 Finally; Huskies top Vandals to end record losing streak
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsSep 14, 2009“Exhale, Husky fans.
It’s finally over.
Six hundred and sixty four days separated the past two wins for the Washington football team, which had suffered a nation-long 15 consecutive losses before entering a sure-thing contest against Idaho on Saturday afternoon.
And the crowd of 58,980 saw that streak come to a resounding end, the Huskies proving themselves superior to their WAC opponent in a 42-23 romp at Husky Stadium.
As expected as victory may have been, that still didn’t prevent a little confusion—the good kind, for once—from Husky players after the final seconds ticked away.
What do you do after a win, anyway? Nobody in UW’s sophomore class even knew what it felt like.
“It’s a long time feeling that’s been waiting, so we kind of didn’t know what to do,” cornerback Quinton Richardson said. “We poured water on the coach. I went and jumped in the crowd. It’s just happy, so now we just have to humble ourselves and get ready for next week.”
That’s when they’ll play No. 3 USC. But for now, head coach Steve Sarkisian wants his team to take 24 hours to relish in its first victory since Nov. 17, 2007, and the first of Sarkisian’s head coaching career.
“These kids have worked long and hard, obviously, since the first day I’ve been here for the last nine months,” Sarkisian said. “Whether it’s been through offseason conditioning, spring ball, summer conditioning, training camp, the two weeks so far of in-season practice, these kids so far have given us everything we could have asked of them. And I’m happy for them that they get to reap the rewards and the benefits of winning.”
Yes, it was just Idaho. Yes, the Huskies were 21-point favorites. But none of that makes any difference to members of this UW team, which moved the ball seemingly at will against the Vandals to compensate for a somewhat shaky defensive performance.
Jake Locker was nearly flawless running the offense. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns before exiting in the fourth quarter.
The Huskies scored on their first five possessions, the only blip coming when Curtis Shaw fumbled the opening kickoff of the second half.
That came with UW leading 21-9 and Idaho already having shown a pretty adept passing game. But it was never close after that, as Vandals quarterback Nathan Enderle threw an interception to linebacker Mason Foster at the Huskies 23 yard line, which he returned to the Idaho 20 yard line. Chris Polk scored on a one-yard run four plays later to make it 28-9.
“We practice sudden change where our defense had to go on the field after a turnover,” Sarkisian said. “We practice sudden change where our offense had to go on the field after our defense got a big turnover. Our guys performed in those moments, so I think they’re starting to understand the comfort level they have in those situations and then to go out and perform.” A rare three-and-out on Idaho’s next drive ended up giving the Huskies the ball at the Idaho 36, and Locker hit Jermaine Kearse for a 34-yard gain before finding Chris Izbicki from two yards out for a touchdown to really blow things open.
Locker is now 40 for 67 through the air this season, quieting doubts from past seasons about his accuracy.
“I think Jake—I’m going to keep saying it—has all the tools to be as special a quarterback as there is in the country, if not the best,” Sarkisian said. “He keeps showing it. He shows it to us every day, and I think as we keep moving forward here, he’s going to keep showing it to the rest of our conference and the rest of the country.”
Enderle looked pretty good, too. The one qualm from UW fans after this one will surely be the concerning ease with which Idaho moved the ball. The Vandals actually outgained Washington, 412-374—gaining 349 of it passing—but settled for field goals in the first half when they drove inside the red zone.
But the simple fact that the Huskies finally won a game was what everyone on the Washington side was talking about afterward.
“It’s new,” Locker said. “But it’s great. The bumps and bruises that you normally feel that are kind of bigger when you lose, you don’t feel so much now.”
For once, the Huskies were the ones doing the bruising.”
Victory on the horizon?
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsSep 11, 2009“It was weird, UW head football coach Steve Sarkisian said, to receive so much praise from Husky fans after last week’s 31-23 loss to LSU. The former USC assistant wasn’t exactly used to that — or losing, period, for that matter.
Just imagine what the reaction will be like on Saturday if they actually manage to win a game.
That’s a distinct possibility — a distinct probability, even — for the Huskies, who are 21-point favorites over Idaho and would have to lay a serious egg in order to prolong their school-record 15-game losing streak.
They haven’t won a game since beating California on Nov. 17, 2007, which was 664 days, an athletic director and an entire coaching staff ago. Washington dominated that game, running over a lackluster Golden Bears team in a mildly surprising win at Husky Stadium.
