Washington Huskies 2012 Evaluations: QB Keith Price

Nov. 23, 2012; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Keith Price (17) walks the sideline against the Washington State Cougars during the second half at Martin Stadium. The Cougars defeated the Huskies 31-28 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Just a heads up, I’m planning on alternating one defensive player and one offensive player each day with these evaluations.

Statistics: 263 of 432 (60.9%) for 2728 for 19 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

What He Did In 2012: He played like a shadow of his former self. I have written thousands of words about this decline in production, and listed off all the reasons for it that I could think of. We may never know exactly why, but we do know that Price never regained his 2011 form. His only truly good games came against mediocre opponents like Utah and Colorado, while his final two games against WSU and Boise State both included terrible game-sealing picks.

What I Expect From Him In 2013: There will be a quarterback competition in the off-season, with redshirt freshmen Cyler Miles and Jeff Lindquist and true freshman early-enrollee Troy Williams figuring to fight for the job, but I think the most likely outcome will be Keith Price keeping his job. That might upset a lot of readers, but I’m cautiously optimistic that Price’s 2013 statistics would fall somewhere in the middle of the massive 2011-2012 window.

Why? Well, I think having Marques Tuiasosopo as the quarterbacks coach, and the fact that it allows 2012 quarterbacks coach Eric Kiesau to move back to wide receivers coach, where he coached with Cal for several years, will help things. I also think an upgrade to wide receiver depth behind Kasen Williams and ASJ, and another year of development for the offensive line (only one starter, center Drew Schaefer, needs to be replaced, and several veterans that suffered from injuries throughout the year will be healthy) will aid Price. I’m not saying he will ever play like he did in 2011, but I also think he would probably not be quite as terrible as he was at times in 2012.

Still, if Miles or Williams outplay Price in the spring and fall, I hope Sark doesn’t hesitate to give them a shot.