Picking the Pac Week - Week 11
by John Berkowitz on Nov 12, 2009 7:17 AM PST
45 comments
It is week 11 in the Pac 10 and our boys in purple and gold are trying to stave off bowl elimination with an upset in Corn Valley. I don't feel too confident in their ability to do that but as usual they will put up a fight, keep it interesting, and break our hearts.
One game outside of the Pac 10 I will be keeping an eye on will be the Idaho at Boise State clash. The Vandals are 7-3 this season with losses to only Washington, Nevada, and Fresno State. Knocking off Boise will be a tall order for these guys but I am rooting for it to happen. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU starting at 12:30 PM.
Keep another eye peeled on Notre Dame at Pittsburgh. If the Irish fall to the 12th ranked Panthers they fall to 6-4. Still on the schedule is a tough season ending game in Palo Alto. I think the Irish finish 7-5 on the season which will put Charlie Weis in jeopardy. Losses to Michigan and Navy are the one's that Irish fans can't forgive.
Stanford at USC
Fresh off thumping the Oregon Ducks back to earth the Stanford Cardinal heads to the LA Coliseum in an attempt to do the same thing to USC. The Trojans are very vulnerable after having to sneak by ASU on the road last weekend. Pete Carroll usually owns November but this week I am picking Stanford because they have enough defense to stop the Trojans and they have the offense to score more points than the USC. This is the game that will knock the Trojans out of the BCS bowl race for good.
Stanford by 7
UCLA at Washington State
The Cougars meet a team they can potentially battle a bit with. The Bruins who beat Washington last week at home are no juggernaught but should have no problem shutting down the WSU offense. WSU simply put is terrible.
UCLA by 17
Arizona at California
Tougher game than it looks on paper for the Wildcats but the Bears aren't really playing for anything. Arizona on the other hand is playing for a possible Rose Bowl bid which would be the first in school history. The Wildcat defense should be able to shut down the one dimensional Cal offense and Nick Foles should be able to carve up the Bear secondary.
Arizona by 7
Arizona State at Oregon
ASU leads the league in penalties. The Sun Devils love to goad the opposing team into sloppy offensive play with a bevy of personal fouls and cheap hots to start the game. In addition to that the Devil defense is pretty stout playing cheap or straight up. The game will be closer than most think but Oregon has way too much firepower and the Devils have none on offense. I have to go with the Ducks at home.
Oregon by 14
Washington at Oregon State
This one doesn't look good on paper for Washington. The Beavers have way too many weapons on offense for the Husky defense to contend with. The Rodgers Brothers can beat you in so many ways and Sean Canfield has developed into the top passing threat in the Pac 10. Not real good news for a team that has serious problems on defense and special teams.
Washington counters with Jake Locker who has been on the decline for the past month. His numbers are serviceable but his percentages and efficiency ratings have been sliding. For Washington to beat the Beavers Jake has to be completely on his game. The Beaver pass defense is a weakness Washington needs to exploit if they intend to pull off the upset.
The Beavers are beatable. Good defenses have been able to slow them down and force them into mistakes this season. The problem is Washington doesn't have a good defense.
Oregon State by 14
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Who do you pick in the fistfight between Burfict and Blount?
I think Burfict in a split decision, with 2 knockdowns each.
by prrbrr on Nov 12, 2009 9:42 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
i didn’t see burfict play last weekend.
wonder what’s his status.
by PandG on Nov 12, 2009 10:24 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
SC
Where do you think SC would be if Sanchez had stayed?
by waltham on Nov 12, 2009 10:25 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
I would say they’d probably be undefeated. The two losses had so much to do with QB play. MAYBE they still lose to Oregon but they definitely don’t lose to UW with Sanchez or even Barkley for that matter.
by ArbyOSU on Nov 12, 2009 10:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
SC with Sanchez?
