Grading the Game

Quarterback

Locker and the Huskies came out on fire cruising to an early 21-0 lead. For the most part Jake looked like his old self last night even though a thigh bruise and the flu were still lingering at game time. The five TD passes tied a school record. Two costly fumbles and an interception were the only black marks on his performance.

Grade B Plus

Running Back

Husky fans wanted more Chris Polk and Sark obliged by calling his number 25 times for 105 tough yards. Jessie Callier provided five carries, some solid misdirection, and a lot of spark. Polk continues to pick up tough yards after contact and it looks like Callier is aquiring a lot of the same habits.

Grade A

Receivers

Jermaine Kearse caught nine passes with four of them going for touchdowns. D'Andre Goodwin continues to fill in impressively while Aguilar is healing. Jake spread it around last night with seven receivers catching balls during the evening. Kearse still ended up with a couple of drops but it looks like he is headed in the right direction.

Grade A Minus

Offensive Line

The revamped line performed well enough to give the Huskies a chance to win the game. Colin Porter graded out well in his first game as a starter and it is hard to imagine him not being in the starting lineup for the next three and a half years. Greg Christine who stepped in at center had a tough time going head to head with one of the best defensive linemen in the country. When Kohler returns I can see him returning to a reserve role.

Grade B

Defensive Line

Overall this unit had a pretty good game. They weren't perfect but they were able to get steady pressure on Ryan Katz all evening and that was one of the keys to victory. Hau'oli Jamora continues to impress when he is in the game. He had five tackles, two for loss, and a couple sacks. Talia Chrichton had perhaps his best game going as husky until he hurt his knee and had to leave the game. Taamu had some great moments. His lateral speed was impressive on more than a few plays. He still gets tired out there but that is more of a reflection of the lack of quality depth behind him. A more solid rotation would keep him fresher.

Grade B Plus

Linebackers

Victor Aiyewa has been showing flashes the last couple of weeks and he had his best games as a Husky last night. Cort Dennison was all over the place as usual and his pass defense eon the last play of the game sealed a Washington win. Mason Foster had his usual monster performance but he was exposed on pass coverage by Jacquizz Rodgers a couple of crucial times. Tough to blame him for that because that is the definition of a mismatch.

Grade A

Secondary

The Huskies defended Katz well most of the night and didn't give up any big plays. That was also helped by some key OSU drops. The Beavers definitely missed James Rodgers. Trufant, Fellner, and Parker all notched interceptions against a team that hadn't been turning the ball over this season. This unit still has a long way to go but you can see how a little pressure makes them look better.

Grade B Plus

Special Teams

Kiel Rasp is one of the great stories of the season. The walk on who wasn't even on the roster when camp started has become one of the top punters in the country. Will Mahan may have a tough time getting his job back next season. Erik Folk missed a 45 yarder that would have kept the game from going into overtime and was short on the majority of his kickoffs which didn't help his kickoff coverage unit.

Grade B Minus

Coaching

Sark nailed the play calling for the first quarter and a half. If not for a Locker fumble the Huskies could have been up 28-0 early in the second quarter. OSU adjusted by splitting the defense line wide outside and tempting the Huskies to attack what looked to be an open middle of the line. The Huskies took the bait and struggled offensively until the overtime periods. Overall there was a pretty good chess game going on between Banker and Sark all evening.

What can you say about Coach Holt. For the fifth time in six games this season he has put together a defensive game plan that has given his team a chance to win. Holt went with lots of man coverage which gave Washington the personnel to pressure Katz with.

The staff did a great job getting these kids ready to play after a lackluster loss to ASU.

Grade A Minus