Grading the Game - Mighty are the men who wear the purple and the gold
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 8:12 AM PST
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PrintCongratulations to our University of Washington Huskies for pulling off the upset of the bowl season and for this program the decade in defeating the Nebraska Cornhuskers 19-7 last night in a game that I may add was not as close as the score indicated.
Yes...this one is bigger to me than the "Whammy in Miami"! This 7-6 team is one of my all time favorite Husky football squads. They worked hard, they never gave up, and listen to this, they are on a four game winning streak entering 2011!
To all you Husky seniors...we love each and every one of you for sticking around during some tough times to be the one's who turned this whole mess around. We will carve your names in the hall of fame to preserve the memory of our devotion!
Quarterback - If you judge Jake Locker's last game solely by his passing statistics you might wonder why anyone in this world would consider giving him an "A" for last nights game. If you judge it by his ability to run the ball, execute an offense, and curiously his skills as a receiver the "Ferndale Flash" goes down as the man who directed one of the most stunning Washington upsets we will see in our lifetime. Jake willed this team to win and his ability to run the ball to pick up important first downs were key in last nights victory. Are you sure he isn't somehow related to Bob Schloredt? Grade A Minus
Running Backs - Chris Polk was dominating last night. The vaunted blackshirt defense had no answer for his power running game. He finished with 177 yards on 34 carries. If he returns next season expect that type of performance to be the norm in 2011. Jessie Callier didn't get a lot of carries last night but his pass to Jake Locker out of the Wildcat caught Nebraska napping. He was oh so close to completing another one for a TD but overthrew his target by a scant few feet. Grade A Plus Plus
Receivers - Nebraska shut these guys down the majority of the evening even though Jake seemed to have plenty of time in the backfield. What it all comes down to is their defensive backs are better than our receivers. Let me go on to say that the Nebraska defensive backfield just may be the best I have ever seen. One thing I and obviously the officials last night don't understand is the concept of defensive holding. It went on all night, every single play, and was only called once. A big physical TE would have helped a lot last night. Hope you are enjoying sitting on the bench in Missoula...Kavario. Grade C
Offensive Line - The holes for the running backs were there along with protection for Jake Locker the majority of the evening. These guys dominated a talented Nebraska front seven. I can't remember a Husky offensive line that played as well as this one did last night. I guess you would have to go back to the 90's to find a better performance. Grade A
Defensive Line - On paper Washington was supposed to be dominated by the Nebraska offensive line but it never happened. The middle was plugged the entire evening and the ends had the night of their lives sacking the Nebraska QB's. They even knocked Taylor Martinez out of the game! Hauoli Jamora was a force outside. He almost made most of us forget DTN with his perfromance. Alameda Ta'amu played like a first round draft choice. Kelani aldrich had the play of his career dropping a Husker back for a loss. This was Husky football. Somewhere up in heaven Jim Owens and Gil Dobie are smiling! Grade A Plus
Linebackers - What can you say about this trio? Mason Foster had his usual excellent game but Vic Aiyewa was a true force is his finale as a Husky. He went from being a questionable starter last spring to getting a chance for an NFL roster spot next fall. Cort Dennison was just terrific. This may have been his most complete game as a Husky. I love this kid and thank god we get one more year of his hard hitting leadership. Nobody cares more than Cort Dennison. Grade A Plus
Secondary - In the preview i noted that the Husky secondary had the ability to shut down the Nebraska passing game and they ended up doing that. Of course when I wrote that I never imagined the defense would hold Nebraska to under 200 yards on the night. Adam Long jumped put of the depth to make some big plays in the fourth quarter when Quinton Richardson went down with an injury. He was a big key in preserving the victory. Grade A
Special Teams - If this unit had a theme song it would be "Night and Day". Remember how horrible these guys were in September? They turned it around as the season went on and last night was the cherry on top of the sundae they have been building all season. Erik Folk missed two long FG's but other than that this unit played flawlessly. Hey Niles Paul...answer the phone...its ringing...or is that just the noise going on inside your head? I hate to single out one guy because everyone played well but how about that Princeton Fuimaono? That kid can lay some lumber. Grade B Plus
Coaching - Steve Sarkisian out coached Bo Pellini and Nick Holt did the same to his brother Carl. One big question that was asked after the WSU game is if Sark would prove to be the same type of bowl coach that DJ was. I think that question was answered affirmatively last night. I think the Pellini brothers are tremendous coaches...so beating this team led by those two guys is quite the feather in the old proverbial hat...or is it the proverbial feather...I have to ask Bugs Dodger for a ruling on that one.
