Huskies find out Saturday if they will face the 2011 Heisman winner

Published 7:42 pm Friday, December 9, 2011

SEATTLE — The University of Washington football team has a chance to make history today.

But only because the Huskies could be in the position of being the only opponent to line up against the 2011 Heisman Trophy winner this season.

Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III is a leading candidate for the award, which will be handed out today in New York City, and he’s already scheduled to face UW in the Alamo Bowl later this month.

“I’ll watch it,” Huskies linebacker Cort Dennison said of the televised Heisman presentation. “Obviously, he’s a great player and he’s definitely deserving to be there. But that’s not going to have a factor in the (Dec. 29) game. No matter what award he wins, he’s still a heck of a football player, and we definitely still respect him.”

Griffin is the third legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, and the second of the five who will be in the front row for today’s presentation in New York City, to face UW this season.

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck had a modest performance, completing 16 of 21 passes for 169 yards, as the Cardinal piled up 446 rushing yards in a blowout win over the Huskies in October. USC’s Matt Barkley, who isn’t one of the five finalists but had similar numbers, mostly handed off as well while the Trojans piled up 252 rushing yards in a 40-17 win over UW. He completed 18 of 28 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown against the Huskies’ defense.

Griffin, a fourth-year junior, has the potential to match the combined passing total of those two Pac-12 starters — 343 yards — all by himself. He ranks sixth in the nation in passing yards per game (333.2) and second in total offense (386.8). Griffin’s passer rating of 192.31 leads the country.

“He’s a dang good player,” Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian said. “Robert is a tremendous player.”

So will the Huskies be rooting for him today?

“Either way, if he gets that big trophy or not, we’re going to have our hands full come Dec. 29,” Sarkisian said.

Said Dennison: “Obviously, you want to go against the best if you’re a competitor. Getting the Heisman shows just how good you are as a player, so as a competitor you want to play someone of that caliber.”

Sarkisian shoots down UCLA rumor

Sarkisian refuted Friday’s story in the Los Angeles Times, which cited an unnamed source saying Sarkisian has been contacted by UCLA about the Bruins’ vacant head-coaching job.

“I have not been contacted,” he said flatly.

When asked whether he had any interest in the UCLA job that was, until recently, held by former UW coach Rick Neuheisel, Sarkisian was unwilling to entertain the question.

“I’ve said before, I’m not going to engage in speculation and rumors,” he said. “Hopefully, as we continue to get better here, and we win even more games, those speculation and rumors are going to grow in numbers, and I don’t feel like I should have to come and talk about speculation and rumors every time they come up.”

Short yardage

The Huskies practiced with a replica Alamo Bowl logo at the center of their field inside the Dempsey Indoor facility. UW had the logo put in so the players would get used to it before leaving for San Antonio later this month. … Sarkisian said starting guard Colin Tanigawa finally underwent knee surgery Friday, nearly a month after tearing a ligament that ended his 2011 season.