UW - OSU Tiff

Normally not much excitement coming from a big blowout like this one, but Bob Condotta's blog is a must read. Condotta details a bizarre story about events leading up to the game. Dan Raley at the PI also has a good recount of the story. The trash talking after UW's practice on Friday had already been widely publicized, but the part about an OSU player calling Joel Smith to challenge the Dawgs in the hotel parking lot is just wild. As hard as that must have been for some of those guys to turn down, thankfully they did. A parking lot brawl between two D-1 teams the night before a game? Are you kidding me? That could have been one for the history books. Surprisingly none of the conflict carried over into the game, as the Huskies blew it open early and not even any minor confrontations took place. Apparently the Beavers were all bark and no bite. Marcel Jones spend last summer in Seattle playing pick up at UW, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say he won't be welcome this summer.

#9 Washington Husky Recruit - Anthony Gobern

Anthony Gobern - Corner back (Del Camp HS - Fair Oaks, CA)

• Bio from GoHuskies.com - Most of his highlights are actually on offense and he looks pretty good. Makes you wonder why they like him for defense, but maybe that's a hint to how good he actually is.
  
• Scout gives Gobern 3-stars and ranks him the #84 CB.
  
• Only given 2-stars by Rivals and not ranked at his position.
• An article from the Sacramento Bee about Gobern's high school coach's focus on academics.

ESPN.com: "Gobern blends good size, physicality and speed at defensive back. We are unsure at this time if he possesses the hips and recovery speed to be a true cover corner at the next level..."

Gobern helps fill an obvious need in the secondary and is another guy who runs track, so he should add to the overall team speed. His 40 time is listed as 4.4 in one place and 4.5 in another, but either way he has good speed. He didn't have any other Pac-10 offers, so another recruit who may be a sleeper in the minds of UW coaches.

Alge Crumpler a Possibility for Seahawks?

The thin free agent tight end market just got a little better with Atlanta releasing Alge Crumpler. The Seahawks are in need at that position big time and Crumpler could be a great option. Although he had a down year last season, Crumpler averaged 810+ yards, 56+ catches and 6+ touchdowns the previous three seasons. His drop in numbers last season could be attributed to the fact that he played on a bad team with bad QB's. Crumpler just turned 30 in December and has been to five Pro Bowls. The Hawks will probably try and get someone in the draft, but they could sign Crumpler for one or two seasons while they groom a younger player. The Jim Mora factor might come into play on this as well. Mora was the coach in Atlanta when Crumpler had his best seasons and with Mora known to be taking over the team next year, this could be a guy he might push for.

#8 Washington Husky Recruit - Justin Glenn

Ok, so it's 26 recruits in 27 days. Cut me some some slack.

Justin Glenn - Corner back (Kamiak HS - Mukilteo, WA)

• Bio from GoHuskies.com (Check out the sweet kick return TD and pick for six)
  
• Ranked #33 CB and 3-star recruit by Scout.com. Only other Pac-10 offer was from ASU.
• Also given 3-stars by Rivals.com and ranked #31 at his position.
  
• Article from the HeraldNet discussing Glenn and one of his Kamiak teammates becoming rivals in college, with his teammate headed to WSU.

One of the better corners in the state and fills a big position of need in the secondary. Also a good return man in high school, so that could be a possibility in the future. The Dawgs simply needed depth in the secondary and they got it with this class.

Appleby vs. Pit Crew Round 2

Tonight Ryan Appleby will be making his second and final trip to Eugene since the infamous Aaron Brooks incident. Of course Appleby somehow became a villain to Ducks fans after Brooks assaulted him on the court during the Pac-10 tournament and they have since made him public enemy #1. Last year the always friendly Oregon faithful berated Appleby with chants of "Applebitch" and holding up printouts of his bloody face. Despite the incidents a few weeks ago involving the Pit Crew and Kevin Love, the students have not tried to hide the fact that they are planning on letting Appleby have it once again. Oregon officials and coach Ernie Kent voiced their disappointment following the UCLA game, even apologizing to the Love family, coach Ben Howland and UCLA, but they have shown no indication of taking any measures to prevent a similar situation tonight. Although to his credit Appleby has handled the situation pretty well, showing no ill will towards Oregon fans and not letting the attention bother him, I'm sure Appleby will be happy once the situation is finally over with. To fans of the two schools the situation will probably never completely go away, instead it will remain as constant fuel to for the rivalry's fire.

TV: The FSN Pac-10 schedule continues to boggle my mind, with tonights northwest rivalry game not being aired on FSN Northwest. I'm sure there is a completely logical explanation. If you count FSN as being completely incompetent logical. Anyways, there are options to watch the game. You can order ESPN full court for one day or pay ten bucks to get Oregon's online broadcast of the game. It's a month-to-month subscription, but you can simply cancel it after watching tonight's game.

