Mailbag.

PurpleStank

Are we doomed?

UWDP: I can only speak for myself, but yes, I am.

The Streak

Chris Petersen is undefeated in his career in regular season games that follow bye weeks. Andy Reid (though not undefeated) has a very good career record in those games as well. Any thoughts on what the secret is? Do you know CP’s routine?

UWDP: Don James had a pretty good record coming off bye weeks, if I remember correctly.

I don’t know Andy Reid’s career record, but James and Petersen are both pretty good coaches regardless of the week in the season. It’s not surprising that they are even better with a week to get some rest, get healthy, and spend a little extra time watching film.

I have no idea what Chris Petersen’s routine is. The only thing I know is that he calls me every morning at exactly 7:17 am to talk strategy, recruiting, his hopes....

Question asker

Hylothetically, which 1 loss power 5 teams would be get into the cfp ahead of? Feels like we need almost evert power 5 team to lose 2 games for us to get a shot (outside the top 3 obviously). Any 1 loss sec, big 10, big 12 & acc team would finish ahead of us in the polls, no?

UWDP: The Huskies might get in over a second team from a conference, but I agree, they have less margin for error than a lot of teams around them in the standings.

When teams lose matters.

There’s still a lot of football left, too.

What kind of thinking is trying a field goal down by 13 when you are running the ball successfully and are inside the opponents 10?!

Hope J. Smith goes to OSU.

UWDP: I’m okay with the decision to kick the first one. It was early in the second half, and the offense had moved down the field in a somewhat disjointed way. They just needed to have some positive results. And it was 4th and 10.

The second one, though, that miss is entirely on Chris Petersen. It was probably the most efficient drive of the night, and it was 4th and two, from the three. The team didn’t even need the TD on the play. The running game was working (Gaskin was stopped on third down because he ran into his own man), and it was late enough in the game that a field goal was worthless, as you say. The kicker didn’t have any confidence after the first miss, you could see it in his face. A make that amounts to an extra point doesn’t do all that much to restore his confidence, anyway. That kick was pretty much a negative opportunity for Van Soderberg. Petersen owes him an apology for putting him in that situation.

Is it better to be cheered and laughed at by visiting fans for missing that kick, or booed by home fans for the same miss?

Otis

I don't have a question about the kicking game because I already know the answer. My question is- are we deep enough to absorb the losses we sustained due to injury?

DoctorDawg

How do you see the injuries sustained at ASU affecting the team as the season progresses, especially on the O line?

UWDP: They definitely hurt. Pretty bad, especially since we’re now down both starting cornerbacks. Austin Joyner has mostly gotten the job done for Byron Murphy. Elijah Molden has done fairly well when he’s been in, and the coaches have raved about him. He’s going to get a trial by fire in a couple of weeks, though. I think the talent is there, but a unit that didn’t have a ton of experience now has far less. And the leadership - if nothing else, Jordan Miller was the guy furthest along in the indoctrination of “What it Means to be a Husky Cornerback.” I hope there’s enough of that left.

Trey Adams is a pretty tough loss. The Huskies simply don’t have depth at the tackle position. Andrew Kirkland has played there some, but I thought he looked better as a guard, then right tackle, and last at left tackle. In fairness, that’s from his sophomore year; he really didn’t get a ton of snaps last season. He had good moments and bad moments on Saturday against ASU. But he has to get a lot better, quickly.

I’m as concerned about the injuries at receiver. Chico McClatcher is obvious, but people don’t seem to notice that Andre Baccellia isn’t playing right now. No one should reasonably expect him to be John Ross or Dante Pettis, but there’s a reason he was a starter coming in to the season. Offensive line and receiver are the least deep units on the offense.

PDX dawg

The arrogance of the play calling against ASU was disappointing, why did we not decide to commit to the run until the fourth quarter?

UWDP: Arrogance?

The team only ran twenty plays in the first half. Eight of them were rushes. That’s a ratio that’s pretty much in-line with the offense under Chris Petersen’s entire tenure.

Those 8 carries went for 30 yards, and that’s including a 20-yard run by Lavon Coleman on the second drive.

Only six of 19 plays in the third were runs.

Can you tell me how many of the plays were called at the line versus in the huddle? How many were run/pass option plays, where Jake Browning decided to throw instead of run?

