INSIDE SLANT
If energy and enthusiasm mean anything, then maybe the Washington Huskies are in for a significant uptick in 2009.
As new coach Steve Sarkisian oversaw his first spring practice, the raves from players and observers -- practices were open for the first time since 2004, when Keith Gilberton was coach -- were glowing.
"It was intense,'' said linebacker E.J. Savannah after an early practice. "We are running. We ran like 500 yards out there just running from field to field."
The up-tempo practices were just one of many USC trademarks Sarkisian is trying to emulate at Washington. But while he may be able to replicate what USC does in practice, doing so come game day figures to take awhile.
The Huskies are coming off an 0-12 season and have lost 14 in a row overall dating to 2007, a game away from tying the longest losing streak in Pac-10 history -- and with LSU visiting for the opener, odds are UW will duplicate that dubious history (Idaho in Game Two should offer more opportunity for relief).
Still, hope springs eternal in college football, and the Huskies offered some as spring ball ended.
Coaches said they thought there was much better talent on hand than an 0-12 record might indicate, and unquestioned talents such as Jake Locker at quarterback and Daniel Te'o-Nesheim at defensive end give cause for hope.
In fact, UW returns eight starters on offense and nine on defense after ranking as one of the youngest teams in school history a year ago -- residue from the messy two-year transition from the Rick Neuheisel era to that of Tyrone Willingham that left some significant holes in recruiting.
The Huskies will still be young this season. A projected end-of-spring depth chart listed just six senior starters, two on offense and four on defense.
That, and the 0-12 record, has most observers expecting this to be a several-year process to return to any level of contention.
Sarkisian himself isn't throwing out any specific goals for this season -- unlike his predecessor, Tyrone Willingham, who publicly predicted a bowl game in 2005 when he took over.
"I do expect substantial improvement in the effort we play with, the schemes, what we are trying to get accomplished, our ability to stay focused," Sarkisian said. "I expect us to play better. Exactly what that level is I don't know."
NOTES, QUOTES
--QB Jake Locker, who spent part of last summer playing baseball in a collegiate wood bat league and was voted as the No. 1 prospect in the league by Baseball America, said he will not play baseball this summer and indicated he won't for the rest of his college career.
--Coach Steve Sarkisian said that two freshmen members of the class of 2009 -- safety Nathan Fellner and athlete Will Shamburger -- may grayshirt, in part to help alleviate a potential scholarship numbers crunch.
--The Huskies made three position changes in the spring, moving Luther Leonard from QB to receiver, Senio Kelemete from defensive tackle to the offensive line and Alvin Logan from wide receiver to safety.
SPRING MOVERS:
RB Demitrius Bronson -- A member of the class of 2008 who sat out last fall for academic reasons and will still be a true freshman in 2009, he enrolled in time for spring ball and immediately moved up the depth chart, turning in several long runs and at 215 pounds also projecting as one of the team's best options as a short-yardage back. He'll be in the mix for significant playing time in the fall.
DE Darrion Jones -- The senior was a starter most of last season but made little impact and lost his job near the end of the year. But coach Steve Sarkisian called him one of the most improved players of the spring, and as spring ended, he again was a starter.
WR Jermaine Kearse -- He emerged as a big-play guy last fall, then continued his maturation in the spring by becoming one of UW's most consistent threats. With D'Andre Goodwin out much of the spring with a hamstring injury, Kearse became the go-to guy for QB Jake Locker.
TE Chris Izbicki -- The highest-rated player in the class of 2007, he redshirted his first year then didn't play last season after getting buried in Willingham's dog house following a minor legal incident in the summer. But he emerged quickly as a pass-catching threat this spring and was sharing time with the starting unit with Kavario Middleton.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "Jake is going to be part of our offense. He is not going to be the entire offense, and I think that will be a breath of fresh air for him knowing we will put him in a position to be successful, but we are also going to put the other 10 guys in a position to be successful." -- UW coach Steve Sarkisian, suggesting that the Huskies' offense won't revolve entirely around Jake Locker this year.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
2009 OUTLOOK: After an 0-12 season, there's nowhere to go but up for the Huskies in 2009. And while the road to respectability still looks long, there is hope in the form of 17 returning position starters, including QB Jake Locker, healthy again after missing the final eight games of last season with a broken thumb. Locker returned to take part in spring ball and pronounced himself fully recovered. Those looking for hope point out that UW was one controversial penalty away from sending a game against BYU into overtime in the second game of last season when Locker was fully healthy. Another sign of hope is the maturation of many of the members of the highly touted class of 2008 who were forced into duty last season as true freshmen.
SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: New coach Steve Sarkisian, who was the offensive coordinator at USC the last four years, plans to install remnants of that school's pro-style offense at UW. But he also said he will tweak the system a bit to take advantage of the running talents of QB Jake Locker, which means some of the spread offense is likely to remain. Every significant quarterback, running back and receiver returns, and a year of experience could pay off in some significant improvement. The real key could be up front, where UW returns three starters. The Huskies spent the spring tinkering with a couple of different alignments and also instituted a new training regimen that resulted in most players losing some significant weight and a line that coaches hope will be more athletic and quicker.
SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: UW allowed the most points and yards in school history last season, so the return of all but two starters could be seen as a mixed blessing. On the other hand, there is some undeniable talent to build around, such as DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim and the LB corps of Donald Butler, Mason Foster and E.J. Savannah, with Savannah back after a year's hiatus when he was suspended by Tyrone Willingham and then quit the team. UW coaches generally seemed pleased with the play of the front seven throughout the spring. The secondary was in a little more upheaval, and several positions will remain up for grabs heading into the fall. One spring standout was junior safety Nate Williams, who may be called on to bring pressure more this year in the scheme of new defensive coordinator Nick Holt, whom Sarkisian lured away from USC. Holt said his defense will look similar to the one he ran at USC in scheme, meaning primarily a 4-3 front.
SCOUTING THE SPECIAL TEAMS: The Huskies will break in two new kickers next fall in redshirt sophomore Erik Folk, who sat out the last two seasons with injury, and, probably, junior-college punter Will Mahan, who arrives in the fall. Folk is the younger brother of Cowboys kicker Nick Folk and showed a strong leg in the spring, though he struggled with his accuracy beyond 35 yards or so. Sarkisian plans to use more front-line players to shore up the coverage and return units, though he also hopes some of the incoming freshmen will be able to help out as well.
ROSTER REPORT:
--WR D'Andre Goodwin, who had 60 catches last season to rank fourth in the Pac-10, missed most of the spring with hamstring issues but should be good to go in the fall.
--RB Terrance Dailey, the team's leading rusher in 2008 with 338 yards, missed the spring while recovering from shoulder surgery and also dealing academic issues. Coaches said he would be back in the fall.
--FS Jason Wells, a starter in 2006 and 2007 before suffering a knee injury and sitting out last season, missed the spring after suffering an Achilles injury in offseason conditioning. He's expected back for the fall.
Previous Report: 03/25/2009
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