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!

Washington Huskies football 2012 season preview

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies enter the 2012 season under fourth year head coach Steve Sarkisian looking to take the next step as a program. The Huskies are coming off another bowl season which saw the team go 7-6 while bringing in yet another ranked recruiting class. Unlike previous years this Huskies team made some coaching changes particularly on the defensive side. This team also lost quite a bit of talent from last year in Chris Polk, Jermaine Kearse, Alameda Ta'amu and Senio Kelemete. The Huskies also two-year starter offensive lineman Colin Porter due to injury. Don't let that fool you though as this team returns plenty of talent headlined by quarterback Keith Price. Sarkisian who is also in his fourth season has stock piled the talent so the Huskies will be replacing those talented players with new talented players.

Unlike the 2010 season last year the Huskies got off to a fast start even saw themselves ranked 22nd when they started off 5-1. At one point the Huskies were 6-2 and riding high. Then came a three game losing streak  including a disaster to Oregon State on the road. After a third straight apple cup win over the Washington State Cougars 38-21 the Huskies were awarded the Alamo Bowl against #12 Baylor. In that game despite having a 42-24 lead and Price accounting for seven touchdowns the Huskies lost 67-56. The offense which scored the second most points in school history could only go 7-6 the same as 2010 because the defense allowed the most points in school history. No Husky defense had ever been so bad in the schools history and that bowl loss was the rock bottom moment for Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian cleaned house as defensive coordinator Nick Holt was fired while former Tennessee Vols and Boise State defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox was hired. The big move was the Huskies hired former California Golden Bears defensive line coach and recruiting ace Tosh Lupoi and he brought in some key recruits. Now the Huskies who ended the season losing four out of five begin this next season facing four ranked opponents in their first six games. Still there is reason for hope for the Huskies as you'll read in this upcoming post. In this following piece I'll break down the Huskies by position as they have plenty of depth at certain spots while others they are counting on guys stepping up.

Offense:

Quarterback:

Last year the question mark heading into the season was quarterback Keith Price. Well there will be no questions this year as Price is coming off a record setting season at Washington while only being a sophomore last year. Price who was also named team captain this year based on his great leadership and the fact he had a terrific season last year.  Price completed 242-362(66.9%) of his passes for 3,063 yards(8.5 YPA) with 33 touchdowns(school record) to only 11 interceptions while rushing for three touchdowns. Price had a monster season beginning his year throwing for at least three touchdown passes in his first six games. In four games last year Price threw for four touchdown passes in a game and showing how bad the defense was the Huskies went 2-2 in those game.

He was at his best in the 67-56 Alamo Bowl loss to Baylor. Going up against heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III it was Price who stood out that day despite the loss. Price was 23-37(62.2%) passing for 438 yards(11.8 YPA) with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 39 yards with three touchdowns. Price was banged up most of the year and was only healthy in the bowl game. Look for him to be more active this year in the running game. Price set the single season record for completion percentage, TD to INT ratio, touchdowns passing in a season and total touchdowns in a game has a chance to start setting career records. He was also second in passing yards for a single season behind only Cody Pickett who threw for over 4,000 yards as a junior in 2002. He threw two touchdown passes in 2010 which gives him 35 for his career while the school record is 53 set by Jake Locker and Cody Pickett which Price should be able to shatter when it is all said and done. The school passing yards record is 9,916 set by Cody Pickett while Price has two more years left he is sitting at 3,227 yards which isn't that far fetched that he could pass up Pickett. At the very least Price when all said and done will be all-time in passing touchdowns while being top two in passing yards.

Backing up Price will be redshirt freshman Derrick Brown, true freshmen and four star recruits in Jeff Lindquist and Cyler Miles. The Huskies are also bringing in another four star recruit at quarterback next season in Troy Williams. The quarterback position appears bright for a long time under the former quarterback himself Steve Sarkisian. Price who was only a three star recruit himself last year went from possible weakness to now he is the smiling face of the program for the next two years. Don't be surprised if Price starts getting some Heisman talk this year and will receive some going into his senior year of 2013.

Running Back:

Last year the Huskies had to replace Jake Locker at quarterback and this year it is Chris Polk. Polk who was a three-year starter ran for 4,049 yards(5.1 YPC) with 26 touchdowns. He also 79 passes for 683 yards with four touchdowns. The Huskies are going to miss him a lot. They hope the combination of Jesse Callier and Bishop Sankey can ease the pain of losing such a terrific runner like Polk who ranks 2nd all-time in Huskies history in rushing yards and 8th in rushing touchdowns.


Callier is a junior now who has spelled Polk the last two years. Callier came in as a three star recruit in the 2010 class and produced right off the bat as a freshman. Callier as a freshman had 413 yards rushing (5.4 YPC) with 18 catches with 98 yards (5.4 YPC). Callier ran for a career high 107 yards against UCLA in a 24-7 win on a special ESPN thursday night game.

Callier also started off the Holiday Bowl upset with a 16 yard pass to Jake Locker. Callier also had 733 kickoff return yards. As a sophomore Callier battled injuries and thus his production fell off. Callier had just 260 yards rushing (5.5 YPC) with a touchdown. He had seven receptions for 65 yards and had 576 kickoff return yards.

Callier I believe doesn’t have the build to be an everydown back but he is versatile, as he has proven his first two years at Washington.

While Bishop Sankey is a four star running back and 17th rated back in the 2011 class. Sankey committed early to the Washington State Cougars but decided he wanted to play in some bowl games and went to Washington. In his first season with the Huskies Sankey ran for 187 yards (6.7 YPC) with a touchdown.

He also added six receptions and 134 yards in kickoff yards. Sankey runs like a young Polk and I think Sankey will eventually be the starter but at first him and Callier will split carries.

I think the Huskies with the combination of Sankey and Callier will be just fine this year at running back. I also look for Sarkisian to use talented true freshman Jaydon Mickens who is a wide receiver on fly sweeps as Mickens ran for 13 touchdowns last season in high school. I also think Sarkisian will use 5 star safety Shaq Thompson for some carries as Thompson was also an excellent running back in high school. Thompson as a senior ran for 1,134 yards with 15 touchdowns on only 120 carries. As a junior he ran for 1,882 yards with 25 touchdowns on 164 carries. I think the Huskies running game will be more than fine and look for Sankey to emerge like Price did last year in replacing Locker.

Wide Receiver:

The Huskies lost plenty of record setters at this position in Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar who graduated. For Kearse he caught 180 passes for 2,871 yards(16.0 YPC) with 29 touchdowns plus one rushing. Kearse ranks 2nd all-time in receiving yards, 2nd in touchdowns and 2nd in receptions. While Aguilar caught 131 passes for 1,802 yards(13.8 YPC) with 13 touchdowns. Aguilar ranks 7th all-time in receiving yards and receptions while ranking 11th in touchdowns. The Huskies also will be missing James Johnson to start the season and possibly Kevin Smith so it appears this unit could be hurting.

