The Monday Morning Wash
by John Berkowitz on Sep 7, 2009 7:00 AM PDT
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First of all it was nice to wake up on a Sunday morning feeling good about the future of Husky football. We didn't get the win, and the opportunity to win it was there, but we learned enough about this football team to be encouraged.
Next up is an improved Idaho Vandal squad who picked up a big win to start the season on the road at New Mexico State. The 21-6 win was the Vandals first opening season win in over a decade and first road victory since 2006. The Spokesman Review has the story.
Lastly, it must have been an odd feeling for most of the Vandals; they’re usually the ones falling behind the Aggies were. It’s not a big shock that Idaho did exhibit any sort of killer instinct to put NMSU away earlier. But as Akey said afterward, “It does feel great. I’m happy for my players. I’m happy for tonight.”
Washington has to avoid the trap next week of taking Idaho lightly. Idaho isn't a great football team but the Huskies need to come out each week with the same emotion they had against LSU because Washington isn't a great team either. The Huskies need to come out next Saturday and put these guys away early. If they allow the Vandals to toy with them it will be a step backwards for team that doesn't have many to take.
We will have a full review of what to expect from the Vandals on Tuesday.
Quote of the Week
Steve Sarkisian on the state of his Washington football program after one game.
"It's not going to take us very long," he said. "We got to this point in a short amount of time and we'll continue to improve. I firmly believe it's not going to take us that long."
Pac Ten Round Up
The next Husky opponent after Idaho is USC. After shaking off the rust in the first quarter trailing 3-0 and dealing with a sputtering offense they exploded for 56 consecutive points in a convincing 56-3 win over San Jose State. USC was the most impressive BCS team I watched this week and the truth is they still can get a lot better as the season goes on. What impressed me the most was their defense which I think may just be the best in the country right now. Barkley is a work in progress but you can just see the talent oozing out of every one of his pores. I don't think these guys will have much trouble with Ohio State who was almost upset by Navy.
Stanford beat WSU on the road 39-13. I saw what I expected to see in this one. Washington State is terrible, but not quite as terrible as I thought, and Stanford is not as good as a number of experts are predicting them to be. Gerhart is a beast and Luck looked pretty good in his debut. Luck moves a lot better than I thought and definitely will evolve into top flight QB. Stanford still lack the tools on offense to light it up when somebody stops the run. Defensively I think they are challenged and thin.
I watched a little Notre Dame/Nevada hoping to see some fight out of the Wolfpack and it didn't happen. Jimmy Clausen looks to be improved this season. I liked the zip he put on the ball. The Notre Dame defense stopped Nevada all night which is a good sign if you are an Irish fan. How good is Notre Dame? I am not really sure till I see them play a better opponent but at first glance I would say they aren't nearly as good as USC, CAL, and LSU.
Oregon State had no problem shutting out Portland State last night but I saw some problems that need correcting on the horizon. The Beavers gave up way too many yards via the air in the 34-7 victory over a middle of the road Big Sky school. The Beav's need to improve their young secondary in a hurry. One thing about OSU is they have a track record of getting better every week. They need to do that because last weeks perfomance won't cut it once the schedule ratchets up.
UCLA fell behind early to SDSU but they were able to come out of it with a respectable 33-14 win at home. UCLA still has all the same problems on offense they had in 2008 despite scoring 33 against an Aztec team that is simply not very good. I think Tennesee will kill them this coming weekend.
Arizona won a tight game against Central Michigan 19-6. What was impressive for the Wildcats is the way their defense played against a team capable of scoring some points. They needed that type of performance because the offense is still a work in progress. I expected a higher scoring game. If that would have happened the Wildcats would be 0-1.
Arizona State beat Idaho State 50-3. Blowing up a bottom of the barrel Big Sky Team in your opener really doesn't give us much insight into how good ASU will be this season. Check back in a couple of weeks.
California definitely has the horses to battle USC for the conference title this season. Jahvid Best is definitely a Heisman candidate and Jeff Tedford has his team playing on all cylinders in game one after a 52-13 win over a Maryland team that beat them in 2008's opener. You heard it here...Cal is for real!
