Huskies take on LSU; flashback to the start of the Sark era

By Kshell

When the Washington Huskies(1-0) travel down to take on #3 LSU Tigers(1-0) this Saturday it will bring back some memories of the 2009 season. This is Steve Sarkisian's fourth season with the Huskies but back in 2009 he was taking over a program that had just gone 0-12. He was taking over a program that had gone 12-47 the previous five seasons which is a tough task in itself. To begin his career he was taking on the 11th ranked LSU Tigers who had won a national championship just two years prior and would play in the national championship game two years later. This was a big game on ESPN as Sarkisian was looking to start his Huskies career off with a bang by upsetting the Tigers. In a game which nobody gave the Huskies a chance including Husky fans they almost pulled off the upset. By the end of the game the Huskies would lose 31-23 despite out gaining the Tigers. The Huskies out played the Tigers and Sarkisian received a standing ovation despite losing this game. In this following post I'll flash back to when the Sarkisian era had began.

#11 LSU Tigers at Washington Huskies- September 5th, 2009:

The Huskies eager to begin a new era had an electric atmosphere at Husky Stadium. Several former players were on the sidelines taking in the atmosphere as the Huskies received the opening kickoff. The Steve Sarkisian era would start off on their own 15 yard line with junior quarterback Jake Locker who missed eight games the previous season a large part in going 0-12.

 Facing a second and 10 from the 15 yard line medical redshirt freshman Chris Polk had a gain of 10 yards to the 25 yard line. On second and 10 Polk would rush for nine yards to the 34 yard line. Locker on the third and one would rush for two yards to the 36 yard line. Facing a third and 12 Locker would complete his first pass in the Sarkisian era as he would hit Johri Fogerson on the screen pass and Fogerson would run for 51 yards down the Tigers 15 yard line. After a five yard penalty then a Polk run of three yards setting up a second and 12 from the 17 yard line Locker hit then true freshman James Johnson on the right sideline. Johnson made his man missed then ran to the outside as he crossed the end zone for the touchdown. The place went wild as the true freshman made quite the splash with his first career catch.

The Tigers would quickly settle down the excitement as they would march to the Huskies three yard line where they had a first and goal. I remember the Huskies crowd really got into it as the Huskies defense held the Tigers to a field goal. The Tigers had gone on a 12 play 62 yard drive cutting the score to 7-3 as the Huskies had upset on their mind. On the second drive of the Sarkisian era it was a complete disaster as on the first play from their own 25 yard line Locker was picked off by linebacker Jacob Cutrera who ran it back for the 25 yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead.

The Huskies proving they weren't like the 0-12 team before them didn't quit. Starting from their own 27 yard line Chris Polk would bust a run for 33 yards to the Tigers 40 yard line. On third and 14 from the 44 yard line Locker would hit sophomore Devin Aguilar for a gain of 17 yards down to the Tigers 27 yard line. After a Locker completion to Johnson to move the chains to the 16 yard line the Huskies were in business. From the 17 yard line Polk would rush for 12 yards down the Tigers five yard line setting up a first and goal. On the ensuing play Polk would fumble as Patrick Peterson would recover the fumble.

After a quick three and out and a Fogerson 18 yard punt return to the Tigers 24 yard line the Huskies were back in business. After gaining only eight yards the Huskies had to settle for an Erik Folk 34 yard field goal to tie the game up at 10-10 in the second quarter. LSU would drive to the Huskies 19 yard line before junior linebacker Mason Foster forced the fumble then recovered the fumble ending the drive. The Huskies offense would then drive to the Tigers 40 yard line before stalling out.

The Tigers offense would finally respond with a drive of their own. They would go on a 7 play drive spanning 75 yards. Starting from their own 25 yard line the Tigers would rush for two yards. Then quarterback Jordan Jefferson would rush for seven yards. Charles Scott would rush for four yards on a key third and one to their own 38 yard line. Jefferson completed an eight yard pass after a nine yard run by Kevin Williams. On second and 10 from the Huskies 45 yard line Jefferson hit Terrance Toliver for a 45 yard touchdown pass to give the Tigers a 17-10 lead with a 1:07 left in the half.

The Huskies due to a penalty started on their own 8 yard line. Polk would begin the drive with a 12 yard run to the 20 yard line. Locker ran for six yards to their own  26 yard line as the Tigers took a timeout. Fogerson ran for three yards to the 29 yard line as the Tigers again took a timeout. With a third and one with 40 seconds left Fogerson would rush for five yards to move the chains. On the following play Locker  would connect deep to Aguilar for a gain of 46 yards to the Tigers 20 yard line. On the following play on a wheel route Locker would hit Fogerson for a touchdown only Fogerson couldn't hang on. The Huskies would have to settle for a Folk 37 yard field goal as time expired. The Tigers led at halftime 17-13 as the Huskies offense was moving the ball pretty easily against the SEC defense.

In the second half after both teams traded punts the Tigers look to finally put away the upset minded Huskies. Starting from their own 14 yard line the Tigers would go on a nine play 86 yard drive capped by a touchdown. On second and seven from the 17 yard line Jefferson would hit Brandon LaFell for a gain of 12 yards to their own 29 yard line. On third and one from the 38 yard line Scott would rush for eight yards 46. Jefferson would rush for eight yards on the following play to the Huskies 46. Facing a third and one from the 45 Jefferson would keep it on a quarterback sneak for the one yard to advance the chains. After a Huskies offsides penalty the Tigers would take advantage. Jefferson would hit Toliver once again for the score as Toliver would go in from 39 yards out to give the Tigers a commanding 24-13 lead over the Huskies with 5:43 left in the third quarter. The Huskies offense would stall on the 39 yard line. Failing to put the game away though the Huskies defense would three and out the Tigers as they took over down 24-13 to start the fourth quarter.

With the ball on their own 36 yard line Locker would complete a seven yard pass to Fogerson to the 43 yard line. Polk would rush for five yards for the first down to the 48 yard line. Polk would rush for three yards then Locker for three more setting up a third and four from the 46 yard line. Locker would rush for five yards picking up the key first down to the Tigers 41 yard line. After a penalty the Huskies offense would once again stall in the red zone having to settle for a 42 yard field goal attempt by Folk which he missed. Huskies defense would force a three an out as their offense would take over once again.

Starting from their own 42 with 9:44 left to play the Huskies if they had any chance of winning this game had to score on this drive. Facing a third and 11 Locker would complete a 10 yard pass to D'Andre Goodwin to the LSU 49 yard line. Sarkisian would go for it from 4th and one as Locker would rush for five yards to the Tigers 44 yard line. Polk would rush for four yards setting up a third and six from the 40 yard line. Once again it was Locker's legs who came through as he ran for 24 yards to the 16 yard line Facing a third and eight from the 14 Goodwin and Locker had a communication problem as the pass fell incomplete. For the the fifth time in the red zone the Huskies couldn't score a touchdown as they settled for a 42 yard field goal by Folk. More importantly with a little over five minutes left it cut the Tigers lead to 24-16 making it a one possession game.

After playing tough all game long the defense finally had a poor defensive drive. This was perhaps the easiest drive of the game for the Tigers. Starting from their own 33 yard line Williams would begin the drive with a nine yard rush to the 42 yard line. Jefferson would move the chains with a four yard completion to the 46 yard line. Williams would rush for seven yards to the Huskies 47 yard line. Once again the Jefferson to Toliver combo would burn the Huskies as they would connect for 25 yards to the Huskies 22 yard line. Williams would rush for 16 yards to the Tigers six yard line. Jefferson would cap the six play 67 yard drive with a six yard touchdown pass to LaFell which gave the Tigers a commanding 31-16 lead with 1:54 left.

