| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008 7:26 am |
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• Huskies hoops heading to Maui in 2010 November 19 • A new name in the coaching search? November 19 • Wednesday practice report November 19 • Wednesday Willingham notes November 19 • More on the search committee November 19 |
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• Romar's rip gets Huskies rolling November 21 • '08 Apple Cup a stinker like '69 November 21 • Much at stake for those playing in the Apple Cup November 21 • Wulff remembers Apple Cups past November 21 • UW football notebook: Search for new head coach begins November 20 • UW men's basketball: today's game information November 20 • UW women's basketball: Huskies fall to Weber State 77-66 November 20 • Search committee set up to help find UW's next football coach November 19 • UW holds off Cleveland St. for first win November 19 • Morbid curiousity turns Apple Cup into national punch line November 19 |
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Huskies hoops heading to Maui in 2010 For anyone who likes to plan way ahead and is looking for an excuse to escape a week of November weather here, it was just announced today that the UW will play in the 2010 Maui Invitational, which takes place over Thanksgiving week. While it's too far away to know what teams will be like at that point, the field has the potential to be pretty good with Connecticut, Kentucky, Michigan State, Oklahoma, Wichita State and host Chaminade. Here's more from gohuskies.com ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! A new name in the coaching search? We've all heard names like Mora, Pinkle, Tedford, Petterson, etc. when people talk about the next coach football coach at Washington, but according to Rivals.com, we can now add Notre Dame offensive coordinator Mike Haywood to the list of candidates. Rivals is reporting that Haywood in in Seattle to talk to UW officials about the job. Haywood worked on the LSU coaching staff from 1995-2002, which is worth noting since UW president Mark Emmert and athletic director Scott Woodward both worked at LSU while Haywood was there. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Wednesday practice report Back from practice where the Huskies were again in shorts and shells instead of full pads. That's normally what they'd wear for a Thursday practice but not on Tuesday and Wendesday as they've done this week. Must just be an attempt to rest banged up bodies this late in the season. As expected, Brandon Johnson was not at practice, leaving the Huskies with only two healthy tailbacks, Terrance Dailey and Willie Griffin, and it's unclear how healthy Dailey really is. Ben Ossai (concussion) didn't suit up yesterday, but did today, though he was wearing a red jersey. If Ossai isn't able to play Saturday, Cody Habben would shift to left tackle and Skyler Fancher would likely start at right tackle. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Wednesday Willingham notes Tyrone Willingham just finished up his usual briefing with reporters. The news today is that the Huskies could be pretty thin at tailback heading into the Apple Cup. Brandon Johnson, last week's starter, missed yesterday's practice and will likely miss today's because of a death in the family. Terrance Dailey, who was limited last week by a hip injury, didn't do much work in yesterday's practice, Willingham said. Willingham said it's too early to know who will start Saturday. The Huskies got a bit of good news on Matt Mosley, who knee injury is to the medial collateral ligament and posterior cruciate ligament. Mosley is not expected to need surgery, though he is almost certainly out for the year. While no knee injury is good, that's a lot better than if he had torn his ACL, which, as we are seeing with Jason Wells this season, can affect a player a year after it happens. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! More on the search committee I had a brief conversation with UW athletic director Scott Woodward to find out more about this search advisory committee. It turns out that this committee won't be involved in recommending candidates, or commenting on candidates Woodward and university president Mark Emmert come up with, instead the 13-person committee will make suggestions on a more general level about what they're looking for in a coach. "It’s an advisory committee to give us the qualities and the criteria they want for a head football coach," Woodward said. "They’re not selecting candidates, they’re not vetting candidate, they’re not suggesting candidates. They are just vetting the quality of candidate they want and the quality of coach that they want and the values that the coach has as related to the University of Washington." Woodward also said the committee won't be aware of specific candidates as the process moves forward. Woodward said that while work is going on behind the scenes to find the next football coach, fans shouldn't expect news between now and the end of the season. "There’s a lot of work going on," he said. "I never say never on anything, but I wouldn’t look for anything until immediately after the season or a few weeks after." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! UW appoints search advisory committee to help find next FB coach The University of Washington announced today that school president Mark Emmert has appointed a search advisory committee to assist in the search for a new football coach. It's worth noting that the release put out by the school says that the committee is expected to provide its input by the first week of December, so that looks like those hoping for a post-Apple Cup announcement may be out of luck. The committee, which will report to Emmert and UW athletic director Scott Woodward, consists of 13 people and is headed by Pat Dobel, a professor of public affairs who also serves as Washington’s faculty athletic representative to the Pac-10 Conference. Huskies quarterback Jake Locker is the only current student athlete on the committee, which also includes Ana Mari Cauce, dean of the college of arts and sciences; Ed Taylor, dean for undergraduate academic affairs, professor Robert Stacey, representing the advisory committee on intercollegiate athletics; professor David Lovell, chair of the faculty senate; Randy Hodgins, interim vice president for external affairs; Joanne Bower, women’s gymnastics coach; Anttimo Bennett, president of the Associated Students of the University of Washington; Andre Riley, a former Husky football player representing the Big “W” Club; community members Don Barnard and Bob Flowers from the Tyee Board, and Eddie Pasatiempo, representing the UW Alumni Association. