[Quack Attack]

Pac-10 football: Coach Sark brings enthusiasm to Washington; he needs talent

Posted by Ken Goe, The Oregonian August 18, 2009 15:07PM


AP
First-year UW coach Steve Sarkisian, here talking to Jake Locker, has a big job in front of him.



Remember when Washington football last was relevant? You're dating yourself.

The Huskies have finished either ninth or 10th in the Pac-10 in every season since 2004. They haven't played in a bowl game since 2002 and haven't won one since since sharing the conference title with Oregon State in 2001 and beating Purdue in the Rose Bowl.

Expect the streaks of futility to continue this season while first-year coach Steve Sarkisian tries to pick up the pieces. Sarkisian has been a whirlwind of energy and enthusiasm since arriving in December from USC to replace Tyrone Willingham. There is something to be said for that. Willingham's last season was one, long, miserable death watch, culminating in an Apple Cup loss to one of the worst Washington State teams in memory.

The 35-year-old Sarkisian is as upbeat as Willingham was dour. He blogs. He twitters manically. He cranks up the music. His practices are fast-paced, up-tempo and open to the public. For the first time in forever, UW fans can see a glimmer of hope on the horizon, although let's be realistic. The glimmer is faint and far away.

Sarkisian got a late jump on recruiting, with predictably disappointing results. And that was before three of his six junior college transfers failed to qualify for admission. There are a few leftover building blocks, most notably junior Jake Locker, one of the college level's most athletic quarterbacks.

For all his tools Locker has been an ineffective passer. Sarkisian, who led the nation in passing efficiency in 1996 st Brigham Young, and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, a former NFL quarterbacks coach, could be exactly what Locker needs to accelerate his development.

If Locker can get the ball to them, the Huskies have a nice set of receivers, including D'Andre Goodwin, former Lincoln High star Jordan Polk, and freshman James Johnson, the talk of fall camp. But the offensive line was a sieve last season and remains a work in progress. The running game is coming off a disastrous 2008 season in which the Huskies averaged 2.8 yards per carry.

Defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim and linebacker Mason Foster are big-play guys who combined for 23.5 tackles for loss a year ago. Unfortunately, they need help and might be hard-pressed to find it from a secondary currently containing redshirt freshmen Justin Glenn and Greg Walker.

This is a fragile team at best, and the Huskies play three of their first four games against LSU, USC and Stanford. Uh oh. If the Huskies survive September, they should be better than a year ago -- it's statistically impossible to be worse than 0-12 -- but a return to relevancy would appear to be at least a few recruiting classes away.