Coach Baird on Husky Football

Here he goes again. This time Steve Sarkisian takes his first year program up against a four-year system and let’s assume right off the top that Notre Dame has better players than Washington. That’s almost a given every time you play them and the Huskies have lost all seven times they did.
Let’s not kid ourselves; it would take a fantastic on the road effort by Washington to pull off another upset like they did against USC.
Year in, and year out, the Irish pull in great recruits. It doesn’t really make any difference who the coach is, the school recruits itself. It is easily one of the all-time greatest football schools in America. Its traditions are rivaled by few and its mystique is real especially when they’re playing at home, what with “Touchdown Jesus” watching over their stadium.
Charlie Weis, the Irish coach, cannot afford to lose to an upstart Husky team, especially when their school has never lost to them. He’s already on somewhat of a hot seat and dropping one to the lowly Dawgs wouldn’t sit too well with his detractors. He has to win this game.
On the other hand, Sarkisian knows another upset here would be a major step towards a bowl appearance. Washington will be in tough but they can win if it recaptures the turnover margin.
No question, losing in turnovers with two costly interceptions and an untimely fumble by Jake Locker really hurt the Huskies against Stanford.  That is item No. 1 on the Huskies’ to-do list, protect the football.
Notre Dame can run the ball and has the horses up front to do it and that’s exactly what they will try to do against Washington.  Stopping the run has obviously been a tough thing to do for the Huskies and it won’t get any easier because Notre Dame has a thoroughbred named, get this, Golden Tate.  What a great name for a great player. He’s listed as a wide receiver but he also plays tailback, punt returner, quarterback in a “Wildcat” option series, as well as running reverses, screens, and any other way they can get him the football.
He is flat-out sensational and represents an interesting change up to their shotgun formation because he plays every position.
The Irish defenders are stout up front and often just rush four but time their blitzes well and can put heat on any quarterback. They’re a solid football team and feature a nationally-recognized quarterback in junior Jimmy Clausen and he might not be their best because they also have a 6-4, 235 pound back-up named Dane Crist (another great name) who runs like the big kid from Stanford. Yikes!
To win the game the Huskies also need a rebound game from Jake Locker and that might mean letting him run a little more, although Coach Sarkisian doesn’t tend to agree. Chris Polk has become a really tough running back and the Huskies would do well to keep giving him the football and let Jake try to pick up the third downs either throwing or running. Running the ball would also help keep the Huskies rested on defense by keeping them off the field.
Washington is not the most talented team simply because of all the inconsistencies in recruiting caused by their constant coaching changes. The only good class of Tyrone Willingham was his last and third class. The current Husky seniors (and there are not that many) represent Willingham first class and it was basically a throw away effort by him. Only a fourth of all the Huskies starters are seniors and you win with seniors.  Notre Dame is loaded with upper classmen. That is why they are favored by two touchdowns. That and they are playing at home.
Washington needs to try and hang in there and try to win it in the fourth quarter by winning the turnover margin, stopping the run, and running it themselves. Oh yeah, and not giving up the big one in the kicking game like it did against Stanford.
Unfortunately, Stanford also showed everyone how to beat the Huskies and that was by running the ball right at them with lead blast, power off tackle, and in ND’s case, also using the toss sweep. Then when they have you set up you will see their bag of tricks which include a full assortment of screens, draws, reverses, besides the “Wildcat.” The Husky defense will have its hands full. Precisely why keeping them on the sidelines is their best case scenario.

Share on Facebook

The Stanford Cardinal are now in their third year under Jim Harbaugh and it certainly showed in their thorough dismantling of a first-year Husky program under Steve Sarkisian. Three years ago, in the exact same stadium, the Huskies, then under Tyrone Willingham, ran the ball right down the throats of a first year program headed by Harbaugh.  Saturday was payback as the Cardinal ran the ball 50 times for 321 yards with 200 coming from Toby Gerhart. It was ugly and a proverbial butt whipping.

Coming off their stunning upset of USC, the Huskies were brought back to earth in a hurry by a team that only chose to throw the ball 14 times. They didn’t have to because their veteran team took it right at the Huskies from the opening kickoff.

