Recent Stories with tag jake locker

"Savior" Must Save Himself

Probably Joni Mitchell did not write "Big Yellow Taxi" with college football in mind, but really, don't it always seem to go, you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone?

In a previous lifetime, Husky fans didn't worry about whether their team would go to a bowl game. They worried about which one. Former head coach Jim Lambright, a defensive genius and heir to Don James, was fired after leading the 1998 Dawgs to the Oahu Bowl, partially because UW fans thought the Oahu Bowl was as beneath us as beating Oregon State by any less than three touchdowns.

Now, after seven seasons without a postseason appearance (despite the fact that the number of bowl games has grown 40 percent in that time), Husky fans would be thrilled with any bowl. Beef 'O Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl? Sign us up, and pass the Nachos 'O Brady (TM).

Teams need at least a .500 record to make a bowl game. The Huskies are 4-6. So they'll need a win Saturday at Cal to keep their hopes alive. The Dawgs are a 7-point underdog against a Cal program that's in disarray. A 48-14 blowout loss to Stanford in "The Big Game" has Cal fans disheartened. Their once potent passing attack was already bad with disappointing senior Kevin Riley behind center--then Riley got hurt. Replacement Brock Mansion, a junior, hasn't thrown a TD pass in any of his three starts, and has tossed 4 interceptions.... (more)

Husky fans that lapsed into a coma shortly after the 2002 Sun Bowl may awaken to find that they didn’t miss anything.

The team has not been close to a bowl game since, and need three wins in their final three games in order to become bowl eligible in this, Jake Locker's final season. The first of these three games is tonight vs. UCLA, and you're likely currently stuck in traffic as a result.

Since getting to a bowl will take wins, we asked a group of award-winning Husky fans to discuss how they think the season will play out:

Do you think the Huskies will win their final three games and become bowl eligible?

Frank (Mr. Anderson News Quiz Champion, 5/23/1995): Ehh, maybe if we didn't have to play Cal at Berkeley--the Bears have been sick at home.

Drew (Parking Spot Award Runner-Up the Last Four Months*): No, primarily because the week-on, week-off inconsistency of this team will mean likely one or two losses in these last three games. Even if the bye week helps them rest and prepare for UCLA this week, and UW gets a win, you have two tough road games against Cal, who plays really well at home and almost upset Oregon, and WSU where it'll probably be snowing and bitch-ass-cold. The Cougs are probably the most improved team in the Pac-10 this season, or at least the past 3-5 games.

Ansley (Funplex Pop-a-Shot Champion): I don't think they are going to get the three wins they need, but it hurts me so much to type it that I might just take it back.

Dusty (2002 Nobel Prize in Physics): Yes, they will become bowl eligible because there are now 60 bowl games, so every FBS school is required to play in the post-season.  That said, we will finish 3-9, so pack your bags for the Poodle Dog "Good Food" Bowl in beautiful Fife, WA!... (more)

All you latte-sipping liberals who couldn't tell a screen pass from a deep slant may want to break out your purple and root hard for the University of Washington football team on Saturday.

According to a study from the National Academy of Sciences, (which I first read about in ESPN The Magazine), when a state's college football team wins near election day, its incumbent politicians get a boost at the polls.

For some voters, if the home team wins, all is right with the world. If not, it's "kick the bums out" time.

With the Murray/Rossi race a toss-up, seemingly inconsequential factors like a slight rise in gas prices, an layoff announcement, or, apparently, the score of Saturday's Washington/Stanford game, could mean the difference between six more years of the Mom in Tennis Shoes or a term of Rossinomics.

ESPN rightly points out that Husky QB Jake Locker is the central figure in this drama. The Washington quarterback, who before the season was considered among the top QBs in the country, isn't even the best QB in the state right now. Against #13 Stanford on Saturday, the Huskies can't win without a big game from Locker. And maybe Patty Murray can't either.... (more)

Beach and Nets star Terrence Williams, either at the Hard Rock grand opening or trying out for the Village People

Ichiro looks like a lock to make his 10th All-Star Game (9th start). He's leading a pretty weak crop of AL outfielders in fan voting. Nelson Cruz is in third place, for God's sake. Griffey's third among DHs.

Former Husky hoopster Elston Turner Jr. will transfer to Texas A&M.

Harborview and UW doc Richard Ellenbogen, the NFL's new concussion specialist, got a rough reception from a skeptical Congressional panel.

The state 3A and 4A baseball final four is at Safeco this weekend, here's all the details.

