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Sunday, September 30th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:13:58 pm
Here's the update that I'll have in the Monday paper as the Huskies head into bye week:
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:05:56 pm
USC survived its mistake-prone game against Washington with a victory, but not with its No. 1 ranking ... at least not in the AP media poll. The writers moved previous No. 2 LSU past the Trojans, while USC remained on top in the coaches poll.
Categories: Huskies
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Saturday, September 29th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:52:47 pm
Here is my game story, columnist John McGrath's take, Ryan Divish's report from the USC locker room and TNT photos from the game. Bottom line: On a day of upsets all across the country, that was a game that was there to be won. Southern California outgained Washington 460 total yards to 190. However, the Huskies stayed close because the Trojans committed 16 penalties for 161 yards, threw two interceptions, lost one fumbles, and suffered a blocked punt. The penalty yardage was the third-most ever by a UW opponent. Not too surprisingly, USC coach Pete Carroll thought his team just made too many mistakes, while the UW coaches thought the Huskies forced the Trojans into those mistakes. Note Willingham's quote below regarding those penalties. However, overall, the bottom line from Willingham and his players is that they're not taking much consolation in coming close, and they're not satisfied because they once again failed to get their breakthough win. Beyond that, the lingering problem could be the loss of safety Jason Wells, which Willingham said would be long-term. Some other notes: Player of the game USC tailback Stafon Johnson came off the bench to be the game’s leading rusher with 122 yards on 14 carries – an 8.7 yard average – and he scored one touchdown. Defensive player of the game Safety Mesphin Forrester led Washington and tied for a game-high with 10 tackles. He also intercepted a pass that had deflected off of USC fullback Stanley Havili and returned it 54 yards for a touchdown. Personnel report UW safety Jason Wells suffered a knee injury. He watched the rest of the game on crutches and coach Tyrone Willingham said it appears to be a “long-term” injury and “a major loss for us.” Center Juan Garcia went out briefly with an ankle injury and was replaced by freshman Matt Sedillo, making his college debut. However, Garcia returned on the next series and finished the game. Safety Nate Williams and defensive tackle Wilson Afoa also missed time for the Huskies before returning. USC offensive lineman Kristofer O’Dowd and Chilo Rachal both went down with knee sprains on the same play and did not return. USC cornerback Shareece Wright went out with a hamstring injury. Quote “If I’m (USC’s) coach I’m alarmed by that many penalties, but at the same time, I think our guys were playing and forcing some things. We probably could have gotten 32 (penalties) on just holding alone. … As I told one of the officials, ‘Those are commemorative jerseys, there won’t be anything left of those jerseys they way they were pulled and grabbed and held.’” – UW coach Tyrone Willingham on USC’s 16 penalties. Extra points The Huskies wore throwback jerseys in recognition of the 1960 Helms Foundation national champions, who were honored at halftime. … In the first quarter, Wells recorded his first career interception. … Cody Ellis of Puyallup made his first reception of the season. … Anthony Russo of Lakewood caught four passes, extending his consecutive-game reception streak to 29. ... UW had a season-high five first downs by penalty. … Roy Lewis recorded the Huskies’ first blocked punt of the season. … The Huskies trailed at halftime for the first time after six straight games either ahead or even. … Ryan Perkins’ 37-yard field goal was the longest of his career. … UW game captains were Anthony Russo, Juan Garcia, Jordan Reffett and Donald Butler. Next The Huskies are off next weekend. They will return to action Oct. 13 at Arizona State. Kickoff time and possible telecast information are yet to be announced. A few other quotes that didn't get into my story:
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:52:09 pm
Lots of mistakes by both sides. USC leads first downs, 11-10; passing yards 109-48; rushing yards, 159-76, and total yards, 268-124. However, a Mesphin Forrester 54-yard interception return gave UW just the kind of quick score everyone expected they might need in a game against the nation's No. 1 team. And ... lots of upsets across the country today ...
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 05:54:47 pm
Lots of mistakes both ways. Huskies had the best scoring opportunity, but Jake Locker missed a wide open Corey Williams in the end zone. However, two SC starting offensive linement went down on the same play, and they have both been carted to the locker room. (And now, as I type this, UW safety Jason Wells -- who got his first career interception in the first quarter -- is down on the field as his right leg is being attended to.)
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 02:41:59 pm
2:40 p.m.: Just arrived at the stadium. Not as much traffic today as the past couple of home games, and from what I hear, maybe a slightly smaller crowd. It's also a much drearier day: cloudy, cool, breezy and a slight drizzle that is expected to give way to rain by the second half. From here, usual game-day drill: I'll pop in with news as it develops, try to pop in with quarterly reports, and then turn things over to you guys for postgame discussion, before I'll finally hop in again with quotes and notes. 3:50: A few players from each team are out on the field getting loose: Trojans in their bright yellow pants and Huskies in their pale gold. However, neither team has their game jerseys on ... which means I haven't gotten a look yet at the throwback jerseys. However, they're doing a nice job of honoring the 1960 team on the video board. 4:20: Huskies out in their throwback uniforms. Very dark jerseys. Very cool numbers. I'd vote for keeping those numbers. 5:05: Captains for today's game are Anthony Russo, Juan Gartcia, Jordan Reffett and Donald Butler.