I think this unit is actually in great hands led by sophomore wide receiver Kasen Williams. Williams was a five star recruit, parade magazine player of the year and #2 receiver in the nation coming out of high school. He didn't disappoint either last year catching 36 passes for 427 yards(11.9 YPC) with six touchdowns which put him in a three-way tie for second place. Williams who is entering his true sophomore season is poised for a breakout season with Aguilar and Kearse graduated plus the injuries to Johnson and Smith. The Huskies are in good hands with Williams who showed flashes of what could be especially against both rivals. In a 34-17 loss to the Oregon Ducks, Williams caught a career high six passes for a career high 79 yards with a touchdown. In the 38-21 win over the Washington State Cougars, Williams was a star with his famous leap over the Cougar defender. He also had five receptions for 74 yards with a career high two touchdowns. He caught a touchdown in the first ever game he played in when the Huskies defeated Eastern Washington 30-27. Look for Williams to have a monster season.

Williams isn't the only talented Huskies wide receiver. James Johnson will come back eventually and when he does look out. As a freshman Johnson caught 39 passes for 422 yards(10.8 YPC) with three touchdowns including a touchdown on his very first catch in his first game against #11 LSU Tigers. As a sophomore he struggled catching only one pass for three yards. Then as a Junior he emerged again catching 28 passes for 366 yards(13.1 YPC) with four touchdowns. His breakout game was at Nebraska where he caught six passes for 108 yards with two touchdowns. Johnson will be going into his senior year and will bring much needed experience to an inexperienced group.

Another wide out looking to have a big year is junior Kevin Smith the former four-star recruit. Smith as a true freshman had just one catch for 18 yards as he was mainly used for kickoffs. Last year he was terrific on kickoffs again and added to the offense. He caught 15 passes for 208 yards(13.9 YPC) including a 53 yarder at USC. He also rushed for 71 yards with a touchdown vs Colorado. Senior Cody Bruns is returning after redshirting last season as he is also a former four-star recruit. Bruns in 2010 had seven receptions for 102 yards including a 43 yarder at Arizona. He also had a career high three receptions in the opening game at BYU. Junior DiAndre Campbell is there as well and last year he had two receptions for eight yards.

The Huskies are also bringing in talented receivers including four-star recruit Jaydon Mickens, three-star recruits Dwayne Washington, and Kendyl Taylor(who is starting this Saturday due to injuries). Plus the Huskies redshirted three-star recruits Jamaal Jones, Josh Perkins and Marvin Hall who will all be redshirt freshman this year. So the Huskies receiving position looks to be in good shape. They also signed the two best receivers on the west coast in Demorea Stringfellow and Darrell Daniels.

This position may have lost some talent but there is plenty of talent left on this roster. If not already I look for Kasen Williams to be a household name by the end of the season. Price loves to spread the ball around too so there will be games where Johnson, Smith, Mickens and Bruns will have their opportunity to shine for the Huskies.

Tight End:


Last year the Huskies were returning zero tight ends from their roster. Now this position has three guys they like quite a bit headlined by future NFL tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. Seferian-Jenkins who also played basketball came in with plenty of hype. He was a five-star recruit and the #2 tight end in the nation. He like Kasen Willliams didn't disappoint as he was all pac-12 honorable mention for tight end. Seferian-Jenkins this past season caught 41 passes for 544 yards(13.3 YPC) with six touchdowns. Did I mention that he was only a true freshman last year?

Seferian-Jenkins last year in his second career game made a name for himself with three receptions for 91 yards with a touchdown against Hawaii. Twice he caught multiple touchdowns in a game and in the bowl game snatched five passes for 59 yards. Seferian-Jenkins is 6'6" 266 lbs and is athletic enough to be in the rotation on a Pac-12 championship team in basketball. Last season as only a freshman Seferian-Jenkins caught the 4th most passes by a tight end in Huskies history and with the career record being 95 receptions there is an outside chance he could break that record this year. If not he will surely break it as a junior as he is going to re-write the record books. His season also ranked 3rd all-time in school history for a tight end in receiving yards while ranking 2nd in a season for touchdowns. In fact Seferian-Jenkins already ranks 4th all-time in career touchdowns and with the record being at 10 good chance he breaks that this year. Seferian-Jenkins will probably be named first-team all conference this year and gives the Huskies a mismatch every week as they can line him up on the outside or in the slot as he will be an impossible match up.

If not for Seferian-Jenkins Huskies fans would be excited about redshirt sophomore 6'6" 255 lb tight end Michael Hartvigson who many are saying had the best offseason. Last year Hartvigson caught eight passes for 30 yards with a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks. He also had a 31 yard reception taken away due to a horrific call last year against Arizona. Hartvigson was a three-star recruit and #20 tight end in the nation when he came to the Huskies. He is a great blocker and due to that he will play plenty. He might even start as the Huskies look to go with the two tight end set. Another guy the Huskies are high on is redshirt sophomore Evan Hudson who is 6'5" 262 lbs who caught a touchdown last season against Stanford.

The Huskies have three tall tight ends who will be in the program for this year and the 2013 season so the position of weakness as recently as 2010 is now a position of strength. Every program in the nation would kill to have a Seferian-Jenkins who appears destined to be an NFL first round draft pick after the 2013 season. For now look for Price to exploit plenty of match ups as he looks to his big athletic tight end Seferian-Jenkins on key third downs and in the red zone.

Offensive Line:

This unit lost the most talent than any other unit on the team. The Huskies graduated three-year starter and two-time captain Senio Kelemete who was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals. They then expectantly lost two-year starter Colin Porter due to injury. To make matters worse Sarkisian had two high profile offensive lineman in his backyard in Zach Banner and Joshua Garnett who he failed to sign either as they left to teams in the conference. This group has the most questions marks on the team and especially on the offense. This team does feature some talented guys though. Everyone on this line was a high recruit who teams coveted and the Huskies still return three starters including a guy who has started the last three years.

At center the Huskies will return redshirt senior captain Drew Schaefer at center. In 2009 as a freshman Schaefer started the final four games of the season at left tackle and played in all 12 games. In 2010 he switched to center starting 11 games at center while starting the other two at tackle. Then in 2011 he started all 13 games at center. Schaefer the former three-star recruit and #32 tackle in the nation has started 30 games in his career at Washington while starting 24 at center. He has played in all 38 games he has suited up in so far.

The Huskies are now moving true junior Erik Kohler back to guard as he'll start at right guard. Kohler came in as a four-star recruit and 5th rated tackle in the nation. As a true freshman he played in 11 games while starting four games at guard and another as a tackle. He made his first career start at home against the Nebraska Cornhuskers and also started the Apple Cup win. Then in 2011 he started all 13 games at right tackle. Kohler just like that has 18 career starts under his belt. On the other side of him is redshirt sophomore Colin Tanigawa who started the first 11 games last year at left guard where he'll be again this year. He was injured in the Oregon State game but has since recovered meaning he should be ready to go week one.

