Huskies are fine up front

Published 11:22 pm Tuesday, April 8, 2008

SEATTLE — So much uncertainty surrounds Washington as it prepares for its 2008 football season.

Who will fill the many vacated positions on the defensive line, at receiver and at tailback? How much can the defense improve from its woeful 2008 campaign? How much can quarterback Jake Locker improve his accuracy?

But with all the questions and uncertainty, the Huskies can feel comfortable knowing that one unit, the offensive line, should be one of the best and most consistent parts of the team in the upcoming season.

Last season’s offensive line showed improvement throughout the season while helping the Huskies to 2,640 rushing yards last season, the third highest total in team history (though that was in 13 games). With center Juan Garcia deciding to stay for a final season after being granted an extra year of eligibility, the Huskies feel that the offensive line can help compensate for a lack of experience at tailback and receiver.

In addition to Garcia, who started all 13 games last year, the Huskies return left tackle Ben Ossai, who started nine games, left guard Ryan Tolar, who started 12 and right guard Casey Bulyca, who started 11 games. Cody Habben, who started three games at left tackle and played in all 13 games, is expected to replace last season’s right tackle, Chad Macklin. Washington also expects contributions from Jordan White-Frisbee, who started three games at the two guard positions.

“There is some experience there, and you want to lean on that experience and those skill sets so that they can be the real leaders of your football team,” Tyrone Willingham said. “They are critical to anything and everything our football team wants to do offensively and defensively … Their impact on our football team will be tremendous.”

Willingham points out that the line can not only help Washington’s offense, but also the defense by sustaining long possessions.

Locker, who rushed for a Washington quarterback record 986 yards in 2007, was happy to see Garcia return and expects his line to again lead the way for the offense.

“We expect that to be the strength of our team,” he said. “To be able to control the line of scrimmage is an important part of a football game, and I think we’ll be able to have that advantage most of the season.”

The line knows that a strong rushing season last year and plenty of experience will create pressure to perform in 2008.

“The offensive line should be the heart and soul of this team,” said Bulyca. “We have the most experience probably of any position group, so we’ve got to step up and play well.”

Injuries not serious: Willingham said Tuesday that the injuries sustained by cornerback Jordan Murchison and safety Darin Harris in Saturday’s practice were not serious. Harris, who suffered a knee injury, and Murchison, who has an ankle injury, are both considered day-to-day.

In addition to those two injuries, two other Huskies were limited in Tuesday’s practice with undisclosed injuries. Receiver Devin Aguilar was not in pads, but was running in some early-practice drills. Fellow receiver Tony Chidiac sat out practice with a walking boot on his left foot.

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