Washington Huskies host #11 USC Trojans

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(3-2,1-1) led by former USC assistant Steve Sarkisian host his old team #11 USC Trojans(4-1,2-1) led by senior quarterback Matt Barkley. The Trojans began the year as the #1 ranked team but after losing to Stanford 21-14(who the Huskies beat immediately after) the Trojans are now turning their hopes on still winning their first conference championship since 2008. For the Huskies they are hoping to rebound from their embarrassing defeat last week to #2 Oregon 52-21. Sarkisian will take on his friend and former colleague at USC Lane Kiffin. Sarkisian is 2-1 all-time against his former team having pulled off the upset against #3 USC 16-13 in 2009 and again in 2010 defeating #18 USC down in the coliseum 32-31. Last year was a different story as #18 USC destroyed the Huskies 40-17 down in the coliseum. The Huskies who are currently 3-0 at home are hoping to extend the winning ways at home. In the last two years the Huskies are 9-1 at home.

Matt Barkley is looking to avoid being the first Trojan quarterback to lose to the Huskies twice in his career since Reggie Perry did in 1991 and 1992. Barkley has faced the Huskies twice in his career splitting the games. As a sophomore in 2010 Barkley was 14-20(70.0%) passing for 186 yards(9.3 YPA) as the Trojans lost 32-31. In 2011 as a junior Barkley fared much better completing 18-28(64.3%) of his passes for 174 yards(6.2 YPA) with a touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown as well as the Trojans won 40-17. This year Barkley is having a terrific season completing 111-173(64.2%) of his passes for 1,308 yards(7.6 YPA) with 15 touchdowns to only five interceptions. Barkley will be a top draft pick and will test the Huskies secondary which features future NFL corner Desmond Trufant.

Slumping junior quarterback Keith Price is taking on the team where he threw his first career touchdown pass against. In 2010 as a freshman, Jake Locker was injured for a moment. Trailing in the fourth quarter 28-23 the Huskies called on Price who threw the go ahead touchdown pass. In 2011 in the blowout loss to USC Price was 12-16(75.0%) passing for 125 yards(7.8 YPA) as he was sacked four times. That would be the only start for Price last year where he didn't throw a touchdown pass.

This year Price is struggling. His numbers on the year are 94-158(59.5%) passing for 882 yards(5.6 YPA) with only five touchdowns to four interceptions. Price like the rest of the Huskies offense just doesn't look the same at all which is a big reason why the offense is struggling so badly. Currently ranks 107th in the nation, the running game is 87th in the nation. The Huskies offense is 97th in the nation in scoring which includes 52 points against an FCS school. Against D-1 schools the Huskies are averaging only 15.5 points per game which is pathetic. That falls on Price as this match up heading into the year was supposed to be a battle of the two best quarterbacks in the conference.

The Trojans feature two wide receivers who are going to be first round picks in the NFL draft. Led by Marqise Lee who destroyed the Huskies last year. Lee had nine receptions for 74 yards with a touchdown. He also returned a kickoff for 88 yards for a touchdown as well. This year Lee is lighting up college football as he has 52 receptions for 649 yards(12.5 YPC) with seven touchdowns. He also returned a kickoff for 100 yards for a touchdown this year. He has done all that damage in five games by the way. So the Huskies easy solution is stick their NFL corner Desmond Trufant on him. Sounds simple enough right?

Except that heading into the year Lee was supposed to be the #2 receiver as Robert Woods was supposed to be the guy. Last year against the Huskies Woods wasn't a factor as he had just two receptions for five yards and was shutout the previous year. Still didn't stop Woods from catching 111 passes for 1,292 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. This year Woods has 31 receptions for 272 yards(8.8 YPC) with five touchdowns. He also has one carry for 76 yards. With Trufant only able to cover one guy look for them to pick on Tre Watson quite a bit. Shaq Thompson who plays a lot of linebacker lately might have to play more safety this game.

The Huskies feature a talented wide receiver in Kasen Williams. Last year against the Trojans Williams caught five passes for 44 yards with a touchdown. For the year Williams has 31 receptions for 340 yards(11.0 YPC) with three touchdowns. Williams is having a solid season for the Huskies.

