#2 Oregon destroys #23 Washington for 9th straight year 52-21

By Kshell

For the ninth straight season the #2 Oregon Ducks(6-0,3-0) destroyed the #23 Washington Huskies(3-2,1-1) 52-21 in a game that was never close. Once again Steve Sarkisian saw his Huskies blown out in a big game showing that the Huskies are further away from being a serious contender in this conference than they had hoped. The Ducks were led by freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota throwing four touchdown passes and the Ducks offense ran for 299 yards on the Huskies. For the fourth straight week Huskies quarterback Keith Price failed to throw for 200 yards and he threw two interceptions. For the second straight week Price threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. The Huskies played a sloppy game committing five turnovers and having over 100 yards in penalties. Which has become a bad theme the Huskies proved once again they aren't ready for the Ducks.

After the Ducks first series ended with Shaq Thompson's first career interception the Huskies offense couldn't do anything. The Huskies had pinned the Ducks on their own 10 yard line when their defense would once again stop the Ducks on third down when Andrew Hudson recorded the sack on Mariota. That is when the first big play would happen next as Huskies true freshman punt returner Marvin Hall muffed the punt as the Ducks recovered the punt on the Huskies 20 yard line. Kenjon Barner would rush for four yards to the Huskies 16 yard line. On the following play the most exciting man in college football DeAnthony Thomas would take the carry 16 yards up the middle then shift to his left for the touchdown to give the Ducks a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter.

The Huskies offense would stall at the Oregon 45 after a big kickoff return by Hall. The Ducks offense would take over on their own 20 yard line looking to add to their lead. Barner would rush for 10 yards to their own 30 yard line. After a short gain by Barner, Mariota would hit his tight end Colt Lyerla for a gain of 48 yards up the middle down to the Huskies 21 yard line. Then the Ducks hurried up to the line and quick snapped it as Mariota found Tre Watson sleeping as he connected with Keanon Lowe for a 21 yard touchdown pass to give the Ducks a 14-0 lead. For Mariota he would shook off that interception and was poised for a big day against the Huskies secondary who up until that point had played well during the season.

The first quarter was about to get real ugly for the Huskies. On offense starting from their own 24 yard line Bishop Sankey would rush for four yards to the 28 yard line. Facing a second and six, Keith Price completed a pass to Cody Bruns for four yards which happened to be Bruns first catch of the season. Facing a third and two from the 32 yard line Price would connect with Kendyl Taylor for a gain of nine yards to the 41 yard line picking up the first down. Price on the following play would attempt an out route on the far side of the field intended for DiAndre Campbell. That pass was jumped by Ducks defender Avery Patterson who returned the interception Kenny Wheaton style 43 yards to give the Ducks a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. The Huskies had two turnovers that directly led to 14 points for the Ducks as the Ducks had out gained the Huskies 153-63 yards in the first quarter.

The Huskies would respond after the dreadful first quarter. Starting from their own 42 yard line Sankey would rush for 15 yards to the Oregon 43 yard line. Sankey again would rush for six yards down to the Oregon 37 yard line. Sankey who had a good first quarter would rush for five yards down to the Oregon 32 yard line for the first down. Price would then hit Campbell for a gain of six yards to the Oregon 26 yard line. Price would hit Kasen Williams for a gain of nine yards to the Oregon 17 yard line. On a wide receiver screen Price would hit Jaydon Mickens for a gain of 16 yards as Mickens was pushed out of bounds at the one yard line. That would set up Sankey who would score from one yard out to cut the lead to 21-7. More importantly the Huskies showed they could run the ball on the Ducks.

The Ducks would quickly take momentum back with a classic Oregon drive. On second and 10 Mariota would rush for seven yards to their own 31 yard line setting up a third and three. Thomas would get the first down with a four yard run. On second and 10 Barner would rush for nine yards up the middle setting up another third and one from the 44 yard line. Barner would again rush up the middle for a gain of 10 yards to the Huskies 46 yard line. Mariota would then rush for 20 yards down to the Huskies 26 yard line. Barner would rush for 11 yards then five yards down to the Huskies 10 yard line. On second and five from the Huskies 10 yard line Mariota would connect with tight end Lyerla for a 10 yard touchdown pass to give the Ducks a 28-7 lead over the Huskies in the second quarter.

The Huskies would see Keith Price fumble at the Oregon 36 yard line on the following drive as the Ducks took over. Mariota would hit Will Murphy for a gain of 11 yards to their own 47 yard line. On the next play Mariota would hit Murphy again for a gain of eight yards to the Huskies 45 yard line. Barner would rush up the middle for a gain of 11 yards to the Huskies 34 yard line. Mariota would then hook up with Josh Huff who made the catch then made a terrific stiff arm on Huskies top defensive NFL prospect Desmond Trufant as Huff scored from 34 yards out to give the Ducks a commanding 35-7 lead over the Huskies.

The Huskies offense would go three and out. The Ducks drove down to the Huskies 24 yard line as Rob Beard missed a 41 yard field goal. The Huskies actually showed some life starting from their own 24 yard line. Taylor began the drive with a gain of eight yards to their own 32 yard line. After a short run facing a third and one from the 33 yard line the Huskies had a play action pass as Price connected with tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 28 yards down to the Oregon 39 yard line. On that play Seferian-Jenkins suffered an injury and didn't return to the game. After a two yard run by Sankey, Price connected with Williams for a gain of eight yards to the Oregon 29 yard line. Price would scramble for 10 more yards to the Oregon 19 yard line. That is where the Huskies offense would stall as Sarkisian chose to go for it trailing by 28 points and Price threw an incomplete pass.

At halftime the Ducks led 35-7 over the Huskies out gaining the Huskies 319-201 in yards. In first downs the Ducks had 17 first downs but the Huskies did have 13. The difference was turnovers as the Huskies had three turnovers which led to 14 points.

