Notre Dame Preview
by John Berkowitz on Oct 2, 2009 6:27 AM PDT
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PrintWashington (2-2) faces Notre Dame (3-1) in a non-conference game Saturday at South Bend, Indiana. The Huskies will be trying to rebound from a 34-14 loss to Stanford, which knocked them out of the Top 25. The previous week the Huskies upset the #3 team in the country USC. A victory over the storied Notre Dame program would be another feather in first year Coach Steve Sarkisian's hat.
Washington is capable of winning this game if they avoid giving up the turnover and pick up a few themselves. The Irish really haven't been a sloppy team this year so those turnovers have to be earned with pressure and hard hitting.
Looking through the matchups you have to give the honest edge to the Irish in this one not only because of the home advantage but because this is their fifth consecutive season without Ty Willingham at the helm. That means Charlie Weis has stocked the shelves with five top ten classes and led them with a little more enthusiasm than his much maligned predecessor.
Weis isn't without his critics. He has never won a game that he was not supposed to win. To his credit he has won the majority of those type of games and that is why he was granted another season to get it right. The schedule was set up for a 12 win season but the Irish really don't have the look of a top 25 team yet. Consider them a work in progress that just wants to get to the bye week to get healthy.
When Weis came to Notre Dame he wasn't the first choice. Notre Dame abruptly fired Tyrone Willingham so they could hire Urban Meyer. Irish fans were disappointed to learn that Meyer thought Florida was a better opportunity at the time. He is still rumored to be in the wings if Weis falters this season.
So far this season Weis has escaped by the skin of his teeth. His Irish could easily be 1-3 right now if it wasn't for last second wins over Michigan State and Purdue. Washington was circled as an automatic win on the schedule this season and if the Irish fall on Saturday that large hot seat will only get hotter. It is very conceivable that if he doesn't win at least nine games this season he will be out. Firing a coach with an 8-4 record? It can happen at Notre Dame.
Washington head man Steve Sarkisian on the other hand arrives on the magic I can do no wrong carpet. Despite the 2-2 record and a poor showing at Stanford Husky fans are in love with him. Expectations are lessened when you take over an 0-12 team. That doesn't mean that the Washington fan base is complacent. The close loss to LSU and the win over USC has awakened them. All week before the Stanford game the talk was all about how quickly the corner was turned and the price of airline tickets to Pasadena.
Not so fast as Lee Corso has said one too many times. Washington can beat anyone left on the schedule but as we saw last week they can also get stuffed and left for dead. That light at the end of the tunnel was Toby Gerhart riding the proverbial freight train right up Washington's gut.
So this week it all comes down to a tale of two coaches leading struggling football programs. One has already beat a team nobody thought his team was capable of beating and the other one is still waiting. The point is the urgency is much greater right now on the Irish sidelines. If the Irish lose on Saturday to Washington it may just be the deciding nail in his coffin at the end of the season.
Position Matchups
Quarterback - Washington - Jake Locker has the edge for a couple of reasons. He has the better arm and he can run a lot faster than Jimmy Clausen. This is actually pretty close but the turf toe injury clearly gives UW a big advantage. If Clausen was at 100% I would call it even.
Running Back - Even - Chris Polk has been solid for Washington all season and Homer is one of the better blocking backs in the country. Notre Dame counters with Armando Allen who is the best running back they have had in awhile. Injuries have hurt the Irish running game but they have found ways to be creative and win games.
Wide Receivers - Even - Washington's receivers were humbled last week at Stanford. If they had played that way the entire season ND would have the edge. All that being said the Irish have some serious speed and I would give them the absolute nod in this category if Michael Floyd was healthy. UW doesn't have Michael Floyd type player on the roster. So we call it even because the Irish won't have one till November.
Tight End - Notre Dame - I don't care if the Irish put Charlie Weis out there on Saturday. Whoever they have is going to block better than Kavario Middleton and approach the game with more fire. Expect Chris Izbicki to see more playing time this week. Just take one look of the photo ND TE Kyle Rudolph shows you at least what a BCS TE should look like...nice pipes.