The other talented player is tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who is having a quiet conference season so far. Even with that he has 24 receptions for 254 yards(10.6 YPC) with a touchdown. Last year against USC he caught four passes for 48 yards. After those two there is a big drop off in production for the Huskies. DiAndre Campbell has six receptions for 51 yards with a touchdown. True freshman Jaydon Mickens who is from L.A. has seven receptions for 46 yards. The Huskies passing game hasn't gone over 200 yards in four straight games. They must get their passing game going to have any chance at the upset.

The Trojans have a nice 1-2 rushing attack going with Silas Redd the transfer from Penn State and Curtis McNeal. Redd on the season has rushed for 415 yards on 75 carries(5.5 YPC) with five touchdowns. Redd ran for 1,241 yards(5.1 YPC) with seven touchdowns last year for the 9-4 Nittany Lions.

The other back McNeal killed the Huskies last year as he ran for 148 yards on 18 carries(8.2 YPC) with a 79 yard touchdown run. This year McNeal has ran for 225 yards on 33 carries(6.8 YPC). The fact the Trojans have two excellent wide receivers to go with a top tier quarterback means teams load up to stop the pass. Which makes it even more difficult to defend as the Trojans have talented running backs who can beat you on the ground. Justin Wilcox is going to have his hands full in this game.

The Huskies running game is in good hands with Bishop Sankey. Last year Sankey against USC ran the ball four times for 22 yards(5.5 YPC) including a 17 yard run. He also had four receptions in that game as well. For the season Sankey has ran for 433 yards(4.9 YPC) with six touchdowns through five games. In the last three games Sankey has ran for 351 yards(117 yards per game) on 59 carries(5.9 YPC) with five touchdowns. The Huskies are hoping Sankey can continue that type of production as the Huskies milk the clock and shorten the game.

Backing up Sankey is Kendyl Taylor who has ran for 38 yards on nine carries(4.2 YPC) and has five receptions for 34 yards. Taylor began the year as the Huskies starting wide receiver. Erich Wilson has ran for 140 yards on 25 carries(5.6 YPC) with a touchdown. Dezden Petty has ran for 99 yards on 29 carries(3.4 YPC) as he is the short yardage back for the Huskies. The Huskies only shot at the upset is running the ball effectively which could lead to play action passing.

This will be the Trojans first trip to Seattle since being upset back in 2009 16-13 in a game which Barkley missed due to injury. The Huskies haven't beaten USC in back to back home trips since 1997 and 2001. Sarkisian upset his old team his first two years on the job and like the previous three times against his old team the Trojans are ranked again. Unlike the Stanford upset this win would be more impressive. Against the Cardinal the Huskies were allowed to have an eight man box and force Josh Nunes to beat them. In this game the Huskies will put Trufant on either Lee or Woods hoping he can contain them. Then obviously double team the other with safety Sean Parker playing over the top. Wilcox will have Thompson the #1 safety in the nation coming out of high school last year help out on the run which he has been great at all year long.

If the Huskies can somehow win this game that would put them at 4-2 and probably back in the rankings as they would defeat another ranked opponent. A loss here puts the Huskies at 3-3 as they face the second half of their schedule which they went 5-1 against those same teams last year. The Huskies must get their offense back together and in particular Keith Price who has been struggling badly. The Trojans defense let Josh Nunes look like a decent quarterback so perhaps there is hope for Price this week against the Trojans. If the Huskies were to pull off this upset they must pressure the Trojans offensive line which appears to be the only weakness for the Trojans offense. They had problems against Stanford and Utah's defensive line and the Huskies can only hope they have those same problems. This should be a big game for the Huskies as whenever Sarkisian takes on the Trojans it is always a huge game. This game has a bigger feel to it because this is the last "great" team on the Huskies schedule and with a win here the Huskies can start dreaming of big things for this season.

Trojans embarrass Huskies 40-17 in Sarkisian's return to old stomping grounds

By Kshell

The USC Trojans(8-2,5-2) made sure there was no last second game winning field goals by Erik Folk as the Trojans destroyed the Washington Huskies(6-4,4-3) 40-17. Steve Sarkisian who had previously been 2-0 against the team he coached for many years had one of his worst losses as a head coach with all things considered. The Trojans dominated this game as they rushed for 252 yards while the Huskies offense which features Chris Polk was held to just 42 yards rushing as a team. For the third straight week Keith Price has struggled and was injured during the game which leaves him out for the following week. This was yet another bad blowout loss for Sarkisian's Huskies who have been outscored 74-34 the last two weeks after starting off the season 6-2.

