Dot...Dot...Dawg (Apple Cup Edition)

As he stepped out, he could tell something wasn't right in this town. Everything was set into it's proper place, and that familiar but wretchedly peculiar smell of tomatoes and diesel fuel still lingered. Mr. Berkely was closing up his shop with a satchel in tow. Kids were yakking their familiar shrieks of glee and injustice in the background. The Dots were there. All was normal, but something wasn't right.

Sorry for my absence the last few days. My job sometimes takes me on whirlwind tours. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you save some room for Dots.

• If you only read one Dot today, grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this wonderful piece by Gregg Bell on Cody Bruns. "Mr. Prosser", who scored 100 TDs in high school, scored his first career TD for the Huskies last weekend. He's had a bumpy, tragic and wonderful journey through college and he arrives here on the day of his last regular season game along with his mates Drew Schaefer and Justin Glenn. These are the stories that keep us all raptly addicted to college football and remind us that this game is really about the kids who, while making that pivotal transition in their lives, choose to play out their college years in the harsh and critical view of the public eye. Congrats to you, Cody, and to all our Seniors on leading the way in the rebirth of a program and re-ignition of a passion.
• Along the lines of great Husky examples to be thankful for, let me once again link to Quincy Pondexter. How refreshing is it when one of your own demonstrates a recognition of the blessings he has in life and prioritizes opportunities to pay it forward? I'm not kidding when I tell you that I could literally link to a Q-sighting like this every week if I wanted to. Some of these other NBA stars should give half the effort of our bench-sitting, role-playing, utility-starring Q. Happy Thanksgiving, Quincy!
• Another Husky great has found a home. Jon Brockman has picked up on his pro aspirations and signed on with Limoges in France. Limoges, which is in Western France, has a climate very similar to that of the Pacific Northwest - it should feel just like home except for the French people.
• And then there is Jake Locker who, as reported by the Tennessean, continues to grow into his role as Leader both in the numbers and in the intangibles.
• Dashon Goldson is having another Pro-Bowl campaign for the San Francisco 49ers. Vic Fangio has compared him to Ed Reed, a comparison that might go a long way in helping him lock up a long-term contract.
  
• Some of you may have heard that Austin Seferian-Jenkins has finished among the final three of the Mackey Award to be given at the end of the season to the nation's most outstanding tight end. If you follow @UWSBN, you saw some of Anthony's funny tweets on the subject. Needless to say, one of the final three is not like the other. Expect this to be a close race between the other two. Either way, for ASJ to have accomplished this feat as only a Sophomore is a remarkable feat. He is literally rewriting the Husky record book (as noted by Tim Booth). Even though it was only two seasons ago, I can't believe we ever had an offense that resulted in less than 10 TE receptions in a single year.
• ASJ, no doubt, will be a big story line in today's Apple Cup. Christian Caple includes him in one of his "2 Minute Drill" items (oh, yay, another sports column called the 2-Minute Drill).
• Jack Follman and I hit on the Apple Cup and the state of the Huskies in a Q&A over at Pacific Takes (go ahead and click through - it is stellar blogging, if I do say so myself).
• Lots of great Apple Cup content over at Coug Center that I highly recommend you check out. Included is Brian Anderson's nice breakdown of the UW running game from an opponent's point of view.
• Speaking of the UW running game, it is not surprising that Bishop Sankey, UW's latest 1,000 yard rusher, has been a topic of some discussion and angst this week. As you recall, Bishop was a WSU commit before switching to UW once Sarkisian came with a late offer. Todd Dybas tells the story of how the lights came on for Bishop just before the Stanford game. Christian Caple also featured Bishop in one of his game stories, noting that Bishop doesn't report hearing too much noise from Coug fans about the infamous switch.
• Bob Condotta and Christian Caple exchanged Q&A's as part of the lead-up to the Apple Cup. Here are Bob's questions to Christian. And Christian's to Bob.
• Jerry Brewer takes a deep look at the remarkable turnaround of the Husky D under Justin Wilcox as part of his contribution to Apple Cup week, noting that this all the more unbelievable when you consider that seven of the eleven starters are underclassmen.
• John McGrath also picks up on the theme of Justin Wilcox in the context of the Cal search for its next head coach. McGrath makes an interesting point that Wilcox has the luxury of being somewhat picky about how the next step unfolds. Regardless, the Cal job is both a wonderful opportunity and a nightmare. There isn't a single program in the P12 that has more bureaucracy and red tape to navigate than Cal. Jeff Tedford did a remarkable job of defining the very standards that got him canned and leaves a legacy that will be hard for the "next guy" to live up to.
• On the subject of coaches, some Arkansas fans have floated the idea that Sark is a hot candidate for them. The comments from the posters on this fan board are pretty funny.
• There are other things going on in Husky Athletics. For example, your Lady Dawgs pulled off an impressive upset of the Wisconsin Badgers in women's hoops.
• On the flip side, our volleyballers, still missing star Krista Vansant, got upset by Arizona State in a somewhat one-sided affair. The Huskies await their fate for the forthcoming NCAA tournament. The selection show is on Sunday.
• The Husky Haul sets out to show their appreciation for Aziz N'Diaye, who, with all apologies to Abdul Gaddy, is really the most indispensable player on the Husky roster this season.
• Todd Dybas, who was traveling with the Huskies on their East Coast swing, has these news and notes including some observations on Andrew Andrews who, despite his very difficult start, is showing that he is willing to be the guy to attack the rim.
• Scott Johnson, who noted that the Huskies failed to score a single fast break point against Ohio State, asks the age-old query: To Run or Not To Run?

That's it, Dawg Fans. Today is the Apple Cup. I hope nobody is getting killed on the roads today as they make their treks to Pullman. I'll be rooting for you all to make it alive as it is the highest drama that Husky fans are likely to face today. WOOF!