For Jefferson that was his third and final touchdown pass of the game. For the Tigers this appeared to be the game clincher as they had a square from a team who had gone winless the year before. The Tigers had to earn this victory but the Huskies proved although out of the game they still had plenty of fight in them as they wouldn't go away so easily.

The Huskies would finish the game on a 10 play drive going 81 yards as Locker would hit tight end Kavario Middleton for the nine yard touchdown with no time left. After Folk made the extra point the Tigers would win the game 31-23. For Locker on that drive he was 7-10 passing for 86 yards with a touchdown. Locker hit Polk on back to back passes for 17 yards each on that drive. For the Huskies losing is always disappointing but there was something special about this one as the program finally gave the fans something to be excited about for the first time in well ever.

For the Tigers who won the game they saw a star emerge in quarterback Jordan Jefferson who two years later would lead the Tigers to the national championship game. Jefferson finished the game 11-19 passing for 172 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. His main targets were Terrance Toliver who caught four passes for 117 yards with two touchdowns. Brandon LaFell caught four passes for 34 yards with a touchdown. Charles Scott carried the ball 12 times for 52 yards good for a 4.3 YPC average. His backup Kevin Williams carried the ball seven times for 51 yards good for a 7.3 YPC average. Jefferson the young quarterback also ran the ball eight times for 42 yards which was good for 5.4 YPC average. The Tigers were close to being upset but showed that the Huskies program still wasn't ready to be knocking off ranked opponents with regularity.

For the Huskies this was a tough loss because they outplayed the #11 LSU Tigers. The Huskies outgained the Tigers 478 yards to 321. The Huskies had more first downs 25-17. The Huskies also won the time of possession war 36:52-23:08. The problem for the Huskies was five times they had the ball in the red zone and scored only nine points as they fumbled and had to settle for field goals on the rest.

They were led by Jake Locker who was 25-45 passing for 321 yards with two touchdowns and a costly interception that was ran back. An emerging start came out of that game in freshman wide out James Johnson who caught six passes for 63 yards with a touchdown. Tight end Kavario Middleton who was supposed to be what Austin Seferian-Jenkins is now had five receptions for 45 yards with a touchdown. Devin Aguilar caught four passes for 76 yards. In the run game Chris Polk ran for 90 yards on 21 carries good for 4.3 YPC while adding two receptions for 34 yards. Locker ran 12 times for 51 yards good for 4.2 YPC. Fogerson had 11 yards rushing with two receptions for 58 yards. Mason Foster on defense had eight tackles with a forced fumble. While new kicker Erik Folk made three for four from field goals.

This was a weird game in that most fans felt good despite the program losing their 15th game in a row. That streak would end the next week when the Huskies would defeat the bowl bound Idaho Vandals. Then the Huskies would upset #3 USC Trojans 16-13 and find themselves ranked. The Huskies would finish the year 5-7 a huge improvement from 0-12. I was confident in that Sarkisian was the guy after the first three games and I was certain that by the time the Huskies take on LSU in 2012 the Huskies would have a team that has a shot at winning. Fast forward and the Huskies are 23.5 point underdogs but are a bowl team. For Sarkisian this was a good debut despite the loss as he showed the nation that Husky football can be turned around quicker than most had thought. In only two years after going 0-12 the Huskies went to a bowl game as they upset the #18 Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the Holiday Bowl.

No matter what happens to Sarkisian as head coach I'll never forget the enthusiastic feeling I had for this program after this loss. Only time in my life I was feeling good after a Husky football loss as this team a year removed from 0-12 had just gone toe to toe with the #11 team in the nation and two weeks later defeat the #3 team in the nation. Just like in 2009 nobody is giving the Huskies a chance to keep this game close and maybe they are right. Hopefully like 2009 Sarkisian can unleash the passing attack which most SEC teams don't face much. Either way this was a special night for the Huskies and even though they lost they gave the program something to be proud of. The Huskies had nothing to be proud of the previous five seasons but they knew that day that the long days of suffering were about over. That day is when the Sarkisian era had finally began!

The Price is right

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies are 2-0 this season for the first time since 2007 despite losing Jake Locker to the first round of the NFL draft. The Huskies are 2-0 because of the play of their sophomore quarterback Keith Price. Price has to be the guy who is replacing a legend in Locker. Locker is the Huskies all-time all-purpose yardage leader, second in passing yard, second in passing touchdowns and first in rushing touchdowns for a quarterback. Locker also led the Huskies to a bowl game for the first time in eight seasons and first bowl win in 10 seasons. Locker then went on to be drafted in top 10 of the NFL draft making him the fourth Steve Sarkisian quarterback to be drafted in the first round. The saying in sports is don't be the guy who replaces the guy well that is what Keith Price has been asked to do at Washington. Even then some wondered if he was even going to be given that opportunity to take over for Locker.

When the Huskies were playing games last year many fans expected Nick Montana to take over as the starting quarterback this year. Montana for those who don't know is the son of legendary quarterback Joe Montana. Last year Nick Montana was even a game day captain for the BYU game(season opener) and the Holiday Bowl win over Nebraska despite being a redshirt. The Huskies team stores last season and this season were selling Montana's #5 jersey as well. Meanwhile despite making a spot start at #1 Oregon last year and being projected as the starter this year Price's #17 jersey is nowhere to be found. The kid from Compton who was overshadowed in High School by Matt Barkley is probably used to this by now. Price had just one scholarship offer after his junior year which was by the Huskies from then coach Tyrone Willingham. His current coach Sarkisian never even recruited him at USC but when Sarkisian took over as the Huskies coach he sure did. Sarkisian went down to Compton to make sure Price was still on board who Oregon then Utah had offered him a scholarship. Thankfully for the Huskies Price stayed loyal to the Huskies.

This season many people were high on the Huskies but not so high on Price. Those who felt the Huskies would be a non bowl team this year felt the Huskies were going to be hurt by Price. Most preseason predictions had the Huskies doing well with the rest of their team. They also rated Price as the worst quarterback in the conference. Price who was only a three star recruit in high school is probably used to being underrated so this should come as no surprise. Price is a dual threat quarterback who is accurate and smart with the ball. For the season Price is 35-50(70.0%) passing for 417 yards with seven touchdowns to one interception. In his career he has nine touchdowns to one interception. Many felt the Huskies would be 2-0 while Price is along for the ride but Price is proving he is a big part of the team. In last week's 40-32 win over Hawaii Price was 18-25(72.0%) passing for 315 yards with four touchdowns to one interception. Price faces a stiff test this week at Nebraska but he has already shown that he is the quarterback for the long haul.

In conclusion, Price provides inspiration to everyone who has been doubted in life. In high school he had to live in the shadows of Barkley, in college he had to replace a legend in Locker while having a legend's son be his backup, with Chris Polk as the runningback every loss he'll be blamed for, and many felt he was the worst quarterback in the conference. Seeing how UCLA's quarterback situation is a mess and the Oregon State Beavers have already made a quarterback change that has been proven bogus. Price is having an outstanding season and with the way the Huskies have been playing defense is the main reason the Huskies are 2-0. Price is well on his way to leading the Huskies to a bowl game just like Locker has done. Just remember when someone doubts your ability in anything think of Keith Price who has proven all his doubters wrong time and time again.

