Up and Running
Published 9:00 pm Friday, November 10, 2006
Computer issues have kept me off the blog the last few days, so there’s obviously some things to catch up on.
Washington will honor its seniors today, and as has been reported the last few days, a few of those seniors are surprise guys, namely receiver Marlon Wood, kicker Michael Braunstein and safety Chris Hemphill. Wood apparently should have always been listed as a senior rather than a junior, as he began his collegiate athletic career in 2002 at Alabama State. But Braunstein and Hemphill are two “victims” of Tyrone Willingham’s policy that a fifth-year is not guaranteed….wow, Braunstein just missed a kick really badly in warm-ups…..anyway, so they apparently won’t be back. This isn’t a new policy, as Willingham did it last year as well, it just didn’t affect any players who had contributed much, so it went fairly unnoticed.
The reality is that scholarships are renewed yearly, so this policy really is in place everywhere, and it happens everywhere. It’s a tough reality, and everyone has an opinion on it, but there’s nothing technically wrong with it.
Carl Bonnell will start at quarterback today, but it will be shocking if Johnny DuRocher doesn’t get at least one series. Washington should be in control of this game from the start, and so we should get a chance to see some players we haven’t seen much of this year.
Tim Lappano said on his radio show last night that he has some surprises in store, particularly in the running game, so that will be interesting. Kenny James is back and will start, but perhaps we’ll see Shelton Sampson or Johnie Kirton used.
Steve Emtman will be honored today for his upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame.
There’s no rain, though it’s pretty cold and pretty windy. Rain is expected later, though the sun has been poking through.
We’ll be back in awhile with more updates. And is anyone else excited for the start of the college basketball season tomorrow? The Pepperdine-Washington game is going to be really interesting. Pepperdine, if nothing else, likes to get up-and-down the floor. It’s averaging 106.5 points in two exhibition games. How will the affect Spencer Hawes? And don’t be lulled by Northern Iowa, that is a good team with some muscle inside. It should be a pretty fun tournament.
