UW vs. Stanford game thread

Published 9:05 pm Saturday, September 27, 2008

Word just came from the trainers that Jake Locker has a broken right thumb.

And more bad news for the Huskies, Anthony Kimble just ran 83 yards for a touchdown to give Stanford a 28-14 lead.

Still tied at 21 after a rare stop for Washington’s defense. That was Stanford’s first punt of the game. We’ve been told that Locker is having x-rays taken on his hand, but no word yet on any results. He just returned to the sideline in street clothes, so he’s obviously done for the day.

Donald Butler does indeed have a concussion, so he won’t return either.

Stanford 21, Washington 14, halftime

First off, still no word on Locker, but once we get any news I pass it along.

Stanford took the lead shortly after Washington tied the game on a 61-yard touchdown pass from Tavita Pritchard to Doug Baldwin, who was all alone on a crossing route.

This start has to be discouraging for Washington’s defense, which has allowed 235 yards and 21 points in the first half to a team averaging 272.5 yards and 22.5 points per game. And that’s without starting running back Toby Gerhart for most of the game.

Stanford, which came into the game ranked 109th in passing offense, has 146 passing yards, and quarterback Tavita Pritchard, who came into the game with one touchdown and four interceptions, is 9 for 12 with two scores and no picks.

The bright spot for the Huskies has been there rushing offense, which has gained 201 yards, including 64 from David Freeman.

One note for the second half, because of the late kickoff and deadline issues for tomorrow’s paper, there won’t be much second-half blogging.

Washington 14, Stanford 14, 3:11 left in half

Washington just finished a 76-yard drive with a Brandon Johnson 1-yard touchdown run, but the bigger news for now is that Jake Locker left the game on that drive. Locker left with what we’re being told is a hand injury after throwing an incomplete pass. He went to the locker room, and for now that’s all we’ve been told.

Ronnie Fouch came in and went one for two passing, picking up a third down conversion with a 9-yard pass to Jermaine Kearse.

Stanford 14, Washington 7, 8:34 left in second quarter

Stanford just drove 80 yards to take its first lead of the game, and the worse news for Washington is that it may have lost Donald Butler for the game. Butler went down after taking a shot to the head. Butler colapsed to the turf after trying to make a tackle and was slow to get up.

Butler was the one who knocked Toby Gerhart out of the game ealier. We just got word from Stanford’s sports information department that Gerhart has a mild concussion and his return is unlikely. I’ll check back with a report on Butler as soon as we get it.

UW 7, Stanford 7 after one quarter

Washington seems to have found the run game that it hasn’t had through three games. The Huskies have rushed for 93 yards through one quarter, including runs of 23 and 19 yards from David Freeman.

The defense, on the other hand, was less impressive on Stanford’s touchdown drive, allowing runs of 11, 10 and 13 yards, the last of which was a Anthony Kimble touchdown run. Kimble was in the game in place of starting running back Toby Gerhart, who left the game after taking a hit to the head from Donald Butler after a 21 yard catch.

UW 7, Stanford 0, 7:35 left in 1st quarter

The Huskies gave the ball up on their first drive, then got it right back, turning a Stanford turnover into a touchdown. Just two plays after a fumbled handoff exchange gave Stanford the ball, Donald Butler stripped the ball from Stanford running back Toby Gerhart and Tripper Johnson recovered. It was the second fumble recovery of the season for Johnson.

Washington ran five straight times on a 34-yard scoring drive, with the big play being a 19-yard David Freeman run. Brandon Johnson, who hasn’t played a lot this season, scored on a one-yard run.

We’re just a few minutes away from kickoff here at Husky Stadium, and like two weeks ago, it’s another beautiful evening for football.

Not sure if it’s this nice weather or a struggling football team that’s keeping fans away, but a lot of the 60,000 people that bought tickets don’t appear to be here tonight.

One potential injury to keep an eye on is at free safety. Tyrone Willingham mentioned earlier this week that Johri Fogerson was battling an ankle injury, and during pre-game warmups, Tripper Johnson was playing safety alongside Nate Williams.

Captains for the game are Jake Locker, Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, Donald Butler and Juan Garcia.

The Cardinal just won the toss and deferred to the second half, so the Huskies will start with the ball.