You can say undefeated but Oregon did beat the crap put of them in Eugene. Sanchez doesn’t play defense.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 12, 2009 10:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Yep. USC would still have lost to Oregon. Barkley played pretty well in that one – it was the defense that let them down.
by kirkd on Nov 12, 2009 10:58 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
They were outclassed speed-wise, not to mention conditioning. Oregon looked ready to go from start to finish and SC ran out of gas about half way through the third. I think that sense of entitlement that many SC players have hurts on the field performance. It’s almost like they expect games to come back to them.
I’d say the Oregon game is a push with Sanchez. Who knows how that offense would look with Sanchez at the helm.
by ArbyOSU on Nov 12, 2009 11:05 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Are we forgetting about Stafon Johnson too?
I’m still doubting whether Oregon has what it takes to win the Pac 10 title this season. It’s not over until it’s over. Arizona has a legit shot and don’t rule out USC going to another Rose Bowl this season.
What if USC had both Sanchez and Johnson? I’d say USC’s offense would be devastating even at Oregon. Sanchez would be a legit leading Heiseman candidate and Johnson would’ve added another fresh USC ballcarrier to the mix. Now I didn’t watch the Oregon/USC game this season- hate the ducks! But what I can tell you is that USC would’ve controlled the clock and game. The USC offense would’ve stayed on the field a lot longer with Sanchez and Johnson then a Barkley-led Trojan offense. That being said, I would wager USC’s offense would’ve kept USC’s defense fresh and would’ve been able to slow down the upstart chipper offense. Let’s face it, Kelly’s offense was on fire! Why? Because he was going against a tired USC defense that was on the field way too long and it got the best of them.
I’m not trying to be a USC apologist. But this USC team would’ve been quite different with both Sanchez and Johnson in the lineup.
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 12, 2009 5:19 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
here is how the notre dame situation will end up.
notre dame goes 8-5 for the season. urban meyer wins third ncg with tim tebow. tebow goes to nfl. then n.d begs urban meyer to come to what was supposed to be his dream but he turned it down for various reasons now that he has three ncg in the bag n.d. gives the man everything he wants. urban meyer coaches n.d next year.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 12, 2009 5:19 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
I wouldn't be too surprised.
But could you imagine how much they’d have to pay to get Meyer? He’d easily be the highest paid coach in college football, and Notre Dame would get really good, really quick. I see it as a scary pairing, ND’s money, prestige, national coverage and fan support, combined with Meyers ability to win games. It would be very scary for the rest of college football.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 12, 2009 5:33 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Brian Kelly
Don’t be too sure Kelly doesn’t get the ND job.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
by dawgfan22 on Nov 12, 2009 8:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I think that's more of a fit
He knows the recruiting area well, has done an amazing job with UC, and quite frankly, I think Urban Meyer loves being a Floridian.
But Urban did coach at Bowling Green, so he has some connections up there I’m sure. And maybe he thinks he’ll never be able to do what he did without Tim Tebow. Guess we’ll have to see.
Defending Jacquizz against Jahvid since 2008.
by The VD Special on Nov 13, 2009 10:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
There’s a school of thought (and it has some evidence to back it up) that Meyer opted for Florida over Notre Dame due to family considerations. His kids were younger at the time, and he felt that at Florida, he wouldn’t have to do as much long-range traveling to recruit given the huge pool of talent in-state at Florida (as compared to the national recruiting that happens with Notre Dame).
Now that his kids are older, Meyer’s long-time love for Notre Dame might prevail if he’s offered the job again. I wouldn’t rule it out. Meyer is already considered one of the best coaches in the game. If he were to return to Notre Dame and subsequently take them to a National Championship, that would vault him into discussion as being one of the best ever, as well as the adoration of Irish fans all across the country as the guy that returned them to greatness.
I do think that Brian Kelly is more likely.
by kirkd on Nov 13, 2009 12:54 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Weis will lose his job, but Meyer is not going to South Bend
I will be watching the Notre Dame/Pitt game with a lot riding on it. If Weis losses many more games he is out. I think he is already out and I think ND is formulating a list of candidates for the job as we speak.