Offensive Line - Notre Dame - The Irish have recruited well but have not gotten the production out of this unit they would have liked till this season. This is not a great line but man for man they have more talent and ability than Washington. The edge isn't huge but the Irish have put up some respectable numbers.
Defensive Line - Even - The Irish are young and smallish up front and have former UW assistant Randy Hart coaching them. My friend Chris over at Rakes Of Mallow insists this is the weak part of the Irish defense. I am tempted to give the Huskies an edge but after what happened at Stanford I can't do it. Count on DTN to be double and triple teamed all day. Randy Hart just may know a little something about DTN.
Linebacker - Washington - The Irish are young and talented but the Huskies have more experience. EJ Savannah has a broken hand and a foot problem that could keep him out. Usually that would tip the scales but Cort Dennison has actually filled in well for him. Give the Irish LB's some more time to season and they will be better than Washington.
Secondary - Even - Statistically you would have to go with Washington. Statisitics do lie because with the exception of Idaho we haven't faced a true passing team like the Irish. Notre Dame has given up a lot of yards through the air this season. If you harken back to Idaho things were less than satisfactory. Jimmy Clausen on one foot or not is a better QB than Nathan Enderle. Whoever defends the pass the best will win this game.
Special Teams - Notre Dame - Better depth and overall talent always tips the scales as far as I am concerned. Washington has not been terrible this season. The Owusu mistake last week was simply a mistake. For the most part we have covered adequately. Our return game hasn't produced anything this season. The coaches are making changes and one change is Jordan Polk won't be back there anymore because of his blocking ability. We need return yards.
Game Match ups
Washington running game versus the Notre Dame defense
The Irish shut down a pretty good running attack led by one of the best young running backs in the country last week. The young Irish defenders up front are obviously improving from week to week. Washington needs to do a better job on the line of scrimmage. Stanford man-handled these guys last week. Chris Polk as usual picked up his 70 tough yards but he is capable of so much more if the line can give him some room to run.
This will not be the most talented defensive line we face this season. In fact three out of the four we have faced this season were appreciable better on paper. I have the feeling our offensive line has something to prove after the butt kicking they received last weekend. If we can run on USC and LSU we can run on Notre Dame.
We expected Jake to run more last week against Stanford but it didn't happen. He dominated them two years ago so most of us thought it made sense. Sarkisian was blunt about it on Monday. He isn't going to sacrifice the health of his QB to spark the running game. Jake's health is way to important for the team to risk it.
If there are more than 2-3 designed running plays for Jake on Saturday I will be surprised by it. Expect Sark to use that card on a final drive. Don't expect him to use it 12-15 times per game.
Washington Passing Game versus the Notre Dame defense
For the 47th time...Jake Locker had an off game last week and didn't get a lot of help from his receivers or offensive line. We expect Jake to bounce back because it is very rare to see him have two bad games in a row. Notre Dame's defense is not of the same caliber as LSU, USC, and Stanford so he should be able to work the Notre Dame secondary for 250-300 yards.
One thing in Washington's favor this week is the Irish defensive line. Our zone blocking scheme should match up well against what Jon Tenuta is going to try to do. Tenuta is fond of the blitz but his defense has not done as well with it as he would like. The Irish have six sacks on the season. If Washington can handle the blitz with a combination of blocking and the mobility of Locker it should open up some big plays in the seams of the Irish defense.
Mike Holmgren was at the USC game and he commented that some of Jake's passes, especially in the fourth quarter were as good as any QB in the NFL could do. Heady praise from a guy who knows more than a thing or two about the passing game.
No comments from Mike on what happened at Stanford.
Notre Dame rushing game versus the Washington defense
Notre Dame is rushing better this year but i would hesitate to call them a good rushing team. The run blocking is better and they have been able to come up with enough yards to maintain a semblance of balance. The injuries have been a problem for them at this position. Last week they actually pulled out the Wildcat featuring Golden Tate to produce some key yards against Purdue.