The question mark will come at the tackle positions as the Huskies will be starting two guys who have never started before. Starting at left tackle is redshirt sophomore Micah Hatchie who was a four-star recruit and #25 tackle in the nation in the 2010 class. Hatchie played in all 13 games last year including seeing some significant time during some games. The other tackle will be redshirt sophomore right tackle Ben Riva out of  O'Dea who was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. He is the biggest mystery of the group as he only played on the field goal team last year. Redshirt sophomore James Atoe and redshirt freshman Dexter Charles appear to be the main backups in case of an injury.

This unit has the most question marks as they lost two starters while only having one senior. This unit has a combined zero career starts from both their tackles combined which can be a recipe for a disaster. The good news is on paper four of these five guys should be returning for the 2013 season while three should be starting for their third straight year plus in 2014. The line has some talent but it's just a matter of how quickly can they grow up and come together as a group which will ultimately determine how far the Huskies go this season.

Defense:

Defensive Line:

The Huskies must replace Alameda Ta'amu who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are also hoping that Hau'oli Jamora can return from injury which ended his season. The man expected to step up big this year is sophomore defensive tackle Danny Shelton. Last season Shelton played in all 13 games including starting the Apple Cup win. He also had five tackles in the bowl loss to Baylor. Shelton is a three star recruit, #32 defensive tackle in the country who the Huskies had to beat Oregon out to sign him. He is 6'1" 317 lbs and will play nose tackle in the new 3-4 defense that Justin Wilcox is bringing to the Huskies. Backing him up and getting some play in the rotation will be senior Semisi Tokolahi who is 6'2" 340 lbs. As a freshman Tokolahi played in five games then as a sophomore he played in 12 games. During his sophomore year he started the final three games which the Huskies won before getting injured in the Apple Cup. During the 2011 season he played in 10 games while starting seven. He will bring plenty of experience and will be a natural fit at nose tackle in the 3-4 defense.

At defensive end the Huskies will start redshirt sophomore Andrew Hudson who was a three-star recruit coming out of high school. Last year as a redshirt freshman Hudson played in all 13 games including starting two games. He recorded four sacks last year but 2.5 game in the last two games. He had 1.5 sacks against the Cougars in the Apple Cup and sacked Heisman trophy winner RGIII while forcing a fumble in the Alamo Bowl. Starting opposite of Hudson the Huskies are hoping is medical redshirt sophomore Hau'oli Jamora who had a great freshman season can return. In 2010 Jamora played in all 13 games while starting the final seven games. He recorded four sacks and in the Holiday Bowl upset over Nebraska had three tackles for loss including a sack. Last season he only played in four games recording a sack before tearing his ACL missing the entire season. If Jamora can return him and Hudson can form a great pass rush plus with Wilcox blitzing more the Huskies could actually create some sacks.

If Jamora can't go look for senior Talia Crichton to start in his place. As a freshman Crichton played in nine games including making four starts. In 2010 he started the first six games of the year recording two sacks before injuries to his knee finished his season. In 2011 he started the first three games while playing in 11 games. Another guy who could fill the void is junior Sione Potoa'e who came in as a four-star recruit and #4 defensive tackle in the nation. Potoa'e as a true freshman played in 11 games while starting two against BCS teams Oregon and Stanford. He recorded two sacks that season. In 2011 he played in 11 games including making a start against California.

The big question with this unit is the health of Jamora. If he is healthy the Huskies rush ends can make some noise this year. They have the big guys up the middle headline by Shelton and I think their ends will create some pressure this year. If the Huskies wish to be elite they need to get better in the trenches so this unit will be under the microscope as they were the huge let down last season.

Linebacker:

With the Huskies switching to a 3-4 defense that means more speed on the field. The Huskies will now have four linebackers on the field and the man who appears to benefit the most from this switch is rush  redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Josh Shirley. Shirley was a late signing in the 2010 class after being dismissed from UCLA. Shirley came in as a four-star recruit and #12 rated outside linebacker. Last year Shirley played in all 13 games while starting in seven games. He recorded nine sacks last season including three in the bowl game against Heisman trophy winner RGIII. He also had 1.5 sacks and forced a fumble in the win over the Cougars in the Apple Cup. Shirley in the 3-4 will be standing up some this year and rushing the quarterback much like Joey Porter and James Harrison have made a living doing in the NFL. Shirley could lead the conference in sacks this year as a sophomore with this  new defense.

With the new 3-4 look and being loaded at safety the Huskies are moving former safety Nate Fellner to outside linebacker. Fellner has been an off and on starter for the past two seasons for the Huskies. In 2009 as a true freshman he played in nine games including making three starts while recording a sack. In 2010 as a sophomore was a break out season for Fellner as he started all 13 games at free safety where he made 79 tackles and led the team with five interceptions. In 2011 he missed four games due to injury as he played in nine games, making four starts including a key interception against the Arizona Wildcats. Fellner, however broke his foot and will miss the first three games at least. Starting in his place is redshirt freshman Travis Feeney who like Fellner came to the Huskies as a safety. In the 3-4 you typically have one outside linebacker rush the quarterback which is what Shirley will do while the other is out in pass coverage which is what Fellner is more than capable of doing.

In the middle will be true sophomore captain John Timu who played in 12 games last year while making eight starts. Timu has bulked up to 231 lbs which will help him being in the middle. Last season Timu recorded 52 tackles, including seven for loss while forcing two fumbles and recovering a fumble. The other linebacker will be junior Princeton Fuimaono. Fuimaono as a freshman played in all 13 games while making a start at #1 Oregon. Then in 2011 as a sophomore Fuimaono started all 13 games. In the Apple Cup Fuimaono recorded nine tackles, four for loss while recording a sack and forcing a fumble. Fuimaono had 64 tackles last year with three sacks while having nine tackles for loss.

The Huskies four linebackers have combined started 42 games in their collegiate careers. Last year I felt the weakness of the entire football team was the linebackers. With the switch to the 3-4 and returning four guys who have starting experience the Huskies should be in good shape. The #2's who will be tested early since Fellner will miss the first three games have experience as well which is good to see. Just like with every other unit the Huskies have they have some experience and some talent. This particular unit if Justin Wilcox can turn it around will buy the Huskies an extra win or two.

Secondary:

The secondary features plenty of experience in Desmond Trufant, Justin Glenn and Sean Parker. The secondary will also get quite a jolt with the additions of safeties Shaq Thompson and James Sample.