Washington Huskies preview vs Hawaii: Flasback to 2007

By Kshell

This Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT the Washington Huskies(1-0) host the Hawaii Warriors(1-0) in a game at Husky Stadium. The Pac-12 Huskies take on the team most pick to win the WAC in the Warriors. The Warriors last week already defeated a Pac-12 team 34-17 against the Colorado Buffaloes. The Huskies survivors of a 30-27 win over the Eastern Washington Eagles are hoping to put up a better effort this week. Huskies third year coach Steve Sarkisian let it be known he wasn't pleased with the Huskies efforts the previous weeks. The Huskies defense the previous week allowed 473 yards passing which is scary considering who they have to play this week when Hawaii comes to town.

This week the Huskies defense will have to improve as they take on Warriors quarterback Bryant Moniz. In the win over Colorado Moniz completed 20 of 33 passes(60.6%) for 178 yards with a touchdown pass. He also ran for 91 yards(6.5 YPC) with three touchdowns. Moniz is a dual threat quarterback who can run and pass. Last season Moniz completed 361-555 passes(65.0%) for 5,040 yards with 39 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. So like Eastern Washington the Warriors will be throwing the ball around the field. The Huskies will have to play much better defensively then they did against the Eagles. One thing that will be going in the Huskies favor is this week unlike last week the Huskies will actually be healthy heading into the contest which should pay huge dividends.

The Huskies this week will have back senior cornerback Quinton Richardson and senior wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. The Huskies will also have Chris Polk close to 100%. Last week Polk was only at 80% which you couldn't tell by his game log. Polk carried the ball 23 times for 122 yards(5.3 YPC). Look for Sarkisian to feed Polk even more this week to control the clock to keep the Hawaii offense off the field. With Kearse back look for Sarkisian to also open up the playbook a little bit and allowe quarterback Keith Price to throw down field some.  With Richardson back in the starting lineup the Huskies will have some experience at cornerback which should prevent some of those touchdowns on third/fourth and longs. The Huskies will have quite the battle on their hands and this is a game that should come down to the end. The last time these two teams played the game did come down to the very end of the game. In this following post I'll flashback to that famous 2007 game and talk about how that loss wasn't even the worst thing to happen to Husky football that weekend.

Washington Huskies(4-8,2-7) at #11 Hawaii Warriors(11-0, 8-0):

The Washington Huskies were coming off a 42-35 loss to cross state rival Washington State Cougars as they were heading into this game. There was plenty of speculation circling around Dawgman, KJR, Seattle Times and other news outlets should this be the last game for Tyrone Willingham. Some believed a loss he would be fired for sure while others believed that Cougars loss had already sealed his fate that he wouldn't be brought back for 2008. Meanwhile the Warriors were enjoying their best season in school history led by quarterback Colt Brennan as the Warriors were hoping they would get an invite to the Sugar Bowl with a win over the Huskies. The atmosphere in Hawaii was unbelievable as the Warriors had everything to play for while the Huskies were playing out their season. Many figured the Warriors would destroy the Huskies. Well at the start of the game it was the Huskies who looked to be like the team who was playing with something on the line.

The game started off great for the Huskies as Louis Rankin took the opening kickoff 41 yards to the Huskies 44 yard line. The Huskies then went on an eight play 56 yard drive which saw freshman quarterback Jake Locker rush for 34 yards on three carries. Locker would cap the drive with an eight yard touchdown run to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead. On the Warriors first possession Brennan was sacked and fumbled the ball giving the Huskies the ball on the Warriors 21 yard line. After being denied three straight runs the Huskies facing a fourth and goal from the one gave the ball to their fullback Luke Kravitz who ran for the touchdown to give the Huskies a 14-0 lead. The Warriors would go three and out again. The Huskies would go on a six play 51 yard touchdown drive. Senior running back Louis Rankin would rush for 39 yards on four carries on that drive. The Huskies would cap the drive with a Kravitz two yard touchdown run. The Warriors were silent as they were trailing 21-0 at the end of the first quarter. The Warriors in the first quarter on their four possessions had a three and out and three fumbles which the Huskies recovered.

The Warriors would finally get their offense going in the second quarter. The Warriors would go on a 10 play 83 yard touchdown drive. On that drive Brennan would complete all seven pass attempts for 67 yards. Ending with a seven yard touchdown pass to Jason Rivers to pull the Warriors within 21-7. The Huskies would respond to that touchdown by going on a seven play 84 yard touchdown drive. Louis Rankin would rush for a 44 yard run to the Warriors 28 yard line. Then Locker would hit Marcell Reece for a gain of 13 yards to the 15 yard line. He would later hit fullback Paul Homer for a 10 yard pass which was originally ruled a touchdown but after review he was down at the one yard line. Homer would then cap the drive with a one yard touchdown run giving the Huskies a 28-7 lead.

The Warriors down 28-7 in the middle of the second quarter turned to their heisman hopeful quarterback Brennan to try and march the Warriors back into the game. The Warriors would respond to that touchdown by going on a six play 75 yard touchdown drive. On that drive Brennan completed all five of his passes for 75 yards including a 43 yard pass to Ryan Grice-Mullen to the Huskies seven yard line. Brennan would then cap the drive hitting Rivers for a three yard touchdown. The Huskies would punt on six plays allowing the Warriors to have the ball once again. The Warriors would start their drive with a surprising 44 yard run to the Huskies 36 yard line. Then Brennan would take over once again completing all four of his passes for 36 yards. Brennan would finish the drive with a 13 yard touchdown pass to Rivers to cut the lead to 28-21 heading into halftime.

The third quarter featured no scoring as the Huskies missed a field goal and the Warriors missed two field goals. So heading into the fourth quarter the Huskies had led 28-21 but in the Willingham era the Huskies could never close these games. The Warriors in the fourth quarter after the two missed field goals finally executed properly as they went on a six play 73 yard drive. Brennan was four for five passing on that drive for 75 yards including hitting Rivers for a 40 yard touchdown pass to tie the game up at 28-28. The Huskies had blown a 21-0 and 28-7 lead to the Warriors but had one final possession to try and win back this game. The Huskies facing a critical third and 15 from the Warriors 46 yard line saw Locker complete a first down pass in field goal territory. The officials said his foot crossed the line so it was called a penalty loss of down. The replay had shown that Locker did not cross the line but the Huskies were forced to punt the ball away to the Warriors.

The Warriors would go on an eight play 76 yard touchdown drive. On that drive Brennan would complete all six of his passes for 70 yards. Brennan would hit Grice-Mullen for the go ahead score from five yards out with just 49 seconds left. That would be Brennan's fifth touchdown pass of the game. The Huskies now finding themselves trailing 35-28 would have the ball on their own 22 yard line. The freshman Locker would hit tight end Michael Gottlieb for a 25 yard gain down to their own 47 yard line. Then Locker would hit Reece for a 49 yard pass to the Warriors four yard line with 20 seconds left. After Locker was stuffed for a loss of two he would attempt to throw a pass to Reece. Reece would bobble the pass as it was intercepted to clinch the thrilling comeback for the Warriors. The Warriors would go to their first ever BCS bowl game with that win. For the Huskies it made for a long plane trip home.

