Bleacher Report - Articles by John Berkowitz

Washington Football Culture Change—"Death March" Style

John Berkowitz — Sat, 13 Dec 2008 08:05:08 -0500

You really have to look back to the mid 1950s to find a low ebb that compares to the Washington Husky football program in 2008. Washington was on the verge of becoming a football powerhouse in the early 1950s when they made the mistake of hiring a popular local high school football coach by the name of Johnny Cherberg.

Cherberg had become a local legend at Queen Anne HS but he was way over his head when he assumed the reigns at Washington. Almost immediately he lost the control and faith of his team. By his second year the program descended into a state of anarchy and he was fired. On the way out the door he named names and let it be known that there was a slush fund at Washington they used to buy players.

It wasn't a big secret back then because every program in the country operated in the same manner. However when it became public Washington was slapped with a program wide probation and the old Pacific Coast Conference was dissolved in it's wake because most of the teams in the conference were guilty of the same thing.

The powers that be at Washington decided to hire a big national name to heal the program and went after Alabama's Bear Bryant and Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson. Both coaches had no interest but suggested the Huskies go after Mississippi State's Darryl Royal who responded with a 5-5 record during his first and only season before taking his dream job at Texas en route the the hall of fame.

UW went back to the same coaching well again the next season and came up with a 29 year old assistant coach named Jim Owens who had cut his teeth as an All American end for Wilkinson at Oklahoma and as a young assistant under Bear Bryant at Kentucky and Texas A&M.

When Owens arrived nobody had a lot of confidence in him figuring he would be here only a few years till he failed or moved on to a more lucrative position. Owens who was hired over a couple of young guys named Tom Landry and Vince Lombardi ended up going to three Rose Bowls in his first six seasons and staying on the job for 17 years.

What Owens did when he arrived in Seattle was reminiscent of his days with Bryant and the "Junction Boys" at Texas A&M. He introduced what was called the "Death March" after it became apparent that respect for the young coach was not going the way he hoped.

After one particularly bad practice, one week before the opener with the Colorado Buffaloes, Owens led his players out of Husky Stadium and onto the practice field after practice. It was obvious that Owens had seen enough.

Owens lined them up on the goal line and they began running in 15-yard bursts. They'd line up in a three-point stance, run until Owens blew the whistle, and line up in a three-point stance again; they ran from one end of the field to the other and back again. Then up and back again.

Owens continued the drills after each practice that season breaking the will of his players just as Bryant had done previously at Texas A&M. During many of the practices, the then young Owens continued to lead his team in the sprints, running backwards with them as they navigated the field, in short bursts of sustained energy. Some of the men would fall flat on their faces, too weak and exhausted to continue. Taking the players to the point of where they think they can do no more is “when you find out what guys really want to play ball,” Owens later said.

There was a lot of attrition on that first team but what was left was a solid core of legendary men led by Bob Schloredt, Don McKeta, Ray Jackson, Roy McKasson, and many others who established the Husky tradition of toughness that lasted until the turn of the present century when Rick Neuheisel assumed command of the program.

Washington didn't win many games that first two years under Owens only finishing with a 6-13-1 record but the table was set for a run of championships starting in 1959 when Washington obliterated Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl followed by a win the next season over in season national champion Minnesota.

During his tenure, Jim Owens compiled a 99-82-6 record. He fell a step behind in the late 1960's when the game changed back to two platoon and the lack of scholarship limits allowed schools like USC to horde talent. He did have a nice finish with his Sonny Sixkiler squads but nothing could compare to his early tenure at Washington when he was completely on top of his game.

Washington football faces a similar challenge in 2008. This time we picked a little known assistant from USC which is now the top football power in the West and arguably the top program in the country. Pete Carroll is the Bear Bryant or Bud Wilkinson of today and Steve Sarkisian is his Jim Owens.

Expect Sarkisian to be fair coming in but not very flexible. He is giving chances to everyone to compete but like Owens the players are going to have to learn to compete on Sarks terms. Like he says everything is a clean slate and even the troubled EJ Savannah has been invited back for one last hurrah. Sarkisian knows that if he fails at UW his coaching career is pretty much over. He isn't going to let bad attitudes get in the way of overall team performance. He will break the will of the team to resist change before it breaks him. You can count on that.

Sark learned how to run a football program under one of the modern day masters in Pete Carroll, and he is going to take those lessons learned, and apply it at the University of Washington. All the enthusiasm you see happening this week is soon going to be replaced by players being pushed beyond their limits in the weight room and on the practice field. The ones that don't measure up are going to be gone. You can count on attrition being a major factor during the first two years. The tough one's keep going and the weak ones will leave.

I think it will take two seasons to bring the talent level back up to where it needs to be with recruiting. It will also take two long tough years of conditioning to mold the current team into a championship contending squad. Don't expect the record to turn around overnight because it likely won't. What you need to keep an eye in is the effort put forth each week and the bruises the opponents feel after playing a game against Washington.

I was surprised when Washington hired Steve Sarkisian but everything I have seen this week indicates that they made the right choice. When Don James was in his third season and things weren't going well he moved into his office and stayed there 24 hours a day till it turned around. Expect the same type of effort from Sarkisian. He isn't here to pick up a pay check like Willingham. He is hear to win football games and continue coaching for the next thirty years.

I've seen Sarkisian do more positive things in his first week than Willingham did his first two years on the job. He seems to get it. He seems to understand what needs to be done to turn this thing around. He understands the history of college football because the eight sacks he suffered as a BYU quarterback in Husky Stadium are a poignant reminder to him of that past Husky glory.

The first thing he did after his initial press conference was head over to Bellevue and Skyline high schools to meet the head coaches who never had much of a relationship with Willingham. The next day he was talking with Monte Koehler over at O'Dea who commented that he expected a call but was impressed that it happened in only Sarks second day on the job. Make no mistake about it he is going to put a fence around the state of Washington from day one.

Sarkisian is the real deal and if he can come up with a couple of great assistant coaches like Jim Owens did he is going to do some great things at Washington. Old timers remember the names of Tom Tipps, Chesty Walker, and Bert Clark who were coaches from the Southwest that helped comprise Owens original staff.

Keep an eye on how Sarkisian develops this first staff. I expect it will have a serious USC flavor to it. That is OK by me because all the Trojans have done under Pete Carroll is win football games. I expect Steve Sarkisian to do the same thing at Washington.

Steve Sarkisian Impressive in Washington Debut

John Berkowitz — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 17:18:49 -0500

Steve Sarkisian arrived on the UW campus today as the 23rd head coach in the history of Husky football. It was evident from the onset that a new sheriff was in town. For the first time in over four years, the Seattle media witnessed a UW football press conference that actually was worth going to.

The new head coach actually took the time to directly answer questions rather than reply with a bunch of unintelligible nonsense and vacant stares. So we know one thing after day one: Steve Sarkisian will be a much better public communicator than Ty Willingham.

Willingham was never a charmer, and while being charming never helped win a football game, it sure does help you buy a little time while you are trying to rebuild a struggling football program. Most people I have talked to weren't initially excited about Sarkisian because they really don't know much about him.

What they are truly excited about is that Willingham is gone. I have been following Seattle sports for over 40 years, and I can't remember a single sports figure that was disliked as much as Willingham was on his way out the door.

At Washington we like our football coaches to win and be entertaining. Jim Owens won early and had a lot of natural charisma. That charisma carried him through some tough times, and he now has a statue of himself outside the stadium.

Don James wasn't nearly as charismatic, but he won more games and held his own with a microphone in front of him. Most of us who grew up in the area at the time considered him a second father. James commanded respect and he also gave respect back to the fanbase who adored him.

Lambright and Neuheisel both won over 60 percent of their games while they were here. While they will never be held in the same reverence as Owens or James, they were pretty easy guys to get along with. Even the grumpy Keith Gilbertson was able to summon up more personality than Willingham.

When Willingham was hired four years ago, he blew off recruiting and building a staff to take a trip to Hawaii to coach in a college all-star game and even extended his stay so he could golf four more days. His first and second classes were a disaster that he could never recover from.

Steve Sarkisian is starting his tenure at UW with a lot more urgency. In fact, he did a lot of right things his first day on the job that were absent the last four years under Willingham. First of all, he let everyone know that Willingham's Purple Curtain was no more. He is going to open up practices more to the students, fans, alums, boosters, and media.

"I want our practices to be fun and exciting. I want people there. I want students at practice. I want alumni at practice. I want media at practice," Sarkisian said. "We've got 105 kids on this football team, but they're not the only ones making this thing and making this experience what it's going to become."

Sarkisian also served notice that he was bringing in a new strength and conditioning coach. This means the days of Trent Greener are over, which must have been met with a huge sigh of relief by present squad members. It was no secret that Greener was unpopular and had lost the confidence of most of the players in the program.

"We need to get a guy in here who will get these guys bodies changed. We need to become leaner and faster and then get a mindset of being a physical team, that when we get to the point of making tackles we play at the point of attack in the run game that we are an extremely physical football team, no question."

After his press conference Sarkisian headed over to the Eastside to introduce himself to the coaches at Bellevue and Skyline. Among Skyline's prospects in the coming years are senior WR Gino Simone, junior QB Jake Heaps and sophomore WR Kasen Williams.

Restoring pipelines with the traditional powers such as O'Dea, Bellevue, and Skyline are huge keys to turning around the program in the short term.

In a down year for in-state talent, most of the top talent already signed despite the terrible record. Sarkisian's ties in California will obviously help turn around the 2009 recruiting class over the next 60 days.

From now until Dec. 20, it will be open season for high school recruiting. Expect Sarkisian to spend most of his time out on the road talking to potential recruits. The dead period runs from Dec. 2 to Jan. 4, and he will spend his time during that period getting USC ready for the Rose Bowl and filling out the balance of his coaching staff.

"Growing up in Southern California I know a lot of those high school coaches, and then coaching at USC I know a lot of them. I've had two different areas down there so I'm excited about it. I think a lot of those coaches are, too. The opportunity to get kids to come to the University of Washington, to come to Seattle again, is exciting for them.

"They know my coaching style, the way I handle the kids. I think it's exciting for them and it's exciting for me to go down there with a W on my shirt and go get players. We need to be detailed and go after the guys we think we can get and not be spread too thin, driving all over the place. Be detailed and earmark the guys we think we can really go after and put a full-fledged effort and go get them."

As far as putting a staff together goes, Sarkisian didn't drop any names yesterday, but he admitted a couple of coaches may be following him from the USC staff. Even though he is known as a QB guru, he will be bringing in a QB coach to assist in their development.

"We will have a quarterback coach title because it takes a lot of work to mentor a quarterback, takes a lot of offseason work, in-season work. So we will have basically two of us heading this thing up. But I will work hand-in-hand closely with Jake and Ronnie [Fouch] and the guys we bring in. They will play well."

My initial impression of Sarkisian is very favorable. He seems to have a plan and a sense of urgency. He was one of the leaders of one of the hardest-working and most successful football programs in America. Obviously working with Pete Carroll for the past seven years is a very good thing.

"It's the year 2008, it's about time to get back to the Rose Bowl, to Pac-10 championships, competing for a national championship, that's our goal, no question," Sarkisian said. "I can't wait to get this thing going."

Like any young coach, he has a burning desire to be successful. At only 34 years old he has a lot to prove and isn't here only because of the paycheck. He wants to make a name for himself and the program as quickly as possible, and he understands that can only happen with a lot of hard work.

I watched the press conference today, and I also watched a special on Sarkisian on Fox this evening, and I came away impressed. He speaks well, he has fire, seems confident in his abilities, and he comes across humble, which will be a welcome change. I think Washington may have found a true diamond in the rough.

Steve Sarkisian Is a Gamble That Just May Work For Washington

John Berkowitz — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:04:44 -0500

The University of Washington made a calculated gamble on Wednesday when word leaked out that 34 year old USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian would become the next head football coach.

UW passed on the likes of established program builders like Fresno State's Pat Hill and Texas Tech's Mike Leach who wanted the job to take a gamble on Sarkisian. Husky AD Scott Woodward had promised an experienced program builder who would bring in a ready made staff to rebuild Husky football. He said he was going to make a big splash on the national stage. Woodward said that Husky fans get more excited over a stop on third down than they do touchdowns so he was concentrating on hiring a defensive specialist.

Rumors were they were going to pay up to three million dollars per year to bring in the right guy. Sarkisian at first glance doesn't seem to be any of these things. The reaction of most hardcore Husky fans was very predictable. They hated it and immediately started sending e-mails of protest to athletic director Scott Woodward. Steve Sarkisian isn't a proven program builder, in fact he has never been a head coach, and he has only spent two years as an offensive coordinator. The University won't be paying him $3 million per year either. His salary will be more in line with about half of what Tyrone Willingham made during his tenure.

What exactly were Mark Emmert and Scott Woodward thinking? You say no thanks to a guy like Hill who would have had the resources to build one of the finest staff's on the West coast. You say no to a guy like Mike Leach who never has had a losing season at Texas Tech and was just named the Big 12 coach of the year?

What they were thinking is that they found a true diamond in the rough in Steve Sarkisian. They believe they are getting a coach who is just starting his prime years and who will be motivated to work harder than anyone else in the conference.

They believe they aren't getting a burnt out has been like Willingham whose most important goal was picking up his pay check on Friday. They believe they got one of the best recruiters on the West coast who was tutored by one of the all time great coaches in the Pac 10, USC's Pete Carroll.

They think they hired somebody that can tutor Jake Locker and help him reach his potential. They think they hired somebody who is going to come in and get people excited once we get to know him. The reality of coaching hunts these days is that it isn't easy stealing somebody's successful head coach even if you wave a bunch of money at them. Okahoma's Bob Stoops, Texas Tech's Mike Leach, California's Jeff Tedford, and Georgia's Mark Richt were all little known assistant coaches who arrived without fanfare who breathed life into their programs almost overnight.

Washington is counting on Sarkisian to supply that type of magic starting next week when the recruiting season reopens. The success of Sarkisian at Washington will absolutely depend on what type of staff he is able to put together. It will be interesting to watch over the next couple weeks to see what type of coaching talent he can attract and bring with him.

He isn't a defensive guy so who they hire to run the defense is going to be just as important as the selection of the head coach.

Offensively I don't have a lot of concerns. Sarkisian was one of the best quarterbacks in college football when he played for BYU back in the early nineties. He comes from the Lavell Edwards/Norm Chow School of coaching. He played under Norm at BYU and coached with him at USC.

