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Jake, Huskies Take Apple Cup; Bowl Game Awaits

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Posted by admin on December 5, 2010 – 8:55 am
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One of the main reasons Jake came back to play at UW for his senior year was to be able to enjoy a postseason bowl game with his teammates. After a 35-28 win in Pullman over the Washington State Cougars, that mission has been accomplished.

Jake hit Jermaine Kearse for a 27  yard touchdown pass on a picture perfect fade route with 44 seconds left to break a 28-28 tie, lifting the Huskies to their third consecutive victory and third place in the uber competitive Pac-10 conference. With the win Washington ends the regular season with a 6-6 record, qualifying them for their first bowl game in 8 years.

 ”It’s something I had always hoped I would enjoy before I left here and it’s awesome to be a part of,” Jake said of getting to a bowl game. “It could be in Seattle I don’t care. It’s something that will be cool to be a part of. And to be honest I don’t know what comes along with it or what it is all about but I’m looking forward to it.”

The Huskies were led by a history making performance from Chris Polk, a 29 carry, 284 yard outing that included a 57 yard touchdown jaunt and numerous lengthy runs that helped keep Washington ahead of a surging Washington State team. Polk’s biggest run may have come on 4th and 1 of the game-winning drive, a 15 yard burst that led the Huskies to the final touchdown.

Jake  finished the game with 14 of 22 passing for 226 yards and 2 touchdowns, and had 9 carries for 29 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He also had a highlight worthy, 77 yard touchdown dash called back on a holding penalty in the first half.

For the complete box score, click here.

The Huskies now await word on which bowl game they will be heading to and who they will be playing. The most likely scenarios have Washington being selected by either the Alamo Bowl or Holiday Bowl, games that will bring a top tier, Big 12 opponent.

Huskies Beat Cal On Last Play, 16-13

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Posted by admin on November 29, 2010 – 8:35 am
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With the season on the line and with the elements going against them, Washington’s offense saved their best drive of the game for the last.

Down 3 on the road and with 4:39 on the clock, Jake and the Huskies had one last chance to win or tie the game, a tall task amidst driving rain and hail. They didn’t disappoint, though, and the offense marched 78 yards in 9 plays to the California one yard line with 2 seconds left.

UW was faced with a 4th and goal and decided to go for the win rather than the tie. And, instead of running a third consecutive quarterback sneak, running back Chris Polk took the ball and plunged into the endzone, finishing off a dramatic last drive that kept UW’s bowl hopes alive going into the final game of the season.

Jake carried the offense in the final minutes, as the senior quarterback was 3 for 3 passing for 54 yards–including a clutch 46 yard catch by w.r. Jermaine Kearse–and ran 4 times for 14 yards to get the Huskies into scoring position. Jake ended the game completing 17 of 27 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown, an 80 yard toss to D’Andre Goodwin.   

“It’s exciting,” Jake said following the game. “It’s right where we want to be as a football team, and I’m so proud of these guys for fighting and competing the way they did.”
  
The last-second ending set off a jubilant celebration for the visiting Huskies and their purple-clad faithful just as the sun broke through, a somewhat fitting and symbolic occurrence considering what the win meant for the season. The win kept bowl hopes alive for the Huskies (5-6), and a victory in next week’s Apple Cup will give Washington a berth in either the Sun or Holiday Bowl, with an outside chance of the Alamo Bowl.
                                                                                                                            
For a complete summary of the game and stats, click here. Next week, Washington travels to Pullman for a game with Washington State in the annual Apple Cup. The game will kick off at 4:00 P.S.T.

Washington at California, Saturday @ 12:30 p.m.

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Posted by admin on November 27, 2010 – 8:59 am
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In a bowl elimination game, Washington travels to Berkeley to face a 5-6 Cal Bears team.

Both the Bears and the Huskies need a victory to get bowl eligible, with the Huskies needing to close out their season with 2 victories to reach the magic 6-6 mark. Cal is coming off a bitter game against their cross-town rival Stanford, a 48-14 loss that followed a close game to Oregon the week prior. The Washington game will be their third consecutive home game.

The Bears will be led by Brock Mansion at quarterback, filling in for the injured Kevin Riley. Riley was lost for the season in a game against Oregon State. The Huskies, meanwhile, will have Jake at quarterback and even though he won’t still be 100%, his ribs are getting better each week.