There wouldn’t be anything surprising about a Huskies win over the traditionally weak Vandals. But that’s the challenge presented to Sarkisian’s staff this weekend: how do you get a team fired up to play Idaho one week after a nationally televised season opener against a ranked opponent?
“Sure, I’m worried about it,” Sarkisian said on Monday of a potential letdown. “To me, this is a very challenging week for our coaching staff — to get these guys reenergized, to get them refocused, because so much was put in and made up to that game. Not necessarily from us, but to a standpoint of fans and media, that there can be a natural letdown. This has got to be our week where we motivate better than ever.”
Players say it shouldn’t be too hard to get up for this one.
Their reasoning? Some of it was predictable.
“I think every weekend you’re hungry for a win, whether you’ve dropped 15 in a row or won 15 in a row,” quarterback Jake Locker said. “I think we’re going to go out with the same attitude and focus that we had last week and expect to win and see what happens.”
And some of it was a bit more straightforward.
“We’re still an uprising team ourselves,” cornerback Quinton Richardson said. “We just came from an 0-12 season, so we have no reason to hold our head above anyone. We’ve got to come out and prove something again [Saturday].”
UW has already proven enough to make its fans feel a little more sure about a game that was already viewed as a shoe-in. The Huskies gained 478 yards of total offense against a tough LSU defense in its opener, so they shouldn’t have any problem moving the ball against a WAC opponent.
Idaho wasn’t bad in its opener, either, though against a much weaker opponent. The Vandals held off New Mexico State, 21-6, and Sarkisian knows Idaho is capable of slipping past them if they lose focus.
“They started very fast. They really jumped on New Mexico State early, 21-0, and did a nice job preserving the win,” Sarkisian said. “They’re a defense that is aggressive. They’re tough. They play fast. Offensively they’ve got two really nice running backs, they’ve got a veteran quarterback who understands the scheme and they’ve got a nice receiving core.
“They make plays. I thought they were efficient on offense. I thought they were aggressive on defense, eliminated big plays, kept things in front of them and played a nice, clean football game.”
TWO-MINUTE DRILL
The Huskies have eight assistant coaches who played or coached at Idaho. Sarkisian joked on Monday that “I am keeping an eye on them this week. I don’t want any game plans getting faxed up to Idaho this week.” …How good is Sarkisian at motivating this team? Richardson will tell you. “He knows what he’s doing. He knows how to make you feel like a winner. Before the game I felt like I came off a defending national championship.” …Sarkisian said he didn’t get to bed until 4:30 a.m. after the LSU game. Saturday’s 12:30 kickoff should give him plenty of time to sleep afterward. …At least one player remembers what it’s like to win. Victor Aiyewa thought that win over Cal long, long ago was a sign of things to come. “One of the things I remember is the fact that we have talent on our team,” Aiyewa said. “A lot of people don’t really know that we have the kind of talent and by beating Cal I knew, like, ‘Man, if we can beat Cal, there’s no reason why we can’t beat anybody else.’” Yeah, about that…
Reach sports editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.”
 Johnson: A receiver who almost wasn't
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsSep 11, 2009“Athletically speaking, James Johnson was once convinced he bore more resemblance to hulking NBA veteran Ben Wallace than to any wide receiver.
“That’s a random guy, but that’s what I played like. I played center. I was always the biggest guy on the team,” the 6-foot-1, 190-pound Johnson said earlier this week.
No longer the biggest kid around as a freshman in high school, Johnson would set his sights on football at Valley Center High School, located outside of San Diego. But despite becoming an all-state wideout three years later, only San Diego State’s coaching staff recruited Johnson to play on the offensive side of the ball in college.
Even as late as last fall, schools like Washington State, Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Colorado and Utah wanted him at cornerback instead.
Why the lack of interest? It’s a question that still baffles first-year UW receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty, who kept tabs on Johnson from his sophomore year onward while an assistant at the University of San Diego.
“I was like, ‘Shoot, I wish I could have recruited that kid to play for the University of San Diego,’ but we couldn’t get him,” Dougherty said. “I said, ‘That kid’s going to be special in the Pac-10 some day.’”