He earned his way through the coaching ranks as a QB guru with an impressive resume that includes Carson Palmer and Matt Leinhart. Steve Sarkisian understands how to coach quarterbacks and that is good news if you happen to be Jake Locker, or the next Montlake Jake in waiting, Skyline's Jake Heaps. He should be able to get a quantum leap of improvement in this area next year for Washington.

Washington players also should benefit from the way he will structure practice and conditioning. Obviously coaching under Carroll for the majority of his career has taught him how to breed toughness. Toughness is one of the many things this program lacks at this point in time.

He should also be able to bring some passion to a squad who has been muffled emotionally during the reign of Tyrone Willingham. If you have ever watched USC practice you realize that they go at it as hard, or harder than they do at game time. The best team they may face each week is their No. 2's.

Sarkisian needs to create that type of environment at Washington. Some observers feel that Sarkisian at only 34 years old may not be ready yet to be a head coach.

Washington once hired a 29 year old assistant coach named Jim Owens who was able to turn around a team that was in a similar situation and lead it to three Rose Bowls in his first six years. Husky fans have to realize that it won't turn around overnight no matter who the coach is. It will take a couple years of strong recruiting and some serious weeding of a roster made up of underachievers.

It reminds me of the situation Jim Owens faced when he arrived in 1957. Sarkisian won't be able to implement the famous Owens death march but he will have the tools to make the changes necessary to build a winning program. I have to admit I didn't know much about Steve Sarkisian when he was hired, but the more I hear about him the more excited I get about his potential as a head coach.

Obviously this guy knows how to recruit the inner city of Los Angeles. Obviously he has a built in recruiting network nationally and up and down the West coast. An influx of talent is one of the most important things it will take to turn around the program and he has the contacts to get it done.

I did hear a KJR interview where Tui described Sark's emotion and fire and I came away impressed. Like Jim Owens and Don James, he wasn't the first choice, and we all said "who?" In the end he may be the best choice. You can't discount the fire and drive to succeed. It has been a long time since we had a coach who just didn't dial it in.

So I am willing to give the guy a chance and wait to find out what Scott Woodward found so compelling about him. We may not have to wait to long to see results because his first job will be to turn around a 2009 recruiting class gone South. I am betting that he surprises us right off the bat and creates some excitement going into the spring.

ESPN Reports USC's Steve Sarkisian Named Head Coach at Washington

John Berkowitz — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 14:23:07 -0500

In a surprise move, USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has been named head coach at the University of Washington. The hiring won't excite Husky fans who expected the school to go with an established head coach with experience in building a football program.

Washington passed on Fresno State's Pat Hill and Big 12 coach of the year Mike Leach, who withdrew today after Washington apparently told them they had filled the position.

Sarkisian's coaching career began in 2000, when he returned to El Camino Junior College as Quarterbacks Coach.

He then joined his former coach Norm Chow at USC (Chow was hired as USC's Offensive Coordinator in 2001). Sarkisian first worked as an Offensive Assistant (2001), then as Quarterbacks Coach (2002 and 2003). He was partly responsible for the success enjoyed by Trojan QBs Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart (both developed into Heisman Trophy winners).

In 2004, Sarkisian served as Quarterbacks Coach for the Oakland Raiders. He returned to USC for the 2005 season, now with the title of Assistant Head Coach (in addition to his duties as Quarterbacks Coach).

In January 2007, Sarkisian interviewed with the Oakland Raiders for their vacant Head Coach position but pulled himself out of the running and decided to stay at USC. Sarkisian was named to replace Lane Kiffin as USC's Offensive Coordinator when Kiffin took the head coaching job of the Oakland Raiders.

Texas Tech's Mike Leach Moves to Top of Washington Search List

John Berkowitz — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 04:23:21 -0500

Things started to get a bit fuzzy yesterday in the Husky football coaching search. It started off yesterday morning with word from KJR and other sources that Jim Mora was going to stay with the Seattle Seahawks.

I always considered Mora as a very long shot. He was however the unanimous choice of Husky fans who picked up their pitchforks and lit their torches in protest as they marched toward Renton and Seahawk headquarters.

The next thing to happen was the explosion of Texas Tech's Mike Leach onto the scene. No sooner than we heard that he had interviewed on Tuesday for the job, did we hear on national radio from Dan Patrick that he was headed back to Seattle for a second and final interview that would ostensibly lead to him taking the job.

Texas Tech wants to give Leach a pay raise and an extension while Auburn, who fired Tommy Tuberville yesterday, may escalate this one into a bidding war. Washington will never win a bidding war with an SEC power if it actually comes to that.

Insiders say Leach is more inclined to head to the West coast than stay in the South. Insiders in Texas also say that if Leach is offered by Washington, he will take the job.

Leach feels the UW and USC positions are the best ones to take West of the Rockies. He also counts former Husky head coach Don James as one of his idols.

Things will happen fast with Leach. He is going to be on the market no more than a day or two more before Texas Tech extends him or Auburn makes a move to hire him.

The ball is now in Washington's court if they are serious about hiring Mike Leach. Expect more word on this one as the day progresses.

Another event happened late last night when word slipped out of Fresno that Pat Hill was staying put as coach of the Bulldogs. Hill interviewed very well when he was in Seattle and really wanted the job.

A blowout loss to Boise State on national TV probably did him in with the fan base and the administration.

It was obvious that he wasn't going to provide the splash needed to ignite the fan base even though he is a good coach that would have put together an excellent staff.

The rumor is that Hill gave Washington until Wednesday to name him as head coach and the deadline passed without an offer.

USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian has emerged as a legitimate candidate after having a solid interview on Thanksgiving that went unnoticed till now. No official word or comment coming out of LA on this one.

UW wants an established head coach and passed on interviewing ex-Husky and Missouri assistant Dave Christensen, who is headed to take over at Wyoming. Sarkisian is a coach that is ready for prime time after being tutored by Carroll and spending time in the NFL.

Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables is another candidate that Washington is taking a long look at. Like Sarkisian, he may have slipped in and out of town in recent days to interview for the position.

It is known that Venables would accept the job if offered. Brent would fit the tough guy image that Washington is trying to cultivate with this hire. Venables is possibly the mystery candidate that we have heard people mentioning over the past couple of days.

You can probably count Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham out of the running now that his top assistant Gary Anderson has taken the Utah State job. If Whittingham was on the move, Anderson would have been in line to take over for him at Utah.

Chris Petersen is staying at Boise State despite the news that Oregon will promote offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to the head coaching job once Mike Bellotti retires. We thought the door might open a bit for Petersen, but that likely isn't going to happen.

Whenever the Huskies search for a coach, the name of California's Jeff Tedford always comes up, but it doesn't appear that he has been contacted. That could change this week.

As far as the coaching search, goes a friend of mine ran into the Dawgfather at an airport about a month ago and DJ said that he thought UW would end up with a top young coordinator in the end.

Even though the Washington job is distinguished and pays big bucks, it isn't easy hiring an established head coach that everyone wants. Who did Clemson end up with? They hired from inside their staff.

What did Texas do? They locked up their present DC as a replacement for when Mack Brown eventually retires. Oregon just did the same thing with Chip Kelly. hiring an established head coach that everyone wants is harder than it seems.

In the end, if Washington wants to make a big splash on the national scene, Mike Leach is going to be the guy. So get your eye patches and Pirate garb ready, because one of college football's quirkiest characters may be headed to Seattle.

University of Washington Football Narrows the Field of Head Coaching Candidates

John Berkowitz — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 03:31:44 -0500

There are a lot of things happening behind the scenes as we roll into a new week.

1. Jim Mora

First of all, as of last night the Jim Mora rumors are still alive and well.

As we all know, this one has taken on a life of its own over the past couple of years. Ever since Mora stated—in the middle of a playoff run—that he would leave his NFL job to coach the Huskies, the fan base has taken it as a literal statement—even though Mora later stated he was joking around. This one won't die until he or someone else takes the job.

Some rumors were floating that he had accepted the job, and that it would be announced between now and next Monday after all the details have been worked out. That, of course, is a rehash of the same thing we have been hearing for some time now, and I would take that with a huge boulder of salt.

I like Mora—but my gut tells me he is sticking with the 'Hawks, since the AD continues to interview other candidates.

2. Brian Kelly

Kelly is a very serious candidate, and it is rumored that he may be in Seattle as early as Wednesday for a formal interview.

The Bearcats play Hawaii this coming weekend, and have clinched the Big East title. So coming to Seattle on the way isn't exactly a stretch by any means.

We have heard that Notre Dame or Boston College would be his dream job, which is a logical assumption for a nice Catholic guy from New England. A pro-Notre Dame report says Kelly already has said no to UW. Take that with a huge grain of salt—even though it looks like Weis may be fired this coming Friday.

Kelly, like Hill, is a good friend of Saban, and the UW job has a lot more chance for longevity than Notre Dame does. An 8-4 record will get you fired at Notre Dame, while it will get you an extension—or at least a roll-over year—at Washington.

3. Pat Hill

If offered, Pat Hill will accept the job. Hill is a solid coach who needs a change of scenery after 12 underfunded years in Fresno. But he didn't help himself with a blowout loss at the hands Boise State last week.

In a perfect world, Fresno would be looking for someone to replace him, but the school lacks the money to buy him out. Most Fresno fans regard UW's interest and a subsequent hiring as a blessing.

Hill issued a statement to the press that his interview went well.

4. Kyle Whittingham

Utah is likely headed to a BCS bowl, and conventional wisdom says it is unlikely that UW will be able to pry an LDS coach from an LDS state.

From a coaching perspective, Whittingham would be a good philosophical fit at Washington. One silly rumor had Whittingham on campus last week watching a practice.

5. Chris Petersen

The door is slightly cracked from what we hear this weekend, but I think UW is way past the slightly-cracked-door stage when it comes to making a decision.

Petersen is a solid coac,h and the big win over Fresno and an undefeated season make him a highly desirable candidate. The negative is his penchant for privacy. That isn't exactly a good fit for a program about to emerge from four years of being in the dark ages.

6. Mike Leach

The king of quirky is now available to talk if Washington is interested. There are things I like about Leach and things I don't. A couple of glaring ones would be the absence of a strong defense and a dominant running game. You need to commit to the run and defense to win in Seattle.

He also has a mixed relationship with the media, despite the pirate image.

Next Up: California

With all the coaching news going on, it is still hard to believe that there is still one more game left to play this season. Finishing the season in Berkeley is going to be another giant nail in the coaching career of Tyrone Willingham.

This one should get ugly early, and stay ugly as the players and coaches really don't have much left to play for. The Bears are finishing the season on the upswing. Look for them to try to rub the Huskies' nose in the turf to avenge a loss to UW last season.

Husky Basketball

I was in Los Angeles for a funeral this weekend, so I missed a fine Washington performance against Pacific, which resulted in a 72-54 win over a perennial NCAA tournament team. The Huskies were led by Quincy Pondexter, who had one of the better games of his up-and-down career at Washington.

This game, and the close loss to nationally-ranked Florida, show that the Huskies are getting better every game. They should be capable of an upper-division finish in the Pac-10 this season.

Tyrone Willingham Points Fingers on Way out the Door

John Berkowitz — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 11:00:02 -0500

So who exactly is responsible for Washington going 0-11, seemingly on the road to a perfect 0-12 season?

Tyrone Willingham seems to think he is only partly to blame, and that the blame must be shared with Gilbertson and Neuheisel.

You can make the honest point that once Barbara Hedges was hired the program started to slide downhill despite an early national championship during her tenure. Obviously she can take absolutely no credit since it was the final result of the machine that Don James and Mike Lude created at Washington.

The plan was never to completely destroy the football program because 85 percent of all athletic department funding is dependent on revenues from football. The ultimate plan was to make it answer directly to President William Gerberding who had grown jealous of its arrogance, autonomy, and success.

Hedges' not-so-secret agenda was to dismantle the machine over time and de-emphasize football. She made Jim Lambright's life a living hell. He retaliated by showing her no respect as he tried to battle what nobody else was seeing, or willing to admit they were seeing.

The truth was that she was totally incompetent. She was not just de-emphasizing the program. Her inept management skills were unwittingly destroying it.

The firing of Lambright followed by the hiring of Neuheisel is when the program truly headed in a new, unstable direction. He won and he made things fun, but he also skirted the rules, lied, and publicly embarrassed the university. He actually embarrassed them enough that they finally decided to fire him.

Even the firing was mishandled as he won a judgment against the NCAA and UW for around $5 million on the way out the door.

The hiring of Keith Gilbertson, who never really wanted nor was really suited for the job, was her final fiasco. Insiders all knew it was a mistake.

We all hoped for the best because everyone liked Gilby, but an underachieving 6-6 season followed by a lame duck season such as this one sealed his fate under the new AD Todd Turner.

Turner was a much better administrator than Hedges. He balanced the books, got the program compliant, and fixed most of the things that were wrong in the department.

He also decided to change the culture of the athletic department. Losing was suddenly OK if you did it the right way. He had some sort of antiquated, Olympian, Vanderbiltonian ideal that he wanted to imprint on Washington athletics.

Turner brought in a man he admired, Ty Willingham, to run the football program. He was well acquainted with Willingham and had bought his shtick earlier in his career when he tried to hire him at Vanderbilt. He thought he had the perfect man to run the football program.

In reality, Willingham was an unmotivated coach on the downside of his career who had lost most of his fire and was coming off a big paycheck at Notre Dame.

He wasn't an aggressive recruiter, even though he sold himself to Emmert and Woodward as one. He wasn't a hard worker, preferring to spend his afternoons on the golf course rather than getting ready for his next opponent or on the road recruiting the next star player.

Willingham's philosophy was simple. He thought he was special enough that every kid in the country would knock on his door rather than it being the other way around. Some, such as Chris Polk, did, but they were few and far between.

The writing for his failure was on the wall that first recruiting season when he decided to coach in an all-star game in Hawaii, and stay late to golf rather than assemble a staff and hit the road recruiting.

The writing became indelible his second year when he whiffed on such in-state recruits as UW legacy Taylor Mays and Bellevue's Steve Schilling who went elsewhere because he waited for them rather than aggressively recruiting them.

