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DawgmanRadio: Huskies are primed and ready to go per Jimmy Lake Nov 05, 2020

Show notes

Jimmy Lake has had a lot on his plate since last December when he was named the head coach of the Husky football program, replacing his mentor, Chris Petersen, who stepped down after five years at the helm of the program.

The first year head coach has had a pandemic to navigate, he's seen schedules posted and cancelled and then reposted by the conference. He's also helped guide his team through a contentious election and a lot of civil unreast. While Lake doesn't shy away from any of those things, knowing that's part of being the leader of a Power 5 program, to say he's looking forward to playing football this weekend against Cal on the road would be an understatement.

Lake addressed the media on Thursday following practice and talked about a number of subjects, but the main focus of the 15-minute Q&A with the media centered on the news that Cal has had one positive case of COVID-19 diagnosed and there have been rumors circling that the game could be in jeopardy.

While he said there's still some concern for those who handle that process, he and his staff and his team are continuing to prep for the game as if it will still be played and he noted that his team has been preparing really well and that they are ready to go once foot meets leather on Saturday night.

Lake also was asked about the "Best Hands In The Room" award that is given three times annually -- at the conclusion of spring camp, at the conclusion of fall camp and at the conclusion of the football season -- and the fact that walk-on corner Mishael Powell, an O'Dea product, wound up winning the award.

He also addressed the progress that Dylan Morris has made as a signal-caller since he first came into the program a little over 18 months ago as well as what makes former walk-on and current scholarship tight end Jack Westover so good.

The Coordinators meet the press Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

The media met with Washington Offensive Coordinator John Donovan and Defensive Coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski Wednesday via zoom to talk about how fall camp finished for the Huskies, certain players because of where they landed on UW's official two-deeps, and also a couple of questions about California, Saturday's opponent.

Donovan answered more questions about the physical nature of his pro-style attack, using a bigger back like Kamari Pleasant - who was listed at the top of the running backs depth chart - and loving the idea of being able to pound the rock behind a huge offensive line. He also talked about his decision to stay on the field to call plays instead of being upstairs (Derham Cato, Payton McCollum, and Jon Rowe will be in the booth) because of the relative inexperience of the quarterback that starts and the ability to communicate directly with them from the sideline.

Kwiatkowski was also asked personnel questions, especially with regards to players like Alex Cook, who was listed as one of No. 1 defensive backs, and also freshman OLB Sav'ell Smalls, the only true freshman listed on the official two-deeps. He was also asked about the work put in to try and get the defense ready to tackle from the jump, how that kind of functional football shape is different than just being in good physical shape, and was also asked about what he expects to see from Cal's first-year offensive coordinator, former Oregon player Bill Musgrave, and how it might differ from what the Huskies saw from former Cal OC Beau Baldwin the last couple of seasons.

DawgmanRadio: California Game Preview Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

Two of Dawgman's interns, Luke Mounger and Jack McCauley, sit down to preview Washington's season-opener, Saturday night's game at California.

They first dig into some initial thoughts about Washington's depth chart that was released Monday. They they move straight into the preview, talking about Cal's offensive playmakers, including QB Chase Garbers, RB Chris Brown, and WR Kekoa Crawford. There's also a breakdown of Cal's receivers versus UW's secondary and the battle of the trenches between Cal's offensive line and UW's defensive front.

Then Luke and Jack move to the other side of the ball and looked at how Cal's defense match up with John Donovan's new pro-style attack. Some of Cal's defensive standouts include LB Kuoy Deng, DB Camryn Bynum, DB Elijah Hicks, and DB Josh Drayden. Will UW be able to run against Cal's front?

The last couple of games have been defensive bloodbaths. Will this year be more of the same? They talk about that and then finish up with a couple of keys from each that will ultimately tell the tale of what the scoreboard looks like at the end of the game, as well as give their level of confidence in a Washington victory.

DawgmanRadio: Depth Chart Talk! Nov 03, 2020

Show notes

As with most everything in life, the truth of the matter usually lies somewhere in the middle. And that thought should be kept in mind when looking at Washington official depth chart released for their game at California this coming Saturday night. Because there's a lot of truth on the page, but there's also a lot of creative license sprinkled throughout.

That's where the guys from Dawgman.com come in. Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund take a deep, deep dive into how the positions are listed, the participants involved, and just how true they believe each two-deep spot is in terms of who actually lines up Saturday night in Berkeley.

First, they look at the offensive line, then the tight ends, running backs, and receivers. Then they discuss what they believe to be the reasoning behind the quarterback two-deeps, which is really a four-deep; Ethan Garbers is first, followed by Dylan Morris, Jacob Sirmon, and then Kevin Thomson. Yes, they're listed alphabetically, but they're also listed in terms of eligibility from youngest to oldest. Does it matter? No. The Dawgman guys explain why how they're listed shouldn't be taken seriously, and who they think will be the starting quarterback against the Golden Bears (if they think a quarterback will be out there at all!).

