The Morning Haul: 9/2

As this is the first morning haul since Washington’s big 38-6 win over Boise State, it’s time for lots of links reacting to the game. For the first time since the Oregon State win the Huskies are on the college radar in a big and positive way. The difference is that in both the Oregon State and Stanford wins the Huskies were viewed as a big underdog that managed to stick it out for two ugly wins, leaning on home field advantage and tough games from both team’s quarterbacks. Credit was given, but a lot of the attention was on how big of a misstep the losses were for Washington’s opponents. Not so this time. Coach Peterson had never been beaten so badly in his Boise State career, and while the homefield advantage certainly helped, there was nothing gimmicky about this performance. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Broncos were simply being dominated in every phase of the game.

Stories Especially Worth Reading:

First there’s this Stewart Mandel article focusing on Week 1 statements that is featured on the front page of SI.com with a picture of Price’s smiling face. No one should pretend that the Huskies aren’t getting their fair share of attention. Mandel isn’t being too “it’s just one game” cautious, either. He states that “Oregon and Stanford may have another challenger in the Pac-12 North.”

Next your game grades and game awards from the Dawg Pound. Can’t say I disagree with anything stated in either post. The defensive line is really the only position group that didn’t have a terrific showing, and Jaydon Mickens was clearly the biggest surprise. With John Ross gaining so much hype at slot receiver during camp, it was easy to think that Ross was ready to leapfrog over him and become the freshman impact player that Mickens wasn’t. Instead it looks like Sark and his staff are ready to use the athleticism of both player’s to their advantage, with Mickens making a significantly greater impact with his 9 catches for 109 yards. If the new offensive tempo, solid pass protection, and Price’s fantastic play carry over to the rest of the season, there’s no reason why both players can’t put up serious numbers as co-starters at the position.

Ted Miller of the ESPN Pac-12 Blog is a bit more guarded in his optimism and praise for Washington. The title of the article is “Price, Huskies dominate Boise State,” so he’s ready to give the Huskies credit, but he warns against assuming that high level of play automatically means newfound consistency. I’m very optimistic that this game is very different than last year’s big home wins and that it will carry over to more consistent road play, but Miller is right in that it’s impossible to know for sure and foolish to assume.