Huskies embarrassed by #3 LSU Tigers 41-3!

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(1-1,0-0) failed an early road test once again in the Steve Sarkisian era getting blown out 41-3 to #3 LSU Tigers(2-0,0-0) down in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Huskies all offseason claimed they were ready to take the next step but reality sunk in as the Tigers destroyed them every facet of the game. This was never a contest as the Huskies failed to score a touchdown. Quarterback Keith Price had his worst game as a Husky and the running game averaged 1.1 YPC as they rushed for only 26 yards after having mostly negative rushing yards all game long. This was a huge step back for a program hoping to take that next step.

On the opening kickoff the Huskies received a break as the Tigers fumbled on their own 20 which was forced by Taz Stevenson and recovered by Thomas Tutogi. On the first play the Price hit Kasen Williams on a wide receiver screen for a gain of four yards to the Tigers 16 yard line. That is where the positives for the Huskies would end. On the following play Price would hit a wide open Bishop Sankey over the middle but Sankey dropped the pass. Facing a third and six from the 16 Price would hit freshman Jaydon Mickens in the corner for what appeared to be a touchdown. Instead Mickens had bobbled the pass and was correctly ruled an incomplete pass. The Huskies would have to settle for a Travis Coons 34 yard field goal attempt which he made as the Huskies would lead 3-0 which should have been 7-0.

After the Huskies led 3-0 the battle of field position took place. The Huskies three and outed the Tigers but Tigers punter Brad Wing had a 62 yard punt pinning the Huskies on their own four yard line. The Huskies would go three and out as Korey Durkee had a 32 yard to the Huskies 38 yard line. Quarterback Zach Mettenberger would complete a pass to a wide open James Wright on a slant for 17 yards to the 21 yard line. Then on the following play which reminded Husky fans of the Alamo Bowl loss Alfred Blue would rush for a 21 yard touchdown run that looked rather easy as the Tigers led 7-3.

On the following series the Huskies offense again went three and out as they failed to record a first down on their first three drives. The Tigers offense would stall around the 50 yard line and this time Wing's punt went in the end zone. On first down Price hit Mickens for a gain of nine yards. On the following play big back Dezden Petty would rush for a yard giving the Huskies their first first down of the game. Which things quickly fell apart for the Huskies who saw Price get sacked on third and five. Durkee would shank the punt for 18 yards giving the Tigers the ball on the Huskies 47 yard line.

Starting from the the Huskies 47 yard line Kenny Hilliard would rush for four yards while 10 more yards were tacked on for defensive holdling. Michael Ford would rush for eight yards to the 25 yard line then would rush for eight more yards to the 17 yard line. Spencer Ware ran for seven yards to the Huskies 10 yard line. On second and three Ware would rush for eight yards to the two yard line. On first and goal from the two the Tigers put in another running back as J.C.Copeland plunged forward for a gain of one yard. On second and goal from the one yard line Copeland finished the drive off with a touchdown to give the Tigers a 14-3 lead.

On that drive the Tigers ran the ball all seven times with four different tailbacks rushing for 37 yards. That was straight forward smash mouth football something the Huskies couldn't handle in the Nick Holt era and weren't handling now. After the first quarter the Tigers led 14-3 while out-gaining the Huskies 112-18 in total yards with seven first downs to just one for the Huskies. Price was 5-13 passing for only 21 yards. The Tigers had ran the ball 11 times for 65 yards(5.9 YPC) while the Huskies had ran the ball just three times for negative four yards(-1.3 YPC).

After another three and out by the Huskies offense the Tigers took over on their own 27 yard line. Facing a second and eight from the 29 yard line Mettenberger passed to Wright for a gain of 23 yards to the Huskies 45 yard line. Blue would rush for eight yards to the Huskies 37 yard line, then again for four yards to the 33 yard line. Hilliard would rush for four yards to the 29 yard line setting up a second and six. Mettenberger would hit Wright again for 22 yards setting up a first and goal from the 7 yard line. On back to back rushes to Hilliard which netted only three yards the Tigers were facing a third and goal from the four yard line. Mettenberger would complete a pass to Wright for three yards as Sean Parker tackled him at the one yard line. Facing a fourth and goal Les Miles decided to kick the 18 yard field goal to go up 17-3.