Categories: Huskies
Friday, September 28th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 05:34:53 pm
No news out of UW on Friday, so we can turn our attention to this evening and the USC game.
Kickoff: 5 p.m., Husky Stadium Television: ABC. Radio: 950-AM. The series: USC leads 47-26-4 overall and 17-16-4 in Husky Stadium. The Trojans have won the last five meetings. What to watch: Even if it hurts, Huskies fans have the rare opportunity to see what may be one of the best college teams, now or ever. Former O’Dea star Taylor Mays in the SC secondary offers an interesting game-within-the-game match with former Ferndale star quarterback Jake Locker for UW. Despite the apparent talent disparity, the Huskies found a way to take the Trojans down to the final whistle last season, and that has provided a rallying cry this week. Huskies opened up the deep-passing game last week at UCLA, and they might try again, although SC’s cover-two defense, pass rush and all-round speed make it difficult. The Huskies will wear replica uniforms of the 1960 Helms Foundation national championship team, which will be honored at halftime. What’s at stake: Every game is must-win for USC’s national championship ambitions, and perhaps even for its Pacific-10 Conference title hopes. The Trojans have won 13 straight September games. Washington wants to avoid an 0-2 start in the conference, a third straight loss overall, and falling below .500 going into its bye week.
Categories: Huskies
Thursday, September 27th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:34:14 pm
In tomorrow's paper, I'll have a story on the 1960 Huskies and my opinion on UW recognizing their claim to the national football championship after all these years. In terms of pure news, there wasn't much out of our meeting with coach Willingham today. He clarified that all of the starters who were available last week -- including linebacker E.J. Savannah, who had been bothered with a neck stinger -- will be available Saturday. The only player with a new injury that might keep him out is linebacker Matt Houston, who has been used mostly on special teams. Willingham also said that with the start of the new school quarter, the freshman receivers Devin Aguilar and Anthony Boyles are still awaiting their ACT scores are now certainly out until winter at the earliers. And that despite the start of fall classes, no walk-on players have been awarded scholarships ... although that might happen later.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 12:25:04 pm
Lou Gellman, the familiar voice of "Hello Dawg Fans" in Husky Stadium since 1985, has announced his retirement. He'll voice his familiar greeting one last time on Saturday before turning over the mike to his successor. Here is the complete UW release.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 12:19:59 pm
I attended the University of Southern Mississippi and I cover the Univeristy of Washington, but those two paths don't cross very often. However, they did in this story from the Idaho Statesman, in which Boise State players compare the UW team they played in the second week of the season with the USM team they'll play tonight. If you want to check for yourself, the Boise State-Southern Miss game -- which pairs of couple of teams regularly among the nation's best mid-majors -- will kickoff at 4:30 on ESPN.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:36:54 am
No. 1 Southern California at Washington. Huskies managed to take the Trojans to the final play last season. But USC just has the talent advantage everywhere, and it's hard to see that happening again. SC, 46-17. No. 6 California at No. 11 Oregon. Very important game, and should be a lot of fun to watch. These offenses are averaging a combined 90 points per game. Ducks, 36-34. No. 23 Arizona State at Stanford. Both of these teams are improved under their new coaches, but ASU wasn't as far down and remains far ahead. ASU, 33-15. UCLA at Oregon State. Two inconsistent mystery teams, so it depends on which versions show up. Given that unknowable, I'll go with the home field advantage. OSU, 27-24. Washington State at Arizona. Another interesting match. And one with importance to both team's shaky bowl hopes. Wildcats offense coming on, but Cougs offense already there. WSU, 42-37.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 07:36:57 am
I didn't go up to UW yesterday, while working instead on our Football Friday package. However, TNT sportswriter Ryan Divish did go up, and here is his story on would-be-Husky/former O'Dea/USC safety Taylor Mays. Remember all that above-and-beyond praise Pete Carroll heaped on Jake Locker earlier this week? UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano matches and raises with his praise of Mays. Locker and Mays on the field at the same time Saturday will be a fascinating game-within-a-game subplot. Meanwhile, I really liked the LA Daily News' UCLA coverage last week, and they're doing a nice job this week with USC. Here's the latest on a USC defensive loss, and the Trojans resulting adjustments. And once again, this relates directly to how the Trojans plan to deal with Locker. Wednesday, September 26th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:54:44 pm
1 USC (1) 3-0, 1-0: QB John David Booty completing 70 percent of his passes. 2 California (2) 4-0, 1-0: QB Nate Longshore already over 4,000 career passing yards. 3 Arizona State (3) 4-0, 1-0: Leading Pac-10 in scoring defense and interceptions. 4 Oregon (4) 4-0, 1-0: Lacey's own Jonathan Stewart is Pac-10’s rushing leader, averaging 126 ypg. 5 UCLA (5) 3-1, 2-0: Bounced back admirably after Utah embarrassment. 6 Oregon State (8) 2-2, 0-1: Defense yielding average of less than 1 yard per rush. 7 Washington (6) 2-2, 0-1: Jake Locker is top rushing QB in the conference. 8 Washington State (7) 2-2, 0-1: Alex Brink leads Pac-10 with 12 TD passes. 9 Stanford (9) 1-2, 0-2: Free safety Bo McNalley leads league with 10.7 tackles per game. 10 Arizona (10) 1-3, 0-1: Offense might be coming around; but defense allowing almost 30 a game.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 07:24:22 am
The Huskies become true student-athletes today, as the university finally holds the first classes of the fall quarter. “That is always a concern of mine because now … there is a lot more on their plate,” coach Tyrone Willingham said. “They are officially back in school and we expect our guys to embrace that wholeheartedly. … Any time you add more responsibilities, it puts stress on you just a little bit more.” Different Huskies weighed the impact differently. “You don’t have mornings off, you can’t sleep in as much because we have to get up and go to class,” said quarterback Jake Locker, beginning his second season on a college campus. “But for the most part, you have your homework at night – write a paper here and there – but it’s not a huge difference.” Senior cornerback Roy Lewis had a different perspective. “A major schedule change,” he said. “Everyone has to get their priorities straight.”