Keith Price was terrible in the first half completing 13-22(59.0%) of his passes for 116 yards(5.3 YPA) with a costly interception. He ran four times for 15 yards with a costly fumble. His main target was Kasen Williams who had five receptions for 42 yards. Seferian-Jenkins had two receptions for 33 yards. Kendyl Taylor had two receptions for 17 yards with a rush of nine yards. Jaydon Mickens had two receptions for 13 yards. Bishop Sankey added 62 yards on 13 carries(4.7 YPC) with a touchdown.

For the Ducks they were led by their quarterback Marcus Mariota who was 10-18(55.5%) passing for 160 yards(8.8 YPA) with three touchdowns and one interception. He also had five carries for 34 yards. His main target was his tight end Lyerla who had two receptions for 58 yards with a touchdown. Josh Huff had the one grab for a 34 yard touchdown. Kenjon Barner had 83 yards rushing on 13 carries(6.3 YPC). While DeAnthony Thomas had 42 yards rushing on six carries(7.0 YPC) with a touchdown. He also added one reception for 12 yards. It was total domination by the Ducks in the first half over the Huskies.

The Huskies began the second half going three and out. While the Ducks went on a 12 play drive going 65 yards ending with a 28 yard field goal by Beard to lead 38-7. After a good kickoff return the Huskies began on their own 46 yard line.

Sankey would rush for four yards, then Price would hit Bruns for eight yards to the Oregon 42 yard line. Sankey would rush for four yards followed by Taylor for two yards. On third and four Taylor would rush for five yards to the Oregon 31 yard line. Sankey would rush for seven yards to the 24 yard line. Facing a third and five from the 26 Price would hit Campbell for a gain of seven yards to the 19 yard line. Price would hit Bruns for five yards to the 14 yard line. Taylor would rush for four yards setting up a third and one from the 10 yard line. Price would hit tight end Evan Hudson for a gain of four yards to set up first and goal from the six yard line. Sankey would appear to be stopped for a loss but would break a couple of tacklers as he would spin into the end zone for his second score of the game cutting the lead to 38-14.

Starting from their own 17 yard line the Ducks would go to work. Barner would rush for nine yards to the 26 yard line. Mariota would rush for six yards then complete another six yard pass while the Huskies committed yet another dumb personal foul. With the ball on the Huskies 47 yard line Barner would rush for 11 yards on the next two carries but the Ducks would commit the 15 yard penalty. With the ball on their own 49 yard line Thomas would take over. He would rush for four yards to the Huskies 47 yard line then for 20 yards down to the 27 yard line. He would rush for nine yards on his next two carries to set up a third and one from the 18 yard line. That is where Barner would pick up the first down with a five yard gain to end the third quarter. First play of the fourth quarter Mariota would hit his tight end again Lyerla for a gain of 13 yards for the touchdown to put the Ducks up 45-14 over the Huskies.

On the Huskies next possession facing a fourth and one from their own 35 yard line down by 31 points Sarkisian would try a fake punt which the Huskies fumbled. So the Ducks took over on the Huskies 35 yard line. At this point Chip Kelly had emptied his bench as Byron Marshall the Ducks third running back took the hand off and went 32 yards down to the Huskies three yard line. After a one yard loss, Marshall would finish the short drive on the next play with a four yard touchdown run to give the Ducks a 52-14 lead over the Huskies.

The Ducks would fumble the punt on their next possession and despite being handed the ball on the 17 yard line the Huskies couldn't take advantage. Facing a third and one from the eight yard line Price would throw his second interception of the game as he would be held out of the end zone.

The Huskies would have one last drive left in them though for pride. Starting from their own 45 yard line, Dezden Petty would rush for 14 yards to the Oregon 41 yard line. Petty would rush for eight more yards to the Oregon 33 yard line. Erich Wilson would then rush for seven yards to the 26 yard line then again for nine yards to the Oregon 17 yard line. Wilson on second and one would rush for five yards to the 12 yard line. Petty would rush up the middle for five yards to the seven yard line, then for three more to the four yard line setting up a third and two. Petty would rush for three yards to get the first down and set up a 1st and goal from the one. Wilson would then rush for his first career rushing touchdown for the Huskies as he cut the lead to 52-21.

That would be the final score for the Huskies as they lost 52-21 for their second 30+ point loss of the season. Keith Price was awful finishing 19-31(61.3%) of his passes for 145 yards(4.7 YPA) with two interceptions. He also ran five times for 24 yards but had a costly interception. His main targets were Kasen Williams who had six receptions but only 48 yards. Seferian-Jenkins who was injured had two receptions for 33 yards. Cody Bruns had three receptions for 17 yards as well. Jaydon Mickens and DiAndre Campbell both had two receptions for 13 yards.

The lone bright spot was the running game which ran for 208 yards led by Bishop Sankey. Sankey ran for 104 yards on 25 carries(4.2 YPC) with two touchdowns. Dezden Petty had five carries for 34 yards(6.8 YPC), Kendyl Taylor had five carries for 29 yards(5.8 YPC) while also having three receptions for 17 yards. Erich Wilson had four carries for 21 yards(5.3 YPC) with a touchdown. The running game did well for the Huskies and has done well the last three weeks. The passing game for the fourth straight week failed to reach 200 yards passing.

As for the Ducks they have defeated the Huskies nine in a row with only one game being by less than 20 points(last year 34-17 win). The Ducks were led by freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota who was 15-24(62.5%) passing for 198 yards(8.3 YPA) with four touchdowns to just one interception.  He also ran for 40 yards on seven carries(5.7 YPC).

The Ducks ran for 299 yards on the day led by Kenjon Barner who ran for 122 yards on 20 carries(6.1 YPC). DeAnthony Thomas had 75 yards rushing on 10 carries(7.5 YPC) with a touchdown plus caught a pass for 12 yards. Byron Marshall ran for 59 yards on eight carries(7.4 YPC) with a touchdown. Tight end Colt Lyerla caught three passes for 71 yards with two touchdowns while also rushing for four yards. It was a dominate effort by the Ducks who held back most of the second half.