Next, they move to the defense, starting with the defensive front, the outside linebackers, the inside linebackers, and then the secondary. There's a lot less ambiguity on this side of the ball, but that doesn't mean there can't be some mixing and matching taking place, especially in the secondary. Officially, all five positions in UW's nickel base defense are listed as 'defensive backs', which immediately lets you know that the players can be used at almost any position. Alex Cook listed as one of the starters was a bit of a surprise, as much as it was that senior Brandon McKinney wasn't listed in the two-deeps at all. The Dawgman guys take a long look at the secondary to see who they think will break out of the pack, including sophomore Kyler Gordon.

Then they take a quick look at the specialists, including the players (Sean McGrew, Kyler Gordon, Trent McDuffie) listed at the return positions. And where it juco punter Triston Brown? Not seeing him listed with Race Porter was a little surprising.

Last, Scott Eklund gives a quick recruiting update on a current UW commit who got recently hurt and will likely miss the rest of the year. Also, will the Huskies take a look at LSU's Siaki Ika, a player they offered before he committed to the Tigers? Ika recently announced his intent to enter the transfer por ...

Jimmy Lake speaks (sort of) on game week Nov 02, 2020

Show notes

If you believe Jimmy Lake, we're not even sure if the quarterbacks themselves know who is going to start at Cal Saturday night at 7:30 pm, but we believe there will be someone back there handling the snaps.

Or they could run wildcat all night.

Such is the speculation that will undoubtedly run rampant all week leading up to the game, and Lake loves the speculation. He wants as much of it as possible to muddy up Cal's attempt to defend Washington in the season opener for both teams.

He wouldn't really even admit to whether or not defending multiple quarterbacks was harder or easier.

"If there's a guy back there that can just take control, that's difficult to defend," Lake told the media Monday. "And if there's a two-headed monster back there, that's difficult to defend."

And that's about as much as you can expect to get when it comes to information Lake sees as hurting UW's chances at being successful. And since he is the one currently in possession of said information, he gets to decide how hurtful or helpful it may be.

Here is some more information UW released about their quarterback situation; on their official depth chart, they have true freshman Ethan Garbers first, then Dylan Morris, than Jacob Sirmon, and then grad transfer Kevin Thomson last. All in alphabetical order. And next to each of the first three names are 'OR'.

Come Saturday night it's all going to be out there for everyone to judge. But for right now, Lake isn't even going to agree if they will be using a quarterback.

What Lake did discuss was the deliberate attempt to get as physical as reasonably possible during camp in a way that would make the team feel like they had already gone through a couple of games so that all the physical challenges that come with playing a real game - blocking, tackling, etc... - wouldn't come as a shock to them at all. In fact, he even said he doesn't mind if they are nicked up a bit or are feeling the effects of camp because that's how they should be feeling after an actual game or two heading into normal conference play.

Lake also talked about the hardest part of managing the team through the pandemic so far, what UW will do with their Name, Image, and Likeness plans once the rules are set up, dealing with the last couple of defeats to Cal, and more in this wide-ranging 27-minute media call.

There were also a couple of notes Lake shared with the media. First, the team is 100 percent registered to vote and '90 percent' have already voted. Election Day is tomorrow, a day they will have off.

Secondly, he announced that redshirt freshman receiver Taj Davis has opted out of the season due to coronavirus concerns. He is the third Husky to do so, following senior tight end Jacob Kizer and senior defensive back Isaiah Gilchrist.

One Week to Game Day! Oct 31, 2020

Show notes

It's exactly seven days, ladies and gentlemen. For a long time, we thought this moment would never come, but here it is. And to that end, the guys from Dawgman.com - Kim Grinolds, Chris Fetters, and Scott Eklund - discuss all the relevant topics as we head to game week.

With the Washington Huskies traveling south to California next weekend to play the Golden Bears at 7:30 pm on ESPN, there are all sorts of questions that have to be asked. And despite the availability of plenty of coaches and players, including first-year head coach Jimmy Lake, the answers have been very hard to come by.

Like, who is going to be UW's starting quarterback? The Dawgman guys tackle that topic, each picking who they think will start between Jacob Sirmon, Dylan Morris, Ethan Garbers, and Kevin Thomson. They also talk about the offensive line, the changes that have been made, and also how much of an impact can the true freshmen receivers make this fall?

Each of them also takes a stab at Kim's question: who is one player that is going to step up this fall on each side of the ball? They come up with six different players, and all of them could be breakout stars this fall.

There's also a little recruiting update at the end as a supplement to Scott's Friday recruiting blog. And we drill down on the age-old question: do they really teach Astrology in college? It will make sense when you listen to the discussion, we promise.

Jimmy Lake tight-lipped about QB competition Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

You would stand a better chance of breaking into Fort Knox than the Washington Football offices if you were to try and find out who leads in the competition to start at quarterback. After tweeting a 9-6 result, courtesy of a game-winning field goal by Peyton Henry, Lake wouldn't even concede that touchdowns hadn't been scored during UW's last practice 'game', held last Saturday night.

