Huskies need some help from The Tribe
Tipoti and Kava need to shakeup the wide-bodies
By: Malamute, Posted 4 March 2003

The offensive line failed to get much push off the line of scrimmage last season and, in all likelihood, the running game will underachieve next season--unless it gets some unexpected help from The Tribe, as they call themselves, a group of Washington players of Polynesian heritage.

The line’s disappointing performance in the Sun Bowl against Purdue foreshadows a dearth of yardage gained on the ground for 2003. Up to the Sun Bowl, the Huskies averaged 77-rushing yards per game, placing themselves near the bottom of that category in Division I-A football. At the end of the season, going into the Sun Bowl, fans expected an improved running game, but their hopes were quashed by 45-rushing yards against Purdue.

Obviously, the Dawgs need a catalyst, someone to jumpstart the starters, much like freshman, OT Winston Justice did for USC last season.

The Huskies need a guy to open some holes and send this message to the rest of the linemen when a running play is called: "let's kick some butt."

But where will this stimulus come from?

Expect no help from the incoming wide bodies.

Disappointingly, the Huskies failed to land a lineman of Justice’s caliber this recruiting season. None of the three incoming offensive linemen made the Tacoma News Tribune’s Western 100 (2003). Having long-range potential, all three recruits will most likely redshirt next season.

However, the Huskies did recruit four talented running backs, C. J. Wallace, Louis Rankin, Durrell Moss and Anthony Russo. They, along with returning running backs Shelton Sampson, Chris Singleton and Rich Alexis, along with redshirt freshman Kenny James, will need a push up front to create a gap. So, the focus is on the offensive line.

Expect little help from incoming OL line coach Dan Cozzetto.

Although Cozzetto has an impressive background in college football, with twenty-five years' coaching experience, the odds say he won’t revitalize a pathetic running game that has been a de facto standard for the last two seasons. If he installs a new system of blocking patterns, he could make matters worse. Cozzetto’s motivational skills and emphasis on run blocking are what’s needed.

Expect some help from last season’s backup linemen.

Of the backup linemen, Dan Dicks (6-6, 316, Junior) and Robin Meadow (6-6, 290, rSo) could be the catalysts Coach Rick Neuheisel is looking for. Dicks’ run-blocking showed promise near the end of last season. While Meadow’s performance in the 2003 spring game will receive critical attention, he is one year away most likely.

Expect some help from The Tribe.

The Huskies need Francisco Tipoti (6-5, 320, OT) to add some punch. He needs to send the starters a message that is as clear as the sight and sounds of a hockey game on HDNet, and as thunderous as a body check against the boards. You know, turn your subwoofer down before your wife does it for you.

Tipoti is a proven offensive lineman who has the capability of providing some depth and blocking skills the Dawgs didn’t have last season. He is a member in good standing of The Tribe, the affable group of Polys who are more than willing to cater to the whims of fans on Picture Day (Tipoti, left, and Tusi Sa'au, right, are pictured above).

Out of the City College of San Francisco, Cisco was the nation’s top-ranked junior college offensive lineman in SuperPrep and the second-ranked junior college player overall behind Taylor Barton who also enrolled at Washington. Two years ago, Washington corralled him after waging a hard-fought battle with USC for his services.

However, Tipoti was forced to defer his enrollment during the 2001 season because of academics; he gained admittance in 2002 but was out of shape and failed to take the field. This next season, his senior year, will be critical for his future and for the Dawgs.

Perhaps, Cisco needs some peer pressure to take him to the top of his game. It’s up to the ten other members of The Tribe to motivate Cisco, along with Cozzetto.

Another member of The Tribe, Willie Kava (6-3, 270, OG), has the credentials to help out on the offensive line. Coming out of Iolani high school (Honolulu, Hawaii), Kava (photo left) was ranked 23rd on PrepStar’s Western Region “Super 30” list; he was a member of the Tribune’s Western 100. During the 2001 season, Kava made a significant impact on the scout team, earning the Bob Jarvis Offensive Scout of the Year honors at the team's postseason banquet.

However, Kava has made a commitment to take a Mormon mission, and if he takes it this year, it will affect the overall depth of the offensive line.

In my view, it’s up to Dicks, Meadow, Tipoti and Kava—if available—to catalyze the ground game. The odds seem long, but who knows what could happen in what otherwise will be a down year for the rest of the Pac-10. The Dawgs return sixteen position players; if they can find a lineman to say, "let's kick some butt," they should be headed for the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

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For more on The Tribe, read Ted Miller's, "Huskies leading pack in Polynesian recruits," The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 5 February 2003.