The Huskies offense facing a third and 15 from their own 12 showed somewhat of a pulse when Price hit Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 18 yards to the 33 yard line. That is all the Huskies offense would do as they would punt once again. The Tigers would take over from their own 30 yard line. Blue would start the drive with a four yard run to the 34 yard line. Mettenberger would hit Jarvis Landry for a gain of 20 yards to the Huskies 46 yard line. On second and eight from the 44 yard line Mettenberger would hit Blue for a 14 yard completion to the 30 yard line. Blue would rush for nine yards to the 21 yard, again for six yards to the 15 yard line. That is when the Huskies defense actually got tough as the Tigers once again had to settle for a 32 yard field goal to lead 20-3. On that drive Mettenberger was two for four passing for 34 yards on the drive.

With 5:03 left in the half if the Huskies were to make this a game they had to score on this drive. The drive started off with a sack as Price was facing a second and 21 from his own two yard line. Price would complete a 20 yard pass to Kevin Smith to their own 22 yard line. On third and one Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins in the flat for a gain of 10 yards to their own 32 yard line. Price would complete his third straight pass to Kasen Williams for a gain of seven yards to their own 39 yard line.  The Huskies drive would soon stall out at the Tigers 46 yard line. The Tigers would kneel out the clock going into halftime leading 20-3 over the weakened Huskies who appeared lost all half.

The Huskies were thoroughly dominated throughout the half. The Tigers outgained the Huskies 232-80 in the first half with 13 first downs to five. Keith Price struggled passing 10-23( 43.4%) passing for only 81 yards(3.5 YPA). His main targets were Seferian-Jenkins who had four receptions for 31 yards. Kevin Smith had two for 25 yards while Williams only had two for 11 yards. Bishop Sankey was held to negative two yards rushing on four carries. The Huskies had nine carries for negative 11 yards rushing at halftime.

For the Tigers Zach Mettenberger was 9-14(64.2%) for 128 yards(9.1 YPA). James Wright was his main target with four receptions for 65 yards. Alfred Blue ran for 55 yards on nine carries including a touchdown as the Tigers dominated the Huskies in the first half. In the second half the Tigers wouldn't let up either.

The second half started off with the Huskies going three and out as the Tigers took over on their own 39 yard line. Blue started the series off with a 17 yard run to the Huskies 44 yard line. Mettenberger would rush for five yards to the Huskies 39 yard line. Blue would rush for nine yards to the 30 yard line. Mettenberger would hit Odell Beckham for a 24 yard gain to the six yard line. Blue would rush for three yards up the middle to the three yard line. Then Hilliard would cap the drive with a three yard touchdown run up the middle to give the Tigers a commanding 27-3 lead. The Huskies on the following drive would march down to the Tigers 30 yard line before Price would throw an interception on fourth down killing the only productive drive of the night for the Huskies.

Starting from their own 27 yard line the Tigers continued to pound the run as Ware would rush for nine yards. On second and 1 Ware would throw an incomplete pass on a halfback pass. Ware would rush for two yards to extend the chains to their own 38 yard line. On second and eight Ware would rush for six yards to their own 46 yard line. On third and two Ware would rush up the middle for seven yards to the Huskies 47 yard line. Blue would then take over rushing for 15 yards to the Huskies 32 yard line. Facing a third and 10 from the 32 Mettenberger would find a wide open Kadron Boone for a 32 yard touchdown to give the Tigers a 34-3 lead. Senior Justin Glenn allowed his man to burn him deep on the score as the defense once again reminded Husky fans of the Nick Holt years.

Starting from their own 20 yard line the Huskies were playing for pride at this point. After a five yard penalty by the Tigers, Price would hit Williams for a gain of eight yards to their own 33 yard line. On third and one, Kevin Smith would commit a false start which is inexcusable for a wide receiver. On third and six from the 30 yard line Price would hit Smith for a gain of 22 yards to the Tigers 48 yard line. Price on the following play would dump it off to Sankey for a gain of 10 yards to the Tigers 38 yard line. Sarkisian would call for two straight running plays which of course went nowhere set up third and seven from the 35 yard line. Price would throw back to back incomplete passes as the Huskies once again stalled.

The Tigers would go on a 13 play, 65 yard touchdown drive that ate up almost seven minutes as they once again pounded the ball down the Huskies throats. Hilliard would rush for four yards on the first two carries setting up a third and six. Mettenberger would complete another pass to Wright for 10 yards to their own 49 yard line. After a short gain, Ford would rush for 11 yards to the Huskies 37 yard line. For would rush for seven yards on his next two carries setting up a third and three from the 30 yard line. Hilliard would take back over rushing for six yards to the Huskies 24 yard line. Following play would rush for nine more yards to the Huskies 15 yard line. Hilliard would rush for seven more yards to the Huskies eight yard line. Fullback Connor Neighbors would rush up the middle for five yards to the Huskies three yard line. Hilliard would rush for two more yards setting up a third and goal from the one yard line. Hilliard would then cap the drive with a one yard touchdown plunge giving the Tigers a 41-3 lead.

