SEATTLE — Before the start of the season, University of Washington football coach Tyrone Willingham was asked if he would be surprised if quarterback Jake Locker ranked second on the team in rushing?
Willingham said no, at least not in terms of yardage. Second in carries? Willingham said that might surprise him.
Well, through three games, Locker leads the Huskies with 269 rushing yards, 35 more than starting tailback Louis Rankin. His 40 carries are eight less than Rankin, but 31 more than anyone else on the team.
Locker is on pace to destroy the team record for rushing yards by a quarterback held by Dennis Fitzpatrick, who rushed for 697 yards in 1974. That was also the last time a UW quarterback led the team in rushing. For a little perspective on how long ago that was, consider that 1974 was the year before Don James took over as Washington’s coach.
So much talk after two weeks of the season was about Washington football being back. Some of that excitement was no doubt muted by Saturday’s 33-14 loss to Ohio State, but there’s still the feeling inside and out of the program that Willingham has the Huskies headed in the right direction.
Which brings up another question: Where would this team be without Locker? It’s safe to say the Huskies could have beaten Syracuse with just about anyone at quarterback, but could the Huskies have beaten Boise State without Locker accounting for 277 of their 342 total yards?
Obviously, bringing in a talented quarterback is a big part of turning a program around, but just how much better are these Huskies? Just how far along is this rebuilding project?
Locker brings excitement to every Washington snap. He makes every third-and-four and third-and-five feel like a gimme. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of single situation in three games when Locker was tackled in a one-on-one situation in the open field.
But he needs help.
The Huskies are way too dependent on him. It’s easy to look at the first few games and say they are moving the ball, which at times they are, but way too much offense has been Locker.
Since rushing for a career-high 147-yards against Syracuse, Rankin has struggled to give Washington a runner to complement Locker.
In Saturday’s game, Locker accounted for 180 of Washington’s 204 first-half yards. It was 255 of 296 yards while he was in the game (backup Carl Bonnell led the Huskies on a touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter after the game was out of hand). Against Boise State, Locker rushed for 84 yards and passed for 193, and Rankin gained just 45 yards on 17 carries.
Right now, the rushing game is too reliant on Locker. Maybe the fault goes to Rankin, maybe it’s the offensive line, maybe it’s offensive coordinator Tim Lappano, or maybe it’s just good defense. It’s probably a combination of all four, but the Huskies need to figure something out.
Rankin, who was bothered by an ankle injury against Boise State, said he feels like he can be the big-play threat he has shown glimpses of.
“Last week I was a little bit banged up,” he said. “This week, I felt like I could have run the ball very well against (Ohio State). We just didn’t take advantage of some of our opportunities.”
Of course, the blame can’t all go on Rankin. Washington’s receivers, a senior-dominated group expected to be one of the team’s strengths, has dropped way too many passes. While Rankin has always been criticized for dancing too much and not hitting holes, his decreasing numbers may have something to due with the fact there’s nowhere to run.
“We weren’t very sharp,” Lappano said. “We had a lot of mistakes. There were too many dropped balls. We just didn’t execute very well.”
He said that last weekend after Washington beat Boise State. He could have easily said it Saturday, too.
A lot of people need to get better — Locker included — for the Huskies to succeed against a tough Pac-10 schedule. Players who fancy themselves playmakers need to start making plays. Locker is good, someday he might be great, but he needs help.
And, oh, that 1974 team? The last one that had a quarterback lead the team in rushing?
It finished 5-6.
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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