The Everett Aquasox want your suggestions: "We are working on our promotional list now - what fan games on the field/video board movies do you want to see this season?" For on field fan games, I'd enjoy a between-innings fight to the death, a contest to see which nine-year-old can smoke a pack of cigarettes fastest, and mock naval battles. As for movies...Shrek IV. Nothing but Shrek IV.

In case you missed it, Carlos Silva is now 6-0 for the Cubs. This is enraging. Local folkie Ken Bochte's written a song about it, you can hear an excerpt on his MySpace.... (more)

Celebrations Banned: Are Cheerleaders Next?

Since intercollegiate athletics are contested between college students, you'd think it would make sense for college students to determine what standards of sportsmanship are appropriate on the field, right? Oh, you are so naive. 

No, it's a bunch of middle-aged men--the NCAA Rules Committee--who are slowly imprinting their anachronistic, unrealistic standards on college football players. Recent rules committee proposals would stiffen the penalty for "taunting," a nebulous concept that the middle-aged men who serve as college referees have proven incapable of assessing fairly. You'll remember how Jake Locker's celebratory toss of a ball after scoring a last-second touchdown against BYU was deemed "taunting," costing the Huskies a chance at overtime.

Now, any behavior deemed taunting-y on the way into the end zone would also be penalized, as a 15-yard personal foul from the spot of the taunt. So the overexcited player who breaks a long run and points at the camera during his last five yards to the end zone? He'll find himself lining up again at the 20. 

Another idiotic repression of utterly harmless behavior: students will be banned from writing messages in their eye black. Players usually will write in their home area code as a shout out to where they're from. Or, in the case of Christian hero Tim Tebow, Bible verses. Pretty harmless stuff, but apparently too much self-expression. And self-expression apparently...is bad?... (more)

High Point: January 1, 2001. Marques Tuiasosopo outduels Drew Brees, completing 16 of 22 passes in a 34-24 win. It's the seventh Rose Bowl win for Washington, which finishes the year ranked #3.

Low Point: November 22, 2008. An overtime loss to Washington State all but clinches a winless season for Ty Willingham's Huskies. A 48-yard Wazzu pass play with under a minute left highlighted the Dawgs' season-long incompetence.

Best Player: Marques Tuiasosopo probably had the best season, Jake Locker has the most talent, but I think the best player overall for the Huskies in the 2000s was Daniel Te'o-Nesheim. Despite being double- and often triple-teamed alongside an inferior cohort of defensive linemen, Te'o-Nesheim became Washington's all-time sack leader in his four years as a starter. For all the effort he expended on the field, it's a shame that he never got to a bowl game. WILLINGHAM! Grrr.

Best Recruit: Jake Locker. Locker spurned Michigan and USC to join the Huskies, facing massive expectations of a fan based... (more)

If your sports fan coworker came back beaming yesterday after a long lunch, he or she may have, like me, gotten twin text messages bearing tidings of great joy. 

First, at about 12:24 p.m., friend David: "Locker is coming back!"

Then, at 1:20 p.m., friend Clint: "Holy crap! Cliff Lee to the Mariners?"

True and (apparently) true. Husky star quarterback Jake Locker, on the morning that ESPN projected him as the first overall pick in the NFL draft, walked into the Husky football offices with his chocolate lab Ten and told coach Steve Sarkisian "I'm staying."

Locker's decision to forego the NFL draft and return for his senior season means that the Huskies will have a very potent offense next year. Between Locker, running back Chris Polk, and receiver Jermaine Kearse, the Dawgs could have the best combination of skill players in the league. Locker's decision will also give top QB recruit Nick Montana a year of seasoning before taking over the reigns in 2011.

The supposed acquisition of 2008 Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, is a little murkier. ESPN's Jayson Stark, who reported the trade in the first place, now writes that the deal is "close" but "not done." Didn't stop me from dreaming last night that the Mariners won the World Series.

(I was watching with friend David and Kyle MacLachlan's character from Twin Peaks. The Mariners won in the fifth game after a series of throwing errors got Matt Stairs--who apparently has signed with the M's in my subconscious--around with the series-winning run.)... (more)

Someday, you will do it. You won't have a co-worker's birthday party, a seasonal gutter cleaning, or brunch with an ex. Someday, you will watch sports all weekend. If, perchance, this is the weekend, here's how it should go:

FRIDAY
5 p.m.: Leave work, drive towards Hec Ed for the Athletes in Action Classic. Stop at Bartells and buy some socks on the way.

