Huskies Polk and Kearse go undrafted

By Kshell

The big surprised on Montlake was the fact that Chris Polk who graded out to be a second or third round pick went undrafted. Another Washington Huskies player in Jermaine Kearse went undrafted as well. For Polk and Kearse both record setters at Washington this was tough to see. Both were brought in during Tyrone Willingham's last recruiting class which was ranked 14th in the nation. Both guys were part of the turnaround of Husky football leading them to back to back bowl games. Both running back Polk and wide receiver Kearse were signed immediately. The Philadelphia Eagles signed Polk while the hometown Seattle Seahawks signed Jermaine Kearse. Kearse most figured would go undrafted after a disappointing senior season while Polk was a huge shocker. Polk left after his junior year and apparantly teams were concerned with his injuries which is why he was undrafted. Still despite what the combines say the eye test has to show that Polk is a performer on the field. Polk can flat out get the job done when the Huskies needed him to the past three seasons as well as Kearse.

For Polk he is going to a good situation with the Eagles who were impressed with him during the draft process. Although Polk has had three surguries already in his career he has yet to miss a game the last three seasons. After getting hurt his true freshman year Polk as a redshirt freshman in 2009 rushed for 1,113 yards with five touchdowns. In 2010 Polk ran for 1,465 yards with nine touchdowns. He was also named Holiday Bowl MVP as the Huskies upset the Nebraska Cornhuskers 19-7. As a senior Polk ran for 1,488 yards(5.1 YPC) with 12 touchdowns. He also caught 31 passes for 332 yards with four touchdowns. For his Husky career he finished 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. Polk was first-team all freshman selection and honorable mention all Pac-10 in 2009, second team all pac-10 in 2010 and the first Husky offensive player to be on the first team all Pac-12 team since Reggie Williams in 2003 when he was selected in 2011. The Eagles are going to be getting a very fine player in Polk who has a major chip on his shoulder much like Arian Foster did.

The Seattle Seahawks signed the former Husky standout wide receiver Jermaine Kearse. Kearse was a big play receiver for the Huskies and Jake Locker's favorite target in 2009 and 2010. Kearse  as a true freshman, caught 20 passes for 301 yards (15.0 YPC) and two touchdowns. As a sophomore, he broke out with 50 receptions for 866 yards(17.3 YPC) with eight touchdowns. Then as a junior he continued his improvement with 63 receptions for 1,005 yards(16.0 YPC) with 12 touchdowns. He was  named to the second team all Pac-10 team those two years. He had plenty of big games his junior year in the Huskies 41-20 win over Syracuse, Kearse had nine receptions for 179 yards with three touchdowns. Later in the year, he set a Huskies record against Oregon State, catching four touchdown passes in the 35-34 double-overtime win. He had nine receptions for 146 yards with four touchdowns that game. Then in the Apple Cup he had six receptions for 178 yards with two touchdowns, including the game winning touchdown. As a senior with more talented receivers in the fold and a new quarterback in Keith Price his production fell off. Kearse finished the year with 47 receptions for 699 yards and seven touchdowns. He was named honorable mention all Pac-12 but a memorable game in his final game. In the 67-56 Alamo Bowl loss Kearse caught five passes for 198 yards with a touchdown which was an 80 yard bomb.  Kearse has big play ability and is hoping to pull a Doug Baldwin and make the Seahawks roster.

For these two the news of not getting picked had to be a disappointment as they left behind a legacy at the University of Washington. I think Polk will make the Eagles roster and actually become a key member on a very talented team. For Kearse his odds are long but the Seahawks receivers aren't exactly studs either. Last year Doug Baldwin who put up less numbers than Kearse did in college made the Seahawks roster as an undrafted rookie. Hopefully both Kearse and Polk make an impact on their teams. Either way they were both great Huskies and their names are at the top of the record books for a reason. They were a big reason why the Huskies went from 0-12 to back to back bowl appearances.

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.