For the Huskies for the second time this year they were reminded they have a long ways to go before they are an elite team. The Huskies were out played, out classed, and out coached in this game as they weren't prepared for the moment. The Huskies shot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties and worse yet costly turnovers. The Ducks killed the Huskies by over 30 points despite letting up in the second half as Chip Kelly was taking it easy on his good friend Steve Sarkisian. For the Huskies who had a once proud program at what point will these blowout losses be too much? The Huskies must like they did against the LSU Tigers and move on. It is a shame that the Huskies in Sarkisian's fourth year just aren't able to compete with teams like Oregon still.

Observations:

- For the second straight week against a good defense Bishop Sankey ran hard as he went over 100 yards rushing. After struggling terribly in the first two weeks Sankey has ran really well the last three weeks. Against the Ducks he ran for 104 yards with two touchdowns.

For the season Sankey has ran for 433 yards(4.9 YPC) with six touchdowns through five games. In the last three games Sankey has ran for 351 yards(117 yards per game) on 59 carries(5.9 YPC) with five touchdowns. For the season Sankey is on pace to rush for 1,039 yards with 14.5 touchdowns. That is also for a 12 game season not including the bowl game so safe to say Sankey would more than be the bright spot on the season for the Huskies.

- I felt Kasen Williams struggled and against good defenses his lack of speed will be easy to game plan for. He had six receptions which is good but only 48 yards as his longest reception went for 12 yards.

He has caught a touchdown pass in all three Husky wins while being shutout of the end zone in both losses. In the Huskies three wins Williams has 22 receptions(7.3 per game) for 273 yards(91 yards per game, 12.4 YPC) with three touchdowns. In the two losses he has only nine receptions(4.5 per game) for 67 yards(33.5 yards per game, 7.4 YPC) with zero touchdowns. Basically if you shutdown Kasen Williams you beat the Huskies.

For the year Williams has 31 receptions for 340 yards(11.0 YPC) with three touchdowns. That would put him on pace to finish with 74.4 receptions for 816 yards with seven touchdowns. The reception total for a sophomore would be terrific while the yards should pick up since he is the #1 option. Williams though should feast at the back end of the Huskies schedule which will be a little bit nicer to them.

- Shaq Thompson the highly recruited safety out of Sacramento showed everyone a nice flash on the first series of the game. Starting at outside linebacker as the Huskies want more speed on the field Thompson made a terrific interception that Desmond Trufant tipped in the air. Thompson dove to make the incredible interception and if this was NFL rules instead of college he would have returned it for decent yards.

Thompson the #1 safety coming out of high school will eventually become a strong safety in a year or two. He is built more like a Kam Chancellor than let's say an Earl Thomas. He is a bigger safety but is quick like a small athletic corner. The Huskies defense in the future needs to land more guys like Thompson if they wish to defeat Oregon or any top tier program for that matter.

- First of all Marvin Hall will have better days as a Husky punt returner and may even take a punt return for a touchdown.

Second of all, I blame Sarkisian for that fumble. In a big night game on the road why put the freshman back there? Why not put Kasen Williams back there who returned punts for you all of last year? If not Williams why not senior Cody Bruns? Sure neither guy is going to take one for a touchdown but neither guy has ever fumbled.

Then Hall fumbled later in the game on the kickoff return. With Don James or Jim Lambright coaching he's done for the year doing returns. While Sarkisian seemed to dismiss it as "growing pains" in the post game which I found disturbing.

- What is wrong with Keith Price? Price committed three turnovers and all three were bad. He had a red zone interception, an interception that was returned for a touchdown and fumbled when the Huskies were in Oregon territory. Price hasn't looked right all season long.

His numbers on the year are 94-158(59.5%) passing for 882 yards(5.6 YPA) with only five touchdowns to four interceptions. Take away the game against FCS Portland State and against D-1 schools he has two touchdowns to four interceptions this year. Price is on pace to throw for only 2,116 yards with 12 touchdowns to 9 interceptions which simply won't cut it.

Be very easy to say Price's problems are due to the offensive line and injuries at the wide receiver position. Now those are valid excuses but it goes further than that. He was only sacked once all game and that same "crappy" line has been producing in the run game the last three weeks. Price is missing easy throws and just looks like a shell of what he was last year. Perhaps people were right that he did overachieve last year. Anyways this is a disturbing trend for Husky football that back to back quarterbacks under Sarkisian have regressed the longer they are with him.

- Steve Sarkisian falls to 22-21 as Huskies head coach. For the seventh time already he has lost by 30 points or more which is more than Tyrone Willingham. This is also the fifth time in the Sarkisian era the Huskies have allowed 50 or more points which again is more than Tyrone Willingham. He also joins Tyrone Willingham as the only Husky head coaches to ever lose to Oregon four years in a row.

Anytime you are being compared to Tyrone Willingham as Huskies head coach that means you aren't doing your job. His constantly smiling after blowout losses are also getting old as well. The Huskies passing offense which is Sarkisian's specialty currently ranks 107th in the nation, the running game is 87th in the nation. The Huskies offense is 97th in the nation in scoring which includes 52 points against an FCS school. Against D-1 schools the Huskies are averaging only 15.5 points per game which is pathetic.

In the fourth year this should fall on Sarkisian. He turned the program from 0-12 into a bowl team which should be applauded. When he was hired if someone told you he'd lose to Oregon 43-19, 53-16, 34-17 and 52-21 would you accept that? No you wouldn't! So why rationalize that now? Sarkisian being stubborn and refusing to run the spread offense since day one has hurt this program. It made Jake Locker from an electric quarterback into a bad quarterback at Washington. Price would also thrive in the spread instead he is getting killed. Sarkisian needs to figure it out soon because despite what some think he isn't that safe.