We all know that Washington had a lot of trouble stopping the run against Stanford. We do seem to doa better job against slasher and cut back artist than we do the Mack Truck that was Toby Gerhart. If Notre Dame still had Jerome Bettis I would just hand the ball off to him 50 times. They don't have that type of an offense or player like that anymore. They would rather pass first and run second just to provide balance.
I expect Washington will do a better job stopping the run this week but Notre Dame should be able to pick up yards when they need to.
Notre Dame passing game versus the Washington Defense
Jimmy Clausen was supposed to be the next Joe Montana. Not sure if anyone will ever be the next Joe Montana. He hasn't even become the next Brady Quinn but he is one of the best quarterbacks we will face this year. Even with Michael Floyd out he has a bevy of talented receivers to choose from. These kids know how to get to the ball and they are very capable of causing a lot of damage.
If I were Charlie I would try to do the same thing Idaho did against us. I would attack the Washington defense with high percentage passes in front of and just over the linebackers. Weis likes to call the game the way he wants with little relation to scouting the other team's weaknesses. He likes the long ball and will try to use that speed coupled with Clausen's arm to try to burn us deep.
Washington needs to apply pressure to Jimmy. They need to sack him and make him feel some pain. If he doesn't get pressure and has four seconds the throw like Idaho's Nathan Enderle did it could be a very long day.
The special teams battle
Washington can't give up a cheap seven points to Notre Dame like we did to Stanford last week. The Huskies need to start creating a little magic of their own in the return game. The punting and place kicking have been solid this season so far. We need a little extra this week on returns to win this phase of the game. The Irish have more speed so we need to negate that in some way.
The intangibles
Washington needs to have at least a plus two turnover ratio to win this game.
The Notre Dame crowd and the mystique of the campus are always worth at least seven extra points at home for the Irish. It is hard to not enter this stadium and be intimidated by the history that surrounds you. There are bigger places, noisier places, and more fancy places...but no other place has Jesus signalling a touchdown.
Game Notes
Former long time Washington Assistant Coach Randy Hart is the Irish Defensive Line Coach. Life is good for Randy.
Notre Dame will try to improve to 8-0 all-time against the Huskies in Saturday's 3:30 p.m. EST contest. The game will be telecast by NBC.
Jimmy Clausen's 2-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph with 24.8 seconds remaining gave Notre Dame its victory over Purdue. That came one week after Kyle McCarthy's late interception at the Irish 4-yard line preserved a 33-30 triumph over Michigan State. A week before that, Michigan scored on a Tate Forcer-to-Greg Mathews TD pass with 11 seconds remaining to beat Notre Dame 38-34.
The Huskies' run defense ranks 106th of 120 teams in the NCAA Bowl Subdivision, giving up 195.8 yards per game. the huskies are giving up an average of 185 yards per game through the air.
Notre Dame is giving up 398.9 total yards per game, including 259.2 passing.
Jake Locker is 79-for-136 passing for 1,002 yards. Locker, who's been intercepted three times, has thrown six touchdowns and run for two.
Jimmy Clausen is fourth in the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 172.86. He's completed 77 of 117 passes for 1,122 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's been intercepted just once.
The Irish defense held the explosive Purdue running game to only 74 yards last week.
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Hope Dawgs can get the ground game going
ND d-line looked pretty stout last week against Purdue.
Can’t wait to get up to South Bend tomorrow!
Huskies? Irish? You can't root for both
That was the Times headline for Danny O’Neil’s article, which was very interesting. I am a rule 1 exception 1.
Concerning the headline, that won’t be a problem with me, GO DAWGS.
I am getting that gitty feeling I get before games...
I cant wait for kickoff tomorrow!
I get butterflies just thinking about the game.
We need to win this game!
I think...
…you are saying I have that “GIDDY” feeling? I’m with ya. It’s going to be fun watching this game!
GO DAWGS!
