Washington Huskies News

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Pac-10 No. 3 ACC No. 4 Big 12 No. 5 Big Ten No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11 2. Pac-10 1. Stanford 2. Oregon 3.... USC 4. Arizona 5. Oregon State 6. California 7. Arizona State 8. UCLA 9. Washington 10. Washington State Rising Stanford: Because Pac-10 teams like to use "body of work" as a poll argument, we will, too. Who's playing better than Stanford right now? For the time being, anyway. Falling Washington: Without a freak interception return for a touchdown against Arizona—yet another blown replay call this season—the Huskies would be riding a six-game losing streak since upsetting USC. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Pac-10 No. 3 Big Ten No. 4 ACC No. 5 Big 12 No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11 2. Pac-10 1. Oregon 2. USC 3. Arizona... 4. Oregon State 5. Stanford 6. California 7. Arizona State 8. Washington 9. UCLA 10. Washington State Rising Oregon: Ducks have outscored their last five Pac-10 opponents 208-58 and are primed for first Rose Bowl in 15 years. Falling USC: All that talk about USC's dominating defense has come to this: In the last three games, the Trojans have given up 110 points and 1,462 yards. Yikes. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 Pac-10 No. 2 SEC No. 3 ACC No. 4 Big East No. 5 Big Ten No. 6 Big 12 Nos. 7-11 1. Pac-10 1. USC 2. Oregon 3.... Arizona 4. Stanford 5. California 6. Oregon State 7. Arizona State 8. Washington 9. UCLA 10. Washington State Rising USC: QB Matt Barkley gets more comfortable and confident with each game, and the offense now is doing what everyone thought it would: carrying the defense. Falling Arizona State: Sun Devils are limited offensively, and struggle to string together consecutive successful plays. Now, the problem: The heavy lifting of the schedule looms. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. 2. Pac-10 1. USC 2. Oregon 3. Arizona 4. Oregon State 5. California 6. Stanford 7. Arizona State 8. Washington 9. UCLA 10. Washington State Rising Arizona: Wildcats have become the epitome of the Pac-10 (outside USC) reputation: last team with the ball wins. Why knock it? They're in the BCS rankings for first time under coach Mike Stoops. Falling UCLA: First it was... struggles on offense, then a stout defense caved last weekend vs. Cal. Lack of consistency has pushed UCLA back to the lower half of the league.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Big 12 No. 3 Pac-10 No. 4 ACC No. 5 Big Ten No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11 3. Pac-10 1. Oregon 2. USC 3. Oregon... State 4. Stanford 5. Washington 6. Cal 7. Arizona 8. UCLA 9. Arizona State 10. Washington State Rising Oregon State. Haven't we seen this movie before? Beavers struggle to begin the season before taking down a Pac-10 leader (Stanford last week) on the way to another strong—eight or nine wins—finish. Falling UCLA. The situation at quarterback is an absolute mess no matter who plays. In 17 games under coach Rick Neuheisel, Bruins quarterbacks have thrown 26 interceptions against 11 touchdown passes. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Dave Curtis Washington, winless a year ago, has become a much-watched team in 2009 thanks to some of the season's craziest finishes. The Huskies' trend continued Saturday night, when linebacker Mason Foster intercepted a pass off an Arizona receiver's foot with less than three minutes to play. He returned the pick for 40 yards to the end zone, the deciding points in a 36-33 UW victory. The whole thing came after 1:30 a.m. Sunday on the... East Coast. Here's some inside perspective on the big play: The huddle Arizona had dominated the second half, building a 33-21 lead and closing in on a key Pac-10 road win. Huskies QB Jake Locker hit Kavario Middleton for a touchdown with 2:55 left, and UW needed a defensive stand to give its offense a last crack at victory. Mason Foster said he wanted to make something happen. Cats quarterback Nick Foles had looked good all day, completing 35-of-46 passes for 357 yards until that point. Still, Washington, which had scored on defense in its last two games, talked of making more magic. "I told (UW linebacker) Donald (Butler) before the play, 'Let's make something happen,' " Foster told reporters in Seattle on Saturday. "Do something crazy." The line of scrimmage For a kill-the-clock situation, the Wildcats' trips-right formation seemed a bit strange. But Washington wasn't fooled – the Huskies suspecting pass after holding Arizona to 75 rushing yards on 28 carries to that point. UW cornerback