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 07:22:33 am
At 2:20 this afternoon I'll be talking Huskies with the Groz on KJR, 950-AM. The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.
Categories: Huskies
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Tuesday, September 25th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:25:23 pm
My Pac-10 roundup in the Wednesday paper will sort of unavoidably jump in on the controversy that arose after Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy used a weekend press conference to unleash screaming criticism at Daily Oklahoman columnist Jenni Carlson, who had written that Zac Robinson taking the starting quarterback job from Bobby Reid was "less about Robinson's play and more about Reid's attitude." Interestingly, Pac-10 coaches were all over the map in their opinions of how much their players -- all amateurs, some teenages -- should be subject to public criticism. Turing to the actual playing field, every Pac-10 team plays another league member this week, highlighted by No. 6 California at No. 11 Oregon. The other games match No. 23 Arizona State at Stanford, UCLA at Oregon State, Washington State at Arizona and No. 1 Southern California at Washington. Notes from around the league: ARIZONA: The Wildcats are allowing an average of 29.5 points per game, a figure coach Mike Stoops said could remain higher than usual because “this is probably the most talented group of offensive players in the Pac-10 ever assembled.” USC: Coach Pete Carroll hinted that his school is about to make a major announcement regarding improved facilities. He conceded the obvious: USC’s relatively outdated facilities haven’t notably stunted his program’s success. However, he added, “It’s most important to take care of the athletes in the best way that’s possible.” UCLA: Coach Karl Dorrell announced that Ben Olson will start at quarterback this week. Olson had sat out the Washington game due to concussion-like symptoms. However, he will return to the job this week, replacing Patrick Cowan, who suffered a knee ligament tear against the Huskies. OREGON: Coach Mike Bellotti expressed “great pride” in former Oregon coach Rich Brooks' success at Kentucky, which is 4-0 and 14th ranked. “He did that here at Oregon,” Bellotti said. “He took a program at the bottom and brought it up.” … The Ducks lead the Pac-10 in scoring offense and total offense. Bellotti divided the success between new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and the players, saying Kelly inherited “a tremendously talented group” and has “taken it to another level.” CALIFORNIA: For two offensive teams, Cal and Oregon have combined for only 85 points in their last two games at Autzen Stadium. Cal coach Jeff Tedford said rainy Oregon weather is partly responsible. However, the forecast for this weekend calls for clear skies and temperatures around 70. … ESPN GameDay will originate from Eugene on Saturday, and Tedford said that is a good thing for the conference, adding that he hopes the show also visits the Cal campus soon. OREGON STATE: Coach Mike Riley said sophomore quarterback Sean Canfield was far better in the loss this week to Arizona State than he had been in an earlier loss at Cincinnati. “We’ve just got to help him,” he said. “We’ve got to coach him, and he has to make better throws.” Riley said the offense went nowhere in Cincinnati while it moved against Arizona State until “turnovers killed us.” ARIZONA STATE: New coach Dennis Erickson was pleased but cautious about his team’s ascension to No. 23 nationally. “We’ve only played four games, so it’s just so hard to tell,” he said. “The thing that has happened is the players are buying in to what we’re doing offensively and defensively and on special teams.” WASHINGTON STATE: Coach Bill Doba noted that in the Cougars first four games, they “won the ones they were supposed to (San Diego State and Idaho), but didn’t compete as well as I hoped in the other two (Wisconsin and USC).” WSU’s game Saturday at Arizona is the first where neither team rates as a significant favorite.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 04:15:46 pm
A couple of quick pieces of news drifted out today regarding the UW basketball team. First, freshman point guard Venoy Overton has been cleared academically and will attend classes when school opens tomorrow. Also, sophomore guard Adrian Oliver, who suffered a broken nose in the final game of the Huskies' five-game tour of Greece, will undergo surgery tomorrow. He is expected to be available to play when the Huskies open camp on Oct. 12, although he might play with a mask. And finally, speaking of that opener, the team has decided against recreating the Husky Hoopla tip-off event of last season, with coach Lorenzo Romar returning to his favored practice of beginning practice with a few days of off-campus camp.
