2010 Washington Huskies Football Preview

2009 Results: 5-7, No Bowl

Head Coach: Steve Sarkisian (2nd year @ UW, 5-7 Overall)

Home Venue: Husky Stadium (72,500)

2009 was a great debut season for Head Coach Steve Sarkisian. Coming off of a winless campaign in 2008, the Huskies immediately announced their return to respectability with a shocking September upset of Southern Cal in Husky Stadium. While that didn’t buoy the postseason berth that many predicted in the aftermath of their win over the Trojans, Washington still ended up winning five more games than the previous season. Now that they’ve returned to respectability, the next step is achieving postseason eligibility. Can Sarkisian’s improved Husky squad fight through the deep Pac Ten and earn a bowl berth?

OFFENSE

Washington’s offense rebounded well last season, scoring 26 points per game, which doubled their production from the year prior. The biggest reason was that quarterback Jake Locker (2,800 pass yards, 21 pass TDs, 11 INT, 388 rush yards, 7 TDs in ’09) was healthy for the entire season after missing most of the 2008 campaign. Now a senior, Locker is widely considered to be one of the elite quarterbacks in the nation and will be the driving force behind a dangerous passing game.

Another reason for optimism in the passing attack is the large fleet of wideouts that will be on the receiving end of Locker’s passes. Juniors Jermaine Kearse (50 catches, 866 yards, 8 TDs) and Devin Aguilar (42 catches, 593 yards, 5 TDs) will partner with sophomore James Johnson (39 catches, 422 yards, 3 TDs) to form a solid trio at wide receiver. On top of that, junior tight end Kavario Middleton (26 tackles, 257 yards, 3 TDs) is also a productive pass catcher that will be a strong 4th option. This is going to be one of the Pac Ten’s most effective aerial attacks.

However, Locker is also a strong runner and his mobility will be a big support in the rushing game. He also has a strong partner in crime in the backfield, as sophomore Chris Polk (1,113 yards, 5 TDs) was a 2nd Team All-Pac Ten selection last season. What is particularly impressive about Polk is that he struggled with a shoulder injury while putting up those kind of numbers, so Husky fans should be optimistic about his performance this fall.

The O-Line should also be much better as three starters are back along with a host of experienced backups. There is so much experience because they had four new starters last year and also dealt with some injuries, meaning that a lot of different players saw the field last season. That will give them great depth this fall. In the 2nd season of playing in Sarkisian’s system, I think they’ll have a fine season.

Overall, the Huskies look like a very dangerous offensive unit. Led by one of the country’s best quarterbacks, UW features a fleet of capable receivers, a balanced offense thanks to a top-tier runner and an improved O-Line. With all of those factors in their favor, I think that this veteran offense (nine starters are back) could easily average over 30 points per game in 2010.

DEFENSE

The offense wasn’t the only unit to make major strides last season. After allowing an unfathomable 39 points per game in 2008, the defense sliced a full third of that scoring, improving to 26.7 points per outing. While this was still only 9th in the league, it was a huge step forward. Now that they’ve returned to respectability, can an experienced Washington defense that features eight returning starters climb the defensive standings in the Pac Ten?

Despite the overwhelming amount of depth that is coming back from last season’s team, the Huskies have to overcome some serious losses in the front seven as DE Daniel Teo-Nesheim (11 sacks) and linebacker Daniel Butler (94 tackles) were both 3rd round picks in the NFL draft. Replacing such highly talented starters won’t be easy, but there are certainly plenty of candidates to fill their places.

On the line, junior tackle Alameda Ta’amu (19 tackles, 2.5 sacks) is a giant human being (350 pounds) who will be a major force against the run. Paired with him will be senior Cam Ellisara (14 tackles, 1 sack), who should have a much more productive year after struggling with injuries last fall. Their presence alone inspires confidence against the run but there is a big concern about replacing Teo-Nesheim’s excellent pass rushing skills. Juniors Evrette Thompson and Kalani Aldrich need to have good years at pressuring the quarterback coming off of the edge.

At linebacker, senior Mason Foster (85 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 INT) and junior Cort Dennison (52 tackles, 1.5 sacks) are expected to be the key players this season. Foster is a force against the run with his size and I expect a solid but less dynamic group without Butler, last season’s top tackler.

The defensive backs were extremely inexperienced last season, so the emergence of a good-looking group of young players was a pleasant surprise. Junior corner Quinton Richardson (26 tackles) and sophomore Desmond Trufant (47 tackles, 2 INT) showed good coverage skills as underclassmen and both should be significantly better this fall with a full year of experience under their belts. Meanwhile, senior safety Nate Williams (62 tackles, 1 sack) will be starting for the 3rd straight season and he’ll be relied upon to lead this group. Expect a much better campaign against the pass for Washington in 2010.

This group certainly has a lot of things going for them. While they’re still on the lower end of the Pac Ten ladder in terms of talent, the quality of the run defense combined with the improvement against the pass leads me to believe that the Huskies will once more tighten up against opponents on the scoreboard. However, don’t expect them to break into the top half of the conference because they still have a long way to go.

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SCHEDULE

In the league where most teams schedule aggressively outside of league play, Washington has truly been a school to admire. After schools like LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Boise State have dotted the slate in the last three years, UW has another solid lineup this fall. The first three games come at BYU before the Huskies host Syracuse and Nebraska! The game against the Cornhuskers will likely represent the 4th straight year that a top ten team is on the September docket for Washington!

The Pac Ten schedule won’t be easy either, as the Huskies only have four home conference games. The good news is that they have an off week before they visit USC and the only time that they have back to back road affairs is at the end of the year, when they go to Cal and rival Washington State.

OUTLOOK

A lot of people are predicting that Washington will return to bowl action this fall and I’m in complete agreement. While the defense is going to land somewhere in the middle of the Pac Ten this season, that’s still a major step forward and should be enough for this team to be in every game.

Meanwhile, their offense is going to be loaded. Locker is one of the country’s best quarterbacks and his dual threat abilities compare favorably to former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. With a fleet of wide receivers and a top flight tailback, the pieces are in place for UW to have one of the most prolific offenses in the Pac Ten.

In fact, I like this team so much that I think they’re a darkhorse conference championship contender. The 2010 Pac Ten doesn’t really feature a single elite team like it has in years past, so the league is truly wide open and an offense like Washington’s could score their way to the Rose Bowl. That said, I think that their road schedule will be too difficult to overcome, especially for a defense that will have trouble slowing down some of the conference’s high-powered offenses. Expect Washington to make some noise this season, maybe even upset some of the top contenders, but they’re going to fall short of the top tier. The Washington Huskies are my pick to tie with three other teams for 4th place in the Pac Ten Conference in 2010.

PREDICTED RESULT: 7-5 (5-4 Pac Ten)