Alamo Bowl preview

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(7-5,5-4) are set to take on the #12 Baylor Bears(9-3,6-3) in the Alamo Bowl set in San Antonio, Texas which is three hours from the Baylor campus. Both teams feature explosive offenses led by Baylor's Robert Griffin III who won the heisman trophy. The Baylor offense is averaging 43.5 points per game which is good for seventh in the entire nation. While the Huskies offense which is led by Chris Polk is averaging 31.5 point per game which is good for 36th in the nation. This should be a high scoring game with two quality offenses going up against two weak defenses. The Bears defense is allowing 35.7 points per game which ranks 109th in the country while the Huskies defense is allowing 33.3 points per game which ranks 99th in the country. For what has been a boring bowl season so far this game should generate plenty of excitement to the casual fans.

You can't talk about the Bears mighty offense without first talking about heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III who if he leaves for the NFL would be a top 10 pick in the draft. Griffin is trying to lead the Bears to a 10 win season which was once unthinkable. For the year he completed 72.4% of his passes for 3,998 yards(10.8 YPA). He threw for 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions during the season. His passing stats alone are terrific then you factor in his 644 yards rushing(4.0 YPC) with nine touchdowns and you can see why he won the heisman trophy. His favorite targets are Kendall Wright who hauled in 101 receptions for 1,572 yards(15.6 YPC) with 13 TD's. The second weapon for this passing offense which ranks fifth in the nation is Terrance Williams who caught 53 passes for 895 yards(16.9 YPC) with 11 touchdowns. The Bears have a third receiver who is having a fine season in Tevin Reese who has caught 46 passes for 811 yards(17.6) with seven touchdowns. The Bears can also run the ball as they feature Terrence Ganaway who rushed for 1,347(5.9 YPC) with 16 touchdowns. The Bears offense features plenty of weapons on offense and for the Huskies to win they must keep that offense on the sidelines.

The Huskies need to do what they did last year in the Holiday Bowl win. Last year Sarkisian fed Chris Polk the ball over and over again as the Nebraska offense sat on the sidelines. Polk on the year has rushed for 1,341 yards(5.1 YPC) with 11 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for 324 yards(11.2 YPC) with four touchdowns. Which earned Polk first team all pac-12 selection.  Polk currently trails Napoleon Kaufman by 200 yards for the all-time rushing lead in school history. Polk also has quality backup running backs if he needs a breather. Jesse Callier for the season has rushed for 264 yards(5.9 YPC) with a touchdown. He has also caught six passes. Remember last year in the Holiday Bowl Callier completed a 14 yard pass to Jake Locker to set up the first score. Bishop Sankey has ran for 187 yards(6.7 YPC) with a touchdown and also has caught six passes. Sankey is pretty quick and can bust a long run everytime he touches the ball. The Bears defense allows 198 yards rushing per game so the Huskies should pound the ball on them. If the Bears decide to stack the box well the Huskies also have a good passing game too.

The Huskies passing offense is led by sophomore quarterback Keith Price. Price who is filling in for Jake Locker who set plenty of records at Washington. For this year it was Price who set a record for most passing touchdowns in a single season. Price for the year completed 67.4% of his passes for 2,625 yards(8.1 YPA) with 29 touchdown passes(school record) to just 11 interceptions. Price has plenty of weapons to throw to as well as he spreads the ball around the field to multiple talented receivers.  Price was selected to honorable mention all pac-12 and in a normal year could have been more but with Andrew Luch and Matt Barkley that makes it tough. His two leading receivers are both seniors and honorable all pac-12 receivers Devin Aguilar and Jermaine Kearse. Aguilar caught 36 passes for 521 yards(14.5 YPC) with four touchdowns. Kearse caught 42 for 501(11.9) with six touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown as well. Freshman sensation Kasen Williams has emerged lately and has caught 33 passes for 408 yards(12.4 YPC) with six touchdowns. James Johnson added 26 receptions for 330 yards(12.7 YPC) with three touchdowns. The Huskies also feature honorable mention all pac-12 freshman tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who caught 36 passes for 479 yards(13.3 YPC) with six touchdowns. The Huskies also have plenty of offensive weapons to compete with the Bears. The key to this game will also be how the defense responds.