Nick Holt was masterful in his schemes, calls, and motivation last night. He came into this game thin in crucial positions but Washington ended up being the superior team on defense last night. The real blackshirts had purple trim on their uniforms.
I saw a few negatives here and there. The final drive of the first half wasn't exactly managed very well. Going for seven on a fourth and one at the one yard line with a 10 point lead and not taking a sure three made me shake my head. Truth is Chris Polk just missed his hole on that one because the play was there. That all being said it just boils down to nitpicking after a victory that Husky fans will remember for decades. Grade A
Now my friends...sing a chorus of the greatest fight song in the history of the universe while you are having your Cheerios. I don't think any of you guys can do that without getting tears in you eyes.
Bow Down to Washington
Bow down to Washington,
Bow down to Washington,
Mighty are the men
Who wear the purple and the gold,
Joyfully we welcome them
Within the victors fold.
We will carve their names (names!)
In the Hall of Fame (fame!)
To preserve the memory of our devotion.
So heaven help the foes of Washington;
They're trembling at the feet
Of mighty Washington,
Our boys are there with bells (bells!),
Their fighting blood excels (excels!),
It's harder to push them over the line
Than pass the Dardanelles.
So victory's the cry of Washington
Our leather lungs together
With a Rah! Rah! Rah!
And o'er the land
The loyal band
Will sing the glory
Of Washington forever.
OK... One more time and I want it sung so loud that they can hear it in Lincoln!
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What a game. Unbelievable. Unforgettable.
My hats off to each and every Husky player and coach, they worked their butts off and won a great game, Husky style. Where the heck was this defense all year??? If our defense keeps playing like that, there are many wins Rose Bowls in our future.
Jake Locker – You’re going to be missed. Talk about a Husky Legend, a great guy on and off the field, he is the perfect example of what Husky athletics is all about. Hopefully Keith and Nick learn to have the same attitude and drive heart that Locker has.
Polk – You’re a stud. If he comes back next season, the record book better get ready to be violated.
Husky Defense – You guys have never made me so proud, way to step up and become part of the Husky tradition and legacy. The future is very, very bright.
To the seniors: Thank you for sticking through all the crap you had to go through, thank you for being dawgs, and thank you for getting the program back on track. You are true Huskies and we will never forget what you did.
Danny Shelton – Happy New Year. How about them dawgs?? Seems like a great time to announce you want to be a dawg!
GO DAWGS.
BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON
LEGENDS ARE MADE ON THE SHORES OF LAKE WASHINGTON (AND IN SAN DIEGO)
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Hey Lear - are you finally talked off of the Nick Holt ledge?
… I’m guessing you are as giddy as a cat at a laser beam convention
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Yep, I'm off the ledge!
I absolutely loved the defense we saw last night, THAT is Husky football.
To be completely honest, I do see a possible trend that could be troublesome. Last season the defense looked horrible early, but improved, and really shined the last two games leaving us with a great feeling heading into the off season. Then the defense looked beyond pitiful for the first half of the season, but again it got rolling for the end of the season, and looked flat out awesome last night.
I’m trying to figure out how we can be so bad early in the year and so good late in the year, two years in a row. I completely understand the first year, new coaches, new scheme, sharp improvement in not uncommon. But why did we regress SO FAR to start the season? I love that the coaches have the team dramatically improving through out the season, I just hope we don’t have a problem getting the defense ready for the first few games every season.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
One thing I'll say that should alleviate some of those concerns, is that the young players on that defense now have another year under their belt
The difference really comes down to the D-lines. Last year, at the end of the season, they were relying more on the strength of their back 7, whereas this year, the D-line is primarily responsible for the defensive surge late in the season.
Early in the season, the Huskies were really missing Te’o-Nesheim. It took Holt a while to figure out how to best utilize the defensive line’s talent this year. I don’t think this year’s slow start was like last year’s slow start, where they were primarily a talent-deficient bunch and only really had one player on the D-line that could actually play and be effective (Te’o-Nesheim). This year, while that still held true to a degree, it was due mostly to having young players who had to learn as they went. I believe that it was due more to a learning curve. Not to mention that Holt started simplifying the defense for his players, and started preaching an exacting defense, where you win up front and for them to be at the right spot at the right time. No more complex schemes and looks, just be where you’re supposed to be. That began to be implemented starting in the Oregon game. Things began to click a little bit, too. From then on, the D-line and the rest of the defense played better and more consistently.
