One class act deserves another
Barton should start in the bowl game
By: Malamute, 18 November 2002

I know I'm being presumptuous, am jumping the gun and appear to be starting a quarterback controversy.  But I think that Taylor Barton should start at quarterback  in a bowl game, if the Dawgs should be invited to one. The history of his recruitment and devotion to the  Washington program champion this idea.

Taylor Barton (photo above) transferred from the City College of San Francisco to Washington under inglorious circumstances. Apparently, Colorado didn't want him, causing him to transfer to CCSF, and although Huskies needed him, they had promised not to recruit Colorado players after Rick Neuheisel left the Buffs to coach at Washington.  Barton’s long letter written to University of Washington President Richard McCormick changed the prevailing attitude, and the Huskies gave up two scholarships to get him.

Was Barton worth two scholarships?

Well, he has the tools, but, through no fault of his own, he's rarely shown them during his two years as a Dawg. In the 42-14 blowout of Oregon last Saturday, Barton got in for two reps, taking a knee both times. 

The most cerebral of the Husky quarterbacks, Barton is a student of the game and had no trouble mastering the Husky play book after he arrived.  He throws with touch and can hum the ball with precision. With natural ability and field presence, he’ll stay in the pocket until the last possible second before releasing the ball.

Other than some mop up duty, Taylor Barton has played in just two significant games during his two years at Washington. After Cody Pickett went down, he finished the second half of the USC game last season, posting a win, and the next week started against UCLA at Pasadena. Because of the battering he took against the Bruins, Barton was hospitalized after the game and missed the next week of practice. He was sacked four times, hit over forty times and too woozy to talk to reporters after the game.

Even though it ended in a loss, by rights his play against UCLA should go down in Husky history as one of the gutsiest performances ever by a Husky.

Although he has sat on the bench most of this season, Barton has remained loyal to the Huskies and has provided them--as a senior--with strong backup capability at quarterback. Barton is thoroughly a class act and, in his two years at Washington, has played behind one of the greatest quarterbacks in Husky history, Cody Pickett.

At this time, the 6-5 Dawgs are bowl eligible. If they should play in a bowl, why not return the favor and, in what would be the last collegiate game of his career, start Taylor Barton at quarterback? I'm sure Cody Pickett, his good friend, would be the first to agree with this notion.

One class act deserves another.

 

Taylor Barton bio and itinerary:

• Weight and height: 210, 6'2". Senior, Communications major, Beaverton, Oregon, born 10/03/1979. The son of former NFL quarterback Greg Barton, who was a member of the Detroit Lions in 1969 and also a starter in the Canadian and World Football Leagues. 
  



• 1997. Senior, Beaverton High. Threw 56 TD passes, including 24 in the playoffs.
  



• 1998. Redshirted at Colorado under Rick Neuheisel. Five months later, in 1999, Barbara Hedges, athletic director at Washington, made Neuheisel an offer he couldn't refuse and Neuheisel left Colorado for Washington.
  



• 1999. At Colorado, Barton was demoted to fourth string under head coach, Gary Barnett. He played in two games, completing 3 passes. Transferred to CCSF.
  



• 2000. City College of San Francisco. Superprep's top ranked Junior College player, 2000. Offensive MVP of the 2000 JC Grid-Wire National Championship game. Started six games for the Rams; completed 62.5% of his passes for 2059 yards and 24 touchdowns. Transferred to Washington, along with Kai Ellis and Francisco Tipotti.
  



• 2001. Replaced Cody Pickett during the USC game last season. Starting quarterback for Washington against UCLA the next week.