Once again the Huskies fail a big test against their rivals. Once again the Ducks proved they are in national title or bust mode which has been their motto since 2010 as they have only lost three games in that span. For the Huskies they face a hungry USC Trojans team who was ranked #1 for a while this year already. If the Huskies win and go to 4-2 the Oregon loss will sting less. If the Huskies lose or worse yet get blown out then this could start a downward spiral which has plagued Sarkisian since he has been Huskies head coach. The Huskies have lost at least three games in a row all three years Sarkisian has been at Washington. This was once again an embarrassing defeat for the Huskies who proved to the nation they aren't ready to be legitimate contenders for a while. The question is will the Huskies ever be legitimate contenders under Sarkisian? I'll guess we'll have more clarity to that question at the end of the season.

Huskies hope to end 4 game losing streak vs #8 Stanford

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(2-1,0-0) are hosting the #8 Stanford Cardinal(3-0,1-0) on a special Thursday night game on ESPN which the Huskies will be wearing the black uniforms. This is a big game for the Huskies as they start conference play in probably the second toughest conference in America. The Huskies will also have some revenge on the mind as the Stanford Cardinal have dominated this series in recent memory winning four in a row including last seasons embarrassing 65-21 loss to then #7 Stanford as the Huskies were ranked #22 going into that game. The Huskies were 5-1 heading into that game and that loss started a trend where the Huskies lost five of their last seven games of the season.

If the Huskies are to pull off the upset they will need a big game from Keith Price. Price this year is 56-90(62.2%) passing for 560 yards(6.2 YPA) with four touchdowns to one interception. He has had to deal with a injured offensive line and injuries to his receivers as well. Basically Price has had to overcome a lot in his junior season. Last year in the loss to the Cardinal Price was 23-36(63.9%) passing for 247 yards(6.9 YPA) with a touchdown and a costly interception that was ran back for a touchdown. Price was able to move the ball on the Cardinal last year just couldn't finish off drives. Hopefully this year Price can finish off the drives as he is 8-1 at home in his Husky career and the Huskies do tend to play a lot better at home compared to on the road.

The Huskies offense despite the injuries still feature plenty of talent headlined by super sophomore tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and wide receiver Kasen Williams. The Huskies also start true sophomore running back Bishop Sankey as well.

First I'll start by talking about the talented tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who has 20 receptions this year for 211 yards(10.6 YPC) with a touchdown. In the loss to Stanford last year Seferian-Jenkins had five receptions for 77 yards. Seferian-Jenkins is a match up nightmare for every opponent he faces this year.

Then at receiver you have Kasen Williams who this year has 15 receptions for 163 yards(10.9 YPC) with two touchdowns. Williams has had two good games and one stinker at LSU. Williams is a touchdown machine though have caught eight in 15 career games so far. The receiver opposite of Williams will be junior Kevin Smith  who in two games this year has six receptions for 68 yards(11.3 YPC). The Huskies will need another receiver to step up whether that be Jaydon Mickens, DiAndre Campbell, Kendyl Taylor or Marvin Hall. One of those four guys needs to develop into that consistent number three option.

For the running game the Huskies will turn to Bishop Sankey. Sankey on the year has ran for 185 yards(4.2 YPC) with three touchdowns. Last year in the loss to Stanford Sankey ran for 31 yards on five carries(6.2 YPC). Backing up Sankey is Erich Wilson who has ran for 119 yards(5.7 YPC) and has the longest run of the season so far which was 31 yards. Last year despite the loss Chris Polk busted two long runs against the Cardinal as he ran for 144 yards with two touchdowns. The Huskies must have some sort of run game to overcome this Stanford defense which has been pretty good this year.

The Stanford defense currently ranks 3rd in the nation against the run. They held the then #2 USC Trojans to 26 yards rushing on 24 carries as they flat out dominated the Trojans. This year the Cardinal have yet to allow 20 points in their three games as they are allowing only 14.7 points per game.

This defense creates pressure which leads to turnovers as they have already forced six interceptions this season. They are led by Ed Reynolds who already has three interceptions for 144 yards including a touchdown. The Cardinal defense have also shut down the Huskies in the Sarkisian era holding the Huskies to 14 points, then shutting them out at home in 2010 and last year the Huskies only scored 21 points against this defense. The Huskies must find a way to score on this defense as the Cardinal offense has also had their way with the Huskies in recent years.

The Cardinal offense is led by Stepfan Taylor who this year has ran for 338 yards(5.0 YPC) with three touchdowns. He also has 10 receptions for 89 yards with a touchdown. Taylor has also destroyed the Huskies in the past as well. Taylor as a freshman ran for a touchdown against the Huskies then started to do damage on them in 2010 and 2011. In 2010 Taylor ran for 102 yards on 20 carries(5.1 YPC) with two touchdowns. Then last year Taylor ran for 138 yards on only 10 carries(13.8 YPC) with a touchdown. The offense runs through Taylor as the Cardinal have pounded the ball on the Huskies the last four years.

The Cardinal will have a new quarterback in this series as Andrew Luck defeated the Huskies the last three years. This year the quarterback is Josh Nunes who will be making his first career start on the road. This year Nunes is 47-88(53.4%) passing for 615 yards(7.0 YPA) with six touchdowns and three interceptions. His leading target is tight end Zach Ertz who has nine receptions for 146 yards(16.2 YPC) with a touchdown. The Cardinal will try to establish the run game and work the play action passes against this new Huskies defense led by new coordinator Justin Wilcox.

The Huskies defense this year has played well in two games and terrible in the other game. The defense has been killed by the Cardinal the last three years in the Sarkisian era allowing 34 points, 41 points and last year giving up 65 points. This defense does have some talent led by senior corner back Desmond Trufant who has played really well this year. They also have super talented true freshman Shaq Thompson who is all over the field and he could see some action at running back.

The Huskies defense in the past especially against ranked opponents have been blown out. The defense has allowed 298 points in their last six meetings against ranked opponents all of which are losses. That is an average of 49.7 points per game which is completely unacceptable. For the Huskies to take the next step they must start showing they can compete in these type of games.

