Washington Huskies 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Washington 2008 Record: (0-12, 0-9)
Washington 2008 Bowl: none
Washington Coach: Steve Sarkisian (First year at Washington, 0-0 overall)
Washington Offensive Coordinator: Doug Nussmeier
Washington Defensive Coordinator: Nick Holt
Washington Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Terrance Dailey, RB, 338 yards
• Passing: Ronnie Fouch, QB, 1,339 yards
• Receiving: D’Andre Goodwin, WR, 692 yards
• Tackles: Mason Foster, LB, 105
• Sacks: Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, DE, 8.0
• Interceptions: Mason Foster, LB, 1; Tripper Johnson, CB, 1; Quinton Richardson, CB, 1; Trent Tuiasosopo, LB, 1; Nate Williams, S, 1

Notable Washington Returning Players:

LB Donald Butler, RB Willie Griffin, OT Corey Habben, DE Darrion Jones, DT Senio Kelemete, QB Jake Locker, WR Alvin Logan, OT Ben Ossai, DT Alameda Ta’amu, G Ryan Tolar

Washington Key Losses:
P Jared Ballman, CB Mesphin Forrester, C Juan Garcia, TE Michael Gottlieb, K Ryan Perkins, G Jordan White-Frisbee

Last season was nothing less than the worst year in Washington football history. The Huskies’ 0-12 record was the nation’s only winless finish in division one football and UW is in the midst of a school-worst 14 game losing streak. Former head boss Tyrone Willingham was fired after a year filled with injury and bad luck, leaving with only 11 wins in four seasons. However, there is a great deal of optimism surrounding the Husky program with the hire of new head coach Steve Sarkisian, who was at USC the last seven years. Sarkisian also brought USC’s defensive coordinator, Nick Holt, along with him and hopes are at their highest in a decade in Seattle. With eighteen starters back and a healthy quarterback, it could be quite a turnaround to start off the Sarkisian era.

The aforementioned quarterback is junior Jake Locker, whose style of play and toughness earned him the nickname the ‘Tim Tebow of the West’. In 2007 as a freshman, he ran for 986 yards and passed for over 2,000! Locker was lost in the 4th game of the season last year and the Huskies fell apart without him. I think he’s the best quarterback in the entire conference when healthy and if he takes all the snaps this season it will make a huge difference. Locker wasn’t the only injury casualty last season: Freshman tailback Chris Polk redshirted after being injured in week two and should be a dynamic presence this season in the backfield. The line was also seriously banged up and should be much improved this year with some semblance of consistency. At wide receiver, last season’s top three targets are back, led by junior D’Andre Goodwin, who had 60 catches for 692 yards to lead the team.

Injuries caused UW to run for less than half the yards they gained in 2007 and they also scored 16 less points, posting a paltry 13 per game! With Locker and Polk running behind a healthy line, I can see UW making a huge jump on offense and having renowned QB guru Sarkisian aiding Locker’s development will only make the passing game stronger. I expect UW to be significantly improved on offense so long as they aren’t decimated by injuries once more.

Defensively, the Huskies were downright putrid in 2008, allowing more than 38 points per game! The big problem was their porous run defense, which gave up over 240 yards per game on the ground! The good news is that a year’s worth of getting their butts handed to them should have toughened up the front and Holt was known for fielding very solid run defenses at USC. The entire defensive front returns, led by 2008 1st team All-Pac Ten end Daniel Te’o-Neshiem. DTN notched 65 tackles and 8 sacks last fall and was a very disruptive force off the edge. After starting underclassmen at the tackle positions in 2008, the Huskies should have a much stronger D-Line this year with the extra experience and time in the weight room. At linebacker, UW will get a huge boost from the return of senior EJ Savannah, who was the team’s top tackler in 2007 but didn’t qualify in 2008. Along with junior Mason Foster, who was the team’s top tackler last fall with 105, Savannah should be the anchor of one of the better sets of linebackers in the conference. With Savannah back and a lot more experience up front, I could legitimately see the Huskies halving opponents’ production on the ground.

The secondary is more of a concern despite returning three starters. The Huskies allowed over two thirds of opposing passes to be completed, one of the worst rates in the country! Washington did play a ton of underclassmen last season and were absolutely racked by injuries, so I have to think that they’ll be significantly better this fall. However, I can’t expect much more than an average pass defense. With a new defensive coordinator and a new attitude, along with a lot more experience up front and the return of a familiar star, I really think that UW will see significant improvement on defense. I expect a much, much better rush defense and I think the pieces are in place for a decent secondary. Expect the Huskies to be much tougher to move the ball against this fall.

The conference schedule is also more favorable as the Huskies have five home conference games. Unfortunately, they continue their recent trend of extremely difficult opening months with visits from LSU and USC in September, both of whom are expected to be ranked in the top 10! With these two games, UW will have played eight ranked teams in the last four Septembers! It won’t get any easier after that, as they have to travel to Notre Dame in the beginning of October, giving UW one of the country’s toughest opening schedules for the 4th straight year.

I really like the Sarkisian hire and bringing Holt along with him was a coup. Furthermore, the Huskies have had such terrible luck with injuries the past two seasons and I think a season of full health could produce a significantly stronger team. If the Huskies can weather the opening storm, then I wouldn’t be shocked if they finished with a winning conference record. However, with LSU and Notre Dame on the non-conference docket, I think that they’ll be hard pressed to get to a bowl game in Sark’s first year but I expect significant improvement and 4-5 wins is a strong possibility.

Washington Big Games: Sept. 5th vs. LSU, Sept. 19th vs. USC, Oct. 3rd @ Notre Dame, Oct. 10th vs. Arizona, Oct. 24th vs. Oregon, Nov. 7th @ UCLA, Nov. 28th vs. WSU, Dec. 5th vs. Cal

Washington ‘s Strength:

Coach Sarkisian’s specialty fits right into Washington’s best player. Quarterback Jake Locker is a superb dual-threat quarterback who can make things happen with his arm and his feet. He might not be the next Mark Sanchez, but Locker certainly has the talent to turn things around. During the 2008 campaign, Locker missed nearly the entire season due to an injury and now he is healthy and ready to turn around what was one of the worst offensive teams in the nation. Running back Chris Polk is full of potential and the redshirt freshman could be starting from day one. There are even some decent young receivers hanging around Seattle. D’Andre Goodwin was backup quarterback Ronnie Fouch’s favorite target a year ago and sophomore Jermaine Kearse could emerge as the team’s much needed deep threat.

Washington ‘s Weakness:

Like the offense, the defense ranked near or at the bottom of every major statistical category in the Pac-10. The defense also returns a majority of their starters, but they do not get back a player like Locker. However, injured linebacker E.J. Savannah is back and he should immediately help bolster the defense. With Mason Foster also back, the linebackers could actually be pretty good. The front line has to get more pressure on the opposing quarterback since this team barely averaged more than one sack per game. That job will fall to ends Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and Darrion Jones. Amazingly the secondary did a decent job last year, led by safety Nate Williams, despite the lack of a pass rush. If the Huskies can find a way into the opposing backfield, the Huskies defense should be better.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Huskies:

However, simply being better might not be good enough to win many games. Washington has a lot of rebuilding to do and Coach Sarkisian has a lot of work to do. The goal this year should not be a bowl game, but that is an outside possibility if Locker and Savannah can be the difference makers that everybody expects them to be. But with LSU and USC on the schedule by the middle of September, the Huskies will most likely start off slow and be chasing victories the rest of the season.

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