I’d like to run the ball more as well. But Chris Petersen has a 12 year track record of what he wants an offense to look like, and it’s establishing the pass first the vast majority of the time.

Andrew

It can be really hard to evaluate the position coaches and I am curious how we should look at the Pease>Hamdan>Lubick progression of WR coaches. Folks around here have extremely high praise for Hamdan and most were feeling good about the Lubick hire after the success he had coaching WRs at Oregon. My question is: how much of the WR play is a reflection of the players and how much is a reflection of the coaching? Half serious comment: maybe Paopao needs to coach the WRs in addition to TEs.

UWDP: Chris Petersen saw fit to let Brent Pease walk, so that’s about all I can really say there. Bush Hamdan’s greatest ability as a coach might have been in magically healing John Ross’ knee, followed by turning Dante Pettis into an upperclassman, then not having Chico McClatcher in his first year in the position.

The receivers definitely looked better last year. They blocked much better - that was noticeable. There are things that point to Hamdan being a good coach, but it’s hard to tell how many are real and how many are circumstantial. Matt Lubick has good credentials, but a lot of them are as a recruiter. He was pretty highly regarded for the work he did at Duke. Oregon put up big numbers when he was there.

I don’t have any idea how good a coach he really is - it’s tough to evaluate assistants in their first seasons. I don’t think he’s had much luck in terms of health, and I don’t think he’s working with the most talented unit on the Husky offense. He should have a group of good, but really, really young players to work with next season. We’ll see.

Texas.Dawg

Do the receivers get no separation? Are routes slow developing? Or, does Jake over analyze waiting for the perfect opportunity? Or...

olddawgie

Why can't our receivers get any seperation? After Pettis and Bryant, it doesn't seem like anyone else can get open?

VA Dawg Fan

Without the ability to see the receiver routes down the field on tv, my question is are they not getting open enough or is Browning being too tentative in throwing to them?

UWDP: Thanks for doing me a solid, VA.....

Does anybody actually know what the receivers looked like on Saturday (or against Oregon State, or Colorado)? I certainly don’t. Nobody watching on TV can honestly say they do either.

Watching them at home games, I can say that they do in fact get open at times. Sometimes Browning doesn’t see them, sometimes they’re the third or fourth option and Browning doesn’t make it that far in his read progression, sometimes it looks like he sees them but just doesn’t make the throw.

And sometimes they aren’t open.

The receiving corps right now isn’t the strength of the offense by any stretch, and it isn’t going to be this season. That’s just the hand this team has been dealt.

Browning had a lot of confidence in John Ross, and Ross opened up a lot of real estate for Dante Pettis (and others). If Browning doesn’t have that some trust with this group, half of that is his fault. Saturday, Browning was simply under way more pressure than was reasonable against ASU.

It’s a “whole offense” problem.

Kicking problems...

Well this is likely the 50th kicking question: What's wrong with our kicking game? We have a hard time making PATs and easy field goals! If we mae both of those field goals I am certain we win the game. Is our coaches evualation for kickers that bad? I believe in our coaches but whatever matrixs they use in evaluating kickers isn't the best. I believe in the OKG but just because a kicker is a hard worker doesn't make him good. Why is it that other kickers in the conference can kick from 40 plus yards? USC had a walk on that won them a game earlier in the year. ASU kicker kicked it from 50 plus yards. Why didn't we recruit him?

Sadly, having poor kicking isn't new to coach Peterson. He had issues with the kicking game at Boise State. It cost him three undefeated seasons in 2008, 2010, 2011, and a few championships seasons because of not having a quality kicker.

The one that comes to mind is BSU vs Nevada in 2010. Here's a link to the video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8FXLT359VDc The kicker missed two easy kicks!

Another thing but a different subject is that this video shows us that Jake isn't no Kellen Moore. The arm strength of Kellen is amazing. Also Kellen's ability to put game winning drives is far far better than Jake's.

Rossco

Can we pull the kickers scholarships and hold a tryout for regional help? I'm not even joking either... I can make a 30 yard FG consistently, where is my free ride?

The Laces Were In!

Serious question. Do you think we see an open call for a walk-on kicker? We know how much CP loves competition. Has he done something like this before in his coaching career? UW does have a robust soccer program ...