The secondary will be led by senior captain Desmond Trufant who will be entering his fourth season as a starter for the Huskies. As a freshman in 2009 he played in all 12 games starting the final nine games. He recorded 47 tackles, two interceptions and recovered a fumble for a 17 yard touchdown at Notre Dame. He earned honorable mention all Pac-10. As a sophomore in 2010 he started all 13 games recording 48 tackles. He had one interception and one sack as a sophomore. In 2011 he once again started all 13 games recording 64 tackles, two interceptions, one sack. He also forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles as he was named once again all Pac-12 honorable mention. He was named Pac-12 defensive player of the week in week one win over Eastern Washington where he had 11 tackles, forced a fumble and had the game clinching interception. Trufant has played in 38 career games while starting in 35 games. He brings a ton of experience to the Huskies secondary.

Another player in the secondary expected to do big things is junior captain strong safety Sean Parker. Parker was a big land for Sarkisian on signing day as he was a 4-star recruit who was the 6th ranked safety in the nation. As a true freshman he played in nine games as the Huskies nickel back and even recorded an interception. The last year as a sophomore he started all 13 games making 91 tackles while intercepting four passes. With Parker the Huskies have a guy who has 13 starts under his belt and 22 games while also being a talented player. Parker is the type of safety who will play in the NFL someday and look for him to have a break out season this year.

The other safety spot has two veterans in senior Justin Glenn and junior Will Shamburger. For Glenn as a freshman in 2009 he started four of the first fives games before being out for the season due to injury. He had two fumble recoveries that season including a touchdown at Stanford. As a sophomore played in eight games after recovering from the broken leg. Then last year in 2011, as a junior he played in all 13 games including five starts. He recorded 52 tackles including three for loss. Shamburger who is a junior, played in 10 games as a freshman in 2010 mostly on special teams. Then last year as a sophomore in 2011 he played in 11 games making four starts. He had 36 tackles while forcing a fumble. Both these guys bring experience to the safety position.

There is a good chance those two are backups to true freshman Shaq Thompson who will start the opening game at free safety. Thompson is a great athlete as you read earlier with his rushing stats and will play some offense. However, he will make his money on defense as he was the consensus #1 safety in the entire nation coming out of high school. Thompson the five-star recruit from Sacramento, California was regarded in some rankings as either the 3rd or 4th best player overall in the entire country when he signed with the Huskies. Thompson is 6'2" 215 lbs and very versatile. He will play some corner for the Huskies, he will play some outside linebacker even and he will contribute on offense. Thompson is the most talented safety the Huskies have had since Lawyer Milloy.

The Huskies are also gaining back another talented safety in James Sample who played in only two games last year before being hurt. The former 4-star recruit and #22 safety in the nation in the class of 2011 brings more talent to the secondary. Sample is another big guy at 6'2" that the Huskies can put out there and he also played in the U.S. Army All-American game for the top high schoolers. Sample along with Thompson are two freshman who will make an impact this season.

Starting at the other corner spot could be redshirt freshman Marcus Peters who was a 3-star recruit in 2011. The Huskies beat out nine schools for him including seven Pac-12 schools. The Huskies beat out Oregon and Boise State for him as he has shown he has talent. Peters will be battling Gregory Ducre who came into Washington as a three-star corner in the 2010 class. As a freshman he played in all 13 games intercepting a pass even. Then in 2011 as a sophomore he played in all 13 games making six starts where he recorded 37 tackles, a sack and an interception. Another corner who looks to factor in is true freshman Brandon Beaver who was a 3-star recruit on scout.com and a 4-star recruit on rivals.com .

For now redshirt junior Tre Watson will start at corner for the Huskies. Watson who was a walk-on last year was rewarded a scholarship as he sat out due to transfer rules. He played in 2010 at Central Washington University where he played in all 11 games making 10 starts. Watson recorded 28 tackles while recording an interception. The previous year as a freshman he played at West Hills College where he played in all 10 games while making two interceptions. This is a surprising move for Sarkisian but he'll get the start.

The Huskies secondary has experience and talent. Wilcox looks to be more aggressive than previous coordinator Nick Holt was so look for the secondary to be put on an island more often. I think the secondary will rise up and make some plays this year. They return five guys who have made starts along with two high profile recruits coming in. If this group can play up to their potential then the Huskies defense can blitz more which should make for a special season at Montlake.

Kicking:

This is a huge question mark for the Huskies as they lost place kicker Erik Folk who was reliable for them the last three seasons. They also lost two reliable punters Will Maham and Kiel Rasp. Replacing them will be junior college kicker Travis Coons and Korey Durkee.

For Coons he kicked the last two years at Mt. San Antonio College. He will be a junior and was the #3 ranked field goal kicker. Then the Huskies signed out of Gig Harbor 3-star punter Korey Durkee. Durkee was all-state in high school averaging 45.9 yards per punt. The Huskies for the first time since Sarkisian got here won't be having Folk. So far under Sarkisian's watch the kicking game both sides has been pretty reliable. As of right now this could be a huge question mark heading into the season. These kickers will be tested early as the Huskies face four ranked opponents in their first six games.

Coaching:

Steve Sarkisian is entering his fourth season as Huskies head coach with a record of 19-19(14-13 in conference, 1-1 in bowls) which doesn't appear to be that strong. He did inherit a program that hadn't had a winning season since 2002. Unlike the previous three years Sarkisian made some changes with his coaching staff. He brought in Justin Wilcox from Tennessee and Boise State who have always had great defenses under his watch. He also brought in Tosh Lupoi to be his defensive line coach and ace recruiter from California. Sarkisian has realized the honeymoon period is over after his defense destroyed a great season by the offense. The Huskies unlike 2010, faltered down the stretch in 2011 losing five of their last seven games to finish 7-6.

Sarkisian, as you read in this preview you can tell has built up the talent level. He has posted three straight ranked recruiting classes while currently having the Huskies ranked yet again this year in recruiting. His specialty is offense, which appears to be thriving and only getting better under his watch. Sarkisian has made winning at home a tough challenge for visitors as he is 13-6 at home with five of those losses coming to ranked opponents. If he is to grow as a coach he must improve on the road where he is only 5-12 as a head coach beating only two teams with a winning record. If the Huskies plan on taking the next step with him as head coach they must win games on the road.

The Tyrone Willingham dark cloud over this program is finally over and Sarkisian should receive all the credit for that. The Huskies have gone to back to back bowl games under his watch while producing a winning conference record the last two seasons. Sarkisian has addressed the problems of the team and hired some top notch defensive coaches. The talent is their with the players and I believe in the coaching staff. I don't think this is the best coaching staff in the conference but I'd rank it in the top four which can be good enough to win a Rose Bowl once in a while. Sarkisian has acknowledge to grow as a program you must beat those elite teams. There will be no excuses from him which I like and I do believe the program is moving in the right direction.

