Everett, Wash.
Published: Friday, April 11, 2008

'Old man' Goodwin steps up at UW

D'Andre Goodwin, who will be a sophomore in eligibility in the fall, has become the Huskies' veteran leader of the wide receiver corps.

By John Boyle
Herald Writer

 SEATTLE -- It seems strange calling a guy with six career catches a veteran leader, but that's what the Huskies hope D'Andre Goodwin can become for the 2008 season.

Goodwin, one of only two returning receivers with a reception last year -- freshman Curtis Shaw was the other -- will be a sophomore in eligibility in the fall, but a junior academically, meaning he has been around longer than almost everyone in a very young and inexperienced receiving group.

A week into spring practice, the 6-foot, 170-pound speedster is showing his coaches just what they were hoping to see.

"I think the leader out there, he's the old man of the group, is D'Andre Goodwin," said offensive coordinator Tim Lappano. "He's really playing at a high level for us right now, which is really nice to see."

Despite limited experience, Goodwin is fine with being a leader if that's what Washington needs from him.

"I kind of like that role," he said. "I like leading the younger guys just like the older guys did with us before they left. It's not pressure, I'll just do what I've got to do."

Goodwin is one of the fastest players on Washington's roster, and Lappano had hoped to get more out of him last season. With a strong senior class now gone, Goodwin has a chance to become Jake Locker's go-to receiver.

"We always thought he had a lot of potential, but I don't think he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, the last two years being really young with all of those seniors that had been here for three and four years," Lappano said. "Now I think he knows it's his time. He's playing like a veteran receiver that has played a couple of years. That's really nice to see. The young guys are trying to stay with that, so he's been a great example for them. We're really, really pleased with what he's doing right now."

Goodwin showed off some of that talent in last weekend's practice, which featured some scrimmaging. He caught a six-yard touchdown pass over the middle from Locker on third-and-goal, and also had an impressive touchdown catch in the corner of the end zone during earlier situational drills.

Goodwin and Locker both arrived at Washington in the summer of 2006, and hope the last two years working together will lead to big things in the fall.

"Since we came in that summer our first day up here, we've been talking about how we want to be a good combination and have perfect timing," Goodwin said, adding that they showed some of that in last weekend's scrimmage.

After catching just six passes for 29 yards in 2007, Goodwin is fine with having a lot more asked of him.

"There's an opportunity and I'm trying to step into the role of being a guy you can count on whenever you need that catch on third and nine," he said. "A guy they know they can count on to make the first down. I want to step into that role."

A better option: Lappano said that practices the rest of spring will feature a "heavy dose" of practicing the triple option. Lappano liked what he saw from some aspects of his offense last season, but didn't like the way the Huskies ran out of the triple option.

"Our two-back run stuff was extremely productive, but we need to get better in our spread stuff," he said. "We've just got to get more production. Our spread read-zone stuff was really good, but our spread triple-option stuff wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, so that's been a big emphasis for us this spring."

Lappano said a number of factors played into last season's struggles

"It's blocking on the perimeter, it's the quarterback's fundamentals, the running back's fundamentals, the whole thing," he said. "Everything's got to improve in that area."

Injury report: Receiver Devin Aguilar, who was limited Tuesday by a muscle strain of some sorts, was back in full pads for Thursday's practice. Head coach Tyrone Willingham reported that walk-on receiver Tony Chidiac, who has been in a walking boot at practices this week, has turf toe and could be out an extended period of time.

Defensive backs Jordan Murchison (ankle), and Darin Harris (knee) are still limited with injuries suffered during Saturday's practice, but both are expected to be back to full strength soon.

Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog
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