Melvin Jones

5:30-6:30 p.m.: Watch the second half of Belmont/Portland St. Cheer on PSU's Melvin Jones, a Chief Sealth grad who got his life on track after a rough start to high school.

6:30 p.m.: Dinner at Hec Ed. Recommended--Porters Place BBQ. Not recommended--Everything else.

7-9 p.m.: Watch the Huskies avoid a letdown like in last year's opening-game loss to Portland, and lay an ass-whooping on outmanned Wright St. The Raiders may stay in this game early if their shooters are hot, but UW's depth will mean WSU will be run ragged by the second half.

9-10 p.m.: Sit in the traffic lineup to get out of the Hec Ed parking lot. While you're at it, check ESPN 710 to see how Seattle U did in their opening game, at Oklahoma State. 

10 p.m.: Drive home--you've got a big day tomorrow!

SATURDAY
7:30 a.m.: Drag yourself out of bed and drive to the George and Dragon for World Cup Qualifying soccer.

8 a.m.: Russia v. Slovenia begins. Here's the deal--eight European countries are getting their last shot at qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. They are paired into four groups of two, each pair plays a home-and-home with the winner going through to the Cup.

9 a.m.: England v. Brazil begins. This is just a friendly, with no World Cup qualifying implications, but c'mon. It's England/Brazil!

10 a.m.: Greece v. Ukraine! Ouzo v. Vodka! Who wins? Everyone!

Noon: Ireland v. France. Even more testy after an Irish diplomat gravely insulted French PM Sarkosky this week.

2 p.m.: Drive to The Dutchess and catch the second half of the Washington/Oregon St. football game. Will the Beavers knock Jake Locker senseless again?

2:30-3:30 p.m.: Probably some sort of silly play by the Husky special teams that costs us the game late, ending slight hopes of a Husky bowl appearance.

3:30-4:00 p.m.: Enjoy a chicken sandwich so you don't have to consume any Hec Ed food.

4 p.m.: Walk down to Hec Ed. Yeah, it's a trek, but do you really want to sit in that post-game parking lot traffic again? Not worth it. Plus, those fries you just ate have a ton of calories.

4:30-6:30 p.m.: Wright St. vs. Portland St. This will probably be the most competitive of the six games to be played this weekend.

6:30-7 p.m.: Check Facebook on your phone. Note how many "status updates" are actually just people whining about pointless shit.

7-9 p.m.: UW vs. Belmont, which I'm hoping will be very entertaining. Both the Huskies and Belmont were among the 50 fastest-tempo teams in the NCAA last year. If Belmont plays their style instead of trying to slow the game down, the Dawgs could hit 100.

9-9:30 p.m.: Healthful walk back up to The Dutchess.

9:30-Midnight: Buy repeated rounds for everyone at the bar (or just me).... (more)

Coach Sark's approval ratings are down this week

We knew what Husky football coach Steve Sarkisan and his staff's strengths were: Motivating players. Game planning. Firing up fans.

Now, after Washington's dreadful performance against Arizona State, a game lost on the most incompetent football play I have ever seen, we are beginning to see what Sark and his staff aren't so good at: Details. Flexibility. Keeping players under control.

Let's start with that incompetent football play. Arizona State has the ball at midfield with 13 seconds left in a tie game. I'm watching the game on FSN with childhood friend Jason. We see ASU QB Danny Sullivan loft a ball deep toward the goal line. As the camera tracks the ball, we expect to see a phalanx of Washington defensive backs there to knock away the Hail Mary attempt. Instead, we see two Arizona State players alone in the end zone. One, Chris McGaha, catches the ball in stride and scores the winning touchdown. No Huskies are in sight. (Watch it yourself on YouTube.)

The funny thing is, neither Jason or I really reacted. It was too shocking. If this had happened in a sixth-grade flag football game, you'd be a little annoyed at the kids for failing to be cognizant of the situation. But in Division I college football? Not credible. When one of us did speak it was Jason, appropriating a line from Anchorman: "Heck, I'm not even mad. That's amazing! Nick Holt just pooped a whole wheel of cheese all over the field."

Other reactions I read later on Twitter:

"Pardon me while I go put a fork in my eye."--The Times' Danny O'Neil

"That might have been the worst 1:30 I've ever seen."--KJR's ESPN 710's Mike Salk

And my favorite, from Husky hoopster Isaiah Thomas: "Daaaaaaaaaaaang."

