Washington Huskies

SEATTLE -- With the combination of size and speed at the receiver position throughout the Pac-12, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian wants to bring in long, athletic cornerbacks who can run.

That is exactly the kind of player the Huskies think they have secured in cornerback Travell Dixon.

“He’s obviously got great length at the corner position,” Sarkisian said. “He has tremendous speed, which are two things we’re continually looking for at that spot. Ideally, we’re recruiting 6-foot-or-taller corners who can really run to defend the length in our conference, as well as the speed.

The 6-foot-1, 191-pound Miami native is now practicing with Washington after transferring from Alabama.

“In our conference, the more corners, good corners, you have, the better,” Sarkisian said. “Getting a guy with some experience for next year, as we lose Tru (senior Desmond Trufant), I think will be good for us.”

After spending two years at Eastern Arizona College, Dixon enrolled at Alabama in January, but he didn’t find the fit he was looking for in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“Things didn’t work out, and we had a scholarship available,” Sarkisian said. “We were able to get him in academically and it fit that way, so we got him on board.”

Washington was interested in Dixon before he enrolled at Alabama, but the Huskies weren’t sure how much of a need they had at the position.

“He probably would have been a real, real priority for us if it wasn’t for Tre Watson and what he brought and what we saw out of him,” Sarkisian said.

While Dixon has to sit out the 2012 season, he will provide a veteran presence with Watson next year. With 6-foot-2 cornerback Kevin King (Oakland, Calif./Bishop O’Dowd) committed to the 2013 class, Washington continues to work on bringing athletes into its secondary who are as tall as they are fast.

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- After finishing the second game of his senior season, D’Londo Tucker (Federal Way, Wash./Federal Way) couldn’t wait to get home.

The 6-foot-1, 175-pound defensive back/wide receiver had hauled in two touchdown passes during a 43-7 victory he called “one of the best games of my career.”

He wanted to share the moment with his father, Herman, who was unable to attend.

But, when Tucker walked through the front door, Herman had to leave. He told his son he was going to drop off a friend but planned to make it back in time to watch the replay on TV.

That was the last time Tucker saw his father. A few hours later -- at about 3 a.m. Sept. 7 at a Motel 6 in SeaTac, Wash. -- Herman was shot and killed.

Back at the house, before the shooting, Tucker watched a replay of his game, reveling in his prime-time performance. He started to get tired around halftime on the replay. He called his father, who said he would head home as quickly as he could.

Herman had watched the live broadcast and, before he hung up, told Tucker he had done a good job.

That was the last time the teenager talked to his father.

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Each week we will take a look at the performances of quarterback Keith Price and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins as they play their way toward potential postseason awards:

QB Keith Price, Jr. (Maxwell, O’Brien): During one of his meetings with the media last week, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said his quarterback wasn't going to be able to score seven touchdowns with one throw. Sarkisian sent a message that Price was trying to do too much and needed to focus on things he is capable of controlling. That is exactly what he did against Portland State, completing 14 of 19 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns.

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, So. (Mackey): Seferian-Jenkins continues to be one of Price's top targets, catching five passes for 78 yards and a touchdown against Portland State. So far this season, the tight end leads the team in receiving with 20 catches for 211 yards and a touchdown.

Taking stock of the third week of games in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Stanford didn't just beat No. 2 USC, it physically dominated the Trojans in a 21-14 victory, the Cardinal's record fourth consecutive win in the series. First, there was the post-Toby Gerhart Era. Then there was the post-Jim Harbaugh Era. Then there was the post-Andrew Luck Era. Maybe it's just the Stanford Era? The Cardinal is now squarely in the Rose Bowl race. And maybe the national title hunt.

Best game: Utah's 24-21 win over BYU wasn't pretty. It wasn't, really, even deserving of a "best" tag. But it was really weird, particularly the ending, and weird is often noteworthy. On a weekend when four games came down to the fourth quarter, the Holy War had the most breathless finish because it had two breathless finishes.

Biggest play: On third-and-10 from the 50 in the fourth quarter, Stanford QB Josh Nunes was under pressure. He scrambled and found himself bottled up and cut off. Yet a player not exactly known for his athleticism juked the USC defense and cut for a 13-yard gain and a first down. Two plays later, he hit TE Zach Ertz for a 37-yard TD and a 21-14 lead, the final margin of Cardinal victory.

Biggest play II: California had No. 12 Ohio State on the ropes. The score was tied with just under four minutes left in the game, and the Buckeyes faced a third-and-7 from their 28-yard line. QB Braxton Miller was forced from the pocket, but the Bears secondary gagged and let Devin Smith get free behind the coverage. The ensuing 72-yard TD pass provided Ohio State its 35-28 margin of victory.

Biggest play III: BYU had a first-and-10 on the Utah 25-yard line, down 10-7 in the third quarter. Lined up in a shotgun formation, QB Riley Nelson wanted to change the play. While he was barking signals, his center delivered the snap, which rolled past an unaware Nelson. Utah's Mo Lee scooped up the loose ball and rambled 47 yards for a TD. The Utes would need those points in a 24-21 win.

Offensive standout: Stanford RB Stepfan Taylor was the best player on the field against USC. He rushed 27 times for 153 yards and a 59-yard TD and caught five passes for 60 yards and a 23-yard score in No. 21 Stanford's upset win over No. 2 Trojans.

Defensive standout: UCLA CB Sheldon Price matched a school record with three interceptions in the Bruins' 37-6 win over Houston.

Special teams standout: Not a lot to choose from. Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas returned four punts for 87 yards against Tennessee Tech, though he did fumble one.

Smiley face: Cal RB Brendan Bigelow brought life to the Bears by doing his best De'Anthony Thomas at Ohio State, rushing for 160 yards on just four carries -- yes, an average of 40 yards per carry! He had touchdown runs of 81 and 59 yards, and both were spectacular. Might he give the Bears offense a weapon that turns around their season?

Frowny face: Can anyone kick a freaking field goal? USC has no kicker, and Arizona, California, Oregon, Stanford and Utah were a combined 1-for-10, with the Bay Area schools going 0-for-6.

Thought of the week: Two of the Pac-12's five unbeaten teams will go down this weekend because of head-to-head matchups. Arizona travels to Oregon, while UCLA plays host to Oregon State. We'll get a better measure of contenders and pretenders this weekend.

Questions for the week: Is Oregon's Thomas ready to make a Heisman Trophy statement against Arizona? The set-up seems perfect: an ESPN game against a questionable defense. With USC and QB Matt Barkley going down, the Heisman race has opened up. Can Thomas be his fancy self and win the affection of the pundits?