Very Fair Assessment
Thank you for mentioning the ND injury problems and working them into your preview. As an ND fan and a college football fan, I’m very disappointed that the best (yes, best) receiver in college football is out with a broken collarbone. If Floyd miraculously makes it back before season’s end, make sure you watch.
Heres to a good clean game with no controversy and, please God, no injuries.
No comment really just....
…GO DAWGS!!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
My 2 Bits Worth
I thought we were going to be 3-1 going into this game. The loss coming to USC. Oh, well….
I think we’re going to be 3-2 coming out of it.
Mush you Huskies! GO DAWGS!
Expect to Win!!!
no doubt
the excitement is back in Husky football. We have a future to look forward to.
Hopefully it starts tomorrow.
Recruiting
It’s been pretty quiet lately. We need two or three more big uglies to man the trenches.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Washington cross country teams win at Notre Dame
Now let’s go football!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Beat the Irish!
dropping in to say good luck
And great job with U$C
Lucky gun, fake fifth, 8XY bitch
Daryll Clark, The Penn State Football Story Is...
Thanks! Good Luck To Penn State!...
…who do you guys play today?
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
PSU plays Illinois
Tailgated at the PSU v Iowa game…great tailgate…bad game. that weather was horrible. PSU vs Ohio State wil be a classic matchup
will we have a game thread?
either way lets go DAWGS
Game Thread
JB must be partying and watching the game, anyway…GO DAWGS!! You CAN do it!!!!!!!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
No doubt about that.
He might have a post scheduled to go up in a couple minutes though,
http://www.spartyandfriends.com/
Let's do it!
Although I tend to watch the game but there are always the commercials!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
I know I hate that!
The game gets into a flow and then…commercial timeout!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Keys to the Game
Pressure Turnovers Ballcontrol…a couple of big plays on special teams would be good too!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Havent had a big Special teams play yet
Turnover margin will be HUGE…need to keep that Irish offense off the field
We have got to possess the football too
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Spread em out....
…and keep em guessing.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Sark is the bomb!
He makes it fun!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
We need to come up FIRED UP!!!
No let up! You have tomorrow to heal.
actually looked like UW was manhandling the irish front line
nice to see them fired up again
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
by wishfulthinking on Oct 3, 2009 12:55 PM PDT reply actions
Someone blew contain on that one.
Not good assignment football by the d
http://www.spartyandfriends.com/
Mustve seen something on film that makes them think Notre Dame is vulnerable to the 5 wide set
They’ve gone to it a few times already
http://www.spartyandfriends.com/
Let's not outsmart ourselves...
…we’re kickin’ butt upfront…run the frikken rock!!!!!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Third and two and we...
…try a slow developing screen? That being said nice punt by Mahan!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Man, if your corners could catch you would have 2 picks by now
Hi, my name is Matt Daddy and I am a....
HUGE FREAKING DUCK FAN!!!!!!... "Hi Matt Daddy"
if they could catch they would be WR?
Hi, my name is Matt Daddy and I am a....
HUGE FREAKING DUCK FAN!!!!!!... "Hi Matt Daddy"
maybe they can't catch...but they can sure pick up a fumble and runble...
Hi, my name is Matt Daddy and I am a....
HUGE FREAKING DUCK FAN!!!!!!... "Hi Matt Daddy"
This line is getting torn apart
Don’t allow a TD before halftime.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
And on the next play Locker is sacked, fumbles, ND ball
Time for relentless 2nd half screens.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
see what happens when we blitz!!!!!
Keep bring pressure
Awesome drive
weird not to call the TO though
Oh man your overthrow problems came back Locker
He was wide open.
Oh well it’s raining so you get a reprieve.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
No reprieve..we needed that
He should have had that throw….hopefully that doesnt hurt us later
yes he is....he deserved the reprieve...
nice designed run
They're a zone defense, so it's not a big cusion
It’s just the DB over him retreating to cover his deep 1/3, and Clausen is getting him the ball before the flat defender can rotate over to Tate.
