The Seattle Times: Husky Football Blog

UW secondary to get another stiff test Saturday

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:03:02 PST

Losing Saturday at UCLA means the Huskies have to win out to get to 6-6 and retain any chance of a bowl game.

That's a quest that starts this Saturday in Corvallis against Oregon State, and the key matchup in that one seems obvious --- an OSU passing game that is the best in the Pac-10 statistically against a UW pass defense that ranks among the worst.

The Beavers, despite having to make a change at QB from the injured Lyle Moevao to Sean Canfield, and losing two WRs off last year's team who each ranked among the top 10 in the conference (Sammie Strougther, Shane Morales) are leading the Pac-10 in passing offense at 279 per game. That's also 19th in the country.

The Huskies, meanwhile dropped to 111th in the nation in pass defense after Saturday's loss, when the Bruins threw for 371 yards, and are 110th in pass defense efficiency. UW is allowing 262.5 passing yards per game and opponents are completing 66.4 percent of their passes.

Obviously, stats don't tell everything, and comparisons across years can be tricky.

Still, if the current number holds up it would be the third-highest per-game total allowed by the defense in UW history --- highest is 2005 (275.7) followed by 1998 (271.3).

The 66.4 percent completion rate would also be third-highest in UW history behind only last year (66.8) and 2005 (66.7). Interestingly, UW had never allowed an opponent to complete 60 percent of passes for a season until 2004 (exactly 60 percent that season). But it's allowed at least 60 percent or more in every year since then. No question, passing offenses have gotten better and more sophisticated and rules changes favoring the offense through the years have contributed, as well. But it's also little coincidence that high passing numbers by opponents have come during the worst stretch of football in UW history.

Some of UW's specific problems this year can be traced to youth on the defensive line and in the secondary --- four true freshmen starting in those two areas at various times (two on the line, two in the secondary).

I focused on the defense for my story for Monday's paper, talking after the UCLA game with defensive coordinator Nick Holt. Holt said he knows some of the numbers and results haven't looked great but that he believes the defense is making progress and is better now than it was at the beginning of the season.

"Obviously when you give up more than what you get and you lose the game, obviously we didn't get the goal of winning the game,'' Holt said. "But there were some really good things out there. Whenever you get five turnovers, that's an excellent job.''

Beavers open as 10-point favorites against Huskies

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 16:51:05 PST

The opening lines for next weekend's games are out and Oregon State has been installed as a 10-point favorite for Saturday's 12:30 p.m. game in Corvallis.

OSU has won two in a row, a last-minute home win against UCLA and a 31-14 victory Saturday at Cal.

The Huskies are 5-4 against the spread this year, one obvious measure of improvement from a year ago when UW was just 1-11 against the spread.

In other Pac-10 games next week:

--- USC is a 10-point favorite at home against Stanford;

--- Arizona is a 2-point favorite at Cal;

--- UCLA is a 20-point favorite at Washington State;

--- Oregon is a 17-point favorite at home against Arizona State.

Sunday links, notes --- Bruin player says Locker telegraphs his throws

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:39:02 PST

I'll start with a couple of interesting quotes in the Orange County Register from UCLA safety Rahim Moore, who made the interception on UW's final play.

Moore says in this story, and in this one, that UW QB Jake Locker telegraphs his throws and that's why Moore was able to be in position to make the play at the end. Moore grabbed the ball after cornerback Sheldon Price initially broke up a pass intended for Jermaine Kearse with 54 seconds left.

Moore told the paper that "I disguised it a little bit knowing Jake Locker, wherever he looks, that's where he throws. I was already over there by the time he threw it. I stole it from Sheldon but I wanted to make a play for the team and that was it."

He also said that "That's film study. They tried to isolate. We got a true freshman over there. Jake Locker, he telegraphs his throws a lot. Wherever he's looking, he's going. So I was already over there. I took off."

One could obviously argue why, if Locker telegraphs his throws, he threw 40 and had just one intercepted (four others were listed as officially being broken up). Locker completed 23 of 40 for 235 yards and two touchdowns.

Locker has thrown nine interceptions this season, which is tied for Arizona State's Danny Sullivan for the most in the Pac-10. But it's nowhere near the most in the nation --- here's the list of the nation's leading passers and you can see all kinds of guys have double digit picks this year.

Locker's interception percentage of 2.8 also isn't all that high.

However, Locker's passing efficiency rating has been dropping. It's down to a season-low 122.82 after yesterday's game, which is seventh in the conference and 76th in the nation. He had an efficiency rating of 149.59 after the second game of the season against Idaho. His rating his first two years at UW was a combined 104.7. For comparison's sake, the Pac-10 leader right now is
Stanford's Andrew Luck at 153.09.

Moore leads the nation in interceptions with eight so he's picked on lots of guys this year.

After Moore picked off Locker's pass, he was tackled and thrown hard to the ground by UW tailback Chris Polk. And Moore's antics apparently got to Polk during the game.

"That was my frustration,'' Polk said of his hard tackle. "Plus, I didn't like the guy.... but I didn't want to him or something. I didn't want to pull a Blount.'' That was a reference to the infamous LeGarrette Blount incident following the Oregon-Boise State game earlier this season.

IN OTHER NEWS. ...

---- The LA Times reports Kevin Prince was pretty diplomatic about the hit he took from Donald Butler.

--- UCLA WR Terrence Austin says he had no idea if he made the catch or not on his controversial TD grab in the third quarter.

--- Lots of UCLA notes from the LA Daily News, including UCLA's liberal use of the wildcat.

--- Ted Miller's updated bowl projections for Pac-10 teams sadly don't include the Huskies.

--- Lots of Pac-10 links from The Oregonian.

--- The Huskies now have to prepare to play Oregon State, which feels it got right back in the Pac-10 title race with its win at Cal Saturday.

All for now.

My Top 25

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:22:02 PST

Back from Los Angeles, and I'll have a few more Husky-related items on the blog at some point today/tonight.

For now, here's my ballot for this week's AP Top 25.

Obviously, some change in areas with some of the results among the teams in the 5-15 range or so. All those who thought Iowa wasn't really that good got their proof. And the debate that figured to only grow over what to do with Oregon and Boise State became moot as Toby Gerhart ran all over the Ducks.

Where my poll may vary the most from the real things is in my order of Pac-10 teams. I actually decided to go with Arizona as the top Pac-10 team this week --- they beat Stanford a couple of weeks ago, also won at Oregon State, and are obviously a freak interception away from being undefeated in the conference. The Wildcats haven't yet played USC or Oregon, and if the Cats can really run that gauntlet remains to be seen. But they seem to be hitting a stride and their conference resume holds up to those of anyone else at the moment.

Some of you have told me I have USC too low. I caught much of USC's win at Arizona State last night and I don't know --- just seems like that's not the same Trojan team and were fairly fortunate to beat an ASU team that has proven itself to be not all that good.

I also lifted Stanford into the poll, as it's hard to deny how the Cardinal whipped an Oregon team that a week ago was the toast of college football.

Here's my complete ballot:

1, Florida
2, Texas
3, Alabama
4, Cincinnati
5, Boise State
6, TCU
7, Georgia Tech
8, Houston
9, Utah
10, Pitt
11, Ohio State
12, Miami
13, Iowa
14, Arizona
15, Oregon
16, LSU
17, USC
18, Oklahoma State
19, Penn State
20, South Florida
21, Auburn
22, Virginia Tech
23, Stanford
24, Navy
25, West Virginia

Grading the game

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:55:03 PST

There have obviously been some heart-wrenching losses for the Huskies this season.

But today's 24-23 loss at UCLA may have been the most exasperating of all if for no other reason than the five turnovers UW got but could turn into only 13 points.

"That's a game that we definitely had a chance to win and we've just got to get it done,'' said defensive coordinator Nick Holt.

That they couldn't means the Huskies now have to pull off a 3-for-3 the rest of the way, winning at Oregon State, then beating Washington State and Cal at home, to get to 6-6 and a bowl game. Possible, sure, but not probable now considering this is a team that is 3-19 in its last 22 games.

On to the grades:

QUARTERBACK: Jake Locker said his thigh was just fine, and it didn't appear to be bothering him on the times he took off and ran. He again didn't do that all that much, however, with five non-sack carries (for 36 yards gained). He had his moments passing, such as the two TDs to Jermaine Kearse. But there was, obviously, the last-minute interception killing what was shaping up as a game-winning drive --- and a play that Locker admirably put squarely on his shoulders, saying he should have thrown the ball more to the outside. And that left Locker at 23-40 for 235 yards, respectable, but not great, numbers. After completing 60 percent of his passes through UW's first three games, he has completed 118 of 215, or 54.8 percent, since --- or not a lot different than the 53.8 percent of last season before he was injured. GRADE: B-minus.

A few more post-game quotes from Sarkisian

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:10:03 PST

Here are a few more post-game quotes from UW coach Steve Sarkisian

On Chris Polk: "Chris had a great effort. We really challenged him earlier this week to come out and establish himself. We're fighting for that run game, and I think we found some of that today. I'm proud of Chris. Redshirt freshman, and he's got a lot of football ahead of him.''

On UCLA's passing success: "It seemed like they kind of got us in the middle of the field. The had a lot of in routes and routes in the middle of the field and made some big plays. We obviously got a turnover off of one of those, the overthrown ball. They found some soft spots down the middle of the field, and they were making their plays.''

On struggles getting a pass rush: "Well, what they were doing today, which you think you could cover the routes, was they were max-protecting, they were seven-man protecting. It's hard to get there when you're max-protecting, but you've got to play well in your coverage unit, and they were able to do some things down the field with extended time.''

