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Articles
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Huskies' sled is totaled Willingham's job is enormous Richard Linde, 9 July 2005
Holy Ty! Fans, there is no way I can spin this. The Huskies need improvement in almost every 2004 category -- a daunting and an unlikely task, indeed. Warning, this is a no-sugar-coating zone. Finishing in the bottom half of 24 categories of measure (30 in all) means that Coach Tyrone Willingham is not only on a salvage mission but he must also negotiate a way to rebuild a sled that has been totaled. That is, there is "mush" room for improvement. In the conference, the Huskies finished dead last in 8 categories and next to last in 6 (see Table 1). Table 1. Some daunting stats from 2004
However, the Huskies did lead the conference in Pass Defense, and they did rank third in Red Zone Defense. But those two categories need asterisks. (You just knew there had to be some kickers). (1) Because the Dawgs finished eighth in Pass Efficiency Defense, mainly due to the fact their opponents completed 60% of their passes, the worst defensive percentage of any team in the conference, and (2) because a team that gives up the big play isn't defending the redzone that often. The Huskies gave up 18 touchdowns that went for 20 yards or more. Eleven of the 18 touchdowns came on running plays, 5 on passing plays, 1 on an interception return and 1 on a fumble return. This doesn't include the big plays that didn't go for touchdowns. One stat blew my mind. The Dawgs led the conference in stopping their opponents on fourth down conversions: 11 attempts with no first downs recorded. Thanks to Sean Douglas, the Dawgs did well in the punting categories. Douglas’ 78-yard punt against WSU was the second longest in UW history. Let’s look at some of the areas of the team, both statistical and some others, upon which Willingham will most likely center his attention. Turnover Margin Football games are hard to win and easy to lose. The Huskies were the worst in the nation in Turnover Margin, surrendering the ball 42 times while taking it away from their opponents just 23 times. There were no significant turnovers in the Spring Game other than 2 desperation passes that were intercepted. Hope springs eternal for this category, no pun intended. Blocked punts and Special Teams Four blocked punts against Washington marred special teams play. The Dawgs finished last in the conference in punt returns (111 out of 117 in the country) and last in PAT kicking. The UW finished eighth in the conference in kickoff returns. Has Willingham done it again? A Notre Dame website has this to say about Willingham's hire of Bob Simmons, 57, who will coach special teams and tight ends, "I like the possibilities for the Huskies' offense and defense in the years to come, but there's one thing that Willingham did that would really bother me if I were a Huskies fan. Why on earth did he hire Bob Simmons to coach special teams? This hire is emblematic of the worst of Willingham: his irrational loyalty to incompetent assistants, to such an extent that it actually endangers the job security of everyone else." Being loyal to a less than competent person, if this should be the case, speaks well for the Willingham persona. If necessary, the other assistant coaches can prop Simmons up and keep him going until he has enough money saved to retire (joke). I look for improvement in this category, and I'm trusting Simmons to make it happen. Scoring Offense. The UW averaged 14 points per game, the worst in NCAA Division IA football. The Huskies used to get 14 points a game for just showing up – especially at home where Dawg fans once demoralized the opposition with their rabidity. A paucity of points means the worst in other offensive categories. Not surprisingly, the Huskies finished ninth in the Pac-10 in Total Offense, last in Pass Efficiency, ninth in Pass Offense, sixth in Rush Offense and last in Redzone Offense. Against USC, a 38-0 pasting, U-Dub's inept offense mustered just 50 yards rushing, 63 yards passing, 6 first downs, and was 0-14 on third down conversions, sprinkled with a bunch of three-and-outs. That game ended Washington's 271-game scoring streak, then the longest in the country, and assured the Dub of its first losing season in 27 years. The UW desperately needs one of its five quarterbacks to take charge and start as many games as possible. Currently, Junior Isaiah Stanback, who started in 1 game last season, is the leading candidate for the job. Is ignoring experience (i.e., fifth-year senior Casey Paus; 9 game starter) and going with relative inexperience (i.e., Stanback) like throwing the baby out with the bathwater? (See Paus A versus Paus B). The 3-0 score in the Spring Game speaks loudly about the urgency of turning this category around. After the Spring Game, offensive coordinator Tim Lappano said he was disappointed with the running game. The coaches bemoaned the lack of speed in certain areas of the team, saying that the Dawgs looked slow and sluggish. Putting more points on the board seems remote, considering the coaches' laments, the déjà vu from the Spring Game and the 2004 statistics. Scoring Defense The Dawgs' defense gave up an average of 30.4 points per game, the worst in