Cal Football: 3 Key Players from Washington's Offense, Defense and Special Teams

Cal will need a win over the Huskies to keep their hopes of playing in the Pac-12 championship game alive.

The Bears have one of the most difficult schedules in the Pac-12, having to play USC, Arizona State, Oregon and Stanford this season.

Games like Washington are must wins, not only for respect in conference, but also to make sure you remain bowl eligible.

Washington is loaded across the board with talent. At offense, defense and special teams.

Washington’s Offense

Washington is loaded offensively, with playmakers at every position.

Keith Price – QB

Price had a fierce battle in the offseason with redshirt freshman Nick Montana (son of Joe Montana), which he won out towards the end of summer practices. Price has had a decent start to the season, and has completed 56-of-87 passes for 691 yards. Price also has 11 touchdowns to three interceptions on the year.

Chris Polk – RB

Polk is not only one of the most underrated running backs in the entire county, I’d go as far as to say he’s one of the most underrated players in the entire country. Polk is easily the second best RB in the Pac-12 (behind LaMichael James of Oregon) and he has already rushed for 362 yards and two touchdowns.

Jermaine Kearse – WR

It was hard to pick which Husky receiver to focus on. I thought about James Johnson (155 yards and three touchdowns) and Devin Aguilar (181 yards and a touchdown), but I decided to focus on the Huskies star receiver, Jermaine Kearse (107 yards and four touchdowns). Kearse has blazing speed, and will put up huge numbers all season for the Huskies. His tall 6’2” frame gives him a height advantage over most cornerbacks, an advantage he uses to help bring in passes in tight coverage.

Washington’s Defense

The Huskies’ defense has been a bit of a concern in 2011, but they still have skilled players at several positions.

Alameda Ta’Amu – DT

Ta’Amu is probably the Huskies best player defensively. He is a load in the center, and he has continued his dominance in 2011. So far, Ta’Amu has recorded 10 tackles, two tackles for loss with one as a sack.

Sean Parker – SS

While Ta’Amu is Washington’s most skilled defensive player, Parker has been one of the most dominant defenders for the Huskies. Parker leads the team in tackles with 26, and he has been all over the field.

Desmond Trufant – CB

Trufant leads the team in interceptions with two. Trufant is third on the team in tackles, and has forced and recovered a fumble this season.

Washington’s Special Teams

Special teams have been a blessing and curse for the Huskies. While the kicking game has excelled, their coverage team has allowed a lot of return yards on kickoffs.

Erik Folk – Kicker

Folk is perfect on the season, converting 5-of-5 kicks with a long of 53 yards. Folk is the best kicker in Pac-12 and maybe the best in the country.

Kiel Rasper – Punter

Rasper has had a strong 2011 campaign, averaging 42.9 yards on 12 kicks with a long of 55.

Jesse Callier – Kick Returner

Callier has been the primary kickoff returner for the Huskies, averaging 26.5 yards per return on 11 attempts with a long of 55 yards.