On giving the ball to Polk more: "Well, yeah. I don't know what the stats were, and I don't know how many carries he had or didn't have. But I felt like Chris had a lot of carries. He played well, ran hard. He banged his ribs up early in the ball game; that's why he had to come out. But he was able to go back in and finish strong.''

On how the young guys played: "Yeah, they played well. From Aguilar to Kearse to James Johnson, Chris Polk. Those guys did nice things. We started two true freshmen today at defensive end with Pulu and Crichton. We're a young team, we're learning, and we'll grow from these experiences, no doubt. They're hard to swallow now, but the future, in these games, it's going to shape and mold who we become.''

On moving T'eo-Nesheim back outside late: "Well, there were some things we wanted to get matchup-wise that didn't quite pay dividends for us.''

Why did Kearse have such a big game today: "Jermaine was making plays. We liked some of the matchups that we were getting one-on-one with him, and we were going to try to take advantage of them. He's got great ball skills when the ball's in the air down the field. And he showed it again today.''

On Jason Wells: "He kind of got into the flow of the game and did some nice things. He had a great hit on the sideline on the tight end and continued to make nice plays. I was encouraged by it.''

On the miss by Erik Folk: "Just missed it. The kid's had a great year. Unfortunately one of the keys to the game was we had some opportunities sin the red zone again that we weren't able to take advantage of and he got a lot of opportunities to kick field goals today and in a perfect world we'd be scoring touchdowns and it would be a different game.''

On Jake Locker's health: "I think he's okay. I don't think he took too many hits. Have to assess it tonight and tomorrow and see how he feels ''

On what he thought when UW scored to go up 23-14: "I felt good about what we were doing. Felt good about our plan on offense. Our defense was really creating turnovers and doing a nice job of that. Special teams was playing well. They obviously got the big kickoff return to swing the momentum and then the bounced touchdown I don't know if the guy catches it or not. Hard to tell.''

On Drew Schaefer seeing significant action at left tackle: "He's a young guy that has been earning it. He's practicing really well and done a nice job for us as we've kept moving forward and he deserved the opportunity you can get stuck with just playing the same five guys over and over and over again. But if a guy is playing well, you want to give him the opportunity to play.''

UCLA post-game links

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:52:03 PST

I'm wrapping up my stories here in what is now a completely dark Rose Bowl.

And a lengthy trip back to the hotel awaits, so not sure when I'll be able to get up some of the usual post-game stuff, specifically the grades

So for now, I'll post a few links to tide you over --- assuming there's anyone out there that wants to still read about this one:

--- Times columnist Steve Kelley says the Huskies have to learn to finish and also has some comments from Nick Holt.

--- Here's my game story with the nuts and bolts details.

--- Here's our notebook with items on the Donald Butler hit on Kevin Prince, Chris Polk's, and some of the OL changes.

--- Here's the 2-minute drill with some various notes about the game.

-- Some UCLA notes from the LA Daily News.

--- Here's the coverage from the Orange County Register. Included is a look at the final interception that sealed it for the Bruins.

--- Ted Miller says UCLA is showing some backbone.

Grades a little later.

UCLA game thread

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:36:03 PST

SARK ON BUTLER'S HIT: "I thought I had a very clean look. I'm all for protecting quarterbacks and all that, but the kid wasn't sliding. Donald really, in an attempt to wrap him up, I have a hard time trying to decide what to tell Donald. I'm going to have to look at the film again to see exactly how we're supposed to tackle the guy. The guy's coming in low, but he's not sliding or diving, so we have to tackle him. We'll have to look at it.''

LOCKER FINE --- Locker said his thigh was never an issue today. "Not at all,'' he said. "Feels fine.''

SARK ON THE PASS DEFENSE ISSUES: "It seemed like they kind of got us in the middle of the field. The had a lot of in routes and routes in the middle of the field and made some big plays. We obviously got a turnover off of one of those, the overthrown ball. They found some soft spots down the middle of the field, and they were making their plays.''

AND ON THE PASS RUSH: "Well, what they were doing today, which you think you could cover the routes, was they were max-protecting, they were seven-man protecting. It's hard to get there when you're max-protecting, but you've got to play well in your coverage unit, and they were able to do some things down the field with extended time.''

SARKISIAN ON WHY THERE WAS NO REVIEW OF THE AUSTIN TD: " I didn't know. The rule is they're supposed to review every play if it's close at all. I knew we needed all three timeouts. This was not a game we could afford to burn it. I thought the official had a great view that was standing right there over the ball. The play didn't get involved. I don't know, I still haven't seen the ball. I'm not sure if he caught it or not.''

SARKISIAN AFTERWARD --- "Somewhere, there's got to be a silver lining. ... We're going to grow from this.''

Last play picked off was called. Locker said he underthrew it a little bit.

No new injuries, apparently. Wells had some cramping, Polk some bruised ribs. None of it sounds serious.

GAME OVER --- UCLA holds on to win 24-23. UW now 3-6 and bowl hopes slim. More later.

LOCKER PASS PICKED OFF --- A fade route to Kearse at about the 20 was tipped by Sheldon Price and into the hands of UCLA safety Rahim Moore, who came into the game leading the nation in interceptions with seven. UCLA has the ball with under a minute left at its own 34.

LAST CHANCE FOR HUSKIES? --- UCLA stopped but takes six minutes off clock. UW has ball at own 12 with 4:21 left. Bowl hopes on the line, it seems.

FOLK MISSES FROM 38 --- UW's drive stalled after reaching the 16 and Folk then missed badly from 38 yards out. So UCLA stays ahead with just over 10 minutes left.

ATTENDANCE TODAY --- 72,924.

UCLA REGAINS THE LEAD --- A 27-yard Forbath FG makes it 24-23 with 14:53 to play in the game. It's the fourth lead change of the game.

THIRD QUARTER STATS --- UCLA has 411 yards, UW 306. UCLA is 20-26 passing for 329 but also has the two interceptions.

UW has 124 rushing on 18 attempts, UCLA 82 on 30.

END OF THIRD QUARTER --- UW leads 23-21 but Bruins have the ball at the 10, third and goal. Frankly, seems a game there for the taking for either team, which is a little ominous for UW given the five UCLA turnovers and loss of Prince. Those things might have indicated UW would have a bigger margin now.

UW STOPPED AND NOW UCLA DRIVING --- UCLA has ball at 31 after a Kraft scramble after which he put the ball in Butler's face, seeming to taunt him a little bit. Looks like hard feelings lingering.

ANOTHER UCLA TO --- A high pass by Craft is picked off by Jason Wells giving UW the ball at its own 20 with 4:55 to play. That's TO No. 5 for the Bruins.

IT WAS THE BACK JUDGE WHO CALLED THE TD GOOD --- His name is Johnny Jenkins. This is just a regular Pac-10 crew doing this game.

LOCKER KEEPS FOR 13 YARDS --- Leg looked just fine there on his longest run of the game.

UCLA SCORES DEBATABLE TD --- Looked like the ball might have hit the ground before Austin cradled it and caught it. But no replay of it and UCLA has cut the lead to 23.21 It was a 29-yard pass from Craft to Austin, who was really wide open but had to slow up to catch a pass thrown short.

RULING UPHELD --- UW leads 23-14. Loud cheer from UW contingent when the big screen showed the replay with Kearse getting the foot in. UW players doing the jumping on the sideline thing before the kickoff.

LOCKER TO KEARSE 34 YARDS FOR TD --- Play being reviewed but UW could be up 23-14.

RULING ON FIELD STANDS --- And we're told the review took 1:21.

ANOTHER UCLA TO? --- Franklin loses a fumble. Butler causes, D. Jones recovers. Now being reviewed.

CRAFT AT QB FOR UCLA --- Neuheisel sides with the veteran over the true frosh.

PRINCE RETURN QUESTIONABLE --- That's the official word up here as he is being evaluated for concussion syndromes.

FIRST-HALF THOUGHTS --- The Huskies have the lead, but it's a tenuous one at 16-14. UW surely feels it should have a bigger lead after getting three UCLA turnovers but turning those into just six points.

And three possessions inside the 20 also yielded just nine points, after UW's first march of the game ended in a touchdown.

The good is the passing game and the running of Chris Polk as the offense has 241 yards, almost as many as it had for the entire Arizona game few weeks ago (256).

The good is also that the defense at least was able to rise up and stop a few of UCLA"s drives, as well. One came on the big hit on Prince that will surely be long debated here depending on how the game turns out. The crowd was angry about that one, especially after it was shown on the big screen, and it appeared as if UCLA's Chane Moline trieed to go after Butler a couple plays later.

When Butler left the field slow with cramps, the crowd wasn't too sympathetic.

But it's obviously a big key to this who UCLA's QB is the rest of the way and if he cacn get anything done. Prince was playing really well, completing 13-17 passes for 212 yards, the only real mistake the one interception by Trufant.

UW is also doing a nice job on UCLA's running game as the Bruins have just 33 yards on 19 carries.

HALFTIME STATS --- UW had 241 yards at the half, UCLA 245.

FIRST HALF ENDS, UW AHEAD 16-14 --- Neuheisel says in halftime radio comments they will check on Prince at the half to see if he can return.

UW STOPPED --- Husky drive stopped on a third down play where Habben's helmet flew off. Hard to tell from here what happened but UW coaches wanted a penalty.

Locker took a hard hit on second down and hard to tell if it was a re-injury to the thigh or something else.

