SEATTLE – He’s been a bit of the forgotten man.
Even though Sonny Shackelford has led the Washington football team in receiving the past two years, he wasn’t the first, or second, or even third player many thought of when talk of a go-to receiver was brought up.
But he’s the guy people are talking about now.
Shackelford, a senior from Beverly Hills, Calif., had his best day as a Husky in helping Washington defeat UCLA 29-19 Saturday at Husky Stadium. Shackelford finished with a career-high nine catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
“Me being a senior, I’m trying to make plays for everybody,” Shackelford said. “I want to be the guy that’s out there making plays.”
He certainly has been this season. Shackelford leads the team with 16 catches for 210 yards and his four touchdowns are the only TD catches by a receiver on the team.
It wasn’t supposed to be that way. The go-to candidates appeared to be Marcel Reece, or Corey Williams, maybe Anthony Russo. Shackelford was expected to be a nice possession receiver but not a big-play guy. Instead, he has tough touchdown catches in the past three games. On Saturday, he had a 23-yard scoring catch for Washington’s first points, and followed it with a 28-yard touchdown catch that made it 16-14. He said he was able to take advantage of UCLA’s man coverage.
He now has 86 catches in his career and his four touchdowns are one more than he had in his first three years combined. But he said he’s not worried about being recognized as the UW’s top receiver.
“If it takes me sitting in the back row where I’m not catching the ball and somebody else is catching the ball and I’m blocking, I’ll do it,” Shackelford said. “Whatever it takes to win the games.”
“He came to play and that was the way he practiced this week” Husky coach Tyrone Willingham said. “He’d been a lot more aggressive in his practice sessions in trying to do all the things.”
Kirton keeps catching: Former Jackson High star Johnie Kirton continues to show that he can be a major factor in the offense for the Huskies. Kirton hauled in a 4-yard pass from Isaiah Stanback with 7:32 to go to give Washington its first lead, then caught the ensuing two-point conversion.
Kirton now has seven catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns this season. He said he is totally comfortable now after moving to tight end from running back last season.
“There’s little things I have to fix, little adjustments, but nothing big anymore,” he said. “I’m totally confident and comfortable now.”
Kirton has emerged as the No. 1 tight end the past three weeks in part because of the injury-related absences of Robert Lewis and Michael Gottlieb. Gottlieb returned Saturday but Kirton was still the starter.
“It made me nervous at the beginning but I like stepping up to challenges,” Kirton said. “It helped me to have the support of my teammates behind me.”
Gunheim gets after it: Washington defensive end Greyson Gunheim has been lauded for his athleticism in the past, and he showed why Saturday. UCLA’s Terrence Austin appeared headed for a touchdown after returning a Sean Douglas punt down the left sideline, but instead Gunheim chased down Austin from behind, holding the Bruin to a 79-yard return. Washington went on limit UCLA to a field goal.
Not bad for a 265-pound lineman chasing a 165-pound receiver.
“I just knew we had to keep him out of the end zone,” said Gunheim. “I just ran as hard as I could and I caught up to him.”
The play left the coaches a bit awe-struck.
“That will probably be one of the more impressive plays that you will see in a football game,” Willingham said.
“Unbelievable,” defensive coordinator Kent Baer added. “That’s the kind of athlete he is. That’s probably the play of the day. That’s what great hustle does for you.”
Running game stagnant: A week after struggling to run against Fresno State, the Huskies again could generate nothing from their running backs. Kenny James and Louis Rankin combined for 22 yards on 11 carries.
“I want to be able to run out of two-backs here,” offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said. “I knew we could run out of one-backs but we’ve got to be able to run the ball out of two-backs. We weren’t getting any lanes in there at all.”
Red zone improving: Coming into the game, Washington had allowed teams to score all 10 times they reached the red zone, including seven touchdowns. Against UCLA, the Huskies held the Bruins to just one touchdown and three field goals, as well as an interception, in the red zone.
“That’s something we’ve been working on a lot,” Baer said. “Any time you keep a team out of the end zone in those situations, I think it helps your momentum.”
Butler finds the field: True freshman linebacker Donald Butler got his first action with the Husky defense, playing on nickel coverages. Butler had played strictly on special teams in the previous three games but with E.J. Savannah out with a broken thumb, the Huskies adjusted the nickel and Butler was the recipient of more time. Butler made two tackles but also shared time at the spot with former Edmonds-Woodway star Kyle Trew.
Goldson gets time: Dashon Goldson returned to active duty after sitting out last week to rest his ankle sprain. He finished with one tackle.
Captains: Saturday’s captains were punter Sean Douglas, defensive end Brandon Ala, fullback Mark Palaita and safety C.J. Wallace.
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