Categories: Huskies
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Posted by Don Ruiz @ 12:10:06 pm
Washington's game at Stanford will kick off at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 3 and will be televised regionally on FSN.
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 10:58:20 am
In my story today, I briefly touched on USC coach Pete Carroll's admiration for UW quarterback Jake Locker. Carroll just repeated it in detail in the Pac-10 coaches' weekly conference call. Some of his comments: “I think this guys is one of the best guys to come in the conference in a long time. ... I’ve been wowed by his talent. … (He's a_ pocket passer who runs like crazy. ... And he’s a battler. I think I’m impressed with his competititveness as much as anything else. ... He’s the real deal. When he has a couple of years experience, he’ll be phenominal.”
Categories: Huskies
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Monday, September 24th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:21:49 pm
A few of you have asked about the Huskies' slow second halves this season, and wondering what kind of adjustments the UW staff is making. So far this season, the Huskies have outscored their opponents 55-29 in the first halves, and have been outscored 70-56 in the second halves. We asked coach Willingham about that at today's week-opening press conference: "Your concern – and I think naturally so – is are you making adjustments and those kinds of things, and yes we are, we’re making adjustments," he said. "But obviously ours aren’t working. The thing that we’re doing is still not completing the task that we’re trying to complete. … You just keep working at it, because it has worked it has done things, and we’ve got to get ourselves in better position, and that’s the job of the coaches, that’s my job to get us in better position, and then we’ve got to make more plays. Some of those we can make, some of those we should have made. We just have to get it done." Willingham added that he doesn't think the second-half problems are related to lack of depth. He added that once the coaches make the adjustments, it is naturally up to the players to go execute properly... and made clear that didn't always happen Saturday in the loss to UCLA. "We have to get our defense in the best possible position, and once in that position our guys have to execute their responsibility," he said. "We probably had, I thought, Saturday as many missed tackles as we’ve had in a while that showed up in some of the big places – that was part of the kickoff return, that was part of the long run, where we had the opportunity to make that play we didn’t make." Some of you also have asked about Anthony Boyles and Devin Aguilar -- the UW receivers who weren't enrolled with the rest of this incoming class due to SAT scores. We also asked about those, because I had thought Willingham had said he might have something to report about the time the fall quarter begins ... and now classes begin Wednesday. However, Willingham said he had no news and that he can't do anything to affect the timing. A few other notes: *Willingham said he knows of no new injuries that should keep any Huskies out of the USC game. However, he added that he would know more by mid-week. *The Huskies will become true student-athletes this week as classes begin Wednesday. *Players of the week selected by UW coaches are Russo for offense and special teams, and linebacker Dan Howell on defense. *UCLA’s Matthew Slater was selected Pac-10 special teams player of the week today after returning three kicks for 127 yards against the Huskies, including an 85-yard touchdown that proved to be the winning score. Finally, we also got some access to USC coach Pete Carroll today. He tried to recruit Jake Locker down to Southern California, and today he seemed as high on Locker as ever: "He’s decisive, he’s got a great arm, he’s naturally accurate," Carroll said. "He has the abilities to throw different types of throws: He can stick it when he has to and he can lay it up when he has too. The variety of things that they’ve done have given a real nice spread to their offense and they count on him to be a good dropback thrower, as well as a guy he can do it on the move. He’s just as much of a threat as a guy can be right now." Naturally, opposing coaches always say good things about the team they're about to face. But Carroll went way beyond that today. This is a guy who should know plenty about top-level quarterbacks, and he just seems in love with Locker. By the way, my Tuesday story will be about Locker hitting on a couple of long balls Saturday night, and what they might do to back off defenses that have been pushing forward to try to limit his running threat.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 07:57:56 am
After their 13-point loss to UCLA last week, the Huskies have opened 21-point underdogs to No. 1 USC this week. Here's my weekly state-of-the-Dawgs chart:
Categories: Huskies
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Sunday, September 23rd, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:00:24 am
The Huskies saw what we saw. An odd game in which both offenses stumbled around in the first half and then engaged in a track meet in the second. Senior receiver Anthony Russo may have summed up the 44-31 loss to UCLA best, saying, “(The offense) didn’t come through in the first half and the defense didn’t come through in the second half. We can’t do that. It has to all come together.” Some post-game reactions:
On offense, coordinator Tim Lappano found hope in scoring 31 points even though there was disappointment with the running game – other than Jake Locker – and inconsistency with the passing game. “I think he loosened up in the second half, made some really nice throws, some good reads,” Lappano said. “We never quit in the second half. We moved the football, scored 31 points and we executed really poorly. If we execute better then we should put up more points, 40-45 points. But I was proud that they didn’t quit. They kept going in the second half. We were in the game 10-10 at halftime. I’m still not happy with our running game. I don’t think we’re generating near enough run without Jake. We’ve got to get that fixed somehow. We’ve got to get our tailbacks going and help that out a little bit. I’m not sure how good we did against their man cover. Without looking at the film we weren’t separating the way I thought we would. We did at times, but I don’t know how consistent we were in their man coverage.”