The Huskies would lose 41-3 which marked their worst offensive performance since losing 41-0 to Stanford in October of 2010. The Huskies offense had only 183 yards total offense and had 26 yards rushing only 24 carries(1.1 YPC). Keith Price finished the day 17-36(47.2%) passing for 157 yards(4.4 YPA) with one interception. He was sacked four times losing 28 yards as he only ran once for a measly four yards. His main targets were Austin Seferian-Jenkins who had six receptions for 51 yards on the day. Kevin Smith caught four passes for 48 yards while Kasen Williams had only three receptions for 19 yards. Bishop Sankey had three receptions for 30 yards while Jaydon  Mickens had one reception for nine yards with a costly bobble.

The ground game was pathetic as Sankey was held to 16 yards rushing on eight carries(2.0 YPC). If not for Erich Wilson rushing for 25 yards in garbage time the Huskies would have had negative rushing yards. Dezden Petty had nine yards rushing on seven carries(1.3 YPC). The Huskies offense was 4-16 on third downs while 1-3 on fourth downs. For a fourth year head coach who specializes in offense this was an unacceptable offensive performance by Sarkisian's offense who looked overmatched on Saturday.

Very efficient game for the Tigers who racked up 437 yards of total offense including 242 rushing. Their quarterback Zach Mettenberger outplayed Price as he was 12-18(66.6%) passing for 195 yards(10.8 YPA) with a touchdown and no interceptions. His main target was James Wright who had five receptions for 75 yards.

On the ground the Tigers abused the Huskies with a plethora of backs. Alfred Blue had 101 yards rushing on 14 carries(7.2 YPC) with a touchdown. Michael Ford ran for 48 yards on 10 carries(4.8 YPC). Kenny Hilliard ran for 46 yards on 13 carries(3.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. Spencer Ware had 38 yards on eight carries(4.8 YPC) as the Tigers ran the ball 52 times. The Tigers pounded the ball and played great defense two things the Huskies used to be great at. Two things the Huskies were terrible at today.

This was an embarrassing game for Sarkisian and the Huskies as they were once again outclassed on national t.v. showing America they aren't ready for these type of games. Many felt the Huskies didn't have a chance but the hope was the Huskies could compete which they didn't after blowing an early gift. The Tigers out played, out hustled, out coached, and had much more talent than the Huskies. The Tigers turned a big game into a non conference tune up game against a cupcake. The Tigers had more trouble with North Texas the week before than they did the Huskies this week which should tell you a lot about this pathetic performance. For those who watched this game they came away with two conclusions which was 1. The Tigers are going to once again be competing for a national championship and 2. The Huskies once again proved they are pretenders.

Observations:

- Remember when the Huskies were deep at running back? Remember when Husky fans mocked Coug fans for stealing Bishop Sankey? Yea about that.....

Sankey in his first career start had only 16 yards rushing on eight carries(2.0 YPC) with three catches for 30 yards but a big drop on the first series of the game. The rushing game has been terrible this year and with Jesse Callier out for the season it's on Sankey. Sankey for the season now has 30 carries for 82 yards(2.7 YPC) with a touchdown and a fumble. While last season he ran for 187 yards on only 28 carries(6.7 YPC). There are no explosive runs from Sankey like he had last year. It's a different world when teams key in on you vs when Polk wears the opponent down and you come in with fresh legs to pop a big run. If Sankey can't turn it around this year it will be a long year for the Huskies as they'll probably miss a bowl game if that happens.

- If Kasen Williams is to be that number one receiver he needs to make more explosive plays this year. In this game he had only three receptions for 19 yards(6.3 YPC) which isn't going to get the job done. He almost made a big play but had no sideline awareness as he didn't drag his feet for an incomplete pass on a fade pattern.

The Huskies are missing James Johnson badly as teams can double team Williams as Sarkisian's golden recruits in Mickens and Taylor have been awful through two games. For the year Williams has nine receptions for 94 yards(10.4 YPC) with his longest reception being 20 yards. Through the first two drives last week Williams had four receptions for 44 yards with a touchdown. Since then in the last seven quarters just five receptions for 50 yards which won't be getting the job done at all.