The D-line now looks to be a strength heading into next year, with Jamora, Ta’amu, and Tokolahi all getting some valuable experience this year and returning next year, and I don’t imagine that. a learning curve will be as inhibiting as it was this year early on.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2010 10:50 AM PST up reply actions
don't forget the unveiling of Hudson and Shirley as part of our pass rush.
… we still need to find some depth of beef up front (Laga?), but we certainly are looking more promising than at any point in the last 10 years.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Future of the d-line looks AWESOME.
Their is a lot of young very talented guys coming back. Crichton, Jamora, Tokolahi, Potoa’e, plus Ta’amu. Not bad at all. All of the freshmen and sophomores (offense too) look very promising. The program is definitely on the right track.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Also remember
the huskies were not live tackling during practice the first 3 games and it was missed tackles resulting in huge plays that plagued us early in the season.
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING
After an incredible exciting season and bowl victory you are already criticizing next years defense. What is your problem?
Get with the program or ???? It’s almost New Years and I can’t say it.
Stay positive, stay in the present time and maybe you will learn to enhoy life.
Support our student athletes, have faith in the coaches! "...it's how you play the game!"
You are amazing.
Of all my post today, this is the only thing that criticizes anything. I also think it’s pretty well rationalized and is a pretty fair assessment of the last two years.
So here’s my thought, why don’t you take your self righteous attitude and whatever gripe it is you have with me, and shove it up your a$$. You are a disgrace to this blog, so f – - – off.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
I just don’t see where the criticism is. I really don’t.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 12:07 PM PST up reply actions
HOLIDAY BOWL
We are supposed to be celebrating a huge bowl victory not out in next year nether nether land. Plenty of space for that in Husky Half Brains.
Support our student athletes, have faith in the coaches! "...it's how you play the game!"
I hope all those questioning Nick Holt will now settle down,
and appreciate what the Huskies have got.
Yes, he has messed up at times, but some of that is on what was an extremely green bunch of players. And you could see that the ideas and direction, overall, were correct.
As someone saddled with an out-dated defense, I repeat my offer; one most other Pac-10 teams will make, which is to trade straight up for Holt.
After last night, I doubt there will be any takers.
Andy Wooldridge, andy_wooldridge@yahoo.com
BuildingTheDam.Com
Go Beavs!
I'll point out that
Locker had at the very least 4 passes he threw away (feels like it was 6 or 7 though) and at least 3 drops. I’d love to know how Hugh Millen grades him out for this game on decision making and accuracy.
I have absolutely ZERO complaints about the officiating in this game.
It was pretty physical both ways and Nebraska had a ridiculous amount of penalties in the end. These MWC refs should swap conferences in my opinion.
I think they should have called Nebraska for defensive holding and pass interference a lot more. Our WR’s were getting mugged.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 9:38 AM PST up reply actions
I concur.
The officiating was good overall, but they left a lot of PI and holding calls on the field last night.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2010 9:42 AM PST up reply actions
someone needed to keep the huskers in the game :)
by Bugs Dodger on Dec 31, 2010 3:26 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Oh ya....
We were getting the short end of the stick as usual but we were cruised on by that nonsense.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 12:08 PM PST up reply actions
Yes - it was four passes thrown away, two clear PI's not called and I counted three drops (Kearse, Aguilar, Flea)
… you also have to keep in mind that for most of the night we had only two or three guys running routes against a D that was playing 5 DBs. This is an important fact given that we had to commit all of those extra resources to simply handle their six guys in the box. The passing game was not game-planned to be successful – the plan was clearly to emphasize Jake and Polk’s legs.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Crazy Lou (Holtz)
did a very fair assessment of Jake’s performance at halftime saying “I see no minuses in the way Jake has performed. There was simply nobody open”. More importanly, given that scenario, Jake didn’t throw any picks, showing huge growth in his decision making and Sark’s play calling.
His decision-making was damn near faultless.
Only problem that I had is how much he hesitated on some of the plays where a player did briefly get open. Outside of that, his decision-making was sublime.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2010 6:01 PM PST up reply actions
No picks, no fumbles, minimal risk ...
… the way we were grinding out the offense, Jake took good care of the football, and made some incredible plays with his feet. Clearly took care of business with no regard for “style points”, just an incredible will to win. A damn fine Husky, if it hasn’t already been said here.
WOO! HOO!...
…baby WOO! HOO! It’s nice to see the “Purple Colored Glass Wearing Fans” make the call over the rational thinking man’s Huskies! GO DAWGS!!
Nobody was giving us a shot in this game…NOBODY! I told this guy at Lowes before the game that we had a chance and the DAWGS made it happen in a BIG way!
Washington Husky Football-"Hear the bark, feel the bite!"