Russo said the receivers were confident they could get past the Bruins, and told the coaches, who apparently listened. “We kept telling the coaches to go down field because we felt we can go by these guys,” Russo said. “They started giving up the plays and we made plays.” As always, Locker took the down parts of the offensive performance on himself. He said the interception returned 60 yards for a touchdown was just a bad pass, unrelated to any timing problems with little-used target D’Andre Goodwin. On the 21-point second half, he said, “I think we just got into a rhythm. As an offense we got comfortable. I thought we executed our offense a little better in the second half and it equated to points on the board. I felt like we didn’t do what we needed to in the second half.”
The other offensive concern was the running game, and especially the performance of Louis Rankin, who rushed for 42 yards – his third straight game held under 50. However, neither coach Tyrone Willingham nor Lappano seems to think Rankin is the problem. Willingham said he considered replacing Rankin, but decided not to. Lappano said he considered going to another back only to give Rankin a rest. “It’s never one person and that’s what we see,” Willingham said. “We’ve got to get better execution up front. We’ve got to get better execution from Louis. It’s everything. We’ve got to give him some opportunities. … It’s difficult sometimes when you’re not having success to get him in rhythm.” “It doesn’t look like there’s a lot of room in there,” Lappano said. “I haven’t seen a lot of big seams in there and I’ve got a pretty good seat.” Rankin wasn’t among those made available for post-game comments.
On the other side of the ball – interestingly -- defensive coordinator Kent Baer didn’t see much wrong with the play of his defense. “In the second half, it was the drive to start the second half and the long run – that’s it,” he said. “Other than that, hey, (UCLA’s player are) on scholarship too. They’re a good football team. That’s what I see. … Other than the long run, I thought we got some things stopped. Other than at the end of the game, we couldn’t get the ball back.” As for that long run – a 72-yard touchdown by Chris Markey – Baer said somebody on defense “didn’t fit the run right. I don’t know who did. You can’t give that up.” Linebacker E.J. Savannah said the Bruins’ one-two punch of Markey and Kahlil Bell finally wore down the Huskies. “I think it was that duo, how they kept swapping them in like that,” Savannah said. “Our dudes were getting tired and they just stayed fresh.”
Finally, cornerback Byron Davenport said he was happy to get back into action after his long-term hamstring injuries. Especially against the school he transferred from. “It was like a home game,” he said. “I was excited. It was fun.” Davenport started on the nickel defense, but replaced Matt Mosley in the base defense in the second half. Vonzell McDowell, who had started the first three games at corner, played only on special teams. “I was supposed to play like nickel and some other packages,” Davenport said. “But at halftime we made a few adjustments, they asked me if I felt good and I said yeah, and I played more after that. It was cool. I didn’t expect to play as much as I did.” He was asked if he expects to start next week. “We’ll see,” he said. “I’m not sure. Hopefully, things will be good. I hope I’m with the ones, depending on how I feel and how the coaches think I’ll help the defense.”
Finally, Savannah said he and the rest of the Huskies expect to beat USC next week, even if no one else believes they will.
Categories: Huskies
• 16 comments
Saturday, September 22nd, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 11:18:09 pm
I'm just back from talking to coach Willingham and some Huskies. I'll post some of their thoughts next. Meanwhile, these highlights stood out to me: Player of the game Key play Key stats Trick plays Hustle play Special players For Washington, linebacker Chris Stevens repeatedly was the first player down on punt coverage, and recovered a second-quarter turnover when a bouncing punt glanced over a fallen Bruin. Personnel report The Huskies reported no serious injuries. Jake Locker said he was fine, and E.J. Savannah said his neck stinger returned a bit but that he'd be fine for next week. Meanwhile, the Bruins started the game minus seven regular starters lost to injury: quarterback Ben Olson, fullback Michael Pitre, receiver Marcus Everett, guard Shannon Tevaga, defensive end Nikola Dragovic, defensive tackle Brigham Harwell, and linebacker Aaron Whittington. … In the fourth quarter, replacement quarterback Patrick Cowan was injured and was replaced by redshirt freshman McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Extra points Next
Categories: Huskies
• 2 comments
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 10:08:25 pm
Two UCLA touchdowns that quarter, the (potential) killer was a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown by Bruins safety Dennis Keyes of a Jake Locker pass overthrown to the sideline.