Every husky fan in the world

Will we attempt another field goal this year? Should we?

Gordi

What is the recourse for the kicking game?

Fwdawg

Are we trying to recruit a kicker this year to replace Tristan Vizcaino and provide competition for Van Soderberg (or insurance in case Soderberg can't get his head right)?

Rob Marshall

What should we do about our kicking game? Should we do tryouts to find a new guy, or stick with who we have now?

Danny

Who are the walk-on kickers on the roster? What were their stats in high school, and how have they looked in practice? Will CP just abandon field goal kicking all together and assume that it's always 4 down territory in the red zone?

Bryce

What happened with kicker recruiting? How is it possible a program like us didn't come up with a better kicker?

Yellowreign

Who are our options for kickers next year? Van Soderberg is only a freshman, we didn't sign any kickers last year, and we haven't focused on one in the 2018 class so far.

UWDP: Based on these questions, you’d think the Huskies are having issues in the kicking game....

Chris Petersen kicks too many field goals (and punts). He should be going for it way more often on 4th down than he does.

I already said I was okay with the first kick because of the distance to go (the full 10 yards), but that second miss is entirely on Petersen, not the kicker. And it never should’ve been kicked at that point in the game.

It’s tough to come up with a more pressure-packed situation in collegiate athletics than a field goal in a close game. That’s not excusing the misses, but it’s a reality the arm-chair kickers (?) need to keep in mind.

Neither Tristan Vizcaino nor Van Soderberg are scrubs. We’ve seen Vizcaino do better, and Soderberg was a good high school kicker. They have what’s clinically know as “the yips.” It’s happened to major league baseball pitchers that suddenly can’t find the strike zone to save their lives, professional golfers can’t sink a three-foot putt, basketball players can’t make a layup, quarterbacks can’t complete anything, and definitely with kickers.

Who knows what shakes the heebie-jeebies for them. Maybe it doesn’t happen until next season. Maybe it never does. Maybe Chris Petersen decides to just go for it....

Texas.Dawg

Is it ALWAYS a run play when they group three WR's to one side?

UWDP: Definitely not. The Huskies run and pass out of a trips formation pretty equally. And even though Chris Petersen’s offense is (wrongfully) being criticized for being predictable and boring this week, the versatility of formations is one of its strengths.

Rossco

Offensive play calling was atrocious last night and Smith kept calling long developing plays when our OL was getting beat often. Then of course you have the FG call in the red zone that had he made it would have truly meant nothing, still a 2 score game. I'm honestly not sure who I'm more upset with, Smith for not adjusting till way too late or Petersen for allowing it to all happen... what's your take?

UWDP: That all plays look horrible and slow-developing when the offensive line can’t block. When a pulling guard has to negotiate the traffic created by his teammates getting moved backward, the quick-hitting power run that’s worked so well suddenly looks like, well, a slow developing mess.

The plays called against ASU weren’t different than in any other game for the most part. And they didn’t actually change as the game went on. What happened is that the execution finally started getting better, at least some times.

Everybody associated with the offense deserves blame for Saturday’s effort. The buck ultimately stops with Petersen. Then all of the assistants, and the players. Jonathan Smith deserves his share of blame, but the biggest issue was far from the plays that were called.

Rossco

UW D has had problems with smaller quicker offenses... is this something that can be fixed or do we get recruits now that we are using to try and match-up with the SECs of the world instead of the PAC and it's style of play. This isn't the first time a mobile QB has gave us issues

UWDP: It’s important to keep in mind that ASU actually has a legitimately good offense. Not world-beating, but top 25-ish by most metrics. Outside of that first drive, when the defense simply didn’t play its best, and then that last, grind-it-out drive that broke the Huskies’ backs, ASU pretty much did nothing. They had a one-yard drive for a field goal following the blocked punt, and a 59-yard drive for a field goal that mostly came on one pass play. ASU hit a play here or there, but the Huskies shut them down almost the whole game. I’d take 13 points against an offense as good as the Sun Devils’ every day of the week.

Rossco

Plain n simple, where the heck was Salvon Ahmed? I think he could have been helpful with more touches, when silk they use him more like Chico? Doesn't have to be a deep threat, just Tavon Austin him and see what he does with it ya?

