Defense, Alexis, Anderson, Barton shine
What a difference a year makes
By Malamute, 29 April 2002

On a cold day at Husky stadium, with almost 3000 fans in attendance, the Huskies' one and two teams (Purple and Whites, respectively) collided in the annual spring scrimmage. The Purples downed the Whites, 27-17.

All in all, the Huskies looked better than they did in last year’s spring game, the offensive line being light years ahead of where it was last season according to Coach Rick Neuheisel. Offensive coordinator Keith Gilbertson was happy with offense's performance during the spring, in that the Huskies had nine players returning who started near the end of last season, players who were able to absorb more material and formations than they would have otherwise.

That’s about all one can say, however. Because the offensive plays were limited—no one wanting to give Michigan a heads up for the opener at the Big House—and because of injuries to some front-line players, it’s too early to make an assessment for next season based on what we saw yesterday, as we sat in front of our Mitsubishi watching the game on Fox Northwest.

The defensive front played well, getting a good push up the middle, with Manase Hopoi, Jerome Stevens, Josh Miller and Terry Johnson all making big plays. Hopoi had three sacks.  The son of parents from the South Pacific island of Tonga, Hopoi told Sonny Sixkiller, down on the sidelines, he just wants to help out. 

Although he's playing defensive end, Hopoi reminds me of Junior Seau when he played linebacker for USC. On each play, Hopoi is always somewhere in the opposition's backfield--a Seau trademark. Sticky sorts! Both Seau and Hopoi are about the same size.

On the other side of the ball, fullback Zach Tuiasosopo has a knack for isolating the inside linebacker on a running play up the gut. Once the ball is snapped, he's gone. Neuheisel has the luxury of depth this season, something he's not had in the past, and he's having some fun--like moving Zach from linebacker to fullback. 

Back to the defense. 

According to Sixkiller, the defense always plays well in games like these, since they are aware of the check-offs made at the line of scrimmage.

The Huskies will need some depth on the defensive front to get a good rotation going, which means that Tui Alailefaleula and Kai Ellis must contribute. Ellis said that he’s about 70% now, and may ask for a medical redshirt if he can’t come up to speed this summer, while Alailefaleula needs more work in the weight room.

The line backing core and secondary looked exceptionally strong.

On offense, wide receivers Reggie Miller and Paul Arnold will be hard to stop once the fall campaign rolls around. However, there are some questions on offense that need answering.

Somewhat rusty after his shoulder surgery in the off-season and lacking rhythm by his own admission, Cody Pickett  wasn’t back in full form. According to Neuheisel, because of the injury, Pickett missed some of the sessions that quarterbacks normally undergo during the winter months. Just the same, the Caldwell Cowboy passed for 176 yards, going 9 for 16. In the prior two scrimmages combined, he was 15-17, throwing for 229 yards. He should be even better in the fall after some work in the weight room! As of now, he finds it hard to combine throwing with weight training during the week. He seems to be coming along fine, though, and is obviously on the right path to making a full recovery.

To keep the pressure on Pickett, Neuheisel let Taylor Barton, who started off with the twos, go with the ones on a couple of drives. Looking nifty and shifty, the agile Barton seemed to make all the right moves, and threw the ball with accuracy and touch. 

To start the third quarter, Barton led the Whites on a 79-yard, 14-play drive, which was culminated by touchdown scored by Chris Singleton from one yard out. If this drive--the best of the day--is any indicator, then the Huskies have much more depth on the offensive line than they did last year, which means they can go with a 7 or 8 man rotation, with Ryan Brooks, Robin Meadow and Aaron Butler all contributing.

Barton finished 8-17 for 84 yards.  If something should happen to Pickett this season, Barton will be a most capable replacement. And that’s good news for Husky fans.  

Listed at 6' 5", Casey Paus has more mobility than I thought he would have. He gives the Dawgs some nice depth at the quarterback position. According to Sonny Sixkiller, he has all the tools to be a great quarterback.

Offensive coordinator Keith Gilbertson grumbled about the blocking of the offensive line. UW Coach Rick Neuheisel said, "our running game has got to come around. We need a running back to take over, to be a dominant player."

If Washington is to be a dominant team this season, it will need a strong running game to maintain ball control and keep the pressure of a questionable defense--questionable at this time because of injuries and its performance last year. 

Last season in the Pac-10, the Dawgs were ninth in rushing.  A slimmed down Rich Alexis, wearing number 7 instead of his usual 24, could be the answer to some of the rushing woes that may still be lingering. A more instinctive looking runner now, Alexis ran 4 times for 27 yards and had a 13-yard run called back. Chris Singleton looked good on the long drive fashioned by the Whites. The Purples netted just 59 yards on the ground, and the Whites finished with -2 yards rushing.

John Anderson, pictured above, kicked three field goals, one from 52 yards out. The dreaded right hash didn’t seem to bother him.  

Another bright spot for the offense was Kevin Ware at tight end, who caught  three passes for 49 yards. 

Starting his fourth season as head coach, Rick Neuheisel has stamped his signature on this Husky team, with team speed and depth at quarterback all being quintessential elements. The running game and defense, Husky trademarks of the past, although questionable at this time, are seemingly in safe hands. 

Todd Pickett, who did the play by play, and Sonny Sixkiller, who was down on the field with the players, were at their best. Neuheisel, as charming as ever and wired for communication, was more than ready to answer any questions that Todd tossed his way. The coach seemed up beat, wearing a Chesser cat look, as if he had something up his sleeve. Will find out about that at the Big House on August 31st, when he crosses swords with Lloyd Carr and lets the cat out of the bag. 

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Mike's (Mike Archbold) view from the stands:

Due to the cold, the attendance was thinner than usual.

It was fun watching fullback Zach (Tuiasosopo) make that cut when he was hung up at the line of scrimmage.

I did notice that Zach had a different stance than I'm accustomed to seeing at that position. It'll be interesting to see how he turns out -- I'm looking forward to it. 

I thought the first string got off to a bit of a slow start but it picked up.

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The statistics quoted above were taken from dawgman.com and the Seattle Times.

(Bun Dawg joined me for the game, traveling all the way from Northridge to Camarillo). His comments were insightful and appreciated.