been thought to have taken that job. Willingham implied that Forrester is at the top of the depth chart, but indicated he hasn't yet sealed the deal over Darin Harris or Nate Williams. "I'm very interested in seeing much improved leadership, much improved play from all the guys at that position," he said.

*Anthony Russo had a 30- or 40-yard punt return, but it was called back due to penalty.

*True freshmen Brandon Johnson and Curtis Shaw and D'Andre Goodwin were mentioned in the mix as a running game, with Willingham praising Johnson's explosiveness. "You need a guy that if he gets a gap, he just blows through it. And Brandon has a tendency to do that," he said. "He has a chance to maybe be that guy at the beginning of the season."

*Bottom line: "The No. 1 thing I wanted was to get out healthy, and basically we did," Willingham said. "No. 2, I was looking at the mechanics: our game organization, our game flow, how well that went. And I thought ... everything went pretty well."

With two-a-days now behind them, the Huskies had their morning free to give their closest look yet at their opening-day opponent: Syracuse.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said their gameplanning is limited in any first game because you're never certain what changes in personnel or philosophy an opponent might have undergone in the off-season. However, it doesn't seem that Syracuse offers any wildly atypical challenges, as with, say, Air Force a couple of seasons ago.

In other notes, Willingham gave a health update not much different from yesterdays: receiver Cody Ellis (hamstring) day-to-day, cornerback Byron Davenport (hamstring) not ready, and most other key personnel available.

Linebacker E.J. Savannah (pictured) clarified that the mysterious eligibility issue that hovered over him through most of camp was related to one lingering grade he was waiting on. He says he wasn't much worried, and now that he's cleared he's running with the ones and seems destined to start at Syracuse.

Willingham also offered praise for defensive end Caesar Rayford, saying he has been "very very difficult for us to block" and could make an impact as a pass rusher this season. Rayford will be featured in my story for the Friday paper.

This afternoon, the Huskies will conduct their final significant fall scrimmage. Willingham said it would be "somewhat" like the work his team did Saturday, but with more emphasis on situations that could relate to Syracuse. Also unlike Saturday, this one is closed to the media. However, we're scheduled for a briefing from Willingham after, and I'll pop back in with highlights then.

Coach Tyrone Willingham just gave up his afternoon update, and the good news for Husky fans was that receiver Anthony Russo participated fully in the morning practice, although with a splint on his broken finger.

Also, Willingham said that linebacker E.J. Savannah "should be fine," regarding the mysterious eligibility issues Willingham has hinted at through most of camp. So fine, in fact, the Willingham said he expects Savannah to be in the starting lineup against Syracuse.

The return of Russo could help the Huskies in two ways, because Willingham also listed him among the top kick return candidates for this season. However, Willingham also said he was leaning against using Roy Lewis as a return man this season because of the thin depth situation at cornerback.

Now the Huskies are about to head out for their second practice of the day ... but they go with the happy knowledge that this will conclude their two-a-day practices.

Finally, my story in the Thursday paper will be about the Huskies quest to turn more big plays in their favor: turnovers, returns, long passes. The two problems are that UW hasn't been very good in those areas recently. And turnovers, especially, often seem to depend less on practice than on whether the football fates are smiling your way.

As mentioned below, we won't be getting any UW updates today until mid-afternoon. However, just before that -- at about 2:20 -- I'll talk Huskies football with the Groz on KJR, 950-AM. (Maybe a little Huskies hoops, too, with coach Lorenzo Romar's team now practing for its trip to Greece.) The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

By the way, it looks like that 2:20 p.m. Wednesday position might be out default slot during the football season. However, we'll have to switch to Plan B next week, since -- amazingly enough -- next Wednesday will be the Huskies' travel day for the season-opener in Syracuse.

We don't have any access to UW players at all today. And we won't be hearing from Coach Willingham until mid-afternoon.

However, there are plenty of other interesting stories popping up around college football:

Here is my story from this morning's paper on Roy Lewis and the UW secondary.

Here is some UW basketball recruiting news from Eric Williams of the TNT staff.

Here are a couple of interesting Pac-10 stories out of Oregon State and USC.

And finally, a story out of Miami, which we can only hope is fully unrelated to the way the Huskies' stadium situation eventually plays out.

We just received today's one and only briefing from Coach Willingham.

His injury update was mostly good, with receiver Anthony Russo returning to work. Willingham said CB Byron Davenport "didn't do a whole lot," but he added that none of the injured guys have been ruled out for Syracuse (except defensive lineman Nick Wood, who hasn't practiced all fall because his arm is in a case).

Willingham remained mysterious about linebacker E.J. Savannah's status, but implied a bit more optimism.

The coach also said that the final scrimmage of camp will be held Thursday, and that -- after thinking about opening that practice to the media -- he has decided to make it a closed workout.

After a series of tries and 10-contracts in the NBA and in the D-League, former UW point guard Will Conroy has signed a contract in the Euroleague for the first time.

On and off the floor, Conroy is one of my favorite guys to cover since I've been on the beat, and I sure wish him well. (And I still think he would have fit very well into a Sonics uniform. They have needs at the point, and they should could have used his competitive fires.)

Defensive line coach Randy Hart is the only member of the current staff who was working at UW in 2001, when Matt Lingley earned his only letter as a Husky.

Lingley was killed Friday when the flatbed truck he was driving crashed and burst into flames near McCleary in Grays Harbor County.

“It’s a shame,” Hart said Monday. “He was a good kid. A fun guy to be around. He (transferred to Western Illinois) so he could play more. He did a nice job when he was there, from what I understand. I’m shocked. I don’t know what happened. I have a call in to his family – really nice people. Good kid. Too young: 26 is too young.”

Hart came to know the family when he recruited Lingley, then a linebacker at Rogers High School in Puyallup.

Coach Tyrone Willingham said he wasn't surprised that his team came back a little sluggish this morning, their first time out on the field after their Saturday scrimmage and light Sunday.