The Huskies began the game with two three and outs while the Trojans on the second possession took advantage. Starting from their own 20 yard line on second down Matt Barkley hit Brice Butler for an incredible diving 36 yard catch on the Huskies 34 yard line as the Huskies had a penalty the prior play. After a Barkley eight yard pass that set up third and one from the 25 yard line. That is when running back Marc Tyler busted a 24 yard run down to the Huskeis one yard line. Barkley then finished off the drive with a one yard touchdown keeper to give the Trojans a 7-0 lead. The Huskies offense once again went three and out. After stopping the Trojans the Huskies offense finally had a drive going. Price hit Austin Seferian-Jenkins for gains of 22 yards, 11 yards and then 12 yards. The Huskies offense stalled as Folk ended the drive with a 46 yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3. On the following series is when the Trojans would change momentum back to their side.

The Trojans once again began on their own 20 yard line but Barkley completed back to back passes to their own 38. After a loss of nine yards the Trojans were facing a 3rd and 19. The Huskies were called for a suspect pass interference call which was on an uncatchable pass. The Trojans were facing a second and 20 saw Barkley complete an 11 yard pass to set up third and nine. The Huskies defense recorded the stop which appeared the Trojans on their own 45 yard line would punt. Instead Lane Kiffin called a fake punt which saw punter Kyle Negrete rush up the middle for a 35 yard run which 33 yards he went untouched. Kiffin found a weakness in Sarkisian's special teams and took advantage. Curtis McNeal then ran for 15 yards on the next two carries plus a Huskies penalty gave the Trojans the ball on the two yard line. After the Huskies had back to back stops on McNeal the Trojans turned to Tyler who ran it in from one yard out to give the Trojans a 14-3 lead over the Huskies.

The game changed after the fake punt as the Huskies self destructed. After a short kickoff return and a penalty the Huskies found themselves starting on their own eight yard line. After a short run by Polk it had appeared that Keith Price hit Seferian-Jenkins over the middle for a gain of 25 yards. Despite the call on the field being a catch and there was no conclusive evidence the catch was overturned. Facing a third and nine from the 10 Price was sacked in the endzone for a safety giving the Trojans a 16-3 lead while also gaining possession. Starting from their own 49 yard line the Trojans went to work as McNeal busted a 19 yard run then a five yard run to the Huskies 27 yard line. On third and three Tyler ran for four yards to the 21 yard line. McNeal then ran for 12 more yards to the Huskies nine yard line. That is when Barkley finished the drive with a nine yard touchdown pass to Marqise Lee to give the Trojans a commanding 23-3 lead at halftime over the Huskies.

The second half began with the Trojans receiving the ball first. As if there was any doubt in the game Lee made sure there wasn't as he took the kickoff 88 yards to the House to give the Trojans a 30-3 lead over the Huskies. The Huskies offense would actually respond to that as Kevin Smith ran back to the kick 40 yards to their own 43 yard line. Bishop Sankey began the drive with a gain of three yards. Then Price hit Smith on a crossing route which Smith using his speed busted 53 yards as he was tackled at the one yard line. That is when the Huskies rewarded Polk for the one yard touchdown run. That was Polk's 10th rushing touchdown of the season which was a career high for Polk who bested his mark of last season of nine rushing touchdowns.



With the score cutdown to 30-10 the Trojans made sure this game was still going to be a blowout. Starting from their own 20 yard line after a one yard run by McNeal is when the game went back to being ugly. McNeal busted it 79 yards untouched for the touchdown to give the Trojans back their commanding lead of 37-10. The Huskies offense would go three and out the next three drives while two drives later the Trojans went on a 15 play, 61 yard drive which took up over seven and a half minutes resulting in a field goal to go up 40-10 over the Huskies. This game turned ugly when many including myself expected a good close game. The Huskies as if things couldn't get any worse lost starting quarterback Keith Price during the game due to injury while the Trojans made damn well sure this game wasn't going to be a repeat of the last two years. The Trojans took care of business over the Huskies with big plays and I'm sure Nick Holt was re-thinking his statement on whether he would rather face them than Oregon. The Trojans put the hurting on the Huskies and the only left in this game was to see how Nick Montana the son of Joe Montana would handle the quarterback position in mop up duty.