Last year when the Huskies won the Holiday Bowl all the attention was on the offense. When in reality the Huskies won 19-7 as the defense stepped up setting up the first score and eventually getting a safety. Mason Foster was the defensive MVP as he was all over the field. While Alameda Ta'amu just as easily could have been the MVP as well. He recovered the fumble that set up the first score, recorded two sacks and was also held which allowed the safety. Ta'amu who is a projected late first or early second round draft pick is playing his final game as a Husky. Ta'amu was honorable mention this year as he was injured throughout the season. Another Husky defender playing in his final game is Cort Dennison who led the Pac-12 in tackles and earned second team all pac-12 selection. The defense must step up if they expect to pull off this upset. Nobody is expecting them to shut down Baylor like they did last year with Nebraska but nobody will accept games where they allow over 40 like they did against Nebraska, Stanford, and USC. The defense must play tough in the redzone and hold the Bears to three points instead of seven points that could be the difference between winning and losing.

In conclusion, with Griffin winning the Heisman this will be the featured bowl game amongst the games not in the BCS. The Huskies have a great chance to impress the nation with a win against a quality opponent for the second straight year. For Sarkisian who is having a rough day losing out on an in-state recruit earlier today he can remove the doubt that he is the guy with a win today. With a win today Sarkisian will tie Jim Owens for second all-time in Huskies history for most bowl victories with two. With a win today the program will have made progress improving their win total each season under Sarkisian. With a win to day the Huskies will have won back to back bowl games for the first time in 20 years. This game is huge for the Huskies and their opponent for the second straight year is favored to destroy them. This is a huge test for the Huskies who failed so many throughout the year. Maybe tonight is the night the Huskies finally pass that final exam.

Huskies win Apple Cup 38-21 for third straight year!

By Kshell

For the third straight season the Washington Huskies(7-5,5-4) defeated their cross state rivals the Washington State Cougars(4-8,2-6) in the 104th meeting of the Apple Cup. The Huskies who are headed towards another bowl game for the second straight season while the Cougars are missing a bowl game for the eighth straight season. The Huskies were led by three touchdown passes by Keith Price who returned from injury. Price also passed Cody Pickett to become the all-time single season touchdown leader in Huskies history. The Huskies also saw two true freshman made their apple cup debuts pretty special especially Kasen Williams who caught two of Price's three touchdown passes. The Huskies under Steve Sarkisian have yet to trail in a single Apple Cup in three years improve to 3-0 in the Sarkisian era in this game.

The Huskies won the coin toss and chose to receive to begin the game. After the Cougars stopped the Huskies on a third and one they took over possession on their own 21 yard like after a Keil Rasp 46 yard punt. That is when the Cougars went backwards first with a false start then with an intentional grounding. After a short pass that went for nothing the Cougars were facing a third and 26 which Marshall Lobbestael completed well short of the first down. Punting from their own 20 yard line the Huskies tried to block the punt. The Huskies backup linebacker Thomas Tutogi blocked the punt which went high into the air as Jesse Callier caught the punt on the two yard line and walked into the endzone to give the Huskies an early 7-0 lead over their rival the Cougars. That was the Huskies first blocked punt since the 2006 Apple Cup when Chris Stevens blocked the punt.

The Huskies offense would stall due to a costly penalty while the defense led by Alameda Ta'amu continued to stop the Cougars. After a poor punt the Huskies took over possession on their own 45 yard line. The Cougars immediately jumped offsides giving the Huskies a first and five at midfield. Lining up in a "wildcat" formation Callier took the direct handoff then ran 30 yards down to the Cougars 20 yard line. After Price threw an incompletion, Chris Polk who had a big game last year rushing for 284 yards would rush for just four yards this time. That would set up a pretty big third and six from the 16 yard line. That is when Price would hit Kasen Williams on the back shoulder as Williams caught the touchdown with both feet down .It was an incredible pass and catch for two guys who will be playing in two more apple cups together. That touchdown pass gave the Huskies a 14-0 lead over the Cougars heading into the second quarter.