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Huskies vs. Cleveland State postgame Well, the Huskies looked impressive in the first half, and again late in the game when they needed to turn it on, and that was enough for a 78-63 win tonight. After the game, Lorenzo Romar and his players seemed aware that, while the win was nice, that kind of second-half letdown won't cut it as the season progresses. Jon Brockman, who had 23 points and 13 rebounds, admitted that the team played "A little lazy" in the first part of the second half as Cleveland State turned 22-point UW lead into a three-point lead. "We played a good first half, then came out the second half and weren’t solid," he said. "I think the good thing you can take from it is that be bent but we didn’t break. We bent, we were bending quite a bit for while, but we were able to sustain it." One bit of news on the lineup, Isaiah Thomas was held out of the starting lineup because he was late getting on the court with the team. He said the reason for his tardiness was that he was getting his ankle tapped, but had no problem with Romar's decision to start Venoy Overton. "We go out to the court as a team at 6," said Thomas, who made just two of 11 attempts and scored eight points. "I was getting my ankles taped. It was my fault. I take the blame for it." In addition to Brockman, who we should probably just pencil in for 20 points and 10-15 rebounds every night, the Huskies got good performances from Quincy Pondexter (15 points, nine rebounds), Justin Holiday (11 rebounds, great defensive energy) and Joe Wolfinger (12 points, five rebounds). A good game for Pondexter could be big for the Huskies future, because the junior forward went scoreless against Portland, and the Huskies simply won't be able to win regularly this year if he's not playing well. Oh, and one final thing since this will be brought up a lot this year, the Huskies hit 18 of 29 freethrows (62.1 percent). That's a little better than last year, but not probably as high a number as the Huskies are hoping for this year. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! UW vs. Cleveland State game thread Huskies win 78-6 It got a little tight there for a while, but the Huskies pulled away for a relatively comfortable win. Jon Brockman led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Quincy Pondexter added 15 and nine. More to come. UW lead now up to 13 Cleveland State got to within three points at the 10:57 mark of the second half, but the Huskies seem to have regained control of this one, and now lead 71-58. Wait, make that 73-58 after Jon Brockman put back an Isaiah Thomas miss. Brockman now has 23 points and 13 rebounds. This may be it for the game unless Cleveland State comes back and makes it close again. Check back after the game for some final quotes and stats. Huskies clinging to a lead Well this certainly got interesting. What looked like a blowout in the first half has suddenly turned into tense game. Cleveland State has outscored Washington 21-5 since the 19-minute mark of the second half, and now trails by only four, 55-51. Cleveland State hanging around We're a little over four minutes into the second half, and Cleveland State has cut the Washington lead to 15 at 53-38. The Vikings have scored on five of hteir last six possessions since Washington took a 22-point lead. Huskies 48, Vikings 26 at halftime I've got to say it's a bit confusing seeing the team in purple play well and have a big lead having covering the last 10 UW football games, but it looks like Washington is indeed headed towards a victory. Jon Brockman already has a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Quincy Pondexter has 13 points and six boards, a big turnaround from Saturday's loss when he was shut out. Isaiah Thomas is struggling to find his touch, and is scorless after going 0 for 6 in the first half. Justin Holiday has also played well off the bench, picking up six rebounds and four points on putbacks. Huskies now up 23 Cleveland State, a NIT team last year that returns four starters, looked like a dangerous opponent coming in, but so far it's all Washington here at Hec Ed tonight. A sign of just how well things are going for Washington came a couple of minutes ago when Jon Brockman bricked an uncontested dunk, but the long rebound went to Justin Dentmon, who missed. Brockman was there for the putback, however, and was fouled, meaning his ensuing free throw actually made the Huskies better off for his initial miss. And speaking of Brockman, he's on he's on his way to another big night it would appear. He currently has 13 points and eight rebounds with about three minutes left in the first half. UW 24, Cleveland State 12, 8:58 left in first half Since trailing 5-4, the Huskies have outscored the Vikings 20-7 to take control of the game early. The best news for Washington so far is that Quincy Pondexter, who got shut out against Portland, looks like one of the best players on the floor right now. He so far has eight points and three rebounds, and has made a number of hustle plays to keep loose balls alive as well. Sorry for the late start here folks. Anyway, the Huskies are up 10-7 early, but the most noteable thing so far was a change to the starting lineup. Venoy Overton started at point guard in place of Isaiah Thomas, who started the last game and the exhibition game, and was expected to start today. Not sure what that was about, but he's in the game now. Guess we'll have to find out after the game. Be back soon with more from the game. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Notes on the offense, Locker and today's practice Today's practice was in shorts and shells, which is unusual for a Tuesday practice. Matt Mosley, who Tyrone Willingham said isn't expected to play, was not in pads and walked with a noticable limp. Also not in pads was left tackle Ben Ossai, who suffered a concussion last week and is day to day. During the portion of practice open to the media, Willie Griffin looked to be the only tailback present, as both Terrance Dailey and Brandon Johnson weren't there. Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano met with reporters today to talk about his struggling offense, and said he felt like the offense has regressed going back to the USC game. "We’ve got to get better offensively. We’ve taken a couple steps backwards and I don’t think we’re playing with any confidence right now. I think that we got to be able to go out and execute, not make mistakes and play with confidence. That’s what you have to do. We didn’t do that Saturday, obviously, at all. We didn’t play with any confidence." "It started after the USC game. I thought we were starting to get better and do some things offensively. But after the USC game we’ve regressed every week and that has to change to win a football game. It’s going to have to change. Asked if it was just certain positions or the whole offense, he said: "Nobody played well. The offensive front, the receivers, the running backs, the quarterback… there wasn’t one group that played to their potential against UCLA. We had a lot of mistakes everywhere." Lappano also talked a bit about Jake Locker, and gave a little more clarity to his situation than we got from Tyrone Willingham yesterday. Locker's thumb is healing well according to Lappano, but he still isn't expected to throw a football again for another four or five weeks. Lappano also mentioned that Locker has talked with compliance officials about the possibility of getting this year back, but said he didn't know what has happened with those talks. On the surface, at least, it seems very unlikely that Locker could get an extra year since he redshirted already during his first year here. Most sixth-year cases (and they are quite rare) are granted to players who miss two years to injury. So it's not that shocking that Locker has checked on his options, but it seems unlikely he gets another year. And even if that were to happen, don't expect news on it soon, as sixth years are applied for and granted after an athlete's five years are up. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Cal game set for a noon kickoff We just got word that Washington's last game, which is Dec. 6 at Cal, will start at noon and be televised nationally on FSN. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Cross a name off the list of coaching candidates Husky fans hoping the Huskies might hire Will Muschamp will be sad to learn that the Texas defensive coordinator is apparently off the market. Texas announced today that Muschamp will receive a healthy raise and will be the head-coach-in-waiting until Mack Brown decides to retire. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Monday notes Hope everyone is excited for Saturday's Apple Cup. Believe it or not, the 0-10 Huskies are a 7.5-point favorite in Vegas today. The players that came to today's press conference indicated that this is still a big game despite the fact that both teams are so bad. In addition to wanting the Apple Cup victory, the Huskies are also motivated to avoid a winless season. "It's the Apple Cup, plus we haven't won yet, so that's a double," said cornerback Mesphin Forrester. "It's the Apple Cup and we're trying to get our first win, so it means a lot more." As for news of the day, there's not a lot to report. As is normally the case, Tyrone Willingham didn't have a lot of answers about injuries because the team hasn't practiced yet this week. He did say that he is expecting freshman defensive tackle Senio Kelemete back this week. Terrance Dailey, who was slowed by a hip pointer last week and only played one play last week (and he fumbled) is also expected back. There's still no word on Matt Mosley's knee injury, though Willingham said he isn't expecting him back. Also, Willingham reported that Jake Locker's surgery last friday to remove the plate from his hand went well, and said Locker is definitely unavailable this week and likely for the Dec. 6 Cal game. And for the second time in three weeks, the Huskies played bad enough that no players of the game were awarded. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
UW vs. UCLA postgame Not much new to say after the Huskies lose again to drop to 0-10. The Bruins weren't impressive by any means, but that hardly mattered as the cruised to a 27-7 win. A quick aside, you can read the updated game story here for a little more than what was in this morning's paper. The Huskies managed just 39 yards of offense in the second half to finish with 135 yards. That kept Washington from having a chance despite one of the defense's best performance's of the year. UCLA finished with just 292 yards, the lowest by a Washington opponent since last year's game at Stanford. A few notes from the game that didn't make your paper: Matt Mosley, who was injured on a kick return, has an undisclosed knee injury that will be evaluated Sunday or Monday. Michael Gottlieb also has a knee injury and again, no word yet on the severity of it. Cody Bruns re-injured his hamstring and did not return to the game, and Ben Ossai suffered a concussion and did not return. The loss makes the Huskies 0-7 at Husky Stadium this season, marking the first winless home schedule since Washington playted just one home game in 1894. The only interesting thing left about this season is to find out just who is the worst Pac-10 team this season (and maybe ever?) when the Huskies and Cougars have a pillow fight next week. Washington State has won this year, but it was against Division I-AA Portland State. And the Cougars have looked worse losing to the same Pac-10 teams as Washington, so as unbelievable as it may seem, the Huskies will probably got to Pullman 0-10 and favored. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Huskies vs. Bruins game thread UCLA 24, Washington 7, 13:31 left in fourth quarter Sorry for the lack of updates folks, but these late games require lots of writing for tomorrow's paper during the game. Anyway, the Huskies look to be headed towards a 12th straight loss tonight. UCLA added to its lead with a 15-play, 92-yard touchdown drive, and now has the ball back after Ronnie Fouch's second interception of the game. This may be it for the game thread. I'll check back in if it gets close, however. Otherwise, check back late tonight or tomorrow for more. And one quick programming note, because of the late finish, the stories you see in tomorrow's paper likely won't have any quotes, so for more in-depth stories, check our online stories in the morning. UCLA 17, Washington 7, halftime Well, the Bruins aren't playing great right now, but they've done enough to have a 10-point half-time lead. It's worth noting that UCLA, which ranks 116th nationally in rushing with 77 yards per game, has 94 rushing yards this half. The Bruins have 167 total yards, while the Huskies have just 36. Ronnie Fouch is having a rough go so far, completing six of 16 attempts for 31 yards. He's been sacked twice and thrown an interception. UCLA 14, Washington 7 Well, if we needed any reminder that these are two of the worst offenses in the conference, we got it a few minutes ago. After the UW interception I mentioned below, UCLA threw another one, but the Huskies didn't capitalize because Ronnie Fouch fumbled on a blind-side hit. That made it three turnovers in nine plays between the two teams. Good times here in Seattle. UCLA did take advantage of the UW fumble, scoring on a Kahlil Bell run. UCLA 7, Washington 7, 0:44 left in first quarter The Huskies got themselves right back into this thanks to a big play by the defense. Wait, let me repeat that a big play by the defense. I know, crazy. Anyway, facing third-and-three, Kevin Craft dropped back to pass and threw a pass to Dominique Johnson, but Mesphin Forrester was there to break up the pass, and Trenton Tuiasosopo caught the ball and returned it to the UCLA 11-yard line. Two Brandon Johnson carries later, the Huskies were in the end zone. It's worth noting that the Huskies have run the option twice this year. On their first drive, Ronnie Fouch kept the ball for a seven-yard gain, and on the second possession, he pitched to Johnson for a seven-yard touchdown. UCLA 7, Washington 0, 8:53 left in first quarter Well, so far in the battle to see which is worse, UCLA's struggling offense or Washington's bad defense, the Huskies are winning (or is that losing). UCLA, a team that hasn't been able to do much on offense all year, marched easily down the field for a 12-play, 80-yard score. Could be the start of another long night for the Huskies. And yeah, I know it's awfully early to give up on a team, but that's just the effect this team has on people. PREGAME Just a few minutes from kickoff now. Captains today are Trenton Tuiasosopo, Juan Garcia, Chris Stevens and Michael Gottlieb. The Huskies won the toss and deferred to the second half, so UCLA will start with the ball. It's a lot nicer weather tonight that it looked like it would be earlier this week. It's 51 degrees at kickoff and, more importantly, not raining. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Husky football pregame/basketball note Here at Husky Stadium, though many of you be more interested in tonight's 8 p.m. basketball opener in Portland and the debut of freshman guard Isaiah Thomas. For those interested, you can listen on 1150 AM or watch if you get Comcast Sports Net. Back to tonight's football game, which I actually think the Huskies have a shot to win. The game itself doesn't offer a lot of intrigue given that it's a bad team (UCLA) playing a really bad team (UW), but at least the side show should be fun. In case you haven't heard (ha), Rick Neuheisel returns to Husky Stadium tonight. So far, at least, it doesn't look like his return will be enough to draw a big crowd, as this place is about half full right now for the second Saturday in a row. This is also the final game at Husky Stadium for both Washington's seniors and their coach, Tyrone Willingham, who I'm making a seven-point favorite over Neuheisel to win the "least popular coach currently at Husky Stadium award." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Husky men's basketball signs four As expected, the Huskies announced today that four players have signed letters of intent to play basketball at Washington starting next season. The class is highlighted by Abdul Gaddy, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Tacoma who is ranked by most recruiting services as the No. 2 point guard in the nation. Gaddy had planned to go to Arizona, but de-committed after it was announced that Lute Olson was stepping down for health reasons. His signing bumps Washington's class up among the nation's elite, with Scout.com ranking it as No. 10 in the country. Joining Gaddy in this year's signing class are Clarence Trent, a 6-7 forward from Gig Harbor, C.J. Wilcox, a 6-5 guard from PLeasant Grove, Utah, and Charles Garcia, a 6-9 forward from Los Angeles who is transfering in from Riverside Community College. I'll be back later with some comments from Lorenzo Romar on this class. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! SI shows some love for the Huskies and Brockman Sports Illustrated's college pasketball preview issue came out this week, and it's worth noting that SI projects the Huskies as a tournament team and ranks them 45th in the nation. Other Pac-10 teams SI puts in the top 65 are UCLA (4), ASU (16)and USC (24). The magazine also tabs Jon Brockman as a third-team All-American. Other Pac-10 players on the team are ASU's James Harden on the first team, UCLA's Darren Collison on the second team, and Arizona's Chase Budinger on the third team. And speaking of Brockman as an All-American candidate, the senior foward from Snohomish is being promoted by the UW for post-season honors. You can watch a video promoting Brockman as an All-American below. Brockman, not a me-first guy by any means, said doing the video was a little weird, but said he had fun with it. He added that "my mom liked it" which made him happy about it. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Basketball notes Lorenzo Romar, who is celebrating his 50th birthday today, met with reporters today to talk about Saturday's opener at Portland and his team in general. He pointed out that Portland is no easy opener, noting that the Pilots played the Huskies close in Seattle last year, and return pretty much everybody from that team, so this should be a good test for Washington. And for those wondering about letters of intent, Romar plans to talk about signings Friday once they've got everyone in. He did say he's not expecting any surprises, so there's likely nothing to worry about. It sounds like Romar would rather just deal with it once all four signees are in. As for this weekend's game, Romar anticipates going with the same starting lineup as the exhibition game against Western: Jon Brockman, Quincy Pondexter, Isaiah Thomas, Justin Dentmon and Darnell Gant. Matthew Bryan-Amaning is doubtful for the game, Romar said, after taking "a nasty spill" in practice last weekend. Romar said the sophomore forward hurt his hip, knee and ankle in the fall, but said the injury isn't a long-term concern. Romar said he's expecting that Tyreese Breshers, who is still recovering from surgery on his shins, should be able to play by early December, but also said redshirting Breshers is a possibility depending on how his recovery goes. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Wednesday practice/injury notes The Huskies are out enjoying some classic Seattle November weather as they prepare for Saturday's game against UCLA. Jordan Polk, who suffered a concussion last weekend, sat out practice for a second straight day. Otherwise, most of the people with injuries that are questionable did suit up and participate, including; Mesphin Forrester (knee), Senio Kelemete (knee), and Vonzell McDowell, Jr. (elbow). Willingham sounded more optimistic that Forrester and McDowell could play, but indicated that Kelemete is likely out this week. Willingham also said that Darin Harris, who has been out most of this year after suffering a concussion against BYU, is out for the year and that the senior will likely not play football again. "No, Darin will not be back this year, and I would venture to say that the injury he sustained might be career ending." Willingham said. "Just the severity of [the concussion] was the difference. It’s probably better for him." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Basketball signing day note Today is the first day basketball players can sign a letter of intent, and the Huskies are expecting to have four players sign this week in a class [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Neuheisel week kicks off This is officially senior week for the Huskies, but the big focus all week is going to be the return of former UW coach Rick Neuheisel, who is now the head coach at UCLA. Neuheisel had some interesting stuff to say on a conference call today, mostly emphasizing that he has fond memories of his time in Seattle, just not the way things ended. He also seemed to have a good sense of humor about things, joking that he might have people clapping for him if his family shows up, and that his assistants have asked what he will be wearing so they can wear something different. Neuheisel's most interesting comment came when he offered an apology to Husky fans for the way things ended. "I just want the fans to know that I am truly sorry for the messiness of how things shook out," he said. "Husky football is a great entity and a great program and I believe that good things are in store, and I believe that is also the case for UCLA football." And don't worry, there will be plenty more on Neuheisel as the week goes on. As for the Huskies, not a lot of big news today. The depth chart looks pretty much the same as last week's, though Mesphin Forrester is listed as a backup at cornerback, so he may be close to a return. Jordan Polk, who suffered a minor concussion on a kick return Saturday, is again listed as the kick returner. Victor Aiyewa, who has a groin injury, is not on the depth chart, indicating he will be out again this week. Vonzell McDowell, Jr., suffered an elbow injury late in Saturday's game, but x-rays were negative, so he might be able to play this week. Players of the week were also named today. They were Mason Foster for defense, Cody Bruns for offense, and Chris Stevens and Ryan Perkins for special teams. Terence Thomas, Cort Dennison and Adam Long earned service teams honors. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Reactions to another loss Hey, at least the Huskies found a new way to lose this time, right? Instead of being out of this game early, Washington gave fans some hope before falling apart in the second half on the way to a 39-19 loss. Arizona State out-gained the Huskies 400 to 279 in this one. Washington had only 75 yards in the second half, and only eight until its final drive of the game. The Huskies made it entertaining in the first half thanks to a couple of trick plays that involved receiver Cody Bruns throwing the ball. "Probably the most of the whole year, the first half was fun, because we were in the game, moving the ball, scoring," quarterback Ronnie Fouch said. "We’d obviously like to get more touchdowns instead of field goals, but we just got stopped on a couple of drives and it didn’t work out." And although the trick plays were big in the first half for Washington, it was also a trick play in the third quarter that swung the momentum in ASU's favor as Fouch was sacked for a 12-yard loss on a double reverse. "We probably went to the well one too many times in the second half with the reverse pass,” offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. And speaking of those trick plays here's a crazy stat for you: Quarterback Ronnie Fouch now has as many touchdowns, one, as receiver D'Andre Goodwin this season. Goodwin came into the game second in the Pac-10 in receptions, and now has 49 catches for 632 yards, but just one score. The Huskies were accused by many of quitting after last week's drubbing in LA, but came out fired up today. "We had some swagger in the locker room that I've never seen since I've been here, and I loved it," Lappano said. "There was some juice in the locker room. I feel like they felt that they could win. Our whole thing this week was, we've got to start fast, and that was part of the special plays that we designed was to help us start fast and make something happen." They just couldn't sustain that energy for the whole game, however. "We played hard, we played with energy, but we did not finish," Tyrone Willingham said. "That’s what we’ve got to get to, we’ve got to find a way to finish." The Huskies again struggled to run the ball, averaging 1.9 yards per carry, and that number was a lot lower before Terrance Dailey got loose for 39 yards late in the game. Lappano said he needs to look at the film to see what went wrong there, but he was clearly frustrated with the continuing run-game struggles. Next up for Washington is Rick Neuheisel's return to Seattle and the team's last home game. "Something good has got to happen for these seniors, they’ve had a long four or five years here," Lappano said. "It would be a nice way to send them out here with a victory against UCLA, then go on into the Apple Cup and send them away with a victory there. I’d like to be able to do that." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! UW vs. ASU game thread ASU 30, UW 19, 12:34 left in 4th quarter Well, give the Huskies credit for a good effort tonight, but it doesn't look like a good effort will be enough. The Sun Devils have all the momentum now, and it looks like they, not the Huskies, will end their losing streak. Washington's last two possessions have led to three-and-outs and netted negative 12 yards. Both UW punts led to short fields for the Sun Devils, who converted with touchdowns both times to seemingly put this one out of reach. Plenty of time left still, but right now things aren't looking good for the Huskies. That'll be all for this blog until after the game, but check in later tonight for some stats, quotes and final thoughts. ASU 23, UW 19 2:26 left in 3rd quarter Rudy Carpenter just connected with Michael Jones for a six-yard touchdown pass, the first touchdown allowed by Washington's defense today. Prior to that score, the Huskies were holding their latest lead in a game this season. UW 19, ASU 16, 8:53 left in 3rd quarter The Huskies are up in the second half for just the second time this season (they also led 21-14 in the third quarter against BYU) after Ryan Perkins' fourth field goal of the game. The Huskies had only three field goals coming into this game, and Perkins' four are the most by a UW kicker since John Anderson made five in the 2002 Apple Cup. Washington's second field goal was set up by a Chris Stevens blocked punt. While the Huskies are probably happy to be winning, they're going to regret not getting more touchdowns if ASU comes back to win this game. ASU 16, UW 13, halftime For the first time since the Stanford game, the Huskies are still in a ballgame at halftime. The Huskies had a chance to have their first halftime lead of the season, but a pair of late field goals put ASU ahead. Arizona State tied the game after a long drive that led to a 37-yard field goal, then on Washington's next possession, Ronnie Fouch threw an interception that led to another field goal. Fouch is seven for 17 for 151 yards and also has a 6-yard touchdown reception. Cody Bruns, who threw the pass to Fouch on a trick play, is two for two passing for 35 yards. And here's the weird stat of the game. Fouch currently has as many touchdown receptions--one--as D'Andre Goodwin this season, and Goodwin is No. 2 in the Pac-10 in receptions. He's having another good game with three catches for 90 yards. The Huskies don't have much a run game going now, getting just 18 yards that half. Arizona State has 200 yards of offense to Washington's 204 rihgt now. UW 13, ASU 10, 10:09 left in 2nd quarter We've got a ballgame going here tonight, and that's a first in a while for Washington. And what a crazy one this is so far. With the score tied at three, Washington went for it on fourth and one, and Paul Homer fumble when it appeared he had the first down. That fumble was scooped up and returned for a 44-yard touchdown. But just when it seemed the wheels were falling off once again, the Huskies responded with an 81-yard touchdown drive. Ronnie Fouch hit D'Andre Goodwin for a 53-yard pass on third down to keep the drive going, then two plays later the Huskies got tricky again when Fouch threw a lateral to Cody Bruns, who threw back to fouch for a 6-yard score. On ASU's next possession, Matt Mosley forced a fumble that set up Ryan Perkin's second field goal of the night. Crazy, crazy start to this one. The Huskies definitely deserve credit for coming into this game fired up. There have been plenty of people wondering if this team had quit after last week's blowout loss, but so far the effort is definitely there. Washington 3, ASU 0, 5:47 left in the 1st quarter So far this game has gotten off to a much better start for Washington. For the first time in a long time (I'll look it up later) the Huskies stopped an opponent on its first possession, forcing an ASU punt thanks in part to two sacks (yes, you read that right). On Washington's first possession, offensive coordinator Tim Lappano got a little tricky, drawing up a receiver pass for Cody Bruns, who hit D'Andre Goodwin for a 29-yard gain. That set up an eventual Ryan Perkins field goal, just the fourth this year for Washington. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Empty stadium pregame notes Maybe I shouldn't be surprised given that this is one of the worst UW football teams in history, but it's still a bit shocking to see Husky Stadium this empty. It's less than 10 minutes until kickoff, and the stadium is maybe 1/3 full, but even that estimate is probably a little high. Even the student section, which is usually packed well before kickoff, is still filling in. So far the few fans that have shown up are at least being rewarded with dry weather. There's a pretty good breeze coming in off of Lake Washington, but no rain as of yet, though I'd be surprised if that is the case the entire evening. Captains today are Chris Stevens, Paul Homer, Michael Gottlieb and Daniel Te'o-Nesheim. The Huskies won the toss and deferred to the second half. ASU will start with the ball. Be back soon with a game thread, though if this crowd is any indication, there apparently isn't much interest in this one. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Brockman on preseason Wooden list Washington forward Jon Brockman was named today as one of 50 preseason candidate for the John R. Wooden Award, which is given to the country's top college basketball player. Brockman, a senior from Snohomish, is one of five Pac-10 players on the list along with Arizona's Chase Budinger, UCLA's Darren Collison, USC's Taj Gibson, and Arizona State's James Harden. Also on the list is last year's winner, Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Appleby to Idaho D-League team Former Husky and Stanwood High School standout Ryan Appleby is off to Boise to play in the NBA Development League. The draft is today, but each team is allowed one regional pick prior to the draft, and the Stampede used that pick on Appleby. Appleby has been working out in the area, sometimes with the Huskies in the offseason, and was weighing his options between playing in the D-League or Europe. The Stampede open their season in Boise against Anaheim on Nov. 29. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