UWDP: Salvon Ahmed has the ability to make plays, no doubt. I’d love to see him get the ball more. I don’t know the exact reason why he isn’t, but my guesses would be A) knowledge of the playbook, and B) his ability to pass block.

He can’t just be on the field when he’s getting the ball, or it becomes way too obvious. He has to be able to be a full-fledged part of the offense, so it’s a bit much to be asking him to learn two positions right now instead of just one.

Chico McClatcher is a receiver, and that’s where he’s been since day one. The Huskies moved him around a little bit, but he’s not really a “slash” player. He had two carries this season prior to getting hurt. In his first two years, he averaged right around 1.5 carries per game. Ahmed is averaging a little less than a catch a game, so it’s similar.

Just like with McClatcher, Ahmed’s role is going to continue to grow and evolve. It’s a bit much to be expecting Tavon Austin from a true freshman.

Ryan "Pasta" Priest

Our loss last night raises the question of whether or not we were overhyped. Yes, we didn't play as well as we should have, but a better team would not have stumbled here. Last year we had lucky games against Utah and Arizona, and so far this year, we've had an easy schedule.

So, the question is, where do you see the rest of the season going? And what's our realistic ranking? #10? #15?

UWDP: The ASU game showed how hard it is to go undefeated. Most teams, even the great ones, lay an egg.

Washington was very lucky health-wise on offense last year. The only player-game I can remember them missing was McClatcher against Oregon. They aren’t having the same luck this year, obviously.

I don’t expect the team to play as poorly offensively as they did against ASU again this season. The team is good enough to win every game left on the schedule, even with the injuries, but could probably drop one just as easily. I think they probably will just based on the odds, but can’t really predict which one.

After the carnage of the rest of the season and bowls, I think the team finishes 11-2 or 12-2, and right around #10.

PDX dawg

When was the last time we were this thoroughly out coached? Bama had more to do with players than coaches IMO but in the ASU game we have a player advantage at every position (N'keal Harry aside). Thankfully the defense showed up as the offense was thoroughly dominated. Eight rushing attempts in the first half??? Somebody tell Smith we have two future NFL contributors at RB.

UWDP: As I said, eight rushes out of 20 plays - fairly close to the run/pass ratio of all Chris Petersen teams in the first half of games generally.

I haven’t seen the Husky offense collectively play this poorly in a long, long time. Probably some time in 2015.

Dakobed Dawg

We're bowl eligible and playing with house money. Why should I care about a one dumb game in the desert?

UWDP: Because that game has thoughts, and feelings, and hopes, and dreams, just like you and me.

Henry’s Law

Why is the deep passing game missing?

UWDP: Jake Browning isn’t pulling the trigger on deep passes. Whether that’s his issue, the play of the receivers, the protection, or some combination of all three (and it’s probably this), I don’t know - especially because we aren’t afforded the opportunity to see the coverages and routes down the field. The team is running them at home, I can verify.

Fwdawg

The holding call that negated Salvon Ahmed's reverse for a TD was a killer. In your opinion, was that holding, and if so, did Sosebee really need to hold to make the play work?

UWDP: The call was on a receiver down the field (it appears it was Aaron Fuller). The announcers blew it, and simply didn’t feel it was important to correct an obvious, egregious mistake during the telecast. I think that’s both dishonest and unprofessional.

Fwdawg

Much has been made of ASU taking advantage of 2 weeks to prepare by changing up their defensive philosophy and dropping more players into coverage. Firstly, could UW have done anything to recognize what the ASU defense was doing to attack them more effectively earlier in the game? Or did they have to just wait until the end of the game when the ASU defense was gassed so they could run on them? Secondly, does the fact that UW faces more teams (3, possibly 4 if they face USC in the P12 championship game) coming off a bye week than any other team in the conference mean that there is a conspiracy against them in the Pac-12 or do I need to take off my tinfoil hat?

UWDP: ASU completely went away from their tendency to blitz. They didn’t even actually show blitz all that often (and then back out of it). Good game plan. Even better still was their execution vs. Washington’s fairly poor execution. There are simply too many examples of Washington’s failing up front to think that wasn’t the largest issue in the game.

Maybe it was an issue of extra time to prepare. Extra time to rest and get healthy, certainly.

Washington certainly wasn’t done any favors with the schedule, but the same can be said for WSU (no bye until right before the last game of the regular season), and USC (no bye, period).