He added that his opinion of that Saturday work didn't change much after watching the tapes: the No. 1 offense and defense looked fairly even to him, while the No. 2 offense was ahead of the No. 2 defense, mostly due to an experience advantage along the lines.

We also got a generally upbeat health report: Wilson Afoa was back at work, along with Caesar Rayford, Matt Sedillo and Donald Butler. Erik Folk was limited. Cody Ellis and Byron Davenport were out. Anthony Russo was the only Husky wearing the red injury jersey.

The Huskies will return for a second practice this afternoon, which begins the final week of fall camp. In this final week, more depth chart issues will be settled as coaches begin wanting the playing units to start functioning as units.

And finally, on another cool rainy day, Willingham noted that he wishes the month had been hotter, noting that there's noting like heat and humidity to improve conditioning.

The Huskies were on the field this morning for the first of two practices today. We'll get a report from the coaches soon, and I'll file an update in the early afternoon.

The Huskies return to the field at 4 p.m.

Things shift a little bit this week, as Syracuse gets higher on radar and emphasis will shift a little more to using players in the same units they will man once the games begin.

Jake Locker's team defeated Carl Bonnell's team, 14-12 in two quarters of scrimmaging this afternoon at Husky Stadium.

But of course, the score wasn't the point. The point was to get the get the Huskies some experience in a game-like situation -- all kicking phases were used, game officials were brought in, and a crowd of about 1,500 showed up to watch -- and then judge what happens enough to help the coaches settle depth chart issues heading into the final week of fall camp.

There were some highlights and lots of sloppy play, but for all that, coach Tyrone Willingham seemed pleased.

“Overall, I thought it was good,” he said. “I thought we did a decent job in a lot of the places. ... "Part of the purpose of doing it was to have someone in the stands so we could create somewhat of a gamelike experience,” Willingham said. “And it was good for the officials, it was good for our football team, and hopefully it was good for our fans.”

Among the highlights:

*Receiver Charles Hawkins opened the scoring with an acrobatic sideline catch of a Carl Bonnell pass from 40 yards out.

*Later Jake Locker connected with Marcel Reece, who had gotten between and behind Nate Williams and Cory Nicol for a 42-yard touchdown.

*Locker also scored on a keeper from 7 yards out, showing good speed in racing to the outside.

*Receiver Corey Williams continued his solid camp with six catches, including a one-handed grab on a sideline route.

*Tailback Louis Rankin picked his holes aggressively except for one kickoff return in which he started right, reversed all the way left, before cutting back right and finally running out of steam in the middle of the field.

*The four freshman tailbacks all showed flashes ... perhaps enough for at least one of them to pass J.R. Hasty on the depth chart.

Among the lowlights:

* Locker hit only two of his first nine passes before ending on a 7-of-9 flurry.

*Kickers Jared Ballman and Ryan Perkins missed wide left on field goal attempts from 39 and 42 yards respectively.

*Punts and kickoffs ranged from OK to terrible.

*In shotgun formation, three balls were snapped over the quarterbacks’ heads, once resulting in a safety.
There were several procedural penalties and holding calls on offense.

*Receivers got their hands on several balls that they couldn’t snag.

Judging from the Saturday lineups, the current No. 1 offensive unit has Locker at quarterback and Rankin at tailback along with fullback Paul Homer, tight end Michael Gottlieb, receivers Williams and Reece and an offensive line of Juan Garcia at center, Ryan Tolar and Casey Bulyca at guards, and Cody Habben and Chad Macklin at tackles.

The starting defense showed Daniel Te’o Nesheim, Cameron Elisara, Jordan Ruffett and Greyson Gunheim along the front, linebackers Dan Howell, Trenton Tuiasosopo and Chris Stevens, cornerbacks Roy Lewis and Cory Nichol and safeties Mesphin Forrester and Jason Wells.

A number of players including Cody Ellis, Caesar Rayford, Matt Sedillo, Tyrone Duncan and Wilson Afoa were kept out due to injuries. Willingham said most could have played in a real game, with the possible exceptions of Afoa and Duncan.

This will shock pretty much no one, but The Associated Press media preseason poll, which came out today, lists Southern California at the top.

Popular pick LSU is No. 2.

Other ranked Pac-10 teams are Cal (12) and UCLA (14).

Other ranked UW opponents are Ohio State (11), Hawaii (23) and Boise State (24).

Coach Tyrone Willingham said the Huskies had a good practice this morning, perhaps with the offense getting the upper hand on the defense.

He added that the kicking game is coming around with the increasing health of Ryan Perkins and Erik Folk, and apparently the general improvement of Jared Ballman.

Speaking of health, there was also good news involving cornerback Byron Davenport (hamstring) who did some work in practice today, and even Anthony Russo (broken finger on right hand) who is catching some passes lefthanded. However, defensive lineman Wilson Afoa remains out tomorrow when the public is invited to watch the Huskies practice at 2:30 p.m. in the stadium.

Speaking of that, Willingham said the practice will begin with gamelike conditions. Then after a break, the team will switch to specific game situations such as two-minute offense, short-yardage situations, red-zone work and so forth.

Practice and parking are both free.

We just got to meet with basketball coach Lorenzo Romar and his team, and the hoops Huskies gather for their first practice leading up to their 5-game exhibition tour of Greece at the end of the month.

The team is getting ready not just on the court, but in the classroom, as they will take part in a credited class on the classics, which will help them understand what they're seeing when they travel overseas.

On the court, the team sounds optimistic and looks terrific. Most of the players seem bigger -- in a good way: muscular -- except for Justin Dentmon who looks smaller -- in a good way: lean and quick.

That could come in handy, as Romar seems eager to return to the Huskies' running style. He stressed that will have to start on the defensive end. But it also could come from an increased reliance on interchangable athletic players in this post-Spencer-Hawes world.

I'll have a story in tomorrow's paper, and I'll try to blog more details this afternoon. But now it's about time to turn my attention to today's football briefings. I'll get around to blogging on those too.