“I think there’s still some things lingering” Washington Coach Steve Sarkisian said. “But he feels much better than he has.”

The game will be at 12:30 p.m., and will be televised live on FSN-NW.

For a full game preview, click here. Next week, the Huskies close out their regular season with the Apple Cup in Pullman vs. the Washington State Cougars.

Stanford at Washington, Saturday @ 4 p.m.

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Posted by admin on October 30, 2010 – 7:48 am
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Another week, another ranked opponent for the University of Washington’s football team.

Quarterback Andrew Luck and the #13 Stanford Cardinal will visit Seattle to take on the Huskies in an early evening game at Husky Stadium. Washington, 2-2 in Pac-10 play and 3-4 overall, hopes to get back on track after a tough loss last week at Arizona. Stanford is coming off a home victory against Washington State, and is in 2nd place in the Pac 10 at 3-1, with a 6-1 overall record.

Washington hopes to continue the win/loss alternating trend of the season at least for one more week, and getting back on track could be essential for the end of season bowl hopes. With a daunting task awaiting on Saturday, Husky coach Steve Sarkisian understands that winning the game boils down to two key factors.

“I think it’s two-found,” Sarkisian said.  ”One stout against the run, and two, we’ve got to be able to create pressure on Andrew Luck. He’s a talented guy.”

Another key to the game will be Jake’s health, as the senior q.b. has been fighting shoulder, rib, and thigh issues over the last few weeks. Coach Sarkisian said on Thursday, though, that Jake has been looking more healthy than he has in quite a while.

“I think he looks great” Sarkisian said after practice. “This has been his best week of practice in almost a month. I thought he looks good. His movement is much better than it’s been in the last few weeks. I expect him to go out and play a really passionate football game.” 

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the Cardinal’s sophomore signal caller, is the potential top pick in the 2011 NFL Draft and a large contingency of NFL scouts may be on hand to see he and Jake on the same field. Luck has 1728 yards passing on the season and 19 t.d.’s, while Jake has 1614 yards and 14 t.d.’s through the air.

For an in-depth preview on the upcoming game, click here.

The game will be televised live at 4 p.m. on Versus. Next week, Washington travels to #1 Oregon.

Washington at Arizona, Saturday @ 7:15 p.m.

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Posted by admin on October 23, 2010 – 8:35 am
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The Huskies, coming off a thrilling 35-34, double overtime home win over 24th ranked Oregon State last weekend, travel to the desert to take on the 18th ranked Arizona Wildcats in a key Pac-10 match-up.

Arizona is 5-1 and 2-1 in the Pac 10, and is coming off a victory over Washington State.  The win did come with a significant cost, though, as they lost their top signal caller, Nick Foles, for a few weeks due to a knee injury. While the injury was a significant blow to the Wildcats Pac 10 title hopes, they do have more than just a serviceable back-up as Matt Scott was a starter in the first few games last year and has the talent to keep their offense rolling. Juron Criner, their top wide receiver, has a toe injury but is expected to play.

The Wildcats will also have a little more motivation than normal as they’ll look to avenge last year’s monumental loss in Seattle, a game that featured a miraculous interception t.d. return by Mason Foster that propelled Washington to a last minute, 36-33 victory.  

While the Huskies are focused on this year, there is no doubt last year’s game had a significant role in establishing some team confidence when a game is tight in the 4th quarter.

“I think it was a big win for this football team from the aspect of I think it was three and half minutes left and we were down 14 points and everyone kept playing,” Jake said. “There wasn’t a sense that there is no way we can win this game. the ball bounced our way and we found a way to win that football game. I think that was a big turning point for us last year as a football team and moving the program forward. A big win for us.”

With a win vs. the Huskies, Arizona will most likely secure a bowl birth, an achievement Washington hopes to earn by the end of the season. But, with games vs. highly ranked Stanford and Oregon in the coming weeks, every game becomes crucial for the Huskies to achieve the post season goal. Regardless of the bowl ramifications, the team that is victorious in this game will have at least a share of 2nd place in the Pac-10 at the end of the weekend…if not sole position.

For a full preview, please visit here for the Husky point of view or here for a more neutral take on the upcoming game.

The game will be televised live on ESPN and can also be seen on-line at ESPN3.com.