It’s only one week until the University of Washington’s football opener at Syracuse, so I suppose now is as good of a time as any to start up the Herald’s Huskies blog.
The team is at practice right now (the media is only allowed at the first 25 minutes of practice). After that, there are just three practices (Saturday, Monday and Tuesday) before the Huskies fly to Syracuse Wednesday.
We talked earlier in the day with offensive coordinator Tim Lappano and defensive coordinator Kent Baer. The idea was to get a feel for how the various position battles are shaping up. The team scrimmaged for the last time on Thursday, so we’re getting to the point in camp where coaches are starting to make some of those final decisions.
OFFENSE
On offense, the biggest battle for a starting job appears to be at left tackle between Cody Habben and Ben Ossai, last year’s starter.
“Cody Habben is going to play a lot of football,” said Lappano. “If he doesn’t start he’s going to play a lot of football. That’s nice that we have a little bit more depth there than we did in the past. Habben and Ossai will play a lot of football.”
Last year the Huskies used the same five linemen on almost every play of the season.
The other starting linemen look to be Chad Macklin at right tackle, Casey Bulyca at right guard, Juan Garcia at center and Ryan Tolar at left guard.
Jake Locker and Louis Rankin are both a solid No. 1 at quarterback and tailback.
One interesting comment from Lappano was that the No. 2 tailback spot would be “a little bit of tailback by committee” between J.R. Hasty, who came into camp as the No. 2 back, and a number of freshmen backs including Curtis Shaw, Brandon Johnson and Willie Griffin. Johnson has also been involved on kick and punt return duties, and reportedly returned a punt for a touchdown in Thursday’s scrimmage.
The tight end position still appears to be a three-man rotation, with Jackson High’s Johnie Kirton, Michael Gottlieb and Robert Lewis. Lappano said Gottlieb has been the most consistent, but that none of the three have done anything to lock up the No. 1 position.
Luke Kravitz and Paul Homer will split action at fullback, and it sounds like Kravitz is going to be the short-yardage back.
Who starts at receiver will likely depend on what play the Huskies are running on their first possession, but look for Anthony Russo, Marcel Reece, Corey Williams and Quinton Daniels to all get significant playing time. The fifth senior in the equation, Cody Ellis, is slowed by a hamstring injury right now, but should be back in that rotation soon.
DEFENSE
The defensive line is the same as it was at the start of fall camp with Daniel Te’o-Nesheim and Greyson Gunheim at the ends, and Wilson Afoa and Jordan Reffett at tackle.
Dan Howell is set at the strong-side linebacker spot, while the other two spots are still being finalized. Donald Butler looks like the starting middle linebacker, but he has been limited by swelling in his knee, which was surgically repaired in the spring. If Butler doesn’t start, that duty will probably fall to Mariner High’s Trenton Tuiasosopo. E.J. Savannah is the front runner for the weak-side starting job, but is being pushed by Chris Stevens.
The defensive backfield is where things get interesting (or maybe scary) for the Huskies. Roy Lewis returns as a starter at one cornerback spot, while the other appears to be a battle between freshman Vonzell McDowell and walk-on Cory Nicol.
Byron Davenport, who has been limited by a hamstring pull for most of camp, seems less likely than ever to be ready for Syracuse.
“I don’t see any way he’s going to be in there,” said Baer. “That’s just missing too much… I don’t see any way it’s going to happen with him.”
Returning starter Jason Wells is set at free safety, and Baer said Mesphin Forrester looks like the starter at strong safety.
For those of you who have been paying attention to our Husky coverage (which is probably most of you if you’re reading this blog), you’ve probably noticed a new byline when it comes UW sports. I’m excited to be on board at the Herald and will be following the Dawgs all year long.
Please email me if you have any questions or suggestions about our coverage or this blog.
John
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