Sorry for the lack of UW news here today. We'll have some notes in the Friday paper from TNT reporter Wendy Carpenter, who filled in as I took the day off to drive up to Ferndale to do a few interviews for a Jake Locker feature we'll be running Aug. 30 in our special college football preseason section.

I hadn't been to Ferndale before, but from my day here, the town certainly seems to bleed the blue and gold of the FHS Golden Eagles, and to take great pride in the accomplishments of the state championship team quarterbacked by Jake. And absolutely everyone I've met here seems unable to say enough good things about him.

Here's a quick a sample of things I heard:

VIC RANDALL, Ferndale athletic director and coach in Locker's freshman season:
"His leadership skills are very good because he’s even-tempered, and he’s genuine. What you see is what you get. When he talks to you he’s listening and he’s attentive. He’s got those intangibles you look for."

CASEY LOCKER, Jake's cousin and current Ferndale quarterback:
"I didn’t try to follow him. His shadow is too big."

JAMIE PLENKOVICH, the current coach on Ferndale's state championship season:
"We were a good team. But with his leadership, we didn’t play down to our competition. You could see that from the scores of our games. It’s kind of amazing over the course of 14 games, typically you’re going to have some peaks and valleys, but we just didn’t have that, we just kept getting better and better and better, and he had a large part of that. He was clearly our hardest-working player, and that makes kids respond to him. Regardless of what he may say in the huddle or otherwise, he has that immediate respect because of how hard he works. He raised everybody’s level."

SUE REMARLUS, owner of 2nd Ave. Sports in downtown Ferndale, remembering the team's return to town after winning the state championship in the Tacoma Dome:
"I guess it started in Bellingham with the police escorting the kids on the busses. And then when they got to (Ferndale) there were fire trucks and local police escorting them through town.
And all the families and the fans lined up at the beginning of town on Main Street with their lights flashing so when the kids came home ... it must have been 1 or 2 in the morning and the busses stopped and everybody swarmed them. It was really a cool scene. We were really proud of them."

SCOTT LOCKER, Jake's dad:
"When I talk to him he’s very upbeat and very confident that (the Huskies) are going to be just fine. And I guess that’s the way you have to be if you’re going to lead a team. If you don’t believe that you’re probably not a very good leader, and from everything he’s ever done that I’ve seen, he’s a great leader. They’ll figure out a way to get it done."

Meanwhile, I'll be back on campus Friday and should have update in both football and basketball.

The Huskies have finally and officially released their men's basketball schedule.

If there is a surprise, it might be the presence of two exhibition games in advance of the preseason NIT games at Hec Ed.

Then, among the other highlights, is the visit from Pittsburgh, and the trips to Oklahoma State and LSU.

And then, of course, comes the conference schedule in a Pac-10 that appears to be loaded this season. Conference play, you'll note, begins and ends with those Washington State Cougars.

Here's the schedule:

2007-08 WASHINGTON MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
(Day, Date, Opponent, Site)

Sun., Oct. 28, CONCORDIA (exhibition), Seattle
Mon., Nov. 5, SEATTLE PACIFIC (exhibition), Seattle

Tue. and Wed., Nov. 13-14, NIT SEASON TIP-OFF, Seattle
Tue., Nov. 13
West Regional Game 1 - Utah vs. High Point
West Regional Game 2 - New Jersey Tech vs. Washington

Wed., Nov. 14
West Regional Consolation Game
West Regional Championship Game

Sun., Nov. 18, EASTERN WASHINGTON, Seattle

Wed. and; Fri., Nov. 21 and 23, NIT Season Tip-Off, New York, N.Y.
Wed., Nov. 21
Semifinal Games

Fri., Nov. 23
Consolation Game
Championship Game

Mon., Nov. 26, LONG BEACH STATE, Seattle
Sat., Dec. 1, at Oklahoma State, Stillwater, Ok.
Sat., Dec. 8, PITTSBURGH, Seattle
Sat., Dec. 15, PORTLAND, Seattle
Tue., Dec. 18, PORTLAND STATE, Seattle
Sat., Dec. 22, CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE, Seattle
Sat, Dec. 29, at LSU, Baton Rouge, La.
Mon., Dec. 31, IDAHO STATE, Seattle
Sat., Jan. 5, *WASHINGTON STATE, Seattle
Thu., Jan. 10, *at UCLA, Los Angeles, Calif.
Sat., Jan. 12, *at USC, Los Angeles, Calif.
Thu., Jan. 17, *OREGON, Seattle
Sat., Jan. 19, *OREGON STATE, Seattle
Thu., Jan. 24, *at Arizona State, Tempe, Ariz.
Sat., Jan. 26, *at Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
Thu., Jan. 31, *STANFORD, Seattle
Sat., Feb. 2, *CALIFORNIA, Seattle
Thu., Feb. 7, *USC, Seattle
Sun., Feb. 10, *UCLA, Seattle
Thu., Feb. 14, *at Oregon, Eugene, Ore.
Sat., Feb. 16, *at Oregon State, Corvallis, Ore.
Thu., Feb. 21, *ARIZONA, Seattle
Sat., Feb. 23, *ARIZONA STATE, Seattle
Thu., Feb. 28, *at Stanford, Palo Alto, Calif.
Sat., Mar. 1, *at California, Berkeley, Calif.
Sat., Mar. 8, *at Washington State, Pullman, Wash.

Wed.-Sat., Mar. 12-15, at Pac-10 Tournament
Staples Center; Los Angeles, Calif.

All Home Games played in Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion
Pacific-10 Conference Game

We just got our only access to Coach Willingham, and let's just say that this isn't one of those big breaking news days.

A few notes:

•Four players practiced in the gold jerseys: receiver Corey Williams (yet again), cornerback Roy Lewis, safety Jason Wells and defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim. Four players are the most honored so far this camp, and the latter three represent the first defensive players selected in fall.

•No significant new injuries or returns, but an increasing number of bumps and bruises. Wilson Afoa (shoulder) sat out again. Erik Folk (back) continues to increase his kicking load.