I think four years is more than enough to turn around any college football program, no matter what kind of shape it is in. I am not talking about winning a national championship or going to the Rose Bowl. I am just saying that after four years it is reasonable to expect that you would have a winning record when most of the players on the squad were the players you personally recruited and developed.

Willingham whiffed his first two years on the job as far as recruiting goes. That coupled with Jake Locker's broken thumb are the biggest reasons this team is 0-11 right now.

Even without the loss of Locker it is hard to believe the team would have won more than three to four games this season. Washington simply hasn't developed football players very well over the last six or seven years. UW's players don't pass the eye test physically. They don't get better, they don't get stronger, and they haven't developed a winning attitude.

Willingham has had four years to turn that around. The failure clearly belongs to him since he has had total control of the football program ever since he was hired.

Willingham, right or wrong, insisted on doing everything his way. The "W" on the helmet meant Willingham, not Washington, over the last four years. Perhaps the record books should include an asterisk to note that fact.

Willingham should take total responsibility for not getting it done because he had 100 percent control over the past four years. You can make a point like I did that everything was not rosy when he took over, but what football program is when there is a coaching change?

Whenever you take over a program chances are you are going to be in rebuilding mode, even if it is Alabama, Notre Dame, or Michigan.

Willingham will go out the door in two weeks pointing fingers at everyone but himself for his failure at Washington. He needs to remember the old adage that when you point a finger at someone else there are four more pointing back at you.

Washington Takes On Kansas In CBE Classic

John Berkowitz — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:54:22 -0500

The Washington Husky basketball team takes on defending National Champion Kansas tonight on supposedly neutral ground in Kansas City.

Kansas is in rebuilding mode since most of the players from last year's National Championship team have either graduated or moved on to the pro's. Just two reserve players from the title team return, 6'11" sophomore center Cole Aldrich and junior guard Sherron Collins. Both are former high school All-Americans, who are now getting their first chance to shine.

Bill Self will be filling in the rest of the lineup with JC All-American Mario Little and freshman starters in 6'9" forward Markieff Morris and point guard Tyshawn Taylor, both from New Jersey.

Huskies reserve forward Matthew Bryan-Amaning, who missed the first three games due to leg injuries, is expected to make his season debut tonight against the Jayhawks and that should take a lot of pressure out of Wooden Award nominee Jon Brockman, who has been fighting double teams in the first three games.

This should be a pretty even game since both teams are trying to find themselves in the early part of the season. For Washington to win they are going to need better play offensively and defensively out on the perimeter. Isaiah Thomas showed some spark in the last game and he is going to have to provide at least 30 minutes of it tonight for the Huskies to pull off the upset.

Quincey Pondexter is another guy that has been inconsistent that needs to start showing up. Pondexter has NBA type potential that really hasn't developed since he has been at UW. He needs to start putting it all together on a nightly basis for UW to make a serious run this season.

CBE Classic Schedule

Today

Syracuse vs. Florida,

4:30 p.m. (ESPN2)

Washington vs. Kansas,

7 p.m. (ESPN2)

Tuesday

Consolation game, 4:45 p.m. (ESPNU)

Championship game,

7:15 p.m. (ESPN2)

Radio: KJR (950 AM)

Washington State Upsets Washington to Win Apple Cup

John Berkowitz — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:40:57 -0500

First Quarter

UW gets a nice return which is wiped put by a personal foul.

UW starts at the 14 and Griffin picks up five on first down. Fouch intercepted by Pellum. Not a great start for Washington. Pellum took the ball away from Goodwin.

WSU starts at the 45. Tardy picks up around 4. Lopina tossed to Anderson for a first down and the Cougars are driving. Option for minus one. Lopina to Anderson inside the 35. Lopina sacked on the blitz by Butler. WSU forced to punt.

UW starts on the 20. Griffin for 3. Griffin for 8 and the first down. Griffin for five. Griffin for minus 2. Fouch to Gottleib and the first down. Johnson for 4. Johnson for zero. Louis Bland is a real good looking LB. Fouch to Goodwin for a first down.

UW at the WSU 43. Johnson for zero. Fouch to Goowin but holding on UW (JWF) is called. Bruns lines up at QB and picks up a nice gain off a fumbled snap. 3rd and 14. Fouch is run out of bounds short of the first down. UW punts.

WSU starts at the 24. Tardy for 1. Lopina tosses one to Gibson just short of the first down. Flag on an end around to Gibson. Illegal shift. Toss to Gibson short of the first down WSU has to punt.

UW starts at the 45 after a poor punt. Griffin for 2. Griffin for 4. Fouch to Goodwin for a first down at the WSU 47.

Washington 0, WSU 0

Second Quarter

UW starts at the WSU 47. Pitch to Griffin and he takes it for 12. Griffin for 2. Griffin for 2. 3rd and 6 at the WSU 30. Fouch to Goodwin for a first down at the WSU 21. Griffin picks up 17 to take it down to the WSU 3. Griffin takes it in for the TD! UW is dominating the line of scrimmage.

Washington 7, Washington State 0

Cougars start at the 20. Lopina incomplete. Lopina to Gibson for 7. Lopina incomplete and WSU goes three and out.

UW starts on the 30. Griffin for zero. Griffin for zero. Fouch to Gottleib for 5. UW goes three and out.

WSU starts at the 22. Lopina to his TE for a big first down at the 44. Tardy stopped for a loss by Fogerson on a blitz. 3rd and long. Forrester intercepts Lopina but there is a flag on the field. Offsetting penalties.

UW takes over on the 40. Griffin for 4. Griffin down to the WSU 25. Griffin for 2. Fouch incomplete in the end zone into double coverage. He had Logan open but didn't see him. Fouch to Kearse short of the first down. Perkins hits a 35 yard FG.

Washington 10, Washington State 0

WSU starts at the 27. Mitz for a few. Lopina back to the line of scrimmage. 3rd and long for WSU. Lopina to Gibson for the first down. Mitz for 1. Lopina incomplete. Another third and long for WSU. Lopina sacked back at the 30.

WSU runs a fake punt for the first down to the UW 45. Screen to Tardy for 1. Lopina incomplete. Lopina sacked. WSU punts.

UW starts at the 8 with 31 seconds to go in the half. UW takes a knee in true Willingham fashion.

Third Quarter

WSU starts on the 20. Tardy picks up 11 for a first down. Tardy for 3. Mitz for 0 nice play by Butler. Lopina to Norell for the first down. Tardy for 3. Lopina flushed out for 2. 3rd and 5. Lopina incomplete and the Cougars have to punt.

UW starts at the 19. Fouch keeps for 4. Nice carry by Griffin for the 1st down. Fouch to Goodwin for 8. Griffin for 3. Griffin for 3. Griffin has 99 yards so far today. Fouch to Bruns to the Cougar 41 on a screen. Bruns has great speed. Griffin for 2. Fouch sacked for a big loss. Double corner blitz for WSU. Fouch almost intercepted on 3rd and 16. UW has to punt.

WSU starts at the 14. Tardy for 6. Tardy for 8 and a first down. The Cougars are looking pretty good. Seems like they are gaining momentum. Lopina for 6. Lopina to Gibson just short of the first down. Mitz picks up the first down and the drive continues. Lopina runs it to the Husky 35 but there is a flag down. Holding on Tardy. The Husky D is tiring out.

Cougs at the 43. Mitz takes it 57 yards for the touchdown. We saw this one coming as the Husky defense is getting tired as usual in the third quarter. Quinton Richardson was sucked inside on that one.

Washington 10, Washington State 7

UW starts at the 20. Dailey for one. Why put Dailey in the game? Do we want to fumble? Dailey for 3. Dailey takes it to the 38 and a first down. Dailey picks up 11 to midfield. I guess I don't know what I am talking about. Dailey is looking good. Dailey for 4.

Fourth Quarter

UW starts the fourth quarter at the WSU . Dailey pops it down to the WSU 30. UW getting some nice push. Dailey for 1. Fouch to Gottleib for 7. Fouch fumbles and UW faces a fourth and short. UW will go for a 40 yard FG. They miss it. You have to really question that call by Willingham. The chances of UW making a 40 yard FG is pretty slim.

WSU takes over at the 23. Lopina incomplete. Mitz for 1. Lopina fumbles but the Coug's recover. UW punts and Aguilar returns it 54 yards but it is all coming back because of an illegal block in the back on the opposite side of the field.

UW starts at the 23 after the penalty with 10:31 to go. Dailey for 3. Dailey for 7 and the first down. Dailey for 7. Dailey for minus 1. Went to the well one too many times. Amazing how badly Lappano calls a game. Fouch to Dailey and a first down. Griffin for minus one. Fouch to Gottleib on a screen when WSU was blitzing for a big gain deep into Coug territory. UW at the 22 and Dailey and Fouch run into each other for a loss of 1. Reverse to Jordan Polk for a couple. Offsides on the Cougs.

3rd and 1. Dailey picks up the first down. Dailey pounded for a loss of three. UW is going to have to throw it to score. Fouch to Goodwin for 3. 3rd and 9 for UW. Fouch incomplete and Aguilar drops it. UW will have to try another FG. UW misses the 28 yard FG.

3:45 left to go in this stinker. WSU starts at the 20. Lopina to Norrell for 14. Lopina incomplete. Lopina to his TE for 3. Lopina was pounded by Fogerson on that play. Fogerson is a good looking player. Lopina incomplete. 4th and long for the Cougs. Lopina complete short of the first down and UW takes over.

UW takes over at the Cougar 22 with 2:02 left. Dailey for a couple. Dailey for 3. 3rd and five for UW. WSU will get the ball back for another try if UW does not get the first down. Timeout called with 1:10 left in the game. Dailey for 3. Timeout for the Cougs with 1:04 left. 4th and 3 for UW. UW calls a timeout after looking like they were going for it. UW will punt.

WSU starts at the 20 with 56 seconds left. Look for the Cougars to throw the ball long and for the Huskies to blitz. Lopina to his TE for 9. Lopina incomplete. Lopina to Gibson for a 1st down at the 34. Lopina to Karstetter down to the Husky 18 for a 48 yard gain. UW only had ten men on the field! Lopina to Karstetter down to the Husky eight. WSU spikes it to stop the clock. WSU kicks the FG to tie the game...My Oh My we are going to overtime!

Washington State 10, Washington 10

First Overtime

WSU goes first and Tardy picks up 9. Lopina incomplete in the end zone. Nice play by Forrester. Lopina picks up the first down on the sneak. Tardy takes it down to the 9. Tardy takes it down to the 3. Washington is getting very tired on defense. Tardy stopped short of the first down by Nate Williams. WSU calls a timeout.

4th and very short for the Cougars. Mitz is close on the carry but they have to measure. Cougs pick it up. 1st and goal inside the five. Tardy down to the 2. Tardy loses a yard. 3rd down for the Cougs. Lopina incomplete. 4th down for the Cougs. Great pressure form Mason Foster. Cougs kick the 19 yard FG.

Washington State 13 Washington 10

UW takes over on the 25. Dailey for 5. Griffin takes it down to the 13 for a first down. Griffin for 6. Griffin for 0. Lewis Bland made a great stop for WSU. That kid is a player. Dailey stopped at the five. He didn't turn the ball up field in time. UW has to kick a FG. Ryan Perkins hits a 23 yard FG.

Washington 13 Washington State 13

Second Overtime

Washington starts at the 25. Dailey picks up 8. Dailey for nada. Bland makes another stop for WSU. Fouch almost intercepted and it falls incomplete. UW has to go for a FG. Perkins misses the 37 yard FG.

Washington State now starts at the 25 with the game in the bag. Mitz for a couple. Tardy for 5. 3rd and long for the Cougs. Tardy for nada and the Cougars have a chance to kick and win the game. UW calls a TO to ice the Coug kicker. Coug's attempt a 37 yard FG and it is good!

FINAL SCORE: Washington State 16, Washington 13

Washington Huskies Coaching Search Heats Up

John Berkowitz — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 03:12:58 -0500

One of the most interesting stories of the week is that AD Scott Woodward picked up a couple of commitments from tight end prospects this past weekend. Marlion Barnett and Grant Cisneros each decided to commit to the school rather than any particular head coach.

It wasn't as if the rest of the Pac-10 was beating down their doors, either, so they decided to commit now rather than wait for an offer that may not be there once a new head man is announced.

The main recruitment activity for Woodward is for a new head football coach. You would think that bringing in a top-notch coach to repair a currently 0-9 program wouldn't create a lot of interest from the coaching elite. That isn't the case, though, because coaches around the country consider UW a top 15-20 type of job. As Kyle Whittingham said on KJR a week or two ago, it is still Washington.

The scuttlebutt out there seems to think it will be one of these five coaches who will agree to take the reigns in the next couple of weeks.

1. Jim Mora

Sure, he publicly stated he wasn't a candidate, but he also hadn't been contacted. From what we are hearing, they have been pursuing him with a full-court press. Expect speculation to heat up this week regarding Mora.

2. Gary Pinkel

The Missouri Tigers won't be playing for a national championship this season after going through the gauntlet in the nation's best football conference this season. Many say Pinkel would be crazy to take the UW job, but this is his last chance if he truly wants it.

3. Jeff Tedford

Wouldn't it be great at halftime during the California game in December if Tedford switched sidelines? Word has it that Tedford is very interested and maybe he desires a change in scenery after rebuilding the California program. He would be my personal top choice because he has a West Coast staff in place and would be able to salvage the recruiting class. Don't forget that Tedford is also one of the hardest-working coaches in the country.

4. Chris Petersen

The Boise State coach isn't saying anything publicly, but it is known that Husky boosters admire what he has done since he was named head coach at Boise. That includes a BCS bowl win over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. This season his team is undefeated and could gain another BCS berth if Utah slips up.

5. Kyle Whittingham

Speaking of Utah, Whittingham would be willing to listen if contacted. I am not sure of the interest on UW's part at this time but he said on KJR that he would be honored to be considered if it came up.

Jake Locker out for the rest of the season

One of the more interesting stories I read yesterday was the announcement that Jake Locker was likely finished for the year. Did anyone out there really not know that Locker was finished for the year? Didn't the word shattered, not broken thumb mean anything?

Jake will be ready by next spring after plenty of physical rehab to get the thumb back in shape enough to grip a football without pain.

Hopefully Jake will also have a real quarterback coach who can take him to the next level. One of the surprises of this season was the fact that he didn't seem to improve between his redshirt freshman and sophomore years.

