UW Football | Huskies seeking a drastic makeover

After a hard afternoon of workouts one summer day, the Washington Huskies' receiving corps took in the movie "Transformers."

It got an enthusiastic thumbs-up from senior Marcel Reece, who dubbed it the best he's seen in a while.

"It was a fun movie, action-packed," Reece said.

And, the Huskies hope, possibly a fitting omen for a team that began the work Sunday of transforming themselves back into winners after three straight losing seasons.

UW took the field for the first of 29 preseason practices on a gloriously sunny afternoon at Husky Stadium that only emboldened the team's optimism in the face of pessimistic expectations almost everywhere else.

"We feel like we are so together, we are not going into any game thinking we are going to lose," Reece said during the media day that preceded practice. "We go into every game knowing we have the ability to win, we have the tools to win, we have the team to win, we have the players to win. We are looking to be 13-0 and going to a BCS bowl. That's our goal this year."

UW coach Tyrone Willingham said he's glad his players have high hopes and said he also liked most of what he saw during the team's first day of work, which also included the preseason conditioning test before practice.

"I was generally pleased with our overall attitude, and especially with our conditioning work," Willingham said. "I thought that came across well. I thought our team ran as well as any I've had."

Players said they thought the Huskies had their best summer of workouts during Willingham's tenure, though they could hardly be expected to say anything else. Still, they pointed to some changes as proof — the skill-position players held seven-on-seven drills three times a week this year opposed to just two in recent years, and the linemen added some additional running to their regular regimen.

"I think it was our most consistent summer," said fifth-year senior QB Carl Bonnell.

One area of concern in the conditioning department, however, remains the offensive line.

Offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said the team's guards — who gained some renown in the spring for their size — "need to trim it down a little bit. A lot of guys lost weight, though they probably didn't lose as much weight as we wanted."

It's uncertain if that was the reason for a major shakeup on the line when the No. 1 unit took the field Sunday. Only two of five starters from the spring ran with the first unit — center Juan Garcia and tackle Chad Macklin. Tackle Ben Ossai and guards Morgan Rosborough and Casey Bulyca, all projected as possible starters, ran with the second unit. The other lineup change was on defense, where Chris Stevens ran ahead of E.J. Savannah at outside linebacker.

Willingham explained the moves by saying that "there were some things that were not completed coming into camp, so we made some adjustments and we'll stick with those adjustments until some things are rectified. ... You can say that we are serious about what we are doing."

RB Williams moves to DB

Freshman Nate Williams of Kennedy didn't last long as a running back for the Huskies, making the move to the secondary before the first practice. Willingham said he will be tried first at free safety but will get looks at both safety spots.

Willingham said Williams asked to switch, saying that "he thought he would like to start out on defense."

Williams was the defensive MVP of the state East-West All-Star game earlier this summer when he made two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.

His move means UW now has four freshman tailbacks. Curtis Shaw appeared to be at the head of the group, running with the No. 3 offense behind starter Louis Rankin and J.R. Hasty.

NOTES

• Willingham said Jake Locker is the unquestioned starter at QB heading into camp, though he reiterated that there is always competition at every spot. Locker said he spent the summer working on improving his footwork, which he felt was the reason for his accuracy problems during the spring. However, he again appeared to struggle with his accuracy during practice. Willingham said he thought the entire offense looked a little rusty. "We didn't throw it and catch it very well," he said.

• As expected, freshman receivers Anthony Boyles and Devin Aguilar are not on the roster. Each is still missing a required test score with each saying they plan to retake the ACT in September and possibly enroll at UW later that month.

• Incoming freshman DL Nick Wood has a hand injury that will likely cost him the season.

• CB Roy Lewis said he is close to recovered from offseason surgery to repair ligament damage in his hand. Lewis said he played with the injury much of last season and aggravated it during the spring.

• The Huskies will hold single practices the next four days to fulfill the NCAA's required acclimatization period. The first two-day is Friday.

• The practice was the debut for 33 new players (incoming scholarship players and walk-ons).