Outlook:

The Huskies will once again for the third straight season go to a bowl game. The early schedule is tough and already having injuries doesn't help with that. I think this team survives that six game stretch to go 3-3 as they upset Stanford at home who has lost quite a bit of talent themselves. I think this team will be very strong on offense led by Keith Price who will have plenty of weapons when this team is healthy. I think the offensive line will grow and become a good unit especially up the middle where they appear the strongest. I see the Huskies having plenty of difference makers on offense which they haven't had a few years back. Price is the straw that stirs the drink but he has plenty of offensive help as well.

I think the talent on defense is there, they just underachieved last year. I think Wilcox will have some growing pains but the defense has quite a bit of returning talent not to mention some impact freshman. I think the defense will create more big plays whether that be sacks, forced fumbles or interceptions. I think this team due to their youth at certain spots will struggled early but grow as the season progresses.

For now I'll say this Huskies team goes 8-4 and 6-3 in conference which is good for second place in the north division. I think they start off 3-3 then finished 5-1 before going to a bowl game for the third straight year under Sarkisian. This team returns plenty of talent while bringing in some impact freshman. Not to mention Sarkisian redshirted 19 guys and will probably redshirt plenty in this class as well. The Huskies for the most part are a deep team. Even now with injuries at the wide receiver position plus graduation nobody is pressing the panic button due to the depth created. This is a rising program who takes that next step and wins eight regular season games something this program hasn't done since 2001. That should be good momentum heading into 2013 which could be a big year for this program on paper.

As you've read in this preview the future appears to be bright for the Huskies. I feel like all the talk of 2013 is under selling this team which has a chance to make a name for themselves.  This team can change the identity and return the Huskies to a solid defensive program once again. This team hasn't won eight games since 2001 and has only done it four times since Don James retired in August of 1993. If the Huskies had a healthy Price last year vs Oregon State or an average defense vs Baylor or Nebraska the Huskies could have won eight or nine games last season. I think this team is deeper and more talented than any team Sarkisian has had so far. I'm very excited for this season to finally begin and I can't wait until Saturday's to cheer on my Huskies! I think 2012 is the year the Huskies make some progress as they build momentum in what could be a very huge 2013 season.

Price scores seven touchdowns as Huskies lose Alamo Bowl 67-56 to Baylor

By Kshell

In a wild game that shattered most Alamo Bowl records the #12 Baylor Bears(10-3,6-3) outlasted the Washington Huskies(7-6,5-4) 67-56 in a game that set defenses back for decades. The Bears were led by running back Terrance Ganaway who rushed for 200 yards and five touchdowns as the Bears overcame a 42-24 deficit to the Huskies. In the loss Huskies sophomore quarterback Keith Price shined throwing for 438 yards with four passing touchdowns while also rushing for 39 yards with three more rushing touchdowns. This was a fantastic game as both offenses couldn't be stopped. For Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian this season ended much different than last season as the Huskies closed last year out winning four games in a row. Instead the Huskies after starting off 5-1 ended the year losing five of their final seven ball games. In the process three defensive coaches including defensive coordinator Nick Holt were let go.

The Baylor Bears won the coin toss and chose to receive as it didn't take long for them to set the stage in this game. The Bears went on a 13 play 85 yard touchdown drive on their opening possession. After completing his first pass Griffin hit Tevin Reese down the middle for a gain of 25 yards to the Baylor 32 yard line. Facing a third and seven Griffin hit another 15 yard pass to the 50 yard line. Griffin would hit three more passes down to the Huskies 23 yard line. Facing a fourth and one the Bears decided to go four it and Terrance Ganaway rushed for three yards to the Huskies 11 yard line. That is when Griffin hit Kendall Wright for the 11 yard touchdown to give the Bears an early 7-0 lead. On the drive Griffin was eight for nine passing for 79 yards showing the heisman committee got the heisman vote right when choosing him. The Huskies offense would get a chance to even up the score as these teams went back and forth all night.

The Huskies wasted no time answering back starting off on their own 32 yard line Keith Price starting his first bowl game hit senior wide receiver Devin Aguilar for a gain of 42 yards to the Bears 26 yard line. Chris Polk would rush for two yards, on the following play Price would check it down to Polk who broke a few tackles to gain six yards setting up a third and two from the 18 yard line. Polk lining up at fullback would gain six yards to the Bears 12 yard line. After the Bears jumped offsides the Huskies had first and five from the seven yard line. Polk would rush for four yards down to the three yard line but then would be stuffed for a loss of two. Setting up a crucial third and three from the five yard line the Huskies had an empty backfield as Price took the snap in shotgun. Price who was healthy for the first time all year reminded fans of the quarterback he had taken over for in Jake Locker as he ran up the middle untouched for his first career college rushing touchdown from five yards out to even the game at 7-7. Price on the drive was two for two passing for 48 yards while also rushing a touchdown from five yards out.

On the next possession the Bears offense wasn't about to slow down on the Huskies defense who had struggled all season long against good teams. Starting from their own 37 yard line after a one yard run by Wright he lateraled the ball to Jarred Salubi for a gain of 17 more yards to the Huskies 45 yard line. Facing a third and 10 from the Huskies 45 yard line Griffin completed a nine yard pass to Terrance Williams setting up another fourth and short for the Bears offense. Facing a fourth and one from the 36 yard line the Bears decided to go for it once again against the Huskies defense. Salubi would bust the run to the house for 36 yards out for the touchdown giving the Bears a 14-7 lead over the Huskies. Defensively the Bears would then force a three and out on the Huskies offense trying to set up the route which other ranked teams have done to the Huskies this season. After a quality punt by the Huskies the Bears offense would start on their own 18 yard line looking to go up 21-7.

The Bears offense would go on a 13 play 82 yard touchdown drive for their third possession of the game. Starting from their own 18 yard line Griffin hit a six yard pass then ran the next two times for 10 yards including coverting a third down. Griffin completed a pass to Reese to the 50 as the Bears were marching once again. Ganaway ran three straight times for 16 yards to the Huskies 34 yard line. After a penalty forcing them back to make it first and 20 from the 44 the Bears managed to make it third and two. After a short gain once again going for it on fourth and one from the Huskies 25 yard line Griffin ran for a yard to get the first down. On the following play Griffin had a play that they'll show when he is drafted. Griffin went back to pass the Huskies blitzed he made three Huskies miss then started to take off eventually making more Huskies miss in the process as he rushed for 24 yards for the touchdown to give the Bears a 21-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Huskies were in danger of already letting this game get away before they took over for their third possession of the game starting on their own 27 yard line. Price hit Aguilar for a short gain of four yards followed up by Polk rushing for two more setting up a third and four from the 33 yard line. Price connected with senior wide receiver Jermaine Kearse for a gain of 13 yards to the 46 yard line. Facing a third and nine from the 47 yard line Price hit freshman sensation Kasen Williams for a gain of 16 yards to the Bears 37 yard line. After a short completion to Williams again and an incomplete pass the Huskies were facing a third and nine from the 36 yard line. Facing a blitz Sarkisian called a draw play to Polk who ran for 15 yards to the 21 yard line. Another penalty on the Bears moved the ball to the 13 yard line. After a short run by Polk on second and nine from the 12 yard line Price was scrambling out of the pocket instead of running for guaranteed yardage he found James Johnson dragging along in the back of the endzone for the touchdown pass. That touchdown pass gave Price 30 for the season becoming the first ever Husky quarterback to throw for over 30 touchdowns while cutting the score down to 21-14. Josh Shirley would record one of four sacks on the next drive on third down to force the first Bears punt of the game.

