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It's USC week, and the players know it Sep 24, 2019

Show notes

It's USC week, and the Washington Huskies know it - especially those that played in the last game between the two teams in Seattle. It was 2016, UW was ranked #4, ESPN Game Day was in town, and USC spoiled the party.

Obviously everything has pretty much changed since that time. Washington has continued to flirt with the college football playoff but hasn't quite reached the summit. USC, on the other hand, has really changed a lot. Their offense has totally changed. New offensive coordinator Graham Harrell brought the Air Raid system with him. He played and coached under Mike Leach, so are the Huskies going to be seeing WSU South? Probably not. There's enough wrinkles to keep Death Row guessing a little bit, but there's enough similarities between how they run the Air Raid in Los Angeles compared to Pullman to give UW a great sense of what they'll be up against Saturday at 12:30 pm.

Washington under Chris Petersen is going to keep an even keel as much as possible. They are going to practice the same for Eastern Washington as they would for USC. But for the players, especially the twenty-plus players that call the greater Los Angeles and San Diego areas home, this game means just a little bit more than the others. This is the mighty Men of Troy, the program they all watched as kids.

The Dawgman guys - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Jack McCauley - talked to a bunch of Washington players Tuesday about playing USC, recapping their emphatic win at BYU, and also the kind of atmosphere they're expecting on Saturday. Fall quarter starts up Wednesday, so this was the media's chance to talk to the players before the game.

For players like Aaron Fuller, Andre Baccellia, Benning Potoa'e and Myles Bryant who played in that 2016 loss to USC, they remember full well the 'Black Out', the Husky Stadium crowd at night...all of it. And they want even more of that kind of energy and enthusiasm this weekend.

The Lineup

Quarterback Jacob Eason

Running Back Sean McGrew

Receiver Aaron Fuller

Receiver Andre Baccellia

Center Nick Harris

Left Guard Luke Wattenberg

Defensive Lineman Benning Potoa'e

Outside Linebacker Ryan Bowman

Defensive Back Myles Bryant

Chris Petersen: "I don't want USC to be better" Sep 23, 2019

Show notes

A lot of people believe the Pac-12 is only as healthy as the USC Trojans are. Chris Petersen isn't necessarily one of those people. He was asked by the media Monday if the Pac-12 is a better conference if USC is better, and he flatly stated he doesn't want USC to be better.

Context is important. He's not wishing ill-will on the Trojans. He doesn't want USC to suffer. He's only worried about the Washington Huskies, and if that means Washington can benefit if USC is down, he'll take it. He can't control what happens in Los Angeles, only his little plot of land at Montlake. And when it comes to that little space, he knows the Huskies can take advantage when the Trojans aren't.

He also recapped UW's impressive 45-19 win at BYU on Saturday, including some of the talking points surrounding the fake field goal, Aaron Fuller's punt return for a touchdown, Joe Tryon's ejection for targeting, and more.

Petersen, players talk about big 45-19 win over BYU Sep 22, 2019

Show notes

Chris Petersen, Jacob Eason, Aaron Fuller, and Myles Bryant talked to the media after the Washington Huskies defeated the BYU Cougars 45-19 Saturday afternoon in Provo.

DagwmanRadio: Lots to chew on after 45-19 win in Provo Sep 22, 2019

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - rehash the good, bad, and ugly from Washington's 45-19 win at BYU Saturday afternoon, and as the scoreline suggests, it was almost all good.

Yes, there was the fake field goal gaffe and Joe Tryon getting ejected for a questionable targeting call, but for the most part, it was a Purple and Gold block party in Provo. It started out strong, with the Huskies scoring 21 first-quarter points, and then they reversed their third-quarter curse by scoring 21 more that period. That was all they needed.

The news to start the game wasn't as good as the final result. Junior running back Salvon Ahmed suffered a 'lower leg' injury, per Chris Petersen, so he didn't make the trip. But Sean McGrew and Richard Newton filled in admirably, combining for 190 yards on 34 carries. And Newton did his best Myles Gaskin imitation on the first drive, staying inbounds and catching a 17-yard Jacob Eason pass for six.

In all, Eason had about as efficient a game as you could have as a quarterback, going 24-28 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. And the senior receivers were the happy recipients, as Aaron Fuller and Andre Baccellia combined for 12 catches for 163 yards and two touchdowns. Fuller added an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second half.

Defensively, it was Brandon Wellington's 69-yard fumble return for six at the end of the first quarter that felt like a real dagger in the heart of the home team.

A deep dive into the Washington-BYU game Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

The guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - go in-depth on what they expect to see Saturday in Provo, Utah, as the Washington Huskies play Road Dawgs for the first time this year, and they're doing it in the home of the BYU Cougars.

UW beat BYU 35-7 last season, but this game hardly appears that lopsided. For starters, the Cougars have a whole new backfield with Zach Wilson and Ty'Son Williams, but they are also really banged up after starting their season against Utah, at Tennessee, and playing USC this past weekend. They appear bloodied, but unbowed.

But what does that mean for Washington's offense? Does it mean they should be able to hold on to the ball longer, move the chains more effectively, stand a better chance of pushing passes downfield? And if BYU tries to take away some of UW's weapons, like Hunter Bryant, can the Huskies control the pace of the game and the field position with an efficient run game?

On the other side of the ball, how will UW try and defend Zach Wilson? Will they try and spy him to limit his effectiveness running the ball? Will they try and apply constant pressure in the form of blitzes and using multiple players off the edges to shrink the pocket? Or will they sit back and force Wilson to navigate through the Huskies' secondary?

And with the game being in Utah, will the Huskies start to unleash some of their Utah-based players like Sam Taimani, MJ Tafisi, and Puka Nacua?

