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Stewart's big-game experience helped in Alaska Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Isaiah Stewart came to Washington to help the Huskies win national championships, and he should know. He's already played in one. The 6-foot-9 freshman forward, winner of the 2019 Naismith High School National Player of the Year award, helped lead his La Lumiere squad to the Geico National Championship game last April, eventually losing to IMG Academy 66-55.

He's played for his country, helping the USA U17 team win gold at the 2018 U-17 FIBA World Cup in Argentina. He averaged 11 points and led the team in rebounds per game (8.4). He led the team in scoring against France in the game that clinched the gold.

And in arguably the top AAU tournament in the country, Peach Jam, Stewart helped Albany City Rocks to a quarterfinal finish, losing to eventual champions Team Takeover (Washington, D.C.) 65-57.

So playing against No. 16 Baylor in Alaska wasn't going to faze him all that much. And when he found himself next to the basket with the game tied at 64 and just over 30 seconds to play, Stewart didn't hesitate. The Bears were in a switching man defense at the top of the key, and a screen with UW's Quade Green found Stewart matched up with 6-foot-5 Mark Vital, one of the best rebounders for Baylor.

No problem for Stewart. He just backed Vital up to the cylinder, caught a feed from Hameir Wright, quickly turned without putting the ball on the floor and floated up a shot that hit the left rim, then the backboard, and then through the net.

All in a day's work for the former McDonald's and Jordan Brand All-American.

Stewart talked to the Seattle media Monday about his experience in Anchorage at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson as part of the Armed Forces Classic, playing in his first game for Washington, and more.

Mike Hopkins: we will speed up our progress by slowing down Nov 12, 2019

Show notes

Monday was the first time the Seattle media caught up to UW Head Coach Mike Hopkins after Washington's come-from-behind 67-64 win over No. 16 Baylor at the Armed Forces Classic in Anchorage. The Huskies used a 21-5 closing run to end the game with the victory, but it wasn't easy. In fact, far from it.

The Huskies committed 15 first-half turnovers and couldn't contain a Baylor offense that hit five 3-pointers as the Bears took a 31-24 lead into intermission.

As it was Washington's season-opener, this was the first time the team had played with something on the line. It was the first time Kentucky transfer Quade Green had played since getting his eligibility waiver approved. This was the first time playing a real game for true freshmen Isaiah Stewart and Jaden McDaniels. And it showed too. Everybody, in Hopkins' words, were trying too hard to making something happen, instead of letting the game come to them.

Once they slowed down in the second half and got into a rhythm, they were able to execute on defense, make some shots, and get the Anchorage crowd behind them. And that helped spur their final 21-5 run.

Hopkins talked about speeding up the process for the team by calming things down, as well as his assessment of Green, McDaniels, Stewart, and more as they prepare for Mount St. Mary's Tuesday at Alaska Airlines Arena. Hopkins also talked about the news this past weekend that Washington has been named as the Pac-12 representative for the 2020 China game. They will play Tulane. It's the second time they've played in the China game, beating Texas 77-71 in 2015 in Shanghai.

DawgmanRadio: Breaking down a defensive gem in Corvallis Nov 09, 2019

Show notes

It was a late night anyway, so why not go just a little later? Or was it earlier? And on top of it, the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters - broke out the ancient tradition of recording their post-game podcast via car on the way out of town after a game played at Oregon or Oregon State.

Saturday morning, aka late, late Friday night, they turned the recorder on and proceeded to break down Washington's 19-7 victory over the Oregon State Beavers. And they did it between Salem and Tigard as they looked for the welcome sight of their hotel.

While many folks will bemoan UW's offensive performance, it was Death Row that traveled south to Corvallis, and boy did they put on a show. Record-setting, in fact. They held OSU to 8 offensive yards and no first downs in the second half. Now THAT is how you finish a game.

Since it was a 60-minute game, Grinolds and Fetters also talked about the offensive woes, especially when it comes to quarterback Jacob Eason, but also some things that went well - namely the running attack and the return of redshirt freshman Richard Newton. Salvon Ahmed was the one that ran for a career-high 174 yards, but it was Newton that proved to be the catalyst.

And Peyton Henry...dang! After nailing a 47-yard field goal - one Grinolds says would have been good from 65 - he missed a 28-yard chip shot wide right to finish out the half and went downhill from there. What happened?

But the end result of Friday night's game? The Washington Huskies achieved bowl eligibility, which means they get those coveted 15 bowl practices. And perhaps of all the positives that came out of the win over Oregon State, that just might be the biggest one of them all.

DawgmanRadio: UW turns the tables on their opponent Nov 09, 2019

Show notes

If it looked like the Washington Huskies had Oregon State's number Friday night, it might be because they did. Remember post-game after the 23-13 loss at Stanford, and some of the offensive players felt like the Cardinal knew what was coming before the ball was even snapped?