The last drive of the game meant nothing far as the game goes but meant everything towards this week. The Huskies began on their own 31 yard line. Sankey had a rush of four yards then Montana hit Michael Hartvigson for a gain of 10 yards. Sankey followed that up with a 17 yard run to the Trojans 38 yard line. Montana then hit Jermaine Kearse for a gain of six yards setting up a third and four. Montana hit Hartvigson again for a gain of six yards to pick up the first down. Montana completed a pass to Sankey for a gain of six yards to the 20 yard line. Facing a fourth and four Montana threw the ball up for grabs as he saw Kasen Williams had one on one coverage and for the second straight week Williams came down with the pass and the touchdown. For the third straight week Williams has been more productive than either senior wide receiver. The Huskies would go on to lose this game 40-17 as they lost their quarterback.

The Trojans blew out the Huskies 40-17 led by their rushing attack. Curtis McNeal had 148 yards rushing on 18 carries(8.2 YPC) including a touchdown. Marc Tyler had 50 yards on seven carries(7.1 YPC) with a touchdown as well. Matt Barkley played a solid game when the game was still in doubt. Barkley was 18-28(64.3%) for 174 yards(6.2 YPA) with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. Marqise Lee had nine receptions for 74 yards with a touchdown while also having an 88 yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

For the Huskies they have had better days no doubt. Keith Price finished 12-16(75.0%) for 125 yards(7.8 YPA) while being sacked four times. His backup Nick Montana had mixed results as Montana was 9-15(60.0%) for 73 yards(4.9 YPA) with his first career touchdown pass. The rushing game was nowhere to be seen as Chris Polk was held to season lows in carries with nine and yards with 36(4.0 YPC) while rushing for a touchdown. Bishop Sankey ran for 22 yards on four carries(5.5 YPC) and Kevin Smith ran once for six yards. The receiving game was featured by the youngsters led by Smith who had one catch for 53 yards. Then Seferian-Jenkins broke out of his slump with four receptions for 48 yards. Kasen Williams added five receptions for 44 yards with a touchdown. Sankey also had four receptions on the game as well. This was a horrible loss for the Huskies program hoping their days of returning to glory would start now.

All in all, these type of losses need to end for Sarkisian like ASAP. The Huskies have had a horrible habit of getting blown out quite a bit despite being a decent team. I'm aware there are growing pains but these type of losses need to stop. The high powered offense has looked beyond average the last two weeks which might have some to do with their opponent. Despite the sanctions the Trojans are a good team which features two top three picks in the NFL draft next year plus many other NFL players. The Huskies for the second straight week found out they are a long ways away from competing for Rose Bowls.

Observations:

- When the team is winning the quarterback receives too much credit. Likewise when the team is losing the quarterback receives too much blame. Take this game for an example Price didn't turn the ball over, completed 75% of his passes and his yards per attempt was close to eight. Yet all over facebook and twitter fans were bashing on Price.

Price has had a bad habit the last two weeks of constantly checking the ball down which is the smart play. By checking the ball down all the time though the Huskies are scoring points which ultimately as the quarterback is your job. For the year though Price is having a great season as he is completing 67.2% of his passes for 2,258 yards(7.9 YPA) with 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. He has been sacked 25 times including 10 in the last two games alone. Due to all those sacks Price will have to miss this next game and hopefully he'll be able to return for the apple cup.

- Chris Polk had just nine carries for 36 yards with a touchdown while catching just one pass for zero yards. Why Sarkisian neglected to use his best weapon on the road has been the mystery. Polk is a speed back who has proven to get better as the game goes on. With Price getting hit on practically every play why not pound Polk more to ease the pressure off of Price?

Polk for the year is still having one of the great seasons for a Huskies running back and judging by the poor rush defenses he faces the next two weeks he should be adding quite a bit to his totals. For the year Polk has ran for 1,132 yards(5.2 YPC) with 10 touchdowns. He has also caught 25 passes for 280 yards with three touchdowns.  Sarkisian needs to feature his best weapon or the Huskies are going to have a disappointing end to a once promising season.