So, the Huskies sit at 2-2 after the first month of the season heading into South Bend, Ind., where the will try to regroup and take on the Irish of Notre Dame, a team they have never beaten in seven tries. The Irish will obviously try to duplicate Stanford’s successes by controlling the line of scrimmage.

Giving up the opening kickoff for a touchdown set the tone for a game in which the Huskies never led. Still, even though they were physically outplayed, they were within two scores late in the ball game. Trailing 27-14 early in the fourth quarter, the Huskies were driving and had they scored they would have cut the margin to six, only a touchdown and extra point from winning the game. So, even though they couldn’t stop Gerhart, they still were hanging tough and if it weren’t for a second failed fourth down conversion, they were still moving the ball. They had gone 42 yards in 13 plays and were threatening to make a game of it.

Stanford immediately put the game away using their quarterback along with Gerhart to rush for 62 yards in only five plays pushing the score to 34-14, Game OVER.

That is what is so different about this year’s Huskies, they are still playing in the fourth quarter and keeping themselves in games right up until the end. There are no style points in football so it doesn’t make any difference how you do it, you simply need one more point than your opponent.

Was Washington overrated going into the game? Probably. Were they blinded by their victory over USC? Probably. Are they better? Yes, but they are still in the first year of a new system and they are very young. (Stanford had six senior starters on defense alone. Washington had six total senior starters)

Regardless of the loss, the program is improving. They simply ran in to a physically tougher team who showed they were a more mature college team. The game still goes back to blocking and tackling, and in those two fundamentals the Cardinal were clearly better. That, and their runaway locomotive of a tailback, of course, were the difference.

Share on Facebook

The Golden Bears of California travel to Oregon for the marquee game as the Pac-10 begins conference play in earnest this weekend. Obviously, everyone in Seattle is still coming off the Huskies great win over USC but there have really only been two conference games played thus far in the season.
California steamrolled its first two opponents, scoring 52 points against Maryland then putting the brakes on while beating Eastern Washington 59-7.  Now why California is playing Eastern I don’t understand but they did pay the Cheney school a healthy sum and it didn’t hurt their rankings because the Bears actually climbed in the polls with the win.  Cal struggled a little against Minnesota last week and this time travel into Eugene (a tough place to play) for a battle of two of the preseason favorites to win the conference title.
The Ducks have responded from their opening game embarrassment in Boise but have struggled beating both Purdue and Utah by only a touchdown each. It is being played in Autzen Stadium though and that should help the Ducks. California just might be the best team in the conference and this week’s game will tell us for sure. California might also have the best offensive player in the conference in running back, Jahvid Best, (besides, of course, Jake Locker.)
UCLA plays BYE and is favored and ASU is finally playing someone worth playing after beating up on Idaho State and Louisiana-Monroe. (I know, who?)  The Sun Devils travel to Georgia and that will tell us more than their games against the sisters of the poor.
WSU gets USC at absolutely the wrong time and that one could get ugly in LA while the most interesting match-up might be taking place in Corvallis where the Beavers host Arizona.  Neither of those teams is really sure what they are doing at the quarterback position so that one could be a toss up.
That gets us back to the Washington at Stanford game and it promises to be a knock down fight. Washington wants to simply hang in there and give themselves another chance to win it at the end. Don’t give up a cheap score in the kicking game and keep the Stanford offense on the sidelines by continuing to move the chains.
Jake Locker needs to continue to be the best QB in the conference and Washington needs to shut down the Stanford rushing attack.  If they can, the Huskies will win their first road game of the season. Otherwise I like all the home teams, including the Ducks to win.
A Husky win here would make it three in a row and that hasn’t happened here in quite some time. If they do, they will be first place for two more weeks and nobody would have figured that would be happening.  (Nobody except Steve Sarkisian and his cool-aid drinking believers.)