Northwest quarterback guru Greg Barton had commented last season that Locker needed a lot of work with his throwing motion. The UW coaching staff didn't want anyone working with Locker from outside the program. They also didn't make an effort to hire a real quarterbacks coach, which was a real mystery.

If you want to point to one thing that brought the staff and team down in 2008, it was the failure to develop Locker as a bigger passing threat. That failure, of course, exposed him to the potential for injury such as when he threw a block during the Arizona game.

Another case in development as far as passers go is Ronnie Fouch. Does anyone really think that Fouch is getting better as the season progresses? He isn't, and the absence of a true quarterbacks coach is one of the main reasons. Job No. 1 for whoever is the new head coach is to bring in a quarterback guru to develop UW's passers

Wouldn't it be great to watch someone like Jeff Tedford or Chris Petersen work with the Huskies' quarterbacks?

Quote of the week

"Coach really didn't want us to get too emotional,'' Gottlieb said. "He wanted us to approach it like it was any other game, so I tried to choke back the emotions a little. I was a little emotional, a little sentimental, but for the most part, I just tried to approach it like it was any other game.''

If you really want to know the single most important reason that Ty Willingham has not been successful at Washington, this quote sums it up nicely. Washington teams under Jim Owens, Don James, Jim Lambright, and Rick Neuheisel all played the game with a lot of emotion. They may not have had as much talent on the field as some of there opponents but they made up for it in many cases with the way they approached the game.

As one player who graduated last year recently said, "Willingham sucks all the fun out of playing football!"

Portland-Washington: Pilots Upset Huskies in Season Opener

John Berkowitz — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:51:14 -0500

The Husky basketball team was upset on the road at Portland tonight. Jon Brockman had a great game but Washington was unable to free up Isaiah Thomas. "IT" simply looked like a normal frosh out there this evening going up against Portland's experienced guards. He was in foul trouble most of the second half and fouled at with a little over three minutes left.

Quincey Pondexter disappeared tonight putting up a goose egg on the scoreboard. After all the pre season hype Washington looked a lot like they did last year when they had to depend solely on Brockman. Uw needs to hit from the outside if they are going to be taken seriously this year.

Robin Smeulders scored 20 points to lead Portland to the surprising 80-74 victory over Washington in the season opener for both teams. Portland's win spoiled a big game for Washington's Jon Brockman, who scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds after a slow start.

Nik Raivio finished the game with 19 points for Portland, but 13 of those came in the first half. The Huskies had just three players in double figures, including 15 by Justin Dentmon. Washington hurt its chances by hitting just three of 16 3-point shots.

Tyrone Willingham Leaves Husky Stadium for the Last Time Without a Whimper

John Berkowitz — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 00:48:08 -0500

Ty Willingham went out with a whimper last night at Husky Stadium at the hands of one of the people who helped put him in this situation...Rick Neuheisel. Truth be told, Willingham isn't a very good football coach, and it showed this season when the deck was stacked against him from the get go. Don't forget that the deck has been being stacked against the football program ever since the day Mike Lude was given his early retirement.

What was once the mightiest football program in the West. A program that even surpassed USC for around a decade has fallen into such disrepair it is going to take a miracle to get it back to respectability.

Make no mistake that the product you see on the field is just as bad as the coaches who are responsible for it. Face the facts that whoever takes the job at Washington will have one of the nation's biggest rebuilding jobs to perform.

This current Washington football team just may be the worst squad in memorable Pac-10 history. It has been years since a Pac-10 team finished a season winless, and the Huskies are a good bet to do exactly that if they don't beat equally terrible WSU on the road next week in Pullman.

Take a quick look at the sorry statistics from yesterday's game. The Huskies were only able to gain 135 total yards against one of the worst teams in the conference. Never once was Washington able to threaten the Bruins on offense.

Ronnie Fouch, like most players under Ty Willingham, isn't getting better as the season goes on. Each week you can see his confidence eroding the point where it is just sad to watch him flail around out there.

You can place a lot of that blame on the inability of Washington to mount a consistent running attack. The Huskies gained 96 yards on the ground yesterday mostly behind the work of Brandon Johnson who had 20 carries for 75 yards.

Inexplicably once he had a little rhythm going the Husky coaches sat him down and inserted true frosh Terrance Dailey who fumbled the ball on the next play ending any chance Washington had of mounting a meaningful drive in the second half. That was just one of the five turnovers that UW had on offense on Saturday.

Defensively, the Huskies turned in their best day of the season on Saturday led by seniors such as Johnnie Kirton, Trenton Tuiasosopo, and Mesphin Forrester. The Husky defense limited the Bruin offense to only 135 passing yards and 157 on the ground. The Huskies also intercepted UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft three times.

Holding an opposing team to under 300 yards in the Pac-10 usually means you have played well enough to earn a victory. That wasn't the case yesterday as the offense only controlled the ball a little over 23 minutes last night which meant the defense was on the field way too much.

We all witnessed some quitting on the field last night but it wasn't by the players. With ten minutes left in the game the steam had been taken out of the coaching staff as they chose to play conservatively and keep the clock running.

Like everyone else in attendance, they couldn't wait to get out of the stadium. Willingham exited Husky Stadium night for the last time just the way he entered and that was with a loss.

What he won't have is an excuse for being fired this time. Nobody in their right mind is going to defend Willingham on his way out the door. You can talk all you want about the lack of black coaches in college football, but Willingham has done nothing over the last five years to further the cause. Coaches have to win eventually no matter what their skin color is, and the black community is still waiting for it's own Knute Rockne.

Willingham had the chance to be a "Rockne" when he accpeted the coaching position at Notre Dame. He got a second chance to do it Washington. If you can't recruit successfully and win big at schools that have such tremendous resources at their disposal, then there is something fundamentally wrong with the way you run a football program.

For all of Willingham's faults he isn't the only one to blame for this mess. It is amazing that the work started by William Gerberding took almost twenty years to complete itself. Bill eventually got what he thought the upper campus wanted and that was a subservient athletic program wallowing in mediocrity with no chance to take away the spotlight from the school's academic mission.

They may have gone one step too far and that was by killing the goose that laid the golden egg for almost the entire funding of the University's athletic department. Take a good look at the stands the last two weeks. Having 25-30,000 in actual attendance in a stadium that seats 72,500? They can point to over 60,000 season tickets being sold, but exactly how many of the people who didn't show up the last two weeks are going to renew?

The next coach they pick to lead the program has little margin for error. If attendance keeps falling, there will be little argument left for remodeling Husky Stadium. With Qwest Field downtown the Huskies have a potential home field for a future that will only draw 30-40,000 fans per game. Don't forget for a second that regents like Bill Gates Sr. would rather tear the stadium down to make room to expand one of the nation's finest teaching hospitals.

You have to wonder if that has been the covert plan all along. Destroy the football program, let the stadium disintegrate, and make way for a new medical center located on the shores of Lake Washington. If that truly happens, they should name the place after William Gerberding because he was the guy who had the foresight to get things moving in this direction almost twenty years ago.

Team Stat Comparison

1st Downs	20	10
3rd down efficiency	7-17	4-13
4th down efficiency	0-1	0-1
Total Yards	292	135
Passing	135	39
Comp-Att	13-22	7-24
Yards per pass	6.1	1.6
Rushing	157	96
Rushing Attempts	50	30
Yards per rush	3.1	3.2
Penalties	4-35	6-55
Turnovers	3	5
Fumbles lost	0	2
Interceptions thrown	3	3
Possession	36:52	23:08

The Best of Rick Neuheisel

John Berkowitz — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:32:20 -0500

Jim Moore brings up one of the many unselfish things Rick has done while being a head coach. This isn't an isolated thing either. Rick was up to something like this every week he was in Boulder and Seattle. You can bet that part of his behavior continues in Los Angeles.

People always have a strong opinion about Neuheisel and his undoing in Seattle was by his own hand. I always wondered what would have happened if he had the strong guidance of a person like Mike Lude rather than a Barbara Hedges.

"Six months after completing chemotherapy I was in Dallas over the holidays. Colorado was playing Oregon in the Cotton Bowl, so I decided to call Rick to see if I could get a ticket to the game. Rick and I hadn't spoken for over 5 years, he was pretty big-time, so when I left the message I wondered if he'd call back.

"Rick called me later that night and said, "Matty, I got you a sideline pass with a parka, because its going to be cold that night. Not only do I want to see you at the game, but we have two more practices left and a Cotton Bowl dinner, and I hope you come by my room at the Hyatt. Me and my family want to see you."

Another thing a lot of people might not remember is the secret trips he took each week to the hospital at Stanford to visit Curtis Williams. It didn't matter what was going on, Rick would get on a private plane and go visit his ailing player.

You don't see a lot of coaches do that because there simply isn't enough time, even if the hospital is next to the football stadium. Rick made that time and never made an effort to have it become public.

We all know Rick had a tragic flaw in his character. The guy could never tell the truth. It always seemed like he was taking a page out of the Bill Clinton playbook. From what I have heard he has taken major steps that were the result of some harsh life lessons to eliminate that the best he can from his personality.

Only time will tell if the above statement is true but compassion for others was something he never lacked and that may be a more important personality trait. Here we are, sitting in year four of Tyrone Willingham and many of us are wishing that the current coach had a few of Rick's positive personality traits.

In the end, most of us are judged by what we do selflessly for others. We all have flaws but the one thing that puts us over the top as human beings is the empathy we have for those less fortunate.

What was your favorite Ty Willingham unselfish moment?

Washington Huskies Will Be Lead By Improved Play On the Perimeter

John Berkowitz — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 03:29:54 -0500

The University of Washington basketball team kicks off the season on the road tonight against the Pilots from the University of Portland. Opening on the road is an unusual move for most major conference basketball teams, but the Huskies are doing it to get the team ready to play Kansas on the road later in the month in Kansas City.

I know quite a few friends who are making the trip to PDX rather than being present in Husky Stadium to witness another football loss on Saturday. Anyone who witnessed Isaiah Thomas's debut last week against Western Washington is excited.

Romar knows that this year's team has the ability to do something special and an early road game against a WCC opponent is a good early season building block for a team that hasn't done well outside Hec Edmundson Pavillion over the last two years.

Most of the optimism about this years team centers around improved play outside along the perimeter. Good teams routinely put UW away, despite the strength they had inside, because of poor ball movement on offense and defensive play that was a step or two slow when it mattered outside.

If you go over last seasons box scores you will find that elite guards had a field day when they played Washington last year.

The difference at the guard position is being supplied by one of the best freshmen players in the country. Isaiah Thomas is for real. The kid can play with an intensity on both sides of the ball that the team hasn't seen since the days of Brandon Roy and Nate Robinson.

Offensively, Thomas is ahead of Robinson at this point in his career. Nate was always a good scorer but Thomas is a pure shooter and that just kills opponents. Isaiah also has the ability to make the players around him a lot better. The kid is a real play maker and his ball handling skills should make Jon Brockman one of the most feared big men on the planet this season.

Helping Isaiah on the outside will be Venoy Overton and Justin Dentmon. Justin will start beside Thomas and Overton will be the first guy off the bench. Dentmon has struggled at the point during his Husky career but if practices are any indication, he is going to flourish this year with Isaiah playing beside him. Dentmon can shoot the ball better than Appleby once he gets his feet set according to reports coming out of Husky camp.

Overton who was forced to learn the point on the job last year has really improved his game over the off season. His shooting stroke is improved and a year spent getting stronger has improved his ability to play defense.

Up front Jon Brockman, Quicy Pondexter, Matthew Bryan-Amaning, Darnell Gant, Joe Wolfinger, and Artem Wallace give Washington plenty of diversity and depth.

Brockman is primed for a serious run at the Wooden award which is given tot he nations best player at the end of the year. The senior will finally be relieved of the chore of carrying the team on his shoulders this season.

Look for the Huskies to finish among the top four in the conference this season and make a deep run in the NCAA playoffs this spring, where anything can happen if you develop a hot hand.

A New and Improved Rick Neuheisel

John Berkowitz — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:10:35 -0500

Rick Neuheisel is arriving in Seattle this week for his return to Husky Stadium, and even though he didn't leave under the best of circumstances, most close to him insist that he is a changed man. What has changed about Rick is that he has reportedly learned a life lesson from his time in Seattle and has marched the straight and narrow ever since.

I didn't mind the old Rick except for the Clintonian way he went about his business. He lived a life which resulted in death by 1,000 paper cuts. Despite that, I thought he did a lot more good than bad while at UW, and most of the good things he did were out of the public eye. Washington may never have had a more compassionate head coach when it came to helping out people in need.

His return was marked by a public apology to Husky fans for his past conduct, which really impressed me. He didn't have to do that, but he did. Like a man going through a 12-step program, Rick is coming to terms with his past so he can have a better future.

While Neuheisel is happy at UCLA, he does have regret for his time at Washington. Like he said on his way out, he never really appreciated what he had up here until it was taken away.

Testimony to Rick's regret are all the friends he made and left behind when he comes up to visit here each year during the summer. Rick left part of himself behind in Seattle, and rather than crawl away in shame, he faced it straight on.

That brings us to this week's question. Will you boo Rick Neuheisel when he steps onto the field on Saturday? I don't think many will, and I won't be surprised if many more boo the current head coach Tyrone Willingham.

Do you really think Tyrone will be coming back to visit lifelong friends once he packs up the moving truck in coming weeks? Do you think Tyrone will ever apologize for his performance as head coach at Washington?

For my money I will take Neuheisel with all his warts and blemishes. He may have been a piece of work at times while he was here, but I give the man a tip of the hat for sticking with it and trying to improve upon his flaws.

I advise that you provide a polite round of applause for the last man to take us to a Rose Bowl.

When Will Enough Be Enough for Tyrone Willingham?

John Berkowitz — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 02:48:54 -0500

Keith Gilbertson has to be relieved that he won't continue to go down as the worst head coach in Washington Husky history. Tyrone Willingham has removed all doubt about that title this season with last night's 56-0 exclamation point delivered by Pete Carroll and USC.

This one could have been far worse if Carroll didn't try to show some mercy. USC could have easily run up 80 points this evening if they wanted to.

If I was Ty Willingham, I would be rethinking my decision to stay on to coach the Washington Huskies until the end of the year.

Tyrone wants to make the impression that he isn't a quitter and that he won't abandon the kids in the program. The problem with that is the kids have quit on him, and it is obvious from the way the team is prepared that the coaching staff has quit on the players.

