It might seem like a long way away from football season, but the University of Washington football team has taken the field for spring practice and will have their public spring scrimmage on April 23. KPLU sports commentator Art Thiel says that there is plenty to expect from the Huskies this season.
Improved Offense
Huskies quarterback Jake Browning is the only quarterback in UW history to be named starter as a freshman. Last year, he led the team to a 6-6 record, plus a bowl win. He's arrived to spring practice looking even better than last year, and he's equipped with some additional weapons.
Wide receiver John Ross, who sat out all last year with two knee injuries, returned to spring practice and ran a 4.25-second, 40-yard dash, "which is incredibly fast, at any level, in any sport, at anything" says Thiel. This improvement to the passing game will compliment an already talented running back, Miles Gaskin. Thiel believes that the Huskies will need to rely heavily on the offense to be successful.
Questions on Defense
The Huskies were very talented at defense last year, but Thiel says that it could look a little depleted because of players heading to the NFL draft or graduating from college. While the secondary seems to be in place, there are a lot of questions at the linebacker and defensive line positions, making it that much more important to have a solid offense.
Predictions
There are still 140 days before the regular season kicks off, but Thiel thinks that the Huskies look like a seven- or eight-win team this year, and could be a contender for the Pac-12 North Championship.
"I don't think they are better than Oregon this year, but you know, sometime, somewhere, somehow, the Huskies are going to beat the Ducks, and I hope that our children's, children's children will be around to experience that," said Thiel.
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You can find Art Thiel's work at Sportspress Northwest and Crosscut.com.