Well, I suspect Jonathan Smith might be feeling the same way after UW's 19-7 win that saw Death Row rise from the ashes and hold the Beavers to 119 total yards on offense, the lowest output since the California game two years ago.

In talking with players like defensive backs Myles Bryant and Elijah Molden, the UW defensive players felt like they had taken a trip back to 2017 when Smith was UW's offensive coordinator.

On Molden's interception in the second quarter was on a play he had been burned on before as a freshman by Smith's offense. But not tonight.

And both Chris Petersen and Defensive Coordinator Jimmy Lake talked about Joe Tryon's remarkable game. The sophomore from Renton finished with 7 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Petersen also talked about sticking with the run game, which paid dividends. They only mustered 63 yards on 18 carries in the first half, but by the end of the game they had 245 yards on the ground on 48 carries. Salvon Ahmed was the main beneficiary, going for a career-high 174 yards on 25 touches, including a 60-yard romp late in the third quarter which helped push UW's final margin of victory.

Ahmed talked about having Richard Newton back to help get the tough yards, and how his physical style motivated Ahmed to run the same way.

To listen to the full post-game reaction from the players and coaches, click on the audio link above.

The Lineup

Head Coach Chris Petersen

Defensive Coordinator Jimmy Lake

Quarterback Jacob Eason

Running Back Salvon Ahmed

Defensive Back Myles Bryant

Defensive Back Elijah Molden

DawgmanRadio: Full Oregon State game preview Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

It's a short week, but that doesn't mean the content slows down. Not a chance. The Dawgman guys - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - got up bright and early to give their final thoughts on Washington's Friday night game at Oregon State. They've absolutely dominated the Beavers in Corvallis the last three times they've been down there, but are they playing well enough to dominate a fourth-straight time?

The guys break down what they expect to see from the Huskies on both sides of the ball, what they need to correct after a couple of really tough losses to Oregon and Utah at home, and basically how they believe the Huskies will react in a matchup they need to win to become bowl eligible.

Now that there are only four games left in the season, provided they do hit that magic number of six wins, will the coaches play more of the true freshmen? Will a player like Ty Jones, who is redshirting this season, make his season debut? With the redshirt rule now that you can play up to four games and still retain your year of eligibility, there's no reason the junior receiver from Utah shouldn't play.

How are they going to move the chains when they are statistically poor on third down conversions? Will Jacob Eason be able to shake off the critical pick-six against the Utes and build on the positive things he was able to do in that game? Will Salvon Ahmed be asked to imitate Myles Gaskin and carry the ball 20-25 times against the Beavers? How are they going to keep Oregon State off the field in key situations late in the game when they failed to finish off Oregon and Utah when they had a chance to? So many questions about this Washington team right now, and they are the kind of questions you'd be asking after a couple of weeks into the season, not going into the tenth game. It's been that kind of a challenge for Chris Petersen and the UW coaching staff.

DawgmanRadio: Breaking down the Baylor game with Beach Nov 08, 2019

Show notes

It's season-opener eve, so that means it's time to talk hoops, and specifically Washington-Baylor. So to do that, Dawgman.com's Chris Fetters went straight to the source and caught up with Head of Hoops Aaron Beach. They talked a little bit about the individual talent that will be on display in Anchorage at the Armed Forces Classic, specifically the trio of Quade Green, Jaden McDaniels, and Isaiah Stewart. They are the three big new faces of Washington Basketball that will be unveiled to the world on ESPN on Friday night.

Beach talks about what it means to get Green, a sophomore transfer point guard from the University of Kentucky, immediately eligible and how it should impact Mike Hopkins' lineup. Fetters also picks Beach's brain about McDaniels, the 6-foot-9 Federal Way wonder kid who showed against Western Washington in the Halloween exhibition win that he's a player that can truly impact the game on both ends of the floor.

And is Stewart, the former five-star burger boy from New York, by way of Indiana, a guaranteed double-double performer down low for the Dawgs? Beach thinks so.

Fetters and Beach also talk about some of the things Hopkins is tweaking within his system, notably putting some man defense in to complement the zone he brought with him from Syracuse. How much will they use it? Will it be just something they show from time to time as a change-up, or will we see a lot of it? They give their opinions on that, and Beach reveals his game prediction at the very end, so make sure you listen all the way through!

DawgmanRadio: breaking down the Beavers with Angie Machado Nov 07, 2019

Show notes

Every week we get in touch with our counterparts to get the low-down on Washington's next opponent. Since this week it's the Oregon State Beavers, so we reached out to BeaverBlitz.com's Publisher Angie Machado to get the scoop. Angie has been around the OSU program for years and no one is more connected than Angie.

