Washington Huskies Season Preview

The Washington Huskies have gone through a ton in the past decade. Try going through four different coaches and recording seven straight losing seasons, which is flat out depressing!

Rick Neuheisel, Keith Gilbertson, and Tyrone Willingham attempted to put this program back on the map, but they all failed miserably combining for an abysmal record of 33-63. Steve Sarkisian finally took over and stopped the bleeding in his second year going 7-6 and giving the Huskies their first winning season since 2002! 

Everybody Do the Polk-a

The only BCS teams who had a worse streak of bowling going into last year were Baylor and Duke! Jake Locker had a solid season despite not living up to the unreachable expectations that some plagued him with. Regardless, he was a stud and meant so much to the Huskies offense.

The man that really carried this team in the trenches was former receiver turned running back Chris Polk.

In 2010, the superstar sophomore put up gaudy numbers, rushing for 1,415 yards with 9 TDs. At 5’11” 214-pounds he may not be the biggest man, but he can run right through you.

The offense returns seven players including three linemen. The key lineman is Senio Kelemente who has made 11 starts at guard, though he is now the left tackle. At 6’4”, 289-pounds the Huskies line is much taller and lankier than in years past.

The receivers are as talented as they have been in years with Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar leading the way. They also have the number one tight end out of high school (Phil Steele) in Austin Seferian-Jenkins who is a load at 6’6”, 250-pounds.

Even for a basketball player that would be impressive, but try covering that load of beef. The Huskies are loaded with highly touted players such as Kasen Williams (6’2” 210-pounds). 

Run It and Then Run It Some More

The run offense last year ranked 38th in America averaging 172 yards per game. This was a big improvement from two years ago when they ranked 68th. 

Chris Polk was ranked 13th (108 yards per game) in the nation for individual rushing leaders. He was behind only LaMichael James in the Pac-10 who averaged an absurd 144.

Polk has solid talent behind him in sophomore Jesse Callier and freshmen Deontae Cooper which gives UW depth. The line is still very young and developing so there may not be as much room to run as in the past few years. Also, without Locker, most teams will try to stack the line of scrimmage.

Before their bowl drought from ’04-’09 the Huskies had twenty-seven non-losing seasons! That is remarkable and it just gives you an idea of how prestigious the program once was. 

With the receiving core being as loaded as it is and with one of the elite backs in the country, it does not matter whether Keith Price, Nick Montana or hell even the current day Joe Montana is the opening day starter.

Price only attempted 37 passes a season ago, completing 19 of them for 164 yards and 2 TDs. However, he is a very athletic guy who can thread the needle when need be. Montana on the other-hand redshirted a season ago. At 6’3”, 191-pounds, he certainly has the makings of becoming the starter sooner than later though Price is only one year ahead of him.

Montana is a safe bet to start next year perhaps, but Sarkisian named Price the starter one week after spring practice ended. While Joe’s kid may have a bit of magic in a year or two, he will certainly have to outperform Price and/or have him struggle early against Eastern Washington and Hawaii. 

Defense That Is Getting Better by the Day

The defensive line is something that can carry this Huskies team to new heights. Alameda Ta’amu is a manbeast and is the best tackle in the Pac-12. He is a load at 6’3”, 330-pounds and is an instant double team machine which will enable the other three linemen to rush after the passer.

Everette Thompson is a freak at 6’6,” 244-pounds and he is yet another highly touted player coming out of high school that was recruited by Ty Willingham. Thompson has yet to live up to the hype, but with defensive coordinator Nick Holt calling the shots and with his ability to make players better than they really are, things will be fine and dandy in Seattle.

UCLA transfer Josh Shirley and Sione Potoa’e are the other linemen who do not lack that extra punch up front or that blazing speed that you see so many elite teams possess.

They are unheralded players which is something Sarkisian and Holt thrive on. Washington is receiving little to zero hype going into the season which is not something they give two licks about. However, in time UW will be getting a ton of pre-season hype because they are on the brink of becoming an upper-echelon  Pac -12 team.

Family Genes

The linebacking corps may be the weakest unit on the team. It is led by Cort Dennison who is the leading returning tackler with 93. They lost stud Mason Foster who was the number two tackler in America one season ago. So, as expected there will be a bit of a drop off. In Holt, Huskie nation trusts.

Luckily, the secondary is nearly entirely back and they ranked 27th in the nation allowing only 194 yards per game. They return Desmond Trufant (Seahawk Marcus’ bro) and Quinton Richardson who are among the top tandems in the Pac-12. The secondary is so good that they are the best in the Pac-12 outside of Oregon and perhaps USC/Stanford.

Still, this secondary will avoid getting torched in all of the prime-time games, which will give the Huskies a chance to improve upon last year’s 7-6 record.

Drama's Forecast

The schedule is grueling as the nine game Pac-12 schedule is a tough living. They have four home and road games. Their final game against Wazzu is at Qwest Field against a Cougars team that will not be yielding their entire campus. The Apple Cup is still a decent rivalry, but the Cougars are no longer a walk in the park.

Washington will find a way to have an eight win season if they can either knock off Oregon State at Beaver Stadium or if they manage to knock off one of the top dogs in the new Pac-12: Oregon, Stanford, Utah or USC. I really think this defense will be improved (70th - 384 YPG allowed) and that these Huskies are on the brink of becoming serious contenders in the near future.

Predicted Finish: 8-5, 6-3

Predicted Bowl: Sun Bowl vs. Clemson 

Predicted order of finish in Pac12: Third in North, Sixth Overall