One of the things that playing Cover 3 gives up, but I’m with you. I think they need to play a combo defense, zone everywhere else with Trufant on Tate.
That turf toe and wet field is really giving him problems?
Or maybe his footwork is bad. Footwork is definitely underrated when it comes to QBs. One of the reasons I liked Sanchez so much.
Good stop by the Def
now we need the O to score again!!!! Lets Go Dawgs
If they're going to give Locker that short pass every time,
might as well take it half the time. Automatic 4-5 yards at least.
You mean the one from 2006-2007?
The Mo Morris school of running is burst of speed up the middle without breaking tackles.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
Glad that these homer announcers have nothing positive to talk about ND right now
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
Sorry for the language
But that was a shitty playcall. If you’re going to run it with Locker, put him in the shotgun, spread the defense out and give him a running start.
agree
our o-line isnt strong enough to make that push
Locker is instantaneous
As long as he declares next season.
I would like Eric Berry.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
We may get both the way the season is going
Although I’m playing around with trade possibilities for one of our 1st rounders for a quality player.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
piss, this is why you kick the field goal
cannot let the home team have a momentum swing like that.
UW needs at least 10 more to win this game.
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
not to upset about the call..yet
underdog on the 1. Id go for it
i sure understand the desire and like the instinct
I just dont trust the defense.
they have to tackle someone
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
by wishfulthinking on Oct 3, 2009 3:27 PM PDT up reply actions
hope it doesnt factor in
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
by wishfulthinking on Oct 3, 2009 3:28 PM PDT up reply actions
just kind of sort of good.....he is playing like a senior right now
now he has to keep it up for another 13 minutes
Long clock-killing TD drive should clinch it. Come on Huskies!
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
gotta swing the momentum back somehow.
big Polk run would work for me
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
That Jermaine Kearse kid is going to be something special for you guys
having a good game
Hi, my name is Matt Daddy and I am a....
HUGE FREAKING DUCK FAN!!!!!!... "Hi Matt Daddy"
You see this Knapp? Do that with Seneca tomorrow.
OH SO CLOSE!!!
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
ND will be looking for Polk, role Locker out, he can pick it up with his legs
Hi, my name is Matt Daddy and I am a....
HUGE FREAKING DUCK FAN!!!!!!... "Hi Matt Daddy"
Huge block
by the lineman!!
"Anytime, Anyplace"
"Life is hard, it's harder if you're stupid." - John Wayne
yes, why is he under center so much down here
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
by wishfulthinking on Oct 3, 2009 3:51 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm sorry, but we all know Jake should have gotten the ball there, from the shotgun
The entire stadium knew that was the right call EVERY TIME, and Sark never called it. THAT’s the formation Notre Dame doesn’t want to see. Putting him under center takes away his power.
DUMB. If we lose this game it is 100% Sark’s fault.
no way,,how do you not call that
you cannot assist the runner that way
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
Game over
Refs handed the game to ND with the blown TD call.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
I'm thinking TD
Don’t give these suckers another chance.
Frankly ND should bomb this if they want Weis out.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
come on Huskies.....
Stanford fan pulling for you guys!
Screw the Irish
"In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time." (Robert Collier)
by norcaliangelsfan on Oct 3, 2009 4:14 PM PDT reply actions
I was hoping Locker would stay in-bounds and get the 1st with 1 TO left.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
if this guy talks about phenomenal defense one more time
i’m gonna throw up.
its 30-30 for crying out loud
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
You must have missed the red zone defense all game.
by Wilder. on Oct 3, 2009 4:18 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
nice to hold them to the field goals once they were down there
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
by wishfulthinking on Oct 3, 2009 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions
i wish thinking more about the one they didnt stop that got called incorrectly
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
by wishfulthinking on Oct 3, 2009 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions
was it only a gazillion?
seemed like a lot more
gazillion is a lot
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
by wishfulthinking on Oct 3, 2009 4:23 PM PDT up reply actions
crayyyyyyyyyy zeeeeeeeee
"In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time." (Robert Collier)
by norcaliangelsfan on Oct 3, 2009 4:18 PM PDT reply actions
Clausen's 400 yards passing is largely thanks to a bunch of yards after the catch from Golden Tate
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
That's the main reason. ;-)
I swear over 200 of those 400 yards passing are YAC.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
That's how you put the ball in the endzone.
