Huskies take step in right direction

SEATTLE — As he walked the University of Washington campus one day earlier this week, senior fullback Paul Homer felt a sudden, unexpected kick of sadness.

For a reason Homer could not immediately discern, he was struck with the thought that Saturday’s football game against California would be the final one he would play with the Huskies.

The rush of emotion was not just about his four years as a UW football player but also about the next few years when he wouldn’t be able to be a part of the rebuilt Huskies.

“This program is headed in a great direction,” Homer said on Wednesday night. “… We were pretty close to getting to a bowl game this year. To turn around a team, from where we were last year, and to come this far …

“As long as we keep progressing like we did from last year to this year, I think this team is going to be competing for national championships.”

While the Huskies still appear to be a long way from that goal, the program has certainly taken a step in the right direction in the first year of the Steve Sarkisian era.

And with a starting lineup that includes 17 underclassmen, the Huskies have as bright a future as they’ve had in years.

“I feel good,” Sarkisian said about the future of the program. “We’re obviously a young football team.”

If there is one area where the Huskies could stand to most improve, Sarkisian added, it’s up front.

“I feel like up front we could be more physical on both sides of the ball — from a stature standpoint and from a mentality standpoint,” he said. “We’ve got to be more physical. We’ll address that this offseason, for sure.”

Of the seniors who will be moving on, the most difficult ones to replace will be defensive end Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and linebacker Donald Butler. Between them, the duo has started 74 games at UW.

Te’o-Nesheim has been the defense’s most productive player the past two years, standing just 1.5 sacks away from tying the school record for sacks in a career. While sophomore Kalani Aldrich and freshmen Talia Crichton and Andru Pulu saw plenty of action at defensive end this season, none of them have shown anything near what Te’o-Nesheim has brought to the defense.

Butler really came into his own as a senior, providing a steady presence to the defense. His replacement could come from a group that includes freshmen Jordan Wallace and Tim Tucker, neither of whom have much experience on defense.

The only two seniors who saw extensive playing time on offense were offensive lineman Ben Ossai and Homer. Ossai got moved from tackle to guard during the course of the year and was somewhat of a disappointment during his career at UW. Homer was a role player whose job will probably fall to junior Austin Sylvester next fall.

Of course, the biggest hole on the offense could be at quarterback. Star junior Jake Locker still hasn’t made up his mind whether to declare early for the NFL draft, and that decision is the biggest factor in how the Huskies will look heading into 2010.

The 2009 season got off to a hot start for UW, but the past two-and-a-half months have seen the program fall back on hard times. Still, both Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt feel good about how this team has progressed.

“Quite honestly, I know the numbers don’t show it, but the defense has improved since the beginning of the year,” Holt said. “They really have.

“… What’s happened is they’re feeling really comfortable with the scheme. So they’re playing faster, and they’re making less mistakes. So I feel comfortable in that regard.

“I feel comfortable with the guys getting a year older, the guys learning their stuff, and the recruits coming in.”

Don’t expect the Huskies to compete for a national championship anytime soon, but at least one senior wishes he could still be around if — or when — they do.

“I don’t want to leave,” Homer said. “But the NCAA only gives you four years to play.”

Notes

Sarkisian said Thursday night that starting center Ryan Tolar (concussion) has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against Cal. “We just don’t want to take any chances,” Sarkisian said. Redshirt freshman Mykenna Ikehara is the likely starter. … Defensive tackle Cameron Elisara (shoulder) missed a third consecutive day of practice Thursday but has not been ruled out of the Cal game. … After Thursday’s practice, 14 seniors ran through a makeshift tunnel of underclassmen and band members as they headed back to the locker room. “I just want to recognize those guys,” Sarkisian said. “It’s their last practice, and they deserve it. It’s a chance for our guys, in a fun way, to acknowledge them.” The only senior who did not take part was injured linebacker E.J. Savannah, who was not attending practice because, as Sarkisian said, “he hasn’t been feeling very good for about three days now.” … Cal running back Jahvid Best (concussion) has not practiced this week and is likely to miss his third consecutive game Saturday.

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