- Austin Seferian-Jenkins had a productive game with six receptions for 51 yards(8.5 YPC) with a long of 18 yards. Seferian-Jenkins was the only guy who seemed to not be rattled as he hanging onto the ball and managed to make catches in traffic unlike the rest of his teammates.

For the year Seferian-Jenkins already has 15 receptions for 133 yards(8.9 YPC) as Price obviously has a trust in him since he is the leading returning receiver for the Huskies. What I don't get is why Sarkisian doesn't target this big athlete in the red zone. On the opening drive the Huskies after attempting a wide receiver screen to Williams had a play for Sankey then a corner route to Mickens. They did that last week which bothered me as well as Seferian-Jenkins proved last year with six touchdown receptions he can be a great target in the red zone.

The big completions last year to Seferian-Jenkins so far aren't working this year as they mainly came on play action passes. Hard to have a play action when you can't run the football at all. Seferian-Jenkins though is the only bright spot on an offense that currently ranks 117th in the nation in total offense. He was a big land for Sarkisian in recruiting but unfortunately Sarkisian hasn't landed any big recruits who panned out on the offensive line so the offense is struggling.

- Well so much for Justin Wilcox being the messiah of defensive coaches after the Tigers just pounded the ball on the Huskies defense. The Huskies defense recorded no sacks and forced no turnovers(lone turnover was on special teams). The Tigers converted 7-12(58.3%) on third downs as they ran the ball 52 times for 242 yards(4.7 YPC) with four touchdowns.

The defense forced two punts in the first quarter then didn't force a punt again until the final possession of the game. The Tigers scored three touchdowns on their first three drives in the second half. The Huskies defense looked slow, weak, confused, etc basically like every other Huskies defense in the past decade has looked. Firing the defensive coordinator does no good if your head coach doesn't stress defense or recruit defense.

- Perhaps the most famous LSU Tiger alumni was there in future NBA hall of famer Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal greeted the Huskies at their hotel on Thursday night and he came out to a standing ovation between the first and second quarter. While playing for the Tigers Shaq was a two-time all-american, two-time SEC player of the year and won national player of the year in 1991.

O'Neal would go on to great success in the NBA playing in six NBA Finals, winning four NBA championships, winning three finals MVP's while winning a regular season MVP. He was a 15-time all-star, three-time all-star game MVP and won the rookie of the year award. He was first-team all-NBA eight times and is a great person to have representing your school.

- If the Huskies had any chance at all this game it had to be led by junior quarterback Keith Price having a big day. Instead Price had a terrible day. He was 17-36 (47.2 %) passing for only 157 yards (4.4 YPA) with zero touchdowns and one interception.

Last year the worst completion percentage Price had in a game was 53.3% against Arizona. Only once was Price held out of the end zone all last year.
This was the first time in his career that he threw an interception without throwing a touchdown pass. This was only the second time in his career that he threw more interceptions in a game than touchdowns.
At halftime Price was 10-23 ( 43.4%) for only 81 yards (3.5 YPA) as the Huskies trailed 20-3.

For the year Price is 42-71 passing(59.2%) for 379 yards(5.3 YPA) with one touchdown and one interception. Since the first two drives of the San Diego State game him and the offense looks awful this year.  The Huskies need Price to be great like he was last year to be a good team as they have way too many holes on their roster that he needs to hide with his great play. Otherwise this isn't a bowl team if Price is simply average.

- Speaking of average? Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian now falls to 20-20 as head coach. Sarkisian is making a bad habit out of getting blown out by ranked opponents lately. The Huskies have lost six straight games to ranked opponents and nine out of 10. The average margain of defeat in those games is 28.2 points which shows the Huskies aren't even competing.

This is Sarkisian's fourth year which means no more blaming Tyrone Willingham for your short comings. He has already used up his one free fire your assistant coach and keep your job card. The offense was a joke as was his safe play calling. His offense which was his "specialty" hasn't scored a touchdown in seven quarters. Last drought Sarkisian had without a touchdown was eight quarters when the Huskies were shutout second half of a 44-14 loss to #15 Arizona Wildcats, shutout the whole game vs #13 Stanford Cardinal 41-0 then held out of the end zone in the first half vs #1 Oregon Ducks as they trailed 18-6 in a 53-16 loss back in 2010.