You have to believe that both Woodward and Willingham are reconsidering the decision for him to stay on this evening. With every game Willingham is burying any chance he has of ever coaching a major college football team ever again. Coaching careers don't recover after beatings like this, and it is only going to get worse even though the schedule eases up the next four weeks.

For Washington, every lopsided loss makes the coaching position a little less attractive. What top tier coach wants to take on a rebuilding project of this magnitude? Scott Woodward needs to bite the bullet and do Ty a favor by asking him to step down. It may not gain the team a victory this season, but it will certainly give the players a shot in the arm.

The decision to keep Tyrone until the end of the season was based on keeping kids in class, avoiding chaos, and giving the coach a soft landing. It isn't going to work! Every day he stays destroys his career and hinders Washington in the search for the right coach to turn it all around.

The administration at Washington needs to come to the realization that enough is enough. It is time for Willingham to step down completely in the best interest of himself and the program.

Washington Searches for a New Football Coach

John Berkowitz — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 03:50:51 -0400

Washington officially began the search for a new football coach on Monday with the announcement of the forced resignation of football coach Tyrone Willingham.

Historically Washington has always shot high during these searches, but only once have they come away with the top coach on their wish list, and that was when Barbara Hedges lured Rick Neuheisel away from Colorado.

In the mid 1950s Washington tried to lure Alabama's Bear Bryant or Oklahoma's Bud Wilkinson to Washington. Neither was interested, but both recommended a young coach by the name of Darryl Royal, who was then coaching at Mississippi State. Royal eagerly took the Husky offer and stayed for one year before going off to Texas and the College Hall of Fame.

Washington went back to Bryant and Wilkinson the next year for more advice, and they told the Husky AD about a young coach named Jim Owens who had played for Wilkinson and coached under Bryant. UW also interviewed a couple of guys named Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry for the job, but Owens' personality and enthusiasm won out.

Don't worry about Vince and Tom. Things worked out fine for them.

When Owens began to stumble in the late 1960s, the preferred choice of most Husky fans was Husky grad Don Coryell. Owens ended up holding on to the job, and Coryell went on to have great success with the San Diego Chargers.

When Jim Owens retired in the mid 1970s, the Huskies had their sights set on ex-Nebraska and current Green Bay Packers head coach Dan Devine. They had Devine pretty much signed and delivered until Ara Parseghian retired unexpectedly at Notre Dame. Devine couldn't pass up the opportunity at Notre Dame.

Washington then turned to the Bay Area, where they tried to lure California's Mike White and San Jose State's Darryl Rogers to Montlake. They both ended up in the Big Ten, taking jobs at Illinois and Michigan State respectively.

That left Washington with the little-known choice of Kent State's Don James. For those of you too young to remember, Don James was the fourth guy they offered the job to and the only one to accept.

When James retired unexpectedly almost two decades later, Jim Lambright was named head coach without a formal search. When Jim was fired, the two most prominent names were former Husky assistants Chris Tormey (Idaho) and Gary Pinkel (Toledo). Barbara Hedges surprised, everyone including the search committee, when she announced the selection of Rick Neuheisel.

When Neuheisel was fired, Keith Gilbertson was named head coach, and there was again no official coaching search. There were rumors that both Charlie Weis (New England) and Jim Mora Jr. (San Francisco) were interested, but Hedges looked no farther than Gilbertson, who really wasn't suited to be a head man.

When Gilbertson was fired two years later, names like Jeff Tedford, Urban Meyer, Gary Pinkel, Jim Mora, and Les Miles were tossed around, but it came down to Tyrone Willingham, who had just been fired by Notre Dame, and Tom O'Brien at Boston College. Miles was interviewed but jumped at the LSU opportunity when it came up.

Todd Turner tried to hire Willingham when he was at Vanderbilt, and the love affair continued at Washington.

The Big Names

Many of the same names are still in contention four years later for the Washington coaching job. Jim Mora was coming off a solid rookie season coaching the Falcons, so the timing wasn't right for him. Gary Pinkel was entrenched at Missouri, and Jeff Tedford, who likely was the top candidate, decided to stay at California where he received a generous raise in pay.

This time around, things could be a little different. Facilities still haven't broken ground at California after almost four years of tree sitting. Jim Mora is now in line to be the next Seattle Seahawks coach but is rumored to have an out clause if he wants the UW job. Pinkel is having an excellent season at Missouri.

All three will be willing to listen to what Washington has to say for different reasons.

Mora will likely get the first call. Even though he is signed by the Seahawks for 2009, he has always said UW would be his dream job. He lives in the area and he knows how the majority of the fans feel about him. He is going to listen sometime this week and decide which way he ultimately wants to go.

Pinkel is very secure at Missouri. He has great support and fantastic facilities. Why would he leave that all to rebuild Washington? He loves Seattle, and Washington is also his dream job. This will be his last chance to coach the Huskies. Will he take it or retire at Missouri?

The Huskies have coveted Jeff Tedford ever since he arrived at California. His work ethic is unquestioned, and he runs a clean program. You can count on Washington contacting him if Mora or Pinkel do not come. Word is that Tedford has let UW know that he is curious through back channels.

Butch Davis has done a nice job rebuilding North Carolina and did a stellar job at Miami before moving on to the pros. His advanced age, lack of West Coast ties, and the desire to get back into the NFL someday are perceived negatives. Despite that, a lot of boosters like him because he has proved he can rebuild at a high profile institution.

Les Miles was a candidate for the job four years ago when he was at Oklahoma State. He took the LSU job before discussions could get serious with Washington. He turned down his alma mater Michigan last year. Why would he be interested in Washington? I have no idea, but we are hearing he has an interest.

Mike Riley was offered the job once before when Neuheisel was ultimately hired. Mike has built a solid program in Corvallis. Would he consider Washington a step up from being a hero in his own hometown? Chances are Riley is going to retire at Oregon State.

One thing Washington will have to offer this time to candidates is Scott Woodward rather than Todd Turner as athletic director. One big time coach who spoke with Turner about the Washington job last time it was open was turned off by the conversation and commented that he thought Turner was weird.

Woodward is a big improvement over Turner both personality and ideology-wise. Woodward wants to win football games doing things the right way. Turner, on the other hand, wasn't overly concerned with the win/loss record. He had some type of 19th-century Olympic ideal which just wasn't relevant for a BCS school.

1. Jim Mora Jr. (Seahawks)

2. Gary Pinkel (Missouri)

3. Jeff Tedford (California)

4. Butch Davis (North Carolina)

5. Les Miles (LSU)

6. Mike Riley (Oregon St.)

Smaller names

If Washington doesn't get anywhere with the top six, there are plenty of other good coaches out there to choose from. I think there is a lot more talent to go around this time than there was four years ago.

Pat Hill will receive plenty of attention since Nick Saban has recommended him. Hill will interview and has a very good chance of getting the job if it falls this far. A lot of people aren't excited about Hill, but he can coach and gets 110 percent out of his talent. A lot of folks don't realize the budget restrictions he has to deal with at Fresno State.

We all know what Chris Petersen has done at Boise State, and feelers will certainly be sent out to him. You can't help but admire his record, but he did not build the program from scratch.

Gary Patterson and Todd Graham are two of the nation's hottest coaches but have roots in Texas and the Midwest. Both of these guys are looking to move if it is the right situation. I think any school would be lucky to have either one of these guys, but I think their best fit might be in the Big 12.

Brian Kelly was high on most of the preseason lists until his team started doing face plants in October. Kelly is a respected program builder who also has ties to Saban, who gives him high marks. He just might end up being the next head man at Tennessee.

Keep a sharp eye on Randy Edsall, who worked with Mark Emmert at UConn. He wasn't on the list last time, but he is peaking right now. In fact, his team pounded Brian Kelly's Cincinnati squad last weekend.

Mike Leach applied for the job last time it was open. His quirky personality may not be the best fit at Washington.

Jim Harbaugh has impressed most of the Pac-10 with the way he has turned around Stanford. He has the Cardinal, who were one of the worst teams in the country, on track for a bowl appearance in only his second season.

1. Pat Hill (Fresno State)

2. Chris Petersen (Boise State)

3. Gary Patterson (TCU)

4. Todd Graham (Tulsa)

5. Randy Edsall (UConn)

6. Brian Kelly (Cincinnati)

7. Jim Harbaugh (Stanford)

8. Mike Leach (Texas Tech)

Unemployed names

Lane Kiffin has let the press do the talking for him, letting everyone know that he is very interested in the Washington job. His mentor Pete Carroll is helping the effort by talking his protégé up.

Never count out Terry Bowden. He would like to get back into coaching, and the UW job would appeal to him since he seems to be damaged goods down South.

Mike Tice, who is an assistant coach in the NFL, would be interested because Seattle is where his home is. I am not a Tice fan, and he ran a pretty loose ship up in Minnesota.

Scott Linehan has Washington ties and would like a shot at the job. I wasn't a big fan of his when he was the OC at Washington. Except for his stint at Minnesota as an OC, he hasn't exactly set the NFL on fire.

Ex-Baltimore Raven head man Brian Billick is from the West Coast and currently looking for a job. He is another dark horse to keep an eye on.

1. Lane Kiffin

2. Terry Bowden

3. Scott Linehan

4. Mike Tice

5. Brian Billick

Hot assistant coaches

Dave Christensen is going to get at least a courtesy interview if Pinkel is not interested. Like all former Huskies, his dream would come true if he could return to Montlake as head coach.

Will Muschamp has ties to Emmert and Woodward from LSU, which gives him a much better shot if interested. Rumors have him going to Clemson, but he would be very interested in working with Emmert and Woodward again.

Brett Venables is ready to take over a program, and Washington would be a plum job for him. He already has let it be known that he is very interested.

Gregory is in line to take over at California if Tedford leaves but is ready for prime time. The WSU grad is one of the better assistant coaches in the country.

DeWayne Walker is a guy they tried hard to recruit last year as an assistant coach. I don't think he has the makeup of a great head man, and his personality is a little too uptight for Husky tastes.

Steve Sarkisian gets rave reviews, but he has a lot of talent to work with at USC.

1. Dave Christensen (Missouri)

2. Will Muschamp (Texas)

3. Brett Venables (Oklahoma)

4. Bob Gregory (California)

5. Steve Sarkisian (USC)

6. DeWayne Walker (UCLA)

Willingham's Legacy at Washington

John Berkowitz — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:59:04 -0400

A couple of days ago a poster on Dawgman reminded me that I was once what was labeled a Posi-Dawg rather than being a Nega-Dawg.

The phrases were coined by JE Cornell who was unabashedly Pro-Willingham until he found himself banned from practices earlier this season for writing something nice about the team and the coaches on Dawgman.

For the record I was never really a Posi-Dawg or a Willingham fan. I was surprised when he was hired. He never even made my top ten for potential coaches. I thought he did a good job at Stanford and had been let go too soon at Notre Dame.

While his hiring did not excite me I felt at the least he would provide a stable 4-5 year bridge until they brought a new coach in if he proved not to be successful.

I started this blog because a lot of people were being way too negative about Willingham and the program the minute he was hired. I felt he deserved at least a couple of years of support to see if he could get this thing turned around.

I decided to go with a gloves off Willingham policy his first two seasons at Washington. Only in the third season would I turn a completely critical eye toward the program and the coaches overall performance.

I admit I gave Willingham a mulligan for his first recruiting season. I felt that the only way any coach was going to salvage that class was to sign Felder (California), and Stewart (Oregon). Those were the two in state kids you had to have in addition to Savannah, and Hasty.

What Willingham did was put off active recruiting and the formation of his coaching staff till after January 1st.

You can say that he had little chance at Felder, and Stewart, but he didn't hit the road immediately to recruit like every Husky head coach had done before him when they were hired.

Jim Owens went to his interview with a suitcase and told them he was never going to leave. He hit the ground running the day after he was hired. Don James basically did the same thing. He was on a plane to recruit the day he was hired. Tyrone went to Hawaii to coach in an all star game and stayed a couple extra days to golf.

His second class was led by Jake Locker but the loss of Steve Schilling (Michigan), and Taylor Mays (USC) completely took the luster off his recruiting ability.

The man that sold himself on his recruiting ability to Mark Emmert and Todd Turner came in with a class ranked in the mid 40's which simply is not acceptable at a place like Washington. Once again it was marred by JC's he was really counting on not getting into school.

The loss in year two to Stanford was when I knew things weren't going to work out for Willingham at Washington. Stanford was as bad as WSU is this year and UW didn't simply lose the game because they were out of QB's.

They lost because they were outplayed, out coached, and most importantly out motivated. A win over WSU took a little bit of the sting out of the Stanford loss but the opportunity to go to a bowl game in Ty's second season had been blown.

The decision the previous Monday to surprise fourth years seniors with terminations at the end of the year caught many including the players by surprise. The reason he said he was doing it was so the players could run out on the field one last time as graduating Huskies.

What it did was take the wind out of senior leadership on the team which was the main reason for the upset. The announcement was poorly timed regardless of the shallow intentions.

I started year three with a critical eye and watched as Washington lost close game after close game. Moral victories were not cutting it anymore and after the loss to Arizona I decided in my own mind that Washington needed to cut Willingham loose and start things over by hiring someone such as Jim Mora Jr..

Honestly I expected a lot more out of Tyrone Willingham off the field. He just didn't seem to understand the culture at Washington and that was because he and his boss Todd Turner were trying to erase that legacy and culture.

The "W" on the helmet began to mean Willingham and not Washington.

Tyrone described his current situation as acidic last week when speaking to Bob Davie before the game. I think it is an apt description but never once did he seem to look inward and acknowledge that he was mostly responsible for that acidity.

Decisions like eliminating fans from the team hotel on the road, eliminating the 5th quarter, and not participating in Husky Huddles had estranged him from the one group that could have made things easier for him: the Husky fan base.

Tyrone kept boosters, fans, students, and former players at arms length. He even went as far as to not let former Huskies use the on campus facilities to work out and mingle with the team in the off season.

It seemed Tyrone would have been perfectly content playing in an empty stadium on Saturdays. He never seemed to understand that all Husky fans really wanted to do was embrace and love him. He rejected that embrace and love on a daily basis and in the end, it became his ultimate downfall.

It wasn't all about winning and losing as he told the media last night. It was more about building the team around the team. He failed miserably where every other Husky head coach had been successful.