Share on Facebook

The Stanford Cardinal host the Huskies in a battle for first place and the team that plays the best defense and can nullify the other’s kicking game is probably going to win the game. That’s not to underscore the importance of offense but this looks like it will be decided by special teams and defense.
It’s hard to compare stats because of the difference in opponents with Stanford beating WSU and San Jose State while losing to Wake Forrest (without Aaron Curry, I might add) and the Huskies playing two top-10 opponents along with Idaho.
Stanford leads the conference in just about every special teams’ category.  They have already returned three kicks for touchdown (two kickoffs by Chris Owusu) and a punt by Richard Sherman. Sherman is a converted receiver who now plays corner and punt returner. Whatever, they can really hurt you when you’re kicking to them and they also cover kicks well, ranking first in kick off coverage and second in net punting.
Stanford also has a kicker, Nate Whitaker, who has already hit a 54 yarder but is only 2 of 4 on the season.
Washington does not have to win the kicking game, they just can’t lose it.
Both teams appear to be statistically better on offense than on defense which is precisely why the team that plays the best defense will win. This is probably going to be a close game, so Washington will have to continue to control the ball, play field position, and use their offense to keep Stanford’s offense on the sideline. Winning on third down has been the formula so far and if they can continue to do that they have a great chance of winning this game.
The Cardinal offense features a monster at tailback in Toby Gerhart and he will get his 20-plus carries.  If Washington can hold him to under 100 yards it will likewise probably win  He is a beast and he is full load at 235 pounds and the Huskies will have to gang tackle him and be sound in their fits to stop him. (Fits mean that each man on defense is assigned a gap responsibility).  The secondary might be best to tackle him low at or below the knees.
The Stanford quarterback, Andrew Luck, ranks second only to Jake Locker in passing and completes 62 percent of his passes.  Although only a freshman he has played really well in all three of their games and has a favorite receiver in Ryan Whalen who is averaging six catches a game for almost 100 yards. Washington’s secondary will tested again and putting pressure on Luck may be difficult as the Cardinal also lead the conference in sacks allowed giving up only two sacks in the first three games. (Conversely, Stanford’s DE, Thomas Keiser leads the conference in both sacks and tackles for loss.)
Stanford and Washington both run pro-style offenses with similar running and passing plays. The Husky defense will now be facing a similar offense for the second week in a row. They would do well to continue to get the ball back for their offense by winning the turnover margin and getting off the field on third down.
Their first road game combined with being ranked for the first time since 2002 makes this a difficult contest for a group of kids who haven’t had much experience at dealing with success. Fortunately, their coaches have and they will be prepared to win another close one. These are two formerly second division teams that are now playing for first place. The difference is probably so close that Washington would do well to make sure the Cardinal gets nothing out of their kicking game. That and continue to win the turnover margin.

Share on Facebook

It wasn’t pretty. There were 10 penalties for 69 yards. The Trojans started out by running the ball right down the defense’s throat. They knifed through the Dogs for 80 yards in 6 plays and a touchdown to start the game. Then they came back and went 68 yards in 8 plays before settling for a field goal. It didn’t look good.
Then all of a sudden it was tied 10-10 and it was halftime.
Somehow, someway the Huskies were in the ball game and with a great shot to win it. And win it they did with quite possibly the biggest upset in the recent history of the program.
It was the hidden stats that told the story. No fumbles lost and no interceptions thrown were big time. Forcing 4 fumbles and getting two stopped drives as did getting an interception.  That gave the Huskies a +3 for the day in the turnover ratio. Usually you win when you’re +3.
Although they gave up 250 yards rushing in 33 efforts they only gave up 1 touchdown. Think about that. It’s not important to win any statistical category. It’s only important to win the game.
Coach Sarkisian and his staff cut down the domino board and reduced their risks by simply winning on third down. Offensively, they were a respectable 7 of 15 but defensively, they were a phenomenal 0 for 10.  I thought it was a typographical error on the stat sheet. No wonder they could give up 250 yards rushing and win the game. Now obviously that also meant that USC didn’t even need to use third downs, it still helps explain how Washington stayed in the game.
Jake Locker didn’t even run the ball and they won. He clearly passed up an opportunity to maybe run for a touchdown on one bootleg, but otherwise moved the team with his arm. He is obviously getting more comfortable with the offense and was clearly the best player on the field. His key stat was a 60 percent  completion rate. He had 4 dropped or catchable balls that would have made it even better.  He managed the game and the tempo and used 9 different receivers. He led his team to itss best win in years, maybe ever.

