2010 NCAA Football Preview: Washington
Life was good for fans of the Washington Huskies football program at the turn of the millennium. In his second season Rick Neuheisel turned the Huskies into Rose Bowl winners who finished with an 11-1 record, and were ranked number three in the nation. The next couple of seasons were good, but the downfall had already begun.
From the time Keith Gilbertson took over in 2003 till when Tyrone Willingham left in 2008, the Huskies were simply not a good football team. When your school does not win much it can be hard to convince quality players to attend your university. Yet the Huskies have one thing going for them that will at least get quality players for one position; 16 of the last 18 starting quarterbacks have gone on to play in the NFL.
The Huskies have another potential NFL player in current quarterback Jake Locker. While this will be another source of pride for the Washington faithful in years to come, they would much rather see Locker bring the team back from the bottom of the Pac-10 cellar to a place of respectability once again.
Along with second year head coach Steve Sarkisian, Locker may be able to accomplish just that.
Offense
If the Huskies can perform up to expectations in 2010 than the rest of the Pac-10 had better look out. Locker could have been a first round draft pick, but instead returned to lead Washington to its first winning season and bowl game since 2002.
With the skill position players returning with Locker there is no reason why the team should not end the season in a bowl game. Chris Polk should continue to give the Huskies a legitimate running game; he will likely get better with more teams probably planning on keying on Locker and the passing game. In 2009 with Locker emerging as a talented leader, Polk ran the ball rather effectively, carrying it 226 times for 1113 yards but only five touchdowns. Freshman Deontae Cooper will give the team a talented back up runner and possibly a competitor for the starting job.
Jermaine Kearse will look to be Locker’s main target in 2010 just like he was in 2009; the 50 receptions, 866 yards, and eight touchdowns were enough for him to earn all-conference honors. Four other players return that had at least 20+ catches, including Polk.
Defense
The defense will need to improve for the team to be a true competitive force in the Pac-10. Last season they ranked 79th in overall defense (nationally) and eighth in the conference.
With the passing teams that they will face in the Pac-10 they will have to do much better against the pass and improve off their standing of 93rd in the nation and seventh in conference. Sean Parker is a talented freshman that is expected to play early and often. Three sophomores are slated to start, cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Adam Long as well as free safety Justin Glenn. If they can build off the experience they received last season then the unit is almost guaranteed to at least improve somewhat.
Linebacker looks to be where the unit will be at its best in 2010; that is likely why coordinator Nick Holt is expected to use some more 3-4 schemes even though the school has traditionally used a 4-3 defense. Returning starter Mason Foster was already in a good position to improve and earn all-conference honors; the more the team plays a 3-4 the stronger the chances of that will be. Cort Dennison will move into one of the vacant starting roles. He had 52 tackles just as a back-up in 2009 and has looked ready to be a full time player during spring drills.
For the Huskies to really be a force they will have to figure out how to get more pressure on the quarterback. The best pass rusher from last year’s unit is gone; no one remaining had more than 2 ½ sacks in 2009. Perhaps by using more 3-4 schemes the team will look to blitz more often to make up for the lack of pressure from the front.
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