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DawgmanRadio: Recapping the third week of fall camp Oct 24, 2020

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Chris Fetters and Scott Eklund - recap their thoughts from a busy third week of fall camp, one where they were able to talk to a few coaches and players, but weren't necessarily able to glean a ton through their words. But they do talk about some of the things they've heard coming from camp as the Huskies go through their third practice 'game' today.

But first things first; who is winning the quarterback battle? Fetters and Eklund talk about the things they've been hearing, as well as the thoughts they have despite the fact UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake said Friday that all four are still getting equal reps and no one has separated themselves from the rest of the pack so far.

They next talk about how the defensive front is shaping up despite losing Levi Onwuzurike and Joe Tryon, what a freshman like Sav'ell Smalls could offer, and how the defensive line rotations could look like inside.

They also talked about the praise that has been laid on the three true freshman receivers - Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, and Sawyer Racanelli - as well as how the size of the receivers and running backs could be seen as a hint toward how the new offensive coordinator, John Donovan, will want to implement his playmakers to do maximum damage, given what we've been told about the basics of his pro-style attack.

Moving to the mechanics of how UW's 7-game season is going to play out, Lake talked Friday on how their last practice 'game' was going to take place at 9 am in the morning, in the eventuality the Huskies have to play someone at 9 am in the morning. Fetters and Eklund talk about that possibility, as well as when the Apple Cup could be played. Right now there are three choices: Noon, 4 pm, or 7:30 pm. Could it be another freezing night out on the Palouse? We'll see.

And finally, we congratulate Race Porter on being the latest walk-on to earn a scholarship, joining tight end Jack Westover, who Lake publicly announced was on a full ride during last week's coaches show. Fetters and Eklund give praise to the student-athletes during this time for trying to keep their academics straight via zoom calls on top of all the time spent practicing and working out.

Jimmy Lake says Huskies won't rush starting QB decision Oct 23, 2020

Show notes

As his team wraps up its third full week of preseason camp, head coach Jimmy Lake is excited about the progress of his team. He has been effusive in his praise of the energy on the field and how quickly they have picked things up.

One area on the minds of everyone, including Lake and offensive coordinator John Donovan, is who will wind up taking the snaps for the Huskies when they take the field against Cal on November 7th in Berkeley. While he wasn't tipping his hand, Lake said he's seen quite a few good moments from the four young men battling things out -- Jacob Sirmon, Kevin Thomson, Dylan Morris and Ethan Garbers -- but that each of them have also had moments where you wondered what the heck they were thinking.

While he'd like to find "the guy" sooner rather than later, Lake said he's not willing to rush things and that there might be two quarterbacks who see time in games until they feel comfortable going with just one player at the position.

Turning to other subjects. Lake said he's been very excited about the play of freshman outside linebacker Sav'ell Smalls, the local product who many have tabbed as the "next big thing". While the youngster still has a lot to learn, he's made some plays that have the coaches excited about what he can do this season.

Lake also noted that yet another walk on, this time it was punter Race Porter, has been put on scholarship. The senior specialist from O'Dea has spent the past two seasons as the holder for Peyton Henry and the first year head coach said he's earned it not only with his work on the field, but his efforts off of it as well and that's something he looks for in a walk on prospect who hopes to earn a scholarship.

To listen to the 20-minute podcast, click ont he audio link below...

Keith Bhonapha provides an update on 'The Stable' Oct 22, 2020

Show notes

Richard Newton admitted to the media Thursday he didn't really care which single-digit number he got; he just wanted one.

And that kind of encapsulates the sophomore running back's personality to a T. As long as he gets his corner of the room, he's not going to get greedy. He doesn't need to be that every-down back. When asked how many carries he'd like to get against California on November 7, he couldn't give a number. He wants the ball, but he wants his teammates to get the ball too.

And that's going to be Keith Bhonapha's headache going forward. The UW Running Backs Coach spoke with the media with Newton Thursday, and they talked about the room, or what he calls 'The Stable', getting bigger - literally. There are TEN tailbacks listed on Washington's official roster, including six new faces: Jay'Veon Sunday, Sam Adams II, Javon Forward, Capassio Cherry, Christian Galvan, and Junior Faualo.

From 2017 to now, the average UW running back has grown from 5-10 and 193 pounds on average to 5-11.5 and 202. That's a pretty big jump. Bhonapha talked about going toward bigger backs during the recruiting process, to Newton talking about having more physicality and aggressiveness in the run game as part of new offensive coordinator John Donovan's pro-style scheme.

Bhonapha was asked to give profiles on the players we haven't really gotten a chance to see that much, like Cameron Davis, as well as the scholarship freshmen backs in Sunday and Adams.

Newton talked about his mentality as a running back, adding more things to his game, and also how his stomach was the first time he touched the ball as a Husky. It happened to be on a 23-yard direct snap touchdown run versus Eastern Washington.

