#76 Washington Huskies Preview

  #76 – Washington Huskies 2-9 SU; 4-7 ATS   

 Fargo’s Take  The Huskies once proud football program remains in shambles. Washington, after finishing 10-1 in 2000, decreased its win totals in the subsequent four years before halting that last season, topping the 2004 win total of one with two victories. Head coach Ty Willingham will be in his second season with the Huskies but skeptics are wondering if he really is the right man for the job. He has the talent on offense to be successful but it comes down to working together as a team, something that didn’t happen last season on the inconsistent offense. On the other side, there was no improvement on the defense that allowed 30.6 ppg, a slight increase from 2004. If there was any good coming out of last season, it was the fact that the Huskies were much more competitive than the year before as four of their losses were by eight points or less. Those close games need to be won or Washington could be in for another long and frustrating season.

 Returning Starters on Offense – 6  The offense increased its scoring production by over a touchdown last season but still finished 90th in the country in scoring offense. Washington scored more than 24 points only twice all season and those just so happened to be the only two wins of the year. Quarterback Isaiah Stanback is arguably one of the biggest underachievers in the entire country. He is highly skilled and very athletic yet has not been able to move the offense and his big play ability is just that, ability. He looked very good moving the offense in the spring but the jury is still out whether or not he can get the job done when it counts. Tailback Kenny James is back after being hurt for most of last season and the receivers look strong once again. The problem is the offensive line where all but one starter needs to be replaced. If the line can come tog>ether in a hurry, the Huskies should be able to improve on offense once again but it really falls into the hands of Stanback who needs to prove that he is the right choice.

 Returning Starters on Defense – 8  This is where the real problems occurred last season. The Huskies were 94th in total defense and 89th in scoring defense but the end of the season provided some hope for the Washington faithful. It allowed just 19.3 ppg in its final three games and with eight starters coming back, there could be some major development in 2006. The passing defense could not stop anyone as it allowed a whopping 275.7 ypg, 106th in the country. Four secondary starters are back which could be good or bad depending on their progress. If the spring game was any indication, it looks like the latter is the case as the unit was repeatedly burned for big plays. The rushing defense put up its best numbers in three seasons and the front four once again looks to be the strength of the defense. Washington lost its two best linebackers and replacing them will be difficult but all indications are that the return of Trenton Tuiasosopo will have the biggest impact.

 Schedule  The Pac Ten, with the exception of USC and Cal, looks to be very weak this season but Washington is not the beneficiary of an easy conference schedule. The Huskies hit the road to take on four of the top five teams including both the Trojans and Golden Bears and five of their nine Pac Ten games are away from home. This includes the season finale in the Apple Cup against Washington St. With nine conference games, Washington has only three non-conference contests. After hosting San Jose St. in the opener, the Huskies travel to Oklahoma before coming back home to take on a tough Fresno St. team. The first game against the Spartans is the only sure win on the entire schedule that is filled with plenty of swing games. Washington could not win those swing games last year but with another year of experience, that can turn around.

 You can bet on…  After going 22-4 at home from 2000-2003, the Huskies have gone 2-11 the last two seasons and they need to get that home edge back. The lone home win last season came against Idaho as they were outscored by 19.5 ppg in their four home conference games. Over the last two years, Washington has been outscored by 15.5 ppg in Pac Ten action overall. That has added to their futility in covering Pac Ten games as they are now 15-31-2 ATS over the last six seasons. They host UCLA in their conference opener and while the Bruins are not going to be as strong as last season, Washington is not in position to win just yet. The Huskies are just 2-9 ATS in their last 11 conference openers and that included an outright home loss to UCLA in 2004. A win over the Bruins could be an enormous boost to a program in dire need of good things to happen.

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