The University of Washington football team, coming off the worst two-year stretch in the program’s history, begins its second season under Tyrone Willingham today. The Huskies won two games last season in Willingham’s first year, and face what is potentially a more difficult schedule this year, with non-league games against Oklahoma and Fresno State.
Washington returns most of its skill players on offense, but must replace its offensive line. The defense hopes that the addition of new defensive backs coach J.D. Williams will improve a unit that has struggled the past two seasons.
The offseason ended poorly, with four players becoming academically ineligible and a fifth suffering a significant injury.
Despite all of that, hopes will be high when the Huskies take the practice field this afternoon. Here’s 10 questions to be answered in the next 30 days:
Who will run the football?
At the end of spring, it appeared that it would be a three-man job consisting of Kenny James, Louis Rankin and J.R. Hasty. Now, it looks like it will be Rankin getting the majority of the carries. That’s because Hasty, Washington’s standout redshirt freshman, will miss the year because of academic difficulties, and James will miss several weeks with a broken arm. Rankin has shown ability in the past, leading Washington in rushing last season. He has good speed but has had injury issues. His backup for now will be Shelton Sampson, who quit the team last year after being moved to defensive back. Sampson is regarded as one of the fastest players on the team, but has had trouble hanging onto the ball. It’s likely that former Jackson High star Johnie Kirton will get some carries in short-yardage situations. Freshmen Leilyon Myers and Matt Mosley will get long looks, but don’t appear ready to play.
Will it matter who runs the football?
That is, with an offensive line replacing four starters, will anyone be able to run the football anyway? The line did not look good in the spring, and that meant the running game did not look good. The only returning starter is right guard Stanley Daniels, who is solid. Clay Walker and Juan Garcia man the other guard and center spot, and there’s hope that junior-college transfer Aaron Mason will have an impact. Chad Macklin at right tackle had a hard time when he played last season but seems likely to be on the field at the start of the season. The real question is at left tackle, where the team lost NFL draft pick Joe Toledo. Nathan Flowers was a possible starter but is out for the year because of grades. That appears to leave the job to redshirt freshman Ben Ossai, with 390-pound redshirt freshman Morgan Rosborough as the backup.
Is there a go-to receiver?
Last year, Craig Chambers gave Washington a deep threat, and as inconsistent as he was, opponents had to cover him because of his size, speed and ability. Chambers transferred to Montana in the offseason, though. There was hope that Duke transfer Chancellor Young, another big, fast receiver, could take over after a strong spring game, but he’s been lost because of grades. That leaves a group of steady receivers, although none who have shown the ability to make big plays downfield. Sonny Shackelford can be counted on for catches, but few will be for big plays, and the same is true for Anthony Russo and Cody Ellis. Corey Williams has downfield ability but hasn’t stayed healthy. The guy to watch is 6-foot-3 junior-college transfer Marcel Reese, who reportedly came to camp at 250 pounds, about 15 pounds heavier than expected. Reese has speed and is physical and could be the man to make the big plays.
Is the secondary better?
Judging by the spring, yes. But there isn’t much depth, and if one or two guys get hurt, it could spell trouble. The move of Dashon Goldson from safety to cornerback appears to have been a smart move, as Goldson has the size and speed to cover some of the better receivers in the Pac-10. It’s the other side, which will likely be either Roy Lewis or Matt Fountaine, that is a problem. It’s possible that junior-college transfer Jordan Murchison could work himself into a job.
Safety could be a strength, led by C.J. Wallace, who could be one of the better strong safeties in the league if he can stay healthy. Coveted recruit Ashlee Palmer could win the other safety job and big things are expected of him. If he’s not ready, Mesphin Forrester or Chris Hemphill could be the man. Transfer Jason Wells should also see time.
Will any true freshmen play?
Last year, linebackers Chris Stevens and Darrion Jones got on the field, and Stevens emerged as a solid pass rusher. This year, the most likely freshman to play could be at running back, with either Mosley or Myers, though neither will make a big impact. There’s some thought that Cameron Elisara may be ready to step in on the defensive line. The hope is that prized quarterback recruit Jake Locker will not be needed to play this year, but if Isaiah Stanback is hurt, especially early in the season, don’t be surprised if Locker gets a long look.
Is Isaiah Stanback a better player this year?
Stanback looked pretty good in the spring. But he will need some kind of running game to be established so the defense doesn’t completely collapse on him. He’ll also need some time to make reads and can’t always be throwing on the run. Unfortunately, he may always be scrambling because of the inexperience of his offensive line. That would be bad news, as Stanback is the most indispensable player on the team. From a talent standpoint, few quarterbacks in the league have his ability to run and throw, and the UW coaching staff is expected to have a better idea of how to utilize him this season. But Stanback may not have enough around him to make everything work.
How’s the kicking game?
Scary. There was real excitement over redshirt freshman Ryan Perkins, who has an excellent leg and plenty of confidence. But Perkins was lost for the year with a knee injury in the spring, leaving the job to Michael Braunstein. Braunstein came to the UW with a lot of promise, but has never shown anything close to consistency. Washington needs all the points it can get, and that means it needs Braunstein to come through when he’s called upon.
What about the return game?
There’s some hope here, though a little of that was taken away with the loss of Hasty. Marlon Wood showed a lot of promise before breaking his leg last year, and he’ll be given a chance to handle the job again. Besides him, the team has looked at a lot of people, including Rankin, Shackelford, Russo and Cody Ellis. The two best men for the job – Stanback and Locker – are not going to be returning anything. The dark horse could be walk-on Alex Mercier, who was impressive during the spring. This will be a key spot, as with its young offensive line, Washington can’t afford to constantly be pinned back in its own territory.
Who are the breakout players?
There’s a few. One guy to pay attention to is defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, who was the Defensive Scout of the Year last season. He impressed UW coaches all season and could give the Huskies a pass rusher that they haven’t really had. If they stay healthy, both Corey Williams and Louis Rankin could be major factors, as could Marcel Reese. Johnie Kirton has all the tools to be a standout tight end, but is his heart in the position or is it still at running back? Chris Stevens should continue to emerge as an exciting pass rusher at outside linebacker. And Ashlee Palmer could be a huge key to the secondary.
How good is the defensive front seven?
Potentially, pretty good. Greyson Gunheim is developing into one of the better defensive linemen in the league. Donny Mateaki and Wilson Afoa are inconsistent but when they’re on, they are both very good. Joe Lobendahn and Evan Benjamin will be missed at linebacker, but there is some young talent that the team hopes is ready to step in, led by Stevens. Scott White is a good linebacker who can get in the backfield, and Tahj Bomar showed some promise filling in for Lobendahn. Two young guys to watch are E.J. Savannah and Mariner High School grad Trenton Tuiasosopo. Both are coming off injuries but both have a lot of talent.
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