For the Warriors they were led by Brennan who completed 42 of 50 passes(84.0%) for 442 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. His main receivers were Rivers who had 14 receptions for 167 yards with four touchdowns and Grice-Mullen who had 10 receptions for 121 yards and a touchdown. In his final game as a Husky Louis Rankin would rush for 145 yards on 21 carries(6.9 YPC) while freshman quarterback Jake Locker would complete 9 of 17(52.6%) of his passes for 142 yards with an interception. Locker would also rush 15 times for 76 yards(5.1 YPC) with a touchdown. This was a typical Willingham loss which saw the Huskies lose to a WAC team despite rushing for 261 yards(5.2 YPC). Many felt this would be the final game that Willingham would coach for the Huskies as he finished last place for the second time in three years and was 11-25(6-20 in Pac-10 play) as Huskies coach. In a shocking move Willingham would be brought back for 2008 and the Huskies would go 0-12. While the Warriors would go on to lose in the Sugar Bowl to the Georgia Bulldogs. Head coach June Jones would bolt for SMU that offseason.

The Huskies will only have players who redshirted that season who are on the current squad so there is no revenge at stake here. Keith Price and Chris Polk amongst others weren't on that roster who lost to Hawaii that night. One thing to remember is that the Huskies are complaining about a win over Eastern Washington which sure beat the days of griping about tough losses all the time which was the case in the Willingham era. That game should teach Husky fans just how far the program has gone but have last week's performance show just how far the Huskies have to go. The Huskies aren't an elite program quite yet but that sure is better than what they were during that era I just described where 21 point leads were not safe at all. When the Huskies were actually surprised they played so well against a WAC team which in itself should have been a major red flag on just how horrible the program had fallen to that point.

In conclusion, the Huskies are taking on a pretty good team this Saturday in Hawaii a team people are predicting to win their conference. Just like in that game the Huskies because they are a BCS conference team should dominate the line of scrimmage. I expect to see plenty of Chris Polk and I expect to see the defensive line to continue to stuff the run while applying some pressure this week. The Huskies with Nebraska coming up can't afford to drop this game to fall to 1-1. The Huskies have won five games in a row and with a win here could win six in a row. The Huskies more importantly to avoid a bowl game would have to go a disasterous 3-7 down the stretch which I don't see happening. This should be a well played football game just like that game I described back in 2007. Hopefully reading that game shows everyone just how far the program has improved over the years under Sarkisian.

Washington Huskies 2011 season preview

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies head into their football season as winners of a bowl game for the first time in a decade. The same Huskies that went 0-12 in 2008, found themselves, in just two short years, beating the Nebraska Cornhuskers to win the 2010 Holiday Bowl. When the Huskies hired the inexperienced coach Steve Sarkisian, some fans questioned the move. Well, in just two years, Sarkisian has the fans believing in good things at Montlake. The Huskies have plenty of hope heading into this season as they were picked to take third place in North division of the new Pac-12. The Huskies will be returning 16 starters from last season and another ranked recruiting class by Sarkisian. The program will have to prove to everyone they are indeed a program and not just the Jake Locker show.

Last season was all about Jake Locker and in some ways this year will also be about Locker. This year the Huskies will have to find a way to replace the face of their offense and face of their defense in Mason Foster. Both players have been such big parts of the Huskies' turnaround that it will feel strange not seeing either player there. The Huskies did record their first winning season last year at 7-6; the first time since 2002. The Huskies also had impressive wins over USC, 32-31, for the second straight year; Oregon State, 35-34, in double overtime, and then had to win their final three games to become bowl eligible. The Huskies then faced California. They were down 13-10, facing a fourth and goal from the one-yard line, when they decided to go for the win. The Huskies gave the ball to Chris Polk, who scored the winning touchdown; this could be the defining win of the Sarkisian era. Then the Huskies defeated the Washington State Cougars, 35-28, when Jake Locker hit Jermaine Kearse for the winning touchdown. However, the best win in over a decade, for the Huskies was when they upset Nebraska. 19-7. in the Holiday Bowl, setting up momentum heading into this season.

The team is night-and-day better than when Sarkisian took over the program two years ago. Two years ago you still had the stink of 0-12 and the stink of Tyrone Willingham. Now the fan base is pumped about Husky football and the Huskies will be facing expectations for the first time in a while. It has been nice to see the transition back to where Husky football needs to be. Sarkisian is still a year or two away from having the Huskies be like those teams of the 1990's where it was Rose Bowl or bust. Right now, for this current group, it will be bowl game or bust from here on out. In this upcoming post I'll preview each position on the team. The Huskies have some positions that can go toe-to-toe with any team in the nation.

Quarterback:

Unlike last season, the Huskies face some uncertainty at the quarterback position. With Jake Locker, the all-time passing touchdown and rushing touchdown leader in school history, having graduated, Keith Price will be expected to take over at quarterback. After battling with Nick Montana all Spring, Sarkisian named Price the starter heading into fall camp. Price, from the practice I saw, looked like he is very comfortable with the offense.

Price is a redshirt sophomore who saw some playing time last season. Price, for the season, completed 19-37 (51.4%) of his passes for 164 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Last year, on the road against USC, Price threw a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter, for the injured Locker, to give the Huskies the lead, 29-28. Then, with Locker later injured, he had his first career start at the #1 ranked Oregon Ducks in Autzen Stadium. In that game he was 14-28 (50.0%) for 127 yards with a touchdown. He also ran for 28 yards in the game. Price, unlike Locker, will be coming into a much better situation with tons of talent around him; he should be just fine.

If Price, for some reason, cannot perform, he will have the highly touted Nick Montana behind him. Montana is a four-star recruit who defeated Jake Heaps in a high school game in 2009. Montana is the son of the greatest quarterback in NFL history, Joe Montana. I feel like he is a year away from seriously challenging Price. Whoever is the quarterback, they will have the luxury of having plenty of weapons on offense.

Running Back:

The Huskies are loaded at the running back position, which is a good thing, as Chris Polk could miss the first couple of games. When Polk does return, the Huskies will have the highest rated NFL running back in the Pac-12. Polk has been the Huskies most productive back since the days of Napoleon Kaufman, Corey Dillon and Rashaan Shehee. As a redshirt freshman, Polk ran for 1,113 yards (4.9 YPC) and five touchdowns, with 25 receptions for 171 yards.

Last year Polk was even better: rushing for 1,365 yards (5.2 YPC) and nine touchdowns, with 22 receptions for 180 yards. Polk, like he did in 2009, saved his best for the end of the season. During the Huskies four-game winning streak, Polk rushed for 673 yards (6.2 YPC) with five touchdowns. He scored the winning touchdown against California, and then in the Apple Cup, he rushed for the second highest total in school history; he ran for 282 yards (9.7 YPC) and two touchdowns. In the Holiday Bowl, Polk was MVP against Nebraska, running for 176 yards on 34 carries (5.2 YPC) with a touchdown. While Polk is out due to a knee surgery, he'll have some capable backups to help with the workload.

The guy who will be filling in for Polk against Eastern Washington, and maybe more, is Jesse Callier. Last year as a freshman, Callier ran for 413 yards (5.4 YPC) while catching 18 passes for 98 yards. Callier also returns kicks. In the first play of the Holiday Bowl game, Callier threw a 14-yard pass to Locker to set up the Huskies first score of the game. Callier was mainly used on the fly sweeps, and last year against UCLA ran for 107 yards on just 10 carries. He is a true sophomore with tons of speed so even with Polk returning, look for Callier to still get at least 10 touches a game.

