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Want to irritate Chris Petersen? Say these three words Oct 17, 2019

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And no, it's not 'The Oregon Ducks'.

According to Chris Petersen, there's nothing worse than hearing these three words from a player: I got you.

"No you don't have it," the Washington Head Coach said Thursday to the media with a sly grin. "Don't say that to us. It's just that mindset of right back to square one."

It's the expectation of constant improvement and not settling for getting to a certain level, a certain standard. It was asked in reference to Peyton Henry going 14-14 this year, and how much of this year's improvement had to do with missing a 37-yard field goal that would have given Washington a win at Oregon last year.

"How do we fix ourselves from last week? That's what it always is," Petersen said. "That would be ridiculous stewing (from last year). That's not how we operate. Maybe that's how you operate. But it's like every week you're motivated. Even when you win. There's enough things in that other game to where you're like, this is not right."

And Petersen went on to mention a few of the things the Huskies definitely need to work on ahead of Saturday's game against the Ducks, namely red zone execution and staying on the field and building an offensive rhythm against an Oregon defense that is flying high at the moment.

DawgmanRadio: Huskies know Saturday is as big as it gets Oct 16, 2019

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It's Oregon week and that means that the Huskies have tightened things up which players and coaches are available to the media.

It wasn't a large contingent, but it was a good group that featured the starting quarterback, starting left tackle and the offensive coordinator.

QB Jacob Eason, coming off of the win over Arizona, talked about the progress of the offense as well as what it is like being a relative outsider to the Washington/Oregon rivalry although, being from the area and growing up a Husky fan, he is aware of how much it means to both programs as well as their fanbases.

Asked about the Arizona game, Eason said the team kept fighting and got the result they wanted, but admitted that things were a little flat and something needed to happen.

Eason also talked about the emergence of freshman wide receiver Puka Nacua and what that could mean moving forward.

Bush Hamdan also was asked about Nacua's playmaking abilities and noted the first big play of the second half to the freshman wideout and how that was a key play in the game.

He felt the first half was a struggle against Arizona because of execution, so he wanted to be patient with things and continue to give the players chances to make plays.

Asked about the Oregon defense, he said they are probably deeper than almost anyone in the country and their secondary is playing very well and the Huskies will have to be really sound on offense in order to move the ball against them.

Senior left tackle Trey Adams recalled what he was doing the past couple of Oregon games, since he was injured, and said last year he shot a deer near his family's home in Wenatchee, but was listening to the game on the radio and was disappointed with the loss.

Defense says Oregon game is just the next one on the schedule Oct 15, 2019

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Jimmy Lake said they'll obviously put their wrinkles in, but when it came to getting more pressure at Arizona, for instance, it was 'all the same'. The same from game one through last weekend. And that won't change this weekend against the Oregon Ducks.

When Myles Bryant was asked if Oregon week feels a little different than other weeks, he said it's just the next game on the schedule.

Levi Onwuzurike got a taste of Oregon-Washington during his official visit back in 2015, but wouldn't go past saying it was a big game He learned how important it is from former players like Azeem Victor and Keishawn Bierria, but it's still just one game at a time. They'll practice the same as they always to, practice hard, prepare well.

The defensive players and coaches might as well had their helmet and pads still on, because the game faces were definitely on when talking to the media Tuesday ahead of UW's weekend matchup with the Ducks at Husky Stadium.

Petersen updates team's health during Monday press conference Oct 14, 2019

Show notes

It took about half a second before the first question was asked from the media about redshirt freshman linebacker MJ Tafisi, who had to be carted off the field Saturday night in Washington's 51-27 win over Arizona.

UW Head Coach Chris Petersen said it was a 'significant stinger', but that he had been checked out at a Tucson hospital, and then in Seattle the next day, and that he's 'doing well'. There's no timetable for his return, but Petersen talked about how unsettling the scene was for everyone involved, except for the UW trainers and doctors.