•Willingham praised fullbacks Luke Kravitz and Paul Homer, saying both will be used this season and that the fullbacks might have a larger role this season -- especially among certain defenses. He characterized Kravitz as the better runner, Homer as the better blocker.

•Willingham said speed receiver D'Andre Goodwin is improving as expected so far in camp.

•Willingham said Jordan White-Frisbee is about "No. 2 1/2" on the depth chart at left guard, competing with Ryan Tolar and Morgan Rosborough.

We're scheduled to get one briefing from Coach Willingham today around noon, and I'll post the highlights after that.

Then, at about 2:20, I'll talk Huskies with the Groz on KJR, 950-AM. The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

As of now, it looks like that 2:20 p.m. Wednesday position might be out default slot during the football season, but I'll continue to give a heads up here, too.

Meanwhile over on the TV side, a series of Pac-10 football previews will begin airing on FSN starting tonight. The segment devoted to the Huskies will air at 8:30 p.m. and will be repeated at various days and times over the next couple of weeks.

As noted earlier, Cal-Northridge has been lined up as that final home opponent that had been holding up the UW hoops schedule.

Look for the schedule to be officially released tomorrow. With dates, although likely not times. And, of course, subject to change, TV, etc.

We just got our first of two briefings from Coach Willingham today.

He noted confirmed that defensive tackle Wilson Afoa (pictured top) is wearing a red practice jersey signifying injury. Willingham called Afoa's status day-to-day but didn't have details on the injury, seeming to cite the release forms that limit what he can say publicly about some players' health.

In the afternoon practice, Afoa seemed to be moving fine, so it doesn't seem to be lower-body related.

Meanwhile, receiver Corey Williams (also pictured) apparently won the right to wear another gold jersey in this afternoon's practice, and Willingham said he hopes Williams stepping up his game will cause other receivers to try to do the same.

Other notes:

Mesphin Forrester (bottom picture) is holding down the safety position opposite Jason Wells. "He’s having a good camp, but we have a higher expectation that he really elevate his game," Willingham said of Forrester.

Willingham said he has noticed that starting tailback Louis Rankin seems to have matured this season, is showing more leadership and is “a little more vocal” ... something generally lacking in past season. "Louis usually doesn’t say 10 words but I think among his teammates he’s more encouraging, more demanding,” Willingham said.

Willingham said that the team has begun working "a little bit" with an eye to Syracuse, but that will increase this weekend and then, of course, much more in game week. The coach also fretted a bit about the muggy humid conditions of the Carrier Dome, which isn't air conditioned.

So, I guess if the Huskies are turning more attention to the Orange, we should too, so I'll try to provide some Syracuse news and links over the next day or two.

Coach Tyrone Willingham is opening next Saturday's practice to both fans and media.

The practice -- likely to include scrimmaging, complete with game officials -- begins at 2:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free of charge.

"We're going to see if we can open our practice up and give our fan base a chance to come out and watch practice on Saturday afternoon," Willingham said. "It will be a good time for the entire Husky family to come out and see the Huskies go through practice."

The Huskies practiced in full pads this morning.

Senior receiver Corey Williams (pictured) wore the honorary gold jersey again, for the third straight practice. He could hang onto it another day as an apparently amazing diving catch on a long ball that seemed to amaze even Williams.

"The ball was overthrown," he said. "When I seen it I knew it was overthrown, but I though, ‘Man, I’m just going to go get it.’ That’s all I said in my head: ‘Just go 100 percent and go get it.’ I threw out my arms and the ball stuck right in my hand. I don’t even know how to explain it. It was a good catch, though. I just wasn’t going to let it hit the ground."

The catch highlighted what sounds like an otherwise sluggish practice.

"We were sleep-walking a little bit," offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. "We had great practices in my opinon until this morning. We didn’t have (Sunday) off, we did some things, but we didn’t play football and when you come out the next day and you haven’t palyed football in a day you see it a little bit. Coach Willingham warned us that might happen. It wasn’t a poor practice, but it wasn’t as good. There have been some really good practices the past couple of days. Really good practices. We didn’t quite get as much done as we needed to this morning."

Then there will be a second practice at 4 p.m., but with no briefing to follow.

The Huskies are off today and won't be back on the field until Monday morning.

That means no real news is likely to bubble up today.

But the UW jerseys thread below seems to be evolving a bit into a UW logo thread. So, I figured that might call for its own entry for discussion.

So, here is a link to many of the UW logos through the years. I'm on record as saying they got it right the first time with Sun Dodgers.

In the "Huskies" era, I guess I'd go with that 1995 "Dawg & W."

Which is your favorite?

The Huskies wore their official 2007 game jerseys Saturday for picture day, and the players' names are on the back.

This, of course, had become a bit of an issue in Tyrone Willingham's first season. He took the names off the backs of the jerseys to symbolize his emphasis of team over individual. But the individuals he seemed to affect most were the fans, who tend to like names on the backs of jerseys.

Even back then, Willingham had said that he might one day returned the names to jerseys, once he thought his players had appropriately bought into the team concept.

Then came rumors that this would be the season. But when asked at media day, Willingham simply said it is "a possibility."

Now, it's a done deal ... at least for 2007.

Willingham just explained that he made the move partly as a compliment to his team, and partly as a nod to the fans ... especially since he said he was unable to solve the Huskies' tendency to issue the same number to different players.

"It’s just about helping our fans, that’s one. I couldn’t eliminate double numbers, that’s two. And it’s not a bad idea," Willingham said.

"I think we keep growing, I think we keep maturing. And that’s an imporant element. I say it to our team all the time, it is important thtat we understand that one of the keys to being successful is putting the team before self. When that concept is fully embraced, then the individual never worries about self.

"I just know if you’re sitting in any stadium in America and you’ve got double numbers, it’s very difficult sometimes to identify who people are. And that is a legitimate concern that I’ve had, and I’ve had it from day one. Because we have been – I won’t say notorious – but we’ve had a lot of double numbers here over the years."

