SEATTLE — If the University of Washington football program turns around over the next few years, it will be because of new head coach Steve Sarkisian.
If the Huskies turn it around this season, it will be largely due to Jake Locker.
For the first time in nearly a year — a Sept. 21, 2008 game against Stanford, to be exact — Locker was on the field Saturday night, as the Huskies opened their season against 11th-ranked Louisiana State.
Locker, Washington’s talented junior quarterback, couldn’t quite engineer an upset of the Tigers — LSU prevailed 31-23 — but his performance surely gives UW fans hope for better days in 2009.
“His competitive nature is amazing,” Sarkisian said of Locker. “The guy just doesn’t quit. And I saw accuracy on throws that I don’t think he had before. I also saw a really good understanding of an offense that is going to allow him to continue to grow.
“I was very proud of him because for the first game, this offense against that defense, those athletes, I thought he performed really well.”
Locker, who sat out the final eight games of last season after breaking his right thumb against Stanford, completed 25 of 45 passing attempts for 321 yards and two touchdowns with one costly interception.
In the end, it wasn’t a win for the Huskies, but it was a far cry from the winless disaster of a year ago.
“It’s a tough loss,” Locker said. “But we came out and played physical, we played with good tempo, and we played hard for four quarters, which is what we wanted to do.
“We made a couple of big mistakes and had a couple of penalties that killed us. So it’s tough when you play as well as we did at times and then make the big mistakes that we did to lose the game,” he said.
Locker misfired on his first three passing attempts, but then linked with fullback Johri Fogerson on a 51-yard screen pass that helped set up Washington’s opening-drive touchdown. And the TD itself came two plays later as Locker found freshman receiver James Johnson on a curl route at the 5-yard line.
Johnson spun away from a defender, and with a good block from teammate Chris Polk stepped into the end zone.
Locker’s second TD pass came on the game’s final play, a 9-yard toss to tight end Kavario Middleton.
“We didn’t give up,” Locker said. “We battled until the end. I think we’re really close. It’s just a matter of being a little more disciplined and taking care of the football. But I think the sky’s the limit for this football team, as you saw tonight.”
Locker’s total of passing yards came close to his career single-game high of 336, which he set against Arizona in 2007.
It was a good outing for Locker, but it was not without flaws. In the first quarter, with Washington holding a 7-3, lead — and the Huskies had a huge emotional lift after denying LSU at the goal line, forcing a field goal _ Locker opened a possession at the 25-yard line by misreading a coverage on first down.
His slant pass, intended for Devin Aguilar, was tipped, intercepted and returned for a touchdown by LSU linebacker Jacob Cutrera.
Locker also misfired on some throws, but his confidence seemed to grow as the game progressed.
And he improvised a few “wow” moments, even when they didn’t pan out. Late in the first quarter, near the LSU goal line, he scrambled forward from the pocket and then, after being tripped by a tackler, flipped a shovel pass to running back Chris Polk for some nice yards.
Unfortunately for Washington, a video review showed that Locker’s knee was down before he released the pass and the gain was negated.
Despite the disappointing loss, Locker was obviously savoring the chance to be on the field again.
“It was great to be back out there, playing a sport that I love playing,” he said. “It was awesome to be able to be back out there with the guys and in that (festive) atmosphere.”
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