Share on Facebook

Share on Facebook

The development of Jake Locker under both offensive coordinator, Doug Nussmeier and head coach, Steve Sarkisian gives Washington a definite advantage at the quarterback position for their upcoming battle with the USC Trojans.

The Trojans feature a true freshman in Matt Barkley at QB and where as he is considered one of the outstanding freshmen at that position in the country, the fact remains he is just that, an 18 year old true freshman.  He was only 14 of 31 and 1 interception against Ohio State and even though he led his team on a game winning drive to win the game, much of the work was done by running back, Joe McKnight. He already was wearing a brace on his left knee and came out of the Buckeye contest with a sore shoulder to boot and might not even play this week.

Meanwhile, Locker, already a tremendous athlete with 4.4 40 speed, has made incredible strides as a college quarterback.  Both Nussmeier and Sarkisian have played the position professionally and have been coaching quarterbacks themselves with Nussmeier most recently working with Marc Bulger of the Rams in addition to developing record setting Drew Stanton at Michigan State.

Sarkisian has only produced the likes of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, John David Booty, and Mark Sanchez and now works hand in hand with Nussmeier developing, who he thinks is the best athlete of all of them, Jake Locker.

Already a great runner, Locker has now developed a full arsenal of throws from the deep ball to drag routes, to screen passes, to sit-down routes, to TE routes, to dumps to the backs. He has such a much better understanding of his options on all passes that he has literally thrown to 9 different receivers in each of the first two games. He knows when to run now and he will against USC and he will be the best player on the field.

Jake Locker was already good on a poor team. Now he is great on an improving team.  He is humble and a true team player and he alone gives the Huskies a legitimate chance of upsetting USC.

Jake Locker is already signed to be a professional athlete in the sport of baseball but I believe his passion and real goal is to make it in to the NFL as a quarterback. A victory in this game would put him on the map as one the premier players in his position in the country. Of course the win would also make his team the hottest thing in the west.

Jake Locker is the difference in this game.  He gives the Dogs the edge.

Share on Facebook

With the exception of the quarterback position, there is little doubt that the USC Trojans hold a distinct advantage when it comes to the overall talent on their football team. That is, of course, if you put stock into the recruiting ratings and rankings.  For the past 8 years under Pete Carroll they have continually added top ten recruiting classes to their already talented team.

That talent, combined with Carroll’s proven leadership, has turned USC back into one of the premier college football programs in America. In my book they are easily right up there with Florida.

They are vulnerable, however, and that was proven by Stanford, UCLA, and Oregon State in the last few years when all three dealt them stunning losses.  Could Washington be the next Pac-10 team to beat this juggernaut?

Consider this, all these losses happened on the road even though in LA that is just a drive across town.  Stanford and Oregon State beat them early in the conference schedule and all three teams had less talent than did the Trojans.  All three were big underdogs.  USC has been beaten in conference during the Carroll era by teams that simply hung in there and slugged it out with them and won it in the fourth quarter.

Having stolen some of the Trojans’ brain trust, the Washington Huskies just might steal this game even though they appear to have inferior talent.

Stopping the run will be huge for the Huskies but the biggest concern would appear to be the match up between the Husky secondary and the Trojan receiving corp. The Huskies’ pass defense is 9th in the conference giving up 260 yards per game. Even though the Trojans will likely be using their back up quarterback, they do have a big receiver in Damien Williams who represents an obvious threat simply because he is so much bigger than the Husky defenders.  Idaho proved that was the way to attack Washington’s defense and this looms as their Achilles heel.

The secondary will have to rise to the occasion but that also holds true for every other unit on the team if they are to knock off this Trojan team. If they do, then the Huskies will be able to say the program is finally coming back.

Share on Facebook