Grades
John – You forgot one:
ESPN – How is it that a major sports network like ESPN can screw up so badly??
Question: Is there ANYBODY in the Seattle or Lincoln TV markets that give a rats a&$ about Tennessee vs. North Carolina? After eight extremely long years without a Bowl game, ESPN can’t even televise the majority of the first quarter in Seattle??
Question #2: Was there ANYBODY in the Seattle or Lincoln TV markets that gives a flying f – - k about women’s basketball last night? How is it that we can fly in a metal tube 45,000 feet above the earth, at the speed of sound, in a highly contolled manner, yet we can’t even switch one TV market over to the game that THEY ALL WANT TO WATCH!!!!!!!!!!! GRADE F MINUS (and that is being generous).
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
They got bit in the ass for trying to televise, what, four games in one day?
They didn’t give themselves room to plan for the contingency of a game that went into overtime. That’s what bothered me the most.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2010 9:43 AM PST up reply actions
Instant Replays
It seemed to me that they missed instant replays on a vast amount of key plays. The Nebraska touchdown is one where I wanted to see it and they never showed it. How wasn’t that ball not picked off? from the game angle it looked like the defender had it in his arms.
i had the perfect angle on that punt
and it went wide right of the pilon by 2 feet. should have been pinned up against the goal line but oh well.
I was screaming at my TV because ...
… the UConn / Stanford game was on ESPN2 while they were ignoring the Holiday Bowl to show that same basketball game on ESPN. How about just telling everyone who was watching the Holiday Bowl, but is also interested in women’s basketball, to switch over to ESPN2 instead of making me nearly spill my beer while making intricate and obscene hand gestures and simultaneously cursing ESPN’s production crew?
POST GAME
Would of loved to see the trophy presentation. Tried ESPN3.COM but couldn’t figure it out.
Support our student athletes, have faith in the coaches! "...it's how you play the game!"
Ahem, right here
Having grown up in Lakewood (Lakes HS), UW will always be a sentimental favorite of mine.
As a UNC alumnus, though, I love that I can live in Seattle & watch a complete UNC game without having to worry about them switching to a different game. Also, given the complete craziness to the end of that game, the network would have been crazy to switch away. An overtime has the potential for much more excitement than the first quarter.
To your second question – no, I will never care about women’s basketball :)
not to mention
the girls game was already being shown on espn2. so for a few minutes you could watch the same womens basketball game on two espn channels at once, but not the f’ing holiday bowl.
Our leather lungs together...
I think I should change their grade
They deserve an F minus minus minus.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
This whole sequence was a mess.
Both bowl games, and the UConn-Stanford game, were all important, and deserved coverage.
But ESPN is not a channel, it is a family of channels, so spreading these events over different channels, and covering each of them in their entirety, and not screwing up any of the events fan bases, is why they have all those channels. It needs to be remembered that switching coverage around from channel to channel on the fly WON’T WORK. Those attempting to record an event can’t react to that.
ESPN isn’t CBS hop-scotching all over the NCAA tournament, or Versus, who only has one channel to work with. They have the resources to actually do it right, and messed up terribly.
Andy Wooldridge, andy_wooldridge@yahoo.com
BuildingTheDam.Com
Go Beavs!
I need to find a full replay for my archive
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 3:10 PM PST up reply actions
Other than the team's tape,
it may not exist, at least until some splicing together is done.
Andy Wooldridge, andy_wooldridge@yahoo.com
BuildingTheDam.Com
Go Beavs!
If you have comcast, you can stream the replay on espn3
I watched the first 20 minutes I missed this morning, it was awesome.
Sark
Remember when guys were practically calling for his head after the BYwho game!? OK you know who you are now “EAT some crow”!
Washington Husky Football-"Hear the bark, feel the bite!"
Good thing I only called for Holt's head.
Actually, at the moment, eating crow doesn’t taste so bad.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Amen
dawgfan22
Almost got banned for cutting loose on these guys especially the ones who ragged on individual players.
There must be a blog somewhere for lukewarm part time Husky fans.
I recommend Husky Half Brains!!!
Support our student athletes, have faith in the coaches! "...it's how you play the game!"
Everyone deserves respect for having a respectful opinion even if you don’t agree with it.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 12:09 PM PST up reply actions
purple - really, you got to cool your heels on this.
….your opinion is no more valid or welcome than anyone else’s
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Ditto
I just don’t see where the criticism is that you are talking about.
