The Morning Haul: 10/12

I’m really excited about what this weekend means for this Washington team. No matter the emotional ups and downs of the individual games, this game represents a clear crossroads. If the Huskies win, they are 4-2, with the roughest stretch of the season over. No one really expected better than 3-3 in the preseason. Most people reasonably called for a 2-4 record. Even if the blowout losses to LSU and Oregon are disappointing, it still represents remarkable progress for this team to be taking care of ranked teams at home.

If they lose, things are a little more complicated. 3-3 is not bad. It would have been labeled a little optimistic during the summer. Sure, defeat would mean the Huskies aren’t as far as everyone would hope, but it’s still progress. It still makes 8 wins likely and 9 wins possible.

Still, the distinction is important. We will all learn if these Huskies have it in them to bounce back from the Oregon loss with another gutsy performance in Seattle.

Stories Especially Worth Reading:

The content from Reign of Troy keeps rolling in. First of all, here is a preview of the Washington defense.

Gregg Bell takes a look at the offensive line’s resiliency in the face of serious adversity. If that seems familiar, it’s because I linked a similar story yesterday morning from The News Tribune. The offensive line is apparently all the rage to dissect these days.

Good old Bob Condotta with his Week Seven Pac-12 Picks.

Hey, what do you know, a Q&A as well, this one from The News Tribune. It’s like those two compare notes or something. This one is a series of questions from a USC student publication and a list of answers from Todd Dybas.