He also talked about Jaxson Kirkland, who missed the rest of the game after the first couple series. Petersen said he was 'rolled up', and that he didn't expect there to be any long-term issues with the sophomore right guard. Petersen was also asked about the play of Kirkland's backup, Henry Bainivalu, and redshirt freshman Matteo Mele, who was pressed into his first career start at center for Nick Harris. Mele is a Tucson native.

Petersen was asked about this week's opponent, the Oregon Ducks, and especially what has made them so good defensively under former Boise State defensive coordinator Andy Avalos.

Petersen, Huskies talk about 51-27 win over Arizona Oct 13, 2019

Show notes

It was a little somber in the Washington dressing room Saturday night, even though the Huskies had just beaten Arizona 51-27. It was that way because one of the players, linebacker MJ Tafisi, had been carted off with an injury at the end of the third quarter.

But the news came back positive after the game, as Tafisi joined his teammates on the charter back to Seattle.

Chris Petersen spoke to the media after the game, as well as offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan and a number of players. They talked about Tafisi, but they also talked about a lot of the good things that happened in the game, including out-scoring Arizona 38-10 in the second half, the play of true freshman receiver Puka Nacua, the ability of the defense to get after Khalil Tate, and a lot more.

The Lineup

DawgmanRadio: Dawgs get after it in the desert Oct 13, 2019

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - went overtime to produce a post-game podcast, but this one was so worth it. That's because Washington outscored Arizona 38-10 en route to a convincing 51-27 victory over the Wildcats at Arizona Stadium Saturday night.

It looked like it was going to be a big game for the Huskies from the start, as they were able to get a couple of special teams plays via punt block and muff recovered by UW defensive back Kyler Gordon, but they only were able to parlay those Arizona miscues into six points.

It looked like it would be even tougher sledding for the Dawgs heading into the half, as Arizona would score 17 second-quarter points to take a 17-13 lead to intermission. But Washington, who hadn't had a comeback win from halftime since 2015 at USC, roared back with some big-time plays on offense from little-used players like Puka Nacua and Jordan Chin, mixed in with some solid running from Sean McGrew and Salvon Ahmed.

And defensively, what a show! Death Row came to the desert with their bags packed, ready to do damage. They forced Khalil Tate off his spot all night with myriad different pressures, causing Tate to throw the ball away a lot.

Add to it some special work from the special teams (the only blight a muffed punt by Aaron Fuller), and it was a complete performance, especially the final 30 minutes. But the UW coaches will have plenty on tape they can show the team, like missed tackles, red zone execution, etc... that will have them laser-focused for next week's task, taking down the Oregon Ducks.

DawgmanRadio: a full Arizona game preview Oct 12, 2019

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - got up early again to record a full pregame podcast breaking down all the main storylines ahead of Washington's Saturday night game at Arizona.

The Huskies, desperate to right all the wrongs that came out of their 23-13 loss at Stanford, need some positive momentum heading into a big crunch game the following weekend against Oregon. And it has to come in Tucson.

The Dawgman guys talk about the expected atmosphere and environment around Arizona Stadium, which should be much different than what Washington experienced last weekend at The Farm.

They also talked about Hugh Millen's breakdown of Washington's passing attack against Stanford and how that might play into what the Huskies need to show against the Wildcats in order to bounce back.

Going into the game, will Washington use more defensive backs, and if they do, will Arizona try and take advantage by running the ball until UW stops them? And how do you slow down Khalil Tate? The Dawgman guys all take a crack at these questions.

And when talking about Washington's offense, how do they account for the loss of Richard Newton? What does it mean for their short-yardage and red-zone offense, and could we see different faces enter the frame - like true freshman Cameron Davis? Is this the game where he is unveiled? Or will Kamari Pleasant come back into play?

And what of Jacob Eason? Can he rebound from a rough outing at The Farm? Can he get together with his receivers and show what they're capable of doing?