So Kim Grinolds spoke to Angie about the football revival under Jonathan Smith, how the former Beaver has been able to get it accomplished to date, her takes on OSU quarterback Jake Luton and the Beavers offense, as well as what's going on with their defense.

Angie also talks about the atmosphere that should be expected Friday night on Dad's weekend, and she also throws out a couple food recommendations in Corvallis for UW fans heading down for the game.

Petersen understands fan base frustrations Nov 06, 2019

Show notes

It's about the consistency of play, physical and mental stamina, and - when it all boils down to those critical moments - stepping up and making a play. And it's the job of the coaches to get the players in positions, both mentally and physically, where they can make those plays.

That's what Washington Head Coach Chris Petersen talked about Wednesday ahead of UW's road game versus Oregon State Friday night. There was little talk of the matchup between mentor and protege (former UW OC Jonathan Smith, now OSU's Head Coach), as Petersen knows both staffs are game-planners and there's too much on tape to be 'chasing ghosts', as he calls it. Instead, it's about staying disciplined to your keys and going out and cutting it loose and just playing the game.

It's a message Petersen has had to hammer in to the team each week, as the results have not matched expectations. Not within the team, and certainly not on the outside. Petersen was asked about fan frustration Thursday, and he understands it's part of the deal. He's got no problem with fans ripping on coaches and the like, because the only time he's aware of it is when the media makes him aware of it. According to him, he's too busy trying to fix problems to allow the outside distractions to creep in.

And there's plenty to fix. He talked about finding that consistency, how they can figure that out in practice, and what it's going to take to find a win Friday. He also gave his take on the state of the Pac-12 now that Oregon and Utah have made the top-8 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.

He talked about the defense and who is stepping up, players like Trent McDuffie, Levi Onwuzurike, and Tuli Letuligasenoa. He was asked about how Jacob Eason has bounced back from a mixed game versus Utah and whether or not Petersen has talked to Eason about his future.

"His future is two days from now," Petersen said, matter of factly.

DawgmanRadio: players and coaches eager to get to Corvallis Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

In talking with the Washington players and coaches Tuesday, it was clear they are more ready than ever to get back on the football field and right more than a few wrongs caused by close back-to-back defeats to top-12 teams at home. Doesn't matter if it's a short week, they're ready to go through what it takes.

The coaches will obviously adjust to whatever they need to do in order to get as much preparation in as they can. But for the players, this week is going to be a 'grinder', in the words of junior defensive back Elijah Molden.

But to a man, they all echoed Chris Petersen's thoughts that, if there was ever a time to play a short week, this is the week to do it. They are eager to get the rough taste out of their mouths and finish the regular season the right way.

Apparently there's been some talk down south about how Oregon State is catching UW at the perfect time because the Huskies pre-season goals are all gone. There's no North title to be won, no Pac-12 Championship, no possible playoff run.

Senior center Nick Harris was asked about that thought.

"Obviously I don't agree with it," he said. "We still want to win games. Obviously there's goals that you want to attain at the beginning of the season, but at the end of the day you still want to win. Just because we can't go to the Pac-12 Championship, which I have twice, doesn't mean we can't go out there and win games. There's always that aspect of playing football, is to win. I don't care if we were one and whatever or if we were undefeated right now, we still want to win games. Whatever that comment is, I don't really agree with it. We want to go there and dominate and win. I don't care what the situation is. Honestly, that's how I feel."

Mike Hopkins on Final Four nod: doesn't matter, get better Nov 05, 2019

Show notes

On Monday college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman picked the Huskies to make the Final Four. That's heady stuff, considering the last Washington team to make the Final Four (the only time) was back in 1953. Those were the days of Tippy Dye and Bob Houbregs.

UW Head Coach Mike Hopkins said he didn't know about the news, which is unsurprising. It's usually his wife Tricia who keeps him abreast of current events, especially while Hop and the rest of the Huskies are focused on preparing for their season-opener against Baylor Friday in Anchorage as part of the Armed Forces Classic. And honestly, even if he did know, Hopkins has been around enough tournament teams during his days at Syracuse to pooh-pooh such preseason talk. It's great for the fans and it can energize a team, but it's just that...talk.

Hopkins' response to all of it? DMGB. Huh? What's that? Sounds like something a player would take to help them recover after a grueling game.

Doesn't Matter. Get Better.

That's the mantra. Those are the four words the team is living by. They showed a ton of promise in their exhibition win over Western Washington on Halloween, but the team got even better on paper the next day when it was announced Quade Green's waiver for immediate eligibility came through.

It feels like things are coming together nicely for Hop's Huskies.

Doesn't matter. Get Better.

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