Washington Huskies

WASHINGTON HUSKIES

2012 record: 7-6
2012 conference record: 5-4 (Fourth in North Division)
Returning starters: Offense 10; Defense 8; Kicker/punter: 2

Top returners: QB Keith Price, RB Bishop Sankey, WR Kasen Williams, TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, DB Sean Parker, LB John Timu, DE Josh Shirley, LB Shaq Thompson.
Key losses: CB Desmond Trufant, DB Justin Glenn, C Drew Schaefer, FB Jonathan Amosa.

2012 statistical leaders (*returners)

Rushing: Bishop Sankey* (1,439)
Passing: Keith Price* (2,726)
Receiving: Kasen Williams* (878)
Tackles: John Timu* (91)
Sacks: Josh Shirley*; Andrew Hudson* (6.5)
Interceptions: Justin Glenn, Shaq Thompson*, Marcus Peters* (3)

Spring answers

1. 2013 Schedule

   Aug. 31 Boise State
   Sept. 14 at Illinois
   Sept. 21 Idaho State
   Sept. 28 Arizona
   Oct. 5 at Stanford
   Oct. 12 Oregon
   Oct. 19 at Arizona State
   Oct. 26 California
   Nov. 9 Colorado
   Nov. 15 at UCLA
   Nov. 23 at Oregon State
   Nov. 29 Washington State

   Picking up the pace: We know the Huskies spent the spring installing a new up-tempo offense. How much of it was installed and how comfortable the players are running it remains to be seen. But Steve Sarkisian has made a point that his team needs to 1) do a better job keeping up with the up-tempo offenses in the league and 2) do a better job keeping teams on their heels. This philosophical switch seems to address both since the defense has been practicing against an up-tempo offense.
2. Starting five: Many believe this is the best team Sarkisian has had since coming to Washington. And part of that might be that he finally has a healthy offensive line with quality depth behind the starters. The group of Micah Hatchie (LT), Dexter Charles (LG), Mike Criste (C), James Atoe (RG) and Ben Riva (RT) worked as the first-team starting five all spring. And former starters Erik Kohler and Colin Tanigawa, along with experienced backup Shane Brostek, give the Huskies quantity and quality up front.
3. Progress of Price: The breakout player of 2011 and embattled starter of 2012, Keith Price, quickly shook off whispers of a quarterback competition with a strong spring that left Sarkisian feeling good about his third-year starter. He distanced himself from would-be challengers and, if he can return to that 2011 form, could have Washington in the top 25.

Fall questions

1. After Price: It looks like Cyler Miles has established himself as No. 2 in the quarterback hierarchy, but the battle to be Price's understudy will continue into the fall with Derrick Brown and Jeff Lindquist still in the mix. The Huskies were one of only four teams in the conference last year to have the same quarterback start every game. So Price has proven his durability. But having a clear pecking order behind the starter can be equally important.
2. Replacing Trufant: No easy task to replace Desmond Trufant, a staple in the Washington defensive backfield who at one point started 45 straight games. Marcus Peters is all but locked in on one side, leaving Greg Ducre and Travell Dixon battling it out on the other side. Tre Watson will also be in the mix.
3. ASJ MIA: How long will Austin Seferian-Jenkins, the Pac-12's top tight end, be out? Will he miss any games? He's been suspended indefinitely stemming from his DUI arrest and many are wondering if he'll miss at least the season opener against Boise State. Sarkisian pointed to the silver lining of the situation -- noting that his absence has allowed others at the position to get extensive work this spring. He also said Seferian-Jenkins is taking all of the proper steps to rejoin the team. There is little doubt he'll be the most dominant tight end in the league in 2013, and probably the country. The timetable for his return will be of great interest in the coming months.

SEATTLE -- Jaydon Mickens rarely passes up an opportunity to do extra drills. So, it wasn’t much of a surprise to see him linger on the Dempsey Indoor turf while his teammates headed for the locker room after a recent practice.

Once Mickens finished, he reflected on his freshman season.

The 5-foot-10, 170-pound receiver called it a “learning experience.” He pointed to the older players who have pushed him in the right direction.

When asked which players have helped him the most, Mickens didn’t hesitate.

“Actually, the whole team has taken me under their wings,” he said. “Everybody is trying to get each other better. Everybody is trying to get each other right.”

Then Mickens got more specific. He talked about defensive backs Sean Parker, Justin Glenn and Desmond Trufant making life difficult in practice in order to make things easier on Saturdays.

“All those guys are banding together, making me better,” Mickens said.

(Read full post)

SEATTLE -- Here is a quick-hitting look at Washington's 13th day of fall camp:

Best practice of fall camp

After a Saturday scrimmage Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said “lacked a little bit of energy” the Huskies returned to the field Monday and put together one of their best performances of fall camp.

“I thought this was, arguably, our best practice of training camp up to this point,” Sarkisian said. “Our guys really responded to the challenge. It was great.”