If his six-catch performance against No.11 LSU Saturday night was any indicator — the first grab resulting in a touchdown after Johnson shed standout LSU safety Chad Jones — it’s hard to imagine Johnson being better suited for anything else.
Admittedly, Johnson says he’d probably have settled for playing in Oregon’s defensive backfield had he not received a scholarship offer from Washington.
Simply put, “I just had to get out of California,” Johnson said.
Growing up as the youngest of 14 children and living in Inglewood, Calif., the odds were stacked again Johnson from the start. So in seventh grade, his mother sent him to live with older brother Greg Taylor, a defensive backs coach at Palomar College.
“Where we were living at the time, there was a lot of riff raff,” Johnson said. “A lot of my brothers got into the wrong things. She didn’t want that for me. She wanted me to live with my brother. She knew that good things could happen.”
And slowly, they did.
Taylor, now 31, enrolled his younger brother at Valley Central High School in a rural area of Southern California. Until his sophomore year, Johnson was the only African American student there. Aside from some initial challenges, Johnson says he met some of his best friends there including his high school quarterback Tyler Bernard, now an ASU baseball player.
At home, Taylor, a former SDSU player, made sure his brother was keeping up with his schoolwork and helping out around the house.
Under Taylor‘s direction, Johnson continued racking up accolades on the football field. He took part in track and qualified for state in hurdles and was a successful basketball player — SDSU recruited him for that too.
“A lot of who I am today and the way that I play is a resemblance to what he taught me,” Johnson said. “I love him to death. I probably wouldn’t be here if he wasn’t at my life at the time.”
It wasn’t until a visit from newly hired UW coach Steve Sarkisian during December of his senior year — relatively late in the recruiting process — that Johnson was offered another opportunity to play receiver.
And it wasn’t long before Johnson took a liking to the charismatic first-year head coach.
“I didn’t trust anyone else,” Johnson said. “All the other schools, no offense, they have good coaches, but I just didn’t feel like in my gut, in my heart, that I found a place I could go and succeed at. I hadn’t found that until I met coach Sark.”
Johnson arrived on campus early this summer for voluntary workouts, mastering the offense before the start of fall camp. On the third day, the true freshman was already making one-handed touchdown catches in traffic, making over the shoulder grabs in the end zone and managing to hang on for a touchdown despite getting thumped by safety Greg Walker.
It was an effort that got Johnson noticed in a hurry.
“We obviously have a long way to go, but if we were playing Saturday he [Johnson] would play, that’s for sure,” Sarkisian told reporters that day.
And about a month later against LSU, in front of 70,000 fans and the entire country, Johnson got the start against one of the better secondaries in the country. He responded by turning in the best performance a UW freshman receiver has had in eight seasons.
“I just think he goes out and plays and it doesn’t matter who, what, when, where or how,” Sarkisian said. “‘This is what I’m supposed to do, here’s the ball, let me catch it and go make my play.’”
His older brother Greg had a game to coach and couldn’t make it to Seattle last Saturday, but he did catch the ESPN broadcast. His reaction to Johnson’s game?
“He just said, ’Continue to keep getting better. Don’t just catch six [passes]. Catch 12. Score two touchdowns,’” Johnson said.
“He’s telling me to keep my nose on the grindstone. Continue to work hard. Stay humble and hungry.”
The Ben Wallace hairstyle, however, is optional.
Reach reporter Maks Goldenshteyn at sports@dailyuw.com.”
How to celebrate a win
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsSep 11, 2009“Are you entering your sophomore year, and still unsure what it feels like to watch the Huskies win a football game? Or are you a fifth-year senior who has blacked out the previous season and chooses not to remember any of the Tyrone Willingham era? Well, either way, here are some suggestions for what to do after Saturday’s likely victory over Idaho, which would be the first for the Huskies since Nov. 17, 2007.
- When partying after the game, remember not to cry — you’re drinking out of joy, not sorrow, this time. Actually, yeah, you can still cry if you want to. It has been 15 games, after all.
- Release some white smoke from the top window of your house, signifying that, at long last, the long wait has finally come to an end and a new leader has brought victory to the UW football program.
- Untie the yellow ribbons from your Oak trees.
- Hurl slurs and insults at the opposing team’s fans as you exit the stadium. If you don’t remember how, just do what an Oregon fan would do. But don’t cold clock anybody — save that for the Apple Cup.
- Kiss a random nurse in the middle of The Ave directly in front of a photographer.