From their own 16 yard line the Huskies out of the spread formation play action to a streaking Jesse Callier up the seam for a gain of 28 yards to their own 44 yard line. On second down Price would hit freshman sensation Austian Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of eight yards to the Bears 40 yard line setting up a third and one. The Huskies attempted a play action bomb but the pass was incomplete setting up a fourth and one which Polk ran for two yards giving the Huskies a first down. Price would hit Kearse to the left wide open for a gain of 32 yards as he was pushed out of bounds at the six yard line. On second and goal from the six Polk would rush up the middle for five yards to the one yard line. The Bears anticipating a run stacked the box as Price play action threw to a wide open Aguilar who leaped over the defender for the one yard score which tied the game up at 21-21.

The Huskies defense would force the first turnover as freshman Andrew Hudson sacked Griffin forcing the fumble as another freshman John Timu recovered it for the Huskies. Taking over on their own 43 yard line Price began the drive with a gain of seven yards through the ground. Polk ran for five yards then another 14 to the Bears 31 yard line. Price hit his big tight end Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 16 yards to the Bears 15 yard line. After no gain by Polk is when Price made a highlight run. Price went back to pass started to take off and then at the 10 yard line despite being five yards past the line of scrimmage pumped fake like he was going to throw to get the defender into the air as he then dove into the endzone for his second rushing touchdown of the game and fourth overall touchdown of the first half alone. Price went right then cut upfield towards the middle for the touchdown. More importantly in a game that seemed destined to be a blowout loss the Huskies had taken a 28-21 over the Bears.

After a nice kickoff return the Bears offense would start off on their own 41 yard line. Griffin would hit a 14 yard pass moving the ball to the Huskies 45 yard line. Facing a third and five from the 40 Shirley would sack Griffin again forcing the Bears to go for it again. This time it was fourth and nine from the Huskies 44 yard line with only 46 seconds left in the half. Griffin would throw an incomplete pass as momentum was wearing purple(or in this games case all white). On the ensuing play Polk who was contained all half busted the run 56 yards for the touchdown to give the Huskies a 35-21 lead having scored 28 unanswered points.

 Starting from their own 33 yard like Griffin was able to march the Bears down for a field goal as he went three for five passing for 42 yards. The Huskies led at halftime 35-21. For the Bears they had 18 first downs while gaining 343 yards while going four for nine on third downs but went three for four on fourth downs.  They were led by their heisman trophy quarterback Griffin who was 18-24 passing for 192 yards with a touchdown while rushing for 46 yards with another touchdown. The Huskies had 17 first downs while gaining 313 yards while going six for eight on third downs while converting their only fourth down. Price led the Huskies going 12-18 passing for 179 yards with two touchdowns while rushing for 27 yards with two more touchdowns. Polk ran for 107 yards with a touchdown while catching a pass for six yards. Aguilar had three receptions for 47 yards with a touchdown while Kearse had two receptions for 45 yards. The first half had 59 combined points and the second half would feature even more scoring.

The Huskies began the second half with the ball and wasted little time in maintaining momentum. On the second play of the half Price scrambled left found a streaking Kearse for an 80 yard touchdown pass to give the Huskies a 42-24 lead. The Huskies had just outscored the Bears 35-3 since the first quarter. The Bears offense would answer back though. Starting from their own 20 yard line Griffin completed a 13 yard pass to Wright to the 33 yard line. Wright ran for nine more yards to the 42 yard line. Ganaway would rush for eight yards on the next two carries as the Huskies would committ a 15 yard penalty putting the ball on the Huskies 35 yard line. Griffin completed a six yard pass then would rush for 15 yards on the next two plays to the Huskies 14 yard line. On third and one from the eight yard line Ganaway rushed for a yard to the seven. Salubi rushed it in from seven yards out to pull the game to within 42-31. The Bears then forced a three and out on the Huskies getting the ball back on their own 15 yard line.

The Huskies defense responded by forcing a three and out themselves. Punting from their own 10 yard line Kasen Williams almost broke it to the house on the punt return. Williams ran the punt back 46 yards to the Bears 16 yard line as the Huskies look to extend their lead to 18 again. Instead something happened that hadn't happened all season long. Polk fumbled the ball as the Bears recovered on their own 11 yard line. Just like what happened in the first half the Bears immediately took advantage like the Huskies did when they stopped the Bears on fourth down. Ganaway busted the run up the middle 89 yards for the touchdown. Griffin completed the pass for the two point conversation as the Bears cut the lead to 42-39 still in the third quarter.

With all momentum now on Baylor's side the Huskies took over on their own 27 yard line. For most sophomore quarterbacks facing basically a Baylor crowd this would rattle them but not Price who never seems to be rattled. Price delivered a 60 yard pass to Kearse who used his speed to go down to the Bears 13 yard line. Price still not done yet on the next play found Aguilar in the back of the endzone for the touchdown and Aguilar's second of the game. For Price that was his fourth and final touchdown pass of the game. This was also the fourth time during the season Price had thrown for four touchdown passes in a game more importantly the Huskies responded with a score of their own giving them a 49-39 lead over the Bears.

Starting on their own 26 yard line the Bears took over on offense. Reese their leading receiver ran for 23 yards to their own 49 yard line. Facing a third and seven from the Huskies 48 yard line Griffin completed a 23 yard pass to Levi Norwood down to the Huskies 25 yard line. Salubi rushed to the right for 24 yards down to the Huskies one yard line. Ganaway would rush for his second of many touchdowns from one yard out cutting the lead to 49-46 as this game was still in the third quarter.

After a kick went out of bounds the Huskies took over on their own 40 yard line. Polk ran for nine yards then Price hit Johnson for 24 yards down to the Bears 27 yard line. After Kearse ran the wrong route senior kicker Erik Folk would miss the 43 yard field goal that he normally would make. The Huskies had two possessions in the Bears Red Zone in the second half and came away with zero. After another Shirley sack Reese the receiver would bust it 78 yards down the Huskies two yard line. After Griffin was denied from one yard out Ganaway would rush for his third touchdown of the quarter from one yard out giving the Bears a 53-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter. A quarter which saw the Bears outscore the Huskies 29-7(overall 29-14) after falling behind by 18 after the Huskies opening possession.