By the way everyone has the right to criticize.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 2:13 PM PST up reply actions
What A Beautiful Day
Wow….. I’m still a little stunned. Our Dawgs did not just “win”, they crushed the ‘Holers! SO freakin’ happy for the Seniors!……that is what makes the tears run down my cheek.
Am also so hungover that I lost my cup-o-coffee. hmmmmm, where could it be….?
Imagine if Tokolahi had been playing last night.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
Yeah, we have some real good young talent on that d-line
I’m excited for next year!
"I call the big one Bitey."-Homer J. Simpson
by Willie Mays Haze on Dec 31, 2010 9:18 AM PST up reply actions
On the record
Are Crazi and myself the only two who correctly (on this board) predicted the husky victory?
Prrbrr, Hair, and Lorenzo all picked Washington to win.
Crazi in an upmost uncrazi pick when with Nebraska.
I picked Washington over Nebraska in September and was just shamed for it…no way was I doing it again…but I have to admit I had a good feeling going in for a number of reasons. I just thought they would eventually wear us out.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 9:51 AM PST up reply actions
I will admit that I had the Huskies losing by a sizable margin
Somewhere in the range of 45-17.
Very, very glad that I was wrong.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2010 9:55 AM PST up reply actions
Recruiting
Awesome win Huskies! Live strong seniors! Does this win help bring in any recruits that may have been leaning elsewhere?
Based on one game?
Not likely. The Huskies were already putting together a good class anyway despite wins and losses.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2010 9:55 AM PST up reply actions
Speaking of recruiting, I'm keeping an eye out for Danny Shelton's announcement today :)
I have a good feeling about it.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2010 9:56 AM PST up reply actions
Me too
Now we have to win the recruiting wars. Go Dawgs.
by lorenzothedog on Dec 31, 2010 11:40 AM PST up reply actions
So you think guys like Sample and Moala wouldn’t be swayed a little more our direction by watching how good the coaches got the players playing to such a high level? And how well they game planned in a bowl game.
Sample has been a strong Washington lean since way before the season started.
Moala, I think he just was more enamored with staying closer to home, hence why he’s been leaning towards Cal.
But to answer your question. No, I really don’t. That said, I can’t speak on behalf of the other Huskies fans.
Covets: Mark Ingram, Marcell Dareus, Prince Amukamara, Rodney Hudson, and Owen Marecic.
by Carl Shinyama on Dec 31, 2010 10:19 AM PST up reply actions
WAY. TO. GO HUSKIES ! ! ! ! !
On both sides of the ball, that was an awesome game!
Congratulations to the team and all you awesome fans. You guys hung in there and not only avenged a game, you made the Pac 10 proud with this win.
Nothing could be more fitting for Jake Locker. That is one tough badass QB you guys have.
"Every rock that someone threw at me, I just used as a steppingstone." (Allen Bradford USC Tailback aka: "B-Rad"- Conquest Chronicles)
WOW! HI BIX!
I’ve been wondering about you all season. Even mentioned you a few times. Happy New Year!!!
Expect to Win!!!
Hey OLDDOG!
I’ve been following you guys from afar this year. Didn’t want to jinx anything. After the UW/USC game this year- I thought the Pac 10 wasn’t gonna be ready for Locker/Sark/& Holt. I watched the Nebraska/UW game on ABC this year and felt about as miserable for you guys as I would have if that were the Trojans playing Pelini’s Huskers. That OrState game was epic, and then watching you guys go on that tear against the Bruins, Bears, and Cougs- seriously, I was simply hoping for the best against the Huskers.
And then yesterday! Without sounding like a weirdo, I don’t think I can jinx them this year.
Helluva game, and an incredible season. The BYU and Arizona games could have put you guys on the bowl season map, but I think it was “fortunate” in losing those games. My reason being- it would have probably put Coach Holt on the off-season coaching vacancy talk-show circuit. Coach Holt will be a great HC one day, just not right now.
What I like about the Huskers is that the players and Coach Pelini gave you guys a lot of credit for the win. In other words, they didn’t say “they beat themselves”- they gave Coaches Sark & Holt as well as Locker, Polk, and both your lines major credit for the win. Pelini won a lot of respect from me for saying you guys were better prepared, and the Husker-players said you guys “were awesome”.
I can’t think of a better team in the Pac 10 to receive such accolades.
Congratulations OLDDOG for a very redeeming 2010 campaign. You Husky fans deserve nothing but the best. Hope your New Year finds you happy, healthy, and in wonderful spirits!
"Every rock that someone threw at me, I just used as a steppingstone." (Allen Bradford USC Tailback aka: "B-Rad"- Conquest Chronicles)
by BixBeiderbecke on Dec 31, 2010 11:47 AM PST up reply actions
+1
Pelini won a lot of respect from me for saying you guys were better prepared, and the Husker-players said you guys "were awesome".