DawgmanRadio: BYU game preview with Mitch Harper Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

Dawgman.com's Kim Grinolds spoke this week with the publisher of CougarSportsInsider.com, Mitch Harper. CougarSportsInsider.com is the BYU Cougars site on the 247Sports Network.

Grinolds and Harper spoke about the playing conditions Washington will face against BYU Saturday afternoon, the reasoning behind BYU's 'White Out' for the game, including throwback helmets and jerseys and guest appearances from former BYU greats, like Ty Detmer and Jason Buck. It's all part of BYU celebrating 150 years of college football.

They also dig into the game itself, as Harper talks about the difference between this year's BYU team compared to what Washington saw from the Cougars last season in Seattle. There are definitely some new names, especially on offense, including quarterback Zach Wilson and running back Ty'son Williams.

On defense, Harper breaks down each level, including some of the key names to remember like Khyiris Tonga, Lorenzo Fauatea, Dayan Ghanwoloku, and others. And Harper also talks about the places where he would expect Washington to attack, spots where the Cougars could be vulnerable.

ICYMI: Keith Bhonapha breaks down the running backs Sep 20, 2019

Show notes

So, Salvon Ahmed is really into music. Sean McGrew is a smart aleck. Richard Newton is all about ball, until he's not. Then he's just a silly freshman. And Kamari Pleasant? Each day is a new day for the junior, you never know what you might get. Malik Braxton is the senior citizen of the group. And the true freshmen - Cameron Davis and Camden VerStrate? They're still so young, they're trying to figure out how they got to UW.

All of the above is accurate, and we know it is because it came from Keith Bhonapha, Washington's Running Backs Coach. He was asked this week about the personality of his group off the field, and that's how he broke it down. But the culture in the room? That's all been fostered by those guys, as well as the players that came before them - namely, Myles Gaskin.

Bhonapha talked about that, as well as questions about the wildcat, and also the two times he's been to Provo, Utah before - once as a player, and once as a coach. The Huskies travel to Provo this weekend to take on BYU.

Win or lose, Petersen will not use conditions as an excuse Sep 19, 2019

Show notes

Chris Petersen isn't much for excuses anyway, but he's really not interesting in hearing anything more about the fact that Washington is playing on grass this weekend. In his normal Thursday press gaggle, the UW Head Coach had to repeatedly brush back questions about finding places to practice on grass, whether the UW soccer field was a place they could have practiced on, who might be affected more by playing on grass, and more. And then the additional question about playing at altitude basically put Petersen in a spot where he had to say that, regardless of the performance on Saturday, the conditions won't be the reason why they played the way they did.

He also talked about getting out on the road for the first time this year, if that means extra preparation in terms of communication or pumping in even more noise. He also took a red zone question that was based on what BYU showed against USC, namely putting in some of their big defensive tackles to lead the way. Could he envision a scenario where guys like Tuli Letuligasenoa or Sam Taimani could get involved in that way?

Sure, Petersen said. But they don't want to block. They want the ball.

DawgmanRadio: Husky offense knows things only get more difficult Sep 18, 2019

Show notes

The Washington offense put up 52 points and 450 yards on Hawaii last week. By all weights and measures, it was a successful day for the Husky offensive attack, but things weren't all hunky dory for the Dawgs.

In the third quarter, Hawaii held the ball for 12:05 while Washington ran just eight plays, allowing Hawaii the opportunity to draw closer although eventually they settled down and ran away with things in the fourth quarter.

On Wednesday, several of the offensive players and coaches sat down with the media to give their thoughts on things and the guys from Dawgman were there.

Offensive line coach Scott Huff talked about running the Husky offense and how they present things differently to the defense and he answered the question about whether they were good at a lot of things and not great at anything and he also talked about the future and the feeling that they are developing a lot of talented depth.

Third-year offensive lineman Jaxson Kirkland recalled where he was last year at this point in his development. He also looked ahead to BYU and the big boys he'll be expected to block on Saturday.

Wide Receivers coach Junior Adams was asked about Puka Nacua and his development as well as what some of the younger receivers have to do to see more playing time.

Tailback Sean McGrew talked about playing at in Provo and that it helps to have played in loud stadiums like Lavell Edwards Stadium and center Nick Harris talked about BYU's defense and the challenges the Huskies will have in dealing with them.

Quarterback Jacob Eason self-evaluated himself and said there's always room for improvement and his chemistry with the receivers is still building, but he feels like they are in a good spot and that they can make more plays while offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said they are excited to get out on the road and said the receivers are going to be just fine.

Running backs coach Keith Bhonapha talked about figuring out which tailbacks have a feel for running the 'Wildcat' and that all of them feel like they can throw it at some point.

DawgmanRadio: Messing with the Interns Sep 18, 2019

Show notes

One of the things we don't talk about enough at Dawgman.com is the work our interns do year-in and year-out. Luke Mounger has been nothing short of a rock star the last four years, but just like the players graduate, our interns also matriculate to bigger and better things.

And that also means we've got to go out and scout up, evaluate, and recruit the talent to take our intern position to the next level. And we lucked out for the 2019 season. Through Luke, we connected with George Johnson and Jack McCauley, who are both currently studying at UW and are passionate Huskies.

So Chris Fetters found some time to get both the new interns together and recorded an interview to give UW fans a better sense of the life of being an intern, how they got to UW, and what life has been like for them now that they've decided to help us out.

It's not a long podcast, just enough information to get you guys informed into our interns' backstory and also their takes on what they've seen from UW Football so far through three games. And they have great backstories too! George is from the Inland Empire, always an unusual spot to grow up as a die-hard Husky, and Jack is from much closer, but he was surrounded by Washington State Cougars growing up. Interesting times!

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