Categories: Huskies
• 5 comments
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:07:35 pm
UCLA has all the stats, but the Huskies are hanging right there, led mostly by a handful of big runs by Jake Locker. The Bruins have 12 first downs, Washington six. The Bruins have 283 total yards, Washington 132 (and 74 of those UW yards are on Jake Locker runs). UCLA's Patrick Cowan is 9-of-18 for 86 yards. Locker is 5-of-13 for 33 yards ... and his longest completion is 9 yards.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:10:30 pm
UCLA has had awful field position, but they've made up for it with a lot of yards. They worked down close enough for two field goal attempts, hitting one 47 yarder. UW hasn't done much offensively ... one first down in the quarter. UCLA already have more than 100 yards rushing. A few notes: Matt Mosely started at the cornerback spot that had been manned by true freshman Vonzell McDowell Jr., who gave up a 68-yard touchdown pass last week against Ohio State. … Washington cornerback Byron Davenport, who played his freshman season at UCLA, visited with several of his former teammates before the game. He has already seen his most significant action of the season as a nickle back. … The Washington captains were Anthony Russo, Jordan Reffett, Dan Howell and Louis Rankin.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 04:58:27 pm
I'm in the press box at the Rose Bowl, one of the nicest press box views in a conference that is full of them. However, it's not in its full glory as the clouds are still hanging low, hiding the tops of the surrounding mountains. In fact, I arrived to see a tarp covering the field. It's off now, although it still looks like some rain could call. On the way up to the press box, the elevator operator mentioned that for some reason, UCLA seems to have its worst weather when the Washington and Oregon schools play here. Still, bottom line, it's a special place. So, naturally I asked a few of the Huskies about that this week: JAKE LOCKER: I think it’s going to be pretty cool. I’ve personally never had the chance to go down and be in that stadium, so it will be a first time for me. I’ve heard from a lot of people that it’s a pretty neat experince and to be able to play on natural turf at night again will be kind of fun. ... (My family) always watched (the Rose Bowl Game). All the bowl games were always something we had on. We always made sure we watched that one. When I was growing up, I guess I didn’t really understand about who got to play in it each year. Every year I watched they always said that this was the Granddaddy of them all’ so I always thought that this was the biggest game. We always watched that game." JORDAN REFFETT: "It’s like sacred ground down there. I’ve watched do many Rose Bowls over the years it’s a great feeling to go down there and get a chance to play." ROY LEWIS: "The Rose Bowl is always a great place to play. We go down there early in the season, and hopefully at the end of the season we’ll make a second trip down there. The Rose Bowl is historic, there’s no place like it. And this is the real game time now. This is when it really counts."
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 09:56:05 am
The predicted rain moved in overnight. Ourside, right now there is no rain, but lingering clouds and puddles. I hear there has been some hail reported, and even some slow in the surrounding mountains. However, last I heard, the rain was expected to be finished by gametime, however, coolish temperatures drifting from the mid- to low-60s. Here is our preview from today's paper. And here's one from the LA Daily News, which has done a really nice job this week. I'll file today if news develops, and then again tonight from the stadium, at the quarters, and then after the game, hopefully along with your own discussion of how things unfold.
Categories: Huskies
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Friday, September 21st, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 10:40:03 am
Washington State at No. 1 Southern California. Should be entertaining for a while. USC, 48-24. Arizona at No. 6 California. Wildcats sprung the upset last season. Cal, 37-13. No. 13 Oregon at Stanford. Last season’s 38-point win was Ducks biggest in series. Oregon, 38-17. Oregon State at Arizona State. Beavers haven’t won in Tempe since 1969... meaning since before ASU joined the Pac-10. Devils, 31-20. Washington at UCLA. Just a hunch that the better Bruins will show up. UCLA, 34-24. Last week: 7-2. (Missed on Wildcats ... and Bruins.)
Categories: Huskies
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Thursday, September 20th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 08:13:10 pm
The stadium news dominated things today. However, coach Tyrone Willingham had some good health news, saying linebacker Dan Howell, tailback Brandon Johnson and cornerback Byron Davenport are healthy enough to travel to the UCLA game and are likely to play Saturday. Willingham added that he wouldn’t hesitate to play Davenport despite all the time he has missed during camp and so far this season. Meanwhile, junior quarterback Patrick Cowan is expected to start for UCLA, replacing regular starter Ben Olson, who showed concussion-like symptoms this week. Cowan started the final eight games last season, including the Bruins upset of Southern California. Willingham said the uncertainty “does kind of dilute what you can do for game preparations.” Finally, Willingham is a serious weather-watcher. Forecasts call for a 40 percent chance of rain in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday. And as he pointed out, the Huskies should be more used to rain than the Bruins.