Starting from their own 24 yard line the Huskies would amount a long scoring drive. The Huskies would go on a 13 play 76 yard drive. After a run of four yards by Polk then a Price pass to Polk for two yards the Huskies were facing a critical third and four from the 30 yard line. Price completed another pass to Kearse down the middle for 13 yards to the 43 yard line. Polk would rush for four yards, Price another four then Polk one yard setting up a fourth and one from the Bears 48 yard line. Polk like he did all game in short yardage got the first down with a gain of three yards. On the next play Price again making plays with his feet found Aguilar for 30 yards to the Bears 15 yard line. After a short run Price hit Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of nine yards down to the Bears four yard line. After an incomplete pass and a loss of four by Callier the Huskies were facing a third and goal from the eight yard line. Price rolled to his right saw nobody was open then went up the sideline and finally as he dove put the ball on the pylon for the touchdown from eight yards out. The Huskies took a 56-53 lead as Price rushed for his third touchdown of the game and seventh touchdown overall in the game.

Starting from their own 30 yard line after a short two yard gain is when the heisman put his foot forward. Griffin hit Wright for a gain of 48 yards to the Huskies 20 yard line. Griffin hit Wright again for seven yards to the 13 yard line. Ganaway rushed to the left for nine yards setting up a first and goal from the four yard line. Ganaway then scored the goahead touchdown from four yards out giving the Bears an incredible 60-56 lead over the Huskies with 8:40 left in the game. On that critical drive which lasted on five plays Griffin was two for two passing for 55 yards while also rushing for two yards. For Ganaway that was the fourth straight scoring drive for the Bears where he ended the drive scoring a touchdown. The Huskies offense who had punted just once all second half would take over on their own 22 yard line knowing they had to score considering their defense had just allowed 36 points in the second half.

Starting from their own 22 the Huskies pounded Polk hoping to go on a long game winning drive so the Bears wouldn't touch the ball again. Polk ran for two yards to their own 24 yard line. Polk rushed up the middle for six yards to the 30 yard line then ran for a yard. Facing a fourth and one from the 31 yard line with 7:15 left Sarkisian knowing his defense wasn't recording any stops decided to go for it. Polk would extend the drive with a two yard run. After a run of no gain by Callier, Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of nine yards setting up a third and one from their own 42 yard line. Price on play action would hit Seferian-Jenkins again for 17 yards to the Bears 41 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Polk would rush for two yards setting up a third and eight from the 39 yard line. Sarkisian out thinking himself called a shovel pass which the Bears defense had sniffed out so Price elected to ditch the play eventually the lateral to Johnson was ruled an incomplete pass setting up a fourth and eight. Facing a three man rush the pressure got to Price hitting him as he threw the ball intended for Williams out of bounds as the Bears offense took over.

The game although not over as the Huskies still had their timeouts that felt like the game. Making sure that was the game the Bears offense looked to put the Huskies pathetic defense away. Salubi ran for 11 yards to the 50 yard line. Ganaway would rush for seven yards to the 43 yard line. Ganaway put the game away after that busting a 43 yard run untouched up the middle for his fifth touchdown of the second half alone giving the Bears a 67-56 lead with 2:36 left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff Huskies true freshman Danny Shelton who is a defensive tackle took the kickoff 16 yards but finally fumbled the ball as the Bears recovered. The Bears would run out the clock as they would win their 10th game of the season. While the Huskies who scored 56 points were left wondering what exactly happened in this game.

For the Bears this is how they were winning games all season long. Led by Robert Griffin III who finished his college career completing 24-33(72.7%) of his passes for 295 yards(8.9 YPA) with a touchdown while rushing for 55 yards(73 if you don't include sacks) with another touchdown. His favorite receivers were Kendall Wright who had seven catches for 91 yards with a touchdown. Tevin Reese also had five for 66 yards. The Bears had three different guys go over 100 yards rushing led by Terrance Ganaway who ran for 200 yards on 21 carries(9.5 YPC) with five touchdowns. Reese had 101 yards rushing despite being a receiver. Jarred Salubi ran for 101 yards with two touchdowns. As a team the Bears had 33 first downs and 777 total yards of offense including 482 yards(9.3 YPC). The Huskies offense was terrific but the Bears offense was amazing.

For the Huskies despite the loss saw a breakout performace from their sophomore quarterback Keith Price. Price completed 23-37(62.2%) of his passes for a career high 438 yards(11.8 YPA) with four touchdowns to zero interceptions. Price also ran for 39 yards and a career high three touchdowns giving him seven total for the game. His main targets were Jermaine Kearse who had five receptions for 198 yards with a touchdown in his final game as a Husky. Devin Aguilar playing in his final game also had five receptions for 90 yards with two touchdowns. Tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins had five receptions for 59 yards showing he has a bright future. James Johnson had two receptions for 36 yards with a touchdown. Kasen Williams added three receptions for 19 yards while having 53 yards in two punt returns. Also playing in his final game Chris Polk finished his Husky career with 147 yards rushing on 30 carries(4.9 YPC) with a touchdown while having two receptions for eight yards. The Huskies offense put up 26 first downs and 620 yards of offense.

All in all, offense sells tickets but defense wins championships. The offensive output for this game and for this season was incredible. Until the Huskies are playing good defense though they'll forever remain playing in second tier bowl games in the Sarkisian era. What a contrast from a year ago for Sarkisian who saw his team end the season winning four straight games then carried that momentum into this year with the 5-1 start. Now the Huskies ended the year losing five of their last seven(only two wins were against 4-8 Arizona and WSU) showing that progress is harder than many had hoped in year three. The Huskies this year went 7-1 against non ranked teams but were 0-5 against ranked opponents showing they are above the half nots but quite ready to join the halves company quite yet. When the Huskies start playing some defense it won't matter what their quarterback does as they'll be winning more ball games. What Sarkisian has going in Seattle is quite exciting but sometimes boring football like the SEC plays is better since that is winning football.

Observations:

-  Keith Price exceeded all expectations for him this season. For this bowl game Price tied a school record last set in 1919 for most touchdowns in a game. Price in this game with his 438 yards passing was also tied for second all-time in passing yardage for a single game behind only Cody Pickett. Price who had been banged up all season long was mainly a pocket passer but today finally healthy he was moving around. Price was making plenty of plays with his legs and it showed with his three rushing touchdowns when prior to that he had zero rushing touchdowns in his career.

For his sophomore year Price finishes the year having thrown for over 3,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. To be exact Price set the single season record for highest completion percentage completing 66.9% of his passes for 3,063 yards(8.5 YPA) with 33 touchdowns to just 11 interceptions while rushing for three touchdowns in the process. Price set single season records for QB rating, completion percentage and touchdowns thrown while having a 3:1 ratio in the process. Price is already fifth in Huskies history for most passing touchdowns and is only 18 away from Jake Lockers school record of 53. Locker overall had 80 touchdowns in his career while Price is already at 38 so he has a chance to surprass Locker's total touchdown record as well since he has two more years remaining. Price going into this year was thought to be the weakness while next year he'll have plenty of hype and must deal with teams game planning to stop just him.

