NCAA Football Preview – Washington Huskies

Sarkisian’s tenure at Washington was solid, with the team going 35-29 during his time, including a 9-4 mark last year, while undergoing a drastic and effective transformation on offense. That offensive firepower was evident in the first four weeks of the 2013 campaign, when the Huskies notched four easy victories. They hit a major bump in the road during the mid-point of the season, losing three straight to Stanford, Oregon and Arizona State. They also lost to UCLA later in the year, but managed victories in every other contest, including a 31-16 romp of BYU in the Fight Hunger Bowl.

Despite losing their head coach, Washington may have even more excitement surrounding it this season as Chris Petersen takes the reigns. Petersen was the architect behind the incredible rise to prominence of Boise State. He went 92-13 in his eight seasons with the Broncos, although last year was his worst, with the team finishing 8-5. Always a name tossed around to take the big job at other programs, such as Texas and Florida, Petersen seemed content to stay in Boise, until the Huskies came knocking.

“When I was in Boise I never had that where I said, look, that job opens up and that’s something I’m interested in. I was just always content and happy at Boise,” Petersen said, also adding, “I think (Washington) is a good fit. I think it fits me and I’m excited to be there.”

2014 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Perhaps the biggest and most difficult task Petersen must accomplish in his first year at Washington is finding a quarterback. Keith Price and all of his passing records are gone, leaving a group of young and inexperienced prospects to fill the void.

Cyler Miles was considered the favorite to take the job, but he was suspended for spring practices due to legal issues. He is suspended for the season opener as well. That said, he is the only candidate with any real college experience, having thrown for 418 yards and 4 touchdowns as Price’s backup last year. He is also a dangerous threat on the ground. If Petersen doesn’t see what he needs from Miles in training camp, he may go with sophomore Jeff Lindquist or freshman Troy Williams.

There are two additional spots that will be tough to fill, with All-Pac-12 running back Bishop Sankey and Mackey Award winning tight end Austin Seferian- Jenkins now getting paychecks in the NFL.

Sankey’s production will be particularly tough to replicate. He rushed for 1,870 yards and 20 touchdowns on 327 carries last season. No other player had more than 50 carries. Dwayne Washington was the closest thing to a backup on the squad, rushing for 332 yards and four scores, but expect multiple players to get a shot, even linebacker Shaq Thompson.

“(We) started that a little bit in spring ball because of depth. And every time we gave Shaq the ball, he did a great job. So we’ll continue with that and see how our depth goes out there and see how Shaq progresses,” Petersen said. “We don’t want to water him down and make him less of a defensive player. So I think there is a fine balance there and we’ll continue to work through that.”

On the edges, the Huskies are reloading with the return of a healthy Kasen Williams. The 6-foot-3 wideout played in only eight games last season, tallying 421 yards on 29 receptions. He has the talent to be an all-conference selection, should he stay healthy. Jaydon Mickens (65 receptions, 688 yards, 5 TDs) is a reliable target with excellent hands and a quick burst off the line.

Speaking of the line, the Huskies are loaded in that area. Tackles Micah Hatchie, Ben Riva as well as guard Dexter Charles and center Mike Criste are all returning starters. Senior James Atoe should slot in at the other guard post.

DEFENSE: One reason expectations are still high for Washington, despite losing a starting quarterback, running back and tight end, is very little is gone from last year’s defense. Admittedly, the Huskies were not overly dominant, but they held teams to 22.8 ppg and under 400 yards of total offense on average each week.

The front seven is an extremely talented and dangerous group. In the trenches Hau’oli Kikaha is a fantastic pass rusher and tackles Evan Hudson and Danny Shelton fill gaps well. Kikaha had 13 sacks last season, easily the top mark on the team, while Shelton had 59 tackles and a pair of sacks and Hudson added four quarterback takedowns.

Thompson leads an extremely versatile and athletic group of linebackers. Thompson (78 tackles, 1 INT) is the star of the unit, with his excellent tackling skills and ability to make plays against the pass. Cory Littleton plays almost like a second defensive end. He had five sacks and 10 tackles for loss. John Timu (77 tackles, 2.0 sacks) and Travis Feeney (55 tackles, 2.5 sacks) are excellent performers as well.

If there is one weakness on the UW defense it is in the secondary, where cornerback Marcus Peters is the only returning starter. A team could do a lot worse than Peters as someone to lead by example, as he came up with 5 interceptions last season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A new kicker and punter will need to be groomed this season. Cameron Van Winkle projects as the kicker, and Korey Durkee could handle punts.

Returning kicks and punts should be no trouble. Williams, Mickens and John Ross all have some return experience, the latter having the most.

OUTLOOK: Petersen is finally at the type of power conference school he so frequently upset while at Boise State. Now he has to prove he has the coaching chops to put up 10-win seasons as consistently while playing superior competition every week.

His first test as a head coach will be on the road against Hawaii. The Huskies then play four straight at home, including the Pac-12 opener against Stanford. Trips to face Oregon, Arizona and Washington State could prove to be tricky, as could home dates against Arizona State and UCLA.

Washington has the looks of a program on the rise and Petersen could very well be the man to keep lifting it higher. With a stacked defense and a deep offensive line, the Huskies have plenty of positive aspects. However, the big question marks at quarterback and running back make it difficult to see anything better than eight wins and a mid-range bowl appearance, at least this year.

Categorized in: NCAA Football