Washington Huskies
2012 Overall Rank #39
#5 Pac-12 Conference 
Washington Team Page
Washington has been a team on the rise for some time. Last season they had a winning conference and overall record, reaching an AP high rank of 22, the highest they have achieved since 2003. Their season ended with one of the most exciting games of the season, an epic record setting bowl game versus the Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin. They put on a show but unfortunately came on the losing end of the battle.
2011 Record: (7-6 Overall, 5-4 conference)
2011 Bowl: Alamo Bowl vs Baylor (L 56-67)
Coach: Steve Sarkisian (19-19 at Washington, 19-19 overall)
Offensive Coordinator: Eric Kiesau
Defensive Coordinator: Justin Wilcox
Returning Leaders:
Rushing: Jesse Callier, RB, 260 yards
Passing: Keith Price, QB, 3,063 yards
Receiving: Austin Seferian-Jenkings, TE, 538 yards
Tackles: Sean Parker, DB, 47
Sacks: Josh Shirley, DL, 8.5
Interceptions: Sean Parker, DB, 4
Other Key Returnees: DB Desmond Trufant, WR Kevin Smith, C Drew Schaefer, LB John Timu
Key Losses: RB Chris Polk, WR Jermaine Kearse, WR Devin Aguilar, OL Senio Kelemete, K Erik Folk
Strengths:
The Huskies, as we all witnessed last year in their epic bowl shootout loss to Baylor, have a scary good offense, led by their star quarterback, Keith Price. They were able to score over 33 points per game, a blistering pace for opponents to try to keep pace with. Keith Price proved to be one of the best triggermen in the nation, racking up over 255 yards per game with their aerial assault. They are losing their top two receivers, but will replenish and be ready to dominate again in 2012. They will continue to have one of the most prolific aerial assaults in the nation, which will propel them to a successful 2012 campaign.
Weaknesses:
While the offense was running up and down the field scoring at will, opponents were doing the same thing against the Huskies defense. Their pass defense was dreadful, ranking 116th in the nation as they surrendered over 280 yards per game through the air. Their rushing defense was not much better, being pushed around for nearly 170 yards per game. They were abused for 453 yards per contest. This porous defense was to blame for the struggles the team had in 2011. To be fair the statistics are inflated because of the volume of plays that were run against them due to the fact their offense scored so many points per game. The defense, which admittedly cannot be much worse, will need to be improved for the Huskies to finish with better than a 7-6 record.
The Bottom Line:
Washington will be one of the most exciting teams to watch in 2012 due to their offensive prowess. Their explosive offense will be enough to beat the majority of teams, but they will still struggle against the heavyweights in the Pac-12 conference. They are continuing to improve every year and should continue to make gains this year and wind up in the upper half of the conference and go to their third straight bowl game.
Projected Bowl: Sun Bowl
2011 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 154.31 (63rd nation, 6th conference)
Passing Offense: 255.54 (35, 7)
Total Offense: 409.85 (38, 7)
Scoring Offense: 33.38 (25, 4)
Rushing Defense: 168.69 (76, 9)
Pass Defense: 284.62 (116, 11)
Total Defense: 453.31 (106, 11)
Scoring Defense: 35.92 (108, 11)
Turnover Margin: .08 (49, 5)
Sacks: 2.08 (47, 7)
Sacks Allowed: 2.62 (98, 11)
Madness 2013 NFL Draft Rankings:
#42 Desmond Trufant
Madness 2012 Football Recruit Rankings:
#7 Shaq Thompson
#99 Cyler Miles
#170 Jaydon Mickens
#195 Brandon Beaver
#196 Pio Vatuvei
#236 Jeff Lindquist