The fact he has neglected the offensive line has to be a concern. The Huskies are desperately missing Colin Porter who was forced to retire. The recruiting losses of Zach Banner and Joshua Garnett really hurts right now as the offensive line which is the second most important part of your offense besides quarterback is a giant mess. The Huskies can't protect Keith Price, can't run the ball and can't catch the ball. What was supposed to be a strength looks absolutely terrible through two weeks which should fall on Sarkisian.

This loss was an embarrassment when it could have been a big opportunity for this program. Once again, Sarkisian isn't living up to promises he made in the offseason about "taking the next step". To take the next step you need to beat ranked opponents something UCLA and Arizona did under first year head coaches on Saturday. Something Oregon State also did on Saturday as well giving three Pac-12 teams who appeared to be average all had big wins. Meanwhile besides Colorado who everyone knew would be terrible the two worst looking teams in the conference are once again in the state of Washington. The Cougars have a built in excuse with Mike Leach being in his first year. Sarkisian is in his fourth year and nobody would accepted 20-20 record with a 38 point loss in year four the day he was hired so why are some accepting it now? The Huskies play a Big Sky team this week, then have a bye week before a three week stretch against ranked teams. That three week stretch could be the most important three week stretch of the Steve Sarkisian coaching era. If they Huskies continue to play like they have played the last two weeks we are headed towards an awful year. Hopefully the Huskies can turn it around quickly as I plan on making another bowl trip once again.

Washington Huskies take on #3 LSU Tigers

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(1-0,0-0) travel down to face the #3 LSU Tigers(1-0,0-0) in a key non conference game. The Huskies find themselves 23.5 point underdogs in this game and if they were to win would be the biggest upset in school history. The reason the Huskies are such large underdogs is due to how good the Tigers are. The Tigers played in the national title game last year and haven't lost a home game since October of 2009 when they barely lost to then #1 Florida Gators 13-3. So despite the daunting task and having not traveled to an SEC game in decades the Huskies are hoping in year four of Steve Sarkisian they can make this a game. The Huskies although lacking in talent in several key areas in comparison to the Tigers do have a strong passing game which can keep this game close.

The Huskies biggest advantage is quarterback Keith Price. The Tigers who are starting two freshman corner backs also recorded zero sacks last week in a 41-14 win over North Texas. Price last week in a 21-12 win over San Diego State was 25-35(71.4%) passing for 222 yards(6.3 YPA) with a touchdown while also rushing for 17 yards. Price had a 39 yard touchdown pass called back and a 15 yard scramble called back.

 If the Huskies have any shot in this one it is the passing game. Wide receiver Kasen Williams who considered going to LSU had six receptions last week for 75 yards with a touchdown. The super sophomore must have a big day if the Huskies have any chance at all. Super sophomore tight end and future first round pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins had nine receptions for 82 yards last week. Seferian-Jenkins is a matchup nightmare for anyone and look for the Huskies to use him. The Huskies are hoping junior Kevin Smith who is now practiced all week can contribute in the passing game as he only had two receptions for 20 yards but has shown in the past he can make big plays. Then true freshman Jaydon Mickens who had only two receptions for 16 yards and Kendyl Taylor who had one reception for five yards must make big plays. After Price sets them up with the short passes those two along with Smith can hopefully beat their man deep.

For the Tigers last week they broke in a new quarterback Zach Mettenberger who will be a game manager. He was 19-26(73.1%) passing for 192 yards(7.4 YPA) with a touchdown and an interception. 17 of his passes went for less than five yards as the Tigers depend on their running game and defense to win games. His main target last week was Jarvis Landry who had eight receptions for 82 yards. Kadron Boone had two receptions for 46 yards including a 34 yard touchdown. Odell Beckman caught three passes for 30 yards. He also had four punt returns for 75 yards including a 70 yard punt return for a touchdown. The Tigers passing game won't excite fans but all head coach Les Miles is looking for is Mettenberger to take care of the ball and hit some key third downs as Miles looks to pound the rock like he did last week.

Last week against North Texas the Tigers ran the ball at will. Led by starting running back Kenny Hilliard who ran for 141 yards on just 13 carries(10.8 YPC) with two touchdowns. His backup did just fine as well as Alfred Blue ran for 123 yards on 16 carries(7.7 YPC). The tigers also saw Michael Ford rush eight times for 50 yards(6.3 YPC) while J.C. Copeland had four carries for 33 yards(8.3 YPC) with a touchdown. The Tigers ran the ball 46 times for 316 yards(6.9 YPC) with three touchdowns in their win. The Huskies in recent memory have been terrible against the run. They have also been terrible against the pass as well. Look for the Tigers to run the ball to wear down the Huskies in that humidity down in Louisiana . By running the ball the Tigers will also be controlling the clock which will keep Keith Price out of the game.