UW MOVING --- Huskies moving down the field. Locker lookiing good hitting short throws and UW has the ball at the UCLA 46. And Schaefer back at OT for Ossai.

DTN FORCES FUMBLE --- And Matthews recovers at the 23 to stop UCLA's drive. 3:25 to play in the half.

BREHAUT NOW IN FOR PRINCE --- Prince could be done for the day.

BUTLER HITS PRINCE HARD --- Butler flagged for a personal foul on a helmet to helmet hit on Kevin Prince, who remains down on the sideline at the 5:07 mark. UCLA will have the ball at the 10 but also a new QB.

DTN BACK TO END ---Te'o-Nesheim backc at end with Matthews andn Duncan getting some time inside.

UW REGAINS LEAD --- Another Folk FG, this one from 32 yards, makes it 16-14 with 9:27 to play in the second quarter. But that's a third straight possession inside the UCLA 20 that gets just an FG.

TRUFANT INTERCEPTS PASS --- Add on a personal foul and UW has the ball at the UCLA 17 with 10:28 to play.

HUSKIES GETTING STOPPED IN RED ZONE --- That was ann 82-yard drive that got just three points and two drives inside the 20 that have gotten just six points.

POLK STOPPED ON WILDCAT --- On third and goal at the three the Huskies unveiled the Wildcat, Polk taking a direct snap. But he got only a yard and UW was forced to kick a field goal. So UCLA still leads 14-13 at the 11:26 mark.

POLK NOW OVER 100 --- He has 102 yards rishing.

POLK NOW HAS 91 YARDS --- On four carries.

UW HAD 125 YARDS IN FIRST QUARTER --- UCLA had 183.

OSSAI BACK IN --- And he false starts on third down as the first quarter ends. UCLA is ahead 14-10.

HOLDING ON PULU WIPES OUT DECENT RETURN --- UW will start at 16.

PRINCE GOING OFF --- Prince is 10-13 for 171 so far.

UCLA SCORES --- A 1-yard run by Moline caps an 80-yard drive and makes it 14-10 with 1:49 left. Drive was 80 yards in 11 plays in 4:25.

UCLA MOVING --- Huskies having trouble getting a pass rush and UCLA is throwing at will, now down to the 25. And now on the Wildcat, Knox runs it to the 13.

HUSKIES MAKE IT 10-7 --- UW turned the fumbled kickoff into a field goal of 30 yards by Folk to take a 10-7 lead with 6:14 to play. Schaefer remains in at LT for Ossai.

UW GETS IT BACK --- Huskies recover fumble on kickoff at 30. McDowell forces, Fellner recovers.

HUSKIES ANSWER BACK --- UW scores on a 17-yard Locker pass to Kearse to tie it at 7-7 with 8:26 to play. Kearse also had a 26-yard reception and Polk a 26-yard run to set it up.

POLK OUT --- They are working on Polk on the sidelines, looks like neck/shoulder.

SCHAEFER STILL IN FOR OSSAI --- But Kelemete is back in.

OUCH --- Bad start for the defense as UCLA drives 88 yards in nine plays in just 3;33 to take a 7-0 lead scoring on a fourth down play-action pass, Prince to Harkey. 10:16 left in the quarter. Prince 6-7 for 95 yards (due to lost yards on the fumble) on the drive.

UCLA DRIVING --- TE Logan Paulson caught a short pass just in front of Mason Foster and took it 56 yards to set up the Bruins at the UW 4. But Foster then forced a fumble that UCLA recovered for a loss of eight, so it's second-and-goal at the 12 for the Bruins.

NEW OL --- Sounds as if the other two guys, Ossai and Kelemete, were late to a meeting or something and that's the reason for the new line. We'll see how long it lasts.

DRIVE STOPPED AFTER PROMISING START --- UW go 34 yards from Polk off LT on the first play, but the drive then stopped thanks in part to a dropped pass by Jonnson.

NEW OL DEBUTS --- It is indeed Schaefer and Rosborough out there for the first play.

RICHARDSON, JOHNSON DOING THE KICK RETURNING --- UW set to receive.

TUCKER ONE OF THE GAME CAPTAINS TODAY --- Evidence of how well the coaches think true frosh Tim Tucker has done at MLB of late is that he is here today in uniform and was one of the two game captains alongside the usual four season captains (Josh Gage was the other game captain). I can't imagine Tucker will play now, surely just a reward for good work this week.

HUSKIES CALL TAILS AND LOSE TOSS --- UCLA wins toss and defers, UW to get the ball first.

HOUSTON NUMBER CHANGE --- With Anthony Boyles now playing defense, Matt Houston has changed his number to 45 --- both had been wearing 5.

PRE-GAME NOTES --- About 16 minutes to kickoff as I write this.

Those who were on the pre-game chat may have read that the Huskies appear to have done some shuffling on the OL today.

It looked in the warmups like a starting OL, left to right, of Schaefer, Wood, Tolar, Rosborough and Habben. And walk-on Daniel Kanczugowski appeared to be on the second team at guard.

On defense, it did indeed look like Jason Wells was starting at safety alongside Nate Williams and the DL appeared to have DTN at tackle alongside Ta'amu with Pulu and Crichton at ends.

So definitely some shaking up of things today.

We'll see how it works out.

UCLA pre-game chat

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:11:03 PST

Nice and sunny here, if not maybe as warm as it looks. Have a little time to chat so let's go. ...

UCLA pre-game chat

Pre-game scenes --- and live chat at 11:15 a.m.

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:31:03 PST

We've arrived at the stadium where the sun is beginning to peak through --- it was pretty overcast as we drove up through the city.

So the weather should be just fine for the game.

A quick note that I'll host a pre-game chat at 11:15 a.m.

For now, a few pre-game scenes, though unfortunately all of these are kind of UCLA-related since I didn't really see much UW presence as we walked in:

Here's the UCLA band practicing in the parking lot:

Here's a view of the stadium from the parking lot:

Here are a couple UCLA cheerleaders trying to get away from us as quickly as they can:

And here's a view of the field as workers prepare it for the game:

Saturday morning links

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:48:03 PST

And yes, 1 a.m. counts as Saturday morning. ...

--- Here's my preview story for today's game and here's a poll showing that, as I write this, 77 percent of people think UW can win today, So UW's got that going for it.

--- Several of you sent this to me,and it is indeed a good link --- a look at all the visiting locker rooms in the Pac-10 from the USC Rips It blog. As you can read, it's a ranking based on how a visiting team feels in the locker room it is given in each of the Pac-10 stadiums.

Not ranked, for the obvious reason, is USC< which would be near the bottom, probably right after Husky Stadium, from what I've gathered from UW people. I haven't been in the Rose Bowl locker room featured here but I have been most of the others and I wouldn't disagree with the overall judgments here. No doubt, the long walks at WSU and OSU are awkward for opposing teams --- I've tried to do interviews on those walks before and experienced it first-hand how difficult it can be for opposing players to have to walk long distances through opposing crowds. If you listened to Steve Sarkisian's radio show this week you heard him rave about the Rose Bowl visiting locker room --- which USC obviously must have used a time or two -- and how he couldn't wait to get back in there, surely hoping it might bring forth some new nice memories. We'll see in a few hours.

--- Coach Sark's blog has a nice pic of Sarkisian, Marques Tuiasosopo and Jake Locker in the end zone at the Rose Bowl --- I'm thinking this is the first time Tui's been there since he was named MVP of that game in 2001. His blog also notes the weather will be nice tomorrow --- 71 and sunny.

--- Whoever the heck Lucky Lester is, he picks the Huskies to win.

--- The LA Times preview notes that Rick Neuheisel is 2-0 against UW --- or had you forgotten the 1996 Holiday Bowl?

--- The Riverside Press-Enterprise offers this breakdown of the game.

--- The LA Daily News writes that UCLA hopes the Huskies are again a good luck charm, noting how the Bruins have owned UW for about two decades now. And LA Daily News beat guy Jon Gold will be on 710 ESPN Seattle at 9:25 this morning to talk about the game. I'll probably be telling Todd Milles to turn right at about that moment.

--- Nick Montana was 9-13 for 228 and three TDs Friday night in an easy Oaks Christian win.

Talk to you later from the Rose Bowl.

UCLA pre-game Warm Up set

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:13:03 PST

Sorry to get this out late, but better late than never, I hope.

Anyway, here is the info on the Washington Warm Up for tomorrow's game at UCLA:

--- Begins at 9:30 a.m. and goes to 12:30 p.m.;

--- Held at Brookside Golf Course, just next to the Rose Bowl;

--- Admission gets you one drink ticket for beer, wine or soft drink;

--- Tickets are $10 for UWAA members who register in advance and $15 for non-members; a limited number of "at the door" tickets will be available for $15;

--- Live performances by Husky Marching Band and Cheer Squad;

--- Sign up at UWalum.com or by calling 1-800-AUW-ALUM.

The last Warm Up of the season will be at Oregon State on Nov. 14.

There are also viewing parties across the country. For a complete list of where to watch the game, check here.

The pick. ...

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:50:03 PST

Well, thanks for all the heartfelt replays to my request for some advice on how to pick the UW-UCLA game.

I've read some/most/as many as I had time for before a re-run of Saved By The Bell intervened. Seriously, I tried to read all of them once I landed, and not sure I could discern any sort of consensus --- looks like you guys are as torn as I was.

I also had lots of time on the plane ride down to peruse the Pac-10 stats --- either that, or listen to a former pro soccer player hit on a divorcee in the row behind me (sounded as if he was bound to score more with her than he did on the field).

