Huskies vs Ducks—This One’s Personal
By Ken Woody
The one game Oregon coach Dan Lanning really is thinking about this year is against the Washington Huskies, coincidentally, the Ducks’ final foe this regular 2024 season. Although Lanning’s number-one ranked squad has a game scheduled after this one; the championship game of the Big Ten, the Huskies have been on his mind, at least since spring football. At the annual alumni (old guy) golf tournament the day before the spring football game, Lanning stood in front of the grizzled assemblage and finally, one had the chops to ask the coach what he felt about the Huskies (leaving out the part that the Ducks, and Lanning, have lost three in a row to the despised Dawgs of Montlake, Seattle).
There was a semi-awkward silence, and Lanning answered with a smile. “I think about the Washington Huskies every night when I go to bed,” he admitted. After the compulsory chuckle from the crowd, the coach added, “I also think about them every day when I wake up.” This brought a polite chuckle from the veterans who, themselves, spent a good deal of their Oregon careers hating the Huskies. But Lanning was not done: “Every day my wife calls me at work and reminds me of the Huskies; I love my job, so I’d better beat the Huskies.” A roar of approval showed the old Ducks were more certain they had the right man for the job.
The Huskies went into the season in turmoil. Head coach Kalen DeBoer, who could claim he outcoached Lanning three straight times, took off to replace Alabama’s legendary Nick Saban, who had it with entitled recruits who were more interested in their NIL payoffs than what a Crimson Tide diploma could bring them in the outside world. Jedd Fisch, who totally rebuilt Arizona from a patsy to a rugged opponent, jumped to Washington, but the landing was not pretty. DeBoer took many of the players who had sworn allegiance to the purple and gold, including the entire offensive line and left Fisch with an almost empty cupboard.
Several good players, under the spell of Fisch at Arizona, entered the transfer portal, came to Seattle to compete, but too many great players left and the result is a team that is 6-5, which is a letdown from last season. Last year’s NCAA top dog, Michigan, who chalked up a 15-0 record last season and are sitting at 6-5, with a possible loss to Ohio State this weekend, shows the precipitous fall that awaits those who fight for the collegiate crown one season and fall behind the next.
The Huskies had a Heisman-like quarterback last year and were excited about the transfer of Will Rogers, who piled up a bunch of stats under the late Mike Leach at Mississippi State. Although one of the star-crossed leading passers in NCAA history, Rogers has been so-so this fall, throwing for 2458 yards, 14 touchdowns, and critically, 7 interceptions that have kept the Huskies from being the formidable foes they were under the leadership of departed Michael Penix.
A former scribe for the Roosevelt High School (Seattle) newspaper, Dan Raley, has been trying to create confusion for Oregon coaches, players and fans, by playing up the fact that coach Fisch is refusing to say who’s going to start at quarterback for Washington; either Rogers or Desmond Williams, a 74% passer for 369 yards and three touchdowns who has been pressed into service the last half of the season when Rogers’ game suffered.
Knowing Raley’s reputation and the fact we had the same high school journalism teacher, Mr. Rybock, I am shocked that Raley would stoop to do the Huskies’ bidding in an effort to bring life to his own journalism career, one that has been marred by bogus reporting in the past. I asked an Oregon spokesman about the deceptive reporting and he said, “Oregon doesn’t care who plays quarterback. The ones they have are very good and must be defended, no matter who’s in the game.”
For the Huskies, Jonah Coleman, transfer from Arizona is a rugged, capable running back the likes of the Ducks’ Jordan James. He has rushed for 1008 yards and nine touchdowns. The offensive line, retooled, is big, mean, young, and last year, were voted to the Joe Moore Trophy which goes to the best offensive line in the nation. The Ducks’ current offensive line is a finalist for this award this season, after failing to overtake last year’s winner for the same award.
Washington’s wide receivers last year were the best in the country. Rome Odunze
totally torched the Ducks last year and he’s gone and that should make for some relief, but Oregon’s efficient secondary needs to pay attention to Denzel Boston (52 catches, 764 yards, nine touchdowns) and Giles Jackson (68 receptions, 663 yards, 2 scores). The Huskies have five receivers with 21 or more receptions and they possess the same skills as the three wideouts who went to the NFL last year.
Defense has always been a point of pride for the Purple. Linebacker Carson Bruener has earned great respect and has been a Defensive Player of the Week for the Big Ten Conference, a big deal considering the league has 18 teams to choose from. Coach Fisch turned the Wildcats from tame, to tough, and he’s got a couple of good defensive linemen who have played well throughout the season. Duck offensive linemen will find the Huskies a difficult challenge: they have qualified for a bowl and would love to rock the football world by wrecking Oregon for the fourth straight game.
Fisch’s team has won every home game they’ve played this season, including smashing Michigan, USC, and UCLA. Like the Ducks, they have a bye before this one and by the closeness of games against Oregon’s opponents after a bye: (Maryland and Wisconsin), the chances for getting the best shot of the season from Washington are high. The Ducks showed fatigue in the past two games, but were able to settle down and get the job done when the games got tight. Wisconsin’s defense was a good match for Dillon Gabriel and the Oregon offense. Washington’s offense is much better than Wisconsin’s.
Lanning has grown weary of the weight of Washington’s success at his expense. It is a heavy load that Duck fans feel as well. Expect a tight game with inspired efforts from the Huskies and revel in it. Like the gladiator said in the movie of the same name: “Expect to be entertained.”
Ken Woody coached college football for 18 years as an assistant at Oregon, Washington, Utah State and Washington State and as a head coach at Whitman College and Washington University-St. Louis. He conducts a coaching clinic, free to all, at the 6th Street Grill every Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. during the season. Plays from Oregon games are analyzed, there are scouting reports for opponents, and highlights from referees; all to learn and enjoy football and understand why the Ducks win or lose.
Questions and comments welcomed.
Contact Ken at: woody8783@comcast.net