The Huskies will also gain Johri Fogerson back. The former O'Dea High School standout played just one game last year where he had a six-yard run before he was injured. However, in 2009 he ran for 46 yards (3.3 YPC) with a touchdown, but he was mainly used for screens. He caught 17 passes for 191 yards including a 51-yard pass against LSU. He also caught a touchdown as well during the season. Fogerson's return should be huge when it comes to the short passing game. The Huskies may or may not use true freshman Bishop Sankey. The talented four-star recruit, who Sarkisian stole from the cross-state Cougars, could factor in, although he'll most likely redshirt as the Huskies feature a pretty deep backfield.

Wide Receivers:

The Huskies, for the second straight year, are pretty deep at wide receiver. For those teams who want to eight-man box, the Huskies have fun as they will have a tons of three-wide-receiver-set combinations. The Huskies have seven guys they feel very comfortable with playing including two veterans who will be entering their third seasons as full-time starters. The Huskies have many four-star recruits at the wide receiver position, so there is plenty of talent for Price to get the ball to, leaving the passing game, despite the graduation of Locker, in good hands. The Huskies also feature one of the best playmaking wide receivers in the nation.

I'm talking about senior Captain Jermaine Kearse, who as a freshman, caught 20 passes for 301 yards (15.0 YPC) and two touchdowns. As a sophomore, he broke out with 50 receptions for 866 yards(17.3 YPC) with eight touchdowns. Then as a junior he continued his improvement with 63 receptions for 1,005 yards(16.0 YPC) with 12 touchdowns. He has been named to the second team all Pac-10 team the last two years and this year he will most likely end up on the first team all Pac-12 team. He had plenty of big games last year; in the Huskies 41-20 win over Syracuse, Kearse had nine receptions for 179 yards with three touchdowns. Later in the year, he set a Huskies record against Oregon State, catching four touchdown passes in the 35-34 double-overtime win. He had nine receptions for 146 yards with four touchdowns that game. Then in the Apple Cup he had six receptions for 178 yards with two touchdowns, including the game winning touchdown; Kearse has a total of 20 touchdown receptions over the last two seasons.

With Kearse's big play ability, that should open up the underneath passes to senior Devin Aguilar and true freshman Kasen Williams. Aguilar has been a steady rock for the Huskies, catching 90 passes for 1,191 yards and seven touchdowns in 27 games. He is typically the underneath guy and Kasen Williams was a huge asset for Sarkisian. Williams is a five-star recruit at receiver, from Skyline High School, and was named Parade Magazine's Prep Athlete of the Year. With Kearse, Aguilar and Williams the Huskies have one of the best three-wide-receiver-set combos in the entire nation.

Battling for the fourth receiver spot is Kevin Smith, who is a sophomore and former four-star recruit. Last year, he had just one reception for 18 yards, but did have 324 kickoff return yards. The fifth receiver is James Johnson, who as a freshman, caught 39 passes for 422 yards with three touchdowns. Although last year, he had just one reception for three yards. Then Cody Bruns, a former four-star recruit, is next with seven receptions for 102 yards while returning 63 yards in punts last season. The Huskies also have DiAndre Campbell who will be trying to get in the rotation. The Huskies receiving corps is pretty deep and they will make teams pay for using eight-man boxes.

Tight End:

The Huskies last year received zero production from their tight end position but that should change this year. This year, the Huskies feature four tight ends who are taller than 6'5", including the five-star recruit Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who stands at 6'6" and weighs 250 pounds. Seferian-Jenkins was a huge land by Sarkisian as he stayed home instead of going to the University of Texas. The Huskies will also have Michael Hartvigson who is 6'6" and weighs 246 pounds. Another guy who could factor in the rotation is Evan Hudson, who is also 6'6" and weighs 251 pounds. Look for these tight ends to come in play down in the goal line situations on play action passes. It will be nice for the Huskies to finally have some talent at tight end which they haven't had since the Rick Neuheisel days.

Offensive Line:

The Huskies offensive line returns four guys who started games last year. The Huskies offensive line is anchored by two-time Captain Senio Kelemete who is 6'4" and weighs 301 pounds. Kelemete, who will be a senior at Washington, has started 24 games on the offensive line including all 13 games last year at left tackle. In 2009 he earned honorable mention All Pac-10 when he played guard. Kelemente began his career as a defensive tackle where he started four games his freshman year. This year, he will be protecting the quarterbacks' blind side for the second straight season.

Starting at left guard is Colin Tanigawa who will be a redshirt freshman. Tanigawa is 6'3" and weighs 297 pounds and will be playing in his first career college game against Eastern Washington. At center the Huskies will return junior Drew Schaefer. Schaefer is 6'4" and weighs 301 pounds and started 17 games the past two seasons; he has started 11 games at center and six at tackle. At right guard, the Huskies will start true sophomore, Colin Porter, who last year, as a true freshman, started 10 games. Porter is a big NFL prospect as he is 6'4" and weighs 322 pounds. Porter was the guard the Huskies ran behind as he pulled against California on the game winning score. At right tackle you have true sophomore Erik Kohler who played in 11 games last year while making five starts. Kohler, standing at 6'5" and weighing in at 298 pounds, along with Porter, are the Huskies future on the offensive line.

Not only does this offensive line have experience with 56 career starts, they have youth as four guys should be returning for next season as well. The Huskies also have some height and weight on their offensive lines. The average height for the Huskies offensive line is 6'4-1/4" and the average weight is 304 pounds, which is pretty good. Sarkisian has brought in some tall linemen, but unlike the Willingham linemen, they are physically ready to perform. This offensive line should be another year better as Porter and Kohler could make up a pretty good combination on the right side of the line.

Defensive Line:

This could be the strength of the Huskies defense. Unlike the past two years where there were several questions about just how many Pac-10 players the Huskies have on the defensive line they appear to be deep this year. The Huskies figure to have eight guys in the rotation which is a good thing to hear. The Huskies defensive line, which struggled last season, came on strong in the final four games of the season, especially in the 19-7 Holiday Bowl victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The defensive line put pressure on the quarterback and stuffed the run of Nebraska which was a far cry from the first meeting when Nebraska won 56-21.

The man who is anchoring this defensive line is Captain Almeda Ta'amu, who some have projected to be drafted in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft. Ta'amu is a big body at 6'3" and weighing 337 pounds. In his career he has started 29 games and has played in 37 games in his career. He earned honorable mention All Pac-10 last season. Joining him somewhere on the defensive line is fellow senior Everrette Thompson, who is 6'6" and weighs 272 pounds. Against bigger teams, Thompson plays a lot of defensive end, but against smaller quicker teams, he plays some defensive tackle. In his career he has 19 career-starts and has played in 34 games. Another Husky who will factor in the defensive tackle rotation is Lawrence Lagafuaina; he is 6'0", weighing 329 pounds and redshirted last season. You'll also see four-star recruit, Danny Shelton, who is 6'1" weighing 334 pounds. Like Thompson you'll also have Sione Potoa'e who is 6'2" weighing 276 pounds. Against smaller teams, Potoa'e will play tackle and against bigger teams, he will play end. Last year he played in 11 games making two starts. The Huskies are deep at the defensive tackle position anchored by two seniors.