Your Guilty Conscience

I noticed that we didn't have ASU offense and defense preview articles. Does Coach Smith rely on them to formulate an effective game plan? Is this why we lost?

UWDP: Absolutely. The man obviously is completely lost without those.

CouveDawg

First, I advise no one watch ESPN this week. I’m almost positive it will be bad for your mental health.

Second, I advise everyone take a breath and relax. The world isn’t coming to an end. There are two weeks to get things sorted. 4 of 5 at home, and the Huskies control their own destiny. A PAC-12 championship is an immensely successful season that before the playoff was created was every fans dream. Let the playoff convo sort itself out at the end of the year and just control what you can.

My two questions: has Chico’s injury caused the misuse of Pettis, and is Browning’s lack of trust if receivers causing him to to overthink? Since Chico went down, Pettis has taken his quick screen role. I’d argue the beauty of Pettis’ skill set is his elite route running. A perfect route for an 8-20 yard throw and run after the catch. Not a screen and try to beat 2 defenders on the sideline.

And all season Browning has been a hair late on his throws. Or he holds it and holds it and then runs into pressure and gets sacked. I’ve seen a lot of people say no one is getting open, but my perspective is that he waits for the receiver to be wide open. He isn’t throwing a guy open, or seeing he has half a step on the defender and letting loose. To me it feels Browning doesn’t trust that anyone will make a contested catch, and needs to see there is no defender around.

Thoughts from your immensely more qualified point of view?

UWDP: I will continue to not watch ESPN outside of live sports, as has been my wont for a few years now.

I agree, a game was lost in Tempe, not a season.

The offense is struggling to get the ball into the hands of its playmakers, for sure. Browning isn’t getting the ball into Pettis’ hands down the field, so yes, they’re using him in the same way they’d used McClatcher in the past. But they also tried to get Pettis the ball this way before McClatcher was injured, so it’s not the only reason.

I agree on Browning. I can’t say for sure about the three road games because we can’t see the field, but I’ve observed it at the home games. Against ASU, pressure was a huge factor. Even worse, it was pressure that came from three or four rushers - the line was simply defeated with relative ease.

My viewpoint is most definitely not more qualified, no matter how much I want you to believe it.

JulesP13

How was ASU able to generate so much constant pressure on Browning despite dropping back in coverage for most of the game? Did the offensive line just play especially poorly?

UWDP: Yes, they did. That was the biggest single factor.

KPreston

Any reason I shouldn't throw myself off a bridge?

UWDP: Maybe consideration for the people that would have to clean up the resultant mess?

WhyGodWhy

Please explain any coaching missteps/failures you perceived in the ASU game. I've read about a lot in the comments / post game reactions but would be interested to know your thoughts.

UWDP: The coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball failed to elicit performance on game day. Every single last one of them failed. Beyond that, it gets really complicated, and none of us can really separate play calling from execution, no matter how much we think we can.

Every husky fan

Have we thought about hypnotherapy for our place kickers?

UWDP: It can’t hurt. Shock therapy could work as well. Maybe a long walk in the woods, or on a beach.

It’s entirely mental.

Ground Control

There is a lot of parity In this conference. So do Dawg fans come back to earth and realize it's never a cakewalk in the Pac-12? Who else is UW going to struggle with?

UWDP: The Huskies will struggle with every team left on the schedule if they play as badly as they did. I don’t think it’s going to happen again - at least not to that level.

Stanford and Utah are at least pretty good (if not flat “good.”). UCLA isn’t good, but they have a pretty dynamic weapon in Josh Rosen. If he has a magical game, UCLA becomes dangerous. If Oregon doesn’t have Justin Herbert back, they should be considered a wounded animal.

Even with the loss to Cal, WSU is legit. Their defense is better than most Husky fans want to admit. They can win.

(anonymous)

Why didn't the offense make adjustments in the game? The defense did and played a good 2nd half.

UWDP: If the adjustment you want to see is “more running,” I don’t know.

If you mean something else, what, exactly?

Idaho-Portland Dawg

In the desert the Dawgs were muzzled,

By the Devil's hand they have suffered ignominy.

But despair I shall not,

For even the grayest of Seattle rains turn to sunshine. And I will cherish the moments of light,

For they illuminate even the darkest of nights.