Desmond Trufant told Sporting News on Sunday that the Huskies lined up in cover-3 on the play, which brings the linebackers underneath to guard against a short pass or draw. Foster was a step ahead of even that and smelled a bubble screen. "We had stuffed their run plays, and that was their go-to play all game," he said Saturday night. "So I was kind of sitting on it." The play Foles takes a shotgun snap and spins right – sure enough, it's a screen. Foster, who lined outside the right tackle, darted between Foles and intended receiver Delashaun Dean. Foles pump faked, then tried to hit Dean further upfield. But Dean lost his balance trying to catch a poor throw, and as he fell to the ground, the spiral ricocheted off his right foot and into Foster's tummy. "I thought it was incomplete," Trufant said. "And then the ball somehow just flies in the air. He just caught it and started running." With a bevy of Huskies, including Coach Steve Sarkisian, doing their best third-base coach imitations, Foster sprinted down the sideline untouched for 37 yards. As television replays rolled, Fox Sports play-by-play man Tim Glasgow deemed the play "Immaculate Reception variety." Perhaps defensive lineman Daniel Te'o-Nesheim provided the most appropriate description. "The only thing I can say," he told reporters in Seattle, "is that it was just Mason being awesome." Related Links What we learned: Tebow has done it all Sporting News' top 25 The hangover cure: Week 6 The aftermath Foster's play stood after a replay review, and the ensuing two-point conversion gave UW 15 points in 18 seconds. The Husky Stadium crowd noise reached USC-upset decibel levels. But 2:37 remained, and Arizona would rally to drive into Washington territory. Then Trufant snagged an interception, the first of the true freshman's college career, to ice the win. The victory, he said, counts as another early step in a so-far exciting revival in the Northwest. "It's been great, this season," Trufant said. "We couldn't ask for anything more." Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Big 12 No. 3 ACC No. 4 Big Ten No. 5 Pac-10 No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11 5. Pac-10 1. Oregon 2. USC 3.... Stanford 4. Arizona 5. Washington 6. UCLA 7. Oregon State 8. California 9. Arizona State 10. Washington State Rising Stanford. Jim Harbaugh has completely changed the culture of the program from a finesse team hoping to stay close to a physical team looking to punish. Yeah, that $70K bathroom was worth it. Falling Arizona State. Sun Devils offense can't find a groove and can't help an underrated defense stay off the field. Teams don't win games with a quarterback completing 51 percent of his passes.  more>>

It's clear Grams isn't our typical life veteran. For starters, she still hasn't become a prisoner to a routine. There's no static wake-up time, no weekly outings. Breakfast is a little bit different every day. Maybe that's why she's shrugged off these first few weeks of the season, when all the juggernauts -- even Tim Tebow -- took a shot to the chin. From BYU (she had it) to Houston (not so much), the craziness hasn't rattled her a bit. "It's no big deal," she said. "The good teams will end... up OK." Sound philosophy, it seems. But as this week is sure to show, 2009 remains too tough to call. Here are the five games, straight-up as always... No. 22 Michigan at Michigan State, Noon, BTN The Skinny: Grams got a little down on the Big Ten after last week's returns from Happy Valley. "I was disappointed in Penn State," she said. And, according to witnesses, she stuck a pin in her Paterno bobblehead as she spoke. For revenge, she goes upset this week. Grams B: Michigan State, 26-20 Dave: Michigan, 35-20 Washington at Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m., NBC The Skinny: Back on the bandwagon, Grams didn't even need to know about Washington to pick this game. She's on a roll in college football roulette -- always bet on blue and gold. "Notre Dame's winning again," she said. "I'm going with them." Grams B: Notre Dame, 27-14 Dave: Washington, 33-27 No. 4 LSU at No. 18 Georgia, 3:30 p.m., CBS The Skinny: A shootout in the SEC? Maybe so, especially if Charles Scott's dormant season gets a jump-start in Athens. Let him loose, Les Miles. Jordan Jefferson isn't bringing a championship. Grams B: Georgia, 31-21 Dave: LSU, 31-27 No. 7 USC at No. 24 California, 8 p.m., ABC The Skinny: As the week rolled on, the Trojans seem to move from dejected by Stafon Johnson's injury to inspired by his recovery. Is their focus distracted? Or are they motivated to blow the doors off the Bears? Related Links Matt Hayes' Week 5 picks SN staff picks Previews, projections, weather Grams B: USC, 35-17 Dave: California, 30-28 No. 8 Oklahoma at No. 17 Miami, 8 p.m., ABC The Skinny: Too bad Grams didn't follow her peers to a South Florida retirement -- Friday afternoon, seats remained available on TicketMaster for this showdown. "It's going to be a close one," Grams said. Grams B: Oklahoma, 31-24 Dave: Oklahoma, 45-17 Last week: Grams B: 3-2; Dave: 2-3 2009: Grams B: 13-7; Dave: 10-10 2008: Grams B 48-32; Dave 41-39 Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.more>>