Not so fast on the Florida national championship just yet. I think Alabama is going to have a lot to say about who plays for the BCS championship- right now I like Bama. And then their is Texas, who will probably be in the BCS championship as well. I like Colt McCoy more so then the stick figure frame QB from Oklahoma. McCoy is no slouch and Mack Brown has been very good in big games in the last 5 years.
Cincinnati’s Kelly appears the frontrunner for a hypothetical ND opening. And many like Jimmy Harbough of Stanford too. But I don’t think Harbough will get the job. I think it is still fresh in mind of many ND fans the last time the Domers hired someone away from the Farm. Didn’t quite pan out. The BearCat Kelly will be the next in line for Rockne’s chair.
Question: Is Cincinnati’s Kelly related to Chipper Kelly of the ducks?
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 12, 2009 5:36 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Interest take
I agree, Weis is on his way out, I’d be shocked if he doesn’t get canned. Kelly would be a very interesting hire for ND, he has done a fabulous job at Cinncinnati, and would do a great job at ND. But first things first, Notre Dame wants Meyer. The only question is: does Meyer want Notre Dame? As scary as Meyer at ND would be, I’m not sure he’s ready to pick up and move, he’s got a great thing going at Florida. Should be fun to watch.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 12, 2009 5:50 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Florida has money too
If ND comes sniffing around Gainsville, expet the Gators to pony up even more for Meyer’s services.
The only way Meyer would take the South Bend job is if he thinks it would be a great challenge. I was thinking that Steve Spurrior might be a legit candidate for the job today. I would imagine that Spurrior is tired of the Meyer/Spurrior comparisons and it probably doesn’t help when you coach in the same league together.
Would Spurrior be inclined to distance himself away from Florida and Meyer? And if so, if Spurrior took the job at ND and won a NC, how would that change his legacy?
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 12, 2009 5:59 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Crazi, Crazi, Crazi
You just don’t get it. There is nothing logical about, it has nothing to do with what makes sense, it’s all about love. ND has a special place in Meyer’s heart, that’s why his contracts have had specific clauses in them for ND. If my memory still works, Meyer work at ND for quite awhile under Lou Holtz, for what ever reason he loves the place.
If you or I were a college head coach, we’d leave EVERYTHING to coach at Washington. I’d take less money, leave a better winning program, just to be at Washington, there’s nothing logical about it, we love the place, plain and simple.
Cassino is right on, Spurrier is a has been, ND wouldn’t be interested.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 12, 2009 7:34 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Is Spurrior just cashing pay checks?
Or does he just feel more comfortable in the deep south? His move to the Redskins was darn near a career killer. Make no mistake, Steve Spurrior is a helluva football coach. Not sure what his passion is anymore other then golf.
But if I were Notre Dame I think I’d ask permission to chat with Stevie. The guy built the Florida program up to what it is now. Before Spurrior at Florida, the Gators were no better in football then Duke.
Stevie can coach and can recruit, but he won’t be in South Bend unless he has the desire to be the BEST again.
I think Meyer is hesitant about Notre Dame- Urban has a gold mine in Gainsville, where it has pushed his accomplishments thru the roof. His name is now being spoken in the same breath as Carroll, Stoops, and Brown. Pretty easy to become that good when the cupboard is full, the campus is on rich, vertile, hot bed recruiting soil and in SEC country. Taking the Florida job was a no brainer in the eyes of Meyer.
But if you look at Notre Dame, the domers aren’t even in the same room with USC, Florida, and Texas. They are in the lobby waiting for approval to enter the room. The academic structure in South Bend is hard to get kids in, especially nasty defensive guys. Ask us Husky fans, we’re sort of in the same boat with Notre Dame, Tennessee, Colorado, Nebraska, and Michigan. Something got lost in transition or we didn’t stay in the spot light for unspecified reasons. To get back to it is going to require a lot of work by these once king-of-the-world programs. Life was good when Notre Dame, Tennessee, Colorado, Nebraska, Michigan, and Washington were scary good.