- Take a picture of the scoreboard and make screen printed T-shirts of it with ‘I was there!’ written underneath.
- Call Mark Emmert to find out the exact parade route for Monday morning.
- Join in with the gathered masses overturning cars and setting couches aflame on Greek Row.
- Watch out for overturned cars and flaming couches on Greek Row.
- Go for a celebratory dip in Drumheller Fountain. Then take a shower.
- Watch the replay of the game the next day on FSN, just to make sure it actually happened.
- Burn any apparel you still own that has the old ‘weasel’ logo on it.
- Storm the field, but don’t tear down the goalposts — save that for the first Pac-10 win.
- Say a prayer before you go to bed/pass out thanking God that the Sounders are no longer the only football team in Seattle that have won anything in the past calendar year. Mainly just be thankful you don’t have to pretend to care about the Sounders anymore.
- Call Tyrone Willingham and ask, “Is your refrigerator running?” If he answers yes, reply, “Well, that’s more than your backfield ever did at UW.” Hang up before he berates you for lacking comportment, but not before you suggest that he apply for a job with the Seattle Mist.
- Shave your head bald in homage to defensive coordinator Nick Holt. Then blame the decision on a bet that never happened.
- Place an ill-advised bet on Washington to cover the double-digit spread against USC next week … before the lines are even announced.
- Wear your Ronnie Fouch replica jersey with pride.
- Call your WSU friends at 3 a.m. and leave a, ahem, slurred rendition of ‘Bow Down to Washington’ on their voicemail.
- Go to Dick’s.
- Stay up all night reading textsfromlastnight.com at Odegaard with Scott Woodward.
- Stay up all night reading FMyLife.com posts by Idaho fans that read, “We just lost to UW. In football. FML.”
- Go back to Dick’s.”
Battle Royale: UW vs. Idaho Game Daily edition
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsSep 11, 2009“1. What do the Huskies have to do against Idaho for you to be satisfied with their performance?
Christian: Steve Sarkisian should make them run stadium stairs every day for a week if they don’t score 50 points.
Maks: Just a nice, sound, 60-point clobbering will do.
Allen: Win. Preferably by a lot of points.
2. What do you remember about UW’s last win in November 2007, a 37-23 victory over California?
Christian: “Wow, California has completely given up.”
Maks: Nothing, because I had my priorities out of wack and decided to catch up on some homework that day. If I had known that it would be 660-plus days until the next win, I might have reconsidered. And died a little inside.
Allen: I don’t remember their last win. In all honesty I don’t remember anything beyond their terrible 2008 season.
3. How hard would LeGarrette Blount have to punch you for you to put money on Washington State against Hawaii this weekend?
Christian: About as hard as Mike Tyson hit Zach Galifianakis in “The Hangover.”
Maks: Kermit Washington hard.
Allen: About as hard as Will Smith punches that alien pilot in Independence Day. Because WSU winning a football game is the only thing more unrealistic than aliens invading Earth.
4. If the Huskies manage to make a bowl game this season, who will fans dub as the savior: Jake Locker, or Sarkisian?
Christian: Scott Woodward’s scarf.
Maks: They would probably decide on Sarkisian. However, if that did happen, they should hail Nick Holt as the savior. Let’s face it, as horrendous as last year’s offense was, the defense was that much more terrible. A pregnant Octomom could have slipped behind the Huskies’ secondary in ‘08, given birth to all eight kids on the 10-yard line, and still would’ve had enough time to reach the end zone — in a wheel chair.
Allen: Sarkisian. Interesting stat: the Huskies didn’t win a single game with Locker healthy last season.”
Huskies look better in loss to LSU
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsSep 05, 2009“There were some mistakes, sure, a few too many to be a winning football team. And in the end, there was a 31-23 LSU victory, and more than a touch of frustration from Washington football players and head coach Steve Sarkisian, again declaring no moral victory to be sufficient after a losing effort.
But for the first time in a very long while, there was competitive football played by the home team in Husky Stadium on Saturday night, a close, entertaining game against a nationally ranked opponent on national TV.
So in the end, this might have been just about the most encouraging loss in program history, as Sarkisian, attempting to rebuild this team from an 0-12 finish one season ago, put a product on the field that already looks light years ahead of anything the 69,161 in attendance Saturday night saw last season.