The Huskies, at defensive end, feature true sophomore Hau'oli Jamora who is projected to be first team All Pac-12 defensive end. Jamora, who is 6'3", but only 247 pounds, played last season in all 13 games while starting the final seven games. Against Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl, Jamora recorded four tackles, three for loss and and one for a sack. Thompson will be most likely the other starting defensive end, but if he starts at tackle, look for junior Talia Crichton to start. Crichton, who is 6'3" and weighs 255 pounds, has played in 15 games making 10 career starts. Another guy who will factor in the rotation is Andrew Hudson who redshirted last season and is 6'3", weighing 231 pounds. Finally, we have highly-recruited Josh Shirley, 6'3", 229 pounds, who will pretty much play every third and long situation. Shirley is a bit of a hybrid who can eventually play outside linebacker or defensive end. For right now he'll play a ton of rush end.

The Huskies defensive line projects to have three All Pac-12 players, including two on first team. They will have eight guys who can play, which should keep the defensive line fresh. The Huskies also have versatility, which will be a huge strength. The Huskies have big guys up the middle and quick speed rushers on the outside. The Huskies should be able to stop the spread teams and the smashmouth power teams. Just a matter of playing an entire season like they did those last four games of the year is the key.

Linebacker:

This unit is probably the biggest question mark the Huskies face including the quarterback position. Over the last two years, the Huskies have lost graduating seniors Donald Butler(starting in the NFL), E.J. Savannah, Mason Foster (starting in the NFL), and Victor Aiyewa. The Huskies, for the second straight season, will have to replace two linebacker positions. They have also had to replace the face of the defense for the past three seasons with the loss of Holiday Bowl defensive MVP, Mason Foster. Foster was a terrific player for the Huskies and will be hard to replace. Last year the Huskies had to replace Butler who was also a terrific player.

The guy who replaced Butler was Cort Dennison who is a senior Captain at middle linebacker. Dennison, in his career, has played in 34 games and has made 17 career starts. Last year, he started 12 games at middle linebacker where he recorded 92 tackles with two sacks and two interceptions. Dennison will be the anchor of a young linebacking core. The other starters will be Princeton Fuimaono, who as a true freshman last year, played in all 13 games, including a start at Oregon. The other starter will be John Timu who will be a redshirt freshman this season. Other guys, who will factor in, are Garret Gilliland who last year, as a true freshman, played in 12 games, including starting against Nebraska. Thomas Tutogi will be backing up Cort Dennison at middle linebacker. Tutogi was a JC player last season and will be a true sophomore this year. The Huskies linebackers are very young and eventually could be the team's strength next season.

Defensive Backs:

The Huskies will feature plenty of experience at their cornerback position this year. They will have some talented, but inexperienced, safeties this season as well. Starting with the corners, the Huskies will feature junior Desmond Trufant who is the brother of Washington State Cougars great, and current Seattle Seahawks Marcus Trufant. Trufant, in his first two years, has played in 25 games, making 22 starts. He has three career interceptions and half a sack. Trufant is projected to be first team All Pac-12 this season. On the opposite side is senior Quinton Richardson. Richardson has played in 37 games, making 30 career starts. He has three career interceptions, including a touchdown last year against UCLA. Richardson, though, could miss the start of the season. Replacing him will be the interesting battle as there is a big drop off. Gregory Ducre will compete for that spot. Last year, as a true freshman, he played in all 13 games including an interception against Syracuse. Anthony Gobern, junior, has played in just 15 games (all on special teams)and will compete with Ducre to fill in for Richardson. When healthy, the Huskies have two corners who have combined to play in 59 games, with 52 starts, so Nick Holt could do some blitzing.

At safety, the Huskies will be replacing last year's Team Captain, Nate Williams, with Sean Parker. Parker is a four-star recruit who chose the Huskies over USC at the last minute. Last season, as a true freshman, Parker played in nine games, as the nickelback, while recording the interception. Then there is a heated battle with Nate Fellner and Justin Glenn, who is back from injury. Fellner is a junior who has played in 22 games with 16 career starts, including all 13 last season. He led the Huskies with five interceptions last year, including one in the Holiday Bowl and one in the Apple Cup. He'll be competing with Glenn who is also a junior. Glenn has played in 13 games with five starts as a freshman before getting injured. During his freshman season he scored a 51-yard touchdown against Stanford. With Glenn healthy, the Huskies have three good safeties.

It is nice to see the Huskies have a veteran secondary that will allow Nick Holt to take more chances with blitz packages. The Huskies have three talented safeties and two corners who could be playing in the NFL. It is nice seeing the Huskies having a handful of guys on defense who could be playing in the NFL. The secondary, like the rest of the defense, came on strong down the stretch. They'll be tested early against Hawaii, who basically throws on every single down. The Huskies strong defensive line play should make life easier on this group.

Kicking:

The Huskies have a strong kicking game that features three seniors. The Huskies field goal kicker is Erik Folk who is pretty clutch as he's made back-to-back game winning kicks against USC. Plus, he sent the Notre Dame game into overtime his freshman year. In his career, he is a perfect 68-for-68 on PAT's while making 31-41 field goals, which is 75.6%. Last year, he hit a 54-yarder and a 52-yard field goal showing off his leg strength. This senior helps the Huskies offense out with his strong long and accuracy as most teams are force to punt Folk can cash those in for three points.

The Huskies have a punting battle that is going to be a tough decision for Sarkisian to make. First, we'll start with senior Will Mahan, who was the punter in 2009. In 2009, he had 52 punts where he had just two touchbacks and averaged 40.6 yards per punt. Last year against BYU he had six punts where he averaged 45.2 yards a punt, including a 64-yard punt. Then, in practice, Mahan was hurt so Kiel Rasp, who was just a walk-on, took over. Well, Rasp did pretty good as well with 69 punts for a school record 43.8 yards per punt average. He also completed a fake punt pass to Kearse in the Apple Cup, which helped the Huskies score a touchdown. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Rasp is also a senior and neither he, nor Mahan, can be redshirted.

The good news for the Huskies is they should have a great kicking game this season. With Mahan or Rasp they have one of the better punters in the conference, which should help the defense out. For kicking, Folk, with his leg and accuracy, can reward them with three points when drives stall. Having a good kicking game can be the difference between winning and losing. Had the Huskies, in 1995 and 1996, had a good kicking game they would have been in the Rose Bowl. The Huskies will be hurting next year as both guys are seniors, but for this year, the Huskies kicking game should be very strong.

Coaching:

For the first time since 1954, the Huskies return their entire coaching staff for the third straight season. On paper, Sarkisian is a losing coach with a 12-13 record and going 9-9 in Pac-10 play. That is why you can't measure success based on paper, as Sarkisian inherited an 0-12 mess; a program that was 12-47 during the previous five seasons. The Huskies were the worst program in the nation during that five-year stretch which saw them losing nine plus games in four of those seasons. Sarkisian has done a good job of having his teams play their best ball at the end of the season, which has been the case the past two years.

With Sarkisian, the Huskies have a young coach who is recruiting hard. He has brought in back-to-back ranked recruiting classes, which hasn't happened since the Rick Neuheisel days. The Huskies also brought over the bulk of the USC coaching staff which included their defensive coordinator, Nick Holt. Holt took over a disaster of a defense for the Huskies and there has been some improvement since he has arrived at Washington. The defense allowed just one touchdown in three of the final four games of the season. The coaching staff is recruiting well, and most important, they are winning. They took an 0-12 mess to a Holiday Bowl win over #18 Nebraska in just two seasons.