Will Harris provides an update on the secondary Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

We never quite got an answer to what Will Harris's favorite Monday Night Football snack is, but we do know he was paying full attention to what Budda Baker, Byron Murphy, and Ezekiel Turner were doing in Arizona's 38-10 win at Dallas.

All Baker did was earn NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for recording a sack, a forced fumble, and his first career interception in the win over the Cowboys.

Harris knows a performance like Baker's, as well as Murphy's, only raises the profile of Washington's impact on potential recruits. They see that and then find out that Budda went to UW, and now they could see themselves as the next Budda Baker. We've seen that happen a lot over the years.

Will spoke to the media Wednesday about a potential 'Budda Effect' in recruiting, as well as how his current room of pro hopefuls are doing, with specific questions on Dominique Hampton, Kyler Gordon, Asa Turner, Cameron Williams, Julius Irvin, Kamren Fabiculanan, and of course Elijah Molden and the impact he has already had as the leader of the room. Questions were also asked about how he divides up the coaching load with assistant DB Coach Terrence Brown, and also how much time he still spends with new Head Coach Jimmy Lake when it comes to finding ways to improve the secondary.

The media also spoke with sophomore inside linebacker Jackson Sirmon. Sirmon, cousin to quarterback Jacob Sirmon, is also the son of former UW Linebackers Coach Peter Sirmon, who just happens to be doing the same job now at California.

Guess who UW plays in their season opener on November 7? That's right, California. So of course Jackson was asked questions about facing his father, the crazy 20-19 loss to Cal last year with the 2 hour and 39-minute lightning delay, and more.

It's Receiver Talk! Oct 20, 2020

Show notes

There's been a lot of receiver talk this fall, and it sounds like there's been plenty of good reasons why. On Tuesday, the media spoke with Washington Receivers Coach Junior Adams, as well as junior receiver Terrell Bynum.

Coach Adams and Bynum didn't give up much on how the role of the receivers has changed in John Donovan's new pro-style attack, but they did talk about being multiple like they were last year under Bush Hamdan, but clearly with some wrinkles involved.

They also talked about placing emphasis on being a bigger receivers room than last year, which means also being more physical; not only when it comes to blocking downfield, but also at the point of attack and trying to get off the line of scrimmage.

There has also been a lot of talk about the true freshmen who have come in and hit the ground running. Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, and Sawyer Racanelli have all received praise this fall at one time or another by the coaches or their teammates, and both Adams and Bynum talked more about what has prepared those guys to play right away and what they need to do to take their next steps.

Bynum was asked about being one of the new leaders of the receivers room, what he learned from players last year like seniors Aaron Fuller and Andre Baccellia, as well as what he's seen when watching film of players like Cooper Kupp.

Last, but definitely not least, the media spoke with junior placekicker Peyton Henry, who answered questions about his physical and mental development as UW's lead kicker, being in a position battle with another scholarship placekicker in Tim Horn, as well as how made kicks and missed kicks provide fuel and motivation for him as he continues to hone in on his craft.

DawgmanRadio: Washington's defensive line is young and 'hungry' Oct 18, 2020

Show notes

Even with the loss of his most experienced defensive lineman, Ikaika Malloe is still very excited about his room. Why is that? He says it's a hungry group of players who is always looking to learn. When you combine those traits with the talented on hand, you have a recipe for success.

On Sunday, Malloe met with the media and talked about some of his youngsters, but the two he focused on were Jacob Bandes and Faatui Tuitele, two heralded recruits from their 2019 recruiting class who each saw playing time last season, but not enough to burn their redshirt seasons.

To say he's excited about their future would be an understatement, but he realizes they are young and will still make a lot of freshman mistakes. That's why he's happy to have Josiah Bronson, Tuli Letuligasenoa and Sam Taimani returning.

Each of those three players brings a different skill-set to the unit with Bronson adding the experience while the latter two are being counted on as the emotional leaders of the group.

In addition to the media's conversation with Malloe, sophomore corner Trent McDuffie got his first chance to sit down with the media since he arrived on campus in the summer of 2019 and third-year linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio who talked about what it was like to receive his scholarship from the school in January and what his offseason has been like as he prepares to start from the jump once games get going next month.

To listen to the full 26-minute podcast, click on the audio link below.

DawgmanRadio: Recapping a busy first week of fall ball Oct 17, 2020

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - go through each position group to recap what the coaches and players have talked about since the media are only allowed 20 minutes per week to watch the team and gather video and photos. And there has been a lot to chew on.

The media has spoken this week to UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake, new offensive coordinator John Donovan, defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, offensive line coach Scott Huff, and linebackers coach/special teams coordinator Bob Gregory. They also spoke with Luke Wattenberg, Sean McGrew, Josiah Bronson, Ryan Bowman, Keith Taylor, and Elijah Molden.