Sarkisian said last Monday that the goal for the Huskies every week will be to earn their opponent’s respect. It’s hard to say they didn’t do that on Saturday.
“I have a feeling they (LSU) respect the Washington Husky football team,” Sarkisian said. “With all of that being said, it’s not acceptable. We play the game to win and unfortunately, we were in the red zone five times and we settled for four field goals and had a turnover. That's how you can lose.”
But even in a loss, the Huskies looked like a completely different team than they did under former coach Tyrone Willingham.
They scored on the first drive of the game, and 85-yard push that ended with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jake Locker to freshman receiver James Johnson. They gained 479 yards of total offense against a traditionally stout SEC defense. They were 11-for-19 on third down conversions, and a surprisingly revamped defense forced several three-and-outs and made a couple of nice stops that kept UW in the game.
"From the hotel until now, everybody played with a lot of confidence," linebacker Mason Foster said. "I thought we should have won, but a loss is a loss and I felt like we improved. We’re getting there, but it takes a while to change things."
LSU players seemed a little surprised by the challenge UW presented, considering the Tigers came in as 17-point favorites.
“We came out and I've got to give props to Washington,” LSU tailback Charles Scott said. “They came out and played a hell of a game, they made a stand against us, and they dominated. We just had to fight back, make a few adjustments, and overcome some of the stuff we're not used to seeing.”
The source of frustration for UW stemmed from two first-half turnovers, the first of which was a tipped Jake Locker pass that LSU linebacker Jacob Cutrera snatched and returned 29 yards for a touchdown to give the Tigers a 10-7 lead.
With Washington leading 7-3 and still riding the momentum of its first scoring drive, that interception might have been the game’s turning point.
“I thought the middle linebacker was going to come on a blitz and they just brought the SAM (strong side linebacker), pushed out on number two (receiver) and I didn’t carry my eyes outside,” Locker said. “So I just need to be a little better in my progression on that play.”
Locker was otherwise efficient, completing 25 of 45 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns. He also hit Kavario Middleton from nine yards out as time expired to account for UW’s final score.
There were chances throughout the second half for the Huskies to keep pace, but LSU made a few too many big plays for UW to overcome. Tigers quarterback Jordan Jefferson threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Toliver with 5:39 left in the third quarter that gave the Tigers a 24-13 lead.
The Huskies didn’t respond until Erik Folk hit a field goal with 5:34 left in the game—he’d missed one from 41 yards out on their previous drive—that cut it to 24-16, but LSU went on a game-clinching, 67-yard scoring drive to finally put the Huskies away after a Brandon LaFell touchdown catch with 1:54 to play.
Washington’s red zone execution was lacking all night. The second crucial Husky error came late in the first quarter, when Chris Polk took a first-and-goal carry from the LSU five yard line and coughed it up. LSU recovered.
Polk compensated for the mistake by taking 21 carries for 90 yards.
Those two turnovers were more or less the only difference on this night between the suddenly revived Huskies and the No. 11 team in the country.
“I think we’re really close,” Locker said. “It’s just a matter of being a little more disciplined, take care of the football, and I think the sky’s the limit for this football team.””
Sarkisian ushering in new era of Husky football
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsSep 04, 2009“In the lead up to what’s been called the dawning of a new era, and amid the bright lights of Husky Stadium, the ESPN cameras and the packed house, the man most relieved to get things underway is probably the one on whom all of UW football’s fortunes ride.
“I’m pretty impatient. I’m a pretty impatient guy in general,” said head coach Steve Sarkisian, now nine months on the job. His task is to reinvent the culture within the program and restore the buzz around it.
If that seems like a lot for one guy to handle, it should be understood that Husky fans starving for wins expect no less. But if there was ever a pressure to succeed, he’d be the one applying it.
Along with impatience, restlessness is also in Sarkisian’s nature – in a good way.
“I keep looking for stuff to do,” he said earlier this week. “We keep watching film and I keep bugging [defensive coordinator] Nick [Holt] and [offensive coordinator] Doug [Nussmeier], ‘What about this, what about that?’
“I want to know what we’re going to do in short yardage on offense and defense, how we’re going attack them in the red zone, how we’re going to pressure them on third down.”
It’s a meticulous approach that Sarkisian says won’t change after this game, next week, or the week after that. And that’s a good thing, considering the mindset former mentor and USC head coach Pete Carroll said he’d take with him to Husky Stadium come Sept. 19.