Outlook:

The future looks very bright for this program. If the Washington Huskies football program were a stock, this is a stock you'd want to buy a lot of shares as they are a program on the rise. The Huskies had a five-win turnaround two years ago and last season went 7-6 while winning the Holiday Bowl. For this year, the team knows how to win the close games as they won four games by seven points or less last season. This group no longer expects to compete, but expects to win, regardless of the opponent. I feel like the days of hoping for a bowl game are over as they'll start making a bowl game every year. I think in a year or two the Huskies will seriously compete for the Rose Bowl. Sarkisian currently has another ranked recruiting class which would give him three-in-a-row and there are some pretty big fish that are still available in the Huskies backyard.

As for this season, I think the Huskies should win no fewer than seven regular season games. I predict the Huskies will go 8-4 in the regular season and that is mostly due to their tough schedule. The Huskies will play three teams who are currently ranked in the top 10 in the nation, with two of those games being road games. I do think the Huskies will upset one of those three as Sarkisian has shown the ability to upset opponents in the past two years. I think the Huskies are poised to show the nation that they aren't just a Jake Locker program, but instead a legitimate program. The Huskies will take another step forward in what is ultimately the main goal of reaching the Rose Bowl. I say 8-4 with another trip to the Holiday Bowl as the Huskies take third place in the Pac-12 North Division.

In conclusion, I hope you enjoyed my season preview of the Washington Huskies. I'm excited for this season as the Huskies return several key players while bringing in some new fresh faces. I'm excited that I'm no longer hoping for success with the Huskies and now I'm expecting success. I'm happy that losing-season streak has finally snapped and the Huskies can become the Huskies again. This season will have some bumps and bruises along the way, but the program is going in the right direction, for sure. I'm still amazed at how, in just two years, the Huskies went from 0-12 to a bowl victory over a ranked opponent. The program is in good hands with Sarkisian and the talent continues to increase each and every season. The Huskies begin their season Saturday, September 3, against defending FCS national champions Eastern Washington. Hopefully Husky Stadium is packed and ready to go!

Sold/Not Sold

By Twolf

The other day ESPN was discussing how each rookie quarterback was going to perform in their career. This gave me an idea, "I'll put my two cents in about which rookie will be solid and which will not. That should make a good first post." It's very simple, sold for ones I believe will be good and not sold for ones I believe won't.

Cam Newton - Not Sold

Newton is a great athlete, but I don't see him being a productive quarterback at this level. He doesn't have the weapons in Carolina, he has no one in front of him to learn from, and he's from more of an option system.

Jake Locker - Not Sold

His biggest upside is learning from Hasselbeck. He's an athlete, like Newton, but his accuracy is his major flaw. He may have gotten away with it at the college level, but he won't in the NFL. Another downside for him is the system the UW ran for him. Like Tim Tebow he was better in the spread, which is fine for college, but ends up hurting quarterbacks once they go pro.

Christian Ponder - Not Sold

Minnesota has a bad offensive line, very few weapons at receiver, play in a division with great defenses, and the wrong style quarterback to learn from. Don't get me wrong, Donavan McNabb is a good quarterback, but not for Ponder to learn from. It's hard for a pocket passer to learn from a scrambler because they each can do things the other is incapable of.

Blaine Gabbert - Sold

Being a pocket passer and smart helps you immensely in the NFL. Great footwork, velocity, and touch on his throws will make him a solid quarterback for years to come.

Andy Dalton - Sold

Nothing about his situation (starter right away, can't push the ball downfield, coach the could be fired soon, owner that's just one step above Al Davis, no weapons on offense, and bad defense) says he'll be a good NFL quarterback, but I have a feeling he'll prove everyone wrong. Maybe not until he leaves Cincy, but he will.

Ryan Mallett - Sold

I hope New England doesn't use him as trade bait (like Merril Hodge thinks). With a few years being tutored by Bellicheck and Brady he could turn out to be the best quarterback from the 2011 draft (yes, I said it). His biggest test will be whether his maturity level gets better.

Hasselbeck signs with Titans

By Kshell

One teams trash is another teams treasure. That is exactly what the Tennessee Titans are hoping by signing former Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to a three year deal worth 21 million dollars. The Titans are hoping that Hasselbeck with a good supporting cast like running back Chris Johnson can bring back the Hasselbeck from 2003-2007 instead of the Hasselbeck from 2008-2010. The Titans needed a quarterback as they released Vince Young and they don't want to rush first round pick Jake Locker who they drafted 8th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft. The Titans are hoping with a fresh start they can get new results from Hasselbeck.

With Hasselbeck they have a proven playoff quarterback who has led a team to the Super Bowl. This appears to be a solid move for the Titans franchise as Hasselbeck showed at times last year he still has some game left in him. Hasselbeck has proven at times last year he can still be an NFL starting quarterback and lead a team to a playoff win. In last years 41-36 playoff win over the New Orleans Saints Hasselbeck threw for four touchdown passes. Just like in Seattle Hasselbeck won't have much of a receiver group as his best option Kenny Britt will most likely start the year off suspended. Hasselbeck will have Chris Johnson who will be the best running back he's ever had including Shaun Alexander. The main thing for the Titans is Hasselbeck allows them a bridge gap to the Jake Locker era. With Hasselbeck he can hold the fort down for a year possibly even two which will allow Locker to learn the offense.

This is also great news for Jake Locker as he won't be asked to save the franchise. When Locker is finally starting for the Titans it will be when he is ready instead of being thrown into the fire. We have seen recently young quarterbacks thrown into the fire on bad teams the success rate is very low. While you look at Aaron Rodgers, Phillip Rivers, and Tom Brady they all sat their first year in the NFL. In the case of Rodgers he sat for three full seasons while Rivers sat for two seasons. With Locker sitting and learning from a great pro in Hasselbeck that will help his career quite a bit. The last thing Locker needed with only a month to prepare was to start the season as the starting quarterback. Nobody cares how you do as a rookie anyways. The Titans drafted Locker for what he'll do in his career not what he'll do his rookie year. I think Hasselbeck can hold the spot down for at least a year and a half before letting Locker take over.

In conclusion, as a Seattle sports fan I love this move quite a bit. It would have sucked seeing Hasselbeck kick the Seahawks asses in a San Francisco 49ers jersey. Now I'll sort of adopt the Titans as they have Hasselbeck and Locker. I know I'll be watching their preseason games for sure to see how both guys do. This should be a weird feeling for Locker playing at Montlake for five seasons as Hasselbeck was for the Seahawks. Now Locker will be learning from the guy who he shared the spot light with in Seattle. This is a good move as Hasselbeck can extend his career while the hometown hero Locker can learn from a pro. I'm excited that the Titans not the 49ers signed Hasselbeck. I wish Hasselbeck luck and when that time comes I'll wish Locker luck as well. I know a ton of Seattle fans just became Titans fans as well.

Four star QB Lindquist commits to Washington

By Kshell

Well guys it's that time of the year again where Steve Sarkisian starts to bring in yet another stellar recruiting class. Sarkisian got a nice start to the 2012 signing class by getting Mercer Island Quarterback Jeff Lindquist to commit to the Washington Huskies. Sarkisian the last two years has done a great job of keeping the top talent in the state of Washington at Montlake. This was a good signing for Sarkisian to keep the four star recruit home. I know he already has Keith Price and Nick Montana but you can never have too many quarterbacks. Getting a four star quarterback this early will create good momentum for the program. Typically if you sign a big time quarterback prospect early you gain other recruits. When the Huskies signed Nick Montana they got a few extra recruits like Erik Kohler for an example. This commit won't win the Huskies the Rose Bowl in 2011 or 2012 but it is a nice step in the right direction.

