Washington Huskies 2012 Evaluations: RB Bishop Sankey

Nov. 23, 2012; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington Huskies running back Bishop Sankey (25) runs against the Washington State Cougars during the second half at Martin Stadium. The Cougars would go onto beat the Huskies by a final score of 31-28 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Statistics: 289 attempts for 1439 yards (5.0 ypa) and 16 touchdowns; 33 receptions for 249 yards.

What He Did In 2012: In the preseason, the expectation was that Sankey would pretty much be running back 1B, splitting carries with Jesse Callier, who was expected to perhaps even receive a little more of the load than his younger counterpart. Then Callier went down with a season-ending knee injury against San Diego State without receiving a single carry. Sankey filled in alright in that game, looked terrible against LSU, and then went ahead and dashed off three straight 100 yard rushing games. By the end of the year, he was clearly the most important player on the offense. Even in the loss against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl, he carried the ball 30 times for 205 yards and a score.

What I Expect Of Him In 2013: I expect Sankey to pick off in 2013 where he left off against Boise State. Because he will be starting the year as the feature back, with the coaches confident that he can handle 25-30 carries each and every week, expect at least 300 carries. Because the offensive line will be a year older while only losing one starter, Sankey will have spent another season training and lifting, and the passing game could be at least mildly improved after losing just about nothing from last year, expect 1600 yards and 18 scores.