“We’re coming after him, I want you to know that,” the Trojans head coach said.
After the abysmal 2008 season and current 14-game losing streak, Carroll’s team won’t be the only one. But the last thing Sarkisian wants to hear about is 0-12.
“We don’t talk about last season,” he said matter-of-factly at the start of fall camp.
Instead, Sarkisian says he’s urging members of his team not to dwell on the past, both in regards to last season and times of adversity on the field this time around.
One player that should benefit from that advice is quarterback Jake Locker, who couldn’t have foreseen his first two years as a starter at Washington going the way they did.
“Obviously what happened last year and in years past hasn’t been what anybody who’s my age or older had signed up for,” said Locker, who has two years of eligibility left. “There’s a new attitude and a new way we do things around here.”
Sarkisian is extending his policy toward players like linebacker E.J. Savannah, who had a falling out with former coach Tyrone Willingham and decided to quit the team before the start of last season. Now he’s being reinstated.
Also given a fresh start is tight end Chris Izbicki, who was charged with two alcohol-related misdemeanors last summer.
Sarkisian said he’s wiping the slate clean on up to a dozen players after the way they played last season, intensifying the competition for playing time.
As for himself, Sarkisian says he’ll be getting increasingly excited as kickoff time approaches. Part of that involves planning a pre-game speech for his players as they prepare to take on a visiting LSU team that no one thinks they have a shot at beating.
“Just as you’re a kid and you dream of things, as a coach you dream of that first time you’re in the locker room with your team,” he said. “You dream about that first pre-game speech, your best Jim Owens, or Don James, or Knute Rockne impression you can make.”
Reach reporter Maks Goldenshteyn at sports@dailyuw.com.”
Christine getting his chance under Husky Stadium lights
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsSep 04, 2009“Gregory Christine stood on the sidelines last year — all of last year — except for the final 13 snaps of a season-ending blowout against California, the only time in his life that the walk-on, backup offensive lineman stepped between the lines during a college football game.
But those snaps will not define the junior’s Washington football career, and by the time this season is over, people might not even remember that he was a walk-on to begin with.
That’s because Christine will start at left guard when the Huskies meet LSU in their season opener at Husky Stadium on Saturday, the most surprising depth chart shakeup of fall camp.
And it’s hard to say the guy doesn’t deserve it. Christine, who hails from Camarillo, Calif., self-funded his first three years of school and was rewarded a scholarship on Thursday for his efforts this season. He impressed head coach Steve Sarkisian so much with his work ethic and toughness that he’s beginning this season as a major part of the Huskies plans for a rebuilding O-line.
“He communicates well up front,” Sarkisian said. “He’s physical. He’s tough. He’s got a blue collar mentality, which you love to have from an offensive lineman. I think he brings a lot of energy up front to our group that a lot of guys feed off of.”
Christine said he was a little surprised to see his name wind up at the top of the depth chart. He’d played a little bit with the No. 1 offensive line unit, but said that wasn’t necessarily an indication that he would be a starter. A lot of guys have been getting different looks at a lot of spots.
“I was really excited,” said Christine, whose father will be in attendance on Saturday. “We were all rotating in camp, just trying to see who could play what position because they wanted to people to be able to play more than one position. So it definitely was unexpected.”
He attributes his sudden rise up the O-line depth chart to getting thinner, studying the play book and doing what is asked of him by coaches. Christine said it was abundantly obvious last season that the offensive line wasn’t in good enough shape to be competitive, and that strength coach Ivan Lewis has done a good job in the weight room of making sure all of the Huskies linemen are in playing condition this season.
“That was definitely obvious,” Christine said. “We didn’t play well, obviously. We definitely were not in the best shape to be playing at the best level we could, either.
“I needed to slim down, get faster, get stronger, more powerful. We were really big last year, not as athletic as the offense is designed for. We had to slim down and become more athletic.”
That overweight, out-of-shape offensive line translated to a poor running game, poor pass protection and an 0-12 record last season. But the 6-foot-2, 286 pound Christine suits Sarkisian’s vision of sleeker, more mobile linemen, and the new coaching staff took notice of Christine’s work ethic.