And two numbers stood out:

--- 207. That's Jake Locker's rushing yards for the season, and eight yards fewer than Stanford's Andrew Luck in the same number of games. That just seems insane to me. I know Luck is a pretty mobile guy (and a huge reason why the Cardinal has a really bright future) and that sack yards are part of the stat and all that.

But it really makes no sense that Andrew Luck has more rushing yards so far than Locker no matter how you compute it. I understand Steve Sarkisian's reasoning on this. But as one person note this week, Locker got hurt anyway despite the best efforts of Sark and company to keep him healthy.

So tell me, who wins the UW-UCLA game?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:21:03 PST

It's usually about this time on a typical Friday when I try to fill this space with am incredibly insightful prediction on the following day's Husky game.

As some/many/all of you have let me know, I haven't done that very well of late. I'm not sure I've done quite as poorly as some of you think --- I'm 4-4 on UW games for the season both straight-up and against-the-spread (and the ATS record could easily be 6-2, though it could also easily be 3-5).

But I have indeed missed four of the last six, three of the last four, and the last two.

So a few raspberries thrown my way are more than valid.

And what usually happens here is I make a pick, and then people comment about why I'm right or, more often, why I'm wrong (which is actually more than appreciated and a heck of a lot better than those who wait until the game is over and then let me know. Slow as I may be, I've usually figured it out by then).

But I thought for this week, given my recent ineptitude and the fact that this game is such a tough one to call --- I haven't seen anyone who has picked it predict a margin more than four points either way --- I'd solicit your advice ahead of time.

So as I prepare to fly to L.A., tell me who is going to win, and try to do so with some insight --- meaning something other than just "because UCLA sucks.''

I'm completely on the fence on this one so I really need some advice.

Tui still hoping to play

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 08:42:03 PST

I had a chance to talk briefly with Marques Tuiasosopo earlier this week --- the legendary UW QB is spending the season with the team as an assistant strength coach.

The interview was mostly about something else.

But I did ask Tuiasosopo if he considered himself retired from the NFL or if he still hoped to play.

He made it clear that if someone were to call with a playing opportunity he'd take the first flight out of town.

"I'm not retired yet,'' he said. "I would love to play somewhere and get another opportunity. I'm fresh and still young (he turned 30 in March) and I feel like I've still got a lot left in me. We'll see what happens.''

Tuiasosopo played eight years in the NFL after leaving UW but was not picked up after the Raiders let him go following last season.

Sadly, however, the phone hasn't really been ringing.

"it's been real quiet, so that's been frustrating,'' he said. "For whatever reason that has been the case. But I keep holding out hope and waiting and seeing if something might come up.''

For now, he says he's content with his role at UW --- he just hopes he gets to play again somewhere someday.

"This gives me a great opportunity to stay involved,'' he said. "But I haven't yet hung up my cleats.''

Thursday night links

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:42:03 PST

Linking the night away. ...

--- Here's our notebook for Friday's paper with more details on Jake Locker passing the tests this week and getting the all-clear sign to play, as well as an item on UCLA QB Kevin Prince.

--- The LA Times focuses its Friday story on Prince, with a quote from UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel that Prince had his best week of practice of the year.

--- The Times also has an interesting look at the social media controversies involving UCLA the last few weeks.

--- Here's a quick post-practice update on UCLA with a few injury updates.

--- More on UCLA's practice from the Orange County Register.

--- A jury today upheld UW's handling of a rape allegation against former Husky Roc Alexander.

--- USA Today had a nice story today on all the celebrity sons playing at Oaks Christian High, including UW commit Nick Montana.

--- The LA Daily News notes Oaks Christian could have seven D-I players this year.

--- UW commit Deontae Cooper was listed this week as one of 10 candidates for Max Preps' National Player of the Year.

--- Jon Wilner picks UCLA.

All for now.

Thursday practice notes: Jake Locker starts, Jordan Wallace sits

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:40:03 PST

Maybe it was obvious to most Husky fans, but it wasn't official until just a few hours ago when coach Steve Sarkisian said quarterback Jake Locker has made enough progress in his recovery from a right deep thigh bruise to play Saturday at UCLA.

All week, Sarkisian said he needed to see how Locker responded and he looked great in practice. He wore a black protective sleeve around his calf (I'm told that's because fluid from a thigh bruise often drains down into the calf and the sleeve pushes it out) but otherwise you couldn't tell he'd been injured Oct. 24 against Oregon.

He literally bounced all over the indoor field and during one play when the protection broke down, skipped out of the pocket and raced 20 yards before a defender touched him.

Not sure if we'll see Locker running around Saturday like he did tonight. However, Sarkisian said he'll have the full playbook at his disposal and will not be limited as a play caller because of Locker's injury.

"We'll look at that," Sarkisian said. 'We'll monitor it during the game as well."

IN OTHER NEWS:

--- DT Cameron Elisara, LB E.J. Savannah (hand) and LB Jordan Wallace (knee) will not travel to Los Angeles this weekend. Wallace "tweaked" his knee in Wednesday's practice.

--- WR Jordan Polk (knee surgery) has been cleared to play.

--- --- Sarkisian said he's considering starting senior strong safety Jason Wells, who hasn't played since 2007 because of an assortment of injuries. The UW coach plans to rotate five players at safety including Wells, starting free safety Nate Williams, Nate Fellner, who started at strong safety last week, Victor Aiyewa and Greg Walker.

MORE SARKISIAN QUOTES:

(What are you looking for out of Wells?) "Just the veteran leadership that he provides. He's got great football IQ. He's got a good feel back there of getting lined up. And he has a presence. There's no doubt. Anytime you have a senior playing free safety, there's a definite presence back there."

(When did you know he was improving?) "We saw it in the last few weeks. We just didn't want to press him and push him back to quick. I thought we might have done that in training camp, but from the last few weeks and the last week especially, he really showed that he was capable of going and he's had a nice week of work."

(Worried the team will be rusty?) "I don't think so. We practice at a very high and intense level this week. If anything, it helps us just to get refreshed. I thought our guys battled extremely well. It was evident. It was a very intense practice this week. Sometimes a little chippy, but that's okay. That just means we're starving and hungry to go play."

(On the road losing streak.) "I think we're close. I think we're close. We're understanding what it takes. There are only 64 guys plus our staff, there are not a lot of people so you have to rally behind one another and stay in the game completely. If you're not playing you still need to be a part of it emotionally to give the support that's needed."

(Is this trip homecoming for you?) "Sure. My family and friends are all down there in Los Angeles, so it's a great opportunity from a homecoming standpoint to see them. I've got some great memories, some fond memories from playing and coaching in the Rose Bowl and being part of some special wins there so it's exciting to go back there and play. "

(Who is your family rooting for?) "Oh, the Huskies."

(Didn't a couple of them go to UCLA?) "Yeah, yeah, just on a piece of paper, not at heart."

AND FINALLY, BUCKET TOSS RESULTS:

--- This is becoming a weekly ritual for Sarkisian. He stands at the 20 yard line and tries to toss a football about 40-45 yards away into a trash can.

Today it took the coach six or seven tries before sailing a pass into the garbage bucket. He hit the can on all but one attempt. Not bad for the former Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback. Sometimes I wonder if he's not the second best passer on the team.

Steve Sarkisian says Jake Locker will start

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:58:03 PST

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said he saw enough good things out of Jake Locker today to announce the Husky quarterback will start Saturday at UCLA.

Sarkisian said Locker, who suffered a deep thigh bruise, is still a little sore, but he won't be limited in terms of the playbook.

WR Jordan Polk (knee) will also be available.

DT Cameron Elisara (neck stinger), LB E.J. Savannah (hand) and LB Jordan Wallace (knee) won't travel to Los Angeles.

I'll have more from practice in a few minutes.

Pac-10 picks, week 10

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:51:03 PST

So I've been trying to give you winning Pac-10 picks all season, including against the spread, when who know all I really should have been doing is copying Nick Daschel?

I didn't realize that the Buster Sports Pac-10 expert is a glittering 31-18-1 against the spread on Pac-10 picks this year, which would have been a lot better investment than all this 401K nonsense that has gotten me nowhere. Heck, that's better than most of the Vegas gurus I hear on the radio all the time, most of whom I'm convinced pick one team when they're on in Seattle, the other when they're on the air in Fargo five minutes later.

As for me? The bye week was yet another realization that this will be a rebuilding year in this space as I went a Washington General-esque 0-4 against the spread, though bucked up a little with a 3-1 straight-up. I wasn't looking too bad when Cal, Oregon State and Notre Dame all jumped off to coverable margins early. But there was more backdoor scoring going on last week than in a Princeton basketball game, resulting in the kind of beating usually reserved for an Oakland Raiders assistant.

Anyway, on to this week's picks, worth every penny that we're charging you for them.

New Sun Bowl deal officially announced

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:29:02 PST

As had long been expected, the Sun Bowl today officially announced it has extended its partnership with the Pac-10 Conference through 2013 and aligned with the Atlantic Coast Conference from 2010-2013.

A press release states that the new alignment will feature the third selection after the Bowl Championship Series from the Pac-10 (or No. 4 or No. 5 overall) against either the runner-up of the Dr Pepper ACC Football Championship Game or the third selection after the BCS from the ACC.

The release continues to stay that:

"The Brut Sun Bowl has the second longest current relationship with the Pac-10, hosting a league school for 14 consecutive years. Nine of the league's 10 schools have participated in the Brut Sun Bowl 25 times, with California as the lone school to have never played in the Sun Bowl.