This is a huge game in the Steve Sarkisian era as his tenure appears to be at a cross roads. A win tomorrow proves the Huskies are indeed moving in the right direction as a program. While another blowout loss with #2 Oregon and #13 USC looming could start getting some uncomfortable talk surrounding Sarkisian. Starting with this embarrassing 41-0 loss to Stanford in 2010 the Huskies are 1-9 in their last 10 games against ranked opponents losing by an average of 28.2 points. The Huskies have lost six games in a row to ranked opponents all of which were by double figures. In three games against Stanford the Huskies have lost 34-14, 41-0, and 65-21 last year. Sarkisian is in his fourth year and this is a huge game for him. The 41-3 loss to #4 LSU Tigers was a bad start to showcase how this program has made "progress". Hopefully tomorrow Sarkisian can start pulling off these upsets like he did his first year and a half on the job.

This is a big game for the Huskies program on a special Thursday night game on ESPN. This is a chance for this program to finally show they are ready for big time wins on big network games. This is a chance for Sarkisian to finally silence his critics with a win over a good top 10 opponent who is very beatable. The Huskies have the talent to beat the Cardinal and they are at home. Plus in the past when facing a quarterback making his first career road start that used to always mean a Huskies win. The Huskies program has a great opportunity tomorrow to show they are ready to compete with the top tier teams in the conference. Should be a fun atmosphere which I'll be there in person to witness. The Huskies are hoping this year against the Cardinal it's a different story unlike the last four years. We'll know a lot more about the Sarkisian tenure at Washington after tomorrow that is for sure.

Huskies use historic 2nd quarter to blowout Vikings 52-13

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(2-1) got back on the winning track in blowing out FCS Portland State Vikings(1-2) 52-13. In a game which saw the Huskies score a school record 31 points in the second quarter as they led 45-0 at halftime before Steve Sarkisian pulled many starters after leading 52-0. Keith Price looked back to form as he threw three first half touchdowns while birthday boy Bishop Sankey had his first career 100 yard rushing performance while rushing for two touchdowns. The Huskies scored on all three phases of the game with their offense, defense and special teams. This was a good win for the Huskies as they now will face five straight ranked opponents.

The game started off with the Vikings attempting an onside kick which they jumped offsides on. So the Huskies took over on the Portland State 46 yard line. After a defensive holding penalty the Huskies had the ball on the 36 yard line as the Vikings handed them great field position. In trying to get the run game going Sankey ripped off a nice nine yard run on a draw play to the Vikings 27 yard line. Following play Price hit Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a 12 yard gain to the Vikings 15 yard line. After an incomplete pass by Price the Huskies again turned to the run game as Sankey ran it in from 15 yards out to give the Huskies the early 7-0 lead. Sankey last week against the LSU Tigers had only 16 yards rushing already had 24 yards rushing on that first series.

The Huskies defense three and outed the Vikings offense then forced a punt from their own 10 yard line. Marvin Hall returned it 20 yards to the Vikings 35 yard line. Price would immediately hit Kasen Williams for a gain of 15 yards down to the Vikings 20 yard line. On the following play Price would throw a beautiful pass to sophomore wide receiver DiAndre Campbell for the touchdown from 20 yards out. For Campbell that was his first career touchdown with the Huskies. For Price he looked like he did much of last season as he started off three for four passing for 47 yards with the touchdown. The Huskies led 14-0 over the Vikings as their offense had yet to face a third down as their offense was in sync. The Vikings would drive to the Huskies 41 yard line on the following play before Prince Fuimaono tackled D.J. Adams for a loss of five on fourth and one.

After the Huskies finally stalled on a drive the Vikings drove down the Huskies 36 before once again on 4th and two the Huskies defense came up with a stop. From the Huskies 35 yard line Price began the drive hitting Campbell for an eight yard pass. Erich Wilson ran for three yards to pick up the first down. Price hit Seferian-Jenkins on a bootleg for a gain of four yards. After a false start, Wilson ran for three yards setting up a third and eight from their own 48 yard line. Sankey on a draw play didn't read the hole and gained only four yards to make it fourth and four from the Portland State 48 yard yard line. Sarkisian was visibly upset at this point thought about going for it on fourth down instead he sent out his punt team. Instead of usual punter Korey Durkee who wears #46 he sent out his field goal kicker Travis Coons who also wears #46. Coons did a fake punt as he hit a wide open Sean Parker for a gain of 16 yards to the Vikings 32 yard line as the quarter ended with the Huskies leading 14-0.

This is when Kasen Williams took over the rest of the drive as he had been held to one catch for 15 yards in the first quarter. On second and nine from the 31 yard line Price hit Williams on a wide receiver screen for 13 yards down to the Vikings 18 yard line. On the following play again Price hit Williams on a wide receiver screen as Williams carried his defender down for a gain of eight yards down to the 10 yard line. Price hit Williams again for the third straight play and once again to the left side for a gain of five yards down to the Vikings five yard line setting up a first and goal situation. After a Sankey run of two yards to the three yard line Sarkisian decided to not mess around. Price lobbed a three yard fade pass to a wide open Williams on the right side this time for a touchdown to give the Huskies a 21-0 lead.

For the Huskies that drive they ended up going 65 yards on 12 plays eating up over 6:44 in clock.  Williams on that drive had four receptions for 29 yards including the touchdown. While Price was six for six passing for 41 yards including the touchdown. Price after four drives was 10-12 passing for 88 yards with two touchdowns showing he was back to his old form of last season.

The Vikings trailing 21-0 tried to make it a game. Facing a third and 11 from their own 34 yard line Vikings quarterback Keiran McDonagh burned Tre Watson badly as he connected with his favorite target Justin Monahan for 44 yards. On the play Watson committed the pass interference while Monahan still hung on as the Vikings had the ball on the Huskies 22 yard line. McDonagh ran the next play for six yards to the Huskies 16 yard line. Then texted Watson again but both passes were incomplete. Nigel Burton after being stuffed twice on fourth and short elected to kick the 33 yard field goal. Freshman sensation Shaq Thompson came in and blocked the field goal as cornerback Watson who had been picked on scooped it up and ran it in from 79 yards out to give the Huskies a commanding 28-0 lead. For Watson the former walk-on and transfer from Central Washington University scoring a touchdown in his third career game at Washington is something you'd make a movie out of.