The Huskies have been gut-checked. How do you think they will respond Brad? I think that the Dawg's next game will show us all why Coach Pete is one of the best coaches in CFB. Cheers and go Dawgs!

UWDP: Tears in my eyes....

I still think this team is good. I think Chris Petersen is a coach that runs a stable program that is geared exactly toward this sort of thing - leveling out the highs and lows of a season.

I think the Huskies come out and beat UCLA pretty decisively.

RBinOR

OL performance deficiencies...a kicking game that is abysmal, WRs who can't seem to find any separation... Attsamatterforyou?!?

What do you consider to be our key (cue your Carnegie training module) opportunities for improvement? On what should our coaches focus to get us where we need to be?

UWDP: If we take it as a given that the offense isn’t going to make some massive change in philosophy, then the answer is execution.

I’m with you (and just about everyone else, it seems...) that the team should run more. A game plan that looked like the Pac 12 Championship against Colorado would be great.

KIngKona

With the 'fire Smith' movement growing, I was wondering about CP's history with offensive coordinators and willingness to change approaches. Do you think he's likely to make substantial changes if the Husky offense underperforms this year?

UWDP: Chris Petersen has had very few offensive coordinators in his time as head coach - Brian Harsin, Brent Pease, and Robert Prince at Boise State, and obviously Jonathan Smith at UW.

Of the four, only Pease had ever been a coordinator before, with a year at Kentucky and three years at Baylor prior to joining Petersen’s staff (as a wide receivers coach, not the coordinator). Harsin was promoted away from Boise as a head coach. Pease stayed for two seasons before heading to Florida for the same position. Prince was the man for two seasons before Petersen headed to Washington, and wasn’t asked to come along. Petersen effectively fired Prince, but that’s the only time he’s done it.

Petersen mostly looks for young, intelligent guys that he can groom to run his offense (I believe he’s made comments along those lines, but may be remembering incorrectly and I’m not going to take the time to look it up). If Smith leaves or is fired, there’s a very real chance the next guy is going to look a lot like him - someone that wants to come in and learn under Chris Petersen while running Chris Petersen’s offense.

This has been said several times - If Petersen makes a new hire at coordinator, he’s going to have to be willing to scrap all or much of his offense to bring in an “established” guy with his own way of doing things, or he’s going to bring in a guy that’s willing to run Petersen’s offense, which means the “top-flight” guy fans are clamoring for just isn’t likely.

Smith is in the first year of a two-year contract. He’s due $700,000 for 2018. It’s unlikely he’s fired for that reason alone, plus the fact that there’s nothing outside of speculation Petersen is displeased with Smith’s work.

dgdawg

Were you the guy who just a short time ago said the kicking game is not a big deal? Or was that your brother? And are you going to stick with that answer?

UWDP: I certainly did. He might have. Probably.

Absolutely. Never should’ve kicked the second time. Shame on Petersen.

Pescador Paul

The UW offensive coaching staff was clearly confused by what ASU was doing on defense Saturday night. Is it unreasonable to think that a head coach making around 4 million dollars a year should not out schemed by an ASU coach that is on a very hot seat?

UWDP: How do you know the staff was confused? I don’t know either way. It certainly wasn’t “clear” given the issues with execution up front....

Prego is back! You can stop worrying now.

It really sucks to see injuries. It does seem that Kirkland held up fairly well at LT replacing Adams though. Was that because of extra help from TEs or did he actually play at a respectable level?

UWDP: I didn’t think he was great, but nobody on the line was. I’m trying to not draw sweeping conclusions from one game, especially when Kirkland is something of a utility player and spends time practicing at multiple positions. Let’s see what he can do with a couple of weeks of practice at left tackle, knowing he’s the guy....

There might’ve been a little extra help from the tight ends, but the offense played 13 much of the game, even before Trey Adams went down.

Five Finger Discount

Ok. So obviously ASU had not been stealing signs before the UW game, as their defense had been atrocious. Is it at least possible they returned to the tactic for the UW game out of desperation? Or is it just that the UW offense was painfully predictable?

Dawg in Boston

You're probably get lots of versions of this question, but what are the chances Todd Graham's staff was successfully stealing the Huskies' sideline signal calling during the game? I didn't see any curtains set up (like last year) to block them from doing so. And they seemed to guess right every time, at least in the first half.

