If you're a Washington Husky, there are two games on your schedule that are highlighted immediately each year: Washinton State in the Apple Cup and the University of Oregon. Those geographic rivals will always take top billing, but if the Cougars and Ducks occupy Husky fans' every waking thought, it's the Stanford Cardinal that lurks in the darkest corners of their nightmares.
Stanford has beaten the YouDub (or do we spell it the EweDub?) four years in a row, and outscored them 106-21 over the past two. Leading up to the 2011 game, Husky players and head coach Steve Sarkisian spoke openly about the need to atone for the previous year's 41-0 home shutout, but they were physically, emotionally, and spiritually broken after yielding 65 points and a Stanford-record 446 yards rushing in another loss.
So what will this year bring? What can we expect to see from the Huskies this year? I obviously don't know, so I went to two people who do. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times and John Berkowitz of UW Dawg Pound (you can find my answers to his Cardinal questions over there) were both kind enough to answer my questions about the Huskies. Enjoy...
Go Mighty Card:
Every game is supposed to count the same in the standings, but based on the recent history of this series (four straight losses, including 41-0 in 2010 and 65-21 in '11), am I correct in thinking that Husky players and fans have been looking forward to this game for a while?
Bob Condotta:
I'm sure all of that makes this game mean a little more for UW fans and players. But you're not hearing that from the coaches and players this week as Steve Sarkisian is trying to get his team to turn inward and worry more about what it has to do than the opponent it is playing. That's a common approach but one UW appears to be emphasizing more this year with a front-loaded schedule of big games. As much as the Stanford series has been vexing, UW next plays Oregon and that series has been even more frustrating for UW players and fans of late. So I think Sarkisian is attempting not to really play that card a whole lot since the reality is that every Pac-12 series has a certain sense of history and importance. What makes this game feel more urgent in some ways it simply where it rests on the schedule. If UW wins it, it gets to 3-1 before the end of September and before a trip to Oregon. Lose it, and UW is obviously 2-2 heading to Eugene and facing the prospect of falling into a little of a hole.
John Berkowitz:
I don't think looking forward is the correct phrase. I think dreading would be more like it especially after the beating you guys administered to USC the other day. We have a lot of respect for Stanford and the Cardinal program seems to be reloading rather than rebuilding. I have been observing the team and fan base for over fifty years and this is one of the lower points that I have seen.
GMC:
Washington is 2-1, but the two wins have come against San Diego State and Portland State, while the loss was a 41-3 demolition at the hands of LSU. What's the mood around the team and in the fan base as the Huskies head into the Pac-12 schedule?
BC:
A little bit of uneasy trepidation, probably. I think most around the program saw this season as another step in the rebuilding process to get to true contending status since the Huskies remain young --- just just four seniors listed as starters this week. But the first two games in particular raised a lot of questions about just how ready this team is to truly take that next step --- Sarkisian's stated goal for this season. And those worries have only been heightended by a number of key injuries that date to spring ball. Depending on exactly how you do the counting, about 10 players who could be considered potential starters this year have suffered significant injuries. A good performance against Stanford would obviously ease a lot of anxiety. And a poor one would obviously only heighten it more.
JB:
The mood is really somber right now. Nobody is really looking forward to the next three games against the Tree, Trojans, and Ducks. The loss to LSU really took the steam out the team and the fan base. It illustrates how far we are from becoming an elite program again.
GMC:
Keith Price started slowly, but he bounced back nicely against Portland State. Aside from the numbers, how has he looked so far this season?
BC:
Your question is fair since it's sort of the logical way to look at things from the outside. But I think if you follow the team closely, the issue really isn't Price but what he has around him. He lost his top two receivers and leading rusher from a year ago due to graduation and at the moment is also without four linemen who started last year (one to graduation, rest to injury) and also without another key WR due to injury. He simply hasn't had the same amount of help as a year ago. Hard to complete a pass when on your back or when no one is open. I think Price himself is the least of the team's worries, other than keeping him healthy.
