Published: Sunday, November 15, 2009
UW NOTEBOOK: Jones gets sack, Huskies’ pass rush better, but it’s not enough
CORVALLIS, Ore. — Darrion Jones had hoped to get off to this kind of start many times in his career.
It took him 31 games to do it.
The University of Washington’s senior defensive end got a sack on the first play of the Huskies’ opening defensive possession. It was the first of his UW career.
“I was happy with it,” Jones said after the Huskies’ 48-21 loss Saturday. “I was surprised it came on the opening play for the defense. I felt good about it. But there are more plays out there than just one, so you can’t be complacent with it.”
Jones, who has been hobbled by injuries this season, spent a lot of time in Oregon State’s backfield in the first quarter but went quiet after that.
He came off the field on third downs while UW tried a 3-4 defense designed to generate more of a pass rush. The package included just one player, nose tackle Alameda Ta’amu, in a three-point stance while fellow linemen Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and De’Shon Matthews stood up and moved around.
The Huskies did get three sacks in the game, but it wasn’t enough in the one-sided loss.
“At times we were really good,” defensive coordinator Nick Holt said.
One of those times was on the Beavers’ first snap. And the pressure came from an unlikely source.
“Hopefully, maybe the last two games (Jones) can continue on with that,” Holt said. “It’s good to see him get that done for us.”
The blessing that is a Kearse
Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse provided two of the game’s few UW highlights by catching his third and fourth touchdown passes in two weeks.
Kearse caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jake Locker late in the first half, then added a relatively meaningless touchdown on a 39-yard strike early in the fourth quarter.
“He found ways to get open and made some great catches,” Locker said.
In the past two games, Kearse has 12 receptions for 184 yards and four TDs. He is now UW’s leading receiver on the season, with 39 receptions.
Freshman James Johnson, who has led the team in receiving since the season opener, has caught just two total passes in the past two games. He has 37 receptions on the season.
Teeing off
The most obvious reason for Saturday’s outcome came in the matchup between the Oregon State defensive line and the UW offensive front. The Beavers had their way with Washington’s linemen for most of the afternoon.
On Locker’s first drop-back, four defenders were immediately in his face but he somehow escaped the pressure and dumped a pass to Jordan Polk. He wasn’t as fortunate on four other plays, which all resulted in sacks.
“We knew coming in they were a nice defensive front,” UW coach Steve Sarkisian said. “That was our biggest concern coming into the game. The pressure can look overwhelming; when you don’t block guys, it can look even worse.”
The Huskies made a personnel change that helped a bit. Ben Ossai moved inside to left guard after Nick Wood struggled on the opening series. Ossai started the first eight games at left tackle then was replaced by Drew Schaefer. Sarkisian said that the 335-pound Ossai provided a better matchup against 285-pound OSU defensive tackle Stephen Paea.
That helped a bit, but UW still didn’t have a lot of success containing OSU’s defensive front.
Even the running game struggled early on as the Huskies failed to get into an offensive rhythm. UW had five three-and-outs, while a sixth drive ended with an interception early in the first quarter.
“We couldn’t get out of our own way offensively,” Sarkisian said.
No hurrying back
Before Saturday’s game, the Huskies had been to Oregon State’s Reser Stadium only once in a five-year span.
Sarkisian probably wouldn’t mind if another five years passed before he had to return.
In his past three trips to Reser, Sarkisian has come up on the short end of the scoreboard. As an assistant at USC, his Trojans suffered upset losses in their last two road games at OSU. And Saturday’s game was never really in doubt.
“Yeah, I don’t like this Reser Stadium a whole lot,” he said after Saturday’s 27-point loss to the Beavers. “Three times in a row now. And what’s funny about these games is every one of them has gone this way in the first half: of almost disastrous offensive football, where you almost just can’t get out of your own way.
“I don’t know. Maybe we will just dress on the bus and get off and go play when we come to the locker room.”
Short yardage
Senior defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim got half a sack Saturday, leaving him 2.5 sacks from tying the school record for most career sacks (28, by Ron Holmes). … Linebacker Donald Butler was deep in kickoff return formation, joining primary return men near the goal line. Butler served as a blocker for James Johnson in the first half and Chris Polk in the second half. … Nate Fellner returned to the starting lineup at safety, replacing injured senior Jason Wells. Greg Walker also saw extensive time at the position, marking his first significant action since the season opener. Fellner tore a biceps in the game, so his status for the final two games of the season is up in the air.