Only had to do that once during regulation in three opportunities to win.
Okay #80 should've blocked there when Homer nearly scored
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
This is a tough one,
with the FG they didnt kick and the TD that was taken away, its looking like a lot of ‘what ifs’
I'm tired of next year. Win now!
Wrong.
He hung longer because he didn’t come up with the catch clean. He catches that, he goes immediately to the ground and doesn’t get popped.
The pass was high
His helmet got knocked off the hit was so hard.
I think blame should be shared there.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
He got rocked!
No surprise he didn’t hold on.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Nope, no shared blame.
Locker throws it lower, the DB picks it off. The throw had to be high. If grabs that ball cleanly, he goes down immediately with getting the second pop that knocked him out.
He brought that hit upon himself.
Disagree....
…the kid made a play and that’s football.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
That was a HUGE hit regardless of if he catches it cleanly
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
Not to mention...
…the wet conditions!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
by dawgfan22 on Oct 3, 2009 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I mean come on!...
…he got hit hard enough to lose his helmet!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
At least the Seahawks' loss tomorrow will be quick and not as close as this one
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
Sadly so true...
But I’m holding hope for the puncher’s chance.
by PerryCollective on Oct 3, 2009 6:41 PM PDT up reply actions
Anyone else notice the run defense wasn't that bad today?
Richardson. Wow man. You helped lose the game.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
Respect
I think we earned their today! I know we’d all like to have the win but what a frikken game!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
clutching defeat out of the jaws of victory!
Man, we had that game in our hands! We just kept letting ND back in! We have got to have one of the worst offensive lines in football. I honestly put this loss entirely in their hands, great job o-line.
Roll Locker out
I don’t do this a lot but I partially blame the PAC-10 refs, who yet again showed why they are the most incompetent group in the country.
The rest of the blame goes to the o-line and Sark.
Growing pains but this team is a lot better.
The QB class of 2010 looks deep next season.
i agree about the refs
They are horrible and by far the worst in NCAA. The play calling was good except for the 75 tries at the 1 yard line. I fault the line for most of that though, they just got absolutely pushed around and got no forward movement at all.
Not Sark's fault...
You could see the anguish on his face…“do I get cute here, or let my guys roll?”
I think he did the right thing. They tried Polk off tackle, up the middle, Locker sneak, pass to FB, pass to Goodwin (which he should have caught for a TD), and rollout option pass to Middleton – who was covered, and Locker probably made the right choice to try to run it in.
I think Sark gave his team a great chance to win. They didn’t make all of the plays they could have. Perhaps he could make a great fancy call down there, and maybe they score – but usually the risk on those plays is greater.
To me, I was a little upset with Richardson. Flubbed the interception after the receiver fell, and he was in position to make the play or tackle a few times and came up short. Meanwhile, Desmond Trufant had a great – not perfect – but great game for a true freshman. Two awesome open field tackles saving TDs, both of which would up being field goals.
by PerryCollective on Oct 3, 2009 6:40 PM PDT up reply actions
Im not trolling or bragging, but
We really were better than you all at every position other RB.
What kept you all in the game was Sark>Weis
Clausen is definetly better than Locker.
Great game though guys!
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 3, 2009 5:12 PM PDT reply actions
Not too sure about that.
Clausen has the benefit of better receivers than Locker, and Clausen also made a much worse mistake than Locker did in that one: the backwards pass that went for TD.
Still, america got to see two great quarterbacks at work. As an ND fan, I’m happy with the result, but as a UW fan, I’m happy with what I saw. Trufant had a gem of a game.
Go Irish, Go Huskies.