JB:
He looks like a guy with world on his shoulders. Sort of like Jake Locker used to do while he was running for his life every game. He needs to delegate t his playmakers better on Thursday to give his team a chance to win.
GMC:
There's a lot of concern -- and some injuries -- surrounding the offensive line. What are the prospects for Bishop Sankey and the Washington running game as they go against the vaunted Stanford front seven?
BC:
Right you are. Keeping continuity up front has been a constant struggle for UW all fall and UW will start a lot different-looking line against Stanford than it imagined it would have a year ago. On paper, the prospects aren't promising since the OL has not played much together and is young and unproven and is going against a veteran DL. Sankey also is in his first year starting and also has some growing to do. UW has to hope it found some answers in the last few weeks with this group --- the one positive is that UW did not suffer any new injuries against Portland State so this group has worked together in practice for about two-and-a-half weeks now.
JB:
I would be very surprised to see Washington pick up more than 50 yards rushing against Stanford unless we spring a big play. I think you will see UW passing early and often to help offset the lack of rushing. Look for a bunch of quick outs to the sidelines on first and second down to help pick up the slack.
GMC:
What makes Austin Seferian-Jenkins so great, and how does he compare to rest of the great tight ends up and down the conference right now?
BC:
Simply put, he's a physical marvel, at 6-6, 258 and enough athletic ability to walk on to the basketball team last year and make an actual impact in games. I'd struggle to imagine there are any more physically gifted tight ends in the country, let alone the Pac-12, and I also can't imagine he won't be a really high pick whenever he decides to turn pro (which could be after 2013). He'd admit he needs work on his blocking, something he wasn't asked to do a lot in high school. But he has all the physical tools anyone could want.
JB:
He is a power forward type of guy which is exactly the makeup you look for in a TE. He just happens to play that position for the Husky basketball team. He does everything well and has very soft hands. You seldom see him drop a ball. We have had some great ones over the years at Washington but this guy is the complete package and as a true sophomore he is only getting better.
GMC:
The Stanford offensive line is starting to come together, but quarterback Josh Nunes is still obviously a work in progress. What can we expect to see from the Washington defense on Thursday night? Who are the playmakers we should be watching on that side of the ball?
BC:
Schematically, I'd imagine UW will try to load the box and really try to stop the run and force Nunes to make the plays needed to win the game. It's his first road start and CenturyLink Field can be an intimdiating place --- and UW will try to make it even more of one by billing this game as a Blackout --- so that strategy only makes sense. This will be a great test of a UW defense that has looked improved most of the time this season. Some of the key players are rush end Josh Shirley, defensive tackle Danny Shelton, nickeback Shaq Thompson (a true freshman and subject of a much-discussed recruiting battle last winter) and cornerback Desmond Trufant. UW probably feels most confident in its secondary so I would imagine it will try to play a lot of aggressive man coverage against Stanford's receivers. The whole key will be whether UW can contain the run just enough to make Stanford throw more than it wants to, and then whether Nunes can make those throws.
JB:
The key for Washington is to force Stanford into passing on third down. If they can do that they have a good chance to bottle up the Tree offense. UW is going to bring pressure from the edge. DE Josh Shirley needs to have a big night. Our secondary is pretty solid. Keep an eye on newcomer Shaq
Thompson. He is good for at least one big play per game. If Washington pulls off the upset it will be because of the performance of defense and special teams.
GMC:
Finally, how do you expect this game to play out? If you're feeling bold, you can even give me a final score.
BC:
I'll save the score for my own prediction that appears in the paper the morning of the game --- sorry. But I'd say this looms as a difficult stylistic matchup for UW. The Huskies simply have not been able to match up with Stanford up front the last three years in particular. And on paper, while the gap may be narrowing a bit, it's hard to tell yet whether it's closing enough for UW to win --- the LSU game was somewhat ominous in that regard. That said, upsets are common in the Pac-12, especially when pulled off by home underdogs. UW will hope it can be the one to do it this week.
