Washington defense prepares for Oregon[/B]
Kaelyn Sayles
Coming off last week's win against Stanford, the Washington football team is preparing for their next big challenge of the season, Oregon.
Looking back at the Stanford game, Washington defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said he is proud of the way they played for the most part.
"I thought we played really, really hard. I thought we tackled well and got a lot of bodies to the ball," Wilcox said. "At the end of the day, we made plays at the right time, I thought we had some guys who had some individual outstanding efforts, but there was plenty to clean up."
And it's obvious they are going to have to clean up quickly so the defense can have a chance of stopping a fast Oregon offense, one that will spread the field more than Stanford did.
Wilcox said it's as easy as turning tape on to know what kind of challenge Oregon presents.
"Nobody's sitting around saying we got this figured out," Wilcox said.
The Husky defense may not have the Ducks completely figured out, but they do know one thing: they have to try to slow them down.
Wilcox said the tempo at which Oregon runs their plays, and the speed of the players that are doing it, presents a challenge for Washington.
On Saturday night, everyone will have to be paying attention and ready to move. This includes substitutions. According to Wilcox, the Huskies will only really be able to substitute on defense when the Ducks are already subbing on offense. They're just too quick.
"It's tough because, literally, the ref is trying to put the ball down and the center is trying to snap it, it happens that fast. The chains are never even set," Wilcox said. "If they don't substitute, you're going to have a really hard time because you're going to have to keep running on and off."
Defensive end Josh Shirley knows they are going to have to stay focused on Saturday.
After Tuesday's practice, Shirley kept his game plan pretty simple: execute calls, execute assignments, run sideline to sideline, focus, make plays.
And it doesn't matter that Oregon is the team lining up across from them. His plan wouldn't change.
"We just have to stay focused in a reckless environment," Shirley said. "I just love football. I love being on the field and playing whoever's there."
Although last week's win against Stanford may have eased a little bit of the nationally televised embarrassment that Washington quarterback Keith Price expressed feeling after the loss to LSU, the Huskies won't stop playing with a chip on their shoulder.
It was a chip that was there after last year's big loss to Stanford. It was there after the loss to Oregon last season. It was there after the Alamo Bowl back in December. It was there after the LSU loss this season.
But the chip isn't growing. It's motivating.
"You always have to play with a chip on your shoulder," Shirley said.
"Always have to."
"Always."
So this weekend, No. 23 ranked Washington will travel down to Eugene to take on No. 2 ranked Oregon.
Those rankings aren't important to Shirley, though.
"We have to play week by week," Shirley said. "The number doesn't define the team that we are."
The Washington vs. Oregon game will kick off in Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. PT and will air live on ESPN.
Kaelyn Sayles
Coming off last week's win against Stanford, the Washington football team is preparing for their next big challenge of the season, Oregon.
Looking back at the Stanford game, Washington defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said he is proud of the way they played for the most part.
"I thought we played really, really hard. I thought we tackled well and got a lot of bodies to the ball," Wilcox said. "At the end of the day, we made plays at the right time, I thought we had some guys who had some individual outstanding efforts, but there was plenty to clean up."
And it's obvious they are going to have to clean up quickly so the defense can have a chance of stopping a fast Oregon offense, one that will spread the field more than Stanford did.
Wilcox said it's as easy as turning tape on to know what kind of challenge Oregon presents.
"Nobody's sitting around saying we got this figured out," Wilcox said.
The Husky defense may not have the Ducks completely figured out, but they do know one thing: they have to try to slow them down.
Wilcox said the tempo at which Oregon runs their plays, and the speed of the players that are doing it, presents a challenge for Washington.
On Saturday night, everyone will have to be paying attention and ready to move. This includes substitutions. According to Wilcox, the Huskies will only really be able to substitute on defense when the Ducks are already subbing on offense. They're just too quick.
"It's tough because, literally, the ref is trying to put the ball down and the center is trying to snap it, it happens that fast. The chains are never even set," Wilcox said. "If they don't substitute, you're going to have a really hard time because you're going to have to keep running on and off."
Defensive end Josh Shirley knows they are going to have to stay focused on Saturday.
After Tuesday's practice, Shirley kept his game plan pretty simple: execute calls, execute assignments, run sideline to sideline, focus, make plays.
And it doesn't matter that Oregon is the team lining up across from them. His plan wouldn't change.
"We just have to stay focused in a reckless environment," Shirley said. "I just love football. I love being on the field and playing whoever's there."
Although last week's win against Stanford may have eased a little bit of the nationally televised embarrassment that Washington quarterback Keith Price expressed feeling after the loss to LSU, the Huskies won't stop playing with a chip on their shoulder.
It was a chip that was there after last year's big loss to Stanford. It was there after the loss to Oregon last season. It was there after the Alamo Bowl back in December. It was there after the LSU loss this season.
But the chip isn't growing. It's motivating.
"You always have to play with a chip on your shoulder," Shirley said.
"Always have to."
"Always."
So this weekend, No. 23 ranked Washington will travel down to Eugene to take on No. 2 ranked Oregon.
Those rankings aren't important to Shirley, though.
"We have to play week by week," Shirley said. "The number doesn't define the team that we are."
The Washington vs. Oregon game will kick off in Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Saturday, October 6 at 7:30 p.m. PT and will air live on ESPN.