"The Pac-10 is very happy to extend its longtime relationship with the Brut Sun Bowl," said Commissioner Larry Scott. "The Sun Bowl has been a good and loyal partner over the years and through its New Year's Eve positioning on CBS provides an excellent showcase for the Pac-10 teams. We look forward to many more years of partnership."

The Atlantic Coast Conference is also no stranger to the Brut Sun Bowl, but has not sent a team to El Paso since 1994. In all, ACC schools have made 10 appearances, with North Carolina appearing four times - 1972, 1974, 1982 and 1994.''

This sews up the Pac-10's bowl lineup for the years 2010-13 in what was one of the first significant moves for Scott, who took over as the conference's new commissioner on July 1.

The big change in all of this was a new deal with the Alamo Bowl to send the No. 2 team (after the BCS picks) to face the No. 2 team (after the BCS pick) from the Big 12.

So the Pac-10 bowl lineup for the 2010-13 seasons will look like this:

Rose --- Pac-10 champ here or to BCS title game
Alamo --- First pick after the BCS selections vs. Big 12
Holiday --- Second pick after BCS vs. Big 12 No. 4
Sun --- Third pick vs. ACC runner-up or No. 3
Vegas --- Fourth pick vs. Mountain West No, 1
Emerald --- Fifth pick vs. WAC/Army or Navy

And the fact that the bowls get a pick and not a pre-assigned team is an important distinction. The bowls can skip over a team higher in the standings to take one lower if it prefers --- as long as the lower team does not have conference record two games worse than the one being passed over. The bowls want that flexibility to get the best matchup possible and avoid repeat appearances, that sort of thing.

Scouting UCLA

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:11:03 PST

So I have to be honest that I'm not sure exactly how much those of you who read this regularly keep tabs on the other Pac-10 teams --- if a big scouting report each week is necessary. Maybe some of you can let me know what you'd like to see in a regular look at each week's opponent --- even if we only have a few weeks left, always good to get feedback for the future, if nothing else.

As for UCLA, I assume most of you realize this has been a struggling team. After winning all three of its non-conference games, including a 19-15 victory at Tennessee --- UCLA has lost all five of its Pac-10 games. All have been by a touchdown or more, and only really last week's game at Oregon State --- a 26-19 affair when UCLA rallied from a 19-3 deficit to force a tie before the Beavers scored in the final minute --- was one that went down to the wire.

UCLA is now 7-13 in two years under former UW coach Rick Neuheisel, and 3-11 in Pac-10 play, beating only UW, WSU and Stanford last season.

The hope in Westwood, however, is that last week's rally is an indication of a young team beginning to find itself --- UCLA has seven freshmen or sophomores starting on defense and just eight seniors starting overall.

The QB is redshirt frosh Kevin Prince, who was briefly a commit to UW as part of the Class of 2008 before changing his mind. He is 10th in the conference in passing efficiency completing 92-167 for 1,052 yards with four TDs and four interceptions. Two of the TDs came in the fourth quarter against OSU, however, and he's one of the players the Bruins think/hope are beginning to mature.

And there are some really impressive WRs on the UCLA roster, including 6-5 sophomore Nelson Rosario, who had his best game against OSU with six catches for 152 yards. UCLA's height at WR, in my estimation, may be the toughest matchup UW has in this game.

UCLA is more veteran on defense with five senior starters led by MLB Reggie Carter and CB Alterraun Verner. Two other really good players are junior DT Brian Price and sophomore FS Rahim Moore, who is tied for the NCAA lead in interceptions with seven.

Here are UCLA's per-game averages or season totals, and the NCAA rank in each category:

More from Nick Holt

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:01:03 PST

Better late than never --- here are a few leftover comments from Nick Holt's session with us after practice on Tuesday.

On which young guys impressed during the bye week: "I thought the young D ends (Andru Pulu and Talia Crichton) had a good week of practice last week. The two young LBs (Jordan Wallace, Tim Tucker) that we got a lot of reps, it was really good for them. They have a chance to be good players, but they need a ton of reps. Those were really the things we were looking at other than the (position) moves (of Alvin Logan and Anthony Boyles).''

On Pulu's transition from HS linebacker to college D end: "We didn't have a lot of information on him because he was banged up (as a senior in high school). He is going to be a good player. Hopefully it's the last four weeks because he's going to get a chance to play a lot, I think. He has a good motor, runs around and has been very physical for a guy that's not huge. He's been a pleasant surprise of making that transition. He picks up things very well for a guy that had not played that position, it's not mentally that challenging (for him).''

On what was revealed about the defense during the self-scout during the bye week: "There are some things, some of our pressures we are in some good stuff and we are a step too late getting the ball off a couple of times and that's the difference in getting out of drives and making the big plays. A great example is the last game there are two times we come free and just a step here or there late and they complete a big ball (the passes to David Paulson and Ed Dickson). Whether we are holding back and not playing with enough confidence and not letting loose on blitzes I don't know. But we need to keep on doing a better job when our number is called, hey go, don't study your feet, get going and get there and make something happen. Other than it's just disappointing, some of the routine plays that have gotten out. Just got to get better at out stsff. When we just kind of simplify our stuff we play pretty solid stuff. The more we add it doesn't help us out at this point. In a couple of years it will be all right but not now.''

On whether playing so many young guys is playing for the future: "Athletically they are good, they move pretty well. And it's not because we are looking to the future. We are playing the guys we have right now and they are doing a good job. But you're right, a year from now it's going to hopefully pay off, but we're not playing them because of the future but because of necessity. They are better than some of the older guys, quite honestly.''

On Adam Long: "Long, especially, he needs to get more physical and stronger. But he has gotten a lot more confidence. He's played pretty well, he really has, for a guy who hasn't done much. I'm pleased with him. He'll only get better with a good strength program and getting stronger because he's got some ability.''

On Cort Dennison filling in for E.J. Savannah this week: He's done a great job, I count on him. Him and Josh Gage have played a lot of good football for us and made a lot of big plays and I trust those two completely, I really do.

Thursday a.m. links --- another new Husky?

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:12:03 PST

That's the word this morning as there are reports that that defensive end Andrew Hudson of Redlands East Valley High in Redlands, Calif., has indeed committed.

RealDawg.com and Dawgman.com are each reporting that Hudson has committed.

RealDawg quotes Hudson as saying: ""I committed. I sat down with my coach and my family and we went over the pros and cons, and overall it was Washington.''

That's the same high school as current Huskies Chris Polk, Ronnie Fouch and Marquis Persley. Polk and Fouch hosted him on his official visit during the Oregon game weekend, and Hudson had told SuperPrep.com a few months ago that UW was his leader, so he had been considered one player likely to eventually commit to the Huskies. He visited Oregon State last weekend and also visited Arizona, each of which had offered.

He is the 22nd commit for the Huskies and fills a need as a player projected to be a pass-rushing defensive end, though at 6-3, 225 he may need a little time to develop physically.

He's the first player listed solely as a defensive end to commit. Here's a list of UW's other commits.

ESPN.com has him rated as a two-star recruit. And here are his stats for this season, showing he has eight sacks in seven games.

UPDATE --- Greg Biggins at ESPN.com is also now confirming the Hudson commit. And for what it's worth, they list him at 6-3, 215.

IN OTHER NEWS. ...

--- The Orange County Register examines UCLA's suddenly shaky cornerback situation heading into Saturday's game.

--- ESPN.com's Ted Miller picks UCLA 24-21 saying Jake Locker's status is worrisome. Miller also has his what to watch in the Pac-10 this week entry, and an update on LeGarrette Blount --- which sounds like basically nothing.

--- Vince Grippi of The Spokesman-Review also picks UCLA though he writes that if Locker is healthy the Huskies should win.

--- If you're curious about the team's schedule for Friday, here it is.

All for now.

Wednesday night links

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 22:30:03 PST

UW special teams, a correction on Rick Neuheisel, and the ubiquitous more. ...

--- For my story for Thursday's paper I looked at some of UW's special teams struggles of late.

--- You might have heard the story of a UCLA parent attacking Neuheisel on his Facebook account over the weekend. The father is now saying he didn't do it. Here's a different version of that story. I made reference to that story in this story on the Bruins today but it will be/has been changed to reflect what the father is now saying.

--- The LA Times, meanwhile, reports that it was "a bad day at practice'' for the Bruins as WRs Randall Carroll and Morrell Presley -- each backups --- left with injuries, while cornerback Aaron Hester, a second-teamer, was ruled out.

--- Nick Daschel says Husky Stadium in its prime was louder than Autzen Stadium was Saturday against USC.

--- Seahawks.com has a nice story on former Husky Louis Rankin, who may now be getting a shot to play with the release of Edgerrin James.

--- This is a little old, but former UW QB Cody Pickett, who had been starting for the Toronto Argonauts, is out for the year with an oblique injury and sounds as if it's uncertain if he'll be back there next season.

All for now.

Wednesday practice report --- Locker takes lots of snaps, but Sarkisian not ready to commit

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:18:03 PST

First things first --- QB Jake Locker took about the same amount of snaps as he would for a normal Wednesday practice, first in the rotation with backup Ronnie Fouch --- and appeared to make it through just fine.

But UW coach Steve Sarkisian said he was still not ready to say Locker will start or play against UCLA Saturday.

Said Sarkisian: "I thought he moved better today. My big thing with all injuries, especially with something like this, is how they respond. We asked him to move a little more today than we did yesterday. The key for me is how he responds tomorrow. I'll be able to make a better assessment Thursday in how he responded from today.''