The first game in the post Chris Polk era was a disaster for the Huskies. First starting running back Jesse Callier blew out his ACL on a play where there was no defenders around him. So making his first career start is sophomore Bishop Sankey. Sankey last week ran for 66 yards on 22 carries(3.0 YPC) with a touchdown but a costly red zone fumble. This is a big chance for Sankey to make a name for himself as the Huskies will lean heavily on him this season at running back like they have done Chris Polk the last three years. It won't be easy as the Tigers last week held North Texas to 76 yards rushing on 35 rush attempts(2.2 YPC). Their defensive line features two guys who are expected to be first round picks. The Huskies are moving Erik Kohler back to right tackle as right tackle Ben Riva is out for this game. So James Atoe or Mike Criste will be making their first career start on the offensive line this week at right guard. Sarkisian is going to have to be creative to muster up a running game.

This is a big opportunity for the Huskies defense to show the nation they have improved under new defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox. In 2010 Wilcox almost upset the Tigers at LSU where his Tennessee Vols lost 16-14. The defense last year in big games on ABC/ESPN got lit up as they allowed 51 points to Nebraska on the road, 65 points to Stanford on the road and in the bowl game 67 points to Baylor. Once again the Huskies are in the big game as this game will air on ESPN. Their defense played well last week holding the Aztecs to 12 points and scoring a touchdown themselves. The only player on this roster who has played against the Tigers is senior captain Desmond Trufant. The Tigers weakness is their passing attack so Trufant and the rest of the secondary must create plays early so later they can help out in the run defense. For the Huskies to have a shot they need to create some turnovers like the defense did last week.

This is a big game in the Sarkisian era against the #3 team who is an SEC opponent in their house. If the Huskies were able to pull this off or even come close that is signs that the program is moving in the right direction. If let's say Sarkisian gets blown out again then he will enter Jim Lambright territory in 1998 where fans will start to grow tired of the blowouts. I see no reason why with a quarterback like Price the Huskies can't at least give the Tigers a scare. This is a great opportunity for these young guys to grow as well as they'll never face a more hostile environment than this going forward which can only help them this season and in 2013. This is a great opportunity that most college programs don't ever get the chance to achieve. The Huskies have a chance to show the nation that Husky football is officially back!

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!

Mariners trade League to Dodgers; Delabar to Blue Jays for prospects

By Kshell

That time of year again where the fire sale for the Seattle Mariners begins under Jack Zduriencik. This time Zduriencik traded away former all-star closer Brandon League to the Los Angeles Dodgers for two prospects and traded feel good story reliever Steve Delabar to the Toronto Blue Jays for an outfielder. League was dealt for an outfielder and a reliever as the Mariners continue to try to build their farm system. League had spent two and a half seasons with the Mariners after Zdurienick traded for him from the Toronto Blue Jays for high draft pick Brandon Morrow. League was a setup man in 2010, then became the closer in 2011 where he made the all-star team only to lose his closing job during this season which then made him very expendable. For Delabar he has a great arm and was featured on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. Delabar's problem this season has been the long ball and the Mariners have two young relievers ready to come up so this was two solid trades by Zduriencik.

League's best two moments in Seattle were when he made the all-star team in 2011 and this year against the team he is now on the Los Angeles Dodgers. League combined with five other pitchers on throwing a no-hitter against the Dodgers. For League he came into a second and third one out situation in the eighth inning were one base hit would have lost the game. League got out of the jam. In 2011 when League made the all-star team he recorded 37 saves while throwing 61.1 innings. He posted a 2.79 ERA with a 1.08 WHIP and struck out 45 hitters(6.6 K's per 9). This year he has struggled as he had just nine saves while blowing six and has just six holds. He has a 3.63 ERA while throwing 44.2 innings with a 1.50 WHIP and striking out only 27 batters(5.4 K's per 9). For his Mariners career he went 10-17 in 181 games having thrown 185 innings. He recorded 52 saves and 19 holds with a 3.26 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 128 strikeouts(6.2 K's per 9). It was time for League to move on and I would have liked to have seen the Mariners trade him a year ago so his value was high. Such is the case with this franchise they always love to trade players a year too late.