the Pac-10 and 83rd worst in the country. In the conference, the Huskies finished ninth in Rushing Defense and seventh in Total Defense. One publication says that DL Manase Hopoi is the only Husky who could crack the starting lineup of USC. Although the Huskies return 9 starters on defense, the corners are a significant question mark. If the offense flounders, this category will continue to Dawg paddle against the stream. Pass Efficiency Defense Although the Huskies led the Pac-10 in Pass Defense, they finished eighth in the conference in Pass Efficiency Defense because, in the main, their opponents completed 60% of their passes against them, the worst defensive percentage in the conference. Pass Efficiency Offense The Huskies’ number of 78.7 ranks them last in the nation. QB Casey Paus, who played in all 11 games, finished ninety-ninth in the nation among quarterbacks, posting a PE of 81.2. In the Spring Game, the four UW quarterbacks combined for a pass-efficiency rating of 91.82 (that is, 18 out of 34 for 205 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 2 picks). That number (91.82) smacks of last season. Injuries Injuries took their toll on the 2004 team. Injuries to three of the senior co-captains -- OT Khalif Barnes, FB Zach Tuiasosopo and WR Charles Frederick -- were devastating. Not having one quarterback take charge and run the show further crippled an offense built on a makeshift offensive line. Two of the quarterbacks alternating with Paus (Stanback and Carl Bonnell) missed action due to injury. When TE Jon Lyon went down in early November, he was the ninth player to have surgery during the 2004 season. At one time during the season, 13 players counted on to play a significant role were sidelined by injury. Due to injury, 16 front-line players failed to participate in the Spring game and, as a result, a number of walk-ons saw action. Several players on the offensive line have had problems with their backs in the past. This is another category that bodes an ill wind for the Fall campaign; however, if the Huskies stay relatively injury free, they could finish in the top 5 of the Pac-10 if the talent is there. Apparently, the talent is not there (I hope I'm wrong). The poor recruiting class of 2005, the worst in the Pac-10, won't help matters. Opinion: After each disappointing season at Washington is this going to be the spin: that is, the team's success was hampered by youth, inexperience and injury? Since the mostly healthy season of 2000/01, when the Dawgs beat Purdue in the Rose Bowl, each season since then the Huskies have been hobbled by an increasing number of injuries. Recruiting the right players at the Dub will solve this apparent dilemma. Blue-chip players who stay away from serious injury in high school or at the JC level usually have successful college careers -- and right off the bat. Explaining the rash of shoulder injuries plaguing Washington a few years back, former coach Rick Neuheisel said that most of the players had previously injured their shoulders in high school. Big plays: In each of its games, excepting the game it won against San Jose State, the UW gave up at least one touchdown that went for 20 yards or more. In total, 18. Conversely, the Dawgs scored just 7 times from 20 yards out or more. Ironically, Casey Paus’ 77-yard TD pass to WR Craig Chambers was the longest TD play in any of the UW’s games for either the U-Dub or its opponents. The UW defense gave up 424 rushing yards to UCLA; no other team in the conference gave up more rushing yards in a single game. The Bruins averaged 7.9 yards rushing per play against the Dawgs. The good news is that the Huskies' defense did not surrender any big plays during the Spring Game -- which also means that neither the Gold nor Purple teams managed to muster any big plays on offense. A matador defense need not stop all the bulls in Pamplona, just the one with the ball. Get ready to shout, Ole. Table 2. During the 2004 season, these teams scored from 20 yards out or more against the Huskies.
Table 3. Big Plays for Washington (20 yards or more)
Disciplinary Measures Pulling LB Scott White off the team bus because he missed a Friday walkthrough just before the WSU game seems vindictive in retrospect. The time for the walkthrough had been changed and White wasn't aware of it. Did former Coach Keith Gilbertson take his own dismissal out on White, who is the epitome of hard work and good attitude? With starting linebacker Joe Lobendahn missing from action, White's absence crippled the depth of the line-backing corps. The Dawgs could have used White during the Cougars' last drive of the night. The bottom line is that the punishment was too severe. Gilby's apparent overreaction hurt the team and those Husky fans that traveled to Pullman. The defense had worked too hard all season long to have it shortchanged in its last game. Willingham says he’s a coach of flexibility, not discipline, of understanding and respect. We'll see. Richard Linde (a.k.a., Malamute) can be reached at malamute@4malamute.com |
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This is supposed to be an article looking into the
statistical categories kept by the Pacific 10 Conference that Washington needs
to improve upon if it is to have a successful football season in 2005.