(Read full post)

SEATTLE -- Here is a quick-hitting look at Washington's 11th day of fall camp:

Johnson, Kearse have surgery

Receiver James Johnson had surgery on the dislocated wrist he suffered in Wednesday's practice. In addition to the dislocation, doctors found torn ligaments. The senior is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Linebacker Jamaal Kearse, who has a stress fracture in his tibia, also had surgery Friday and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

"Anytime you're dealing with bones, it is what it is," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said.

WR Smith works his way back

Sarkisian could sense the excitement when receiver Kevin Smith got the opportunity to participate in team drills.

"Kevin is such a great spirit," Sarkisian said. "He's got such a great energy. He loves being out here. When we gave him the opportunity to get in there on some team stuff he was just excited to be out there."

The junior continues to work his way back from the ACL injury he suffered right before the Alamo Bowl last season and his progress is a positive sign with Johnson expected to miss more than a month.

But, moving forward, the Huskies will continue to be cautious.

"He's definitely on a one-a-day schedule," Sarkisian said. "He will never go on a two-a-day. We've been very encouraged by his progress to this point."

Thompson back to full strength

Freshman safety Shaq Thompson shed the yellow non-contact jersey and was back to full strength. He also made another promising play, making a one-handed interception on a tipped pass.

• The Huskies will scrimmage Saturday.
• Sarkisian said he expects senior safety Justin Glenn, who has been recovering from a mild concussion, to be back Monday.
• Sarkisian said one of the surprises through fall camp so far has been the play of safety Will Shamburger.
• Washington offensive line commit Andrew Kirkland (Portland, Ore./Jesuit) attended Friday's practice.

SEATTLE -- Washington gave its young players an extended chance to prove they can play in a simulated Saturday setting during the Huskies' eighth day of fall camp Tuesday afternoon.

The offense lined up on one side of the field, with the defense on the other. The coaching staff sent the players out on the field and let them make decisions.

The Huskies scrimmaged for a majority of practice, providing a chance for the coaching staff to assess where the team is and where it is headed.

“This was the first time we let them go out on the field and have to play, without a coach in their ear telling them what to do, without being able to look at a script to see what might be coming,” Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said.

Sarkisian said the end result was “pretty good.”

The offense spent too much time in the huddle and some of the young players on defense struggled with communication, but Sarkisian was encouraged. Any issue can be addressed and fixed.

“I didn’t see something glaring where, jeez, we’re playing the wrong guy at the wrong spot,” Sarkisian said. “It’s about being confident. It’s about doing what you’ve been prepared to do throughout camp. We’ve got to go look at this thing and then point out those errors, those mistakes that are definitely correctable.”

The practice was an opportunity to put freshmen like cornerback Brandon Beaver and receivers Jaydon Mickens and Kendyl Taylor in similar situations to the ones they will see on Saturdays.

Sometimes they succeeded -- Taylor caught a 35-yard touchdown from quarterback Keith Price. Sometimes they didn’t -- receiver Marvin Hall beat Beaver deep, catching a 45-yard touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Cyler Miles.

Sarkisian said he sees progress from the offense and defense, a significant improvement since spring practice. But there is still plenty to improve on.

“I thought there was plenty of good things out there, but I know we can be better,” Sarkisian said.

Price provided the play of the day, hitting on a 47-yard scoring strike. Safety Sean Parker picked off Price and linebacker John Timu provided a welcome-to-college hit on running back Erich Wilson II.

But both Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox see room for improvement.

“We’ve got a long way to go,” Wilcox said. “There were way too many mistakes today. We showed some good things. There were obviously some bad things.”

Quotable

When asked about Taylor and Mickens, Sarkisian said, “They’ve both had great camps. I feel like I talk about them every day. Again, they are going to have probably a handful of plays they want back from today as well, but that’s all part of putting them in the same situation and letting them play.”

Notes

• Safeties Justin Glenn and Shaq Thompson missed a second day with mild concussions, but there were no new significant injuries.

• Miles continues to make a case for securing the backup quarterback spot as a freshman, tossing a pair of touchdowns.

SEATTLE -- Washington wrapped up its seventh day of fall camp Monday and, once again, a lot of attention was paid to injuries.

The Huskies did get some good news with offensive lineman Colin Tanigawa seeing extensive time at left guard. The redshirt sophomore continues to work his way back after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the Oregon State game last season.

Linebacker Jamaal Kearse missed practice with a thigh bruise, while safeties Shaq Thompson and Justin Glenn were both out with mild concussions. After suffering a sprained knee Saturday, linebacker Thomas Tutogi is recovering faster than originally expected.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian said receiver Kevin Smith, who is recovering from an ACL injury, saw significant action during the team’s morning practice, but he didn’t practice in the later session.

Notes:

• Defensive end Pio Vatuvei spent some time at fullback, and Sarkisian said the freshman will see time at the position specific offensive packages.

• Redshirt freshman Travis Feeney has moved from safety to linebacker. With the rash of injuries at the linebacker position, Feeney provides depth. If there is one position where the program has an abundance of athletes, it’s at safety, making for an easy move.

• Kicker Travis Coons made his first five field goals during Washington’s evening practice, making two from 38 yards out and one each from 35, 38 and 47. He missed back-to-back attempts from 59 yards out.