UW vs. Western Washington basketball game thread Washington 105, Western Washington 85, final Well this exhibition game went about as predicted for the Huskies, who jumped ahead of the Vikings early and cruised to an easy tuneup win. Isaiah Thomas left the game at the 2:46 mark to a big ovation having scored 27 points in his Husky debut. Thomas struggled from outside, making only the last of four three-point attempts, but was eight for eight on two-point attempts, all of which came on drives to the hoop. Thomas also had three assists, though he should have probably had more had teammates finished on a few easy opportunities. Jon Brockman finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds. Justin Dentmon, playing in his new role of shooting guard after mostly playing the point during his first three seasons here, made four of six three-point attempts and finished with 18 points. Matthew Bryan-Amaning had a quiet first half off the bench with just two points, but asserted himself well in the second half with 10 points, including a violent dunk that got the loudest cheers of the night. Huskies still cruising Washington is up by 20, 67-47 right now with 11:47 left in the game, and it feels like that lead should probably be a little bigger. Isaiah Thomas is on the bench now, but leads all scorers with 19 points. Jon Brockman, also on the bench now, apparently isn't happy without a double-double even in exhibition games, as he has 14 points and 15 rebounds. It's time to start writing for tomorrow's paper, and since this is turning into a blowout--the Huskies have gone on a 6-0 run since I started typing this post--This may be it until postgame unless something crazy happens. Washington 50, Western 27, halftime Isaiah Thomas was the guy to watch coming into the game, and so far he has given fans plenty to cheer about, scoring 12 points and whipping around a few nice no-look passes. Jon Brockman is being Jon Brockman, and has 11 points and seven rebounds. Justin Dentmon is showing that the summer he spent improving his shooting is paying off, hitting three of four three-point attempts on the way to 11 first-half points. Lorenzo Romar said this team is better suited to play an up-tempo game than some of his recent teams have been, and the Huskies are showing it so far, scoring 50 points and attempting 42 shots in the first half. Western guard Morris Anderson leads the Vikings with 12 points. Washington leads 27-12 with 8:56 left in the half No surprises here, as Washington is out to a big lead. Isaiah Thomas is currently the leading scorer with seven points, and all of his points are coming on drives to the basket. Thomas was a good shooter in high school, but so far he has missed both three-point attempts as well as three of four free throws. He has definitely been impressive taking the ball to the hole, however. Wait, make that 10 points for Thomas, who just completed a three-point play to make it 30-12. And since Brockman made two free throws to start the game, Washington is just two for six. Obviously one game, an exhibition at that, won't determine the Huskies' free-throw fates this season, but a good start could certainly ease the mental burden. Huskies out to a 10-2 lead early In what has to be a good omen for the Huskies, Jon Brockman sank a pair of free throws to get this game started. After a couple of early turnovers, Washington is rolling, which is to be expected against Division II Western Washington. Isaiah Thomas has looked pretty good early, scoring three points on a free throw and a nice runner in the paint. He also forced a five-second violation while guarding Western's Morris Anderson. Justin Dentmon, who was said to be shooting better coming into this season, backed that up by nailing his first three-point attempt of the night. PREGAME We're just a couple of minutes away from the start of Washington's first exhibition game of the year. A reminder that the game isn't on TV or radio, but you can follow along here on this blog, or watch here. Washington's starters will be Senior forward Jon Brockman, junior forward Quincy Pondexter, freshman guard Isaiah Thomas, senior guard Justin Dentmon and redshirt freshman forward Darnell Gant. Gant has apparently come on strong of late, playing himself into this role when most of us thought it would go to Matthew Bryan-Amaning. All eyes will be on Thomas tonight, the biggest name in Washington's incoming freshman class. Reviews from practice have been very good for Thomas, but this is the first time fans will get to see the dynamic 5-foot-8 guard. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Thursday notes/practice report Tyrone Willingham said today that defensive tackle Cameron Elisara (neck stinger) practiced less yesterday than Tuesday, but that he should still be able to play Saturday. Elisara was in red again during today's practice. Good news for Washington was that Donad Butler, who has a sore neck, was not in red for the first time this week. Mesphin Forrester and Victor Aiyewa continued to sit out with knee and groin injuries, respectively, ending any remote chance of them getting back this week. The team practiced in Dempsy Indoor today to avoid the wonderful Seattle weather we're having out there. And speaking of this lovely weather, it looks like the Huskies streak of sunny home games should end Saturday, with forecasts calling for a 70 percent chance of rain and temps in the mid 50s. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Links for a good cause Ok, so these links don't actually have anything to do with a good cause, but that title is just a way to combine few UW related links with a quick announcement. St. Vincent de Paul is holding a blanket and coat drive at Saturday's football game, so fans wanting to help out are asked to bring something to donate to the cause. Or, if anyone is interested in volunteering, more info can be found at the St. Vincent de Paul website. Ok, onto the links: Our football coverage looks at the struggles this season of Everett native Dennis Erickson and his Sun Devils, while on the basketball side of things we take a quick look at the Huskies exhibition game tonight at Hec Ed. And a reminder on that game, it won't be on TV or radio, but you can watch here online. ESPN's Ted Miller makes his Pac-10 picks, and not surprisingly, he doesn't predict good things for Washington or Washington State. And speaking of the Huskies and Cougars, they are now No. 1 and No. 2 in ESPN's bottom 10 rankings. Obviously the struggles of these two schools has become a national story, because USA Today did a story today on the sad state of Washington football. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Wednesday practice report Nothing too unexpected out there today as the team warmed up to a few classics like Jimi Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower and the Who's Baba O'Riley. Best music selection of the season so far in this writer's opinion. Donald Butler was again in red, as was Cameron Elisara, though both are expected to play this week. The No. 1 offense was working on their two-minute drill as we left practice, and scored on a short field goal that was set up by a long Michael Gottlieb catch and run. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Wednesday Willingham notes Tyrone Willingham just finished his Wednesday meeting with the media, and it appears we're running out of things to ask, because we only kept him here a couple of minutes. Asked about Donald Butler, who was in red yesterday, Willingham said the junior linebacker had a sore neck, and should be ok by the end of the week. Cameron Elisara was back at practice yesterday, and should be ok to play this week. Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell revealed today that Elisara's neck injury happened during pregame warmups, not during the game. It really isn't the Huskies year when both starting defensive tackles suffer injuries on back-to-back Saturdays in pregame drills. Senio Kelemete, who had his knee scoped last week to repare his pregame knee injury suffered prior to the Notre Dame game, won't be back this week by could return to practice as early as next week. Mesphin Forrester, who missed last week's game with a knee injury, "is probably not going to participate this week," Willingham said. "Maybe next week if we’re fortunate on that." I caught up with Forrester earlier this afternoon, and he said the injury actually happened in the Notre Dame game, not during practice last week, as previously reported. He said the injury isn't anything serious, though, like Willingham, he didn't seem optimistic about his chances to play Saturday. Willingham was also asked his thoughts on Barack Obama's historical win last night: "It’s hard for anybody in this country not to have some type of reaction to it. Mine is that it’s a great day for America, because now what is written in the constitution now comes to life." ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! Garcia comments stir up some controversy As I mentioned on this blog yesterday and wrote about in today's paper, Juan Garcia granted a rare interview with reporters yesterday. Well as it turned out, one story today said Garcia was blaming Tyrone Willingham for the culture of losing at Washington, something Garcia vehemently denies. Garcia released this statement just a few minutes ago: "In today's newspapers, certain articles containing comments that I made yesterday have, in my opinion, made it look as though I was being critical of Coach Willingham. Actually, everything I said was meant to show my support for my coach." "At least five reporters were present for the entire interview and several newspapers have posted on their websites more complete transcripts of what I said in its full and proper context. Anyone who takes the time to read those transcripts will see that everything I said was actually supportive." "To anyone who might think that I was being critical of the UW football program, let me make it clear that, however my words were perceived, being critical in any way was not my intention." I'm guessing that may be the last we hear from Garcia for a while. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! UW women win exhibition opener The UW women kicked off the season last night with a 77-73 win in an exhibition game against Love and Basketball, a traveling team made up mostly of former college players. In an interesting local note, three players from Wesco High Schools started for Washington: Oak Harbor's Heidi McNeill, Monroe's Sarah Morton and Jackson's Kristi Kingma. McNeill, a senior forward, led the way with 16 points and 14 rebounds. A recap of the game can be found here at gohuskies.com. The Huskies host Corban College on Nov. 10 in another exhibition game, then play their season opener on Nov. 16 against Gonzaga. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW! How to watch tomorrow's basketball game The UW men's basketball team hosts Western Washington tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in an exhibition game. The game won't be on TV or radio, but thanks to the magic of the internet, you can watch the game live free on Dawg Channel All-Access. I'll also be at the game and will be keeping a running game thread going on this blog. ... [Read More] E-mail | Print | Comment NEW!
Intersting stuff from Juan Garcia and a quick practice report Let's get a quick practice report out of the way, then we'll move onto some good stuff from Juan Garcia. The only apparent surprise injury is to Donald Butler, who was in a red jersey. There has been no ment | ||||||||||||||
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