Huskies talking tough as two-a-days end

SEATTLE – The transition between the official end of two-a-day practices Friday and the plunge into game-week mode won’t go unnoticed by University of Washington football players.

Weary of smacking their own teammates around day after day and play after play, players expressed unbridled joy at the prospect of preparing specifically for their season opener, Sunday, Sept. 5, against Fresno State at Husky Stadium.

“We’re ready to go and actually start preparing for an opponent, as opposed to just putting stuff in and trying to broaden our offense,” center Brad Vanneman said. “Now we can actually focus on Fresno State’s tendencies.”

Yet, as much drudgery as the past 21/2 weeks have been, much has been accomplished – much more so than, say, a year ago, when head coach Keith Gilbertson officially was named head coach just two weeks before fall camp and the shock of the coaching change left its mark.

Gilbertson has been able to put his own, personal stamp on this team and the mode of practice simply because he has had time. Right or wrong, the buzz was that previous teams had gotten soft and a lack of attention to detail was evident under Rick Neuheisel.

This time around, players said, off-season conditioning was more demanding, practices in the spring and preseason were more physical and the players have prepared for the season with a renewed sense of toughness.

“Practices have been longer, they’ve been tougher and they’ve been more physical,” strong safety Jimmy Newell said. “That was his goal and I think we’re a tougher team coming out of camp this year.”

Linebacker Joe Lobendahn, a co-captain, agreed. He said the team is one that is similar to what many longtime observers think of when they think of UW teams in the past – tough, hard-working and feisty.

“Everyone has been going all-out and there were more fights, which have been entertaining,” Lobendahn said. “That’s because everyone’s showing aggressiveness and looking out for each other.”

Whether that translates into a team better than outsiders’ predictions – Pacific-10 Conference media picked the Huskies to finish seventh in the league – is debatable.

Yet, it is undeniable that the atmosphere has changed over the past year. Gilbertson has mentioned more than once that this is a team without a huge star, as receiver Reggie Williams and quarterback Cody Pickett were.

And right or wrong, players have grabbed hold of that notion and claimed that the 2004 version of UW football is a tightly bound, more committed and more dedicated group, one that embraces the team concept more tightly than others in the recent past.

And that, players say, is reason for optimism.

“We’re looking at this season as a chance to prove ourselves,” Vanneman said, “proving that we can do things without guys like Reggie or Cody Pickett. We think we can step up and fill our own roles, work hard and get where we need to go.

“All the nonsense that we had to go through last year is over. We’re definitely taking steps in the right direction.”

Short bursts: Today’s scrimmage is closed to the public. … The team will have Sunday off, then get into game-week mode for the opener. … Players were in sweats and did next to no hitting in Friday afternoon’s practice, the only practice of the day. … Wideout Charles Frederick practiced for the first time since spraining his right ankle nine days ago. Also back from a thigh bruise was slotback Anthony Russo. … Corey Williams (hamstring) was the only wide receiver who sat out practice. … Gilbertson said freshman linebacker Trent Tuiasosopo, a Mariner High School grad, has made great strides since missing more than a week of practices with a pulled hamstring and is challenging for a spot in the two-deeps. … Tight end Joe Toledo (back) probably will be well enough to play against Fresno State, but his normal backup, Ben Bandel (knee) probably won’t play, Gilbertson said. … School president Mark Emmert addressed the team and former UW head coach Don James was among the practice observers Friday.