- The play of Kasen Williams lately has been nice to see. Williams the last three weeks has stepped his game up and appears to have figured out the playbook. That also could be due to Montana playing more as well as those two seemed to have good chemistry. Williams the last three weeks has caught 13 passes for 183 yards with two touchdowns. For the season Williams now has 25 receptions for 280 yards with four touchdowns. So as you can see he has improved quite a bit as the season has worn on.

The other true freshman on the team are doing pretty well too. I'll start with Austin Seferian-Jenkins who broke out of his slump with four receptions fo 48 yards. On the year Seferian-Jenkins has 26 receptions for 383 yards with four touchdowns. The other true freshman who is having a nice year on offense is Bishop Sankey who appears to have passed up Jesse Callier as the number two back and always seems to bust one long run a game. For the year Sankey has ran for 175 yards(6.7 YPC) with a touchdown. The last five weeks Sankey has ran for 154 yards(7.7 YPC) with a touchdown. Sankey for the year has also caught five passes.

-  Nick Montana as everyone probably knows is the son of four-time super bowl winning quarterback Joe Montana. Montana[Nick] will be starting this next saturday against the Oregon State Beavers. Montana showed to be a bit rusty in his debut turning the ball over twice in his first two games. Now Montana appears comfortable as he came in the Oregon game with a beautiful 53 yard pass to Williams then this week threw a nice 20 yard touchdown pass to Williams.

For the year Montana is 13-20(65.0%) for 147 yards(7.4 YPA) with a touchdown and an interception. Montana has shown the last two weeks where he went 10-16 for 126 yards with a touchdown that he is more than capable of filling in for the injured Keith Price. Montana is only a redshirt freshman and while fans expect him to be like his dad that is completely unfair. Let's allow Montana to play his whole career before passing judgement.

- Last year Sarkisian after beating USC called it the greatest day of his life besides when his kids were born. What a contrast a year makes as the Huskies were embarassed once again against a ranked opponent. For the year against ranked opponents the Huskies are 0-4 having been outscored 190-93 which is an average score of 47.5-23.2 which is completely unaccetapable.

Sarkisian needs to avoid these blowouts if he really is going to be the guy for this program for decades to come. Any coach can coach this team for the short term which Willingham proved. It takes a great coach to last for a decade plus with one school. I believe Sarkisian is more than capable of being that guy but he needs to stop letting his team get blown out so often.

In conclusion, this is your classic game where you throw the game tape away as the Huskies simply gave up once again. The offense looks to be struggling while the defense continues to be overmatched in year three of this coaching staff's regime. Unless things change Sarkisian will be faced with some tough decisions on his coaching staff but I'll get into that later in the year. Sarkisian still can salvage the season as the Huskies will be heavy favorites the next two games. Since Don James retired at the end of the 1992 season the Huskies have won only won eight games in the regular season just twice and eight games three times overall. The Huskies can still do that with wins the next two weeks which any fan including myself would take. The Huskies failed the big test once again so to make up for it they have to ace the quizzes the next two weeks.

Patton's 2012 NFL Mock Draft v 1.0

By Patton Richard



Normally I don't feel comfortable doing mock drafts until I know the draft order, but I'm starting to get excited for the draft. I don't project trades in my mocks, and this isn't what I would do, but what I think makes sense for the teams given rankings of players.

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
There is no possible way the Colts trade out of this pick or don't take Andrew Luck. I think they hold onto Peyton Manning for at least one more year before Luck takes the reign.

2. Carolina Panthers: Matt Kalil, OT, USC
Matt Kalil is on the same level as Jake Long and Joe Thomas in terms of prospects coming out of college, and it doesn't hurt that his brother is the center for Carolina who just signed a long term deal.

3. Miami Dolphins: Matt Barkley, QB, USC
I have Matt Barkley only slightly below Andrew Luck in terms of overall ability. He reminds me so much of a stronger, more accurate, Matt Ryan.

4. St Louis Rams: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
St Louis needs wide outs who can actually catch the ball. Justin Blackmon has the largest upside out of any WR in the draft.

5. Minnesota Vikings: Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
Minnesota is very disappointed that Kalil isn't available to them, but they take the next best OT to help their aging line.

