Husky Jacks open thread [2019]

Emoterman said:

DoogCourics said:

https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/1163236070219120641

https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/1163235274500931584

Again, if I was corch, Puka would be starting. He looks different different.

I’m really hoping he gets solid playing time and a chance to establish himself. He’s a beast.

Really interesting stuff on his weight. We’ve talked about it a bit this offseason on the boreds. He mentioned everything he eats, so he’s trying. Sonics mentioned he has a crazy metabolism. And it makes sense. With what he’s eating and how cut up he is, his body is just not putting on extra weight, but he has plenty of muscle.

TSIO boys on the Pod said the coaches may have decided to keep his weight where it is and just take advantage of his explosiveness (best of our edge guys) rather than keep fighting a losing battle with packing on mass.

From Caple's Mailbag:


How likely do you think that both Jacob Eason and Jake Haener could see starts (non-injury related) early in the season? — Wesley J.

Who looks like they have the lead in the quarterback battle, in your opinion? — Brad K.

When I saw Wesley’s question pop into the submission form, I thought: “Perfect! This will be an easy way to make clear that there is no chance in hell that Chris Petersen would ever alternate two healthy quarterbacks. Done!”

But I went ahead and asked him about it, anyway, and now I’m less certain. Only somewhat less certain, mind you, but less certain all the same.

“We’ll set the deck as we go into it, so everybody knows what the playing rules are,” Petersen said. “If there’s one guy, it’s one guy. If there’s three guys, it’s three guys, and we’ll say, ‘You’re playing this, and you’re playing that.’ We’ll make sure we take care of that.”

Maybe I’m suffering from late-August-itis, and spending far too much energy parsing every syllable uttered by a coach who sooner would broadcast his Social Security number than tip his hand regarding his team’s quarterback competition. But as I read that quote again — “We’ll set the deck as we go into it” — Petersen sure makes it sound like this is something he’s at least thought about, and that makes me think it’s at least a possibility. Or at least more of a possibility than I was willing to entertain, like, five days ago.

Another thought: In this transfer-portal era, might Petersen and Hamdan be wary of the potential ripple effect caused by naming a starter too early in camp? They already saw what happened when two young quarterbacks didn’t receive many reps in the spring. Perhaps they think that by letting the competition linger, they will lessen the chance that QB2 will consider transferring.

I would be positively stunned if both quarterbacks split reps against Eastern Washington, but now can envision a scenario in which the backup might get a couple of series. Even that, though, would seem unlikely. Recall that in 2015, when true freshman Jake Browning won the job over K.J. Carta-Samuels and Jeff Lindquist, there was no such alternating. The job was Browning’s, period. And Petersen has long insisted they were “splitting hairs” between Browning and Carta-Samuels.



With UW officially denouncing the idea of 9 a.m. kickoffs and fans generally grumbling about 7:30 or 8 p.m. kickoffs, what else can be done to boost attendance at home games? — Victor L.

I’ll begin by noting that UW did lead the Pac-12 in attendance last season, drawing an average of 69,068 fans to its six home games. And the department expects even better numbers in 2019, with Oregon, USC and Washington State on the schedule; in fact, UW thinks this season’s home slate will generate about $2 million more in gate revenue than last season. So it’s not like they’re struggling struggling.

But they do have ground to make up in season-ticket sales: As of two weeks ago, the department had sold 43,100 season tickets, a little less than 2,000 short of last season’s final total.

The most important factor, of course, is that the team keeps winning. And while recent nonconference schedules have not exactly screamed “must-watch,” the Huskies do host Michigan in 2020 and Ohio State in, uh, 2024 (and Michigan State in, ahem, 2028).

As for other, more controllable factors, here is a brief list:

• Find a way to sell beer and wine at concession stands throughout the stadium. Like it or not, the ability to enjoy a cold beer while watching the game would be a big selling point for a lot of people who can do just that from the comfort of their living room. There are legal hurdles and other considerations. But this is something I believe athletic director Jen Cohen would like to make happen in the near future, if incrementally at first.

• Cut down on the bright, glowing lights on the LED ribbon boards.

• Less piped-in music over the speakers, more songs from the marching band.

• Replace at least some of those on-field presentations involving various campus groups during timeouts and quarter breaks with more football and game-centric programming.

• Once beer and wine are available at concession stands, stop allowing re-entry into the stadium. Currently, thousands of fans stream into the parking lots to get in some extra tailgating before the third quarter starts, and that results in a bunch of empty seats at kickoff.