We spent enough time on Oregon's loss earlier in the week. I think they are headed for a tailspin and I think an underated purdue team will beat them next weekend at home. Purdue was impessive in their opener and they put up one of the few good games in the Big Tens opening weekend. The line is Oregon by 14...if you are a betting man this one is a good opportunity to win some money.
Pac Ten Power Ratings
A couple of changes this week as we drop the Ducks into the cellar along with Washington State. If you are a Duck fan perhaps you feel that is too drastic after losing a close one to a top twenty opponent. I don't think so. I think Kelly is in danger of losing his team. Losing a potential first round running back doesn't help your stumbling offense either.
USC and California are far and away the best two teams in the conference this season. Both came out and did exactly what they were supposed to do opening week. I think it is a six team scramble behind them for third place and Washington is firmly in that mix.
I saw a bit of every Pac 10 game this week and with the exception of Cal and USC I don't see anyone else out there we can't beat if we continue to play like we did on Saturday night.
Pac Ten Power Ratings Week One
1. USC...They scored 56 points but what really impressed me was the defense.
2. California...Maybe this is the year the Bear's return to Pasadena. It could be because I think USC is strong enough to play for all the marbles in the post season.
3. Oregon State...The Rodgers brothers give the OSU offense an edge that few teams have. The Beavers need to clean up problems in the secondary though if they want to keep this lofty position in our power ratings.
4. Stanford...The Cardinals get the win but I am not completely sold on them. I think the offense depends too much on Gephart and they have definite holes on defense.
5. Arizona...19 points on offense doesn't impress me against a MAC team. Holding CMU to only six points does.
6. Washington...The Huskies controlled the LSU running game and they almost gained 500 yards on offense. Take away a few errors and UW would have won this one. The losing streak stops next week against Idaho.
7. Arizona State...You really can't tell if there is improvement when you play an opponent like Idaho State. If you want to play the Bengals than I have to penalize you in the power ratings.
8. UCLA...The Bruins won a game they should have won against an inferior opponent. SDSU stuck around too long in this one. Despite the 33 points the Bruins haven't improved on offense and that will rear its ugly head in Knoxville next weekend. Two interceptions by Prince the opener will be magnified when they step to play the Volunteers.
9. Oregon...Duck fans will snicker at this but I think Oregon is finished after week one because of internal problems and a head coach that isn't prepared to be a head coach. The only thing that could turn it around is if Bellotti returns to take over this week and that isn't going to happen.
10. Washington State...The Coug's aren't very good but they have some bright spots. I really like Tardy and Montgomery at RB. Too bad Wulff can't figure out his best chance at winning is to feature his running backs. Relying on Lopina and the Lobster to make big plays is a pipe dream.
Pac Ten Offensive Player of the Week
TB Jahvid Best California
Best ran 73 yards for one of his two first-quarter touchdowns and the 12th-ranked Golden Bears avenged an early-season loss to the Terrapins. Best ran for 137 yards on 10 carries and scored two touchdowns.
Pac Ten Defensive Player of the Week
Mike Nixon returned one of his three interceptions for a touchdown and blocked a punt to lead Arizona State past outmatched Idaho State 50-3 Saturday night. The senior linebacker became the first Sun Devil with three picks in a game in 20 years.
Husky Offensive Player of the Week
QB Jake Locker completed 25 of 45 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns.
Husky Defensive Player of the Week
DT Alameda Ta'amu was a huge part of Washington's effort to control the run against LSU.
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Ta' amu
Saying it right here…with Holt and Co. coaching him the right way he will be a first day pick. If he can keep that strength but cut a little weight to get an extra step and keep that tenacity…he is dangerous.
Run plugger
It a shame that he played last season because he wasn’t physically ready. The difference this season is night and day. The kid can play.