The Mariners also traded away reliever Steve Delabar to the Toronto Blue Jays. He was featured on Real Sports on HBO because he was a former teacher who made it the big leagues with the Mariners in 2011. In 2011 Delabar appeared in six games having thrown seven innings. Delabar was 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and seven strikeouts(9.0 K's per 9). This year big things were expected of him instead due to the long ball he struggled. This season Delabar while in Seattle has appeared in 34 games. He is 2-1 with three holds having thrown 36.2 innings. He is sporting a 4.17 ERA despite a 0.92 WHIP having struck out 46 hitters(11.3 K's per 9). His problem is he has allowed nine home runs(2.2 per 9 innings) which is a lot for any pitcher especially a reliever. He also pitched in nine games down in Tacoma where he went 0-1 with one save having thrown 12 innings. He posted a 3.75 ERA, 1.92 WHIP and struck out 12 batters(9.0 K's per 9). Delabar despite most media in this city making fun of him actually has good stuff and if you look past his ERA you can see his WHIP and K's per 9 is really good. In fact I'm a little bummed out about losing Delabar while I'm actually glad League and his low K's and high WHIP has been traded.

What the Mariners got in these trades were from the Blue Jays outfielder Eric Thames who will be joining the team immediately. While from the Dodgers they acquired outfielder Leon Landry and reliever Logan Bawcom who will both spend time in the Mariners minors. Thames this year for the Blue Jays in 160 PA's hit .243/.288/.365 with only three home runs. In triple A Las Vegas Thames is hitting .330/.407/.528 in 231 PA's with six home runs. Last year was a breakout year for Thames the Blue Jays thought. In triple A Las Vegas he hit .352/.423/.610 in 241 PA's with seven home runs. Then in the major leagues he hit .262/.313/.456 in 394 PA's with 12 home runs. Thames will be a nice lefty outfield bat for the Mariners which they'll need and I would rather him play over Peguero in the outfield. Now Thames in two major league seasons has been terrible on defense posting a negative 1.7 WAR last year defensively and a negative 0.6 WAR this year defensively. The Mariners do need some hitters and in the minor leagues and in small sample size in the major leagues the 25 year old Thames has proven he can hit which should be a nice addition for the ball club right now.

As for who the Mariners got in the Brandon League trade from the Dodgers that is more interesting. First Leon Landry who was a third round pick by the Dodgers in 2010 take out of LSU Tigers. Landry this year in high A ball is hitting .328/.358/.559 in 376 PA's. Landry has eight home runs, 51 RBI's, 63 runs scored. He also brings speed to the table as he has hit 15 triples and stolen 20 bases in only 80 games. Landry will turn 23 this late September. Like Thames, Landry also is a left handed hitter who hopefully can keep developing as he is a career .297/.344/.457 hitter in 1,202 PA's with 16 home runs and 30 triples alone with 61 stolen bases in only 262 career games. The other piece the Mariners acquired is Logan Bawcom who was a 17th round pick in the 2010 draft from the University of Texas-Arlington Mavericks(you might recognize them as the Huskies defeated them in the NIT). Bawcom this season starting off in high A ball like Landry. In high A ball Bawcom was 1-1 with seven saves in 14 innings pitched. In those 14 innings he posted a 0.64 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and struck out 24 batters(15.4 K's per 9). He was them promoted to double A where so far he is 3-3 with 13 saves in 34.2 innings ptiched. In those 34.2 innings he has posted a 2.60 ERA, 1.32 WHP and struck out 36 batters(9.3 K's per 9). He'll be 24 years old this November and has always had a great strikeout rate throughout the minor leagues.

The Mariners are once again building through the farm and are hoping that these pieces will continue to prosper for them. Not all the prospects will pan out but take a look at last years Doug Fister trade where the Mariners acquired Casper Wells(hitting .249/.317/.407 in 209 PA's with six home runs) and Charlie Furbush(4-2, 34 games, 37.1 innings, 2.17 ERA, 0.80 WHP, 47 K's, 11.3 K's per 9) you are hoping for a similar result. I don't know about the Delabar deal but with Stephen Pryor and Carter Capps on their way up I doubt the Mariners will miss him. Just like the Mariners aren't going to miss Doug Fister in a few years if now. The League trade has potential to be a good steal for the Mariners as he was good last year but terrible this year. If not for the "proven closer" label I doubt the Dodgers give the Mariners some nice pieces for him. Like I said I think Delabar is better than League and I'm not upset at all about losing League. I'm curious how these three guys do in Seattle and we'll get a chance to see Thames quite a bit this year as he'll be on the big league roster. As for the other two hopefully someday I'll be getting a chance to see them as well. The Mariners aren't done by any chance as they could still be selling as today is the trade deadline.