Categories: Huskies
• 4 comments
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 03:27:02 pm
Under a best-case scenario, the University of Washington would like to begin a “several hundreds of millions of dollars” renovation of Husky Stadium in December of next year and be playing in those new digs by 2010. However, a more realistic timetable would have construction beginning in 2009, playing a 2010 season at Qwest Field, and then moving into their renovated – and probably renamed – home in 2011. Athletic director Todd Turner and former Gov. Dan Evans, chairman of the stadium renovation committee, briefed the UW board of regents on their stadium plans Thursday and then updated the media. Showing the same uncertain artists conceptions first unveiled about six months ago, Turner and Evans outlined stadium renovation goals that would include solve existing safety and code concerns, improve the fan experience, and centralize the football coaches offices, weight room, locker room ticket office and fan shop in a new building created under the west end zone. Specifically, the stadium renovation would: •remove the track surrounding the field, lower the field and move the sideline seats closer to the field, Funding remains uncertain, however the stadium renovation committee expects to present a proposal -- including timeline and funding – to the regents and the general public in November. And yes, naming rights are among the funding sources being considered. A few quotes: EVANS: “We’ve got the oldest stadium in the Pac-10: The first game was played in 1920. The lower bowl, which holds about 40,000 people, was the original stadium. It’s in extraordinarily bad shape. … If you take a look at it when it’s not filled with fans and with all the excitement focused on the field, you’ll find it badly needs help. There is no alternative.” TURNER: “Ideally we wouldn’t move any seasons off campus. But if it speeds the construction process up and enables us to do it less expensively, then we’d like to do it. We’d really like to get out of Sound Transit’s way as quickly as we can and make the period of disruption for our fans as short a time as possible.” TURNER: “It’s a serious endeavor and one that’s being taken very very seriously by the university’s leadership. I think the question can clearly be answered. It’s not a matter of will we do anything to Husky Stadium, it’s just a matter of when.” Naturally, we'll have extensive coverage of this in our Friday paper.
Categories: Huskies
• 8 comments
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:17:02 am
The LA Daily News reports this morning that Patrick Cowan will start for the Bruins Saturday against Washington. Meanwhile, here is a look at the Bruins offense, with or without Olson, by TNT reporter Ryan Divish.
Categories: Huskies
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 04:50:29 pm
The LA Daily News is reporting that UCLA quarterback Ben Olson didn't practice again today and likely won't start Saturday's game against Washington. In his absence, the Bruins would start Patrick Cowan, who played in all 13 Bruins games last season and started eight while Olson was out. While he'll still be the most experienced quarterback the Huskies have played this season, his surprise start will be yet another wild card in a deck already loaded with them.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 03:08:46 pm
1 USC 2-0: Trojans backs averaged 8.2 yards per carry at Nebraska. Pac-10's worst defense up next. 2 California 3-0: The Bears' modest five-game win streak is Pac-10’s longest. 3 Arizona State 3-0: League leader in total defense and scoring defense. 4 Oregon 3-0: Win over Fresno State was Bellotti’s 100th with Ducks. 5 UCLA 2-1, 1-0: Sitting atop the Pac-10 standings ... and middle-tier in the Mountain West. 6 Washington 2-1: Huskies allowing 18.3 points per game, down more than a touchdown from last season. 7 Washington State 2-1: Cougars have scored in eight consecutive quarters, while Brink has put together back-to-back 300-yard games. 8 Oregon State 2-1: Canfield-to-Stroughter combination finally clicked vs. Idaho State. But, of course, that was Idaho State. 9 Stanford 1-1. Rout of San Jose State was Cardinal’s first win under Jim Harbaugh and first in seven tries in renovated home field. 10 Arizona 1-2. Stoops fourth season and the natives are restless in Tucson.
Categories: Huskies
• 4 comments
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 11:59:30 am
At 2:20 this afternoon I'll be talking Huskies' with the Groz on KJR, 950-AM. I assume what we learned from the Ohio State game and then look forward to the oh-so-hard-to-figure UCLA Bruins. The conversation also will be streamed over the Internet.
Categories: Huskies
• 4 comments
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:42:25 am
The L.A. Daily news is reporting this morning that reserve quarterback Patrick Cowan could start for UCLA on Saturday, if battered starter Ben Olson can't go. No one but Olson has thrown a pass for UCLA in the first three games this season. Cowan played in all 13 games last season -- and started the final eight after Olson was injured -- completing 145 of 276 passes with 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. However, the UCLA depth chart released this week shows walk-on redshirt freshman McLeod Bethel-Thompson behind Olson on the depth chart. In the opener, the Huskies plays against a quarterback making his first career start, and over the next two games they faced quarterbacks making their first road starts. So, either Olson or Cowan would be the most experienced quarterback they've faced this season, while Bethel-Thompson would -- once again -- be making a first career start.
Categories: Huskies
Tuesday, September 18th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 07:21:30 pm
Los Angeles media reports that reserve quarterback Patrick Cowan worked with UCLA’s No. 1 offense Tuesday, while junior starter Ben Olson sat out with what coach Karl Dorrell calls headaches. Olson’s availability for Saturday is not yet known. Dorrell said nothing about that during a Pac-10 coaches’ conference call Tuesday morning. However, he said starting left guard Shannon Tevaga (knee sprain) will not play this week. Meanwhile, UW offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said Tuesday that injured tailback/returner Brandon Johnson is likely to be cleared to play this week. Lappano also said the Huskies plan to work more receivers and runners into their rotation to keep everyone fresh. He said four tailbacks will travel to Pasadena, and all are likely to see action, at least on special teams. … He also said speedy receiver D’Andre Goodwin is likely to get more work at UCLA.