Now you guys are probably wondering about Lindquist. Well the Mercer Island quarterback is a dual threat who stands at 6'3" and weighs 225 pounds. He started as a sophomore throwing for 1,474 yards and 13 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He also ran for 519 yards with 11 touchdowns. Then last year as a junior he passed for 1,994 yards with 15 touchdowns to just nine interceptions. He also ran for 1,017 yards and 18 touchdowns. Add it all up that is 3,011 total yards. As you can see he will remind fans of Jake Locker. Lindquist is already a two year starter so look for his senior year to put up some really good numbers. He is a four star recruit who is the 13th rated quarterback in the country. Lindquist is also a smart kid posting a 3.6 GPA as he chose the Huskies over Stanford. The Washington State Cougars also offered him a scholarship as well. Lindquist coming to Washington was a good pickup for the Huskies as he'll be two years younger than Montana and three years younger than Keith Price.

Things are looking great for the Huskies right now. Jake Locker was picked in the top 10 yesterday, Lindquist signs today and you have the spring game tomorrow. With Locker being the first Huskies quarterback ever to be a first round pick and he was a top 10 pick that should pave the way for more quarterbacks coming to Montlake. Locker coming back to the program did so much going forward. He helped the program get turned around and by being a top 10 pick has given the Huskies program a ton of attention the past couple of months. Locker may have gained the Huskies a few recruits they wouldn't have had without him being drafted in the top 10. Locker improved under Sarkisian and was picked in the top 10. Sarkisian can just add Locker to list of quarterbacks he has had make the NFL under his watch which is a huge recruiting tool. At the end of the day who would you rather sign with a guy like Sark who has produced first round picks or a coach who is 5-32?

When Sarkisian walks in a quarterbacks room he can tell that kid with confidence I'll get you to the NFL. Unlike other coaches he can show evidence of Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, Mark Sanchez and now Jake Locker all quarterbacks taken in the top 10 under his watch. Plus Matt Cassel was coached by Sarkisian as well and is making good money. Sarkisian can tell a quarterback come to me and you'll make millions in the NFL. Signing big recruits is nothing new for Sarkisian. In 2010 Sarkisian brought in the 11th ranked recruiting class by signing 30 kids which saw nine four star recruits and 16 three star recruits. Then in 2011 Sarkisian brought in the 23rd ranked recruiting class which featured 23 kids by signing two five star recruits, three four star recruits and 15 three star recruits. Sarkisian is starting to fill out his recruiting classes and the Huskies in a year or two will have pretty good depth. Sarksian is bringing in mostly three star recruits and above while bringing in some big time rated guys as well. He is also filling out his scholarships which Tyrone Willingham never did so depth won't be a factor.

In conclusion, there is no need to do jumping jacks for a recruit because everyone loves their recruits. However, it is nice that Sarkisian is keeping the top kids in state. In the last two years the top 11 kids in state Sarkisian has had nine come to the Huskies. That is important as this year you still have Joshua Garnett from Puyallup, Washington who is a five star recruit offensive guard and is the #1 rated guard in the entire country. Another key in state prospect is Zach Banner from Lakewood, Washington who is a four star left tackle and #11th rated tackle in the country. It feels good for once to know that the Huskies are keeping these kids at home unlike the Willingham era. With Sarkisian he is moving the program along and eventually there will come a time when the Huskies have five classes in a row that are ranked. Recruiting does matter for those who dismiss it as nine of the top 10 picks in this years NFL draft were four star recruits or higher. Just remember Husky fans Sarkisian is putting a fence up and for that all I have to say is woof!

Titans select Locker with the 8th overall pick

By Kshell

When the Tennessee Titans selected Jake Locker with the eighth pick in the 2011 draft my first reaction was I'm going to be a Titans fan now. When the Titans selected the kid from Ferndale, Washington they are taking a kid with high upside. Locker also became the first quarterback in the Washington Huskies history to go in the first round. With Locker he'll be replacing another #10 who likes to run in Vince Young. The Titans shocked some people by taking Locker over Blaine Gabbert. I wasn't surprised as Patton Richard had said that Locker is rated higher than Gabbert. For the Titans they are getting a good kid who might not be a polished product just yet. Should be interesting what the Titans do with Locker but for fans to say this will end poorly before he has ever thrown a pass is just stupid.

So what are the Titans getting in Jake Locker? On paper they are getting a guy who didn't achieve greatness like he was supposed to do. At Washington he had a starting record of 15-25 which obviously isn't very good. To be fair to that stat Locker took over a program that was horrible under Tyrone Willingham. When Locker got hurt the team went 0-12 then Locker by his senior year led the Huskies to their first winning season since 2002. He also won their first bowl game since the 2000 season so be careful calling Locker a "loser" as I'd say he is a winner. Locker's stats aren't that great he completed just 53.7% of his passes for 53 TD's and 35 INT's for 7,639 yards passing. He also ran 1,783 yards and 29 TD's. Locker for being "bad" produced 82 touchdowns for his team in just 40 games which is an average of two touchdowns a game. The Titans know they are getting a kid who has a good head on his shoulders.

When quarterbacks bust out in the NFL it is for many reasons. One reason why Locker won't bust out is he won't let the money get to his head. Locker turned down two million dollars when he was 18 years old to play baseball. Then last year Locker chose to come back he passed up possibly 50 million dollars. Locker came back to lead his team to a bowl game which he had achieved. Locker is a man of great character as well as he has befriended two kids who were dying. Locker spoke at both their funerals and after having the disaster game against Nebraska bounced back to beat them in the bowl game. Locker is also engaged to longtime girlfriend who is a softball star at the University of Washington. With Locker you know you'll get a hard worker who is going to bust his butt to get better. Will Locker succeed in the NFL? That is yet to be determined but he won't bust out due to lack of work ethic.

The good news for Locker is he'll have Chris Johnson to hand the ball off to. In three years Johnson has missed just one game in his career has rushed for 4,598 yards and 34 touchdowns. He has also caught 137 passes for 1,008 yards. Locker won't be asked to carry this franchise. He'll instead hand off to Johnson 20-25 times a game while being asked to complete roll out play action passes which he is best at. Now Locker will be in a low key situation as well in Nashville, Tennessee with a great running back to lean on. He'll also have a veteran superbowl quarterback Kerry Collins there to help him out. I think this is a good situation for Locker as he'll most likely sit and learn behind a pro like Collins. With Johnson to lean on, being in a low key situation and a veteran like Collins this is a good situation for Locker.

All in all, I'm happy for Locker. Locker is the type of guy you wish to be and your daughter to marry. He is a hard worker who truly doesn't care about money or the limelight. There are 25 players at this NFL draft while Locker is celebrating with his family and friends in his hometown of Ferndale, Washington. When Locker signed with the Washington Huskies he was supposed to be the savior. Well he wasn't surrounded with much talent as no offensive player he played with has been drafted so far. Locker did turn the Huskies program around with the bowl game and win over Nebraska. Now Locker is hoping to add himself to the names of Warren Moon, Chris Chandler and Mark Brunnell who were successful Husky quarterbacks in the NFL. I'll root on Locker no matter what and the Titans are now my favorite AFC team. First thing I'll do in the next couple of weeks is order my Jake Locker Titans jersey. I wish Locker nothing but the best! Locker will forever be a great Husky.

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