The Huskies took over from their own 30 yard line as their offense continued to click. Sankey ran for three yards then six yards setting up a third and one from the 39 yard line. Seferian-Jenkins would have a costly false start backing the Huskies up to make it third and six. He would make up for it though on the next play as Price hit Seferian-Jenkins on a fade route as Seferian-Jenkins made the catch and ran for 40 yards to the Vikings 26 yard line. On second and 10 Dezden Petty would rush for three yards as the Vikings had a face mask to bring him down. Huskies would have the ball on the 11 yard line. Huskies went empty but Petty jumped false start making it first and 15 from the 16 yard line. That is when Price lobbed the ball up there in the end zone to let his big tight end make a play. Seferian-Jenkins hauled in his first touchdown reception of the season from 16 yards out giving the Huskies a 35-0 lead over the the Vikings.

After the kickoff the Vikings began from their own 21 yard line. Facing pressure McDonagh wildly threw a pass towards the right sideline as corner back Marcus Peters jumped the route for the easy interception return for the touchdown giving the Huskies a 42-0 lead. On the following drive the Vikings miscues continued as they attempted a 35 yard field goal only to have a poor snap as the Huskies recovered the ball on their own 26 yard line. Highlighted by a 31 yard by Wilson where he started off right to his left then cut all the way back up field down to the Vikings 40 yard line. Price would hit Evan Hudson for a gain of six yards to set up third and six from the 36 yard line. Sankey would rush for seven yards then six more to the 23 yard line. The Huskies would settle for a Travis Coons 41 yard field goal to give the Huskies a 45-0 lead at halftime.

At halftime the Huskies led 45-0 led by Price. Price was 12-17(70.5%) passing for 149 yards(8.7 YPA) with three touchdowns. His main targets were tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who had four receptions for 72 yards with a touchdown. He also hit Kasen Williams five times for 44 yards with a touchdown. Then DiAndre Campbell got into the action with two receptions for 28 yards with a touchdown.

The rushing game was a lot better this week as well as Bishop Sankey ran for 52 yards on eight carries(6.5 YPC) with a touchdown. Erich Wilson had 50 yards rushing on five carries(10.0 YPC) in the first half. The Huskies had outgained the Vikings 260-137 in yards, 14-6 in first downs. The Huskies held the Vikings to two for eight on third downs and 0 for 2 on fourth downs. The Vikings were led by quarterback Keiran Mcdonagh who was 9-17 passing for 68 yards with an interception. He also had 57 yards rushing on eight attempts.

After getting chewed out in front of the whole stadium by Sarkisian the Huskies came out hungry in the second half to not have a let down. On defense they forced a three and out as their offense took over on the 21 yard line. Sankey began the drive with a gain of three yard, Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of six yards setting up a third and one. Petty rushed up the middle for a gain of eight yards to their own 38 yard line. Sankey ran for six yards to the 44 yard line. On the following play Sankey would rush for 21 yards to the Vikings 35 yard line. After a rush of no gain Price would hit Williams for a 25 yard gain down to the 10 yard line. Sankey would rush for four yards making it second and goal from the six. On the following play Sankey would rush it in for a six yard touchdown and his second touchdown of the day as the Huskies led 52-0.

That is when Sarkisian decided to pull his starters as Price, Seferian-Jenkins and Williams wouldn't play anymore. Sankey would stay in long enough to rush for his first career 100 yard performance before being pulled. The Huskies would allow two late touchdowns before winning 52-13. It was a dominant performance by the Huskies who desperately needed this win as they face four straight ranked opponents.

For the Vikings this was a tough loss as they were obviously over matched facing a Pac-12 school who has reached back to back bowl games. Add in the fact the Huskies were embarrassed last week you knew the Huskies were going to take it out on them.

They were led by true freshman quarterback Keiran McDonagh who was 18-32(56.3%) passing for 178 yards(5.6 YPA) with a touchdown and two interceptions. He also led the team in rushing with 61 yards on 10 carries(6.1 YPC) with a rushing touchdown. Running back D.J. Adams was shut down as he was held to just 20 yards rushing on 9 carries(2.2 YPC).  McDonagh main receiver was Nevin Lewis who had three receptions for 83 yards including a 70 yard touchdown to avoid the shutout. Justin Monahan had three receptions for 53 yards in the loss. The Vikings under third year head coach Nigel Burton do appear to have a bright future as McDonagh is a true freshman after leading Skyview high school to the state title game last year.

For the Huskies they did what they had to do which was take care of business. Led by their junior quarterback Keith Price who reminded fans why he is still an elite quarterback. Price was 14-19(73.7%) passing for 181 yards(9.5 YPA) with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. His main weapons were once again tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who caught five passes for 78 yards(15.6 YPC) with a touchdown. He found Kasen Williams six times for 69 yards(11.5 YPC) with a touchdown. DiAndre Campbell finally getting some action at receiver caught two passes for 28 yards with a touchdown. Marvin Hall caught a pass for 16 yards playing in his first career game. Michael Hartvigson caught a pass for seven yards while tight end Evan Hudson caught a pass for six yards.

The Huskies running game had a productive day rushing for 209 yards. They were led by the birthday boy Bishop Sankey who rushed for a career high 103 yards on 14 carries(7.4 YPC) with a career high two rushing touchdowns. Erich Wilson ran for 72 yards on 15 carries(4.8 YPC) while Dezden Petty ran for 54 yards on 16 carries(3.4 YPC). The Huskies for the first time this year saw their passing game working and their running game working. They are going to need it as they start conference play on Thursday September 27th against #9 Stanford Cardinal.