6. Washington Redskins: Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
The John Beck/Rex Grossman experience obviously isn't working, and Shanahan loves these toolsy QB types. Griffin's got incredible athleticism and throws the best deep ball in the class.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
Arizona needs offensive line help however this seems like a reach. I think Reiff should be picked in the 15-20 range, but Arizona will reach to take the best OT on the board. This may playout like Levi Brown v2 (and missing on Adrian Peterson, or in this case, Trent Richardson).

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
Claiborne is the best CB in this draft and the Jaguars need a lot of help everywhere.

9. Philadelphia Eagles: Zach Brown, OLB, UNC
Eagles desperately need to improve their LB unit. Zach Brown has seperated himself from the rest of the OLB in this class.

10. Cleveland Browns: Landry Jones, QB, Oklahoma
The Colt McCoy experience has been a disaster, and although I'm not a fan of Landry Jones I think someone in the top 10-15 will reach for him. He does terrible in the face of pressure and I don't believe he has the arm strength to do everything he needs to do to succeed in the NFL.

11. Seattle Seahawks: Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
Last year I mocked Mark Ingram to the Seahawks, and this year I'm mocking the next Alabama RB. Trent Richardson can run between the tackles, take a swing pass and go the distance, and run crisp routes. He's the purest RB I've ever scouted (moreso than Adrian Peterson), if this was 2003 Richardson might be the #2 overall pick, but the dynamic of the NFL has changed so much that Richardson drops. Marshawn Lynch hasn't been a disappointment (in my mind), but he is a free agent after this year and the Seahawks still lack playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. It was between Richardson and Quinton Coples.

12. Kansas City Chiefs: Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina
Kansas City is last in sacks in the NFL. Coples is the top DE in the draft, but he's puzzling to say the least. He loves to hit people super hard, but when he gets hit back he shuts down. He's very ineffective in about 50% of snaps I've seen, and I mean give up on the play level ineffective.

13. San Diego Chargers: Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
Best player available, big physical corner who I would love to be on the Seahawks. I like him slightly more than Claiborne, however most people I talk to have Claiborne rated higher.

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
Alfonzo Dennard has been playing like the best CB in college football since he has returned from injury. Tampa will be drafting a CB in either round 1 or 2 of this draft.

15. Denver Broncos: Alshon Jeffrey, WR, South Carolina
Denver has many holes including WR. Eric Decker looks like he could be a probowler in the future, but Adding Alshon Jeffrey could give Tebow a chance to complete more than 2 passes a game.

16. Tennessee Titans: Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
Tennessee needs another WR opposite of Kenny Britt. Some have Michael Floyd as the #2 WR in the class. His off the field troubles should go right along with Kenny Britt's.

17. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins, CB, Northern Alabama
Janoris Jenkins would have been the #2 corner behind Patrick Peterson last year, but after getting kicked out of Florida and transferring to Northern Alabama his stock has dropped.

18. Cleveland Browns (From Atlanta): Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College
My favorite LB prospect, he's going to have over 200 tackles this year. He's very technically sound and rarely makes mistakes.

19. New York Jets: David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
We seem to hear that this years guard prospect is the best to come out in a long time. We heard it about Iupati, we hear dit about the Pouncey's, and now we're hearing it about DeCastro. I trust the scouts that say he's an all-pro waiting to happen.

20. Buffalo Bills: Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
Vinny Curry has shown to be the most consistent pass rusher in the draft. I thought about him over Coples, but decided against it.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (From Oakland): Vontaze Burfict, OLB, Arizona State
Everyone's favorite crazy in Vontaze Burfict, he has the highest upside out of everyone left in the draft. He could be an all-pro in year one and I wouldn't be surprised.

22. New England Patriots: Courtney Upshaw, OLB/DE, Alabama
New England is going to be going very heavily on the defensive side of the ball this year and Upshaw is the next player from the SEC to join Belichick

23. Cincinnati Bengals: Chase Minnifield, CB, Virginia
Cinci takes the last CB I have a first round grade on.

24. Baltimore Ravens: Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre Dame
Baltimore is hard to read on who they want, I'm guessing at somepoint they'll need to address their line backing corps in the draft.

25. New York Giants: Dont’a Hightower, ILB, Alabama
The Giants have been looking for better linebackers for years, now they get one that falls to them in the draft.

26. Chicago Bears: Kelechi Osemele, OG, Iowa State
Chicago's offensive line is terrible, Osemele is an instant starter.

27. Detroit Lions: Mike Adams, OT, Ohio State
People thought the Lions would take an OT last year when they went with Nick Fairley, now they cannot wait any longer.

