2012 Record: 7-6 (5-4 in Pac-12)
Head Coach: Steve Sarkisian (26-25 at Washington, 19-17 in Pac-12)
Last Bowl Game: 2012 Maaco Bowl: lost to Boise State 28-26
Stadium: Husky Stadium in Seattle, WA (capacity = 72,500)
Home Field Advantage: ranked 23rd out of 69 BCS teams
Schedule Glimpse:
Out of Conference: 8/31 vs Boise St, 9/14 at Illinois, 9/21 vs Idaho St
Swing Games: 9/28 vs Arizona, 10/19 at Arizona St, 11/23 at Oregon St
Toughest Conference Games: 10/5 at Stanford, 10/12 vs Oregon, 11/15 at UCLA
Statistical Snapshot:
Stat to Fear: averaged 17.4 ppg against ranked opponents
Stats to Cheer: only gave up 144 plays of 10 or more yards (1st in Pac-12), held opponents to 48.84% TD rate in red zone (1st in Pac-12)
Advanced Stats (Football Outsiders 2012 FEI Ranking): 55th out of 124 teams
Personnel:
Phil Steele's Returning Starters: Offense: 10, Defense: 8, Special Teams: 2
Key Defensive Returnees: LB Shaq Thompson (74 tackles, 3 INT), S Sean Parker (77 tackles), LB John Timu (91 tackles), LB Travis Feeney (76 tackles, 4 sacks), DT Danny Shelton (45 tackles), DE Josh Shirley (33 tackles, 6.5 sacks)
Key Offensive Returnees: QB Keith Price (2728 yds pass, 60.9% completions, 19 TD, 13 INT), RB Bishop Sankey (1439 yds rush, 4.98 ypc, 16 TD), WR Kasen Williams (77 rec, 6 TD), TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins (69 rec, 7 TD)
Top 2013 Recruits: QB Troy Williams, WR Damore'ea Stringfellow, DT Elijah Qualls, WR Darrell Daniels, CB Jermaine Kelly, DE Marcus Farria
Verdict:
Steve Sarkisian heads into his fifth season as the head coach at Washington and so far his teams have been very consistent. Over the last three years the Huskies have finished at 7-6 overall and 5-4 in the conference every single year. Is this the year that the Huskies can rise above this mediocrity?
QB Keith Price struggled a bit in 2012 under new OC Eric Kiesau. Price saw a decline in his completion percentage, his yards passing, his TDs and saw an increase in his INT. In the second year, can Price flip the switch and become the QB that Kiesau wants him to be? At RB, Bishop Sankey filled in admirably last year after Chris Polk departed and he should continue to thrive this season. The top six leaders in receptions for the Huskies in 2012 were all under classmen so that bodes very well for 2013. The team will be led here by Kasen Williams and Austin Seferian-Jenkins. The OL loses only their center as they return eight linemen with starting experience. With so much talent back offensively and with this being the second year of a new coordinator, this unit is expected to be improved this season.
Under Justin Wilcox, the defense made some big improvements in 2012 as they decreased their ppg allowed by 11.7 and also rose from being the 11th ranked defense (in the Pac-12) in terms of yards allowed to being 4th. They also caused 10 more turnovers, improved immensely on third downs and played better in the red zone. The DL has a good foundation as both Josh Shirley and Andrew Hudson (tied for team lead with 6.5 sacks) return. The LB unit returns everybody of note. Really the only unit that has some big question-marks is the defensive backfield as they must replace two starters including first-round pick Desmond Trufant.
Washington played a lot of young talent last year and that should help them this year but the schedule will present some obstacles as Washington will start off against Boise State in a re-match from last years bowl game. From there they should have two winnable out of conference games before they start their Pac-12 slate. The Pac-12 schedule starts out pretty tough with Arizona and then the two best teams in the Pac-12, Stanford (on the road) and Oregon. After that it's a trip to Arizona State and then the schedule eases up a bit as they play Cal and Colorado over the course of three weeks. Finally, they finish up on the road with tough games at UCLA, at Oregon State and then they host rival Washington State. This is certainly a team that has a high upside and they could break through the "7-6" ceiling that seems to be hovering above Sarkisian and the Huskies but it will be a tough road given their schedule.
Prediction: 7-5
Previous 2013 Pre-Season Previews:
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