I totally agree with this. I am very proud of the way that Nebraska handled themselves in defeat after all of the antics that we’ve seen this season (although that might have something to do with the fact that we are from Washington and not from Texas).
by Bugs Dodger on Dec 31, 2010 12:51 PM PST up reply actions
Whiny sports writers.
World famous Nebraska football manners are not well represented by their sports press. The hubris is staggering.
by Jeff in MD on Jan 1, 2011 8:08 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
rec'd
I know that have an opinion that differs from the universally acknowledged truth, but, as one who has lived among them, all I can say without violating the profanity policy is that I tired quickly of hearing about how I was not a good fan, nor were my people good fans, nor were any people in this entire world good fans save for the ones who are born big and born red.
This ubercrappy Husky fan will cherish our win as the greatest in Husky Football history for his entire life.
Welcome back Bix
You were missed.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 12:57 PM PST up reply actions
B MONEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey, I was thinking of you on a number of wagers this year. (man did I get my arse handed to me in 2009)
The only venues I won, seemed to be boxing matches and NFL games. My Warrior’s aren’t all that, the Raiders- well, as long as Al Davis is at the helm. . . ??? wait! JaMarcus Russell got busted too! At any rate, you were on my mind my man.
How’d you do? Please tell me you cleaned up in last year’s Final Four. I broke even, considering my bracketological-expertise definitely wasn’t up to snuff.
You guys have a formidable starting 5 with depth this year. You guys can play against the zone, soft-zone, and one-on-one. I see you guys at the top of the heap. (puh-leaze beat the Bruins!! We might not, it’s always a game though)
I’ve missed all of you guys this past year. I read John religiously, he’s probably in my top 3 for CFB (next to TwistNHook, and outsidethesidelines). After those three, there really is no comparison.
Way to go B! I’m so very happy for you and your Huskies!
"Every rock that someone threw at me, I just used as a steppingstone." (Allen Bradford USC Tailback aka: "B-Rad"- Conquest Chronicles)
by BixBeiderbecke on Dec 31, 2010 2:16 PM PST up reply actions
No, I,ve been handled like the amatuer i pretend not to be
I had a bad start to the CFB year (although I came away slightly up on the Final Four), and I’ve got my first munchkin on the way, so I called it a career.
I’ll end up Favre’ing it and I’ll give it a whirl next year, but I draw the line at blowing my retirement, I just don’t have the drive to blow the college fund with it. We’ll have to catch up next September (hopefully you’ll stick around) and get ready for football season, good luck my friend.
Thanks John!
Your Monday Morning Wash is something I’ve never missed. I read you religiously and I’m very happy for you and all your fans. Especially for your team and coaches Sark and Holt!
You guys are going to be quite good next year- the development of your players have been phenomenal. I knew you guys would have a great opportunity for rising to the top of the Pac 10, but THIS FAST? Sheesh, I couldn’t be any happier for any other team outside of my Trojans and Crimson Tide.
You guys have a fantastic blog with great commenters/regulars. Yesterday’s game encapsulated all that is right in Montlake. Fantastic season, those BYU and Arizona games were squeakers in my mind. I see you guys at at 9 and 4 rather than 7 and 6. (math, notwithstanding).
Way to go John and all you fantastic DawgPounders!!!!!
"Every rock that someone threw at me, I just used as a steppingstone." (Allen Bradford USC Tailback aka: "B-Rad"- Conquest Chronicles)
by BixBeiderbecke on Dec 31, 2010 2:20 PM PST up reply actions
Another USC fan
shook my hand and congratulated me on the Huskies’ play last night on the way out of the stadium. He said he came down from LA for the game to support the Pac-10.
Whats not to like...
I had to work last night, but fortunately I’d worked out a deal with my boss to be able to take some “personal time” during the game. And he’s a coug…ended up watching the second half with a bunch of dawg fans and a couple of cougs that were not so secretly rooting for the dawgs.
I’ve watched or listened to nearly every dawg game since JO’s first RB, and this game stood out as much or more than nearly any other. We’ve dominated many games in the past, but not in a rematch, and not any with such a turnaround. We’ve had bad years, but not THAT bad, and not come back so soon and with such vigor. Except perhaps going from really crappy to 8-3 with Sonny Sixkiller.
The change is epic in scope. Biblical even. I can’t remember ever having such a sense of wonderment and unexpected bliss, fighting the urge to utter the unbelievable words “there’s nothing the ’huskers can do to pull this thing out.”
