Previewing the 2011 Washington Huskies
by Husker Mike on Jun 29, 2011 6:00 AM CDT
in 2011 Nebraska Huskers Football
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PrintNormally when we preview opponents, we have a fairly good idea what to expect from our conference opponents, and have to dig a bit for our non-conference foes. This is not a normal year; Nebraska's move to the Big Ten means a completely new set of opponents. But last year's bizarre Holiday Bowl rematch with Washington means that we are pretty familiar with the Huskies. Last year in Seattle, Nebraska blitzed the Huskies and rolled to an impressive 56-21 victory thanks to the talents of redshirt freshman quarterback Taylor Martinez. But in San Diego, Martinez was still hobbled with his ankle injury, and the Huskers had no desire to play that evening. Add in a whole bunch of Husker mistakes, and Washington pulled even on the season with a 19-7 victory.
But this isn't a preview of Nebraska... it's a preview of Washington. And with eight returning starters on both offense and defense, the Huskies should be better than they were in 2010.
RB: Bad news for Husker fans: Chris Polk is back. In the first matchup in Seattle, Nebraska broke out to a big lead and limited the opportunities for Polk. In the San Diego rematch, Washington jumped out to the lead, and Polk pounded away for 177 yards. Looking at the type of offenses Nebraska will see in the Big Ten, the Blackshirts will need to find a way to show they can stop a back like Polk, who rushed for 1,415 yards in 2010. Polk's backup, sophomore Jesse Callier, rushed for 433 yards last season, 57 of which came against Nebraska in September. Pretty solid one-two punch in the backfield, and exactly what a new quarterback needs.
WR: Seniors Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar return this season. Kearse, a second team all-conference player in 2010, has been the Huskies leading receiver the last two years. He caught that 45 yard touchdown pass at the start of the third quarter in Seattle. If he improves on his consistency, he could be an elite receiver. Look for James Johnson to bounce back from an ankle injury that limited him as a sophomore last season. He was the leading receiver in the spring game, and was on the Pac-10's all-freshman team in 2009.
OL: Three starters need to be replaced, but the Huskies will have four offensive linemen with starting experience this fall. They may try sophomore Erik Kohler at tackle, but his best position may be guard. If senior tackle Senio Kelemete is healthy, he'll anchor the line on the left side. Ben Riva will have to learn to play right tackle under fire this fall, and might be the weak link.
DL: Remember how the Husky defensive line manhandled the Nebraska offensive line in the Holiday Bowl, especially in the second half? Well, everybody's back this fall. Tackle Semisi Tokolahi, who missed the Holiday Bowl with a broken ankle, might also be back as well. This will be a good test case to evaluate the Huskers changes on offense.
LB: Only middle linebacker Cort Dennison is back, leaving holes on either side. Dennison missed the regular season game in Seattle last fall, but still managed to be the Huskies leading tackler last season. Sophomore Garret Gilliland is the heir apparent at the WIL linebacker, but the SAM spot is still unknown. Nobody's stepped up at this point to seize that spot. This will be the Huskies weakest link this season.
Secondary: Cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Quinton Richardson both return to start, as does junior Nate Fellner at free safety. Expectations are high that sophomore Sean Parker will have a huge year after missing the final four games of last season.
This is a better, more experienced team than Nebraska faced last season. The good news is that this game is in Lincoln, though really, it comes down to whether or not Nebraska's new offense can eliminate the many mistakes that sabotaged the team in the Holiday Bowl. Or we'll find out if Cort Dennison was really the reason why Nebraska won so convincingly in Seattle.
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"But in San Diego, Martinez was still hobbled with his ankle injury, and the Huskers had no desire to play that evening"
Or we can translate that to “the Huskers got beat fair and square”. Why make excuses for them when they completely blew the game?
He's not making excuses
We played like crap that night. I’d agree with the idea that we didn’t want to play that evening, but that’s not being used as an excuse as much as it is context. A 56-21 beat-down (in their house) compared to a 19-7 yawner down the road? Something’s changed, and it ain’t Washington getting much better. They wanted it more.
For anyone who knows washington’s offense…did we run our Peso D against them, or was it more of a nickel/base package? Just trying to figure out if this game will be used as a tune-up for our new(ish) 4-3? Regardless, I’m betting Bo will blitz the begeezus out of a raw QB. Should be a fun one in lincoln. Our O line quality worries me, though.
by Joel Schmidt on Jun 29, 2011 9:04 AM CDT up reply actions
he
can blitz all he wants, but he’ll be blitzing into screens and draws.
the Huskers will face a heavy doze of Chris Polk this year.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
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by Jon Johnston on Jun 29, 2011 8:08 PM CDT up reply actions
probably true...
i should have just meant ‘pressuring’ in general. Compton, David and Fisher will hopefully be all over both of those play calls. Dreaming about drive-stopping solo tackles from those guys helps get me through the offseason. GBR!
by Joel Schmidt on Jun 29, 2011 8:46 PM CDT up reply actions
A 19-7 yawner where UW dominated the LOS on both sides...