The ole’ ball coach still has it, I just don’t think the desire to be the best is their anymore.
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 13, 2009 8:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
You are really stuck on this Spurrier thing
You are right, he probably doesn’t have the passion to start over at yet another school, even more doubtful is if ND would even be interested in him.
Meyer – His name isn’t being spoken in the same breath as Carroll, Stoops and Brown. Meyer IS the standard, he’s making a run at 3 titles in 4 years, his name is about to be spoken with Bowden, Paterno, Holtz and James.
Don’t kid yourself, yes ND has high academic standards, but they have the resources to match ANYONE in college football.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 13, 2009 9:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
No I'm not Lear
But I think it is disrespectful to slobber all over Meyer who inherited a great Florida program that was already loaded upon arrival. Meyer is a good coach- no doubt about that. But in my eye he is the equivelent of Phil Jackson, who up until recently hadn’t built his own program. Phil took credit for the ground work that was built by past coaches in both LA and Chicago.
Same thing with Meyer. Florida was loaded man! Spurrier built that program from the ground up. Ron Zook who took over was/is considered one of the best recruiters in the country. Zook is no Xs and Os guy, but did keep the talent pool going to Gainesville, FL. Zook struggled being a head coach and was let go. Meyer steps into a Gator program that was loaded and hasn’t missed a beat. I’d wager when he took over both Bowling Green and Utah, you can bet it was the same situations there too. Meyer is NOT a program builder. He takes over for programs that are stocked well and in the right place at the right time.
How would you feel if some young chippy got on this board and started disrespecting Don James? Florida is Steve Spurrier. Stevie won a Heiseman Trophy at Florida as a player and won a national championship there as a head coach. Urban Meyer (a great coach) swoops in and benefits from other’s hard labor. Meyer is a helluva coach, but a program builder he is not- at least we haven’t seen him in that capacity yet.
Steve Spurrier could turn around Notre Dame if the desire to be the BEST was there. Golf is his passion now and to me it is sad. He’s one of the most brilliant offensive minds in college football or at least he use to be.
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 13, 2009 1:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I think it’s laughable how you try to downplay what Meyer has done.
Yes, Florida is a great place to succeed, with a tremendous in-state talent base. Yes, Zook recruited well. But Meyer has recruited even better, and more importantly, he immediately, dramatically improved the guys that Zook had recruited.
And it’s not just Florida – he did that at Utah and Bowling Green.
Here’s what each of those programs did in the 4 years preceding Meyer, and what they did under Meyer:
Bowling Green:
4 years prior: 15-29 (.341)
2 years with Meyer: 17-6 (.739)
Utah:
4 years prior: 26-20 (.565)
2 years with Meyer: 22-2 (.917)
Florida:
4 years prior: 33-17 (.660)
5 years with Meyer (including this season): 53-9 (.855)
That is simply a phenomenal track record, and trying to downplay it just hurts your credibility crazi.
I highly respect Spurrier too, and in his heyday he was one of the very best. But let’s not exaggerate what he did – he didn’t build the Florida program “from the ground up”; they were a winning program under Galen Hall. Yes, Spurrier took them from being a 7-5, 6-6 kind of program to a 10-2, 11-1 kind of program. But Florida wasn’t exactly in the dumps when he took over.
by kirkd on Nov 13, 2009 2:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not downplaying Meyer
I mentioned he is a helluva football coach and his name is spoken in the same breath as Carroll, Stoops, and Brown (forgot Saben). The only thing I don’t like about Meyer’s resume is the fact that he hasn’t built a program from the ground up. Bowling Green is a pretty good mid major job, and Utah was as well.
Urban is a smart cookie, he knows mixing talent with matchup problems is a recipe for success. He installed a masterful spread attack at Utah- something nobody had seen before. He took that offense to Florida and with a bulldozer QB like Tebow it has become virtually unstoppable. That is the success story in a nutshell for Meyer at Florida. Yes he is a masterful recruiter. Guys that use to sign with Miami and Florida State have gone to Gainesville instead. But the real story is the successful spread he crafted and made it work with the talent he took from the Canes and Noles.