#7 Washington Husky Recruit - David Freeman

David Freeman - Running back (Inglewood HS - Inglewood, CA)

• Bio from GoHuskies.com
• Given just 2-stars and not ranked for running backs by Scout.com. Also not listed as having any other scholarship offers.
• Rivals has a similar view of Freeman, also giving him 2-stars.

"Freeman may be little, but he is extremely quick and runs a lot harder than listed measurables. He possesses a shorter frame but is put-together and compact. Versatile runner; he can press it hard between the tackles or utilize his lateral speed and quickness to bounce it outside. Very shifty in-line runner and slippery to wrap up." -Scouts Inc. via ESPN.com

Another track guy with speed that Willingham has brought in at running back. He's listed at only 5'7" and probably won't ever be a guy that is counted on to carry a big load. He should have a chance to be a good situational and change of pace back. Could possibly see time in the return game down the road. Interesting that Freeman played for UW alum Charles Mincy in high school. You have to wonder if that had something to do with Freeman being found and recruited by UW.

#6 Washington Husky Recruit - Johri Fogerson

Johri Fogerson - Running back (O'Dea HS - Kent, WA)

• Bio from GoHuskies.com
• Scout.com has Fogerson listed as a safety and gives him 3-stars and a #72 ranking.
• Fogerson is listed simply as an athlete by Rivals and is ranked #62 for that position.
• The Seattle Times reports that Fogerson is to get national recognition.
  
• The PI named Fogerson their offense MVP.
• A nice profile of the state player of the year by the Seattle Times, including details of his commitment.

Scouts Inc.'s take from ESPN.com: "Fogerson shows some skill as a runner, but we feel his physical tools would be best utilized on defense. Possesses good size with his tall, rangy frame that should fill out to over 200-pounds in college."

This clip has the top five plays of the year from the area and Fogerson's hit in the state title game comes in at #4.



Hard to figure why the recruiting services aren't higher on this guy. He was the best player in the state and had offers from big time programs, including Ohio State. All indications by the coaching staff so far have been that Fogerson will begin on offense. I think they are making a big mistake not looking at this guy on defense. His combo of size and speed seem to make him a perfect fit for safety and a guy who could be a play maker on defense. Combine that with the depth at running back and the lack of depth in the secondary and his position seems clear. He did however have one heck of a season as a back and put on an incredible performance in the state title game, so I can see the desire to have him begin on offense. My guess is he makes the switch to defense. That is where he can have the most immediate impact.

Justin Dentmon Key For Huskies

It came as no surprise to me that the Huskies' best game of the year was also Justin Dentmon's best game of the year. Dentmon lead the Huskies today with 20 points and did it on 7 for 12 shooting, attacking the rim in a way we hadn't seen all season. More importantly, Dentmon committed just one turnover and helped put the clamp down on UCLA point guard Darren Collison. This is the type of player the Dawgs have been missing all season long. A perimeter defender, a guard who takes care of the ball and one who can penetrate and create his own shot.

For the first time in a long time the Huskies have had trouble scoring points this season. They need Dentmon to be a consistent contributor offensively. Before this weekends' games, Dentmon hadn't taken more than eight shots since the loss to Oklahoma State on 12/1. Dentmon's shooting percentage is actually up this year, he simply needs to be more assertive, attack the rim and take more shots. He is a streaky shooter who can at times fall in love with the jump shot, but is most effective when he drives to the basket. If Dentmon can continue to put forth today's effort the rest of the season, the Huskies should be able to pull a few more upsets while building for next season, when Dentmon will once again be a key to their success.

Washington Husky Recruit #5 - Terrance Dailey

Terrance Dailey - Running back (Vacaville HS - Vacaville, CA)

• Bio from GoHuskies.com w/video.
  
• Scout.com ranks Dailey as the #71 RB and gives him 3-stars. Not listed as have any other Pac-10 offers.
  
• A game article from the Napa Valley Register.
  
• Dailey is listed under "Famous Residents" on the Vacaville, CA Wikipedia page.
  

Scouts Inc.'s take from ESPN.com: "In essence, Dailey is really a fullback/tailback hybrid that will likely end up being an athletic fullback that would be perfect for the west coast scheme because he does have run instincts, has been very productive as a ball carrier and has very good receiving skills."



Dailey clearly isn't one of the stars of the recruiting class, but he is an intriguing prospect because of his speed -- he also runs track for his high school. Speed is something you can never have enough of on a football team and something that the Huskies needed on both sides of the ball. Tyrone Willingham has created quite a bit of depth at the running back spot by bringing in 4+ in each of the last two seasons. Running back also tends to be the position that you see the most position changes come from, so just because a guy is listed as a RB, doesn't necessarily mean that's where he'll end up.