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Husky Football Dots
- The Huskies take on Arizona to open up Pac 12 play. This game will mark the 15th anniversary since Ortege Jenkins infamous "Leap by the Lake". What does this mean? Well, first, it means that Kirk is really damn old. Second, it means it is time for some serious retribution (and, no, Mason Foster's "Immaculate Interception" does not count).
- The Arizona AP beat writer says that the Wildcat's season "is about to get real" following a pre-Pac 12 slate that has several players on the defensive (check out B.J. Denker's comments).
- One thing that the Arizona team, and it's new QB, are going to have a hard time preparing for is the raucous crowd that will be on hand as the new Husky Stadium hosts its first ever Pac 12 affair. With the students just getting back into school this week and the memories of last year's ass-whipping still lingering, I expect that the crowd will be especially electric.
- From the Huskies point of view, Larry Stone (in his new columnist role) notes that the Arizona game from last year was the pivot point that altered the trajectory of Steve Sarkisian's plans for these Huskies and led them to an overhaul of their offense.
- Adam Jude notes that this opener is as big a test for the Huskies as it is for the Wildcats.
- The Huskies enter their matchup against the Wildcats still riding a wild wave of momentum that was only fueled by a flat out domination of an FCS team that was over-matched by every level of the UW depth chart. A columnist from the Idaho State Journal feels like the Bengals should have been more competitive and handed out some pretty stiff grades to the hometown team.
- The best part of the ISU matchup, from my perch, was seeing the culmination of Deontae Cooper's epic journey as he crossed the goal line with the ball in his hands. No matter what you thought of the matchup or the circumstances, there can be no questioning the cathartic impact of that moment. Consider for a moment how rare it is for anybody to come back from that much adversity, much less a teenager playing football at the highest level of intercollegiate competition. Coop's story is a testament to his character and the support that he has received from his friends, his family, his teammates and his coaching staff. Congrats, Coop! #TrueDawg
- Second best part of the ISU matchup? Good sportsmanship and no pissed-off football gods
Idaho St coach Mike Kramer on #UDUB, Sark: "One of the most outstanding examples of sportsmanship & care of another team I have ever seen”
— Gregg Bell (@gbellseattle) September 22, 2013 - AP and Coaches Polls aside, the astute fan-journalists over at Athlon Sports still have the Huskies ranked third in their Pac 12 Power Poll.
- ICYMI, the Huskies @ Stanford has been announced as a 7:30pm PT start and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. Safe to say that an upset on the road in front of a national audience would have a major impact on the perception of the Huskies and their competitiveness in the P12 North (and likely a top 10 ranking if they also happen to beat Arizona).
More Dots
- Jake Locker had a huge weekend as he led his Titans on an epic game-winning drive. He put up some impressive numbers as he continues his development as a pro quarterback.
- Our own Redmond Longhorn is putting up some huge numbers of his own. Stats, that is. His work has been blowing our blog membership away and he's recently found a home for some of his excellent contributions over at our sister site, the Football Study Hall. His latest piece focuses on the emergence of the HUNH offense in college sports. Must read material given that the Huskies are a convert.
- It is almost time for Basketball, if you can believe it. Expect a steady stream of preview materials to come out. The Sports Bank is ranking everybody and has the Huskies coming in at #55.
- Finally, I don't want anybody to lose sight of our Men's Soccer team. The #6 Huskies are still undefeated following a tie with Georgia State.
Question of the Day
The upcoming matchup against Arizona is a matter of pride given that it is the opening Pac 12 game for the new Husky Stadium and it is a rematch with an opponent that unexpectedly embarrassed our boys a year ago. Aside from all this, does this game qualify as a "must win" in your eyes? Why or why not?