Washington +14
Yeah, Washington ran out of gas last week where they played a motivated Stanford team who was catching them in a horrible spot after beating USC the week before but so what? I’ve watched Washington play now on four different occasions and can tell you that they are one of the most improved football teams in the entire country. Steve Sarkisian has instilled a new attitude in this program, every time I watch one of his press conferences I come away really impressed with what he has to say about what he and his players are trying to achieve. Expect an outstanding effort from Washington this week as they travel to play at Notre Dame. Most teams typically play very well at Notre Dame because many of the players on the opposing team grew up watching Notre Dame games and dreamed of what it would be like to play one day in the same stadium they grew up watching Notre Dame play in. Well the Washington players get that chance this week and there will be no one more fired up than QB Jake Locker, who means as much to his football team as does any player does to their team in the country. Locker is extremely versatile. One play he can run a zone read, the next a roll out pass, and he has also dramatically improved his pocket passing. I’ve said before there is nothing more difficult for an opposing team to defend against that a team with a mobile QB. Apparently everyone but Martin Blank has noticed, but Notre Dame’s defense is having some issues stopping opposing offenses and I think that trend continues this weekend. RB Christian Polk (3.8 ypc, 1 TD) is serviceable and WR’s James Johnson (19 rec, 2 TD), Jermaine Kearse (11 rec, 1 TD) and D’Andre Goodwin (8 rec) are all very capable. Notre Dame’s offense comes into this game with some major missing pieces. I mentioned last week how big it is that WR Michael Floyd isn’t in the line up and QB Jimmy Clausen is still battling turf toe which has affected not only his mobility but also his accuracy. RB Armando Allen should play this week, but he may not be able to kick it into high gear coming off an injury. As long as the Washington defense can focus on WR/RB Golden Tate they should have a shot to make this game very competitive, and competitive is exactly what I think they will be on Saturday.
Yeah, Washington ran out of gas last week where they played a motivated Stanford team who was catching them in a horrible spot after beating USC the week before but so what? I’ve watched Washington play now on four different occasions and can tell you that they are one of the most improved football teams in the entire country. Steve Sarkisian has instilled a new attitude in this program, every time I watch one of his press conferences I come away really impressed with what he has to say about what he and his players are trying to achieve. Expect an outstanding effort from Washington this week as they travel to play at Notre Dame. Most teams typically play very well at Notre Dame because many of the players on the opposing team grew up watching Notre Dame games and dreamed of what it would be like to play one day in the same stadium they grew up watching Notre Dame play in. Well the Washington players get that chance this week and there will be no one more fired up than QB Jake Locker, who means as much to his football team as does any player does to their team in the country. Locker is extremely versatile. One play he can run a zone read, the next a roll out pass, and he has also dramatically improved his pocket passing. I’ve said before there is nothing more difficult for an opposing team to defend against that a team with a mobile QB. Apparently everyone but Martin Blank has noticed, but Notre Dame’s defense is having some issues stopping opposing offenses and I think that trend continues this weekend. RB Christian Polk (3.8 ypc, 1 TD) is serviceable and WR’s James Johnson (19 rec, 2 TD), Jermaine Kearse (11 rec, 1 TD) and D’Andre Goodwin (8 rec) are all very capable. Notre Dame’s offense comes into this game with some major missing pieces. I mentioned last week how big it is that WR Michael Floyd isn’t in the line up and QB Jimmy Clausen is still battling turf toe which has affected not only his mobility but also his accuracy. RB Armando Allen should play this week, but he may not be able to kick it into high gear coming off an injury. As long as the Washington defense can focus on WR/RB Golden Tate they should have a shot to make this game very competitive, and competitive is exactly what I think they will be on Saturday.
