ATS Sports Blog

This is a continuation of our series on our exclusive 2009 college football predictions.  Follow all of our 2009 college football predictions here (team by team) or here (by conference).

Washington Huskies

2008 Record: (0-12, 0-9)
Coach: Steve Sarkisian, 1st year (0-0 overall)
Off. Coordinator: Doug Nussmeier (1st year)
Def. Coordinator: Nick Holt (1st year)
Returning Starters: 16 (7 offense, 9 defense)
Ret. Starting Quarterback: Yes (Jake Locker, Ronnie French)

Offense: The Washington Huskies return two capable quarterbacks in junior Jake Locker (6-3, 222) and sophomore Ronnie Fouch (6-1, 203), who threw for 1,339 yards last season. Locker returns after missing the final eight games last year due to a broken thumb. Steve Sarkisian’s task as a first-year coach will be to get the best out of Locker, who has great potential. Last season, the Huskies’ offense produced just 13.3ppg, 263.2 yards per game and were near the worst in the nation. At running back, freshman Chris Polk could have a slight edge over sophomore Willie Griffin. He started the first two games last season before suffering a shoulder injury. At wide receiver, junior D’Andre Goodwin (5-11, 175) led the tam with 60 catches last season for 692 yards and is one of the team’s fastest players. The line has three returning starters, including junior C Ryan Tolar (6-5, 321), who can play guard or center.

Defense: The defense returns nine starters from a unit that allowed a whopping 38.6ppg (116th in the nation) and 451.8 yards per game (110th in the nation). The offense was dreadful and the defense wasn’t much better. Sarkisian’s best move was adding Nick Holt from USC, to become defensive coordinator. He was DC in name at USC, but Pete Carroll called the defensive plays. They do return nine starters including DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim (6-4, 263), who led the team with eight sacks last year. They also return junior MLB Mason Foster (6-1, 229), who led the team in tackles with 105. All three return at linebacker, including senior E.J. Savannah (6-1, 230), who was the team’s leading tackler in 2007, but was not on the team last season. The secondary returns two of four starters led by junior SS Nate Williams (6-0, 207).

Outlook: The Huskies face LSU, Idaho and USC to starter their season at home. They also take on Notre Dame on the road and California at home to end the season. This will be a rebuilding season for Washington, but they could be a lot more competitive if Locker lives up to his potential and they start putting points on the board.

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• Washington coaches rave about Locker’s improvement (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Huskies wrap up spring ball (seattletimes.nwsource.com)

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