So what did the Dawgman guys get out of those conversations, as well as the two 20-minute sessions they've seen of the team since a week ago Friday? Plenty. There's certainly a lot to suss out when it comes to the four-man quarterback battle (Jacob Sirmon, Dylan Morris, Ethan Garbers, and Kevin Thomson), as well as how a bigger running back stable will impact Donovan's attempts to create an aggressive, downhill rush game.

And what about the freshman receivers? Everyone has been bigging up Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, and Sawyer Racanelli. And with the Huskies awarding Jack Westover with a scholarship, that means UW now has six tight ends with rides (Westover, Cade Otton, Devin Culp, Mark Redman, Mason West, and Jack Yary). And that's not even counting Jacob Kizer, who has opted out of the season due to COVID-19 concerns. How do they plan to use them all?

There's also plenty of talk about the offensive line. UW's most experienced linemen are moving positions (Luke Wattenberg to center and Jaxson Kirkland to left tackle), and their backups are HUGE. If you take the current official roster as the gospel, there are SEVEN offensive linemen at 3 ...

Jimmy Lake talks to the media after Friday's practice Oct 16, 2020

Show notes

Washington head coach Jimmy Lake sat down to talk with the media following practice on Friday. Here's what he had to say, including questions on Josiah Bronson, Kevin Thomson, Cameron Davis, Rome Odunze, Jacob Sirmon, his relationship with Pete Kwiatkowski, the battle to take Joe Tryon's spot as and edge-rusher, one that includes Laiatu Latu, and more.

Scott Huff breaks down all the OL changes Oct 15, 2020

Show notes

With the exception of the inside linebackers, who lost two senior starters but retained one in Edefuan Ulofoshio, no position group has dealt with more upheaval than the Washington offensive line.

But a bit of that has been by design.

Yes, they lost four seniors that had at least one start in 2019: Trey Adams, Nick Harris, Jared Hilbers, and Henry Roberts. But they also have back four offensive linemen with at least one start in 2019: Luke Wattenberg, Jaxson Kirkland, Henry Bainivalu, and Matteo Mele.

Wattenberg's starts were at left guard, while Kirkland's were at right guard. So you've got those positions settled, right?

No. Wattenberg has been taking all his reps at center, while Kirkland has made the ambitious move from right guard to left tackle, losing 25 pounds along the way.

And when asked Thursday to name his top-10 OL right now in the room, UW Offensive Line Coach Scott Huff rattled them off: Jaxson Kirkland, Luke Wattenberg, Henry Bainivalu, Ulumoo (M.J.) Ale, Victor Curne, Troy Fautanu, Matteo Mele, Nate Kalepo, Corey Luciano and Julius Buelow.

So he has a host of talented players to work with, but less than three weeks to put together a cohesive unit capable of going on the road and beating Cal on November 7. The Huskies were able to put full pads on just two days ago.

How is Huff going to get it done? In Thursday's media call, he talked about the position moves for Wattenberg and Kirkland, the push toward finding that best five or seven linemen he can count on for the shortened 2020 season, as well as how some of the first-year players have shown up, specifically players like Gaard Memmelaar and Roger Rosengarten.

For Wattenberg's part, he thinks Rosengarten looks the part of a young Trey Adams out at left tackle. The media were able to ask Luke about his move to center, ironically replacing his old UW teammate and former high school teammate Harris, what he loves about the move, and how he was able to stay fit and fighting despite the craziness of the coronavirus pandemic.

The media also spoke with senior running back Sean McGrew...

Defense struggles during first day in full pads? Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

According to Bob Gregory, the Washington linebackers struggled on Wednesday, the first day the team was able to go in full pads after completing their acclimatization days. Does that mean the whole defense struggled?

Obviously it's hard to know without being there, but Gregory did tell the media on hand during their post-practice Zoom call that there's still plenty of reasons to be optimistic if you're a Washington Football fan, but they have work to do to get to where they are ready to go versus California on November 7.

Gregory took questions about the various linebackers expected to step up with the graduations of Kyler Manu and Brandon Wellington, notably Edefuan Ulofoshio, Jackson Sirmon, and MJ Tafisi, as well as a host of redshirt freshmen.

He also took some special teams questions, including who is standing out in the battle to find lead returners, as well as how freshman Jaden Green is fitting in as the starting long snapper.

Senior cornerback Keith Taylor also took questions about the secondary, the four freshman scholarship defensive backs - Jacobe Covington, James Smith, Elijah Jackson, Makell Esteen - as well as the return of Elijah Molden and the receivers that are standing out through the first five days of camp.

Another senior - defensive lineman Josiah Bronson - has been thrust into the spotlight as the lone senior now that Levi Onwuzurike has opted to turn pro. He talked about the leadership role he's taken on board, as well as how the younger defensive linemen are aware of the need to also step up and how eager they are to prove themselves.

He also talked about some unique and creative workout routines he implemented because of the coronavirus pandemic, including pulling a page out of the Trey Adams playbook and pushing a truck.

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