Meyer is a brilliant coach- but I can’t give a coach his 100% due unless he builds his own program. The foundation was poored and bricks were already on the job site upon his arrival.
If Meyer were to take over a struggling ND program and win, I might be able to find it in my heart to call him the greatest.
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 13, 2009 4:29 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I’m not sure how you can say Bowling Green is a pretty good mid-major job. It wasn’t when Meyer took over (look at the numbers I posted above).
And let’s not forget that Meyer’s success hasn’t just been with Tebow at QB – he won a NC with Chris Leak at QB.
Let’s also not forget that Meyer improved Florida about the same amount that Carroll improved USC. Both were programs that had tremendous potential, and were doing OK (but not great) when they took over, and have since been top-5 every year.
I’m curious about your idea of “building a program” – which coaches do you feel have done that?
Let’s look at Bud Wilkinson for example. Most would consider him one of the all-time greats. He had a phenomenal run at Oklahoma, similar to what Meyer is doing now at Florida. And like Meyer at Florida, the program Wilkinson inherited at Oklahoma was doing OK – winning more than losing, but not dominating. So does Wilkinson not count?
Everyone has different takes on things, and there’s a variety of ways to measure success and difficulty of the job inherited, but I think it’s likely that in a couple of decades people will look back at the job Urban Meyer has done and consider him one of the best of his era, and arguably the best. If he wins another title or two, pretty hard to argue against him.
by kirkd on Nov 13, 2009 5:52 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
"Meyer is not a program builder"
You are seriously uniformed, or seriously delusional. If the success he had at Bowling Green and Utah don’t count as program building, nothing does. Most casual college football fans would hardly know either school had a football team before Meyer showed up.
If you want to talk about coaches who inhereted a great program and haven’t built a program, we should talk about Mack Brown.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 13, 2009 7:00 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Spurrier
He isn’t going to go anywhere where he can’t golf 365 days of the year.
That alone rules out Notre Dame.
Columbia, SC is a pretty nice place to live.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 13, 2009 10:52 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Notre Dame
I think they could afford Meyer but would they be willing to escalate his pay to the point where Meyer can’t turn it down? I don’t believe they would do that, so to me they go get Kelly, easy and smooth.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
by dawgfan22 on Nov 12, 2009 8:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
do you think meyer can win a ncg with brantley or whoever they bring in. tim tebow is a once a generation
college footballl qb. he could build a dynasty in south bend. he would probalby win2 ncg’s there and be considered the greatest college coach of all-time. brian kelly would be the second choice if urban meyer decided to test the waters in the nfl. that is unlikely considering the ego’s you have to stroke and not having complete control of an nfl team like he does at florida. that is what he wanted in n.d but they were not ready to bargain that chip away. i think they are now.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Nov 13, 2009 4:22 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
He's Got A...
…Dynasty going right now at Florida.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
by dawgfan22 on Nov 13, 2009 6:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Didn't he win a championship
with Chris Leak? The great thing about Urban Meyer, he is a balanced coach, he understands you must have a great offense AND a great defense to win championships.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 13, 2009 9:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Spurrier vs Meyer
I wouldn’t say that Meyer is superior to Spurrier.
Spurrier built that program from just abotu scratch. When Meyer arrived everything was pretty much in place.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 13, 2009 10:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Spurrier vs. Meyer
I would call Spurrier at Florida equal to Meyer at Florida, but another title will put Meyer on top.
People want to discount what Meyer has done, simply because Spurrier built the program. Spurrier won one National Championship. If Meyer wins 3 in 4 years, you have to consider him the best coach in all of college football. Not only has he done it in the SEC, he has done so in an age of parity that is unmatched in college football history. If he stays at Florida, his name will be mentioned along with Rockne, Bryant, and Hayes. Even if he goes to ND, I’d expect him to continue his success and still be mentioned in the same group.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 13, 2009 1:03 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
People want to discount what Meyer has done, simply because Spurrier built the program.