Willingham said he will allow the double numbers to continue out of respect for players who don't want to change their numbers, due to either tradition or superstition.

"My guys like certain numbers," he said. "Not because I’m superstitious, because I’m not … but part of my job means that I have to be aware of other people’s superstitions, so you try to help when you can."

Senior receiver Corey Williams (pictured) wore the gold jersey this morning in practice, joining multiple winner Louis Rankin as the only Huskies so honored so far in fall camp.

"Corey has stepped up his game," coach Willingham said. "What we’re looking for now is consistency. Judging from what I saw at practice (Saturday) he probably has a shot at it again at our next practice to keep the gold jersey."

Willingham's other main news from camp today was an injury update: Anthony Russo's surgery Friday on his broken finger seems to have gone well, center/snapper Robert Lukevich suffered a knee sprain that Willingham didn't consider serious, cornerback Byron Davenport (hamstring) is moving better but isn't ready to return to practice, and Erik Folk (back) isn't yet able to kick.

If you're thinking of coming up for UW Picture Day (see previous post), I just wanted to note that as of 10 a.m., at least, there was smooth sailing through the I-5 construction zone south of downtown Seattle.

That could change by afternoon, and it will almost certainly change once the workweek commutes begin Monday morning. But if you were thinking about skipping Picture Day because of the traffic troubles, you might want to reconsider.

In any case, here a link to the Department of Transportation traffic map to aid your decision.

Washington will hold its annual Picture Day at Husky Stadium from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

Fans will be allowed on the field to meet members of the football, soccer and volleyball teams. Admission is free, and there also will be free hot dogs, chips and drinks.

Coach Tyrone Willingham is always a big booster of Picture Day, and he had this to say about the event:

"Picture Day is a good day for our guys to really understand their value to the community. For me the fond memories are watching little kids who one day want to be those big kids. To me, that’s the fun day when you get to see that, and hopefully our guys value that experience and value that they are being looked at a little different than even they perceive themselves. As we always tell them, for those that have been given much – and the opportunity to stand on the field and have somebody have the desire to have their picture taken with them or ask for an autograph is a responsibiliity, and they have to understand what that means and kind of live up to it and be the role models that we need for young kids."

(By the way, great things can happen when players and their young fans mix. For example, UW walkon quarterback Taylor Bean has one terrific such story, which I'll include in my UW quarterback roundup for the Saturday TNT.)

By the way, South Sound fans planning to attend Picture Day are reminded that Saturday is the first full day of major construction on Interstate 5 south of downtown Seattle, and significant traffic disruptions are expected.

Today marks the start of two-a-day practices for the Huskies, but we only get one media briefing, and that came between the two sessions.

There wasn't much real breaking news, which is good in a way, given that so far this week "real breaking news" has meant injuries and arrests.

Willingham did try to give us some early indication of how the tailback competition is going. It has been clear all camp that the coaches are crazy about Louis Rankin (pictured) this season and he seems to be in a class by himself as the No. 1. However, there is no real indication that J.R. Hasty is as safe at No. 1. And Willingham singled out Curtis Shaw and (perhaps surprisingly) Brandon Yakaboski as the true freshmen who have made the best early impression.

The coach added that he likes playing only two backs per game, but he feels like he'll have to prepare four backs for each game, meaning at least two of the freshmen likely won't redshirt. He also said those young runners are candidates to contribute on the return teams, especially on kickoffs.

Speaking of special teams, there doesn't seem to be much so far to separate Jared Ballman, Cory Rutkowski or Ryan Perkins in the kicking competition, nor Ballman, Perkins and Kiel Rasp in the punting competition. Scholarship freshman kicker Erik Folk continues to be held out with a back problem, with no return date stated.

Finally, Willingham also spoke warmly about annual Picture Day, which will be held Saturday at Husky Stadium. I'll post more on that later.

In the few minutes that we were allowed to watch during the afternoon session, Rankin continued to wear the honorary gold jersey.

Meanwhile, Four Lakes High School prospects were on the sidelines and greeted warmly by coaches: tight end/defensive end Kavario Middleton, receiver Jermaine Kearse, running back Johnny Dixon, and quarterback Calvin Schmidtke.

It's been an event-filled first week for the UW football camp, and we'll review much of it during a brief conversation on KJR, 950-AM at 6:05 p.m. this evening. The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.

Meanwhile, this is the Huskies first day of two-a-day practices. We haven't spoken to players or coaches about how the morning session went, but we hear that former coach Don James was a sidelines visitor.

Back with more after Coach Willingham's noon briefing.

Returning to what's happening between the lines ... the Huskies are practicing in full pads and get full contact for the first time today. This, of course, gives a truer indication of what these players bring, as coach Willingham implied in this morning's media session.

"Then the game takes on a different aspect, then you see what the young men are made of when you’re playing the complete game," he said. "When you can just kind of run around you’ve got some guys who are sheltered because there’s not contact. They run faster, they jump higher. But then it’s amazing when that ball is there and there’s a chance that you might really get smacked, it kind of changes how high you jump, how fast you run. Now we get to see guys play the real game."

Only the first 25 minutes were open to the media, so we didn't see any hitting. But we noticed that cornerback Byron Davenport was practicing at well under full speed after suffering a hamstring injury Tuesday.

And tailback Louis Rankin was still wearing the honorary gold jersey.

And former coach Jim Lambright was a sidelines visitor.

Friday, the Huskies will go to two-a-days for the first time.

Until today, the demotion of linebacker E.J. Savannah (pictured) to the second team behind Chris Stevens had seemed to have been lumped in with the same missed goals that have caused a jumble of the offensive line depth chart.

However, coach Willingham revealed today that Savannah's situation is "a little bit different," and that different is that Savannah's situation involves school issues. Willingham declined to go into more detail except to say that Savannah continues to practice with the team and that they are "working on" those issues.

Jordan Murchison (pictured) left jail this morning on $10,000 bond. However, he won't practice with the team today, and his status remains uncertain as coach Tyrone Willingham continues to gather information about two separate assault incidents since spring.