- The two senior receivers who both made all-conference Devin Aguilar and Jermaine Kearse left on a high note. Both had good games and neither one dropped any passes. For these two who arrived in 2008 and have been starting together since 2009 it will be strange next fall not seeing either in a Huskies uniform. For Aguilar he had a nice bounce back season finishing his career with five receptions for 90 and two touchdowns. Aguilar finished the year with 41 receptions for a career high 611 yards receiving with another career high six touchdown receptions.

For Jermaine Kearse who ranks in the top two in every major receiving category at Washington he finished his career with five receptions for 198 yards with a touchdown. He had a long 80 yard touchdown reception along with another 60 yard reception. Kearse was a big play receiver for the Huskies and that is how he should be remembered. He had a step back as he was clearly Locker's favorite receiver, due to more talent and Price spreading the ball around his numbers suffered a bit. For Kearse he finished the season leading the team with 47 receptions, leading the team with 699 yards and leading the team with seven touchdowns. This was the third straight year Kearse led the team in all three categories as he'll be missed. These two receivers came in when the program went 0-12 and now are leaving the program in good hands as they set the bar very high.

- The two guys to my right will be asked to carry the load in the passing game next season in tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Kasen Williams. Throw in James Johnson and Kevin Smith the program is in good hands far as the passing game goes. For Seferian-Jenkins he bounced back from his freshman wall that he had hit late in the season with five receptions for 59 yards. He earned honorable mention all pac-12 as a true freshman. Seferian-Jenkins was tied with Aguilar for second on the team in receptions with 41 while having 544 yards receiving. He was also tied with Aguilar and Williams for second on the team with six touchdown receptions.

Kasen Williams who only had three receptions for 19 yards dazzled all the fans with that long 46 yard punt return. Williams who started the season off slow finished the year terrific. He finished fourth on the team in receptions with 36, fourth in yards with 427 and tied for second with six touchdowns. These two five star recruits showed everyone why they were rated so high. As sophomores look for both guys to develope more consistency week in and week out as Price evolves as an even better passer.

-  Kind of hard to brag about a defensive player having a breakout game when you allow 777 yards and 67 points. Well redshirt freshman defensive end Josh Shirley did just that with four sacks against Griffin. For the year Shirley finished with 8.5 sacks on the season not bad for being a freshman. The other freshman defensive end Andrew Hudson also had a sack while forcing a fumble against Griffin and he had 3.5 sacks for the season. Throw in Hau'oli Jamora who will be returning the Huskies will have enough talent on the edge to compete next year defensively. The Huskies were pretty young this year on defense starting more underclassman than everyone besides the Washington State Cougars. Now that Nick Holt has been fired hopefully with a new coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball they can finally get the most out of this defense which does feature some pretty talented players.

- Chris Polk announced today that he is going to the NFL. So this was Polk's last game in a Huskies uniform meaning he was 48 yards shy of Napoleon Kaufman's school rushing record putting him second place all-time. Polk finished his career rushing for over 100 yards for the 10th time this year while rushing for a career high 12th touchdown on the season. Polk this year showed he isn't just a power back that he is capable of busting long runs and being used as a receiver. Not  a guy who catches checkdowns but a guy who can line up as a receiver and catch fade passes or seam routes for a touchdown on you.

For the year Polk finished with 1,488 yards(5.1 YPC) rushing with 12 rushing touchdowns. Polk also added 31 receptions for 332 yards with four touchdowns this season giving him over 1,800 total yards of offense with 16 touchdowns. For his Huskies career he finishes with 4,049 yards rushing(5.1 YPC) with 26 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 79 passes for for 683 yards with four touchdowns all in just 40 career games meaning he averaged over 100 yards rushing per game in his career.  Polk will leave behind a strong legacy as he and Kaufman are the only backs to ever rush for over 1,000 yards three straight seasons. Jesse Callier and Bishop Sankey have bigger shoes to fill in Polk than Price did with Locker in my opinion. You just don't replace a guy of Polk's calibar who was the first Husky offensive player to be named first team all Pac-12 since Reggie Williams in 2003.

- The honeymoon period appears to be over for Sarkisian and the Huskies. When he took over the program was 0-12 and he immediately got the Huskies to 5-7 and within a game of a bowl game. He then brought in a ranked recruiting class which had the hype machine going. Last year after a 3-6 start Sarkisian saw his Huskies win four in a row including beat heavily favored Nebraska Cornhuskers in the rematch in the Holiday Bowl while bringing in another ranked recruiting class. Well this year as of now the Huskies aren't recruiting so hot losing out on home state kids Joshua Garnett(#1 offensive guard in the nation has eliminated UW recently) and on the same day as the Alamo Bowl Kavario Russell(four star running back from Mariner High School) committed to Notre Dame. You factor in the Huskies collapse for this season and just like that Sarkisian goes from a coach everyone in the nation wants to a coach even his own fan base is having second thoughts on.

Sarkisian is heading into a critical year four and he knows it. He just fired his friends Nick Holt, Mike Cox and Jeff Mills. Despite an offense that made great strides this season the defense regressed so poorly that the offense was overshadowed. Sarkisian hired two quality coaches today from Tennessee in Justin Wilcox(former Oregon Ducks player, Boise State and Tennesse Defensive Coordinator) showing he is serious about changing the culture of his defense. Sarkisian although not on the hot seat quite yet could find himself there if he were to have a disaster season and continue to get blown out mixed in with a loss to the wrong teams. The honeymoon period is over for Sarkisian and the Husky fans now is time to work on the marriage and in this case work on his coaching legacy at Washington.

In conclusion, this was a terrible way to end the season and a sad way to waste such an incredible performance by Keith Price. In a game that featured high draft picks in Robert Griffin III and Chris Polk it was Keith Price who was the best player on the field. Instead of this game being remembered as the Keith Price game this will be referred to as the Nick Holt game. This was the final straw in the Holt era at Washington as Sarkisian was left with no choice to make a change. The Huskies must find a way to play good defense. With an average defense this year the Huskies go 10-3 instead they remain at 7-6 which was rock bottom in the Rick Neuheisel and Jim Lambright days. The Huskies blew a great opportunity to make some noise against the 12th team in the nation on ESPN in a highly rated bowl game. Instead the defense like they have all season long let them down once again. Hopefully next year I'll be recapping some games where the defense is making strides and actually making some plays. For now the Huskies have to settle on being that exciting offense that has no defense. Basically the Huskies are the Texas Tech Red Raiders under Mike Leach which is okay for those on the other side of the mountains. That isn't okay for those on this side as the Huskies are sick of going 7-6, next year should be fun with Price having two more seasons left.