Asked about Locker's workload, he said it was "pretty much'' the same as normal. "We put Ronnie in for a few more plays than normal, but for the most part, it was about the same.''

Asked if he was surprised by Jake's ability to move around, he said "No. Like everything, I don't try and make expectations based on hope. I just go with what I see and the facts. I don't try and expect things in hoping for them. I kind of wait and see what they look like.''

Asked how his recovery is going, Sarkisian said: "He got through yesterday fine with a little bit of movement. He came back today and moved better, which was encouraging. We asked him to move more, he moved better. Now the key is going to be tomorrow to see how he responds.''

Asked if he still intends for it to be a game-time decision, he said: "I'd rather it not be. I'd rather, for the sake of our football team, to be able to make that decision so everyone know where we're at, one way or another. If it comes to that, it comes to that.''

So does that mean a decision could come on Thursday? "Yeah, I'm hoping he just responds really well tomorrow, he's able to really run around tomorrow. We haven't asked him to do that yet. Hopefully tomorrow he can really get his movement going. ... The big key is going to be tomorrow. Asked him to do more movement stuff today. The big key is how he responds to that tomorrow and then to really get out and run tomorrow.''

Now for some non-Locker news. ...

Wednesday early practice report --- Locker looks ready to go

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:48:03 PST

Well, either Jake Locker is going to play Saturday against UCLA or he just really needs a lot of practice.

In the early portion of Washington's practice Wednesday, when the No. 1 offense runs through the plays it is focusing on for this week's game, Locker took every snap. These are not full-contact run-throughs or anything, so he isn't getting tested in that way. But in what he was being asked to do, he looked just fine.

(And for those worried such a report might be giving away anything to UCLA, the fact that Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel apparently can barely remember Ronnie Fouch's name I think indicates who he figures will start Saturday).

Here's a picture (I know it's not a great one, but it is what it is) of the team going through early conditioning drills with Locker right in the middle of the action (the yellow No. 10 jersey):

In non-Locker news. ...

--- DT Cameron Elisara is again out as he has apparently not gotten clearance to return from his stinger injury. And that could mean a revamped starting DL with Daniel Te'o-Nesheim inside and true frosh Talia Crichton and Andru Pulu at the ends as DT Everrette Thompson also appears to still be limited --- he's been battliing the flu. If Pulu and Crichton really got the start, that could mean four true freshmen in the starting lineup on defense, joining CB Desmond Trufant and FS Nathan Fellner.

--- OL Mykenna Ikehara also remains out indicating his status is questionable for Saturday as he has not practiced since banging his knee in practice on the Monday of the bye week.

--- And it if needs said, E.J. Savannah is also out with his hand in a pretty big cast. Coach Steve Sarkisian has said Savannah is not out for the year, but he definitely is out for this game.

More after practice.

UW-Oregon State game set for 12:30 p.m. on FSN-NW

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:18:10 PST

What was rumored last night has become official today as the Oregon State game on Nov. 14 will have a 12:30 p.m. kickoff and will be televised live on FSN-Northwest.

That will keep UW's streak of live TV appearances alive --- every game has been on live TV since the 2006 home loss to Stanford, a stretch of 36 in a row.

And that will almost certainly stretch to 38 by the end of the year as it's almost a certainty that the Apple Cup will be on live TV (probably at 3:30 p.m. on FSN though nothing official on that yet). And the Cal game on Dec. 5 has already been picked up by FSN-NW. That game will also start at 3:30 p.m.

As mentioned last night, UW officials wanted a 12:30 p.m. start so they can get out of there via bus before running into any traffic from Oregon's home game that day against ASU, which will start at either 4 or 7:20 p.m.

And as a reminder on this week's TV situation, the UCLA game will be live in the Northwest on FSN except in Oregon (which is showing the Duck game). It will also air on Prime Ticket in California and on FCS-Central nationwide.

Wednesday live chat

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:01:03 PST

Away we go. ...

Wednesday live chat

Wednesday a.m. links

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:17:03 PST

Despite what the little Yahoo thing says, I am not wearing a new shirt today. ...

--- In our weekly look at UW's opponent, I focused on Rick Neuheisel's struggles in his second year at UCLA. The Bruins are 7-13 overall in Neuheisel's two years there, and 3-11 in Pac-10 play, beating only UW, WSU and Stanford last season.

--- Bud Withers takes another look at Oregon's win over USC, along with a few other Pac-10 notes.

--- The Orange Country Register notes that the Bruins are preparing for Jake Locker despite his shaky injury status.

--- This is a pay story from Scout.com with all of Neuheisel's comments following UCLA's practice yesterday. But I link it because it has a comment from Neuheisel indicating just how much difference there is in the eyes of opponents on UW's two QBs. Asked if it matters much if Locker is in or not in, Neuheisel said: "Well, you know, we played against. ... is it Fouch? I think it's Ronnie, right? We played against him last year and I was impressed with him. But Jake Locker is a difference maker.''

--- The LA Daily News notebook focuses on a Colorado transfer looking at UCLA.

--- The LA Times examines UCLA's running back situation and also has some injury updates.

--- Nick Daschel takes a look at Pac-10 coordinators.

--- Jon Wilner ranks the Pac-10 tailbacks and has Chris Polk No. 7.

--- The Spokesman-Review calls Stanford the luckiest team in the Pac-10 for getting to be the team that plays teams that have just beaten USC, including some comments from UW coach Steve Sarkisian.

--- Lots of Pac-10 news and links from Ken Goe at The Oregonian. The Spokesman-Review also has links.

All for now.

Live chat at 11 a.m.

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:52:03 PST

We'll hold our weekly live chat on here today at 11 a.m.

More on OSU TV situation, and a few more notes

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:14:02 PST

A hodgepodge entry here with some more info on what's going on with the Oregon State game time and TV situation, an item on a little tiff between UW and Oregon (there's something new) over busing, and a few more notes from Steve Sarkisian's radio show tonight:

--- First, on the Oregon State game Nov. 14 in Corvallis. Reliable word is that an announcement will probably come Wednesday (tomorrow) and that it is likely that the game will kick off at 12:30 p.m. and be televised on FSN-Northwest.

One of the major issues right now is actually traffic.

Oregon is also playing at home that day against Arizona State, at either 4 p.m. or 7:20 p.m., and the Huskies would obviously prefer not to be caught in traffic heading back home as the team is busing to Corvallis. Oregon's starting time won't be decided until Monday. But the hope at UW is that with a 12:30 p.m. start time for its game in Corvallis the Huskies could get out of there before the Oregon game traffic would add to the congestion. Apparently, if TV can't be worked out, the game may just kick at 12:30 p.m. regardless.

--- Speaking of busing, the Huskies are doing it as a cost-saving device -- it apparently is about $50,000 cheaper than flying. UW, Oregon and Oregon State all agreed last year they would bus to games when playing each other (it's not practical for Washington State to be involved in such an arrangement due to the dicey fall/winter time conditions and the distance).

However, in something that irked the Huskies, Oregon broke the agreement for the football game at UW on Oct. 24 when it decided to fly (there was apparently no real signed contract or anything, just a gentleman's agreement that all would bus to save everyone some money). UW had bussed to Oregon for its football game there last year and expected the Ducks to do the same to Seattle this year. But Oregon didn't, and sounds as if the Huskies have already booked flights to Eugene for next year's game there (okay, so they haven't gone that far, but word is they will definitely fly).

NOW FOR A FEW MORE NOTES from Sarkisian's show tonight:

Sarkisian says Locker "better today than yesterday''

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:40:03 PST

Jake Locker was an obvious hot topic at the beginning of Steve Sarkisian's radio show tonight, so figured I'd pass along quickly what he said.

Sarkisian said that Locker "looked better today than yesterday'' and that he is "optimistic'' that Locker will be able to play Saturday against UCLA.

However, he said again no decision has been made and that he will need to see how Locker makes it through the week.

Locker took part in practice today and Sarkisian said Locker was able to handle what the team asked him to do, but he noted that "we didn't ask him to move around a whole lot.''

He said a key will be "how he looks tomorrow.'' He said again that "I don't want to put him out there and cause further injury down the road.''

He said Locker is in rehab sessions three times a day.

"We're very optimistic,'' Sarkisian said. "He's getting better every day.''

I'll have more from the coaches show later.

Practice report --- Locker makes it through, Holt talks defense

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:54:03 PST

Practice is over for today, and while it was about 50 degrees and dropping on the field, the UW coaches tried to get the players in the mood for what awaits Saturday, playing a steady stream of California-themed music --- California Girls, California Dreamin', etc.

And for the second straight day, watching practice indicated that Jake Locker won't just be going to UCLA for a vacation. He took part in all of practice, doing the usual splitting of reps with backup Ronnie Fouch. He didn't run much, though he did roll away from pressure a few times, and didn't seem any worse for the wear. Given the limitations of practice, it was hard to tell if he could really let it rip running, but in terms of the basic QB stuff --- dropping back and throwing, etc. --- he seemed fine.

Otherwise, it was our day to talk to defensive players and coaches, which meant our weekly visit with defensive coordinator Nick Holt. He spoke for about 15 minutes on a wide range of topics, and for this post, I'll just pass along the most newsworthy personnel highlights and I'll save some of the scouting report on UCLA and general comments for later.

--- Holt said it's uncertain whether Anthony Boyles, who continues to see time at CB after switching from WR, will play against UCLA. "Maybe, maybe,'' he said. "It's a long road. You kind of wish you had done it a long time ago. But you know, if he can get in and do some good things all the power to him. But it's hard to throw a guy in live bullets and expect him to play really well. You have to keep it real simple that's for sure.''