Willingham avoided the word suspension, but said "He will do nothing with the team at this time," and said that status is indefinite.

"The key is you want the best for the individual and the team," Willingham said. "You always want what’s best for the individual and his welfare, and that applies to the team equally. We will make the appropriate decisions when we have all of the information."

The loss of Murchison and an injury to Byron Davenport have elevated Matt Mosley -- a redshirt freshman -- and Vonzell McDowell -- a true freshman -- into top contenders to join Roy Lewis as the first-team corners.

I'll have some quotes from Mosley and McDowell later.

The Washington Huskies have finally nailed down that elusive last opponent for their coming men's basketball season. That means the official schedule could be released any day now.

Unfortunately, the relatively low-profile opponent (think Cal-Northridge, or something along those lines) the Huskies rounded up wasn't available to play before the preseason NIT, so Lorenzo Romar's team won't get a warmup game before that tournament ... although the idea of warming up for New Jersey Tech is probably not exactly a necessity.

Coach Tyrone Willingham announced today that cornerback Jordan Murchison has been "charged with a felony," apparently in connection with a domestic assult incident.

Murchison did not practice with the team today -- he was in jail for failure to appear in court -- but Willingham said his eventual playing status has not been determined.

“When I get more information I will speak to his status with our team, but not until I get more information,” Willingham said told the media in our evening briefing. “I don’t know the actual particulars.”

Murchison is a junior college transfer from Oakland. He was a member of the team last season, but didn’t see game action.

This season, however, he was among the top candidates – along with Byron Davenport and Matt Moseley – for a starting cornerback position opposite Roy Lewis.

Senior receiver Anthony Russo suffered a broken pinky finger on his right hand yesterday in practice. He will have surgery on Friday and has been told he will likely be out for four weeks. That would mean he'll miss the opener Aug. 31 at Syracuse, although the former Lakes star said he hopes to be back by then.

Meanwhile, cornerback Byron Davenport suffered a hamstring pull in the same practice -- while covering Russo, oddly enough. He said he heard a pop and was instantly scared. Davenport said he expects to be back within a matter of days -- although not today. Coach Tyrone Willingham's prognosis was a bit gloomier -- and probably more realistic: a week or two.

I'll likely have a little more info in the Thursday paper.

The Washington Huskies were interested onlookers this morning as the Seattle Seahawks ran through a practice at Husky Stadium.

Coach Tyrone Willingham thought it would be useful for his players to see how the pros do it, and most of the players seemed to have enjoyed the experience.

The Huskies are not a small team, yet the most common reaction among the college players was the size of the pros, perhaps best summed up by center Juan Garcia:

“I was just stunned by their size," he said. "They’re just huge, and they’re not even fat. I went out there and I felt small. I’m 320, but I felt tiny. In a way it was good, because I was fat, but then I felt skinny.”

I'll have more Huskies' thoughts on the Hawks in my story in our Thursday paper.

Coach Tyrone Willingham likes to say that the only day his team is fully healthy is the day they report to camp.

On the third day of camp a couple of injuries started popping up. Receiver Anthony Russo suffered a dislocated finger, and cornerback Byron Davenport pulled a hamstring. Some sort of prognosis is expected Wednesday.

Also today, tailback Louis Rankin wore the gold jersey this afternoon, the first Husky to be honored for his practice performance this fall.

Speaking of Wednesday, my story for the paper will be a look at the kickers and punters, especially kicker/punter Ryan Perkins, punter Jared Ballman,

Little news so far on the third day of UW fall camp.

However, coach Willingham just tipped us that linebacker Donald Butler is likely to sit out today's practice, resting a preexisting knee injury.

The Huskies will take the field at 3:30. This practice is closed, but we'll hear from Willingham again after. And I'll share anything newsworthy then.

This is how UW freshman Nate Williams, a two-way star at Kennedy, explained his decision to be a safety in college, rather than a tailback:

“I just wanted to try something new,” he said. “I thought I could be just as successful at safety as I could at running back. I thought it would some something fun – go play on the dark side now.”

I'll have a feature on the UW secondary -- mostly an introduction to Williams and the very interesting story of UCLA transfer Byron Davenport – in the Tuesday paper.

The Huskies are out on the field right now. Before beginning their second day of fall practice, we got a few minutes with coach Tyrone Willingham.

He said that film of his team’s opening day practice confirmed his first impression: a good, but not great, start.

The also said the staff discovered that freshman defensive lineman Nick Wood has a lingering high school wrist injury that has prevented him from beginning work with his new teammates. Wood is expected to be out two to four weeks.

We'll get more time with him after practice and I'll pass along anything new.

UW offensive line coach Mike Denbrock added a little clarity -- a little -- on the surprising No. 1 unit that rolled out for the Huskies first practice yesterday: center Juan Garcia, guards Ryan Tolar and Matt Sedillo and tackles Chad Macklin and Cody Habben. The day before, head coach Tyrone Willingham had offered a vague explanation for Ben Ossai, Casey Bulyca and Morgan Rosborough running with the second unit.

And Denbrock expanded a bit: "There were some things that we asked those guys to do over the course of the summer. Not everybody got everything accomplished so we shuffled some things around a little bit. I think more than anything it gives those guys an opportunity to understand that we’re serious about doing things the right way. We want to make sure that they know that they’re not out of the mix and we’re hoping that they do the things necessary to get themselves back in the positon to compete for the starting job. The door certainly is not closed on anybody."

However, Denbrock said he told surprise starters Sedillo and Habben that like any other starters, the job is theirs to lose. "If they practice the best and do everything better than everybody else, those are the guys we’ll line up with against Syracuse."

If not, Denbrock seemed comfortable that there is enough experience on the line to endure a little delay in getting the starting five working together as a unit.

The Huskies figure to start Jake Locker at quarterback with Carl Bonnell in reserve and an eye toward redshirting Ronnie Fouch. However, four arms work better than three in camp -- especially during split practice days -- so the Huskies have welcomed into that role Taylor Bean, a walk-on from Vancouver (Skyline).