Sporting News' Dave Curtis analyzes what Wednesday's buzz means to college football. Jones' Heavy Heart SMU coach June Jones has split time this week between preparing his Mustangs for TCU and monitoring headlines a half a world away. Jones said Wednesday he has hundreds of friends in American Samoa, which has endured severe property damage and loss of life after earthquakes and a tsunami ravaged the small nation. "It's one thing when you watch it happen somewhere else," Jones told Sporting... News by phone from Dallas. "But when you're attached to the people, man, it's devastating." Jones has recruited players from the island nation since the 1990s, but his annual trips there have taken greater significance. He said he leads medical missions that have brought about $800,000 in medical supplies to American Samoa, and he and his coaches run football clinics there every June. The relationships built on the trips have made the disaster personal. Jones said the Letuli family, among his closest friends in Samoa, lost their homes. And a photo gallery on the Honolulu Advertiser website featured a shot of Keith Ah-Soon, one of Jones' former linemen, surveying damaged property. Jones said Wednesday that he struggles to forget the disaster and focus on Saturday's game at TCU. "It's a lot on my mind," he said. "You have to understand in Samoa, they're probably the most giving people you've ever been around. Every one of those people is like family to me." Greatest Fitz Maybe Northwestern's 2-2 record isn't a surprise. But the team's play over those four games, replete with poor tackling and un-sound special teams, was unexpected. And it's got coach Pat Fitzgerald going bonkers. A few sound bites from his weekly news conference… On reviewing Saturday's home loss to Minnesota: "I was done watching our tape before I was done watching the Notre Dame-Purdue game. I can come back and watch it again and again, but I'd rather take a ball-peen hammer to my temple." On the mood of the program: "Nobody's very pleased around here. I have secretaries yelling at me. It's awesome. I couldn't be in a better mood right now." On the special teams: "We broke a single-game record for missed tackles Saturday. I don't have a solution for that besides tackle the guy with the ball." The Wildcats' nine-win season in 2008 ranked among the best stories in college football. But for entertainment's sake, maybe it's better if things don't go as well in Evanston. QB Bonanza Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said this week that Jake Locker and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen arrived at their respective schools anointed as "saviors" of their programs. After rough seas early on, each is prospering now. The two guys, promoted in some circles as future first-round draft picks, meet Saturday. And they could compare notes about overcoming on-field struggles throughout a college career. "It's different coming from high school into college," Clausen told reporters on campus this week. "You think you can step right in and play, but it's something that's extremely tough. It's taken me two, three years to get to this point." Ditto for Locker, who has looked as impressive as any quarterback in the country this year. Look for some big plays in the passing game Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium Dave Curtis is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at dcurtis@sportingnews.com.more>>