Seahawks sign former Packers backup quarterback Flynn to three year deal

By Kshell

The Seattle Seahawks are hoping to strike gold once again at the quarterback position. The Seahawks signed Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn to a three year 19 million dollar deal that can be up to 26 million with 10 guaranteed. I wrote about this scenario last month about is Matt Flynn the answer? Well Pete Carroll is hoping he is the answer as his career in Seattle will be defined by what Flynn will do. Carroll whiffed on Charlie Whitehurst and Tarvaris Jackson. He is hoping now that Flynn can produce for him much like Matt Hasselbeck produced for Mike Holmgren. Now that Flynn is in Seattle fans are wondering just who is Matt Flynn? Where did he come from and why are fans so excited about acquiring him?

Matt Flynn was a seventh round pick by the Green Packers out of LSU Tigers. Current Seahawks General Manager John Schneider did give Flynn a fourth round grade. Flynn in his career at LSU passed for 3,096 yards(7.1 YPA) with 31 touchdowns to 13 interceptions while completing 56.1% of his passes. His first three years he sat behind eventual #1 pick overall JaMarcus Russell. During his senior year at LSU in the 2007 season Flynn completed 56.3% of his passes for 2,407 yards(6.7 YPA) with 21 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. He also led the Tigers to a national championship that year as the Tigers defeated the Ohio State Buckeyes to win the national championship. Flynn like I stated wasn't a big prospect coming out of college as he fell to the 7th round being the 209th pick overall. Flynn was drafted by the Packers not knowing if he'd even make the team since Brett Favre was coming off a pro bowl season and Aaron Rodgers who was already a first round pick had been sitting for three seasons. The Packers also chose Brian Brohm from Louisville in the second round to compete with Rodgers just in case Favre were to retire. Basically Flynn was a complete after thought of that draft. Then Favre retired that offseason then came back but the Packers decided to cut Favre loose opening a roster spot for Flynn.

In Flynn's first two years in Green Bay he sat behind Aaron Rodgers and had attempted only 17 pass attempts. Then during the third year Rodgers got a little banged up which allowed Flynn to make a start against the New England Patriots who had the best record in the NFL. In that game the Packers barely lost on the road 31-27 on Sunday Night Football but Flynn had made a name for himself. Flynn in that game was 24 for 37 passing(64.9%) for 251 yards(6.8 YPA) for three touchdowns to one interception. Then during the 2011 season Rodgers was enjoying an MVP season. As the Packers had wrapped up the #1 seed in the NFC the final game of the year was Flynn's chance to shine as he started against the playoff bound Detroit Lions. The Packers won that shootout 45-41 as Flynn impressed many scouts during that win. Flynn was 31 for 44 passing(70.5%) for 480 yards(12.6 YPA) with six touchdowns(new Packers record) to just one interception. That is when most figured Flynn was in for a big payday this offseason.

The market ended up drying up for Flynn as teams were scared that he could bust out like Matt Cassell and Kevin Kolb recently did. Due to those quarterbacks struggles the Seahawks signed Flynn to  a fair market deal and are hoping this is their new quarterback of the future. Flynn was signed by Schneider a guy who had drafted him in the 7th round but gave him a 4th round grade. Carroll has no acquired three quarterbacks in Seattle all of which were backups the year before. Unlike the previous two Flynn has actually showed some promise in the NFL. The Seahawks are a 7-9 team with five pro bowlers which features a top 10 defense. Flynn can be the guy to get the Seahawks over the hump much like Hasselbeck was this past decade.

The Seahawks made the smart safe move on a position that badly needed to be addressed. Carroll isn't emptying his checkbook on Flynn which will allow the Seahawks to boost their other needs in the draft and through free agency. Now with the 12th pick overall the Seahawks are now in a position to draft the best player available instead of reaching for a quarterback. I predict the Seahawks will draft a quarterback still probably in the third-fifth round range to develope him just in case Flynn doesn't work out. The great part about this deal is if Flynn doesn't work out the Seahawks are paying him slightly above good backup quarterback money so they can still acquire another quarterback. If Flynn works out he'll earn his bonuses therefore he'll be happy in Seattle. This was a move that had to be done and I'm glad the Seahawks have a new quarterback in town.