The next two series saw two huge swings in momentum. First for the Cougars their offense finally got going but Ricky Galvin fumbled on the Huskies 23 yard line. Then with a chance to put the Cougars away the Huskies went on a nice eight play drive which started off with Price completing his first three passes for 45 yards down to the Cougars 31 then Polk ran for 11 more to the Cougars 20 yard line. That is when the Huskies offense stalled key by a huge third down drop by Austin Seferian-Jenkins which was especially painful after Erik Folk missed a 37 yard field goal as the Huskies still only remained up 14-0.

With the momentum now wearing Crimson the Cougars finally took advantage going on a 13 play, 80 yard drive which saw them convert three separate third downs. Facing a third and eight from their own 22 Lobbestael hit Marques Wilson for a gain of 12 yards. Later in the drive from the Huskies 31 facing a third and nine Lobbestael threw a designed screen to Galvin for a gain of 19 yards to offset the Huskies pass rush down to the 12 yard line. Facing a third and four from the six yard line to avoid the pressure Lobbestael ran it in for the touchdown but the Cougars were called for a holding taking the score off the board. Facing a third and 14 from the 16 Lobbestael fired one in there to Jarred Karstetter for the 16 yard touchdown to pull the game within 14-7.

The Cougars feeding off that momentum then three and outed the Huskies powerful offense getting the ball back. From their own 34 yard line the Cougars actually started to run the ball some. Carl Winston had back to back runs of four yards setting up a third and two which Galvin ran for three yards to their own 45 yard line. After a six yard pass by Lobbestael he then ran for six yards to the Huskies 43 yard line. Lobbestael then would have back to back completions for 27 yards to the Huskies 16 yard line. Lobbestael like he did the previous series would hit Wilson for a 16 yard touchdown to tie up the game at 14-14 with just a little over two minutes left in the half.

The Cougars tried to squib kick it as Tutogi caught the ball and ran it 14 yards to their own 39 yard line. Polk would rush for two yards then Price would hit Jermaine Kearse for a gain of nine yards to the 50 yard line. After a short run by Price he would hit Devin Aguilar for a gain of eight yards to the Cougars 41 yard line. Facing a third and one the Huskies gave it to Polk for a gain of two yards. On the next play Price would hit Williams on a crossing route in which Williams leaped the defender to gain an extra six yards. Williams on the play would go for 18 yards to the Cougars 21 yard line. Price on the ensuing play would scramble out of pressure to his left to find Williams who turned his defender around for the touchdown. With that touchdown pass Price had tied Cody Pickett's single season touchdown record with 28. For Williams that was his first of many multiple touchdown games of his career. More importantly the Huskies took a 21-14 lead heading into halftime against the Cougars while stealing back momentum.

The Cougars began the second half with the ball on their own 14 yard line. The Cougars would go on a nine play drive stalling on the Huskies 43 yard line. Facing a third and one from the Huskies 43 Lobbestael threw an incomplete pass. Cougars head coach Paul Wulff decided to punt the ball to the Huskies pinning them on their own three yard line. The Huskies would move the ball so they could punt and pin the Cougars after Ta'amu recorded his second sack of the game. Taking back over on their own 40 yard line Price went to work. Price in the shotgun would play action pass to a wide open Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 20 yards to the Cougars 40 yard line. On the next play Price would hit Kearse over the middle for another gain of 18 yards to the Cougars 22 yard line both on play action passes. Polk then went in motion wide left as Price hit him on the fade pass for the 22 yard touchdown pass. For Price that was the record setter as he just passed Pickett for most touchdown passes in a single season for Huskies history. For Polk that was his fourth receiving touchdown of the season all on fade passes. More importantly the Huskies had a 28-14 lead at that point.