The Huskies will have their final practice game Thursday morning at 9 am to cover any early game time contingencies the team may be faced with during their 7-game season that opens up in Berkeley a week from Halloween.

But that didn't stop the media from trying to ask questions in a way that would offer a bit of a window into Lake's thinking when trying to determine who will start at QB against the Golden Bears. Lake did offer that Thursday's game would go a long way toward determining who has separated themselves from the pack.

Jacob Sirmon, Dylan Morris, Ethan Garbers, and grad transfer Kevin Thomson have been the four protagonists in this particular positional drama, and Lake said all four continue to be well in the battle.

When asked if he could point to just one player who has impressed him during camp, Lake wouldn't bite. And in fact, he made a point of noting he wouldn't talk about any new players because that might tip off opponents, so he mentioned the usual suspects as having excellent camps: Elijah Molden, Cade Otton, Jaxson Kirkland, Keith Taylor.

But any insight into the younger prospects that have emerged as potential impact performers and game-changers? I think Lake would rather visit his dentist for multiple root canals than go down that rabbit hole.

But he did wax eloquently when asked about Budda Baker, and why not? The former UW star's performance against the Seattle Seahawks Sunday night was worthy of high praise, and Lake didn't mince words.

Derham Cato and Jack Westover talk about the tight ends room Oct 27, 2020

Show notes

It was another feel-good story; a local player who decided to walk-on earned a scholarship for the fall quarter. It's happened in the past, and it happened again this year. The recipient? Jack Westover, who only thought about playing football again his senior season at Mount Si, and only played two games before breaking his collarbone.

But then-UW TE Coach Jordan Paopao spied something in the former basketball player and enticed him with an opportunity to walk-on. Westover, who cites the 2009 game versus Arizona (Mason Foster's immaculate interception) as his favorite growing up, took Paopao up on his offer, and the rest is history.

Westover talked to the media Tuesday about getting the scholarship, his recruitment to UW, and more. The press also spoke with Westover's position coach, Derham Cato, who talked about recruiting to the position nowadays and how they've had to account for every contingency during this hasty fall camp, including the possibility of dealing with multiple players out due to COVID-19 quarantine. He also spoke on the role of the tight end in new offensive coordinator John Donovan's pro-style attack.

Cato also gave his assessment on a number of players in his group, including the three true freshmen - Mark Redman, Mason West, and Jack Yary - as well as senior leader Cade Otton.

DawgmanRadio: New faces, new offense for Husky basketball Oct 26, 2020

Show notes

The Huskies are a little over four weeks away from the start of the 2020/2021 basketball season and Mike Hopkins has a lot of new faces on the court and a new offense to install. After eight practices, fourth-year head coach Mike Hopkins likes the versatility of his team and the progress they have made, but he knows there is still a lot of work ahead of him.

One of the biggest subjects for Hopkins was the status of the two transfers that Washington is expected to have this coming season -- Cole Bajema and Erik Stevenson -- and where things stand with both of them as well as where things stand with Nahziah Carter who recently was suspended from all team activities for a violation of the ICA (Intercollegiate Athletics) student code of conduct and while Hopkins acknowledged things are going through a process with all three players and he will reserve further comment until things are made public.

As far as what the players are up to, J'Raan Brooks came on and addressed the reasons why he left USC and is now at Washington and if he's a better player even though he's missed the better part of the last two years and hasn't played in a game during that time.

Guard Jamal Bey said he likes the new offense and is excited about some of the new faces on the team. He said last season they were more post-oriented because of the players on the team and while he misses those guys, he's excited about the players currently on the team now and the type of team they can be this season with all of the players that can shoot and handle the ball.

Finally, Quade Green, who missed most of the 2019/2020 season due to an academic issue, said he let the team down last season and that he was lower than he's ever been and he's used the mistake to help him be a better player and learn from it to become a better person and a better leader. For his part, Hopkins said he expects Green to be the leader of the team this season and to be not only one of the best guards in the conference, but also the nation.

The defense talks about Saturday's 9-6 slugfest Oct 25, 2020

Show notes

Saturday night was Washington's third practice 'game', one where they simulate every situation they'll find themselves dealing with on an actual game day, from the coin toss to warming up, to special teams and everything in-between.

According to UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake, Peyton Henry hit a field goal to 'win' the game as time expired. So it sounds like the defense definitely carried the day.

To that end, the media spoke Sunday afternoon with assistant defensive backs coach Terrence Brown and sophomore defensive lineman Tuli Letuligasenoa, who talked about the defensive effort and how things went their way Saturday night.

Brown spoke about his relationship with UW secondary coach Will Harris, as well as what brought him back to coach at Montlake after two years coaching the cornerback at Vanderbilt. He was a Washington graduate assistant from 2015-17.

This was the first time the media had been able to speak with Letuligasenoa since starting his career in the Purple and Gold, and he talked about the positions he's currently playing (nose tackle), how he got to UW after originally committing to USC, his friendship with Sam Taimani (Taki) and how that has turned into something special on the field, how he was able to lose over 20 pounds over the off-season, and more.

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