Yup. That about captures it.

Defensive coordinator Nick Holt makes $600K/year

Holt, the assistant coach in charge of the defense, who earns a higher salary than Washington State's head coach, is most at fault for the play. His players should've had clear instructions not to let anyone behind them. Instead, two Sun Devil receivers were wide-open in the end zone. This lapse has caused message board denizens to call for his firing. (Jason emailed me last night: "Why is firenickholt.com still available? Just askin'.")

The excitable Holt is surely a master motivator, but he may be in need of adult supervision during game situations--as he was at USC, where Holt did the hands-on coaching but Pete Carroll called the defensive plays. After ASU's game-winning TD, FSN cameras caught Holt lighting into Husky linebacker E.J. Savannah. Holt screamed at the camera-person to back away. Holt also may have picked up his second 15-yard sideline interference penalty of the season--the Huskies were charged with one, but the refs didn't say who caused it. ESPN's Ted Miller has called Holt out for failing to appear at a post-game press conference, though it's unclear whether reporters requested him.

Sarkisian's weaknesses showed through as well. The fateful play shouldn't even have happened, as UW probably could've run the clock out when they had the ball seconds earlier on their own ten. Or, since they had more than a minute left, they could've tried to drive for the winning score. Instead, Sarkisian tried two running plays, then a long pass that fell incomplete, giving the Sun Devils one more chance on offense. Either run out the clock or don't.

Sark's play-calling lacked flexibility. Arizona State's fast, over-pursuing defense was ripe for some misdirection plays. Dennis Erickson called three reverses, one of which, a reverse pass, went for a touchdown. Sarkisian instead tried to exploit ASU's over pursuit with screen passes, none of which were effective despite repeated attempts.

And, perhaps most egregious, the Huskies played out of control. They committed 12 penalties, totaling 124 yards. Jake Locker threw two interceptions on the same drive, deep in ASU territory. The first was called back due to an ASU penalty. The second came at the goal line on a Tebow-esque run-forward-then-pass that went directly into the hands of a Sun Devils defender.

Next up: Oregon, a team Husky rooters desperately want to beat, a program the Huskies once dominated but haven't defeated (in fact, haven't come within 20 points of) for five years. Sarkisan and co. will earn an avalanche of brownie points with a win over the Ducks. But against Oregon's potent spread option attack, discipline is critical. If the Huskies don't have it again, another Willingham-era beatdown is inevitable. And the Willingham-era discontent will begin to bubble up once again.

Owen Schmitt, the 24-year-old starting fullback for the Seattle Seahawks, opened a gushing wound on his forehead during Sunday's pre-game introductions when he decided to repeatedly whack himself with his helmet as he ran onto the field. Video!

This is pretty awesome in a tribal way, and apparently psyched up Schmitt's teammates. "That got us going," linebacker Lofa Tatupu told the P-I's Greg Johns. "A man willing to bloody his own face, you know how much he's willing to put on the line."

Then again, as childhood friend David pointed out later that night, it also shows why football players struggle to adjust to the working world once their playing careers are over. A pre-event self-bloodying may inspire football teammates, but see how well it works before your next company-wide health coverage informational. 

Ex-Husky Bobby Jones: NCAA hoops "like slavery"

Halfway around the world, a 25-year-old former Husky is giving serious thought to how athletes fit into society. Bobby Jones, a defensive whiz for the... (more)

Last year we watched most University of Washington road games at Teddy's, a tavern near the intersection of Roosevelt and 65th. The scene during last year's games was this: A few scattered tables, each manned by a single grumpy middle-aged guy. And then the table at which the grumpy thirty-somethings, me and my friend David, sat.

Here's what Teddy's looked like for Saturday's UW/Stanford game:

People watching Husky football! On purpose! (Photo by David Swidler)

Back when I wrote for the Seattle P-I, I had a rollicking front-page-of-sports piece that established this rule: When it comes to sports fandom, women follow winners. Said guideline was in effect Saturday, as attractive female after attractive female filed in to watch the suddenly popular Huskies. I'm not complaining: Who among us doesn't like to see a pretty girl? (Certainly the new P-I does, even when they're covering Central American political crises.) The only time you'd see one at Teddy's last year is she happened to walk past.

Amazing what one big... (more)

Jake Locker. Along with Glee, the biggest national breakout of September 2009. With three terrific performances, Locker has rocketed up NFL scouts' charts, ESPN's Todd McShay now lists Locker as the #2 QB prospect in the 2010 draft, and #7 overall.