Sporting News' Matt Hayes previews the five biggest story lines of the weekend in college football. So much for East Coast Bias: Washington is getting too much love in the polls. 1. The whine stops here It's time we take a long, hard look at the East Coast Bias. Frankly, I'm not seeing it. You know the East Coast Bias, the contrived backlash those on the West Coast feel because their teams/conference don't get the respect they deserve. You want respect? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the... Washington Huskies. Two weeks removed from a nation-worst 15-game losing streak, and one of the five worst teams in the nation over the last four years, the Huskies are in the Top 25 this week simply because they were the latest in a growing line of unranked Pac-10 teams to induce USC's annual fall gag reflex. Imagine that, one week you're the worst program among the BCS leagues. The next, you've arrived in the AP poll with virtually the same team that didn't win a game last year. I'm not minimizing what Steve Sarkisian has accomplished at Washington in his first season. The Huskies play smart and play with emotion — two key characteristics that weren't around in the Tyrone Willingham/Keith Gilbertson eras. But is this team really one of the 25 best in the nation, or are they in the poll because of, say, USC's annual preseason ticket punch to the top five? A bias in-and-of itself. If there were an East Coast bias, USC would've dropped much further than No. 10 in the coaches' poll, and Washington wouldn't be at No. 24 in the AP poll. 2. ECB, Part II A little advice for our friends in the Pac-10 this weekend: better eat another biscuit. Bow up, or your reputation takes another hit. Three games will dictate where the league is headed this season, and if the alleged lack of respect is deserved. California at Oregon: After years of inconsistency, the Bears suddenly have become the league's last chance at the BCS national championship game. The last time Cal rolled into wild Autzen Stadium two years ago, a big win over Oregon came with an injury to quarterback Nate Longshore. The 5-0 Bears then moved to No. 2 in the nation, and the last thing we remember from that season was coach Jeff Tedford throwing his play-call sheet to the ground after backup quarterback Kevin Riley couldn't get out of bounds to stop the clock in a home loss to unranked Oregon State. We remember that, and the six losses in the last eight games of the 2007 season. Washington at Stanford: The follow-up to the upset: a physical Stanford team that is making its move out of the Pac-10 cellar. A loss here wouldn't be damaging for Washington, but would hurt the league's perception (yep, the ECB) if the Huskies follow up the victory over USC with a clunker against the Cardinal. Arizona State at Georgia. We know nothing about ASU, which has wins over I-AA Idaho State and the Sun Belt's Louisiana-Monroe. We know this of Georgia: It can't stop anyone. The Sun Devils better at least make it interesting in Athens this weekend, because a blowout loss will bring more of the You Know What. 3. The Utah attorney general and reality How about this for a big ball of conundrum: TCU, the nation's most underrated team this decade (85-28 since 2000), is more than likely one of two last hopes (including Boise State) for non-BCS schools going undefeated and pressing the playoff envelope. And you know what? Frogs coach Gary Patterson doesn't want a national playoff. He's happy with the imperfectly perfect bowl season that rewards players and protects the regular season. He told me in July that he simply wants automatic access to the big boy bowls for the best non-BCS team. Here's another little secret for your playoff nuts: Chris Petersen, Boise State's blazin-hot coach, isn't too thrilled about a national playoff, either. When I sat down with Pete this spring, his two-pronged response is what everyone on the planet should also consider: How do we know a national playoff will be better, and how do we choose teams (because someone, or some twos, are still getting hosed)? So while the presidents of the Mountain West pop off about equity and fairness, and while the Utah attorney general wastes time and tax dollars stumping for an empty room — a "hearing" on Capitol Hill — the two best non-BCS teams this fall just want to play the games. Because when you get ahead of yourself, you end up in an empty "hearing" with a handful of disinterested legislators, or you wind up losing 54-28 in your home opener to a lost soul of a program. That's why Patterson, whose team plays at Clemson this weekend, and Petersen, whose team plays at Bowling Green, won't get on a soapbox about the BCS. They'll just play, and just win — and let everything fall into place. 