Bean is 6-foot-1, 202 pounds and made an early impression on offensive coordinator Tim Lappano.

"I didn’t know much about him," Lappano said as camp opened. "He’s a smart kid. In the meeting (Saturday) night he surprised me. I kind of had a little respect for the program that he came out of because he was pretty coached up. He knew some stuff. I was worred that he’d get in there and be totally lost, and he wasn’t at all. I was pretty jazzed up about that."

I'll have a story on Bean and more on the whole QB situation later in the week.

Coach Tyrone Willingham sent a first-day message that he won’t slow down for those Huskies who weren’t ready to hit the ground running.

When his team took the field for the first time Sunday afternoon, presumed starters such as offensive tackle Ben Ossai, guard Morgan Rosborough and linebacker E.J. Savannah were replaced by Cody Habben, Matt Sedillo and Chris Stevens respectively.

At least for now, Willingham was vague about his reasons.

“There was some things that were not completed prior to coming into camp, so we made some adjustments and we’ll stick with those adjustments until some things are rectified,” he said. “At the appropriate time I’ll talk about those things. ... I think you could say we’re serious about what we’re doing.”

The issue may -- or may not -- have involved conditioning goals. However, Willingham did say that this team's overall running was the best since he arrived three seasons ago.

The Huskies just came off the field from their first practice of the new season.

The record will show that Jake Locker's first pass of the season -- in a 7-on-7 drill -- was intercepted by safety Mesphin Forrester.

Tailbacks Curtis Shaw and Willie Griffin looked about as good and seemed to be running 1-2 among the freshman runners. Freshmen tailbacks Brandon Johnson and Brandon Yakaboski also make their debut in the Huskies backfield.

However, Nate Williams, a tailback/defensive back candidate from Renton, worked exclusively on defense.

Another newcomer to the secondary was Byron Davenport, a transfer from UCLA. He's small, but looked quick and seemed as comfortable as a newcomer with Pac-10 experience should.

Freshman receiver Alvin Logan looked lean, long and strong and ran like a greyhound.

The most impressive walk-on may have been Kiel Rasp, a punter from Nathan Hale High School, who seemed to launch balls higher and farther than spring incumbents Jared Ballman and Ryan Perkins.

“I thought the team ran as well as any of the teams I’ve had here,” Willingham said. “That’s a good start. … We hustled. Defensively we still have to learn some lessons about how to fly around and how to do some things. But for a first day, as I told our team, I thought it was OK. Not great, but OK.”

Before the Huskies took the field for the first time this season, there was a question-and-answer session with the media in which coach Tyrone Willingham:

•said his team should “think big” when it comes to goals for the season. “I don’t see any problem with this football team wanting to be the best team in this conference, wanting to be one of the best teams in the country,” he said. “I think that’s a good starting place and you adjust from there.”

•confirmed that freshman receivers Anthony Boyles of Gardena, Calif., and Devin Aguilar of Denver aren’t yet academically qualified to join the team. “We’ll be very patient,” Willingham said. “We know those young men are doing all the right things. …. It’s not beyond reason to expect that we could have one of both of them at some point.” He added that defensive lineman Anthony Atkins, an academically ineligible juco transfer, “will not be with us this season."

•repeated that redshirt freshman Jake Locker begins camp as his starting quarterback. ‘I like the work that I’ve seen from Carl (Bonnell,)” he said. “I like the work that I’ve seen from Jake. It will be exciting to see what comes out of it.” (Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano later added that Locker's advantage over Bonnell isn't as great as the difference between starting tailback Louis Rankin and No. 2 J.R. Hasty.)

•said it would be a good sign if tailback Louis Rankin has “a huge season” because it would be a byproduct of success of the offensive line and would likely be accompanied by a byproduct good performance by the quarterback and receivers.

•said it is “a possibility” that the players will have their names on the backs of their jerseys this season.

•agreed with a reporter's assessment that the secondary is one of the areas that needing improvement this season, but he stressed that he considers the offensive line the most important unit.

•refused to name any position or unit as more competitive than another in terms of playing time. “Competition is the invisible coach that makes everyone better,” he said. “It takes less prodding on my part and my assistant coach’s part to get the kind of excellence that we’re looking for. So I hope that we have competition at every spot.”

•repeated his philosophy that he will use the best players regardless of class or experience and that freshmen will dictate their playing time by their own performance. “Which of our freshmen seem to adapt to the system mentally, which of them have the best opportunity based on depth,” he said. “Some of them will walk right into positions simply because we don’t have depth. One of those running backs will probably be third team when we start practice.”

•said every player opens camp physically able to perform. He singled out kicker Ryan Perkins of Olympia as having done “a tremendous job” getting ready to compete.

•welcomed the UW schedule, which includes six teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 coaches poll and is ranked among the toughest in the nation. “It is not just coaches speak to say it’s a challenge,” he said. “I think our guys are excited about that. I think we’ve got a core of our football team that really looks at it in that manner: It is a challenge, it is an opportunity.”

The Huskies take the field at 4:30. However, the opening day program began with a question-and-answer session between the media and coach Tyrone Willingham. There was no major or even unexpected news coming from that. Still, there were several items of interest, and I'll try to blog those over the next few hours.

Meanwhile, here is Willingham's opening statement:

"It’s exciting to be back. Your focus now that we’re back is to really take an assessment of where the team is. You’re always hopefully that great things took place, and I’m quite sure that there were some great workouts, some great training, some great conditioning that took place on individual workouts. And now you want to see how that all fits in collectively, how it all fits together. So, that’s what we start doing today, and it’s exciting to be at that point."

The Huskies take the field at 4:30 today, beginning another football season.

So, in keeping with a dumb little personal annual tradition, I pulled out a Sporting News coffee table book I have called "Every Saturday in Autumn." It's mostly an ode to the color and traditions of college football, and I finger through it each year just to remind myself of the great job I have and the fascinating ride we're about to begin.