And the coaching change might have as much to do with him getting his shot now as anything. Much has been made of Sarkisian’s ‘clean slate’ policy, which allowed players who were stuck in Tyrone Willingham’s dog house to start fresh with the new coaching staff. That’s helped Christine as much as anyone — not for disciplinary reasons, obviously, but because he was buried behind others on the depth chart and was greeted with an open mind by the new staff.
Offensive line coach Dan Cozetto told Christine that he’d see playing time as long as he kept taking care of business in fall camp. Apparently, that’s what he did.
“Their biggest thing is just if you can be coachable,” Christine said. “That, I think, is their main focus: Can you do what we want you to do instead of making up your own thing?”
Reach sports editor Christian Caple at sports@dailyuw.com.”
Pillow Talk
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsAug 19, 2009“After an eventful summer of working as your sex and relationship columnist, I have decided to end this quarter’s Pillow Talk with a mailbag column, a type of “Q and A” to directly address you, my dear readers.
Q: Does how soon a couple makes out influence their relationship later on?
A: This is a very interesting question. After some thought, I do believe it does. I don’t think you can determine the longevity of a relationship from the first act of “making out,” but I do believe you can determine the course of the physical aspect of the relationship with this information. This would in turn determine the course of the relationship as a whole, as I believe that a relationship is built through a combination of its physical and emotional parts. When a couple becomes openly sexual early on, both partners will learn to quickly expect growth on the sexual side of their relationship, which could possibly compromise the emotional growth or, in some cases, enhance it.
Q: Are there any girls out there who are OK with having a bisexual boyfriend, or do bisexual men have to ignore this aspect of themselves in order to have a successful relationship with whichever member of the sex they are with?
A: This is a difficult question to just compose a quick response to, but, in short, I believe that situations like this are very individual-based. I am positive that many women, like men, are completely content with having a bisexual partner. On the other hand, some people find it somewhat intimidating to not only have to compete with their own sex, but have to deal with a whole other sex, too. More generally, however, I believe it is a horrible idea for someone to ignore complexities within their sexual orientation as it directly affects the happiness and fulfillment in his or her relationship. So, overall, avoid “ignoring this aspect” at all costs.
Q: What if a girl has a lot of suitors and you think she might like you, but running the gauntlet of guys surrounding her is pretty risky? Do you just “go for broke”?
A: Fear not, reader. When in pursuit of true love, never just “go for broke,” as you say. If this person is worth a bit of competition, use your bravest and best moves, and go for it. As any romantic would say, true love never fails, so if it’s meant to be, you have nothing to worry about. And, if the competition proves to outweigh your pursuit, there will always be many other chances to prevail.
Q: What do you do if a girl is mad at you for not being able, ready or willing to go beyond the “friend zone”?
A: This one’s an easy one. By no means should you go beyond the “friend zone” if you’re not willing to. Again, this links back to the idea that if both sides of the relationship aren’t happy, the relationship just won’t work. Never ever go beyond a point that you aren’t comfortable with just to make someone happy; I assure you he or she will not be very happy soon after that leap.
Q: Why do guys always have to be the one to “ask girls out”? Is it possible to make an overarching rule for this; can we shift gender roles in relationships?
A: This question touches on a huge subject regarding gender roles in relationships, but to provide a succinct answer for now, again I’d have to go with the frustrating idea that this is very individual-based. Many people are stuck in the traditional roles of men and women when it comes to relationships, completely dependent on the structure handed down from past generations. Others, however, believe it to be overrated and silly. When the two sides mix in a relationship, things can get quite frustrating; just deciding who’s going to pay for dinner can become a huge blowout. In short, when it comes to the roles each partner takes in a relationship, conversation is key. As no generic rules can be set down for everyone to abide by, it’s up to you, my friends, to take on the responsibility and decide for yourselves.
Until next quarter, thanks for reading and indulge in the joys of summer love while you can. I expect grand stories in the Pillow Talk suggestion box upon my return!
Reach Copy Chief Parisa Sadrzadeh at features@dailyuw.com.”
Road rage
by The Daily of the University of Washington - Latest NewsAug 19, 2009“Set in relief by the muted glow of the evening sun, hundreds of bicyclists crest the hill like an invading army before streaming toward the Seattle waterfront in an impenetrable and lawless throng. This takeover of the city streets is caused by Critical Mass, a group of cyclists with the dual goals of building a bike community in Seattle and calling for road rights for those on two wheels.