28. New England Patriots (From New Orleans): Mark Barron, S, Alabama
Mark Barron is the highest rated safety in what is considered the second consecutive week safety class. Barron is a hard hitter who can help that defense.

29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jared Crick, DL, Nebraska
Jared Crick had a top 10 grade coming into the year, and then hurt himself and didn't end up showing that potential. Pittsburgh takes a chance on a big player with big upside.

30. San Francisco 49ers: Brandon Thompson, DT, Clemson
San Francisco has been the biggest surprise of the year, they'd love to get a CB, but Thompson could upgrade the DL that could use it.

31. Houston Texans: Alameda Ta'amu, DT, Washington.
The Houston Texans have made a seemless transition into a 3-4 defense. However, they really need a nose tackle to anchor that D. We are well aware of Ta'amu's inconsistencies, however he can dominate if he applies himself correctly.

32. Green Bay Packers: Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin
Konz would have been selected 10 picks earlier if he didn't injure himself last week. There seems to be one center prospect worth a first round pick every year, this year it's Konz.

Round 2:

1. Indianapolis Colts: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

2. Carolina Panthers: Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M

3. Miami Dolphins: Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

4. St Louis Rams: Dwight Jones, WR, North Carolina

5. Minnesota Vikings: Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State

6. Washington Redskins: Chris Polk, RB, Washington

7. Philadelphia Eagles (From Arizona): Andrew Datko, OT, Florida State

8. Jacksonville Jaguars: Stephon Gilmore, CB, South Carolina

9. Philadelphia Eagles: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

10. Cleveland Browns: Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis

11. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M

12. Kansas City Chiefs: Bruce Irvin, OLB, West Virginia

13. San Diego Chargers: Zebrie Sanders, OT, Florida State

14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: TJ McDonald, S, USC

15. Denver Broncos: Nick Perry, DE, USC

16. Tennessee Titans: Cordy Glenn, OG, Georgia

17. Dallas Cowboys: Josh Chapman, DT, Alabama

18. Atlanta Falcons: Dwayne Allen, TE, Clemson

19. New York Jets: Brandon Jenkins, DE/OLB, Florida State

20. Buffalo Bills: Nick Toon, WR, Wisconsin

21. New England Patriots (From Oakland): Whitney Mercilus, DE, Illinois

22. New England Patriots: Omar Bolden, CB, Arizona State

23. Cincinnati Bengals: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon

24. Baltimore Ravens: Cyrus Gray, RB, Texas A&M

25. New York Giants: Marvin McNutt, WR, Iowa

26. Chicago Bears: Mike Brewster, OC, Ohio State

27. Detroit Lions: Levy Adcock, OT, Oklahoma State

28. New Orleans Saints: Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma

29. Pittsburgh Steelers: Lucas Nix, OG, Pittsburgh

30. San Francisco 49ers: Robert Lester, S, Alabama

31. Houston Texans: Casey Hayward, CB, Vanderbilt

32. Green Bay Packers: Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon

Huskies look to win three in a row against Trojans

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(6-3,4-2) look to avoid their first two game losing streak of the season as they take on the #18 USC Trojans(7-2,4-2). The Huskies under former Trojans offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian have upset the Trojans the last two seasons. Once again the Huskies are double digit underdogs as they take on their new rivals from the south. The Huskies are looking to defeat the Trojans three years in a row for the first time since 1990-1992 and are looking to win down in L.A. back to back years since 1937. This game will also feature two quarterbacks who have played against each other since high school. This will be a big game for both programs as Lane Kiffin will try to defeat his good friend Sarkisian.