This was a productive win for the Huskies but no questions were answered. Hard to judge if the Huskies offense was clicking or if they were taking advantage of a team who was overmatched. We'll find out pretty soon just how good this Huskies team is in Steve Sarkisian's fourth year in the program. The Huskies for the second straight year are 2-1 heading into conference play with this new "A, B, C" schedule they are adopting like every other program. This was a good bounce back win for the Huskies but in a few weeks we'll find out if progress has been made or not.

Observations:

-  Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins is shaping up to have an all-american season this year. He still must avoid those mental lapses as he had a costly holding penalty and two false starts.  He still had another productive game as he had five receptions for 78 yards and his first touchdown of the season which puts him three away from first place in school history for tight ends.

For the year Seferian-Jenkins has 20 receptions for 211 yards(10.6 YPC) with a touchdown. That puts him on pace for 80 receptions for 844 yards with four touchdowns which is incredble numbers. He'll surely be a first round pick when he is first eligible after the 2013 season. The Huskies haven't had a tight end like this since their last tighe end who was a first round pick Jerramy Stevens. Given than Seferian-Jenkins isn't in the police blotter all the time I'd say he'll have a much more productive career than Stevens did.

- The other five-star recruit in the class of 2011 was wide receiver Kasen Williams who had a good bounce back game. Williams caught six passes for 69 yards and one drive he took the game over with four receptions all in a row.

For the year Williams has 15 receptions for 163 yards(10.9 YPC) with two touchdowns. That put him on pace for 60 receptions for 652 yards with eight touchdowns which for a true sophomore year is pretty good. I think his receiving yards will be higher though as he'll need to step up for the Huskies passing attack to continue to progress. Williams is physical and is terrific on those wide receiver screens. Hopefully in Pac-12 play we see more Williams over the middle on deep post routes.

- Another five-star recruit who had a big game was true freshman Shaq Thompson who is such a good athlete that he started at outside linebacker this game. Thompson led the team with seven tackles while having two for loss. He also blocked a field goal which led to Tre Watson scoring a touchdown. Thompson is already making a big impact on defense as he plays like a veteran already. When Thompson starts to play his natural position at safety next year where he is allowed to roam around and make plays it could be fun to watch. Still Sarkisian it appears has hit home runs on all three of his five star recruits which is huge since the Huskies had previously been 0 for 5.

- When big schools play the smaller schools due to scholarship limits the biggest edge is special teams. The Huskies special teams was terrific as Travis Coons was perfect on all seven PAT's and hit a 41 yard field goal. He also completed a fake punt pass to safety Sean Parker for a gain of 16 yards.

The Huskies also blocked a field goal for a touchdown, then blocked an extra point later in the game. Marvin Hall had a 20 yard punt return and also a 37 yard kickoff return that many thought he was going to score a touchdown but he stepped out of bounds. Special teams this year has been good for the Huskies. Remember their only points against LSU was due to the kickoff team forcing a fumble.

- Bishop Sankey who turned 20 on gameday had his best game as a Husky. Sankey who struggled the previous six quarters badly needed a game like this. Sankey finished with 103 yards rushing on 14 carries with two touchdowns. He showed good speed with a 21 yard run and also was finishing runs which was nice to see.

On the year Sankey has rushed for 185 yards on 44 carries(4.2 YPC) with three touchdowns. I imagine Sankey will get more rushing yards as the year goes on. Remember he was supposed to share the backfield with Callier and now all of the sudden he is the main man carrying the rock. Sankey has shown flashes of becoming a special running back for the Huskies. He just needs to hit the hole hard and finish his runs better.

- This was a good game for Sarkisian to feature his backup running backs to see who can spell Sankey some carries. Wilson carried the ball 15 times for 72 yards while Dezden Petty carried the ball 16 times for 54 yards. Petty is a power back who should be used primarily on short yardage situations as he runs hard.

I like Wilson a lot though all three games he ran well and has shown good speed evidence by his 31 yard run against Portland State. On the year he has rushed for 119 yards on 21 carries(5.7 YPC). I think Sarkisian must find a way to get this speedster the ball four to five times a game at least as he has ran well in all three games.

- This wasn't the type of homecoming that Nigel Burton wanted when he returned to coach against his former school for the first time as a head coach. Burton took some major risks early by attempting an onside kick that didn't work out and going for it on fourth down twice which neither worked as well. I respect Burton trying to win this game and not being afraid to get blown out.

Burton led the Vikings to their first winning season last year since 2006. He has a true freshman at quarterback who appears to be the real deal. His quarterback will probably dominate the Big Sky for the next couple of years. Burton is trying to make a name for himself like every coach in the Big Sky tries to do. Although Burton is in a beautiful city in Portland and I've always felt Portland State is a sleeping giant in the Big Sky since they are easily the biggest market in that conference.

- For those doubting Price need to stop. He had one bad game which looked worse by the fact his receivers couldn't hang onto the ball. Today Price looked like his old self in completing 14-19 passes for 181 yards with three touchdowns. Price was pulled after the first series in the second half as he was poised to have a big day. Price was accurate on his throws and finding his main two targets as well.

For the year now Price is 56-90(62.2%) passing for 560 yards(6.2 YPA) with four touchdowns and one interception. Not bad for a guy who is "struggling". Price is on pace to throw for 2,240 yards with 16 touchdowns to 4 interceptions. I'm sure all those numbers will go up for Price who still looks pretty good this year.

- Steve Sarkisian now improves to 21-20 as head coach. Unlike the Eastern Washington game last year Sarkisian didn't take this game lightly pulling off fake punts and ripping his team a new ass in front of the whole stadium right before halftime with his team up 45-0.

I think Sarkisian is a smart enough guy to realize the big picture which faces him ahead. The Huskies are slated to host #9 Stanford, travel to #3 Oregon, host #13 USC and travel to #22 Arizona in the next four weeks. These will be the make or break four week stretch for Sarkisian. If he can somehow survive that stretch by going 2-2 which would put the Huskies at 4-3 then they are poised to finish the year strong which would be progress heading into next season. If the Huskies were to fall to 2-5 look for the fire Sark momentum to pick up. Sarkisian talks a good game we are about to find out if he can coach a good game where he is 1-9 vs ranked opponents in his last 10 contests.

