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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Greg Wahl-Stephens / Associated Press The Huskies chase after Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers (1) during the first half of the Beavers’ 48-21 rout of Washington. (click to enlarge) Greg Wahl-Stephens / Associated Press Oregon State’s James Rodgers (8) runs past Washington’s Desmond Trufant (6) and Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (66) during the first half.   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Report scores and results to 425-339-3470 or 1-866-6-SCORES (Call after 4:30 p.m.) E-mail information including items for Tuesday's Communities Sports Roundup and Thursday's Outdoor Calendar, to sports@heraldnet.com Kevin Brown, Sports Editor kbrown@heraldnet.com   Published: Sunday, November 15, 2009 Huskies can’t catch Rodgers brothers ‘They’re fast, they’re strong, they can move, they’re elusive. They’re great players.’ By Scott M. Johnson Herald Writer CORVALLIS, Ore. — The University of Washington was not the first football team to get embarrassed by the Rodgers brothers, nor will it be the last. But after Saturday afternoon’s performance, one would have thought that the names James and Jacquizz Rodgers had never come up in the Huskies’ defensive game plan. The combination combined for 331 total yards in Oregon State’s 48-21 win on Saturday afternoon, leaving several Huskies face-down on the turf in their wake. “They’re good players,” said UW freshman Desmond Trufant, who was learning a lesson that’s already been taught to countless Pac-10 players over the past season-and-a-half. “They’re fast, they’re strong, they can move, they’re elusive. They’re great players.” Oregon State didn’t use much deception in terms of the workload on Saturday. Of the Beavers’ first 14 offensive plays, 10 of them involved one of the Rodgers brothers. After stalling out on the opening drive, OSU scored on seven consecutive possessions en route to a 41-7 lead. During that span, the Beavers piled up 272 yards of offense. A total of 150 yards of that came from the Rodgers brothers, and that doesn’t even include James Rodgers’s 84-yard kickoff return to open the second half. Despite missing a drive in the first half with a sore hip, sophomore running back Jacquizz Rodgers finished the game with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Older brother James Rodgers, a junior wide receiver, had 46 receiving yards on five receptions and added 123 return yards for the Beavers. “We had a relatively pretty good idea of what they were doing and where they were,” UW coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Especially with Jacquizz, it was kind of like we would stop him, stop him, stop him, stop him and then — bang — he would snap off a big one.” The 5-foot-7 Jacquizz Rodgers was especially successful when making UW defenders miss. His shifty feet caused Huskies linebacker Cort Dennison to whiff twice in the OSU backfield, and the Beavers’ running back ran away from several defenders in the open field. “We just didn’t do a good job of tackling him,” Dennison said. “I didn’t do a good job of tackling. I take full responsibility for some of the tackles I missed. You’ve got to go for his legs.” James Rodgers set up a back-breaking touchdown with his 84-yard kickoff return, which went all the way to the UW 1-yard line. Trufant appeared to take a bad angle on Rodgers near the Huskies’ 40, then made a diving trip-up tackle from behind as Rodgers closed in on the end zone. “Actually, I was waiting for a move, and he didn’t give one,” Trufant said. “That’s what I was waiting for, and that’s what got me messed up. I caught him, but he’s real fast.” UW defensive coordinator Nick Holt was more concerned with the UW defenders who were missing tackles than whatever moves the Rodgers were making. “I don’t know if it was because they’re the Rodgers brothers,” he said. “They’re good players, but we need to do a better job and get focused in. We need to make our plays; that’s being a good football player.” UW’s Sarkisian wasn’t necessarily surprised by the Rodgers’ performance Saturday. “It doesn’t matter what their last name is,” he said. “They are good players. They could (have) whatever their last name would be, (and) they are really good players.” READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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