Huskies say goodbye to two-a-days

There was a time when the end of two-a-days was met with ritual celebration at the University of Washington.

But the rapid-fire change in coaches the past decade has put an end to some of the traditions (at least ones reporters can see at practice, anyway), and besides, "two-a-days" is almost a misnomer these days.

The Huskies held their last two-a-day practice Wednesday but it seemed to come with little fanfare. It was just the sixth they've held since training camp began Aug. 5 while adhering to NCAA rules changes enacted in 2003.

Reacting to several deaths during preseason conditioning, the NCAA changed the rules that year mandating that teams can no longer hold two-a-days on consecutive days, and also can't hold any until after the fifth day of camp.

Teams are allowed 29 practices, but now they are spread out over a longer period of time instead of the old days of roughly two weeks of two-a-days.

"It's vastly different," said UW coach Tyrone Willingham. "But you should be able to field a much healthier football team because when you had 2 ½ weeks of back-to-back two-a-days, that is a tremendous grind."

The Huskies have seemed to have fewer injuries in camp the past few years, though the difference in training methods compared to previous coaches could play a role, as could the fact that Willingham tailors his practices to minimize the chances for injury.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Willingham said there were no UW players on the depth chart who would miss the opener at Syracuse on Aug. 31 because of injury, though a couple still remain limited in practice work.

The most significant camp injuries were suffered by receiver Anthony Russo (broken pinky) and cornerback Byron Davenport (hamstring). But Russo has made a quick recovery and appears on track to play at Syracuse after returning to practice this week. Davenport is iffier, still limited in practice, but Willingham said there's a chance he could play.

There are no Washington players left who participated in consecutive two-a-day practices, though some of the upperclassmen have heard stories. Senior defensive tackle Jordan Reffett joked that players today "have gotten soft" before adding seriously, "I think you get a higher-quality practice because everyone is more fresh."

Still, some of UW's veteran assistant coaches wonder if some of the mystique about camp hasn't been lost.

"There was something about the two-a-days that it was a grind mentally that helped you develop mental toughness," said UW defensive line coach Randy Hart. "Mentally, you knew when the bell went off at 7 [a.m.] you were getting ready to go."

Savannah good to go

E.J. Savannah is back running with the first team at weakside linebacker after apparently clearing up the issue that had him relegated to the second team.

Willingham was never really clear on what the matter was, hinting only that it was academic-related.

But Willingham said Wednesday that Savannah "should be fine" and was now back with the starting unit ahead of Chris Stevens, who had been running with the starters.

Savannah, a redshirt sophomore from Bellevue High, earned the starting job in the spring by displaying a knack for the big play.

Kicking positions still unclear

Many of UW's special-teams positions remain unsettled as camp gets set to end, including all the kicking spots.

Willingham said Wednesday that two kickers remain in contention for each of the three main jobs — JC transfer Jared Ballman and sophomore Ryan Perkins for punts; true freshman Erik Folk and Ballman for kickoffs, and Perkins and Ballman for field goals and point after touchdowns.

Folk missed much of the first week of camp with back spasms but is increasing his work in practice.

Also still unclear are the return spots, though Russo's quick recovery means he will likely handle punts. The kickoff-return job is more unsettled with freshman Brandon Johnson among those in contention. Willingham said he is unlikely to use starting cornerback Roy Lewis in that role due to his importance to the secondary. Lewis had 18 kickoff returns last season.

Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondotta@seattletimes.com. Read his blogs on Washington football and basketball at www.seattletimes.com/huskies.