--- He said it's pretty much the same situation for Alvin Logan, who has been moved to weakside linebacker. "He's in the same boat. We probably should have done it a while ago, but we made the move and it's a good move for both those guys for the future. Is it going to help us right now, this minute, in a game? I don't know that yet. But in the future it will.'' Holt said Logan weighs at least 220 and is more than big enough to handle LB.

Early practice update

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:34:03 PST

Back from the opening moments of practice, and in case there was any doubt, Jake Locker was in full pads and appeared to be fully participating --- though all they do in the early part is a walk-through so hard to tell much.

Also in full pads were WR Jordan Polk and DTs Everrette Thompson and De'Shon Matthews who all sat out practice on Monday.

However, Cameron Elisara was back in a red jersey, and OL Mykenna Ikehara was still out.

Sarkisian says Locker may be gametime decision

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:08:03 PST

Steve Sarkisian's time on the Pac-10 conference call has come and gone, and as might be expected, the main topic was the health of QB Jake Locker, who is attempting to get past a deep thigh bruise suffered against Oregon Oct. 24.

Locker practiced Monday, appearing to split the reps with the first unit with backup Ronnie Fouch.

But Sarkisian said that doesn't necessarily mean Locker will play Saturday against UCLA, saying Locker will have to make it through the week without any other setbacks.

"I don't know if we'll be able to make this decision prior to game time or not,'' Sarkisian said, adding that they may have to "wake up Saturday morning and see how he is feeling.''

Sarkisian noted that Locker wasn't asked to do any real running in practice Monday so the injury wasn't greatly tested.

"We limited him to some degree yesterday,'' he said. "We didn't have him running around, he was not doing anything that put any real stress on that thing. Hopefully by doing that we can get that thing even more rest to reduce the swelling. But at some point we have to ask him to do some of those things here throughout the week to see what his limitations are and what he can do.''

Conference call notes --- Neuheisel remembers good times at UW

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:26:03 PST

Former UW and current UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel will face his former team for the second time Saturday. And it was an obvious question on today's Pac-10 coaches conference call to wonder if seeing the Huskies on the other sideline Saturday will hold any special meaning.

"I always have a feeling when we play Washington,'' he said. "I have great memories there. There's no animosity there, if that's what you're asking. I just remember the good times that I had while I was there.''

He then added that the UW factor is "down by the wayside'' with UCLA at 0-5 in conference play and simply needing a win against anybody.

"We are starving (for a win),'' he said. "We've just not quite played well enough to get over the top, and the only way I know how to fix that is to keep working at it and getting guys to understand that little things matter and hopefully we can get past that barrier this weekend.''

As has every coach UW has faced this season, Neuheisel heaped praise on UW QB Jake Locker and said he fully expects Locker to play despite having a deep thigh bruise.

"I'm sure he will be in the game, and what a fabulous player he is,'' Neuheisel said. "He's a truly remarkable guy. I know there are a lot of QBs who get the accolades and because of the programs they are in. But I don't think there's a finer quarterback in the country. I would be shocked if very many would be picked ahead of Locker if he were available.''

Neuheisel repeated a story he told yesterday that he was a guest coach at the Manning Passing Academy a few years ago that Locker attended and the two worked together a little bit. "He's just a remarkable young man,'' Neuheisel said.

As for what he's seen of the Huskies, Neuheisel said that "Sark (Steve Sarkisian) is off to agreat start and they've had a couple of signature-type performances, and it's fun to see Husky Stadium jumping around again.I watched bits and pieces of the USC game and when the camera starts shaking you start harkening back to some very fond memories.''

Tuesday a.m. links

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:36:03 PST

Election-day links. ...

--- Here's my story for today's paper on Jake Locker, with a few other notes tossed in.

--- Nick Daschel has UW eighth, though maybe it's really seventh, in his weekly Pac-10 power ratings, and says he expects a much better effort Saturday against UCLA.

--- The LA Times notes that UCLA's schedule eases a bit now.

--- The Times also has a feature on UCLA WR Nelson Rosario, who will be a really tough matchup for the Huskies Saturday. His TD against OSU Saturday is one of the highlight-reel plays of the season in the Pac-10.

--- The Orange County Register writes that the UCLA defense may finally respect its offense a bit after the rally against Oregon State.

--- A UCLA notebook from the LA Daily News group.

--- Here's an AP overview of UCLA's current state.

--- Interesting story from the LA Times on how Pete Carroll's former assistants have fared as head coaches --- not all that well so far.

--- Rick Neuheisel and Locker have a prior connection.

More later today from the Pac-10 coaches conference call and practice.

No time yet for Oregon State

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:24:02 PST

It was expected that a game time and TV info for the Nov. 14 game at Oregon State would be announced today.

Instead, no announcement came, and late in the day, the conference made another announcement saying that several adjustments had been made to the TV situation for that day.

What the conference announced is that:

--- The Stanford-USC game will be televised live on FSN at 12:30 p.m.;

--- It will go to the rarely-used six-day selection windows for the 4 p.m. game on Versus and the 7:20 slot on ESPN/ABC. However, what it also announced is that ESPN/ABC will select first between Arizona State at Oregon and Arizona at California. Versus will televise the game not selected by ESPN/ABC.

--- And that there will no longer have an exclusive telecast window at 12:30 p.m on Nov. 14, "so UCLA at Washington State and Washington at Oregon State should work with their institutional carriers to determine game start times.''

So that means UW and OSU will apparently have to work with FSN-NW (or FCS) to get the game on regionally, and also assuming that means if they did that, it would be at 12:30 p.m. So sounds like a 12:30 p.m. game on one of the FSN channels. Or, if that can't be worked out, untelevised and probably at OSU's normal start time, which was 1 p.m. for Saturday's game against UCLA. (That game, if you recall, had no live TV and was instead on delay on FSN-NW).

Not sure how soon any of this can be worked out but as soon as i know anything official I will pass it along here.

UW commit Chris Young suspended

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:15:03 PST

Sandy Ringer of our staff has the details here on some bad news for Chris Young, a running back/defensive back at Auburn High School and one of the top-rated commits in UW's Class of 2010.

An obvious question for those who read this blog is whether this will impact his scholarship status with the Huskies. Too early to know that right now but if/when information on that arises we'll pass it along. UW coaches can't comment on individual recruits until they sign letters-of-intent, which Young has not done --- he has merely committed and like all commits, cannot sign until February. So this isn't something UW coach Steve Sarkisian can comment on.

Young has been putting up huge numbers as a running back at Auburn --- as the story details, he has 27 TDs and 1,424 rushing yards so far. But he has been expected to be a defensive back at UW, said by some to be maybe the best safety prospect in the state since Lawyer Milloy in the early '90s. That's obviously an area the Huskies need to shore up so Young's commitment was regarded as a key one for the Huskies. He was rated a 4-star recruit by Scout.com.

However, Young has also been rumored to have some academic issues that could potentially impact his ability to enroll immediately, something he acknowledged in this story a couple months ago.

Monday practice update

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:36:02 PST

Back from UW's practice, which concluded about 5:15 or so after about a 90-minute workout at Husky Stadium.

Jake Locker basically split the reps at QB with Ronnie Fouch --- appeared to be about the normal division --- working with the No. 1 offense. Frankly, if you didn't know Locker was hurt you wouldn't have known he was hurt from watching this workout. The caveats to that are that it was a no-contact practice --- the team was in just helmets and shoulder pads and sweats/shorts --- and he didn't do any real running, just throwing and handing off.

But considering this is Monday, seemed like the kind of start to the week for a guy who will play on Saturday, though as noted earlier, some of this is also seeing how his leg reacts each day to work the day before. Keith Price worked with the scout team as Locker and Fouch handled all the duties with the main offense, as is the norm.

I didn't see Anthony Boyles get much work at cornerback but he was with the defense today. The guy who got a lot of work with the defense was Alvin Logan, who appeared to take most of the snaps with the No, 2 defense at weakside linebacker, where Cort Dennison is likely to fill in as the starter for E.J. Savannah this week. The other backup LBs were Trenton Tuiasosopo and Josh Gage, working at the other two LB slots.

Also, Everrette Thompson and De'Shon Matthews were each sitting out. UW coach Steve Sarkisian said earlier that Thompson has the flu. Matthews looked likely in the same boat though we didn't get official confirmation of that.

Locker taking snaps early on

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:23:02 PST

Back from the opening minutes of UW's practice and QB Jake Locker is in pads --- well, half-pads as the team is practicing in helmets, shoulder pads and shorts/sweats --- and doing all the usual work early on.

Locker and Ronnie Fouch were working with the starting skill guys as Keith Price ran the scout team offense against the defense. It's hard to say how he looked since the early period was going through plays at about 3/4 speed or so, and with no contact or anything like that. But in what he was doing in that period, he looked normal.

As for other personnel news. ...

--- LB E.J. Savannah was not in pads and appeared to have his arm/hand in a cast (he had it covered so hard to tell completely).

--- OL Mykenna Ikehara, resting a knee that he banged last Monday, was not in pads.

--- WR Jordan Polk was also not in pads and was running the steps.

--- DE Kalani Aldrich and DT Cameron Elisara were each back working with the defense.

--- Cort Dennison was working with the starting defense in place of Savannah. Alvin Logan got some reps with the No. 2's at that spot, as well. (Josh Gage can also play there).

More later.