The Trojans offense is led by future top 10 pick quarterback Matt Barkley. Barkley is having a breakout season as a true junior this year. Barkley has completed 67.0% of his passes for 2,608 yards(7.6 YPA) with 28 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Earlier this week the man who recruited Barkley to USC and current Huskies head coach Sarkisian stated if he were an NFL GM he would take Barkley over Andrew Luck. Sarkisian the last two years has played mind games on the Trojans on pulling off upsets and I expect this is no different. Barkley has two stud receivers led by Robert Woods who already has 90 receptions for 1,121 yards with 11 touchdowns. The other receiver is Marqise Lee who has 43 receptions for 658 yards with seven touchdowns. The Trojans offense is led by two rushers first of all Curtis McNeal who has rushed for 639 yards(6.7 YPC) with four touchdowns. The other rusher is Marc Tyler who has rushed for 438 yards(4.5 YPC) with two touchdowns. The Trojans offense on the year is averaging 33.4 points per game while allowing 25.7 points per game. The Huskies have defeated them the last two years 16-13 then last season 32-31 both time on Erik Folk game winning field goals. The Trojans this year will try to defeat Sarkisian and Nick Holt for the first time as they are 0-2 against them.

The Huskies offense is hoping to rebound from last weeks poor showing against the Oregon Ducks. The Huskies offense and defense has been huge in victories over the Trojans the last two years. The Huskies offense goes where Chris Polk carries them as he has ran for 1,096 yards(5.3 YPC) with nine touchdowns on the year. He has also caught 24 passes for 280 yards(11.7 YPC) with three touchdowns. The Huskies are hoping Polk can rebound from last week where he ran for just 80 yards on a 3.3 YPC average. The passing game has been slowed down lately as well but Keith Price is returning home. Last season Price threw his first career touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to give the Huskies the lead. On the year Price has thrown for 2,133 yards with 25 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. His top receivers are seniors Devin Aguilar who has 30 receptions for 461 yards and three touchdowns. While Jermaine Kearse has 34 receptions for 419 yards with six touchdowns. An emerging star has been Kasen Williams who has 20 receptions for 236 yards with three touchdowns on the season. In the last two weeks though Williams has caught eight passes for 159 yards with a touchdown. The Huskies offense is averaging 33.6 points per game while allowing 33.4 points per game.

In conclusion, the Huskies will probably need another Erik Folk miracle to win this game. This game should be a close game as both teams run the same exact offense. This is a fun rivalry as Sarkisian was always above Kiffin in the coaching tree at USC. Kiffin only got the Raiders job due to Sarkisian rejecting it. Now these two will be squaring off for round two in what should be a great rivarly for years to come. Sarkisian, Kiffin and Chip Kelly are going to be the future of this conference whether fans like it or not. This will be another outstanding game which should feature plenty of offensive firepower. Hopefully Sarkisian can out coach Kiffin like he did last year and upset the Trojans for the third straight season.

Patton's 2012 NFL Draft Big Board

By Patton Richard

As someone who now believes the Seahawks are out of the Suck 4 Luck sweepstakes we can now focus on other players and other positions. Also, I'm hearing Matt Barkley is most likely heading back to USC to be the #1 pick the following year, however he's still locked into #2 on my big board.I project the Seahawks to be somewhere in the 7-14 pick range. It's possible if Carolina or St Louis has the #1 or #2 pick we COULD trade up, but it would take a serious haul. Something like 2012 1st, 2nd, 3rd plus 2013 1st and 3rd. But, I'm going to rule out that as a possibility. Also, I’m not really into mock drafts as we still have no idea who’s picking where and what the real weaknesses of the teams are. So, this is my NFL Draft 2012 Big Board 1.0:

1.) Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
2.) Matt Barkley, QB, USC
3.) Matt Kalil, OT, USC
4.) Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina
5.) Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama
6.) Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma ST
7.) Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford
8.) Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama
9.) Luke Kuechly, MLB, Boston College
10.) Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU
11.) Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa
12.) Zach Brown, OLB, UNC
13.) Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame
14.) Quinton Coples, DE, UNC
15.) Jeff Fuller, WR, Texas A&M
16.) Vontaze Burfict, OLB, ASU
17.) Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska
18.) Ryan Broyles, WR, Oklahoma
19.) David DeCastro, OG, Stanford
20.) Jared Crick, DT, Nebraska
21.) Manti Te’o, MLB, Notre Dame
22.) Dwight Jones, WR, UNC
23.) Mohammed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
24.) Alameda Ta’Amu, DT, Washington
25.) Mark Barron, S, Alabama
26.) Ryan Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M
27.) Vinny Curry, DE, Marshall
28.) Andrew Datko, OT, Florida St
29.) Chris Polk, RB, Washington
30.) Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama
31.) Jerel Worthy, DT, Michigan State
32.) Bruce Irvin, DE, West Virginia