While Seattle is a fairly bike-friendly city, its cyclists still face problems in sharing the roads with occasionally unfriendly drivers and building a cohesive community.
“There are a lot of grudges between drivers and cyclists. Drivers are either apathetic, or they really hate cyclists,” said Lauren Boubel, manager of the ASUW Bike Shop.
On a couple of occasions, cars have tried to drive her off the road, Boubel said.
But bikers counter car woes with Critical Mass, one of a few permanent group rides founded in San Francisco in 1992 to shed light on the city’s drivers’ hostility toward cyclists. It’s become a global phenomenon of riders who gather monthly to assert their rights to the road.
In Seattle, Critical Mass begins at 5:30 p.m. (with a U-District group gathering in Red Square and leaving at 5 p.m.) on the last Friday of every month, where bicyclists of all ages gather at Westlake Center for a leaderless takeover of the streets. A headless beast, the ride changes direction and destination based on whoever is in front or whoever is the loudest. Those who have been on the ride before cork up the streets, blocking intersections with their bikes so that the whole mass can get across an intersection as one, and make sure that the slower or newer riders stay part of the pack.
“The main reason [for Critical Mass] is supposed to be asserting cyclists’ right to the road. The way it happens in Seattle, I sort of don’t agree with. You’re inconveniencing other people and not obeying the road laws,” said UW junior and avid cyclist Chris Gee. However, “even if [drivers] are pissed, they’re paying attention to the fact that cyclists are out there.”
Critical Mass is not without its share of controversy. July’s Critical Mass featured nude bicyclists who were pulled over by the police — public nudity is legal in Washington state until complaints are registered — and a ride last year included a fracas with a driver who supposedly pulled into a group of bicyclists, who then damaged his car and sent him to the hospital.
Bicyclists are not faultless in the animosity between the groups. They are supposed to obey the rules of the road as well, which include signaling, stopping at stop signs and not obstructing traffic. While on the road, a bicycle is basically regarded as a slower moving, miniscule vehicle.
Gee said that people who don’t follow road rules lend other cyclists a bad name.
“It doesn’t present a very good image to people waiting at the light [to watch cyclists] go through it,” Gee said. “It kind of contributes to the antagonism between cyclists and motorists.”
Versatility is an odd dilemma confronting bicyclists: While most ride on the road, cyclists do often take to the sidewalks, where they may come into conflict with pedestrians.
“[The] UW, in particular, is pedestrians versus cyclists. Bicyclists are in the minority as opposed to, say, UC Davis, where everyone rides bikes and pedestrians better watch out,” said Gee, whose parents attended UC Davis.
Pedestrian-bicycle bang-ups are some of the main bicycle-related incidents the police get involved with. UW Police Department Officer William Bergin, one of the officers on bikes, said that he usually cites bicyclists for unsafe riding around pedestrians.
“If I see you treating people like cones … I can cite you for that because you’re being unsafe,” Bergin said. Failing to yield to pedestrians is a $103 fine.
The biggest issue for cyclists is not necessarily even the opposing moving forces of cars or pedestrians. The road presents hazards of its own.
“We do get quite a few people who have been in accidents [or] have been hit by cars,” Boubel said of those coming into the bike shop for repairs. “We have to sign off on receipts for insurance companies.”
However, Boubel estimates that only one-third of those coming in to the bike shop have been in car accidents, while most end up hitting potholes and other road hazards.
She has noticed the social aspect of the ASUW Bike Shop, one of the centers of the bike community on campus.
A variety of groups meet on campus and around Seattle for rides. Yet aside from Critical Mass, the biking community still remains rather scattered and based mostly on word of mouth.
Gee, who began biking almost daily freshman year, spoke of a bike culture, where people meet others involved in biking and slowly become involved in the scene and, in turn, slowly invest more money on their sets of wheels.
“It is sort of decentralized; people know people who know people,” Gee said. “If you cycle, then it’s sort of part of your lifestyle, so you typically know other cyclists.”
But despite all the dangers and conflicts that sometimes accompany biking, cyclists seem to have one common goal: to have more people start biking.
“People get really intimidated by street biking,” Boubel said. “There’s a lot of really accepting bikers that really want more people to get into it. You just have to get out there.”
Reach reporter Haylee Morse-Miller at features@dailyuw.com.” | News Topics
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