Bright spots on the Husky football team[/B]
Kaelyn Sayles
After last Saturday's loss to USC, Washington head football coach Steve Sarkisian was disappointed in the team's inability to come back from behind, but he wasn't discouraged by the performance.
In Monday's press conference, Sarkisian had plenty to point out that encouraged him.
"What was encouraging was our ability to fight in the second half, to understand the challenges that were presented to us, to make some subtle adjustments within the game plan and get those things fixed and compete," Sarkisian said.
Here are a few other things Sarkisian has been encouraged by:
The defense. Sarkisian said the defense has been showing the capability to improve, especially in the back end.
The kickoff return team. "We're close," Sarkisian said. "We're close on a lot of them to break some big ones."
The kickoff coverage unit. Sarkisian said that has been very encouraging, despite the blocked punt, which he said is a bit concerning because that hadn't been a problem. However, Sarkisian said he thinks they've improved in those areas.
Here are some current numbers from the defensive side of the ball:
Nine sacks ? credit: Thomas Tutogi, Travis Feeney (two), John Timu, Andrew Hudson (two), Desmond Trufant and Josh Shirley (two).
Six interceptions ? credit: Shaq Thompson, Justin Glenn, Marcus Peters (two), Tre Watson and Desmond Trufant.
396 total tackles ? Thomas Tutogi, Sean Parker, Travis Feeney, John Timu, Shaq Thompson, Justin Glenn and Danny Shelton all have over 30 total tackles each so far this season
Sarkisian said they understand the role defensive end Josh Shirley can have as a pass rusher. The impact he has had in that capacity can be seen by the numbers above.
A final thought on the defense: "I think our best days are ahead of us as a defense because of our youth, but we're rapidly getting better," Sarkisian said.
The offense, while not as encouraging as the defense, has a few bright spots that were mentioned by Sarkisian.
He said the running game is still a bit spotty, especially against good teams, but the run game is actually a bit more encouraging to him than the numbers give them credit for. Sarkisian said Bishop Sankey is improving and Kendyl Taylor is finding his groove at the tailback position.
As far as the receivers go, Sarkisian is happy with what wide receiver Kasen Williams has brought to the offense, and described it as a bright spot. So far this season, Williams has 33 receptions for 362 yards and four touchdowns.
Then, there's tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. "The playmaking ability of what Austin's given us has been encouraging," Sarkisian said. Seferian-Jenkins has 29 receptions for 337 yards and two touchdowns this season.
The offensive line has been questionable throughout the season so far. Sarkisian said he wishes they were a bit better up front than they currently are, but he thinks they're improving.
Overall, there's one big thing that stands out to Sarkisian.
"Probably the thing I've been impressed with (most) with this team through the first half of this season is their resolve, Sarkisian said.
Kaelyn Sayles
After last Saturday's loss to USC, Washington head football coach Steve Sarkisian was disappointed in the team's inability to come back from behind, but he wasn't discouraged by the performance.
In Monday's press conference, Sarkisian had plenty to point out that encouraged him.
"What was encouraging was our ability to fight in the second half, to understand the challenges that were presented to us, to make some subtle adjustments within the game plan and get those things fixed and compete," Sarkisian said.
Here are a few other things Sarkisian has been encouraged by:
The defense. Sarkisian said the defense has been showing the capability to improve, especially in the back end.
The kickoff return team. "We're close," Sarkisian said. "We're close on a lot of them to break some big ones."
The kickoff coverage unit. Sarkisian said that has been very encouraging, despite the blocked punt, which he said is a bit concerning because that hadn't been a problem. However, Sarkisian said he thinks they've improved in those areas.
Here are some current numbers from the defensive side of the ball:
Nine sacks ? credit: Thomas Tutogi, Travis Feeney (two), John Timu, Andrew Hudson (two), Desmond Trufant and Josh Shirley (two).
Six interceptions ? credit: Shaq Thompson, Justin Glenn, Marcus Peters (two), Tre Watson and Desmond Trufant.
396 total tackles ? Thomas Tutogi, Sean Parker, Travis Feeney, John Timu, Shaq Thompson, Justin Glenn and Danny Shelton all have over 30 total tackles each so far this season
Sarkisian said they understand the role defensive end Josh Shirley can have as a pass rusher. The impact he has had in that capacity can be seen by the numbers above.
A final thought on the defense: "I think our best days are ahead of us as a defense because of our youth, but we're rapidly getting better," Sarkisian said.
The offense, while not as encouraging as the defense, has a few bright spots that were mentioned by Sarkisian.
He said the running game is still a bit spotty, especially against good teams, but the run game is actually a bit more encouraging to him than the numbers give them credit for. Sarkisian said Bishop Sankey is improving and Kendyl Taylor is finding his groove at the tailback position.
As far as the receivers go, Sarkisian is happy with what wide receiver Kasen Williams has brought to the offense, and described it as a bright spot. So far this season, Williams has 33 receptions for 362 yards and four touchdowns.
Then, there's tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins. "The playmaking ability of what Austin's given us has been encouraging," Sarkisian said. Seferian-Jenkins has 29 receptions for 337 yards and two touchdowns this season.
The offensive line has been questionable throughout the season so far. Sarkisian said he wishes they were a bit better up front than they currently are, but he thinks they're improving.
Overall, there's one big thing that stands out to Sarkisian.
"Probably the thing I've been impressed with (most) with this team through the first half of this season is their resolve, Sarkisian said.