Every season has its preseason questions that aren't answered fully until the post season. Some of this season's top questions: How will Jake Locker begin his UW career? How will this hyper-mobile quarterback operate behind a huge but largely non-athletic offensive line? Will center Juan Garcia develop into an all-conference anchor in the middle? Will Louis Rankin have a breakout season -- say, 1,000 yards? -- or will one of the less experienced tailbacks get a chance? Will solutions be found for all the problems obvious in the Huskies' kicking game from last spring? Will a single star tight end emerge from the pack? Will this veteran defensive line finally meet what once seemed to be a game-disrupting potential? Will those new linebackers make up for in athleticism what they lack in starting experience? Will the Huskies find a secondary that can defend the pass in this pass-happy league? Is that schedule going to be as tough as it looks? If so, how patient will the fans be with an improved team that doesn't produce an improved record?

The answers will begin taking shape today. And, of course, I'll continue trying to pass those answers along to you. There will be almost-daily stories in pages of The News Tribune. And I expect there will be more-than-daily entries in this blog.

There also might be some technical improvements on the way. Photos are likely to start showing up. And perhaps audio and even occasional short video clips. However, I'd like to hear from you about that. Every day, I tend to receive a lot of information through various interviews and the rare open practice (today's practice is one of only two fall practices open to the press). I rarely pass all of it along, because not all of it seems useful. I tend to put more raw information into this blog. Then try to add more context to the stories in the paper. Sometimes, for example, I put the entire written transcripts of interviews on this blog. But I'll usually use just the best quotes in the paper. So, I don't know if the audio clips -- with their ums, and ahs, and less interesting answers -- increase the quality of your Husky-fan experience or just slow you down. Some bells and whistles are nice. Some are just distractions.

The way I can find out, of course, is if you tell me. Please feel free to let me know what you think of these new technologies as they show up. And also please let me know if there are questions you want me to ask or players/coaches/issues you'd like me to profile. It's a long way to the first game, and longer still to the final whistle of that 13th game in Hawaii. I hope this blog and our newspaper coverage can help you enjoy the season that's about to unfold. Please let me know how I can make it better.

The preseason coaches poll has been released.

Not too surprisingly, there were no votes for the Huskies, although someone gave the Cougs a nod.

However, the poll backs up degree of difficulty for the UW schedule, as six opponents show up: USC (1), Ohio State (10), Cal (12), UCLA (17), Boise State (23) and Hawaii (24).

Preseaon polls could hardly be more meaningless. But they're interesting as conversation starters. So, with that in mind, my hunch is that more than three Pac-10 teams will show up on the final poll -- maybe most notably Oregon State. And I think Hawaii will finish higher -- and perhaps Boise lower -- than this.

The University of Washington is expected to announce Friday that basketball coach Lorenzo Romar has signed a new contract running through 2016.

Athletic director Todd Turner announced last fall that he and Romar had agreed in principle to an extension. However, it has taken until now for the details to be finalized.

Romar’s total potential income will be just over $1.5 million annually. That includes $375,000 base salary; $1.105 in additional income through sources such as endorsements, speaking engagements and media shows; $200,000 annually in deferred compensation, and up to $200,000 annually in performance bonuses.

There was no immediate word on buyout provisions.

Romar is 103-55 over his five seasons at Washington.
No comment from Turner or Romar is expected until Friday.

FRIDAY UPDATE: Here is the official university release.

As expected, the Washington Huskies will play in the coming NIT Tip-Off Tournament and will serve as one of four first-round sites.

That West Regional will begin Nov. 13 with the Huskies hosting the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Utah playing High Point. The championship and consolation game will be played the next day.

The New Jersey Tech Highlanders, by the way, went 5-24 last year, in their first season as a Division I school. So, it's a fair assumption that UW will advance, meaning only Utah or High Point would stand between them and a trip to Madison Square Garden where they could meet more-high-profile schools such as Syracuse, Ohio State, Texas, Texas A&M, Sienna, St. Joseph's and Oral Roberts.

Here is the official NIT release, including the remainder of the field:

NEW YORK -- The 16-team field for the 2007 Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament was announced today.

"We are quite pleased with the caliber of teams in this year's event and we look forward to another exciting start to college basketball with the NIT," commented C.M. Newton, chair of the NIT Committee. The NIT Season Tip-Off, founded in 1985, will feature all first- and second-round contests at campus sites. All teams in the tournament are guaranteed at least two games. ESPN will provide coverage of the event, televising games on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU.

The East Regional will take place on November 12 and 13 at Syracuse University. The first round doubleheader will showcase the Syracuse Orangemen against the Saints of Siena College while St. Joseph's University will square off against Fairleigh Dickinson University. The championship and consolation games follow the next day.

In the West Regional on November 13, the University of Washington will host New Jersey Institute of Technology in the first game while the University of Utah takes on High Point University in the second contest. The championship and consolation game will take place on November 14.

The Midwest Regional will take place at Ohio State University on November 12 when the Buckeyes play the University of Wisconsin Green-Bay and Columbia University faces Delaware State University. The championship and consolation game will take place on November 13.

In the South Regional, Oral Roberts University will visit Texas A&M University and the University of Texas, El Paso will play Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi. The South region will play on November 13 and 14.

The Tournament will culminate in New York's Madison Square Garden with the semi final doubleheader tipping at 7 p.m. ET on November 21 (ESPN2). The championship doubleheader will be played on November 23, with the consolation game starting at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN with the championship game tipping at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The post season NIT was founded in 1938 by a group of New York City sportswriters while the NIT Season Tip-Off, formerly known as the preseason NIT, started in 1985. An independent at-large committee chooses the field for both events. Since the inception of the two Tournaments, tens of thousands of student-athletes and coaches have participated. Visit www.nit.org
for more details on Tournament history, selection committee and procedures.

Single-game tickets are now on sale for the Huskies' very attractive schedule of home games, including Boise State, Ohio State, Southern California, Cal and the Apple Cup.

Here is the report from the gohuskies.com Web site.