I agree about his readiness
and it would be nice to have him for another year, but it’s looking like he was smart enough to learn from his mistakes and struggles last year. I don’t know if I’d call it a double-edged sword, but maybe we got lucky and found one that’s smart enough to do that while possessing the physical talent to apply what was learned. I hope so!
by hairofthedawg on Sep 7, 2009 2:49 PM PDT up reply actions
johnb, my thoughts
the stadium was electric and the team did not disappoint. The crowd gave the team and coaches a wwell deserved standing ovation just before they scored the final TD of the game. What a difference. Smooth out some key miscues and the final score might have been different: Lockers intcp, Polks fumble inside the 10 and Folks FG miss accounts for a 17 point differential.
the d and o lines are no longer 5 yds off the LOS like last year. taamu played great ad tokolahi on the goal line stand were terrific. On that stand, the interior was Taamu, Elisara and Tokolahi and they didnt move at all. I don’t think too many teams are going to run up the middle on this team. Locker is much improved in both accuracy and decision making. Our achilles heel appears to be tackling by the secondary, but I think the return of Aiyewa will fix that. All in all a solid start minus the loss, I wioll be attending as amny practices as i can this week since I am staying up here until after the USC game. Las Vegas bowl, get ready. GO DAWGS
Our two weaknesses going in
Offensive Line was a big question mark
Defensive Backfield was a major concern
From what I saw we’ve got a dam good O line. And if you remember correctly prior to the start of the 08 season, the best unit of the team was suppose to be the O Line- but for some strange reason we didn’t get it done on the line at all last season. Glad to see that I was correct in that the line was actually a strength and not a weakness. We’ve got that big O Line question mark solved.
But yes, the secondary is a work in progress. But I still think we can cover folks. It all starts with alignment, reads, and communication. I think our alignment vs. some of LSU’s receivers was off a tad and we found ourselves out of position from the moment the pass was thrown in that direction. Also I thought we looked a step slow in covering the routes, usually that means you are not getting your reads accurately, thus you find your footwork not going where you intend to go- it’s called a bucket step. Last, someone mentioned that we did have or we were suppose to be in a certain coverage, in other words we were suppose to have safety help, but the safety never got there.
All of this is fixable. Our coaches are going to have to get what they want communicated better. I think our corners and safeties need to spend some more time in film study to get their reads down. Finally they need to go out on the practice field and go thru everything in live action just to put in all in motion.
But let’s not bash the secondary too much. These kids are relatively young and are learning on the run. I was VERY impressed that our young secondary came up and provided run support when the LSU running game spilled outward. They did a fabulous job in run support- something that has been missing in action for a very long time! If we intend on stopping the opposing run we need run support from our secondary.
We got some very clever coaches and I think everything we saw that went for TD’s can be fixed very easy. It’s just a matter of getting in proper alignment, reading, and communicating. Basic stuff that doesn’t require an overhaul.
All I saw was purple
Damn good?
I don’t that I’d go that far. They did their job. I think this line is using the zone blocking to thier advantage and is waiting until they get their stuff together to really begin to shine with individual domination. I’ m not sure this line will be able to do that but at least they’re in a scheme that allows them to succeed until they grow into their roles.
by hairofthedawg on Sep 7, 2009 2:52 PM PDT up reply actions
The secondary
Like the entire team they look better but they have some improving to do. I think the two long TD passes were the result of blown schemes as much as they were missed tackles. Both are correctable. I like Aiyewa back there because of the increased size.
Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Week
Gaining 137 yards vs. a mediocre ACC Maryland garners P10 Player of the Week?
How about putting up 321 passing yards vs. a top flight LSU defense? Clearly what Jake did vs. LSU is more astonishing then what Best did vs. Maryland.
In the SEC, you don’t see too many QBs doing that vs. a top flight SEC defense.
I personally think Jake has arrived as a QB finally. This season is honestly the first season in which I see Jake totally comfortable back there. I saw a new Jake that knows he can burn defenses with his arm- we saw that from him only sparringly the last two seasons. Often in past seasons Locker would grimmace everytime one of his balls weren’t on target. This year he has the confidence in himself and in his receivers. It is a beautiful thing when that connection is achieved.