HarryDub

ASU has regularly been accused of (and admitted to) stealing opponents signals. Can we use this to explain any of the fugly fest we saw on Saturday?

Sox203

A caller on the post game show, who was at the game, mentioned that it seemed like the ASU players were reading Jake's pre-snap adjustments. A very Todd Graham thing to do. Did you see any evidence of this?

Bill W 617

I've not read any media quotes of what was a true letdown by the Dawgs v ASU - but, can this get fixed in the bye week? There is certainly a lot to play for. And I must believe Coach Peterson can get this sorted.

The long ball was not working. The running game was. J Smith didn't appear to help matters much. Get some smash back on the Offensive line - protect your QB. Next up and Go Dawgs.

Mike Pitzler

Do you think this is a learning experience? Did Graham break the audible code? Did our OL get finessed? Something else? Petersen has an extra week to figure out what happened, and get ready for Ucla.

UWDP: Maybe there was some gamesmanship with signal stealing. Maybe ASU knew Washington’s audibles. Frankly, I don’t think they actually “knew” the plays that Washington was running, though. Even if they did, it doesn’t explain the play of the Huskies.

#PrayforTrey

I really hope Trey Adams will be okay, that looked like a season ending injury to me watching his leg buckle. Do you think there is a chance a medical red shirt would be in the works or more likely an attempted recovery in time for the NFL draft? Whatever happens I just hope he is all right and everybody should be sending positive vibes to Trey.

UWDP: He’s played in too much of the season to get the standard “medical hardship waiver” Chico McClatcher will almost certainly get. At this point, he’d have to go through the appeals process to get an additional year of eligibility, and that almost always requires missing (at least) most of two seasons.

Iowadawg

Moos to Nebraska does Leach go with him to replace a likely to fired Riley?

UWDP: Man, I cannot see Nebraska fans embracing Mike Leach. They’d love him if he won, of course, but that looks like a marriage made in Hades to me.

I doubt Bill Moos takes Leach. If he’s going to make a hire like that, Nebraska alum Scott Frost makes as much sense as anyone (which is none, really).

MossyrockFan

If UW isn't a top five team - and this one loss hasn't convinced me they're not - where do they need to upgrade to become a top five? And you can't say placekicker.

UWDP: I promise not to ever say placekicker.

Offensive line, and wide receiver.

Rod

When is someone going to say out loud that Jake is good but not great? After all this time he plays tentatively like he's still a freshman. He's been there long enough and with a skill set that should make him someone the team can count on when the chips are down. He is not that guy... Where's the confidence and the leadership?

Barbra's Hedges

What are 2 key elements that you can observe that plague Jake Browning in regard to coming back from behind in the second half when faced against adversity. Maybe the sample is too small, but what would you note?

UWDP: Can you define “good” and “great?” Is he going to be mentioned with the all-timers in college football history? No. Husky history? Without a doubt. He’s the best, most efficient, QB in Husky history. That’s who he is. He doesn’t have Marques Tuiasosopo’s fire, or Billy Joe Hobert’s moxy, but he’s a much better quarterback than either of those two. People gloss over the flaws of those two....Browning is flawed as well, no doubt.

I think the sample is too small, Babs. He might never be the guy to lead a team on a “signature comeback win,” but there’s nothing obvious that’s going to keep him from doing it.

2003huskygrad

Call out a single scenario where the Huskies still play in the Rose Bowl (CFP)...who has to lose and how many times?

UWDP: Lots of teams have to lose. Some probably twice.

Win the Pac 12 North. That’s the most important thing right now.

Fan

What Is more important for the talent base a high floor or the potential for excellence?

UWDP: It’s a sliding scale. A player can’t completely lack either. And it’s probably different for different positions.

3rdGenDawg

ASU's first possession looked like their plays were scripted; the tempo was fast and they played with focus and determination. In comparison, the Huskies seemed to be collecting information about what ASU was doing on defense as much as trying to get down field. I think I saw something similar in the Rutgers game. Coach Pete said Jake changes the play 30-40 percent of the time. But it seems to me the offense might benefit from knowing exactly what they would to start the game and then bearing down and doing it, especially when on the road. Do the Huskies ever script their plays for their opening drives? If so, does it seem like they stick with the script? Or does Jake always have approval to go ad libitum?