This was a good tune up game for the Huskies as they head into a bye week. After that the toughest four game stretch of the Sarkisian era for him as a coach. The Huskies can't afford to stumble during that stretch and must keep up the good momentum that they earned in this game. The running game must be a factor and not just a one game performance against a weak performance. Price must continue to play lights out like he did in the first half against San Diego State and Portland State. The Huskies defense must continue to make plays as they have scored defensive touchdowns in both their wins over San Diego State and Portland State. Overall this was a good win but it was hard to truly judge due to the opponent. The Huskies are about to find out what kind of team they are in the next four weeks.

Washington takes on Portland State for first ever meeting

By Kshell

This Saturday the Portland State Vikings(1-1,0-1) travel to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies(1-1,0-0) for the first time ever. The Vikings are led by third year head coach Nigel Burton who led the Vikings to their first winning season since 2006 when he guided the Vikings to a 7-4 record last year. Burton is a former Husky for those who don't know as I talked about him yesterday as he is facing his old team. Burton was a big part of the Huskies upset win in 1996 over BYU who was led by quarterback Steve Sarkisian. Now Sarkisian has a chance to get even with Burton and more important turn this season around. The Huskies are at their lowest point in the Sarkisian era fresh off of a 41-3 defeat to #3 LSU Tigers as injuries on the offensive line continue to add up. The Huskies will have a challenge stopping the Vikings run which under Burton runs the pistol attack.

Last year the Vikings were third in the nation in FCS in running the football. This year they added Maryland transfer DJ Adams. While at Maryland as a freshman Adams ran for 225 yards(3.5 YPC) with 11 touchdowns. As a sophomore he ran for 174 yards(4.4 YPC) with four touchdowns. This year with Portland State he has ran for 226 yards(7.5 YPC) with three touchdowns. In a 45-37 loss last week to North Dakota saw Adams with a huge game. He ran for 144 yards on only 16 carries(9.0 YPC) with a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 31 yards in the game as well. His backup is Shaquille Richard who has ran for 77 yards(3.5 YPC) on the season. Richard also has three receptions for 117 yards including an 80 yard touchdown on a screen. The Vikings will hope to run the football to control the clock especially against a Huskies team who has allowed 441 yards rushing(220.5 yards per game) on 92 carries(4.8 YPC) with five touchdowns.

Meanwhile the Washington Huskies are finding out that life after Chris Polk has been a lot more difficult transition than life without Jake Locker last year. Last week the Huskies as a team ran for 26 yards on 24 carries(1.1 YPC). Bishop Sankey so far this year has been terrible as has his offensive line. For the year Sankey has 82 yards rushing on 30 carries(2.7 YPC) with a touchdown and a fumble in the red zone. He has four receptions for 30 yards this year. With Sankey struggling the Huskies could give some carries to Erich Wilson who this year has ran for 47 yards on just six carries(7.8 YPC). The Huskies must find a way to run the ball or quarterback Keith Price will get killed back there. If the Huskies can't run the ball effectively against an FCS school then they aren't running the ball at all this year. Look for Sarkisian to try and get the run game going so the Huskies have some positive momentum heading into what is shaping up to be the biggest game of his career when the Huskies host Stanford on September 27th on a Thursday.

Unlike last year the Vikings have a quarterback who can throw the ball. On the year Kieran McDonagh is 29 for 57(50.9%) passing for 493 yards(8.6 YPA) with five touchdowns to only two interceptions. McDonagh has also ran for 27 yards and has only been sacked twice all year. His favorite target is Justin Monahan who missed the first game but had a monster game last week. Monahan caught six passes for 156 yards(26.0 YPC) with two touchdowns last week. Another running back Justin Lilley has two receptions for 76 yards including a 40 yard touchdown. Under Burton the Vikings run a lot of Pistol with big plays in the passing game as they like to feature their three running backs in the passing game. They also have slot receiver Keitrell Anderson who has seven receptions for 41 yards(5.9 YPC) as he leads the team in receptions. The Vikings offense so far this year is averaging 37.5 PPG as they can beat you with throwing and running the ball.

Sarkisian is looking to get his passing attack on track which has been held out of the end zone for seven straight quarters. The Huskies strength the passing game led by Keith Price is the Vikings weakness. Last week North Dakota quarterback Marcus Hendrickson came off the bench to throw for 294 yards on 16-25(64.0%) passing with a school record six touchdowns. Price needs a bounce back after suffering his worst game as a Husky. For the year Price is 42-71(59.2%) passing for 379 yards(5.3 YPA) with one touchdown and one interception. His leading receivers are tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who has 15 receptions for 133 yards(8.9 YPC). Kasen Williams has nine receptions for 94 yards(10.4 YPC) with a touchdown. While Kevin Smith has six receptions for 68 yards(11.3 YPC). The Huskies offense needs to make more explosive plays as their longest play of the year is a Price completion to Kevin Smith last week for 22 yards. The Huskies have only one run over 20 yards this year and only three passes over 20 yards this year. Hopefully Sarkisian opens up the play book a little so the Huskies offense can get some confidence going.

With all due respect to Portland State this game isn't about them. This game is about the Washington Huskies finding their offensive identity as they try to head into Pac-12 play with some momentum. The disaster down in LSU counts as only one loss and if the Huskies can regain their confidence back going 2-1 into conference play that is all anyone could have asked for. The Vikings will have upset on their mind as the Eastern Washington Eagles who the Vikings defeated last year nearly defeated the Huskies last year and the Washington State Cougars last week. This is a big opportunity for Burton to showcase himself as a head coach to his former school and throughout the country. With that said this shouldn't be a close game and if the Huskies have any ounce of pride they'll destroy the Vikings in the first half. The Huskies must find their offensive identity soon as they face four straight ranked opponents after this week. Should be a fun one Saturday afternoon as the Vikings take on the Huskies for the first time ever.