The Huskies got Jacob Kizer back, last week, but he wasn't able to make much of a difference. Can he make an impact on Saturday night?

Game Preview: A talk with Wildcat Authority's Jason Scheer Oct 11, 2019

Show notes

Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds is already down in the desert, so he was able to track down Jason Scheer, the publisher and senior writer for Wildcat Authority, the Arizona site on the 247Sports Network.

Scheer broke down Arizona's top offensive skill players, starting with Khalil Tate, JJ Taylor, and their potent stable of running backs. He also talked about the turning point with Arizona's run game and how the opposition has tried to take it away, as well as how Washington might be able to get to Tate, especially in the passing game.

Tate threw passes to 11 different players against Colorado, and there isn't a true 'go-to' receiver for the Wildcats, so Scheer talked about a few of the guys he expects will get the majority of targets for UA Saturday night.

Defensively, they talked about what happened against Hawai'i and how things have changed since then. Scheer talked about some of the big differences between then and now, especially with regard to Arizona Defensive Coordinator Marcel Yates and decisions he's made that's helped the Wildcats on that side of the ball.

They also broke down the defensive difference-makers at all three levels. Scheer loves the linebackers and also defensive backs Jace Whittaker and Lorenzo Burns.

Scheer did give some insight on where he thinks Washington quarterback Jacob Eason could attack to do some damage, as well as the game intangibles, like game time, weather, the expected crowd and overall environment at Arizona Stadium.

And finally, Grinolds asks Scheer for his pre- and post-game tailgating tips for food and drink in Tucson.

Chris Petersen: week of practice was a wake-up call for Huskies Oct 10, 2019

Show notes

Chris Petersen called it 'smelling salts'. It's that wake-up call you get when you put the tape on and all of a sudden you see all the things that went wrong with technique, fundamentals, scheme, and everything else a coaching staff picks apart after a win or a loss.

In the case of this particular week, the smelling salts probably went hand-in-hand with endless cups of coffee as the Washington coaches set about trying to game-plan against an Arizona offense and defense that's playing as well as anyone in the Pac-12 right now.

Petersen talked about that with the media on Thursday, as well as updated the status of injured tailback Richard Newton, the task of trying to replicate UA quarterback Khalil Tate with their service team, the players overcompensating by trying too hard to make plays, and more.

DawgmanRadio - Husky offense continues to search for answers Oct 09, 2019

Show notes

Questions abounded, especially on message boards and talk radio, following Washington's frustrating 23-13 loss to Stanford on the road on Saturday and that's continued all week long, but fans and pundits aren't the only people looking for answers. The Husky offensive players and staff are also trying to figure out what went wrong and how they can fix it.

Offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said he expects more out of the offense and that starts with him. Why weren't they successful against Stanford? Hamdan eluded to missed opportunities by the Huskies and that the Cardinal made more plays than the boys in the purple and the gold.

For his part, tailback Salvon Ahmed said he understands his role with the offense and that there are good backs on the roster besides him, so he knows he'll need to share carries and when he gets the opportunity to have the ball in his hands, he will do his best to make things happen, but he also said the game just came down to the fact that Washington didn't get it done when they had their chances and that's something they are working to fix this coming week.

After a lot of frustration on Saturday night, quarterback Jacob Eason was ready to move on and look ahead. He knows that he and the offense need to be better and he feels like they are making strides in that direction and he talked about what he's seen so far from Arizona and he knows that the Huskies will have their hands full with their defense.

Junior Adams continues to stress that the young receivers are making progress, but he also said he's not ready to throw them into the fire, at least full time, at this point although Terrell Bynum and Puka Nacua have seen their reps increase during practice and he's seen more improvement from Austin Osborne as well.

Jordan Paopao likes to be multiple and he loves the versatility that Jack Westover gives him being able to play fullback, H-Back and tight end. He also talked about Hunter Bryant and what some of his struggles were last weekend and what he needs to focus on to be better this week.

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