…and, like NU, down a starting DT.
Compliments on the well researched write up, JJ.you got everything except a naming of Alameda Ta’amu at DT – UWs highest ranking pro prospect.
Damn, my eyeball tastes good.
@chrislandon
No Excuses
And if statements sounds like excuses, they aren’t. Huskers got their butts handed to them by a team that came to play and did so on every level.
So the disturbing thing to me is that the Huskers didn’t come to play. That was bad, and the clearest sign yet how far the team still has to go to get near the level of dominance that allowed past Husker teams to roll over anyone, anytime, anywhere.
"What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion." Thoreau
by UltimaRatioRegum on Jun 29, 2011 12:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Martinez's
ankle injury didn’t stop the line from folding like paper against a three man rush. I am tired of hearing how that injury squashed our whole season. The team played terrible down the stretch. The defense was pretty good most of the time and the offense was horrible most of the time. Washington beat us up in the Holiday Bowl plain and simple. It will be a good test of pride this fall. Who has more??? I guess we will see.
+ 1
Even average QB’s can make good if the line does its job. Ours hasn’t in years.
"What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion." Thoreau
by UltimaRatioRegum on Jun 29, 2011 12:33 PM CDT up reply actions
When you're a running QB that can't run, what good are you for a running offense?
Dont be fooled by his Okie State game, Martinez is a bad passer and when there is no threat to him running he cannot beat a team through the air. That injury made him basically ineffective because the one thing he could do consistenly he couldn’t do anymore. When healthy we will more likely get the Martinez against K State and Wash State (round 1). Not the Martinez against Oklahoma, Wash State (round 2), Texas A&M.
It is what it is and we are who we are.
Sober (again) since January 10th, 2011.
Not all those who wander are lost. /////// I dont mind stealing bread.
by nateforchiefs on Jun 29, 2011 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions
What happens
if he gets hurt again this year? Do we just sufffer through and lose games like last year? Or will someone else get a legitmate shot? Last years QB situation wasn’t handled very well. If Martinez at 70 to 80 percent is better than the 2nd or 3rd stringer the coaching and recruiting is to blame. I know Watson is gone and that should help but Bo gives the nod on who starts and who doesn’t.
If Martinez goes down then I think we'll be in better hands this time than we were last year.
Carnes is much closer to being the type of player Martinez is than either Green or Lee were last year. When Martinez went down we tried to play the same offense without the same type of player and it didn’t work. This year I think Carnes could do a good Martinex impersonation, better than Green or Lee anyways.
It is what it is and we are who we are.
Sober (again) since January 10th, 2011.
Not all those who wander are lost. /////// I dont mind stealing bread.
by nateforchiefs on Jun 29, 2011 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions
in 'better hands' with a redshirt freshman?
No doubt at all, Carnes has ridiculous upside…better than Martinez, because of his arm already at this age. And yes we know Carnes is fast, but can he command the huddle? Can he run the zone-read convincingly? A lot of variables…
Don’t get me wrong, Carnes seems great, but he’s really young. It always felt like we went into a shell when green was put in the game,so seeing how the new coaches adjust to QB changes will be interesting. The offense played scared, and ‘not to lose’, instead of attacking. If Carnes helps the O really get after the defense and push the issue, THEN I would say we’re in better hands.Time will tell.
by Joel Schmidt on Jun 29, 2011 5:11 PM CDT up reply actions
I would say that Carnes is better than Green right now
So yes we would be in better hands with Carnes. Green was third on the depth chart behind MArtinez and Carnes for a reason (or many reasons).
It is what it is and we are who we are.
Sober (again) since January 10th, 2011.
Not all those who wander are lost. /////// I dont mind stealing bread.
by nateforchiefs on Jun 30, 2011 7:49 AM CDT up reply actions
+1000
holy shit, the line was bloody awful. I have a short video that I have yet to post that shows that play (AND YOU KNOW WE"RE ALL THINKING OF THE SAME GDAMNED PLAY) where four Husker blockers got beat badly by one guy.
Can Barney Cotton +2 coaches make a difference? Can the line get better? Because… you know, the old line (or the best line evah!) made sure that a former equipment manager handing off to a running back when the defense knew what was coming still made sure they won the friggin’ game.
Go Big Red Nebraska!
Our Cobs Are Bigger Than Yours!
Corn Nation!
Twitter!
cornnation@gmail.com
by Jon Johnston on Jun 29, 2011 8:07 PM CDT up reply actions
I dunno if I blame the D too much for Polk's 177 yards
What can a defense really do when with an offense that kills itself? 2 turnovers, 2 more fumbles that prob. killed drives. Washington ran more plays, won the time of possession, and Locker was only 6-19 with 72 yards. And lets be honest, many NFL teams still believe that Locker is a viable NFL QB, there is probably something there. I would gladly give up 200+ rushing and 19 points to make a team as one dimensional as Washington was in that game.
But man, our offense really needs work.
Google's homepage celebrates too much shit.
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