Oddly, Locker's ascension has come without using the tool he was best known for before this year--his legs. We may see them finally against Stanford.

Stanford's Thomas Keiser: Can He Catch Jake?

Stanford Pressures

Before we get to that, though--a quiz!

Q: What do Stanford DE Thomas Keiser and the entire Husky defense have in common?

A: They each have four sacks this season.

Keiser, a 6-5, 257 lb. sophomore from the Pittsburgh suburbs, made the Freshman All-American team last year and will make a bid for the national one if he keeps up his penetrating ways. Keiser is 7th in the nation in both tackles for loss and sacks.

Overall, the Stanford defense has nine sacks on the season. They are sacking opposing QBs on one out every twelve passing attempts. That will... (more)

After the win at USC, scads of positive reinforcement is coming the Huskies' way. You know they are ranked #25 in the AP Poll.

Donald Butler was named Walter Camp Foundation's Defensive Player of the Week. Butler is one of four nominees for the ESPN All-America Player of the Week, chosen by ESPN analysts. (See a special Butler highlight reel here.) And, Butler is Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Week.

Kicker Eric Folk is Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week and one of three Lou Groza Stars of the Week.

And Jake Locker won the Johnny O'Brien Quarterback of the Week Award. Locker maybe got the best praise, though, from USC coach Pete Carroll: "That's the best quarterback we've played in nine years here. Jake Locker has ridiculous talent, and had he remained healthy last year, Tyrone [Willingham] would still be coaching there."

Well that's sort-of a scary thought, but we appreciate the sentiment.

Awesome indeed. The quote comes from Husky defensive lineman Daniel Te'o Nesheim, who admitted that those who'd endured the 15-game losing streak weren't entirely sure how to behave upon finishing with more points than the other team. "A couple of us older guys were like, 'What should we do when the clock runs out? Should we go shake hands first? Or should we go sing the song?' It was kind of funny."

A good problem to have, right?

Washington's offense powered this Band Day victory. The Huskies scored touchdowns on six of their first seven offensive drives--three through the air, three on the ground. The Dawgs averaged 6.4 yards per offensive play, their most effective performance since '07 (7.5 ypp in a loss to Arizona).

The overall performance was less impressive, as Idaho gained even more yards than the Huskies did. Granted, Idaho rolled up some garbage time ground, but the Dawgs' major weakness--their pass defense--was apparent to all 58,980 fans.

The primary problem is that the Huskies' defensive line does not... (more)

"That was fun!" Among the many phrases overheard at Husky Stadium Saturday that weren't audible last season.

Despite the loss, Husky fans were positively giddy during and after. This was one of those odd games, childhood friend David observed, where the losing team's fans left happier than the winning team's did.

Because LSU was supposed to throttle the Huskies. They didn't. Washington could've--and maybe should've--beaten the Tigers.

Washington outgained LSU 478 to 321. Take away two key Husky mistakes a Jake Locker interception that LSU returned for a TD, and Chris Polk's fumble at the LSU 5--and the Dawgs are your upset winners. As defensive lineman Alameda Ta'amu put it afterwards: "We cannot have any dumb-ass plays."

Despite their critical mistakes, Locker and Polk were the brightest spots for the Dawgs.

Polk didn't shy from contact, hit holes fast, and pushed for extra yardage. His 90 yards rushing was more than any Husky back managed in 10 of last year's 12 games.

Locker's 321 yards passing is the second-... (more)

M's beat the A's 7-4, getting their runs on mammoth two-run homers by Gooters, Bill Hall, and Johjima, respectively, and then a very rare bases-loaded suicide squeeze by Gooters in the ninth. Snell was uninspiring (5 IP, 3 ER, and it's against Oakland) but got the win.

Griffey says he wants to come back. Sort of. Read for yourself. (Hey, I'd like to play for the Mariners next year too--I can tickle really well I promise--but I don't think they're going to offer me a contract just to be nice.)

Seahawks demolished the Raiders. Final was 31-21, but only because of two late Raider TDs. The big story was Seahawks QB Mike Teel, the rookie out of Rutgers. Teel's stats: 11-19, 148 yards, 2 TDs. Have we finally found a third-string QB decent enough to allow Seneca Wallace to play some receiver? If not now, when? Wallace is 29 years old now--he's not getting any faster.

Storm lost, snapping a six-game winning streak. Lauren Jackson's still sitting out with her back injury.

High school football started last night--... (more)