2009 Washington Huskies Football Preview

2009 Washington Huskies season preview from Maddux Sports. Below you can find our official Washington Huskies football preview as well as the 2009 Washington Huskies Football Schedule. Haven't had much luck beating your bookie? This season up your chances and order Maddux's winning college football picks.

Coach: Steve Sarkisian (1st year at Washington)
Team Name: Huskies
2008 Overall Record: 0-12
Returning Starters: 18

In 2000, the Washington Huskies (0- 12 overall, 0- 9 Pac-10) were ranked fourth in the nation and in the Rose Bowl. That year, they beat 14th ranked Purdue 34- 24. The last time this team made a bowl appearance was 2002 when they lost to Purdue 24- 34 in the Sun Bowl. That’s quite a reversal of fortune. In the past five seasons, the Huskies have won a total of 11 games. Last year was the worst. Not only did they finish last in the Pac-10, they did not win one ball game.

The Washington offense earned a ranking of 117th nationally, averaging just 13.3 PPG. Junior QB Jake Locker (93 ATT, 50 COMP, 512 YDs, 0 INT, 1 TD) gets the nod as the Huskies’ starter. Locker has a lot of talent but needs to be patient and find his receivers. He is an athletic player, solid passer and a capable runner. If he can keep his wits about him, he’ll be able to win some games. WR Jermaine Kearse (20 REC, 301 YDs, 2 TDs) is a genuine deep threat and junior D’Andre Goodwin (60 REC, 692 YDs, 1 TD) is a skilled, experienced pass catcher. The running backs include redshirted freshman Chris Polk and true freshman Demetrius Bronson. There’s depth and untested talent in the running back unit. This offense has a lot of potential.

The Huskies’ porous defense allowed 38.6 PPG (116th nationally) and 240.6 YPP (117th) on the ground. New defensive coordinator Nick Holt, who did the same job at USC, has been brought in to upgrade this side of the ball. There’s good news in terms of players—OLB E.J. Savannah, a senior, is back. Last season, he quit over a dispute with former coach Ty Willingham. In 2007, he was the team’s top defensive player. Savannah is a quality player who is capable of making big plays. Junior Mason Foster (105 TKLs, 1 SK, 11 TFL, 1 INT) at OLB is a tenacious presence. Senior DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (65 TKLs, 8 SKs, 3.5 TFL) is the best of the frontline players. The secondary is questionable and is the weakest unit on “D.”

On special teams, the Huskies will feature two untested players. Sophomore Erik Folk will handle the placekicking duties and junior William Mahan, a junior college transfer, will be the punter. Neither has game experience. The return game is sub par as the team averaged 4.5 yards per punt return and 19 yards per kick return.

Steve Sarkisian is in his first year as a college head coach. He is the third guy to hold the post at Washington in seven years. There is a whole lot of work to do in order to make this team competitive and the school administration will need to give him the time to do it. The Huskies have a tough schedule that includes a home opener against LSU (September 5), Idaho (September 12) and USC (September 19). The best chance for a win is at home versus Arizona on October 10. A ninth or 10th place finish and another year sitting out the post-season is in this team’s future.

Washington Huskies Football Schedule

Date	Team	Opponent	Site	Line	Total	Points	Opp Points
9/5/2009	Washington	LSU	home
9/12/2009	Washington	Idaho	home
9/19/2009	Washington	USC	home
9/26/2009	Washington	Stanford	away
10/3/2009	Washington	Notre Dame	away
10/10/2009	Washington	Arizona	home
10/17/2009	Washington	Arizona St.	away
10/24/2009	Washington	Oregon	home
11/7/2009	Washington	UCLA	away
11/14/2009	Washington	Oregon St.	away
11/28/2009	Washington	Washington St.	home
12/5/2009	Washington	California	home

 

For more info on the 2009 Washington Huskies football program, view the Huskies football site or you can read about other Pac-10 teams below.