The 2019 nonconference schedule is lighter than most years. Could you update us on who we will be playing in the coming years? — KC M.

Here’s what Washington has booked so far.

2020: vs. Michigan, vs. Sacramento State, vs. Utah State
2021: vs. Montana, at Michigan, vs. Arkansas State
2022: TBD, TBD, TBD
2023: vs. Tulsa, vs. North Dakota, TBD
2024: vs. Weber State, vs. Ohio State, TBD
2025: vs. UC Davis, at Ohio State, TBD




Which position group do you think will rotate the most? The least? — Derrick D.

If you assume Levi Onwuzurike and Benning Potoa’e will be listed atop the depth chart on the interior — and that would be my guess — it’s fair to assume Josiah Bronson, Taki Taimani and Tuli Letuligasenoa will see time, too. Beyond those five, it’s possible true freshmen Faatui Tuitele or Jacob Bandes could get some snaps, and redshirt freshman Draco Bynum could have a role, too. Bottom line: You’re going to see a lot of guys play up front.

It’s looking as if Brandon Wellington and *redacted* will begin the season as the two starters, but Jackson Sirmon and MJ Tafisi are going to play, too, and Edefuan Ulofoshio might also make a case for playing time. At outside linebacker, I think Joe Tryon and Ryan Bowman will get most of the snaps, but coaches certainly are going to roll Ariel Ngata, Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Myles Rice and perhaps true freshman Laiatu Latu through there, too.

You can count on Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant getting at least a few carries a game behind Salvon Ahmed at running back, and I think Richard Newton will be part of that rotation, too.



Any specific differences you can see in how the wide receivers are being coached now with Junior Adams vs. with Matt Lubick? Route running, blocking emphasis, etc.? I feel like the receivers need to make a jump this year for the offense to take that next step. — Jarzynka J.

What is the biggest difference with Junior Adams out there, and what makes him different? He has done an incredible job on the recruiting trail; is that just high energy? Is he more relatable? — Nathan W.

If there is one thing that stands out the most about Adams’ approach, it’s that he is a high-level teacher. He has a knack for communicating complicated concepts in a simple fashion, and his expectations and standards are clearly understood. He certainly emphasizes blocking — you could see that in some of the drills the receivers ran through during the open portion of camp — but I don’t know if blocking is a bigger priority now than it was under previous position coaches.

I do think he’s more relatable, though, and it seems as if he’s trying to instill a higher level of confidence in UW’s receivers, particularly with the way the entire offensive coaching staff now is emphasizing the desire for receivers to be given more chances to make big plays.

As far as recruiting goes, I asked Adams the other day about the most valuable lesson he’s learned as a recruiter throughout his coaching career. Here’s what he said: “I think it’s just in life — it’s just be you, man. Be authentic. Be you. Don’t compare yourself to the next person. I think that’s part of building relationships. It’s bigger than football. Not always talking about ball, but always talking about other things. Life, school, girlfriend, mom, dad. Just be me.”

From job to job, he said, “I haven’t changed one bit.”

DoogCourics said:

• Once beer and wine are available at concession stands, stop allowing re-entry into the stadium. Currently, thousands of fans stream into the parking lots to get in some extra tailgating before the third quarter starts, and that results in a bunch of empty seats at kickoff.

The more I think about it, this is exactly the opposite of what they should do. It got me thinking back to being a poor kid in middle school that would hang out until halftime of the varsity games and then enter the stadium, because it was free after then. The UW AD should turn the third quarter into Thunderdome. To be fair about bathroom/concession lines, etc., they should pick a time shortly after the start of the third quarter--say, ten minutes after the third quarter kickoff--to give people a fair amount of time to pinch it off and get back to their seats, and then pull a reverse-Stalin and open the gates. Free to enter after then, and any empty seat is fair game.

Up the concessions/souvenir game just outside the stadium to maximize profits from the poor/cheap/drunk people that hang out outside waiting for the floodgates to open. Give them something to do, give them screens to keep up on the action with.

Result: Instead of empty seats in the third, the stadium will suddenly fill up. And get louder. It's been scientifically proven that poorer/drunker people cheer the loudest. That's just a fact. This is totally a win-win. Far from costing the AD money, it would be net positive due to a slight increase in concessions sales to people without tickets. Crowds would be consistently big and loud throughout the game and convey the sense of a more passionate fan base.

And if people bitch about getting back from their tailgate to find their seat taken? Tough shit, pussy fan, go find some standing room on the terrace.