UWDP: I haven’t heard anything specifically about 2017, but in the past, yes, the Huskies have scripted their first plays. I don’t know if Chris Petersen allows or encourages the quarterback to audible on any of those. I remember hearing Mike Holmgren on the radio once, and he said he absolutely positively did not. The Huskies ran a bubble screen their first drive that had no chance of working, even prior to the snap based on defensive numbers. That suggests to me the play was going to be run no matter what. But I obviously can’t say with any certainty.

O-line Regression

Should we be concerned about the performance of the O-line? The unit was considered to be a strength coming into the season, but has looked out of sync (First half of Oregon State, First half of Rutgers, Against Arizona State).

UWDP: I’m concerned, yes.

GaryfromMI

Where can you find all 22 film of DAWG football games?

UWDP: I don’t think fans have any access to that. It’d take one of those games with ESPN running their remote cable-mounted camera (like the Peach Bowl last year). I don’t think that was at the ASU game. Even then, I don’t know if it’s made public as a general rule....

GaryfromMI

What are the rules for adding a non scholarship player (i.e. a placekicker) at this point of the season

UWDP: I believe they can, as long as they stay below the 105-man limit.

Fancy Pants Dawg $$

If USC played ASU instead of UW on that forgetful night what would the score be?

UWDP: 28-16

karth295

I remember rugby tackling was a big thing a couple years ago starting with the Seahawks. To my untrained eye it seems like a lot of tackles are still jumping at the ball carrier or going for their knees rather than wrapping up. Is rugby tackling only useful in some scenarios?

Related: why do offensive linemen dive at the feet of defensive linemen? Because it's easier than blocking?

UWDP: The Huskies still emphasize it - you’ll see the team doing lots of tackling drills without wearing their helmets, to work on keeping the head entirely out of the play. That doesn’t mean that going low isn’t a part of rugby tackling though; it is. It’s situational. The “attempt to deliver the kill shot” isn’t, though.

Jonanthan Smith's mom

Is there any lazier fan "analysis" than constantly blaming play calling for bad offense? I think some people aren't interested in learning about football, but just want to pretend like they understand it.

UWDP: That’s definitely a consideration.....

DDawg

Totally agree with your objection to the TV production crew(s) close-ups of QBs on ALL plays. What possible steps could someone take to make this an issue the networks would need to address? Some of us like to know what defense a team is in, or what is happening on the edges / downfield...

UWDP: I don’t know how to make it happen. Right now, networks have decided it’s not important for us to see it. Maybe fan outcry would have an effect? (I doubt it)

My hope is that if the current method and market of watching games on TV ever blows up, that whatever streaming (or whatever) option that takes its place at least considers it. I’d pay quite a bit of money for the option of watching games from different angles.

2walladawg

Since the existing receivers aren't getting any separation, why aren't we playing Ty Jones more? Unless his knowledge of the offense is behind, he would be no worse off than who we put on the field now (except Pettis). There's no better way to learn and get experience, than by getting experience.

UWDP: I don’t disagree, and would say you’ve probably answered your own question (knowledge of the offense), and add the possibility that he isn’t a great blocker for the running game or receiver screen game.

2walladawg

After the past couple games, it appears that our offense has taken a step back at nearly every position. Yes, there have been a few key injuries, but every position minus the TE position appears to have taken a step backward. They haven't necessarily been terrible, but generally have taken a step backward.

UWDP: Probably the single biggest part of that is the interconnectedness of the offense. It’s hard for the quarterback to look good if the line doesn’t block and the receivers don’t get open; it’s hard for the receivers to look good if the line doesn’t block or the QB doesn’t deliver the ball; it’s hard for the line to look good when backs don’t hit the right holes......

Injuries aren’t helping. The lack of big play ability isn’t helping. The team isn’t getting early leads like last year, which make every aspect of the offense appear to work better.

I don’t think it’s actually as far away from “working” as some other people do, though. Aside from throwing out a clunker against ASU, the offense is still mostly working with a situation where 8 or 9 or 10 guys are doing their jobs each play, but the one breakdown is preventing bigger things from happening.

All for this week. Enjoy your bye week, and hug your kickers.