I thought that we might possibly have chance to win the game, in an alignment of the planets sort of fashion. I didn’t even dream that the dawgs would apparently beat the will to win out of the ’huskers and completely reverse their earlier fortunes. A win at the end? Possibly. The dream of the husky faithful. But a near-universal domination in nearly all phases of the game? Patently impossible.
What this team has done, especially the seniors that by force of will brought husky football back to life from near-death…they will always be listed among the greatest of the husky legends. And it’s not just them…the greats include players such as Butler and DTN that, like Moses, lead the faithful out of Egypt but were not able to enter into the promised land.
Words fail when I attempt to properly laud their efforts. The fame they have earned is in large part deserved not because they would seek fame, but because they loved the program and found a way to be faithful to their call. One has to hope and think that their futures will be secure, born out of the life lessons learned. Sark said at one point that he was like a Dad with 110 sons. I feel that its more true than we realize.
John, about your grades...
Tough to find fault with any of them, except that perhaps you might have graded Polk a bit harshly. Seems like he was better than that.
The one thing missing from this game that is normally present during post-game euphoria is making mention of the FB and TE. When that starts happening, we’ll be all the way back. And we’ll be feeling this way more often.
Does anyone else find it ironic that we’re talking about a dominating win, while at the same time marveling at the dawgs ability to find a way to win?
Second guessing Sark
It would be nice to have a game where we would not have to second guess some of Sark’s play calling – I wish he would give up that job – to me the offensive was the most disappointing of the units this year. The D and special teams improved throughout the year – the O with all that talent did not meet my expectations.
by lorenzothedog on Dec 31, 2010 11:56 AM PST up reply actions
I didn't think we had a playcalling issue last night.
… we kept the TE and the backs in to block most of the passing plays. that meant that Jake had two, maybe three, receivers going against 5 DBs at any given time. He was coached to make two reads and if they were not there to either run or throw it away. The odds of us winning 3 vs 5 in the passing game against to NFL caliber CBs was going to be low the whole game.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
Play calling wasn't much of an issue...but..
Clock management was terrible on the last drive of the first half when you consider the fact we had two timeouts remaining.
4th and one with a 10 point lead…take the three…perhaps that is just me. One thing about Sark…he is conditioning this program to go for it and it will pay off over time. That is part of establishing a culture and identity.
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 2:15 PM PST up reply actions
We did get the safety after the missed FG.
The way we were penetrating Nebraska’s backfield, you had to at least view that as a strong possibility when deciding whether to go for it.
we must be careful next year
The way we were penetrating Nebraska’s backfield
That’s the sort of thing you can go to jail for in Lincoln.
4th and 1
I loved the call. Going up 13 from 10 wasn’t a big deal to me – 2 TD’s from Nebraska and you’re trailing. I was in favor of the decision, and the play-call was pretty good – Polk just simply misread the way the hole was developing.
There may be situations in the future where Sark kicks the FG, but I like his philosophy right now of being bold and showing belief in his players to get the job done. And as it turned out, leaving Nebraska pinned at the 1 with the way our defense was playing worked out.
Completely agree.
Nebraska was still a big play away from getting back into the game. There’s a negligible difference between 10 and 13, like you said.
That was a play call that was going for the win. I loved it.
I respect your opinion
but I disagree. I am digging me some Sark, and I totally agree with John’s assessment that Sark
is conditioning this program to go for it and it will pay off over time. That is part of establishing a culture and identity.I have not been this excited or pleased about Husky Football for a long time, and I am willing to cut Woodward a lot of slack at this point, just as I’m willing to say, Scott, I am sorry for the voodoo doll (I hope your testicles are okay), and thank you for Sark!
WOOF!
to me i don't care that we missed there.
the play call was there. jake had two wide open receivers to flip it to when the db committed to stopping the run. a simple flip to either receiver is the right play, no matter how many db’s jake thinks he can/should run over. that play run right is an easy 6. jake played great, but he blew that one there. love the call by the coaches to go for 6 regardless..
Our leather lungs together...
"The real blackshirts had purple trim on their uniforms. "
very nice
"Don't get mad at me, because I'm telling you what's real. One plus one is two, all day long, and it's never gonna change. And that's factorial." - Stephon Marbury
by wishfulthinking on Dec 31, 2010 10:36 AM PST reply actions
the big uglies
I didn’t think either line could play that well. To have a chance, one of the lines (O or D) had to play almost that well. Wow! Especially with the injuries on the D line. It looked like DTN came back for this game, and now we call him Jamora. And he has 3 more years.