The Cougars would immediately respond to the score as Galvin ran back the kick 37 yards to their own 38 yard line. After a run that went for no gain Lobbestael would complete a pass for nine yards then the Huskies committed a 15 yard penalty giving the Cougars the ball on the Huskies 38 yard line. The Cougars put the ball in their best playmakers hands as Lobbestael threw a bubble screen to the right to Wilson as Wilson broke a tackle and scampered for a 38 yard touchdown to pull the Cougars within seven points. Not to be overshadowed by Williams but Wilson also caught his second touchdown pass of the game. The Huskies offense would go three and out as Nick Montana briefly made an appearance. The Huskies defense would then three and out the Cougars. The Huskies offense go on a seven play drive accounting for 40 yards as the drive ended with Folk making a 46 yard field goal to give the Huskies a 31-21 lead with 13 minutes left in the game.

After both teams traded punts with 10 minutes to go in the game is when the Huskies finally pulled away. Facing a second and 10 from their own 47 the Cougars called a double pass which Lobbestael threw the ball to the receiver on a bubble screen who threw the ball back to Lobbestael. The Huskies didn't bite at all as Lobbestael threw the ball to Wilson who was covered well by Desmond Trufant, Trufant then batted the ball to safety Sean Parker who intercepted the pass. Parker ran 23 yards to the Huskies 31 yard line where the offense took over. Price was scrambling found an open Seferian-Jenkins who rumbled 31 yards to the Cougars 38 yard line. That is when Chris Polk would take over the ball game who up until that point was quiet. Polk would rush for nine yards then facing a third and one would rush for two more yards. The Huskies committed a costly penalty making it second and 20 from the Cougars 37 yard line. Polk took the sweep 34 yards down to the Cougars three yard line and was horse collared for a two yard penalty. Two plays later Polk would rush for the touchdown giving him 11 for the season as the Huskies took a commanding 38-21 lead.

The Huskies won this game 38-21 over the Cougars as they head to their second straight bowl game. For the Cougars they were led by senior Lobbestael who was 29-42(69.0%) for 344 yards(8.2 YPA) passing with three touchdowns and one interception. His main receivers were Wilson who had seven receptions for 108 yards with two touchdowns. Karstetter had nine receptions for 82 yards with a touchdown.

For the winners the Huskies were led by Keith Price who was 21-29(72.4%) for 291 yards(10.0 YPA) with three touchdowns and no interceptions. As usual Price spread the ball around as his leading receiver was freshman Kasen Williams who had five receptions for 74 yards with two touchdowns. Another true freshman played well in Austin Seferian-Jenkins who had four receptions for 62 yards. Senior Jermaine Kearse had five receptions for 62 yards. Kevin Smith had two for 39 yards while Polk had two for 36 yards with a touchdown. Speaking of Polk he carried the ball 22 times for 100 yards(4.5 YPC) and a rushing touchdown. Jesse Callier who scored that touchdown on the blocked punt also had four carries for 44 yards(11.0 YPC) while catching a pass. The Huskies defense recorded a season high seven sacks led by Ta'amu and Josh Shirley. The Huskies held the Cougars to just 38 yards rushing on 29 attempts.

All in all, this was a tale of two programs going in opposite direction. For the second straight apple cup Cougar fans don't know if this was Wulff's last game as Cougars head coach. For the Huskies for the second straight apple cup they are playing in another game after this. Chris Polk in three career apple cups never lost to the Cougars while rushing for over 100 yards with a touchdown in each game. The Huskies also showed with Price, Williams and Seferian-Jenkins all who have eligibility for the next two seasons after this year that the Huskies should continue to dominate this rivalry for a while. This was a good win for the Huskies as they needed some momentum heading into their bowl game(most likely the Alamo Bowl) like they did last year. For Sarkisian beating your rivals is a good way to maintain friends at Montlake. For these seniors who as freshman lost to the Cougars to go 0-12 these past three years must have felt great.

