No news is expected out of UW today. They’re flying down, but won’t go to the stadium or be available to the media.
I flew down a little ahead of them, and the only thing I have to add to the mix is that it’s hot down here. I saw a sign saying 96 degrees, and it feels every bit of it. It’s supposed to be even a couple of degrees hotter tomorrow, but the 7 p.m. kickoff will probably negate heat as any significant factor.
Unfortunately, Washington’s game at Arizona won’t be on television Saturday, for reasons I will try to explain in my column in the Friday paper.
However, the parties involved are offering an alternative to the blackout by showing the game live on TV screens at Hec Edmundson Pavilion.
What will be shown is the same video that will appear on the video board at Arizona Stadium, while the Huskies radio broadcast will provide the sound.
Admission — and parking — is free.
Here is the official UW announcement.
No. 3 Southern California at Washington State. Defenses stepping up for both teams. USC, 31-21.
No. 14 Oregon at Arizona State. Next loss will snuff ASU’s Rose Bowl hopes. Ducks, 37-32.
No. 20 California at Oregon State. Cal talent seems comparable to Boise State. Cal, 42-24.
Stanford at UCLA. Bruins get right opponent to bounce back against. UCLA, 35-17.
Washington at Arizona. UW in right place to re-establish running game. UW, 24-16
Last week: 5-0
Season: 11-2
1 USC 3-0, 1-0: Twelve straight conference road wins.
2 Oregon 3-0, 1-0: Looking for first 4-0 start since 2003.
3 California 3-1, 1-0: Two of next three on road.
4 Washington State 3-1, 1-0: Up-and-down schedule ticks way up this week.
5 Arizona State 3-1, 1-0: Where was that improved defense we heard about?
6 Washington 3-1, 1-0: Red-zone defense bought time for offense.
7 Arizona 2-2, 0-1: Defense held Trojans to 20 points.
8 Oregon State 2-1: Rout of Idaho first shutout since 1983.
9 UCLA 2-1, 0-1: Couldn’t
…We’re back to our usual 2:35 p.m. Thursday slot talking Husky football with Dave Grosby on KJR, 950-AM. The interview also will be streamed over the Internet.
What little news there was today came early, with the post below that J.R. Hasty and Aaron Mason are Huskies after all.
In other matters, safety C.J. Wallace and linebacker Scott White practiced in red/injury jerseys this week, but they are expected to start at Arizona on Saturday. Also cornerback Dashon Goldson has made enough physical progress that he could jump from the dozen or so snaps he got against UCLA to 30-35 snaps this week.
And quarterback Isaiah Stanback’s performance against UCLA earned him an "offensive game ball" from the Master Coaches Survey, an advisory poll of
…With the start of school, UW has released its final football roster, with 10 new names.
The most interesting is J.R. Hasty, the former Bellevue High School star who was expected to compete for the starting tailback this season before being lost to academic issues. Hasty remains ineligible to play this season, but he can practice with the team and could be ready to contribute next season.
Next most interesting are the names that are missing: junior college transfer safety Ashlee Palmer and Duke transfer receiver Chancellor Young are not on the list and are no longer connected
…Very little news on Tuesday, but there should be some Wednesday. That’s when fall classes begin at UW, and that’s when Coach Willingham will release his official roster, which will clarify the status of players who have been missing due to academics and other issues. None of it is likely to matter for this season, but check back tomorrow if you have an interest in that.
A few other notes:
Our Wednesday morning story will be on why UW doesn’t plan to go to the spread as their base offense, even though it seems to work well
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