Many of us were hoping for a close game that Jake could steal with one more buzzer beating drive. We dominated everywhere. Look at the stats, Neb is lucky the score was that close.
Lets not forget
Big BB game today for the dawgs – UCLA. It would be nice to sweep the LA schools plus the Holiday Bowl – it is great to be a HUSKY!!
The season that was...
I remember how i felt after the first matchup of these two teams, still feeling the sting of the BYU game and having witnessed a brutal beatdown from the Huskers I was in a mental funk wondering where the promises of a team that wasn’t giving up and would finish. Last night gave me all that was promised and more, it gave me the memories of my youth when defense was a tradition, when the running game was assured to give us the edge on offense. Many times I wouldn’t let myself get excited over what I was watching until the 3rd quarter when i could tell this was a much better team that was prepared for nothing else but victory. All in all this season was as frustrating as it was exciting and for that i thank this Husky team for the effort and bringing back the belief that indeed this team was the program changer we all thought it was.
GO DAWGS!
Last PAC-10 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Sarkisian
He sure knows how to send us off into the off season!!!
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
In case you haven't read it yet
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/stevekelley/2013810257_kelley31.html
Last PAC-10 Rose Bowl winner not named USC....Washington
Who would have believed we would win
if an oracle from the future told us that we would score fewer points than last time?? And not only that, but in a dominant fashion?? Love it.
Thank you to the whole team, all the Husky coaches and players that worked and played your guts out. So proud.
GO DAWGS!!
soft touch
Another play, although incomplete, was the soft touch Keith Price put on the overthrown pass that floated down just beyond the receiver. Was a sure TD if the loft was correct but a huge indicator of things to come.
Support our student athletes, have faith in the coaches! "...it's how you play the game!"
Sure sounds like you are being critical.
How dare you!!!!!!!! You must be a horrible fan.
"Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing."
"Legends are made on the shores of Lake Washington"
Good game to you guys!
Lets see, our 3 game series is tied 1-1. You guys failed to show up for game 1, we failed to come to town for game 2, game 3 will either show two teams playing at their greatest (which will make for a great game) or two teams playing like JV squads (which would be very ugly). See ya in Lincoln fellas!
One of the founding members of The Super Duper Matt Cassel Fanclub.
We all have the right to our own opinions, its just that mine are right.
My quest for soberiety is an ongoing struggle.
thanks, nate
Can’t wait to get back to Lincoln. Allow me to apologize in advance for the outcome. ;)
I will be there!
UW Dawg Pound - SBN Seattle
by John Berkowitz on Dec 31, 2010 3:34 PM PST up reply actions
I'll be the guy farting in your general direction!
One of the founding members of The Super Duper Matt Cassel Fanclub.
We all have the right to our own opinions, its just that mine are right.
My quest for soberiety is an ongoing struggle.
by nateforchiefs on Dec 31, 2010 4:41 PM PST up reply actions
Misty's is a little upscale for that
Why don’t we meet that afternoon at O’Rourke’s?
I’ll be the guy wearing this tee shirt (probably my second favorite piece of holiday swag).
Almost every Nebraska fan that took a picture with my Dawg after the first game
(check my bio pic, Coda, pure Malamute) Now they all won’t remember a huge win in Sept, rather a huge loss in the Holiday bowl. To every Dawg that turned a frown into a smile upon seeing him while leaving the Sept. game, karma =)
Dear Paul Allen, cap-less year, massive front loaded contracts? Not one owner can outbid you....
Almost every Nebraska fan took a picture with my Dawg after the first game*
- “that”
Dear Paul Allen, cap-less year, massive front loaded contracts? Not one owner can outbid you....
grades
Only grade I’d really quibble with is for the WRs – I think you were too generous. They were pretty effective in blocking, so they don’t deserve a failing grade, but their ability to get off the press coverage and to make plays catching the ball was poor all night. I’d rate it a D.
Now that said, the refs were assisting by letting the Husker corners get away with a vast amount of downfield contact – shoves and holds and grabs. For as many times as Nebraska was penalized (and they earned all of them), they could have been flagged several more times between the non-calls on obvious pass-interference/defensive holding and 2 missed helmet-to-helmet calls on hits on Locker.
Agreed, and I'd add one more grade that needs to be changed.
You need at least two more “plusses” for the d-line. With nothing in the way of depth, they got after the ‘Huskers for a full 60. It was so great to see them get that last sack at the end. It’s tough to fight (with a three man rush, no less) four or five plays in a row and come up just short. That last sack was a huge reward.
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