Disagree on Clausen vs Locker...
…you could say you had better talent across the board and we still played you straight up until the end.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Sark > Weiss
Got to agree that was the biggest difference.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Listening to Weiss
That guy is over his head. He may be a good offensive mind but he’s not D-1 big time head coaching caliber or maybe it’s just that he doesn’t interview well?
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
UHND
An Irish blog made a good point the other day about Weiss. It was something to the effect of Weiss hasn’t been as good as he was in the pros because he didn’t have Bellicheck looking over his shoulder saying, “No, Charlie. We aren’t going to do that.”
If Weis is fired though, Sark might be our coach. Just wanted to let you all know that
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 3, 2009 5:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Not too far off...
Except hard to agree on Clausen v. Locker. Clausen has had better coaching for a few years. You’re practically seeing Locker as a Freshman, since the QB coaching under Willingham’s regime was obviously lacking.
By this time next year, Locker will have eclipsed Clausen. That doesn’t mean Clausen doesn’t have a bright future ahead of him, though.
by PerryCollective on Oct 3, 2009 6:34 PM PDT up reply actions
You cant say someone is like a frosh when they really are a junior. And Clausen will be better when he gets over his injury and can plant his foot normally.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 3, 2009 7:57 PM PDT up reply actions
Couple things
Let me first say we had 11 plays from the 1 and got 3 points out of it.. If we take care of business then we win by at least 10 points.
But I just saw a still picture of the 2 point conversion and his knee was down and he was at least one yard short… That should not of counted… Polks was close but it should have stayed as the call on the field no matter what they called. If they called it a touchdown then it should have stayed a touchdown, if they called him down then it should have stayed as he was down..
Ultimetly we gave the game to Notre Dam plain and simple!!!!!
You wouldnt have had as many plays from the 1 if you would have had a td. A lot of those came on the same drive. And plus ND was in the red zone 6 times and had to settle for a FG 5 times. It is very farfetched to say UW would have won by at least 10.
And BTW Hughes got in.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 3, 2009 8:00 PM PDT up reply actions
Nope.
His knee was down about half a yard from the goal line and the ball was in his clutches it never crossed the plane prior to his knee going down. Hell he didn’t even attempt to reach the ball across, after he was down his teammates pushed him in the rest of the way. Now earlier Polk did have the ball breaking the plane as his knee was going down which is a touchdown, they reviewed it and robbed us. It’s an even bigger slap in the face when they are so quick to review our shit but with y’all they seemed to let any old busch league shit fly. Eminem is a douchebag, so are the Irish. Kick rocks, and be glad you escaped with a ref-aided victory.
Sorry Shady but...
the pictures and video’s are out and he has his knee on the ground at least a a yard from the goal line with the ball no where close to it.
So Eminem and the Irish a d-bags? Care to explain?
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 4, 2009 4:01 PM PDT up reply actions
And the refs cost us the Michigan game and almost cost us the MSU game.
by TheRealSlimShady on Oct 4, 2009 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions
I'm Very Proud of the Huskies' Performance
Even Though And we got ROBBED when they took the TD of the board, Sark Still Coached Circles Around Weis and the Players Played Hard Until The End!!….That’s how Dawgs Fight!! GO HUSKIES!!
Wondering about officiating after games is getting old...
I wish we were at a point where we won anyways so bad calls didn’t matter. Unfortunately, I have walked away from so many games for Husky teams the past several years wondering why certain calls were made or not made that it is really getting depressing and you can almost depend on it to happen. There really needs to be a national emphasis on improving officiating in all conferences for all sports (most importantly basketball and replay officials).
A small list of calls I can remember that were terrible and possibly game changing just for Washington sports (as we all know it’s been just as bad for every other team as well):
Sweet 16 – Nate Robinson is pulled down from behind by a player that tripped over his own feet and is called for a personal foul (at the time his 4th I believe)
Sweet 16 the next year – Brandon Roy double technical (we lost a huge lead shortly after), missed goal tending (player’s hand was through the basket itself) on Jon Brockman’s shot followed by an opposing player catching or hitting the ball out of bounds. Ball is ruled out of bounds off the Huskies who I don’t believe even touched it after the shot.
