SEATTLE – Joe Toledo doesn’t like watching from the sidelines, but he’s getting pretty good at it.
This was supposed to be Toledo’s breakout year as The Next Great Tight End for the Washington Huskies. His size (6-foot-6, 285 pounds) makes him a jolting blocker, while his hands, speed and athleticism give him an advantage in pass routes.
Yet, a nagging back condition has robbed Toledo of much of his sophomore season. Sadly, he and injury are on a first-name basis.
“It goes through your mind (whether he’ll ever be consistently healthy),” Toledo said. “It’s just something you’ve got to work through and fight through. It’s frustrating, but what else can you do, other than move on and try to get better?”
As a true freshman, Toledo broke a foot early in fall practice and redshirted the year. Then, after playing in 13 games last year, starting five, and catching three passes, he underwent shoulder surgery and missed all of spring drills last year.
Now, this.
This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go for Toledo. He was never hurt as a star at La Costa Canyon (Calif.) High School, where he averaged an eye-popping 27.4 yards a catch and caught 11 touchdown passes in his senior year.
In a victory over Torrey Pines as a senior, Toledo grabbed 12 passes for 151 yards and a TD, added a sack and forced a fumble.
Instead, he has sat out UW’s last three games, with hope that next week he’ll be able to practice. He confesses to frustration and slight worry about long-term pain, even though specialists tell him he’ll eventually recover.
Toledo has shown flashes, with four receptions for 61 yards, including a 35-yard catch against Indiana. But more often, his season has been one of frustration.
“The doctor’s pretty optimistic about it,” Toledo said. “I try to keep my psyche up and stay positive. Hopefully, I’ll be able to come back and it won’t be anything long-term.”
Daniels switches sides: UW coach Keith Gilbertson said guard Tusi Sa’au likely won’t play Saturday against Nevada with a back injury. So thin are the Huskies at offensive line that Gilbertson asked redshirt freshman defensive tackle Stanley Daniels to switch to the offensive line.
With the losses of Sa’au and Rob Meadow (knee), the Huskies were down to eight healthy offensive linemen with any experience.
“We’ve got to move some people around,” Gilbertson said. “I think that’s the prudent thing. I’d like not to take somebody out of their redshirt year.”
Starters at guard will be junior Dan Dicks and redshirt freshman Clay Walker. Daniels probably won’t be close to ready to play for another two weeks.
“It’s like learning French,” Gilbertson said. “It’ll be totally new.”
Red zone blues: While Washington is fourth in the Pac-10 in total offense and second in total defense, Gilbertson is more concerned about his team’s problems inside the 20-yard line on both sides of the ball.
The Huskies are eighth in red-zone offense, getting points just 71.4 percent of the time they penetrate the opponents’ 20. On the other side, Washington is dead last in the conference in stopping the opponent, allowing foes to come away with points 93.8 percent of the time.
On offense, Washington is 15-for-21 inside the 20, including 10 touchdowns; seven running and seven passing. The ratio is puzzling, considering the Huskies’ near slam dunk of Cody Pickett hitting 6-foot-4 leaper Reggie Williams on fade routes in the end zone.
USC leads the conference at 88.2 percent (15 for 17).
The Huskies have allowed points on 15 of the 16 times opponents have come within 20 yards of the end zone. Twelve have been for touchdowns.
Pack’s back back: There was considerable worry in Reno last season when running back Chance Kretschmer went down in the BYU game, the second game of the season, with a torn ACL. The previous year, Kretschmer became just the second freshman to lead the nation in rushing at 157.5 yards a game. That includes 327 yards on 45 carries and six TDs against UTEP, all school records.
He finished the 2001 season with 1,732 rushing yards, a Western Athletic Conference record. His 302 carries are an NCAA record and he duplicated San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk’s feat as the only freshman to lead the country in rushing.
Kretschmer, 6 feet, 1 inch and 226 pounds, has shown few effects of his injury this season.
He started the season with 170 yards on 26 carries against Southern Utah and added 156 yards on 32 carries and three TDs against San Jose State.
“He’s not a speed back; he’s more of a power guy,” Nevada coach Chris Tormey said. “The best thing about him is that he’s a north-south runner. He’s up about 20 pounds from last year. He came in bigger and stronger.”
Kretschmer, a junior, is trying to get his sophomore year back via medical redshirt. This season, he has 567 yards on 115 carries and five TDs.
General hospital: Cornerback Roc Alexander was held out of practice Tuesday while treated for a series of neck stingers. His status is day to day. Also, receiver Charles Frederick continues to have flu symptoms for the second straight week. He had a blood test Tuesday.
Short bursts: Saturday’s game will be just the second meeting between the Huskies and the Wolf Pack. The first was in 1903, when the Huskies won, 2-0, in Seattle … Nevada middle linebacker Daryl Towns is a cousin of former UW linebacker Lester Towns, who now plays for the Carolina Panthers … Nevada’s offensive coordinator is Phil Earley, a native of Port Angeles and a Pacific Lutheran grad. Earley’s father, Bill, was a halfback at Washington from 1950 to 1952 … Tormey and Washington offensive line coach Dan Cozzetto were teammates at both Gonzaga Prep and Idaho, where they shared a two-bedroom trailer with another teammate. “We rotated every week,” Tormey said. “One guy would sleep in the living room.”
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