4. The month to remember This was the definition of ugly. A young Miami team, with a young quarterback and a new offensive coordinator and a head coach whose teams looked disorganized in his first two seasons, began this fall with the hardest first four weeks in recent history. Four straight games against ranked teams, and any fan worth his weight in midweek DVR replays to get to the next weekend (I admit it, so what?), had the Canes are 1-3 or worse and Randy Shannon's job on the line. And now look: Miami has wins over Florida State and Georgia Tech, and games against Virginia Tech (Saturday) and Oklahoma (Oct. 3) on the horizon. Related Links Hot Seat: Carroll feeling slightly toasty Hayes makes his Week 4 picks Sporting News expert Week 4 picks Curtis: Lions out for revenge vs. Iowa Player of the decade: Tebow or Leinart? It now looks a whole lot like 4-0, and the rebirth of the Miami program. Forget about the Canes' recent problems in Blacksburg (2-5 in their last seven games), this team is playing with confidence and a purpose with the addition of offensive coordinator Mark Whipple and the emergence of quarterback Jacory Harris. The Miami defense still has issues, but it won't be a problem this week against Tech's one-dimensional offense. The big test comes in two weeks against the Sooners, especially if All-American quarterback Sam Bradford returns from a shoulder injury. 5. 2007 all over again Let's see, USC and Oklahoma lose in the first three weeks of the season. Florida and Texas look far from BCS locks in their first tests of the season. You know it's coming. More funky is on the way for top-ranked teams. No. 1 Florida at Kentucky: When you can't stretch the field and your offense is confined to a 12-15-yard box, you're easy to defend. Iowa at No. 5 Penn State: The Spread HD offense looks pretty sleek against kindergartners. Time to see how it runs against the big boys. No.6 California at Oregon: Bears have won once on their last eight trips to Autzen Stadium.   Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Each week, Sporting News' Matt Hayes ranks the Division I-A conferences—and the teams within each league. Conf. rankings No. 1 SEC No. 2 Big 12 No. 3 ACC No. 4 Pac-10 No. 5 Big Ten No. 6 Big East Nos. 7-11: Non-BCS 4. PAC-10 1. California 2.... Oregon 3. USC 4. UCLA 5. Oregon State 6. Washington 7. Arizona State 8. Stanford 9. Arizona 10. Washington State Rising Cal. Can't underestimate the mental value of traveling cross-country and winning in a tough environment at Minnesota, especially considering the results of the two previous cross-country trips for the Bears (blowout losses to Tennessee and Maryland). Falling USC. Trojans are extremely fortunate they're not 1-2 and in a deeper hole. Fortunately, there's Washington State this week before consecutive road games (Cal and Notre Dame) dictate the remainder of the season. Matt Hayes covers college football for Sporting News. E-mail him at mhayes@sportingnews.com.more>>

Hey, didn't you used to be the new-and-improved Tony Romo? Hey, Panthers fans … John Fox has (finally) made it onto the hot seat. FOX Sports' Terry Bradshaw has a bold prediction for what might happen if that seat bursts into flames and Fox is actually fired. Bradshaw says CBS analyst Bill Cowher "desperately wants to get back in the NFL. Cowher will go to Carolina." Throwing gasoline on the fire down in Big D after the Giants stunned the Cowboys in their purty new palace, is a report that... Terrell Owens tweeted last night: "neither ws i, blame the OC & romo!! but i'm happy 2 b where i am but i miss the other guys tht were & r true teammates!!" But now the only tweet comin' up on his page regarding the Cowboys-Giants game is: "Look, I'm nt gonna say anything bad about the cowboys, I hate tht sum of my boys played hard & they lost! Hope my boy MB is ok!! Nite!" How many comebacks does pitcher-turned-outfielder Rick Ankiel have in him? Maybe one more with the Pirates after a down year with the Cardinals. Those folks in Seattle sure are excited about the Huskies beating USC and being ranked No. 24. "I thought it would be a little more methodical and take a little longer," UW athletic director Scott Woodward told the Seattle Times. Woodward made the somewhat outside-the-box hire of the 35-year-old Steve Sarkisian, who had no head-coaching experience before being named at UW. "Obviously it's a pleasant surprise. That's not to say I have low expectations for coach Sarkisian or the team. I just didn't think it would come this fast." Fly's not sure Dale Earnhardt Jr. has any room to bash other drivers about their levels of talent. But for once, Earnhardt was showing some on Sunday, running in the top 5 at the Sylvania 300 in New Hampshire when David Reutimann spun him out. After the wreck, Junior was none too happy: "My car is torn up and [Reutimann] ain't got enough talent to run in the top five, I guess," Earnhardt said. "He run down into the side of me and spun me out. ... I mean we're all running real hard, but you've got to know how much race car you've got and you've got to know how much talent you've got before you go down in the corner. He never knows. It's disappointing."more>>