The empire struck back, with great force.

And it's only stated that way, because Friday was full-pads day for the University of Washington football team, and that meant hitting, hitting and more hitting.

The action was tapered until the fourth period of practice, or the last 30 minutes featuring the blitz sequences and the sudden-change sequence.

If the defense closely lost the battle in team competition Thursday – and that was certainly debatable – it clearly captured the top-dog billing, punishing whichever quarterback stood in its way:

• No. 1 Jake Locker sacked six times in four possessions. He had little time to maneuver, courtesy of defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, linebacker Mason Foster and even safety David Batts on stunts.

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Pac-10 happenings from Thursday all over the place:

ARIZONA: Rob Gronkowski, arguably the nation's best NFL tight end prospect, has been sent back home to get tests done on a nagging leg injury.

ARIZONA STATE: Lauvao is a man of many talents, including pulling tractors in strong man competitions. And he's coming on as the leader of the Sun Devils' offensive line.

CALIFORNIA: Most explosive incoming freshman – Sofele – happens to be a cyberspace dance star on YouTube.

OREGON: Quick-paced practices seem to be becoming the norm in the Northwest. New coach Chip Kelly is no slouch when it comes to demanding a high work rate.

OREGON STATE: Dockery tries to calm fans' worries that the Beavers' brand-new secondary will be the defense's weak point in 2009.

STANFORD: Bad news for Pierce County. Coach Jim Harbaugh has given redshirt freshman Andrew Luck the nod at quarterback to start the season. He had beaten out Clover Park's Tavita Pritchard during the spring.

UCLA: As many as four true freshmen might see significant playing time – and two might be starting for the Bruins on opening day.

USC: Who says young talent can't climb the ladder on the Trojans' depth chart to a starting position? Second-year player Tyron Smith is slated to man right tackle. On a side note, in Matt Barkley's first practice as the starting quarterback Thursday, replacing Aaron Corp, he threw three interceptions.

WASHINGTON STATE: Hurdles star Jeshua Anderson, who might be leaving the football team after this season to pursue a professional track career, has startled folks with his vast improvement at receiver.