WEEK 2

Washington vs Michigan

Woo hoo! Football season in Husky Stadium is finally here. Unfortunately I will not be, as I'll be at a wedding in SFO. Dumn-ass relatives. I have a tiny television and headphones though so I won't miss the game. Here's my take.

Washington returns a strong defense and a fresh offense, with new QB and line. Some injuries this Summer will be a setback for the Dawgs as new players will need to fill roles. Notable return players are (offense) Willie "one-yard" Hurst (he needs a new nickname after last year), Jerramy "convict" Stevens, John "toe-head" Anderson, Wondame Davis, Sophomore sensasion Rich Alexis. At new positions are QB Pickett and Nueheisel's Boy Taylor Barton. MANY new players, including fullback position where nobody has shown a thing, and almost all of the O-Line where the only veterans are Kyle Benn and Elliott Zajac. Everyone else is either a sophomore or true freshman.

Where we are deep is runners and receivers. Hurst, Alexis and Cleman are all outstanding running backs. I would expect them to have about equal playing time through the year. TE Jerramy Stevens may not play against Michigan thanks to continued hooliganism. Kevin Ware is a talented backup. UDub is always strong at Tight End for some reason. Flankers Elstrom and Arnold (moved from RB) are strong. Watch for highly recruited WR Reggie Williams to get some playing time. Charles "E.T." Frederick will likely not play due to injury. Once these two are healthy we can say goodbye to the running game at Washington forever.

On defense, I expect the team to finish among the top in the Pac-10 with so many returning players. All-American Tripplett will be a first round draft choice next year at NT. Marcus Roberson, Spencer Marona, Kai Ellis, Willis, Mahdavi, Anthony "A.K. 47" Kelly will return. Greg Carothers is one of the hardest hitting safties in the Pac. Corners Low and Roc Alexander like to hit. Hard. I'm not worried about the defense.

The weakness on this team, or question mark really, is the O-line. The running backs are there, the receivers are there, but with a new QB and line look for some pressure on the quarterback. I think the RB's are fast, but this is not a team that can run outside the line. I think we'll see the option go away almost entirely this year as the Neuheisel offense starts to really take effect. The Huskies will need to use some quick-outs and slants before they can run the ball. We have never really had a real passing team, but now that the horses are on the squad I would not be surprised to see them try the bomb a few times.

Michigan almost mirrors the UDub this year. With the Henson defection and new line, Michigan's worries are about the same as Washington's. However, Michgan's backups are at least not freshmen or sophomores. They will have a solid line with no starting freshmen at all. Receivers are still there and their QB has more experience than Pickett. Overall their offense against the wrong Miami was good but not remarkable - a good warmup. Biggest holes are at running back and QB.

On defense, the linebackers are experienced, big and mean. I expect Pickett will become well acquainted with them on the plastic grass. They cause a lot of turnovers, I think they lead the league in turnovers last year or at least the Bigger 10.

Washington's best chance against Michigan will be quick outs to reliable receivers like Stevens, Arnold and Elstrom. Teams have double Stevens last year and were not successful. If Reggie Williams can be a threat then I see the passing game opening up, provided the QB has time to find them.

Overall I see two really evenly matched teams with new offenses. Michigan has the advantage of a warmup game. UDub has the advantage of Husky Stadium. It will be loud - really loud. These should cancel out. I can see a sloppy beginning offensive effort from UDub and not much better from Michigan, but somewhat better.

The easy thing to do is predict a low-scoring affair with multiple turnovers. I wouldn't be surprised to see each team cough up the ball 2 or 3 times. Washington's kicking game is good, don't know about UM. I can see UDub scoring maybe 26 points. Michigan put up 31 against Miami oHIo with a pretty vanilla playbook, not bad for a "new" offense. That probably translates to 24-28 at Husky Stadium. Without the Tui factor the Dawgs will not get so many close victories this year.

The key for both teams will be turnovers. The winner will be the benficiary of the most lucky bounces. On paper, I see Michigan probably winning by 4 based on UW having so many freshman on the field.

Greg's Prediction:
Personally, I am betting on UDub to win this one by 3.

- COMMENTS - UW Wins by 5 thanks to miracle nearly back-to-back plays for 14 points at the hands of Omare Lowe.