I disagree completely. I think it is the other way around. I think people tend to discount Spurrier.
Simply because Spurrier built the program?
That is the understatement of the year. Building a program and getting it onto the position to compete fro chanpionships is a much bigger feat than simply taking over and riding it.
Nothing against Meyer…he can build a program too…but he didn’t build Florida…Spurrier did.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 13, 2009 1:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Actually John, Florida wasn’t exactly a bad program when Spurrier took over – Galen Hall is the guy that did the heavy lifting of keeping Florida competitive while dealing with the NCAA sanctions imposed for the actions of his predecessor Charlie Pell. Hall never had a losing season
Yes, Spurrier took the program to a much higher level, but the foundation he was building off of wasn’t bad.
And I’d say at this point that Meyer has done more than Spurrier has. Meyer is already establishing his credentials as one of the all-time greats. He could cement that by going to Notre Dame and leading them to a National Championship.
by kirkd on Nov 13, 2009 2:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
It's beginning to be bothersome!
Florida is the newest program that I find myself always rooting for the other guy. Back in the day I always rooted agaist Miami and Florida State. Since the Canes have fallen from their pedestal and Bowden should be retired, I began rooting against Oklahoma and Texas.
Yet it is switching again. With everybody jumping to kiss Urban Meyer’s feet- I have found myself rooting for everybody the Gators play. It’s a vicious cycle. I guess I can’t stand successful programs outside of Washington. Then again you can call me a true American- I’ve always rooted for the little guy, the under dog, the never was, and Rocky.
Go Bama! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 13, 2009 4:40 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I can see that – people get tired of seeing the same teams dominating. I got real tired of the Bulls under Jordan. I’m sick of the Steelers and Patriots.
It’s not just underdogs – I think most of us like to see a level playing field and see the joy of championships and success spread around (though we obviously want OUR teams to win every year).
I’m sure you’d admit that part of your issue with Meyer is that you just aren’t a fan of his spread option offense.
by kirkd on Nov 13, 2009 5:55 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Ah Crazi, you are great.
Finally, something to work with. I can understand not liking Florida because they are the dominate team, that makes sense. Discounting Meyer because of it, just hurts your credibility.
Kirkd is right on, Meyer took over one piss poor program and instantly made them a winner, one average team and instantly made them a winner, and he took a good team and made them a consistent top 5 program. He has had instant success everywhere he went, it’s just too bad Washington couldn’t have got him from Utah before Florida did, that would have been something.
Kirkd – Thanks for all the great arguments, you saved me a few hours of typing!
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 13, 2009 6:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Galen Hall
I give you that to a certain extent. Sort of like DJ taking over for Jim Owens. The cupboard wasn’t exactly bare.
by John Berkowitz on Nov 14, 2009 9:39 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Don't get me wrong, John . . .
Spurrier was an awesome coach, and did an incredible job building Florida into a top notch program. I loved watching the Fun and Gun offense, it was the original spread offense that we now see versions of at Houston, Texas Tech and Missouri.
I think Meyer is currently the best coach in college football, I don’t mean to take anything away from Spurrier. The two are quite similar, just separated by 10 years, give or take.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
by Lear Pilot on Nov 13, 2009 7:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Reminder: The Splits are still intact
I vented plenty of frustration in the last week and a half, but I started looking at the big picture today. I mentioned early in the season if we could split the Pac 10 schools by state we’d get our 6+ victories this season- still intact even as of now.
Beat Idaho
Beat USC … lost to Ucla
Beat Arizona … lost to Arizona State
Need splits over-
Lost to Oregon … Oregon State?
need to beat Washington State
Lost to Stanford … Cal?
I know it looks gloomy, but their is still a chance we pull this season out with a bowl bid. If we can upset Oregon State, we have a fighting chance.
