UW aims to put some spark in special teams

Published 11:31 pm Wednesday, August 20, 2008

SEATTLE — Washington’s special teams last season?

Well, let’s just say they weren’t quite as special as the Huskies would have liked.

Other than punt returns, a category in which Washington led the Pac-10 with an average of 11 yards per return, the Huskies were in the bottom half of their conference in most special teams statistical categories.

The Huskies were last in kickoff returns, averaging 19.3 per return, ninth in kickoff coverage, averaging a net of 36.4 yards per kickoff, sixth in net punting with an average of 36.2 yards, and sixth in field goal percentage, making 71.4 percent of their attempts.

Enter a new special teams coach, Brian White, to replace the fired Bob Simmons (White, like Simmons, coaches tight ends as well). The Huskies hope a new coach, as well as some fresh faces, can make special teams a strength of the 2008 Huskies instead of a liability.

Washington coach Tyrone Willingham would like to see the most improvement from the return game.

“The biggest concern we’ve always had in my eyes has been our return game,” he said. “We’ve been looking for that dynamic guy that can give us some energy. … I think, if we can find a couple of return guys to really give us some energy, some spark, then I think we can have an above average special teams.”

That spark looks like it will come from some of Washington’s younger players. White said that sophomore receiver D’Andre Goodwin is likely to return punts this year, replacing Anthony Russo, who was one of the Huskies bright spots on special teams last season.

“He’s consistent catching it, and he’s got good burst,” White said of Goodwin, one of Washington’s fastest players.

While the kick return duties are still being sorted out, it sounds like Washington will be young at that spot no matter who wins the job. Freshmen Jordan Polk and Chris Polk, who are second cousins, are performing well at the positions, White said, as is freshman tailback Johri Fogerson.

Three jobs are settled already, White said. Backup quarterback Ronnie Fouch will handle the holding duties, although the Huskies continue to give kickers reps holding in practice, Danny Morovick again will be the long snapper, and Jared Ballman will be the punter for second straight year.

The kicking game, however, remains the least settled aspect of Washington’s special teams unit.

Last year’s place kicker, Ryan Perkins, is battling Ballman and redshirt freshman Erik Folk to keep his job. Even if Perkins retains that job, either Ballman or Folk will handle kickoffs, because Perkins’ surgically repaired knee doesn’t allow him to take very aggressive swings with his leg.

“Right now it’s still too close to call,” White said of the placekicking battle. “It’s sorting itself out a little bit, but it’s still pretty open.”

Perkins, who suffered a major knee injury in the 2006 spring game, is confident he can be Washington’s kicker again this season.

“I always like my chances, it’s just a matter of putting it through the uprights,” he said. “And that’s what I plan to do.”

Perkins, whose injury required a pair of reconstructive surgeries (the first didn’t take), goes through hours of warming up, therapy and icing each day in order to kick, but says the knee is better now than last year. While the pain will always be there, Perkins says his leg is stronger than it was last year, estimating he can make field goals about 10 yards longer than last year’s long of 45 yards.

Folk, who battled a back injury last season, and Ballman both are battling with Perkins in practice to win that job. Whoever ends up the place kicker, all three agree that the competition is good for them.

“We see how well we all do, then it makes us work harder,” said Folk, whose brother Nick kicks for the Dallas Cowboys. “When one guy does a little bit better than the other two, we work harder and it makes us all better at the end.”

Of note

An afternoon off: The Huskies practiced Wednesday morning, but canceled their scheduled afternoon practice.

The practice, which was scheduled to be a light one for the players anyway, was instead scratched in favor of meetings to allow tired and hobbled players a bit of a break.

“We won’t be out on the field,” Willingham said. “We’ll spend a little bit more time meeting and working on some things from that perspective. It’s just a natural thing to do base on where our team is and how they’re moving and how they’re feeling. And it should help them be even better toward our goal in about 11 days.”

The afternoon practice would have been more for the coaches than players anyway, Willingham said.

“What we had scheduled for this afternoon was really a rest for the guys in terms of what we did on the field,” he said. “We call it a mock game, and that game is more for the coaches than it is for the players. The players go out and kind of go through things lightly, and the coaches are really working on down and distance, substitutions, and those kinds of things that we need to do to have ourselves game ready.”

Garcia misses morning practice: Center Juan Garcia wasn’t at practice the morning practice while tending to a death in the family, Willingham said. He is expected back today.

Willingham was also asked about Garcia’s progress in his comeback from a Lisfranc sprain, and if the sixth-year senior might make it back to start the Oregon game.

“It’s still too early to say who will be the starter, but I’m very confident and comfortable with where he is today,” he said.

Contact Herald Writer John Boyle at jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more on University of Washington sports, check out the Huskies blog at heraldnet.com /huskiesblog