It took him 31 games to do it.
The University of Washington’s senior defensive end got a sack on the first play of the Huskies’ opening defensive possession. It was the first of his UW career.
“I was happy with it,” Jones said after the Huskies’ 48-21 loss Saturday. “I was surprised it came on the opening play for the defense. I felt good about it. But there are more plays out there than just one, so you can’t be complacent with it.”
Jones, who has been hobbled by injuries this season, spent a lot of time in Oregon State’s backfield in the first quarter but went quiet after that.
He came off the field on third downs while UW tried a 3-4 defense designed to generate more of a pass rush. The package included just one player, nose tackle Alameda Ta’amu, in a three-point stance while fellow linemen Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and De’Shon Matthews stood up and moved around.
The Huskies did get three sacks in the game, but it wasn’t enough in the one-sided loss.
“At times we were really good,” defensive coordinator Nick Holt said.
One of those times was on the Beavers’ first snap. And the pressure came from an unlikely source.
“Hopefully, maybe the last two games (Jones) can continue on with that,” Holt said. “It’s good to see him get that done for us.”
The blessing that is a Kearse
Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse provided two of the game’s few UW highlights by catching his third and fourth touchdown passes in two weeks.
Kearse caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Jake Locker late in the first half, then added a relatively meaningless touchdown on a 39-yard strike early in the fourth quarter.
“He found ways to get open and made some great catches,” Locker said.
In the past two games, Kearse has 12 receptions for 184 yards and four TDs. He is now UW’s leading receiver on the season, with 39 receptions.
Freshman James Johnson, who has led the team in receiving since the season opener, has caught just two total passes in the past two games. He has 37 receptions on the season.
Teeing off
The most obvious reason for Saturday’s outcome came in the matchup between the Oregon State defensive line and the UW offensive front. The Beavers had their way with Washington’s linemen for most of the afternoon.
On Locker’s first drop-back, four defenders were immediately in his face but he somehow escaped the pressure and dumped a pass to Jordan Polk. He wasn’t as fortunate on four other plays, which all resulted in sacks.
“We knew coming in they were a nice defensive front,” UW coach Steve Sarkisian said. “That was our biggest concern coming into the game. The pressure can look overwhelming; when you don’t block guys, it can look even worse.”
The Huskies made a personnel change that helped a bit. Ben Ossai moved inside to left guard after Nick Wood struggled on the opening series. Ossai started the first eight games at left tackle then was replaced by Drew Schaefer. Sarkisian said that the 335-pound Ossai provided a better matchup against 285-pound OSU defensive tackle Stephen Paea.
That helped a bit, but UW still didn’t have a lot of success containing OSU’s defensive front.
Even the running game struggled early on as the Huskies failed to get into an offensive rhythm. UW had five three-and-outs, while a sixth drive ended with an interception early in the first quarter.
“We couldn’t get out of our own way offensively,” Sarkisian said.
No hurrying back
Before Saturday’s game, the Huskies had been to Oregon State’s Reser Stadium only once in a five-year span.
Sarkisian probably wouldn’t mind if another five years passed before he had to return.
In his past three trips to Reser, Sarkisian has come up on the short end of the scoreboard. As an assistant at USC, his Trojans suffered upset losses in their last two road games at OSU. And Saturday’s game was never really in doubt.
“Yeah, I don’t like this Reser Stadium a whole lot,” he said after Saturday’s 27-point loss to the Beavers. “Three times in a row now. And what’s funny about these games is every one of them has gone this way in the first half: of almost disastrous offensive football, where you almost just can’t get out of your own way.
“I don’t know. Maybe we will just dress on the bus and get off and go play when we come to the locker room.”
Short yardage
Senior defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim got half a sack Saturday, leaving him 2.5 sacks from tying the school record for most career sacks (28, by Ron Holmes). … Linebacker Donald Butler was deep in kickoff return formation, joining primary return men near the goal line. Butler served as a blocker for James Johnson in the first half and Chris Polk in the second half. … Nate Fellner returned to the starting lineup at safety, replacing injured senior Jason Wells. Greg Walker also saw extensive time at the position, marking his first significant action since the season opener. Fellner tore a biceps in the game, so his status for the final two games of the season is up in the air.
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