One of the hoops games last year – Personal foul on Holiday on a 3 point shooter even though video clearly showed he never even touched the guy
Ohio State game 2 years ago – Fumble recovered in the endzone for a touchdown shortly before halftime is nullified by the play being ruled an incomplete pass even though replay clearly showed it was out of the QB’s hand.
USC game years ago – 2 seconds run off the clock before we can get the snap off. Mostly our fault but still very frustrating and Garcia did say the official changed how he managed the ball for that play only.
BYU last year – Excessive celebration anyone?
Notre Dame this year – No reviews on Locker sneaks, no review on the play where Locker’s shoulder was over the goal line as he fell backwards (wasn’t during the goal line stand but I don’t remember when exactly), the Polk run, no review on the 2-point conversion, am I missing anything?
At Oregon State several years ago – The one bad call I can remember going Washington’s way, the non-review on an obvious Husky turnover that let us maintain possession. Locker went out early with an injury, both teams were fighting, the officials showed that they had NO control of either team, and the OSU crowd almost rioted. Despite being given a gift we lost the game anyways so that one worked out.
Outside of Husky games I remember vividly the Oklahoma-Oregon game, the UCLA basketball game a couple years ago where a shot was put over the back of the backboard for the win (great shot but not legal), and just a plethora of “what the heck?” fouls in basketball and non-reviews or incredibly long and pointless reviews in football. Dave Libbey anyone?
I’m not trying to complain about the officiating “costing us the game” because we had so many more chances to win that game still. I am just so sick of watching an NCAA sporting event and expecting the officials to do something to mess it up. I don’t trust them to make proper calls in any situation. I look at obvious replay calls and have to wonder if it’s going to be overturned simply because they don’t seem to see reality in the replays (and I know they have HD up there now so there are NO excuses). Is it unreasonable to root for both teams to have completely un-reviewable plays just so we aren’t talking about how bad a call was after the game? This is just a list of possibly game changing calls in games for one school. I wonder what it would look like if we made one for every school in D-1? College football and basketball are making so much money for schools and conferences. It’s a big time business now and there is no reason whatsoever that the NCAA can’t man up and pay for some full-time, fully trained, NEUTRAL officials at all sporting events.
Oh and I want the rule back where the clock stops on out of bounds plays at any time in the game instead of at two minutes or less. Removing longtime rules in football because games are taking too long? Ridiculous. Besides, you get more exciting finishes, more time for commercials, and more TV dollars. If it means clock runs on change of possession again though…
At Oregon State several years ago – The one bad call I can remember going Washington’s way, the non-review on an obvious Husky turnover that let us maintain possession. Locker went out early with an injury, both teams were fighting, the officials showed that they had NO control of either team, and the OSU crowd almost rioted. Despite being given a gift we lost the game anyways so that one worked out.
Actually, it was Yvenson Bernard who went down at the one-yard line in the OSU-UW game. His entire side touched the ground and then the ball came out. OSU stood around as UW picked the ball up and ran it back across midfield. They were less than a touchdown down, so it was a pretty significant play. Horrible call.
But yeah, bad officiating today. Gotta hope it’s better going forward.
"If the Lakers are Hollywood, then we are South Central." - Clipper fan.
I am proud of this team
They are something speacial, win or lose.
Mush You Huskies!!! GO DAWGS!!!
Expect to Win!!!
Good point!
Review the damn thing! I’ve got to be honest with you at the time I thought the 2 point was good. Just shows you that you better be able to see the ball. I really didn’t just a huge mass of players collectively going over the goal line. Why don’t you review that if you can’t see it?!
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
Polk's TD
It was called a TD on the field, you need CONCLUSIVE evidence to overturn that. That camera was two to three yards inside the goal line. No way you overturn that based on that angle.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
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