SEATTLE – Dan Howell said you won’t see a mistake again like the one he made Saturday.
It was Howell who lost Brent Miller when the Arizona State tight end ran up the left sideline for the game-winning 25-yard touchdown catch in overtime of the Sun Devils 26-23 victory. Howell said the mistake was simply a lack of discipline.
“I anticipated a certain play and I didn’t make connections between potential routes and what they could do,” Howell said. “I just slipped up. (It was) not very good eye discipline. That was my route. He ran a wheel, that’s my responsibility. I anticipated something different out of that set, that formation they had, and it caught me.”
Howell said he expected Miller to run an out route where he would simply go to the sideline for the pass. Miller ran to the sideline and looked to quarterback Rudy Carpenter, causing Howell to look to Carpenter for the pass, and when that happened, Miller ran up the sideline.
It was a play that the Huskies had prepared for all week, and defensive coordinator Kent Baer said the right defense and the right play call was in place.
“That happens in a game,” Baer said. “You get excited, guys tend to try to help too much, do something differently. It’s a formation group they’re in where they have a tendency to run the football. But we worked on that play. We worked on it at practice Thursday, stopped practice, walked through it and walked through it again. But things like that happen.”
Howell said it won’t happen to him again.
“I only make a mistake once,” Howell said. “Things like that, it only happens once. There will never be another time when I’m not disciplined with my eyes. The true mistake I made aside from the physical was not opening my mind to the possibilities. I know out of this formation they have a tendency to run these routes. That doesn’t mean they won’t run something else. That’s the mistake I made, not realizing they could run something else.”
James ready to go: Head coach Tyrone Willingham said Kenny James has worked well in practice this week and should be ready to play Saturday. James missed last week with a sprained ankle. It’s not know whether James or Louis Rankin will start against Oregon.
Bonnell is too: Willingham also said quarterback Carl Bonnell worked well Tuesday. Bonnell had a concussion on Saturday and is also dealing with a sprained non-throwing shoulder.
Butler out: Freshman linebacker Donald Butler has not practiced this week and Willingham said he doesn’t anticipate Butler being ready to play Saturday. Butler suffered a bruised calf against Arizona State. Though Trenton Tuiasosopo is listed as the backup to Tahj Bomar at middle linebacker in Butler’s place, Willingham said he wasn’t sure yet who would actually man that spot.
Forrester in at free safety: Defensive backs coach J.D. Williams said Mesphin Forrester will get the first start of his career Saturday filling in for Jason Wells at free safety. Wells is out with a knee injury. Forrester has been competing with Chris Hemphill for that job.
White ailing: Senior linebacker Scott White is sick with flu-like symptoms but made no mention of not being available on Saturday.
White on Locker: White has been impressed by what he’s seen from freshman quarterback Jake Locker in practice this season.
“He’s as good a runner as we have,” White said. “Probably not as fast as Isaiah but every bit as elusive and every bit as quick and every bit as instinctive. This dude Jake Locker is the real deal.”
DuRocher getting ready: Willingham said that backup quarterback Johnny DuRocher has started to receive more snaps this week in practice.
Perkins has setback: Redshirt freshman kicker Ryan Perkins, who is out for the season after having knee surgery this spring, recently had another surgery that has set him back. Willingham said the surgery was needed for “some adjustments to the knee and some of the graphs were having some difficulty and they tried to get that corrected.”
The second surgery means that Perkins may now not be ready for spring practice.
White-Frisbee easing back: Offensive lineman Jordan White-Frisbee has returned to practice on a limited basis. He has had his left arm in a sling the last couple weeks. Willingham said it’s not likely he would see playing time soon as he adjusts to the offensive line after spending much of the season on defense.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