Locker’s job vs. LSU was far better then Bests’- if the vote for Pac 10 Player of the Week is emphasized by winning then you win. But Locker was the most electrfying Pac 10 player last weekend. Pic6 and all that kid was good!
All I saw was purple
13.7 yards per carry and two TD's
Tough to ignore those stats.
Locker will have more of his share of days like that. I look for him to really light up Idaho.
I could have easily picked Locker
The interception and the eventual loss worked against the choice in my mind. If Washington had won I would have picked Jake.
by John Berkowitz on Sep 7, 2009 10:25 AM PDT up reply actions
Going into Week 2: Idaho
Now don’t read too much into this fellas, but I do see Sark applying his foot to the gas peddle this week. Why because I think Sark wants to get his regulars out FAST in order to stay clear of the injury bug [knock on wood]. Also it will give the No.2s a chance to get some game day reps that will only make us better.
I don’t see Jake Locker running much in the Idaho game (in order to avoid nagging injuries). Get this one put to bed early and play a lot of our No.2s and few of our No.3s
Offensively we just do what we do and not worry too much about the Idaho defense. Defensively we study Idaho’s offense and try to nulify all their base stuff. This week is all about getting the win and staying healthy.
Go Dawgs! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
I don't see Jake running either
I don’t think there is much of a reason for him to run in this one. We need to keep working on our passing game and stay healthy for USC. If we can get out of the first three games in good health it bodes well for the season. In a perfect scenario I would like to see Fouch play most of the second half. That means we need to put up 35 in the first half.
by John Berkowitz on Sep 7, 2009 10:28 AM PDT up reply actions
Slow down, let's just worry about Idaho this week.
Given what we saw on Saturday, I fully expect us to have our way with Idaho, but these guys still need to learn how to win and how to put a team away. I don’t want to walk into this game like LSU did against us, expecting to blow a team out, just to find out it wasn’t the easy squeezy win you expected.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
Offensive player of the game?
I think we need to recognize the reason we were able to hang with LSU. None of the skill players can do anything if not for a decent O-line.
My vote for Offensive player of the game goes to five guys, none of whom are named Locker or Polk.
THE O-LINE PLAYED LIKE STUDS FOR THE WHOLE GAME!!!!!!!!!
O-Line
They did a great job and are only going to improve. that being said Jake makes them look a lot better than they are. A less mobile QB would have been sacked 5-6 times.
But...
This O line unit needs its props too. They were 100% better then I’ve seen them play in 2 seasons. Is that saying much? Probably not, but they were able to keep a daunting LSU front 7 off Jake for 99% of the entire game. BIG turnaround- actually HUGE!
All I saw was purple
It was only one game.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, they played very good against LSU, but they need to continue to prove that they are for real. If Polk and Fogerson each get 100 yards rushing against Idaho, plus not giving up any sacks, then we can talk about how good they are. Let’s wait and see how LSU’s defense does against other opponents before declare our offensive line a strength.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
Yeah, I’m not going to go overboard on praise for the OL just yet. I want to see them consistently blowing people off the LOS, and that’s not what was happening against LSU. Sark did a good job of scheming around the OL. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t great either. I think they have the potential to be decent, but I want to see us running effectively up the gut on a consistent basis and giving Jake more time in the pocket before I say our OL is good.
Exactly
Couldn’t have said it better myself, actually you said it much better than I did.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
I'm not sure about 5 or 6 near-sacks.
… I don’t remember him running for his life too many times. There were a bunch of quick passes, however, that clearly made the o-line’s job easier.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Injury report?
This week’s depth chart is out, but haven’t seen anything on the post-game wounds.
I was concerned to see Jake getting up slowly from one tackle, and he seemed to have a bit of a limp through most of the 2nd half.
This was a hard-hitting game, and like crazi and JB above, I wonder if the team couldn’t use this week to recuperate a bit before facing USC.
Look like Jones will be back
Except for the usual bumps and bruises it looks like we escaped the game pretty healthy.
