We’ll start off with a few links.
Here’s our coverage, which includes a story on the improved mood of the Huskies after finally getting a win, as well as a notebook that leads off with Louis Rankin’s Pac-10 player of the week honors, and his quest for a 1,000-yard season.
The Oregonian is saying what has been suspected the last couple of days: that Oregon State’s quarterback Sean Canfield will miss this week’s game. Also, here’s The Corvallis Gazett Times’ coverage.
As always, here’s a link to Pat Forde’s ESPN.com column, which amongst other things, calls the Huskies the best six-loss team in the nation. Hey, it’s something, right?
As for today’s happenings, we met with offensive players and offensive coordinator Tim Lappano, as is usual for Tuesdays. Jake Locker confirmed what Willingham said yesterday when he told us Locker’s shoulder was fine despite a hard hit late in the game Saturday. Locker gave Husky fans everywhere a scare by emerging from the Locker room with ice bags on his right shoulder and left elbow.
“I had the ice packs and that was a little deceiving, but my shoulder feels good,” he said. “I was able to participate fully in the lifting this morning, so I feel really good.”
He also confirmed that he is still able to play Guitar Hero III with fullback Paul Homer, and if you can rock out to Foghat, then surely you’re able to play football, right?
And if you noticed a few offensive players, including center Juan Garcia, sporting mohawks against Stanford, don’t be shocked if a few more players have new hair cuts this weekend. Garcia said he’s trying to recruit more teammates to get mohawks, including Locker.
“He told me he wants to, and he might be the only guy who could talk me into it, so who knows, maybe,” Locker said. “I wouldn’t be too surprised if Juan got me to do it.”
Somewhere, Anita Locker (Jake’s mom) just cringed and isn’t sure why.
Anyway, back to football.
Lappano said the keys for his offense are going to be how well the offensive line handles Oregon State’s front seven, which has the Beavers ranked second in the nation in rush defense, and how well Washington’s receivers can get open against man coverage when the Beavers put eight or nine guys in the box to stop the run.
“To win this game, we’re going to have to take care of their front four, we’re going to have to play physical,” Lappano said. “Big-time pad leverage is important, because if these guys get in your chest and get underneath you, they’re going to knock you back. They’re going to knock you off the ball, and it’s got to be just the opposite. We’ve got to knock them off the ball and get underneath them and we’ve got to win outside.
“We’ve got a great challenge for our fifth-year receivers, and our offensive line has a big challenge. “
Lappano also talked a bit about the role Curtis Shaw will play now that he’s being used at receiver:
“We’re looking at some things. I had a couple of things maybe for him Saturday, but the situation wasn’t right. In fact I grabbed him one time and wanted to put him in, but where the ball was located I couldn’t do that. We’re looking at some things to gradually work him into receiver.
“He’s got great hands, he catches the ball really well. You can’t substitute speed. He’s athletic and his hips are loose enough that he can stick his foot in the ground and change direction and give us some threat down the field. We’re going to gradually do this, just put a couple of things in every now and then for him and work him at both. He’s still not out of the mix at running back, but we want to utilize his speed. You can’t coach speed.”
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