Husky football is a religion in the Northwest and every single Husky coach before him had reached out to and appreciated the fan base. Willingham behaved like an outsider from day one, by his own choice and went out the same way yesterday.

Tyrone says he is going to write a book about his experiences as a head football coach. That and the phrase acidic were the first salvo's in what will end up being an attack on Washington.

I am sure he will be able to pull out a couple of very choice e-mails and point to them as reasons why he was not successful at either school. There are always extreme idiots out there and you can bet that those types of letters will become public.

What Willingham will avoid talking about is the myth that he is a molder of men and a man of his word. Only two weeks ago he was trying to run off one of the freshman he recruited last season.

I thought the agreement was for four years and you had to earn your fifth?

Do you really mold someone by trying to yank their scholarship in the first semester of school because you don't think the kid is Pac Ten material? Who was responsible for making the offer in the first place?

Another thing he probably will avoid is the discussion on two talented players who ended up in his permanent dog house. JR Hasty and EJ Savannah were the top two recruits in his first ill fated recruiting class.

Neither of these kids were angels and neither of them are currently on the roster. Both of these kids had the talent to be difference makers but for some reason Ty wasn't able or willing to get them over the hump socially. It seems Ty helps some kids in need and ignores others.

Over the next few weeks stories will start leaking out from former players. Last night we saw the beginning of that on the Dawgman message boards when players such as Cody Ellis voiced their opinions.

What these stories will show is a completely different perception of Tyrone as a molder of men. With Willingham you were either in or you are out. The sad tale about his tenure at Washington is there were just too many players on the out for the program to succeed.

A writer from Seattle Metropolitan Magazine interviewed me the first week of the season. He was researching a story on Rick Neuhesiel and his return to Husky Stadium as head coach at UCLA.

He wanted my impressions on Rick during his tenure at UW. He also wanted to know if Husky fans were going to boo Rick when he leads UCLA on to the field at Montlake in November.

He wanted to know why Husky fans hate Rick Neuheisel. It took him by surprise when I told him that they were more likely to boo Willingham and applaud Neuheisel.

Rick was far from perfect in his tenure at UW. We all know what he did and didn't do while he was here so I don't want to rehash the negative. I told him that most fans don't hate Rick even though he had his flaws in judgment while at UW.

I will personally tell you that Rick Neuheisel took the field to win for UW every single time he trotted out as head coach at Washington. He was a great game day coach.

Most importantly he didn't exclude anyone. He was extremely welcoming to the fan base. Husky legends had access to the program. Everyone was welcome.

Friday nights before a game on the road the team hotel was exciting when Rick was around. KJR would be on the lobby doing a remote as hundreds of Husky fans hung out together with the team before the big game.

Coaches and players mingled with family, friends, and fans before heading upstairs to begin preparations.

Rick got it, he made everyone feel like they were part of the team. He understood the tradition that had been in place for decades.

Willingham never got that and it is a big reason he was fired on Monday. All Tyrone really needed was 3-4 more wins in his tenure to have gone to two bowl games in his first three years. He didn't get those very important wins because he was not able to properly motivate and coach his players.

Most importantly he never energized or involved the fan base. If Willingham had utilized the energy around him his team probably would have won those games and we would not be discussing his replacement.

I have no idea who will be the next coach at Washington but lets hope he embodies the best attributes of Owens, James, Lambright, and Neuheisel.

Let's hope he doesn't forget the fans.

Ty Willingham Out at Washington

John Berkowitz — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:40:45 -0400

Tyrone Lionel Willingham addressed the media this afternoon and announced his resignation/dismissal at Washington. He expressed his desire to remain coach until the end of the season.

AD Scott Woodward said that Willingham would continue to coach until the end of the season. Woodward said he didn't want to orphan the team. He wanted to make sure that kids still went to school and had some consistency.

Tyrone hopes it will help dispel some of the negativity surrounding the program. Willingham hopes he can still lead the team in the correct way for the rest of the season.

The announcement was made without a team meeting, so the players are hearing this for the first time. Willingham said it was just a matter of timing.

Woodward said he and Willingham have been talking about this for a week. Willingham says he can lead better with the uncertainty eliminated, and I think that makes a lot of sense.

Woodward won't rule out naming a new coach before the season ends. He says one advantage it gives them is a head start in the process.

Willingham says it is a good, strong program for someone to jump in and take over. He feels two more strong classes will get the program back to where it needs to be. It will take at least two strong classes in my humble opinion.

As far as the upcoming game, Willingham says Senio Kelemete has some possible knee damage, and they are still not sure of the extent of the injury. David Freeman is a continuing problem, and they are not sure what he can do. Aieywa is in the same boat after injuring his groin in a different spot.

Tyrone Willingham Deserves No Mercy

John Berkowitz — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 09:41:00 -0400

OK, where do you go exactly now if you are a 0-7 football team in a complete death spiral with a lame-duck head coach?

Los Angeles, of course, to face the USC Trojans in the Coliseum.

Talk about throwing the Christians to the lions...this is going to be the least entertaining college football game in the long history of the Pac-10. The only way you could appreciate this coming game is if you are an S&M specialist! We are talking about 60 running minutes of humiliation without the honor of certain death at the end of the match.

In a normal universe, Willingham would have been fired last season. Everyone knew, including himself, that he was in over his head and had lost it. Only political maneuvering on the part of Todd Turner, the threat of NAACP involvement, and little advice from Bill Gates Sr. stayed Mark Emmert's hand.

What we get for that intervention is a week-by-week death watch that is going to bury his head coaching career forever. Every day Willingham prays for Scott Woodward to pop in the door to fire him and put an end to his torture. Every day it isn't going to happen, as Mark Emmert and Scott Woodward have decided to let Willingham die by his own hand instead.

It all makes sense. This season is totally lost, and the football program is even further behind from being respectable than it was in 2004. Why let an interim coach take the weekly abuse when you have coach Willingham to kick around each week? If you don't like this guy, you certainly don't want Woodward to fire him. Let him suffer, stewing in the cruel soup he has made for himself, till the end of the season.

Don't give Willingham the chance to pull the same type of crap his minions did for him on his way out the door at Notre Dame. He started the campaign yesterday by floating the comment that this was the most acidic position he had ever been in his life. He doesn't seem to get that he is totally responsible for this acidic situation. It was his acidic and lazy personality that got us here in the first place.

Don't fire him...the worst punishment you could give this guy is not letting him out of his contract early this year so he can go golfing in North Carolina. Let him wallow in the misery. Let all the stories come public about what a petty SOB he has been during his four-year reign at Washington.

The gloves are officially off in every segment of the Husky community. Even announcer Bob Rondeau gave Willingham a tongue-lashing in his postgame interview. Dick Baird even called for his head, and, for the first time in his Dawgman journalistic career, picked UW to lose a game. It is official, it is over, Willingham has zero support from top to bottom at Washington.

That still doesn't mean he should be fired. A sympathetic firing is way to good a fate for a man like Willingham. Only last week he was trying to run one of the true freshman off the team by having him run endless sets of stairs during practice. The kid's sin was that Willingham didn't feel he was Pac-10 material.

Even though Willingham offered him a scholarship last spring, he is trying to make the kid quit school before even his first semester is done. You have to wonder why a coach on the rocks would even bother with such a silly and dishonorable exercise? Is this truly a molder of men or a petty tyrant trying to fulfill one last vendetta on the way out the door?

Why fire a guy like that and give him what he wants? Let Willingham continue to suffer, and show him no mercy. Let him face the indignity of explaining each week why his team is among the worst in America in his fourth year at the helm.

Woodward and Emmert know exactly what they are doing!

Washington Husky Hoops Preview: Improved Guard Play Points to Tournament Return

John Berkowitz — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 08:27:02 -0400

Lorenzo Romar was the toast of the town when he came back to his old school to lead UW back into the NCAA tournament. That success was followed by Washington bringing in some big time recruiting classes.

However, those big time classes have not translated into success yet, as Washington has been near the bottom of the conference and out of the tournament the last two years.

Roster Overview

The Husky perimeter play has just sucked on offense and defense the last two years. Despite UW having a strong front line during that time period, the guards weren't able to keep opposing teams from packing it inside. What Washington has this year that it didn't have last year is experience and balance where you need it to win in this conference.

PG Venoy Overton is another year older and another year wiser after learning on the job how to run the point in one of the nation's toughest conferences. Rather than being teamed up with the one-dimensional Ryan Appleby, he will be running the court with scoring and assist demon Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas is the most exciting addition to the basketball team since Nate Robinson. The two players are very similar. Thomas is the better shooter coming in, while Nate was extremely quick and physical with his football player body. Both are kids of limited stature size-wise who make it up with a great vertical jump and quickness.

Justin Dentmon returns for his senior season, and it looks like he has been on a mission to be in the best shape of his life. Expect Dentmon to provide solid minutes in addition to Overton and Thomas.

The Dawgs also add guards Elston Turner from Los Angeles and Scott Suggs from St. Louis to the roster, which increases the overall depth and raises the talent level in the backcourt. Husky WR Devin Aguilar will join the team in December.

At forward, All-American candidate Jon Brockman returns for his senior season with hopes of finishing his career in the NCAA tournament. Brockman is a rock on the inside and he should flourish this season with the distraction of Thomas on the outside. With Brockman inside, Washington doesn't need to worry about rebounds and defense.

Flanking Brockman will be Quincy Pondexter. Quincy was a pretty heralded recruit and we are all waiting for him to put it together for an entire season. Once again, the improved play out on the perimeter should open up his game on offense.

Matthew-Bryan Amaning is a talented sophomore the Huskies hope blossoms in his second season. Sideline observers during the summer and fall report that this kid is ready to do some damage this season.

Justin Holiday got his feet wet last year and gained the notice of the coaches because he played solid defense. Holiday is competing for an expanded role this year.

The Huskies add power forwards Darnell Gant and Tyreese Breshers to the mix on the frontline in 2008. Early reports on all the frosh have been good so far.

Artem Wallace returns to do his poor man's Jon Brockman imitation. Artem is coming off a serious knee injury, so it will be interesting to see how much time he gets early.

Joe Wolfinger is an interesting seven-footer to have on the roster because despite being so tall, he is a three-point shot artist. I think he is an interesting piece to add to the frontline at times. He has been telling people that he is going to more of a factor on defense and in rebounding this season.

According to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times:

"The Huskies are still practicing with just 10 players, however, as senior Artem Wallace (offseason knee surgery), redshirt freshman forward Darnell Gant (offseason sports hernia surgery), and true freshman forward Tyreese Breshers (shin) remain sidelined.

"Romar said Wallace could be practicing by the end of this week and Gant by the end of next week. But Breshers' return is further away."

Outlook

I think the outlook is bright for the Huskies in 2008-2009, and I predict an upper division finish in the Pac-10 this season. The jump up in the standings is all predicated on improved guard play around the perimeter.

Thomas and Overton are a major upgrade in quickness in talent. Thomas has the ability to take over a game, and I think you may see that happen in the closed scrimmage against Wyoming.

Up front the Huskies are talented and experienced. It all starts with Jon Brockman, who will benefit greatly from the improved ball handling and passing. Pondexter and Amaning need to take their games to the next level for Washington to be able to go deep into the tournament this year.

Did I say tournament?

I fully expect this Washington team to go as far as the Sweet 16 next March. I think everyone is going to really enjoy the show that Thomas and Brockman are going to put on this season as the Huskies return to the style of play of the Roy/Robinson era.

Charlie Weis and Ty Willingham Match Wits This Saturday

John Berkowitz — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:50:13 -0400

Going into the 2008 season, this was going to be one of the most touted games of the season, featuring two teams that had a good chance of being under .500 at the end of the season. The hype, of course, was that you had the ex-Notre Dame coach going up against the current Notre Dame coach, with both on the hot seat after poor finishes last season.

Washington was expected to struggle in their first three games against Oregon, BYU, and Oklahoma, and they did, starting the season 0-3. Disaster struck after that first bye week when Husky QB Jake Locker injured his thumb and was shelved for the rest of the season. The Huskies have been in a free fall ever since, battling injuries and inexperience while falling to 0-6.

Notre Dame struggled in its first game out of the chute, just getting by hapless San Diego State 21-13 at home. The next week they came out and smashed a struggling Michigan team 35-17, and everyone was declaring the Irish back, even though the Wolverines are having one of their worst seasons in decades.

A solid 38-21 win over Purdue followed. The Irish held on to beat Stanford the following week, 28-21. They then lost on the road to No. 22 North Carolina, 29-24.

Weis has the Irish in good shape to go bowling this post season. Remaining games on the schedule include Washington, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Navy, Syracuse, and USC. The Irish will likely lose to Pitt, BC, and USC. You can pencil in victories over UW, Syracuse, and most likely Navy, which would give the Irish a respectable 7-5 record and a bowl bid.

The knock on Weis is that he doesn't beat anyone he isn't supposed to beat. Where are the signature victories? The win over Michigan looks good on paper, but that was soon erased by the reality of how horrible the Wolverines are this season. The only ranked team the Irish have played this season beat them.

The Irish may be 4-2 as they head into Seattle, but they are far from being a top 25 football team.

To beat the Irish, you need to put pressure on Clausen and stop one of the nation's best passing attacks. UW has seen better passing attacks this year but hasn't been able to stop anyone yet. Last week's game against Oregon State showed some improvement, but the Huskies are still very much a work in progress going into this one.

The Irish running game isn't really a threat, so if you "tee" off on Clausen, you can keep these guys under control. The problem for Washington is they haven't been able to "tee" off on anyone this year. Opponents have completed 116 of 160 passes against the Huskies this year with only two interceptions.

To make matters worse, the Huskies have only three sacks this season. All were against Arizona by Daniel Te'o-Nesheim. UW is going to have to do a much better job providing pressure if they are going to beat the Irish.

How good are the Irish? Notre Dame is a team that will struggle to finish over .500 this season. Like the Huskies they have a bunch of youth on the roster that is continuing to develop each week.

The key for the Irish in this one is confidence. With four wins under their belt, they feel much better about themselves than the Huskies do.

Washington has a chance to beat Notre Dame at home. The Irish are not as good as Arizona and Oregon State. We do know that they are better than Stanford, who beat the Huskies three games ago. The Vegas line has Notre Dame as a 12-point favorite, and I think that is pretty accurate going into this game.