Darion Jones is listed as a starter for Idaho which means his injury isn’t serious enough to keep him out of the line up.
by John Berkowitz on Sep 7, 2009 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
Jones needs to step up
Show the team he’s not a practice player. Go Jones!!
Did Everret Thompson play against LSU?
I wasn’t overly impressed with Jones although we only saw him for one series and I wasn’t too impressed with Aldrich either. We need more pressure and sure tacklling from that side. I though ET was really comming on at the end of last year. I think he’s had some injury issues this fall.
aldrich played pretty well
… against the best tackle combination in the nation. he was around the ball a lot and got into the backfield a few times.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Agreed
Those tackles were top notch, they slowed down are DE’s, Teo-Nesheim had a “quite” night, if you measure Jones/Aldrich’s performances by Teo-Nesheim’s, they were closer than I would have expected. Which is a big compliment to Jones and Aldrich.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
DTN had a good night – if you have the game recorded, go back and watch how often he was getting in to the backfield. It’s a credit to LSU’s speed that he wasn’t able to convert those plays, but he was a definite factor.
DTN had an "ok" night
To play at the next level though he has to demonstrate that he can beat a top flight Tackle. Emtman was special in that he always shine in big game matchups (i.e the 1991 Rose Bowl, manhandling Michigans highly regarded OL)
DTN is going to have to show he can show up for the big games. Looking forward to seeing how our Defense gets pressure against Idaho.
Consider this on DTN
He kept a lot of people busy all night. That created opportunity for the rest of the defense.
by John Berkowitz on Sep 7, 2009 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions
Either way
Whether it was an ok night, or a good night, I think Jones and Aldrich performed almost as well as DTN. With Jones banged up, we still have Alrdrich, Thompson, and Crichton, so I’m not concerned about our defensive ends.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
Ankle
He is still coming back from the ankle injury.
by John Berkowitz on Sep 7, 2009 1:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Good Coaching will keep kids from getting hurt more often
Where bad coaching gets kids in a position to get hurt. 80% of nagging injuries are related to doing things wrong. If you go all out, know your assignments, and execute you are doing everything as you are told. But if you are not going all out, you are hesitant on your assignment, and you don’t properly execute with technique then you find yourself more prone to nagging injuries.
This is why Pete Carroll doesn’t shy away from full contact practices. If you are practicing at game speed, you are doing everything as you should be doing. I’m not going to do an extensive search for results, but programs who tend to walk thru practice in shorts in order to stay clear of injuries are more suspect to injuries, because they are not acclimated to the speed of the game nor the contact in terms of blocking and tackling that are a major part of this full contact sport.
If we do have injuries this season I see the majority of them being major injuries due to freak accidents [knock on wood]. A bump or bruise is not injury. Real football players know they have to play thru them- wrap it up and lets GO! WOOF!!!
All I saw was purple
I'd give the strength and conditioning work the credit.
Coaching does help, but proper conditioning and stretching makes the biggest difference.
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
"BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON"
You've had some wing-dinger posts before ...
… but this one puts the “crazi” in crazidawg.
You are priceless. Never change. ever.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Bumps and Bruises...
…spit on them, rub some dirt on ’em and go play!!
I was very proud of our team and the coaching… that was fun again…and like others have said a few mistakes away from winning. Maybe one day the Pac 10 officials will call a good game too! I thought the team and coaches did a good job of not letting that get in their heads also. They are learning that a good team plays thru adversity.
You know what I’m really looking forward to? The day in which instead of being encouraged by a game like we had against LSU, we’re all mad as hell at how we blew good chances and could’ve won the game.
Nothing against your post, because I feel basically the same way, but I hope than in a couple years Sark has advanced this program back to where we expect to win those games and are P.O.‘d when it doesn’t happen.
I remember those days...
can’t wait to get back to ’em!
On a side note – (I saw you mentioned this John) Keep an eye on Ta’amu he is going to have an outstanding year. He played really well against LSU. There was one play were we ran a stunt and Ta’amu went around DTN and completly leveled LSU’s OL. Knocked the guy completely horizontal and striaght on his butt. Ta’amu is gonna be a good one!
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