Observations:

- The Huskies sure are a much different team with a healthy Keith Price vs when he isn't healthy or not even playing. The Cougars came into this game with the focus of stopping Chris Polk and while they didn't totally stop him they definately contained him. Which meant this game was up to Price to hit passes which he did. Price was 21-29 for 291 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Price was on fire throughout the game and once Sarkisian let him air it out in the second half the Huskies offense wasn't going to be stopped. Price like he typically does spread the ball around the field completing passes to seven different receivers during this game. Playing in his first career Apple Cup Price appears headed to be another Cougar killer much like Jake Locker, Cody Pickett, Brock Huard and Marques Tuiasosopo was.

For the year Price who heading into the season was the big question mark had a fantastic season. Price completed 67.4%(school record is 65%) of his passes this season for 2,625(8.1 YPA) yards on the season. He threw for 29 touchdowns(new school record) to only 11 interceptions on the year. He has a QB rating of 107.5 for the season and this year had a QB rating over 100 in six of his 11 starts. He only had a QB rating under 80 just twice this season. Price who has had an incredible season proved the future at Montlake is bright as he is just a sophomore.

- For senior Co-Captain Jermaine Kearse this has been a tough season for him. He was Jake Locker's favorite receiver and with Sarkisian bringing in Kasen Williams and Kevin Smith that ate into Kearse's numbers. Factor in the Huskies having a tight end, Polk catches passes plus Aguilar and James Johnson returning to health that made for a trying season for Kearse. Kearse numbers wise had his worst season since he was a freshman. He did bounce back against the Cougars who has always destroyed with five catches for 62 yards including an 18 yard reception in which he stiff armed the defender. For the year Kearse finished with 42 receptions for 501 yards with six receiving touchdowns and he also rushed for a touchdown as well.

-  Speaking of Kasen Williams a star has emerged this past month for the Huskies. The heralded five star recruit from Skyline high school struggled out of the gate for the Huskies. In his first six career games Williams had just 12 receptions for 97 yards with two touchdowns. Not really taking the college football scene by storm like everyone had hoped well Williams has since turned it around. Including his latest effort of five receptions for 74 yards and two touchdowns Williams has been the Huskies most consistent receiver of late. In the Huskies past five games Williams has 21 receptions for 311 yards with four touchdowns. For the season Williams finished with 33 receptions for 408 yards and tied the team high with six touchdown receptions. Not to mention he handled punt returns all season long averaging seven yards per return and more importantly didn't have a single fumble all year long. Williams with two seniors graduating looks to be the guy next season. He could turn into another Williams who used to torment the Cougars in the Apple Cup. Williams is a star on the rise that is for sure and look for him to have a breakout season next year.

- The Cougars offensive line features four senior starters. That is scary for the Cougars as the Huskies defensive line just absolutely dominated them. The Huskies recorded a season high 11.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The Huskies were led by senior co-captain Alameda Ta'amu who was a force all game long much like last year in the Holiday Bowl. Everytime Lobbestael went back to pass he was dropped even if he completed the pass. The Huskies played true freshman Danny Shelton most of the game alongside Ta'amu which really helped Josh Shirley who is also a freshman get in on Lobbestael practically every single play. The Huskies defensive line put the Cougars in several third and long situations where they could bring the blitz. The Cougars offense couldn't overcome the Huskies defensive line which proved to be too dominant for the Cougars.

- For Chris Polk he didn't have a great game like last year but he still had a solid game. Polk ran for 4.5 YPC as he rushed for 100 yards with a touchdown. He also had 36 yards receiving with a receiving touchdown on the game too. Polk has been dynamic all season long in the passing game. The Cougars were set to shutdown Polk and while facing eight man boxes all game long he still found a way to rush for 100 yards. Heading into the fourth quarter he had just 11 carries for 48 yards, in the fourth quarter he had 11 carries for 52 yards with the back breaking touchdown. In his career in the apple cup now Polk has ran for 514 yards(6.8 YPC) with four rushing touchdowns. He has also caught six passes for 70 yards with a touchdown. He has dominated the Cougars and since he is a redshirt junior I'm sure most Cougars are hoping that is the last time they ever have to see him again.