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:46:58 pm
Washington coach Tyrone Willingham was asked today if he "gets a kick" out of the national discussion about his firing from Notre Dame in light of the school's 0-3 start under Charlie Weis. At first, Willingham thought the question was if he gets a kick out of Notre Dame's failure, and he quickly made it clear that he sees no point in ever enjoying another's troubles. However, even when it was clarified that the question was merely about whether he is amused by the national debate, he strongly denied it and instead used the opportunity to speak up for his current job. "I’m very happy, very comfortable, at the University of Washington," he said. "I think we’re moving our program in the right direction. I’m very excited about not only our quarterback, but our entire football team. I’m excited about our coaches the building process and the univeristy that we have. So no, I don’t get a kick out of any of those discussions and prefer that they don’t exist."
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 01:41:53 pm
For the past three seasons, the UCLA-Washington game has drawn national attention because it is the very rare meeting of NCAA programs coaches by African-Americans. This season, it is purely unique: The only such meeting on the regular season schedule. Given the rarity of their positions, both men have accepted their roles as spokesmen for the issue, as they proved again today. Dorrell: “That’s kind of neat for our conference. But it’s much bigger than that for a national scope and a career scope for young people that are interested in coaching. It’s really to keep the inspiration alive for them that they can achieve greatness through a lot of hard work and building their resumes and doing great jobs for people that they work for and climbing the ladder. I think all that is very important. (Willingham) has been kind of a patriarch in this movement.” Willingham: “I think the first thing is Karl and I would both agree that it’s great to have this opportunity. That would be No. 1. No.2 – I’ve always said this – I think it would be a shame if we are somewhat limiting based on race because there are some very qualified people who can help these young people be better people and better football players and better students. Anytime you eliminate anyone from the pool for any reason along that line – gender, religiton, etc. – that is a wrong thing to do.”
Categories: Huskies
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Monday, September 17th, 2007
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:59:27 pm
The main topic of today's meeting with coach Willingham and some of the Huskies was how the team -- and also that team from LA -- will deal with their first defeat of the season. The Huskies suffered their first loss, 33-14, to Ohio State on Saturday; while the Bruins were shocked 44-6 at Utah. The teams will meet Saturday at the Rose Bowl. Quarterback Jake Locker said he just lets losses go: However, senior defensive tackle Jordan Reffett and some other linemen said they had it out with each other a bit -- nothing negative, just challenging themselves to do better -- before letting it go: “We watched the film and kind of got after each other a little bit,” Reffett said. “We made a lot of mistakes. They’re correctable mistakes, that’s the good thing. But the bad thing is we lost the game. We’re going to learn from our mistakes and just keep going.” Coach Tyrone Willingham thinks either approach can work: “I hope we’re angry the whole season about losing that ball game,” he said. “But I hope we also don’t allow any of the residue of that ball game to affect us in the next ball game or the next ball game. So it’s a real fine line.” However, you've got to figure that whatever the Huskies are thinking, the Bruins must be saying and then so after their pure embarrassment of a loss. However, we don't really know because coach Karl Dorrell wasn’t available to the Washington media on Monday. We should get his Tuesday as part of the weekly Pac-10 coaches call. Willingham, however, said he doesn't think there's anything wrong with the Bruins. He especially praised their run defense, their offensive backfield, their big-play receivers, and their hard-hitting safeties. “I think they have a lot of good things in place,” he said. “I don’t have any problem identifying the UCLA team.” “I‘ve always hated losing,” he said. “Ever since I was a little kid I hated it, and I still do. So, it’s hard. Anytime you lose it’s hard, but I hadn’t experienced that in a long time, so that was definitely a tough one for me.” Willingham said he hopes to work another tailback into the rotation in order to help tailback Louis Rankin (ankle) recover and then remain strong for the rest of the season. However, the depth chart doesn’t clearly identify a No. 2 back from among J.R. Hasty, Curtis Shaw or Brandon Johnson. And Willingham interestingly volunteered that Hasty’s sore ankle isn’t the only reason he has only one carry this season. Finally, UW coaches selected these players of the week for their play against the Buckeyes: fullback Paul Homer on offense, end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim on defense, and Rankin on special teams. However, Te’o Nesheim wasn’t buying. “I thought I played horrible,” he said. “There is so much more we can improve on as a defense. It’s hard to look at yourself and say, ‘Oh I played good,’ because I know I didn’t play up to the standards of what the Huskies defense should be playing.”
Categories: Huskies
Posted by Don Ruiz @ 06:47:44 pm
The university as announced that eason tickets for the 2007-08 men's basketball 18-game home season go on sale at 8:30 a.m.Tuesday. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Husky Ticket Office at 206-543-2200 or by e-mailing huskytix@u.washington.edu. For Tyee donor seating, contact the Tyee Office at 206-543-2234 or huskies@u.washington.edu.
Categories: Huskies
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