For Washington to win, they need to start better in the first half and not turn the ball over. Turnovers have been killing this team ever since Locker was hurt. If the Huskies can keep their hands on the ball and give Ronnie Fouch a little time, an upset is possible.

Another key for Washington is if they will be ready to play emotionally this week after starting the season 0-6. Obviously the coaching staff is beginning to lose the confidence of most of the players, but this is Notre Dame, and I am sure the team will be up for this one.

Finally Washington needs to put pressure on Clausen so he doesn't pick the defensive backfield apart. If UW can keep his completion rate at around 50 percent or lower, they have a chance to come away with a victory.

Bulletin Board Material

Fat Charlie isn't one of the sharpest knives in the drawer when it comes to keeping his mouth shut at the appropriate times.

Willingham and Weis are not on friendly terms. Upon arriving at South Bend, Weis took a number of potshots at Willingham and continued to do it during last year's horrible 3-9 season.

When asked if he ever asked former Irish coaches including Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie for advice, he said this:

"When I call people up, I usually like to talk to the guys who left here with a good taste in their mouth," Weis said on a conference call with reporters. "When guys leave here before they're ready to leave, they're not the people that would be the best for me to talk to."

"I don't want them to feel they have to say something, and I really don't want to ask them," he said of his immediate predecessors. "When I have a question to ask somebody who's been in that boat, I call Ara or Lou because they were here over a decade, and I just feel those are the guys that can kind of guide me the best.

"I feel bad for the other people, but the bottom line is, when people leave before they want to leave, it's never a good conversation."

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times has an interesting take directly from the mouths of those who cover the Irish concerning Willingham's performance at UW as being vindication for Notre Dame firing Willingham with two years left on his contract.

"At some points, it's gotten to be too much," said Lou Somogyi, editor of the Notre Dame fan magazine, Blue and Gold Illustrated. "It's almost gotten to where all the maladies of Notre Dame were blamed on Tyrone the last couple of years. Not saying he's not culpable, but at times it's like he was even responsible for Original Sin."

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis was asked if he feels any sympathy for Tyrone Willingham, coach of the 0-6 Washington Huskies.

"Was anyone asking that question last year?"

Notre Dame used to be my second-favorite team behind the Huskies. I grew up watching Lindsey Nelson rebroadcast the games on Sunday mornings. We have all watched the Knute Rockne movie and have seen Rudy. It is tough not to admire the Irish tradition, even if you are not a fan.

Since Willingham was fired, I haven't been a Notre Dame fan. I still feel Tyrone was jobbed at ND regardless of his performance at UW. I think Weis has a big mouth and is a poor representative of what Notre Dame is really about. He doesn't have enough class to be walking those hallowed sidelines in my humble opinion.

Weis hasn't proved anything at Notre Dame other than he can win with Willingham's players. He fell flat on his face during his third season and this season has been saved by a relatively easy schedule. When you struggle to beat San Diego State in your opener at home, you are not impressing me.

This is a bigger game than most people think. This is Willingham's chance to stick it to Notre Dame and Charlie Weis. A win over the Irish on Saturday won't salvage UW's season or Willingham's coaching career at UW, but it will give an extremely young team who hasn't given up some confidence going into the second half of the season.

For Notre Dame, a loss to Washington could be a disaster that will possibly cost Notre Dame a bowl bid at the end of the season. Two straight years without a bowl game could mean the end of Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, even though he is obviously building well for the future.

Whatever happens on Saturday, you can safely bet on one thing: Irish football coaches of the future will not be calling Charlie Weis for advice on how to succeed at Notre Dame either.

Big-Play Oregon State Beavers Too Much for Washington

John Berkowitz — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:01:11 -0400

Washington actually looked a lot better on both sides of the ball despite losing to Oregon State Saturday, 34-13.

The Huskies had their first 100-yard rushing game by a running back this season. Terrance Dailey showed that he has a lot of talent; the coaches were correct in playing him the second half of the season. He simply is better than Brandon Johnson and Willie Griffin at this point.

D'Andre Goodwin had his best day catching the ball during his Husky career. He finished with five catches for 136 yards and a long of 48. Devin Aguilar added five catches for 73 yards and a had a couple of very nice punt returns for positive yardage.

Ronnie Fouch, despite four turnovers, had a nice touch on most of his passes, going 17-of-32 for 276 yards. Three interceptions and a fumble took a bit of the luster off the performance, but the redshirt freshman showed a lot of improvement in his second start.

His offensive line didn't give him a lot of help last night. He was constantly hurried throughout the evening; the fact that he was only sacked once was a miracle. Overall, the Husky offense was able to gain 377 yards in total offense, which is usually enough to win a football game if you don't turn over the ball four times.

What hurt the Husky offense were turnovers and a lack of efficiency in the red zone. UW only punted once Saturday, but still only put 13 points on the scoreboard. I am not going to hang all the turnovers on Fouch. The offensive line simply had him running for his life most of the night in desperation, trying to make something happen.

Lack of performance in the red zone cost UW 13-to-20 points on two missed field goals and the failure to run it in to the end zone from the 1-yard line on four straight plays in the fourth quarter. UW also was stalled by a couple of interceptions in the end zone. If you put those 13-to-20 points on the board, you have a completely different ballgame, with UW in it till the end.

Washington Drive Summaries
START	QTR	POSS.	YRDL	PLAYS	YARDS	RESULT
15:00	1	02:33	UW 31	3	-15	Punt
09:25	1	04:31	UW 6	8	66	Field Goal Good
02:23	1	01:33	UW 33	3	-9	Interception
14:09	2	02:56	UW 35	7	16	Fumble
08:43	2	05:15	UW 19	11	58	Field Goal Missed
01:25	2	01:00	UW 26	6	47	Field Goal Good
08:29	3	04:30	UW 32	9	46	Field Goal Missed
02:27	3	02:10	UW 48	4	22	Interception
12:52	4	00:53	UW 27	3	73	Rushing Touchdown
05:20	4	03:27	UW 32	9	67	Turnover on Downs
01:12	4	00:11	UW 41	1	0	Interception

Defensively, Washington looked a little better than they had over the last two games, but the story of the game was the old fly sweep to wideout James Rodgers. Rodgers finished with 110 yards rushing on three carries and scored on runs of 55 and 52 yards. He also caught three passes for 53 yards and one score, and posted another 53 yards on kick returns.

Jacquizz Rodgers did his part, too, adding 94 yards on 20 carries and a one-yard touchdown early in the second half, but UW had him contained for most of the evening. Most of his yards were gained in the second half while running down the clock after the game was out of hand.

Oregon State quarterback Lyle Moevao had the most efficient passing day of his career, completing 18-of-22 passes for 191 yards. He had just one incompletion in the first half.

The big plays to James Rodgers are what killed Washington last night. You eliminate those three plays and combine it with better performance in the red zone, you have a close football game.

Overall, even though there are some moral victories, you can take from this one that Washington simply wasn't very competitive. It is going to be very tough for this football team to win more than one game this season.

The big worry going in was whether the Washington players would quit once they fell behind. The team kept scrapping till the last play, and you have to acknowledge that. They all know the season is over and the coaching staff is going to be fired. You have to give the kids some credit for continuing to fight under those circumstances.

Tyrone Willingham Nears End of the Road at Washington

John Berkowitz — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:35:20 -0400

It's one thing to lose, but please be entertaining while you are losing. Last year's team lost in a very entertaining fashion. They were in every game, they never gave up, and they invariably folded after being out-coached in the second half of each game.

This team is starting to extinguish all doubt in the first quarter—and that, my friends, is when you have to make a coaching change at midseason.

People ask if we have hit rock bottom, and I have to sadly tell you no. The bleeding will continue for the rest of the season, and this team is in very real danger of not winning a single football game in 2008.

There isn't a single thing Washington is doing right now that is better than the competition on or off the playing field. Sadly, it is only going to get worse as spirits sag and injuries continue to mount.

It isn't an illusion. Washington's players are not as fast or as well-developed physically as the teams they are playing against. Part of that is youth, but a bigger part is a coaching, conditioning, and development program that simply hasn't worked very well over the past five years.

This season reminds me way too much of 2004. Gilbertson was coaching in desperation that year and put the white flag up early. Before he did that he played Ceasar Rayford, Eric Lobos, Greyson Gunheim, and Jordan White-Frisbee. That could have been Washington's starting 2008 defensive line.

Here we are in 2008, and Senio Kelemete, Ta'aumu Alameda, and Everette Thompson have all blown a key year to get bigger and better.

What makes matters worse is Willingham isn't done yet. He played Cody Bruns and Terrance Dailey this past weekend way after the game was out of doubt. Once again, that is when you have to make a coaching change at midseason.

Whoever the coach is in 2012 will still be feeling the ramifications of the coaching decisions that were made in 2008. It would have been all so simple if Washington had only pulled the plug on the Willingham regime after last year's Hawaii game.

What is holding Washington back right now is the fear that things will get worse if they fire Willingham right now. Number one, they want to avoid the national political discussion of firing the nation's most prominent black head coach and the sitting President of the AFCA at midseason.

Secondly, the administration honestly feels the players will be better served by allowing Willingham to babysit them until the WSU game.

I think that benevolent stewardship plan theory may have gone out the window when he played Bruns and Dailey this weekend.

Woodward watch

One of the things we have been saying is that firing the head football coach is a good start, but it won't change anything unless the culture of the UW Athletic Department is radically altered.

Change started Sunday when Scott Woodward fired longtime Senior Associate AD Mary Tuite this weekend. Mary has been in charge of Olympic Sports at Washington for the past 14 years.

Jeff Compher, an executive associate athletic director, left last spring to become the new athletic director at Northern Illinois University. Also leaving since the start of the year was Scott Barnes, UW's senior associate athletic director for advancement who left to become AD at Utah State.

The decisions Scott Woodward and Mark Emmert make over the next six weeks will shape this athletic department over the next decade. Keep a close eye on who they hire to replace Tuite, Barnes, and Compher. Since this is Woodward's first AD job, the senior associates he hires will give us a good idea on what direction the department is headed.

Pac-10 Power Ratings

1. USC...Kicking the crap out of the Ducks is always a good thing.

2. California...Getting better every week.

3. Arizona...Rose Bowl scouts were in Tucson this week.

4. Oregon...Dominating loss knocks the Ducks for a loop.

5. Arizona State...The Devils just aren't getting better.

6. Oregon State...Close loss to Utah on the road.

7. Stanford...Fell short against Notre Dame.

8. UCLA...Beating WSU keeps them out of the cellar.

9. Washington...Season in free fall.

10. Washington State...Could they beat Central Washington?

Western Power Ratings

We only have eight teams left in the power ratings this week after Oregon State and Fresno State went down this weekend. USC reclaims the top spot after making road kill out of the Oregon Ducks. Boise State is quietly moving into BCS contention.

1. Southern California (4-1)...The Trojans rebounded very well against the Oregon Ducks and reclaim the top spot in this week's poll. (8)

2. Brigham Young (5-0)...When you are playing for style points, you have to give the impression that you are not struggling against Utah State. (9)

3. Utah (5-0)...The Utes got past a tough Oregon State team on a last minute field goal. (14)

4. Boise State (4-0)...The Broncos had no problem with Louisiana Tech. (15)

5. California (4-1)...The Bears knock off Arizona State and are playing well enough to challenge USC.

6. Arizona (4-1)...The Wildcats could have scored 70 on Washington if they didn't show some mercy.

7. Texas Christian (5-1)...After a loss to Oklahoma, they rebound this week and spank San Diego State.

8. Oregon (4-2)...The Ducks weren't in the game after USC started running on all cylinders.

* Fresno State and Oregon State dropped out of the poll after losing this week.

Washington Huskies Were No Match for Arizona Wildcats, Wildcats Cruise, 48-14

John Berkowitz — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 17:49:00 -0400

The Huskies didn't hit Arizona with exactly the right state of mind after all the distractions swirling around the team this past week. It also didn't help that their three best offensive players, QB Jake Locker ,TB David Freeman, and WR D'Andre Goodwin were all MIA with injuries.

UW's only chance last night was to establish the run and dominate the clock with long drives. UW abandoned that game plan on the first series when Willie Griffin fumbled at the UW 36. It was 3-0 Arizona a few plays later. The run was there all evening but Washington didn't take advantage of it after being spooked by the early fumble. UW offensive Coordinator Tim Lappano placed it all on the shoulders of Ronnie Fouch and the outcome was predictable.

UA quickly ran out to a 17-0 lead then UW answered with the help of a 63 yard Fouch to Kearse reception. The Huskies completed the drive and closed the lead to 17-7. Arizona tacked on another 14 to finish the half with the help of a 48 yard Mike Thomas punt return to take a commanding 31-14. Arizona scored on the first drive of the first half and coasted the rest of the way finishing up with a 48-14 victory.

Stars of the game for Arizona were TE Rob Gronkowski who matched a school record with three touchdown catches. The big Arizona TE was able to take advantage of the depleted UW safety position. He just dominated the middle of the field. Nic Grisby ran for 113 yards and a touchdown. Willie Tuitama completed 17 of 21 passes for 193 yards and threw three touchdown passes. WR Mike Thomas broke UW's back with an electrifying 48-yard punt return for a touchdown midway through the second period.

Husky Notes

UW DE Daniel Teo Nesheim picked up three sacks last night. They were the first sacks of the season for UW. His linemates were dominated all evening by the Wildcat defensive line. It was amazing how far they are pushed back from the line of scrimmage. Mason Foster had another strong game at LB. S Nate Williams was knocked out of the game with an apparent lower back injury. No idea on how long he will be out.

Ronnie Fouch was 12/28 for 181 yards with one interception and was under considerable pressure once UW fell behind. It was a tough night for the RS frosh but the important thing is he lived to fight another day.

The ugly Husky highlight of the game was the needless burning of Terrance Dailey's, and Cody Bruns redshirt years for a couple meaningless plays after the game was out of doubt. UW is headed into a bye week and there was absolutely no reason to do that. It was if Willingham was begging Scott Woodward to fire him on Sunday by doing that.

The Wildcats rushed for 256 yards on the evening compared to only 64 for Washington. UW finished with only 240 total yards on the night against one of the more porous defenses in the Pac 10.

Personal Observations

Mike Stoops showed UW considerable mercy in the second half pulling most of his starters int he third quarter. UA could have easily run up the score by another 2-3 TD's.