Go Dawgs! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 12, 2009 5:25 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Turn Locker Loose!
This is a big game for Washington for many reasons. But the single biggest reason for this young football team is “learning to win on the road”. We haven’t done that yet. And if I were coach, I would like to get that done this season rather then waiting until next season to figure it out. We’ve got to get a road win before it becomes a mental block and trust me, this program has had too many mental blocks the last few seasons. Do we really need another?
This is our last road game of the season and it would be special if we could put it to bed- that way (from a coaching perspective) this isn’t something we’d have to figure out next season. Win this final 09 road game and we might be able to piece together two final victories at home in the comfy confines of Husky Stadium.
I can’t call the upset though. Oregon State has had our number lately and frankly I’m sick of it. Like John said, Locker would have to have the game of his life and the defense would need to be playing over their skis. But if we could shock the BeavNation and jump out to an early lead- that may give our defense something to play out of their collective minds for.
Will Sark turn Locker loose in this game? If we drop this game we are done for in the bowl picture. Do we turn Locker loose in order to salvage a chance for a bowl game? Or do we just keep dunkin’ and diving down the field in order to punt? Turn him loose coach! Like you said “EXPECT TO WIN”. Can we really expect to win when the defense is grinding gears? Turn Locker Loose BaBY! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 12, 2009 5:52 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Agreed...
…if we don’t find a way to use his running game more effectively we are wasting an explosive element in our offense. I get the feeling though that Jake doesn’t want to run. He is determined to be the prototypical NFL quarterback. He has to show them that he can fulfill that role. I totally agree with him to a point, but he sorely needs another year at Washington for Sark to mold him into that role. Decision making is one thing he really needs to work on.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
by dawgfan22 on Nov 12, 2009 8:46 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
The Road....
…Crazi this thing is a process, and while a huge road win against the beavs would be wonderful, there has been serious progress made. We have been so close in three road games and compared to last season that in major progress.
Washington Husky Football-Undefeated 1991 National Champions 12-0!
by dawgfan22 on Nov 12, 2009 8:49 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Completely Agree dawgfan
I know the process we are going thru. And I think this program is better then most think. How many games have we lost down the stretch by a TD or less? Taken the game into OT? We’re okay, so we’ve dropped a game or two this season- I’m looking at the bigger picture of things and the future of Husky football is golden.
But think of the ramifications if we can become a bowl eligible team in season 1 under Sark. It’s right there for the taking and it has been since we beat USC in week 3. But the way I see it, Locker is the best player to ever suit up as a Husky (no disrespect to Huskies everywhere). I see some real magic from him, I see Heiseman type stuff, I see a future Hall of Famer in him. But for some reason he has not fullfilled his potential yet. You may be correct dawgfan that “he is determined to be the prototypical NFL quarterback”. But he is not a pro QB yet. He’s a college student/athlete and he had the desire to be a Husky. So far from my angle Locker hasn’t lived up to what he set out to do at Washington.
My question to Jake Locker: Have you fullfilled what you set out for at Washington? Are you satisfied with the body of work? He’s the golden boy, but hasn’t accomplished much of anything except for gaining 1000 yards rushing as a freshman and leading an upstart Husky team over a daunting USC upset. Zero bowls thus far. I ask again- are you satisfied with the body of work? My answer in a nutshell- NO!
We can beat Oregon State, but to do it Locker needs to become the field general we saw in the USC game, he has the mindset and skills that can push this Husky team to victory, but for some reason he is regressing a tad. I’m not saying Locker has to play like a fullback vs. Oregon State, but he needs to quit over thinking the process and let his game take over. This isn’t rocket science or astrophysics. It’s football … it’s a game and it’s about time we start having some dam fun. Forget about the noise level, forget about your critics, it’s your teammates and you out there and you have full support of the coaching staff. If you want it … it is obtainable. The real question is “how bad to you want it?”
Turn Locker Loose! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
by crazidawg on Nov 13, 2009 8:34 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
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