Locker talk

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:55:03 PST

Here's some of what Jake Locker had to say today during his weekly meeting with the media, which for obvious reasons focused on his deep thigh bruise and recovery:

How are you feeling?: ''Uh, pretty good. I got a chance to run around a little bit yesterday. We'll see how I feel when I go back out there today and run around again.''

What are the chances you are going to play Saturday?: "I should be ready to go. We'll see how it progresses through the week.''

What is the toughest thing about the deep thigh bruise? Is it the running?: "It's stiff. There's a good amount of bleeding and swelling. And you just have to get it out of there so everything functions right.''

Do you know when it happened?: "It was the first quarter. We were going in on third down. It was a third down run. I kept it and got the first down and right at the end of the play I got a helmet to my thigh.''

More from Sarkisian

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:59:03 PST

Here are some of the highlights of Steve Sarkisian's Monday press conference:

Did Jake Locker practice Sunday?: Jake did. He was limited. But he did practice yesterday. He's going to be a day-to-day guy. We're not going to force him back on the field if he's not healthy and ready to go. I would anticipate that he would be, but it remains day to day. We'll see how he can come back from it, a light workout last night, and then how he can come back from today. And then, obviously, we'll have to assess it day in and day out as we keep moving forward.

What do you need to see from him for him to play?: Well, just a mobility standpoint. I don't want to put a guy out there that can't move, that is just a sitting target to get hit. So we'll assess him daily. I think it's getting healthy by the day. But with that comes the workload of: do you work him and then it's one hit and then he's back out? Is it one strain and it hurts him again? So we've got to be cognizant of that. If all of a sudden he takes one hit in the first quarter and he's out, so we've got to be smart of what we're doing rep-wise to get Ronnie (Fouch) prepared as well.

Is it a deep thigh bruise?: That's what it is. Those things are nasty. They get in there, and I believe that's why they call it a deep thigh bruise. They're deep in there. Once the bruising is there, then the swelling begins throughout the leg, then the bleeding. They're nasty. They're tough. They're obviously a little bit more common with running backs, wide receivers; those are the guys that get them. But he's got it this week.

Sark says Locker questionable; Locker says he'll play

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:10:03 PST

Except for the pizza eating by media --- man can some of us put it away --- the Monday press luncheon is over.

The big news is kind of muddled news as Steve Sarkisian said he would officially term Jake Locker as "questionable'' to play this week due to the deep thigh bruise he suffered against Oregon.

Sarkisian says there continues to be bleeding and swelling in Locker's thigh, hampering his mobility.

However, when Locker met with us he said "I should be ready to go.''

Locker hedged a little saying he would "see how it progresses during the week'' but fully indicated he would play.

He was apparently a little limited in Sunday night's practice, the first since the team returned from a bye, but did more running around than last week, when he did little.

If Locker can't play, the starter would be backup Ronnie Fouch, who took most of the reps with the No. 1 offense last week. Sarkisian said if need be, he would play true frosh Keith Price, though ideally he would like to redshirt Price.

I'll have more complete quotes and details from Sarkisian and Locker later.

In other injury news, Sarkisian said E.J. Savannah is "very iffy'' with a broken hand suffered against Oregon. He had surgery on Friday, apparently.and Sarkisian said it would probably be best to sit Savannah this week and allow him to recover to play in the final three games. Cort Dennison would likely start in place of Savannah.

Sarkisian said everyone else (other than the previously injured guys) should be ready to go this week. That includes DT Cameron Elisara, who sat out last week with a stinger issue.

He said DT Everrette Thompson was limited with the flu during Sunday's practice but thinks he'll be able to return.

Sarkisian also said the UW coaches saw at least 30 high school games while recruiting over the weekend.

This week's TV info and depth chart

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:14:02 PST

The updated depth chart and TV info from the University of Washington, released every Monday, is out.

First off, no kickoff time yet for the Oregon State game.

As for this week's game at UCLA, here is the wording straight from the school: "The Washington-UCLA game will air live on various FSN channels. In the Northwest, fans can watch on FSN, except in Oregon. The game will also air on Prime Ticket in California and on FCS-Central nationwide. Bill MacDonald, James Washington, Courtney Jones and Brooke Olzendam will provide the call.''

Next, here is the official depth chart from the school (which I emphasize this week since some people have written to me thinking this is mine --- I'm just copying the one from the school which you can find here):

You'll note it includes Jake Locker and E.J. Savannah (and features no surprises) though we'll know better about their situations after the press conference today at noon:

OFFENSE
Pos. No. Player Yr., Ht., Wt., Hometown
WR 9 Devin Aguilar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So., 6-0, 184, Denver, Colo.
11 D'Andre Goodwin. Jr., 5-11, 183, Pacoima, Calif.
LT 79 BEN OSSAI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr., 6-6, 335, Bakersfield, Calif.
69 Nick Scott . Sr., 6-5, 318, St. Louis, Mo.
LG 52 Nick Wood. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So., 6-3, 273, Poway, Calif.
79 Ben Ossai . Sr., 6-6, 335, Bakersfield, Calif.
C 65 RYAN TOLAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr., 6-5, 293, Pasco, Wash.
51 Mykenna Ikehara. RS-Fr., 6-2, 260, Mililani, Hawai'i
RG 56 SENIO KELEMETE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So., 6-4, 281, Seattle, Wash.
70 Morgan Rosborough . Sr., 6-6, 379, Long Beach, Calif.
RT 71 CODY HABBEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr., 6-6, 295, Sammamish, Wash.
73 Drew Schaefer. RS-Fr., 6-4, 288, Sammamish, Wash.
TE 4 Chris Izbicki OR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So, 6-3, 232, Kirkland, Wash.
80 Kavario Middleton. . . . . . . . . . . . . . So, 6-5, 253, Lakewood, Wash.
88 Dorson Boyce. Jr., 6-2, 231, New York, N.Y.
QB 10 JAKE LOCKER. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jr., 6-3, 226, Ferndale, Wash.
8 Ronnie Fouch. So, 6-1, 198, Redlands, Calif.
FB 30 PAUL HOMER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sr., 6-1, 237, Omaha, Neb.
47 Austin Sylvester. Jr., 6-1, 241, Reno, Nev.
TB 1 CHRIS POLK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RS-Fr., 5-11, 210, Redlands, Calif.
23 Johri Fogerson . So., 6-1, 191, Kent, Wash.
21 Willie Griffin. So., 5-8, 198, Oakland, Calif.
14 Curtis Shaw. So., 5-10, 186, Stockton, Calif.
22 Demitrius Bronson. Fr., 5-10,
WR 3 James Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fr., 6-0, 193, Valley Center, Calif.
`7 Cody Bruns . So., 5-11, 176, Prosser, Wash.
WR 15 Jermaine Kearse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . So., 6-2, 198, Lakewood, Wash.
11 D'Andre Goodwin. Jr., 5-11, 183, Pacoima, Calif.

Monday a.m. links

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:15:04 PST

Kicking off another week. ...

--- Rick Neuheisel says he came away from his team's loss to OSU impressed by the play of QB Kevin Prince. Also note that UCLA appeared to suffer no new significant injuries.

--- Orange County Register writer Adam Maya offers five observations on UCLA following its loss to OSU and predicts the Bruins won't make a bowl game this year.

--- Bud Withers of our staff looks at the ramifications of Oregon's win over USC.

--- Lots of UCLA coverage from the LA Daily News.

--- ESPN.com's Ted Miller puts UW No. 8 in his weekly Pac-10 power ratings and calls this week's game a must-win.

--- Nick Daschel calls Ben Ossai one of the Pac-10's "under the radar'' players.

--- An announcement could come today on the return of Oregon RB LeGarrette Blount.

All for now.

Ranking the Pac

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 22:53:03 PST

Finally, a change at the top. ...

1, Oregon --- Who'dathunkit on Sept. 3 that the Ducks would be the team to beat by Nov. 1? But that's where the Ducks are, in the driver's seat for their first Rose Bowl in 15 years. Work, though, still awaits --- Oregon has to go to Stanford and Arizona and host Oregon State at the end. Still, an amazing turnaround from that night in Boise.

2, USC --- Is this the end of the reign or a bump in the road? USC is currently starting four seniors on each side of the ball --- though most ominously, the entire secondary right now is seniors as are three of five starting OL.

3, Arizona --- Coming off a bye week to get the next best thing to a second one --- a home game against Washington State. Then travels to Cal before hosting Oregon on Nov. 21 for what could be one of the bigger games in school history.

4, Cal --- Bears have pulled themselves nicely off the mat after the Oregon-USC debacles to prove that this won't be like the 2007 team that folded to the finish. Now get two straight at home against Oregon State and Arizona.

5, Oregon State --- UCLA win just about ensures another bowl game for the Beavers, who travel this week to Cal.

6, Stanford --- Cardinal had last week off to prepare for a visit by the Ducks --- a game in which Stanford will have all kinds of unlikely rooters. And a lot of tough games left for Stanford which will then travel to USC before ending the year with home games against Cal and Notre Dame.

7, Arizona State --- Realistically might have blown shot at a bowl game with its last-minute loss to Cal Saturday. Last four are USC, at Oregon, at UCLA and Arizona. Hard to see two wins there.

8, Washington --- Huskies have to hope Jake Locker got healthy over the bye week and that they now can solve the mystery of beating UCLA in Pasadena --- Huskies haven't won there since 1995.

9, UCLA --- An 0-5 conference start is raising lots of questions about the direction of things under Rick Neuheisel. But Bruins have a chance to get healthy in their next three --- home to UW, at WSU and then home to ASU.

10, Washington State --- Only nine teams in the country are already bowl ineligible. Cougs one of them.