For the season Polk ran for 1,341 yards(5.1 YPC) with 11 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for 324 yards with four touchdowns. All three are career highs for Polk as he proved he is a complete running back who can pound you but beat you through the passing game. There is a good chance Polk leaves after this year as he has no reason to come back other than breaking Napoleon Kaufman's career rushing record(he needs 200 in the bowl game to beat him). Polk has been  a terrific Husky and will be on the short list of Husky great running backs.

- Will this be the last time we see Paul Wulff? Wulff is currently having meetings on whether he'll come back or not. Wulff in four seasons with the Cougars is 9-40 as head coach, 6-40 against D-1 teams and 4-32 in conference. He inherited a mess and the team is improving. Still to go 4-8 in your fourth season and that doubling your previous career high shows you need to be let go.

As for Sarkisian he is back over .500 once again as he is 19-18 as head coach for the Huskies. He took over a program that went 0-12 and has led the Huskies to a bowl game in two of his three seasons. The Huskies lost Jake Locker to the top 10 of the NFL draft yet the offense including the quarterback play improved. Nobody has ever questioned Sarkisian's offense but going forward his defense needs to play more like they did in the Apple Cup. Sarkisian has never trailed in three career wins over the Cougars while Wulff has never had a lead against the Huskies in regulation in four career apple cup games.

In conclusion, the Huskies have done something the Cougars have never done which is win three straight apple cup games. The Huskies improved their series lead to 67-31-6 over the Cougars which has been as one sided as a rivalry can possibly be. The Huskies had plenty of guys step up who won't be on next years roster while also having several younger guys contribute as well. Now the goal for the Huskies is to win back to back bowl games for the first time since winning the Rose Bowl back to back years in the 1990 and 1991 seasons. The Huskies haven't won eight games in a season since 2001 so there is still plenty of goals to be abtained in this next bowl game. For the Cougars they completed the worst four year stretch in conference history as Wulff saw his team lose 40 games(average of 10 a season). The Cougars seniors like seniors prior to them will never know what a bowl game feels like. For the Huskies seniors this win has to feel great to be a part of 0-12 then to see the program rebuild the way it has is pretty special. The Huskies sitll have plenty of goals left on their season but at least they are back to beating the Cougars on a regular basis.

2011 Apple Cup preview!

By Kshell

That time of the year again where the two states biggest universities clash as the Washington State Cougars(4-7,2-6) travel to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies(6-5,4-4) in a battle for states bragging rights the apple cup. Both teams are limping into this contest as the Huskies have lost three games in a row and four of their last five games. While the Cougars have lost seven out of their past eight games and will not be going to a bowl game for the eighth straight season. The Huskies lead the all-time series 66-31-6 and have won the last two meetings. This game will be emotional for the Cougars seniors as this will be their final game they ever get to play in. Due to injury they will be starting Marshall Lobbestael at quarterback who is a senior. For the Huskies they feature plenty of seniors who are departing the program such as Alameda Ta'amu, Jermaine Kearse, Devin Aguilar, Erik Folk and Cort Dennison. The Huskies will also see Keith Price start his first career apple cup game. The last quarterback to start his first career apple cup game and earn the victory was Carl Bonnell back in 2006(last time the Cougars didn't have a losing record). This should appears to feature plenty of offense as both offenses are pretty explosive in the passing game.


The Cougars are heading into this game led by their senior backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael. For the year Lobbestael has completed 59.9% of his passes for 2,240 yards(7.5 YPA) with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Lobbestael this year has a 4-4 record in eight starts this season. For all the complaining about him the Cougars have yet to win a game that he hasn't start this season. His favorite receiver is Marquis Wilson who is having a monster season with 75 receptions for 1,280 yards(17.1 YPC) with 10 touchdowns. Their second leading receiver Isiah Barton who will miss this game has 49 receptions for 638 yards with five touchdowns. The Cougars also have Jared Karstetter who has 51 receptions for 618 yards with five touchdowns. The Cougars running game is pretty weak but they do use three different guys. The first guy is Ricky Galvin who has ran for 586 yards(5.5 YPC) with five rushing touchdowns. Next in line is Carl Winston who has ran for 422 yards(3.6 YPC) with four touchdowns. The third back they use is Logwone Mitz who has rushed for 135 yards(3.8 YPC) with a touchdown. Lobbestael will try to revenge the last time he faced the Huskies which ended with the Huskies winning 30-0 in Steve Sarkisian's first year. For the game Lobbestael was 9-22 for 71 yards passing as he was ineffective all game long. He is now a senior in year four of Paul Wulff's system so he'll have a much better day than he did on that day.