UW wasn't ready tonight. The coaches approached the game like deer in the headlights. I hoped for the Cal game plan but the coaches didn't trust the running game after Griffin fumbled.

Playing Dailey and Bruns was ridiculous. You want a reason why you fire coaches mid season this is a good example. What next? Craig Noble starting against Cal?Woodward should pull the trigger this week with a bye looming. If he doesn't it isn't paying attention.

I like Ronnie Fouch. He is a QB you can win with eventually. He was under pressure all night but didn't make a lot of mistakes.

David Freeman and D'Andre Goodwin could have been difference makers tonight even with Locker out. Freeman could have picked up a lot of yards.

Brandon Johnson is a step slow but he hits the line pretty good. I think he is playing at about 85%.

I can see what the coaches see in Dailey. He has a little shimmy going, but playing him is an act of desperation. Even worse Freeman could be hurt worse than we thought. How do you sprain both ankles on the same play?

Why doesn't UW use the loaded backfield of Kravitz and Homer more often? I haven't seen anyone stop that combo in very limited use this year.

Mike Gottleib scored on a 33 yard reception but what has happened to Kavario Middleton who is a threat to take it to the house very time he touches the ball?

Walk on wide receivers Tony Chidiac and Charles Hawkins both had decent games emerging out of the depth tonight to see a lot of playing time.

Woodward watch

Scott Woodward said that there will be no change this week, and while he said he'd never say never on a move down the road, he reiterated that he does not foresee, nor does he favor making, an in-season change.

On a positive note he made no mention on how fabulous a coach or person that Willingham is. UW administration has a game plan and they seem to be sticking with, but that doesn't mean they aren't already looking for a replacement.

Pac 10 results

USC creamed Oregon 44-10 in the Coliseum. I think the Trojans woke up after falling behind early in he game. Mark Sanchez tossed three TD passes in the rout.

Cal knocked off ASU 24-14. The Bears are getting better every week and will give USC a tough game later in the year.

Notre Dame QB Casey Clausen lit up Stanford for 347 yards through the air. The Cardinal rallied in the 4th quarter but fell short 28-14.

UCLA is leading WSU 21-3 heading into the 4th quarter. Who is worse? UCLA or Washington? Can WSU rally?

Oregon State lost on Thursday to Utah 31-28 on a late FG.

Washington Is the Type of Game Arizona Coach Mike Stoops Loses

John Berkowitz — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 08:43:03 -0400

This is exactly the type of game that Mike Stoops ends up losing. I wrote that on Monday about Arizona in the Western Power Ratings. I looked at it again today and decided that it would be the perfect title for my preview of the game this week.

Mike Stoops has a habit of losing games he is supposed to win. It has already happened this year when a mediocre New Mexico squad dealt them a loss for the second year in a row.

Who has 3-1 Arizona beaten exactly?

Toledo, Idaho, and UCLA.

Does the sound of that make you cringe with fear? Well, it shouldn't, because the Wildcats aren't very good.

Defensively these guys have a lot of the same problems that the Huskies do. On offense I have to admit that they can light up the scoreboard with anyone. I still think that an inspired defense can slow them down enough to beat them. I don't think it even has to be a good defense—and that is where the Huskies come into the picture.

I really can't think of anyone who thought the Husky defense was going to be this bad. We blamed it all on the departed Kent Baer. Ed Donatell was going to come on in and put some NFL lipstick on this pig and make it all better.

It isn't better. It is actually worse than last year.

Who would have thought that would happen with 17- and 18-year-old defensive linemen playing for the first time? Surely this team could survive the losses of E.J. Savannah, Jason Wells, and Darin Harris. Unfortunately it hasn't and the new talent is still swimming as it goes up against more mature foes.

You can't count on this maligned defense chipping in the season’s first sacks and pressure on the QB, so what Washington has to do in this one is control the ball on offense.

This is where it gets fun because Washington hasn't done a very good job controlling time of possession this year. With Jake Locker out, the offense is going to change.

The quarterback isn't going to be running the ball much. Those 15 designed running plays for Locker are going to David Freeman or whatever back is healthy enough to play on Saturday's.

Freeman picked up a bundle of yards in the first half on a handful of carries before being injured. I would like to see what the Husky running backs can do with 35-40 carries on Saturday. UW needs to revert back to an offense similar to the one they showcased against California last year.

It makes sense to me because the Washington offensive linemen are more suited to the power running game. I just don't think that what happened against Cal last year was a fluke. I think it was a major mistake going back to the old offense when Locker came back.

This year, with Locker out until at least ASU, the Huskies will be playing like this every week.

I like Ronnie Fouch. I think he is going to be a very good QB, and I think he is going to play well on Saturday. He throws a real nice ball and seems to have the ability to loft it in there more accurately the deeper you go than Locker did. You are missing those great legs, but Fouch is no slouch either.

Keys to the game

* Can Washington come in fired up?

* Can the defense just improve a little bit so we have a chance?

* Can UW take time off the clock with a power running game?

* Will Mike Stoops be able to prepare correctly for Ronnie Fouch and a revamped Washington offense?

This is exactly the type of game that Arizona coach Mike Stoops ends up losing.

Who Could Replace Ty Willingham at Washington? Names to Be Thinking About

John Berkowitz — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:00:06 -0400

You can consider the coaching search on now, even if there will be no decision on Willingham until the end of the season. UW, for the record, would prefer for it to go down like that. However, I am not sure if he can survive a big loss on the road to Arizona.

The dream on category

I think the signing of Gary Pinkel or Jim Mora would excite the fan base and kick things off in the right direction. The problem is they both have a couple of pretty good jobs. Of the two, I would go with Pinkel first. The program builder always comes first in my opinion.

Gary Pinkel (Missouri)
Jim Mora Jr. (Seahawks)
Jeff Tedford (California)
Nick Saban (Alabama)
Mike Holmgren (Seahawks)
Don James (Retired)
Gil Dobie (Deceased)

The college head coach category

There is a pretty good chance that all the guys listed here would at least listen. A few of them, such as Hill or Holtz, wouldn't turn it down. Kelly and Patterson are two guys from outside the region that I would take a good look at.

Chris Petersen (Boise State)
Brian Kelly (Cincinnati)
Mike Riley (Oregon State)
Gary Patterson (Texas Christian)
Kyle Whittingham (Utah)
Pat Hill (Fresno State)
Al Golden (Temple)
Jim Harbaugh (Stanford)
Randy Edsall (UConn)
Todd Graham (Tulsa)
Skip Holtz (East Carolina)

The unemployed category

Three of these guys are looking for work and have expressed interest in coaching at UW in the past. Mariucci and Bowden are a couple of names to throw out there.

Lane Kiffin
Chan Gailey
Steve Mariucci
Terry Bowden
Scott Linehan
Mike Tice
John Mackovic

The hot assistant coach category

Christensen is a guy I can see them talking to. Expect them to talk to Walker too. Either of these guys would leap at the job.

Dave Christensen (Missouri)
Bud Foster (Virginia Tech)
Major Applewhite (Alabama)
DeWayne Walker (UCLA)
Chip Kelly (Oregon)
Steve Sarkisian (USC)
Will Muschamp (Texas)
Norm Chow (UCLA)

Will Washington's Jake Locker Be Allowed to Play Safety?

John Berkowitz — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:27:03 -0400

Jake Locker said on Saturday that he wanted to play another position while his thumb was healing. Tim Lappano said you have to ask the head man about that.

Ty Willingham said last night there are six or seven other positions that Jake could possibly play on the team. Obviously any of those positions would have to take into account the injured thumb. So for example, running back or wide receiver would be out.

I have seen many defensive backs over the years keep playing with broken fingers and thumbs, so it is not out of the realm of possibility that we could see Jake after the bye week lining up at safety. Johri Fogerson was able to do it after two weeks of practice, so Jake really shouldn't have a problem doing it too

I guess it all comes down to what the hand surgeon saw yesterday when he operated. The official word was not good. The thumb was shattered, which means that it will be up to eight weeks before Jake can return to QB.

When he does return he is going to be pretty rusty, while Ronnie Fouch, on the other hand, is going to be a more polished product.

Here are a few givens. Jake is a competitor, and he wants to get back on the field to help his team. He is undeniably the best athlete and football player on his team. The hand will be wrapped up in a cast and padded, so chances are about nil that he will re-injure it. Jake has the potential to be a Taylor Mays-type safety.

The question is, should the head coach allow it?

Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times thinks Willingham should be fired immediately if he lets Locker back on the field at any position other than QB. Most of the media feel that it reeks of desperation to put him back out there at another position—as if 0-4 doesn't scream desperation anyway.

The main reason they give is that playing another position may risk further injury.

Tyrone is correct in stating that anytime you walk out on the football field, no matter what position you are playing, you are risking injury. Just ask kicker Ryan Perkins, whose career was torn apart by one of the worst knee injuries you will ever see in a spring football practice simply attempting a field goal. Injuries are just a part of football.

Quarterbacks can't survive without their arms. A shoulder injury could theoretically be even worse than a broken thumb. A torn labrum or rotator cuff could even ruin a football career for a QB, not to mention a promising baseball prospect.

Since defensive backs do a lot of hitting, especially on this squad, a possible shoulder injury would be the main concern if you put Jake back in the role of the enforcer.

Bob Schloredt played both ways as a standout Husky QB in the early 1960s. The game was single platoon, which meant the players started both ways. Bob was probably a better safety than he was a QB.

Bob and Jake have a lot in common, and I am surprised that it isn't brought up more in the conventional media. Perhaps it is because those guys aren't old enough or were not raised in the area.

I do know one thing: Jake won't be playing against Arizona. He needs a little time to recover from the surgery. The bones need to start knitting a bit, the incision has to heal, and the swelling needs to go down.

The bye week comes at a good time because he could be out on the field again when Oregon State rolls into town. I think it would be great if Jake could lay some licks on the guys that knocked him out of the game last year and put him in an ambulance.

In the end, the hand surgeon will make the ultimate call on when Jake can come back. If he is deemed healthy enough to play another position to help the team, Ty is going to let him do it.

Don't confuse it at all with desperation though. I think Jake playing another position is not an act of desperation by a struggling coach. It is more a coach's sign of respect to the spirit of Jake Locker and the joy of playing the game rather than waiting 'til next season to start all over.

If Jake is healthy enough to play, as one of the best athletes on the field he should be permitted to make his own decision. After all, Jake isn't just a QB—he is a complete football player, just like Bob Schloredt was 50 years ago.

Special players have a hard time sitting on the bench when they know they can contribute to help their team win.

Leave this one up to Jake.

Ty Willingham Quotes of the Week

John Berkowitz — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 20:25:34 -0400

Tyrone Willingham was asked by a reporter at his press conference, how his team can keep its spirits up?

"I have to laugh, I have to laugh because I've outsmarted even myself. My enemy, my foe, is an animal. In order to conquer the animal, I have to learn to think like an animal. And, whenever possible, to look like one. I've gotta get inside this guy's pelt and crawl around for a few days."

Okay, I am just kidding. That was actually Carl Spackler (Bill Murray) from Caddyshack. What is posted below is Tyrone's actual quote as reported in Bob Condotta's blog in the Seattle Times.

Willingham said he will show his players "those things that we've done well. Let them see what we can do and what we have done successful and then give them cures for what we have done incorrectly. ... if we can show those things to our players they can keep their spirits up and see that we can do some things and then it's up to both of us to execute better. And when I say execute better, from our standpoint that is to continue to put them in better positions for them to continue to have success, and for them to follow through and execute.''

In other words, Tyrone is going to be showing highlights from last year's California game on the Jumbo-Tron during practice this week. The last time Locker was out he achieved his top win at Washington. I think the change in offense will actually help us. If they could only learn to run it that way when Locker is in the game.

Asked about Juan Garcia's quote on the radio last week that the team had to beat Stanford to show that "we either suck or we don't," and what that may mean for the team to have one of its leaders feeling that way, Willingham said:

"Let me tell you a little story. I once knew a guy who could have been a great golfer, could have gone pro, all he needed was a little time and practice. Decided to go to college instead. Went for four years, did pretty well. At the end of his four years, his last semester he was kicked out... You know what for? He was night putting, just putting at night with the fifteen-year-old daughter of the Dean... You know who that guy was Danny?"

Just kidding again!

OK, here is what Coach Willingham actually said:

"You have to be able to understand Juan played one of his better football games in that game. He will be taking this game forward. He will say that you suck that you did certain things or suck that you didn't win. But I think the champion in Juan and the fighter that he is will be leading into the next ball game. So I'm not concerned about his approach. I think it will be in the right place (this week).''

Western Power Ratings: BYU Tops Pac-10/Mountain West/WAC Rankings

John Berkowitz — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 04:04:56 -0400

The Pac-10 takes another one on the chin as USC falls to Oregon State on the road. I wouldn't count the Trojans out of the national championship picture just yet. The Florida loss to Mississippi shows that.

1. Brigham Young (4-0)

Do you really think they could beat USC? Conventional wisdom says no, but the Cougars move after the Trojans stumble. USC needs some style points next week against Oregon to reclaim the top spot. (8)

2. Southern California (2-1)

The Trojans did the unthinkable again, losing to OSU on the road. If you don't bring your "A" game every week, you won't win a national championship. (9)

3. Utah (5-0)

The Utes keep cruising along, but they had a tougher time than expected against Weber State. (15)

4. Boise State (3-0)

The Broncos' win over Oregon pushes them into the BCS picture. (17)

5. Fresno State (3-1)

They went to LA and got a victory over UCLA, but it was way too close for comfort. UCLA simply isn't very good. (22)

6. Oregon (4-1)

The Ducks don't need QBs to win games. Judgment time comes this Saturday when they face USC on the road. Could the mighty Trojans go 0-2 against the state of Oregon in 2008? Don't bet on it! (23)

7. California (3-1)

The Bears had no problem with Colorado State as the Pac-10 picked up a rare win over a MWC opponent.

8. Texas Christian (4-1)

No shame in losing to a team like Oklahoma, but it dropped them out of the national rankings.

9. Oregon State (2-2)

I never expected the Beavers to make it into the column this year but beating No. 1 USC makes that happen. Quiz Rodgers is going to be a stud over the next four years.

10. Arizona (3-1)

Are the Wildcats contenders or pretenders? They start to figure that out when Washington invades Tucson this weekend. This is exactly the type of game that Mike Stoops ends up losing.

* UNLV dropped out after losing to Nevada.