Published: Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Huskies' starting punter sprains knee
SEATTLE -- A few months ago, Kiel Rasp quit football so that he could hit the books.
The University of Washington junior may well be hitting his first official punt as a Husky in the team's home opener this weekend.
Senior punter Will Mahan suffered what might be the first lineup-shuffling injury of the season on Tuesday, when he hurt his left leg on a punt drill. The right-footed punter suffered what UW coach Steve Sarkisian is calling a sprained knee after a teammate rolled onto the back of his leg.
That means Rasp, who quit the team but was talked into returning early last month, might have to make his UW debut.
"He's getting better every day, and he's ready to step up when we need him," special teams coach Johnny Nansen said after Tuesday's practice. "I don't know what Will's situation is. I think it's just a little sprain, but I don't know."
Asked whether he has confidence that Rasp can step in and fill Mahan's shoes should the opportunity arise, Nansen said: "Oh, yeah. No doubt."
While Mahan appeared to be on the verge of a breakout season -- some of his practice kicks have gone 50 or 60 yards in the air -- Rasp has struggled with consistency since returning to the team. He wears a knee pad on his kicking leg and has been known to follow a long kick with a shank or get punts blocked because of a relatively slow delivery.
Rasp, a walk-on from Seattle's Nathan Hale High School, joined the Huskies in 2008 but has yet to appear in a game. While he served as Mahan's backup last year, he quit the team to concentrate on his schoolwork before spring practices began. UW added walk-on Sean Halligan, a freshman from Puyallup, but health issues forced him off the team in mid-August.
Nansen then called Rasp and asked him back, and the junior was back in uniform on Aug. 16.
"I've been in this profession too long," Nansen said Tuesday afternoon, "to prepare for situations like this. Like I said, I don't know what's happening with Will. But going in, we knew we needed two kickers, and we knew we needed two punters. Because you never know."
Mahan, who averaged 45.2 yards on six kicks Saturday and had a long of 64 yards, was expected to undergo further medical tests as of early Thursday evening. Sarkisian might have an update on his status after this afternoon's practice.
The Huskies (0-1) host Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.
The University of Washington junior may well be hitting his first official punt as a Husky in the team's home opener this weekend.
Senior punter Will Mahan suffered what might be the first lineup-shuffling injury of the season on Tuesday, when he hurt his left leg on a punt drill. The right-footed punter suffered what UW coach Steve Sarkisian is calling a sprained knee after a teammate rolled onto the back of his leg.
That means Rasp, who quit the team but was talked into returning early last month, might have to make his UW debut.
"He's getting better every day, and he's ready to step up when we need him," special teams coach Johnny Nansen said after Tuesday's practice. "I don't know what Will's situation is. I think it's just a little sprain, but I don't know."
Asked whether he has confidence that Rasp can step in and fill Mahan's shoes should the opportunity arise, Nansen said: "Oh, yeah. No doubt."
While Mahan appeared to be on the verge of a breakout season -- some of his practice kicks have gone 50 or 60 yards in the air -- Rasp has struggled with consistency since returning to the team. He wears a knee pad on his kicking leg and has been known to follow a long kick with a shank or get punts blocked because of a relatively slow delivery.
Rasp, a walk-on from Seattle's Nathan Hale High School, joined the Huskies in 2008 but has yet to appear in a game. While he served as Mahan's backup last year, he quit the team to concentrate on his schoolwork before spring practices began. UW added walk-on Sean Halligan, a freshman from Puyallup, but health issues forced him off the team in mid-August.
Nansen then called Rasp and asked him back, and the junior was back in uniform on Aug. 16.
"I've been in this profession too long," Nansen said Tuesday afternoon, "to prepare for situations like this. Like I said, I don't know what's happening with Will. But going in, we knew we needed two kickers, and we knew we needed two punters. Because you never know."
Mahan, who averaged 45.2 yards on six kicks Saturday and had a long of 64 yards, was expected to undergo further medical tests as of early Thursday evening. Sarkisian might have an update on his status after this afternoon's practice.
The Huskies (0-1) host Syracuse on Saturday afternoon.
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