The Huskies offense is led by Chris Polk who is most likely playing in his final apple cup. Polk has torched the Cougars in his career. As a redshirt freshman Polk carried the ball 25 times for 130 yards(5.2 YPC) with a touchdown while adding two receptions for 16 yards. That is a really good game which the Huskies would take this Saturday. The thing is the next year Polk dominated the Cougars over in Pullman carrying the ball 29 times for the second highest total in Huskies history with 284 yards(9.8 YPC) with two touchdowns. He also had two receptions for 18 yards as Polk in his career has ran for 414 yards with three touchdowns while having 34 yards receiving in just two games. Polk is enjoying his best season as a Husky as he has ran for 1,241 yards(5.1 YPC) with 10 rushing touchdowns. He has also caught 27 passes for 288 yards with three receiving touchdowns. Polk is licking his chops against the Cougars this Saturday especially with the return of Keith Price so he won't have to face eight man boxes.

The Huskies sophomore quarterback Keith Price returns from injury to start his first career apple cup game. Also important to note that Price is two touchdown passes away from tying Cody Pickett's single season record and three touchdown passes away from breaking it. For the year Price has completed 66.9% of his passes for 2,334(7.9 YPA) with 26 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. The Huskies have several different guys who make plays in the passing game. Starting with Devin Aguilar who has 34 receptions for 508 yards(14.9 YPC) with four touchdowns. Then you have Jermaine Kearse who leads the team in receptions with 37 for 439 yards(11.9 YPC) with six touchdown grabs. Kearse like Polk has had big apple cup moments. Last year he caught the game winning touchdown pass from Jake Locker. As a sophomore  Kearse had four receptions for 94 yards with a touchdown. Then last year had six grabs for 178 yards with two touchdowns including a 66 yarder he busted on a slant then scored the game winner on a fade route. The Huskies will have two other guys playing in their first apple cup's in Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Kasen Williams. Seferian-Jenkins is having a fine freshman season with 32 receptions for 417 yards which ranks third on the team in both then is tied for team lead with six touchdown receptions. For Williams he has 28 receptions for 334 yards with four touchdowns. Williams has been coming on as of late in the last four games Williams has 16 receptions for 237 yards with two touchdowns. The future is bright for those two as they hope to shine in their first career apple cup.

This is an interesting apple cup due to the fact that this could be Washington State Cougars head football coach Paul Wulff's last game as Cougars coach. In four seasons with the Cougars Wulff is currently 9-39(4-31 in conference). For most programs who value winning he would be fired but this is the Cougars who value moral victories. Rumors circling around that Wulff can save his job with a win or even a close defeat to the Huskies. His counterpart Steve Sarkisian is 2-0 in the Apple Cup looking to join Don James and Rick Neuheisel as coaches who began their career 3-0 against the Cougars. In fact dating back to his USC days Sarkisian has won seven games in a row against the Cougars. For Sarkisian he is leading his Huskies to a bowl game in back to back years while Wulff still hasn't won 10 games in four seasons.

In conclusion, this rivalry has been one sided throughout history. Both programs are vastly different the fact that a 9-39 coach is even considered to be brought back is an embarassment. These teams both feature strong offenses and weak defenses. If you're a casual fan and like to see scoring this is the game as you'll see plenty of playmakers like Polk for the Huskies and Wilson for the Cougars have huge mismatches against the other teams defense. This game will also be played at Century Link Field where the Seahawks play which should add a new wrinkle to this rivalry. This should be a fun game as the Huskies hope to build some momentum heading into their bowl game. For the Cougars they are fighting to save their coaches job.