Huskies Nearing Halfway Mark Of Fall Camp

By Athletic Communications on August 19, 2011 10:45 PM | No Comments | No TrackBacks

Come Saturday morning, there will be just two weeks remaining before the Huskies take the field against Eastern Washington on Sept. 3. With time dwindling down before the season begins in earnest, Coach Steve Sarkisian told reporters the position battles are beginning to cement.

Scrimmage Warmup
The Huskies will scrimmage at Saturday afternoon's practice, which begins at 3:15 p.m. Sark acknowledged this would be the last chance for Huskies further down the depth chart to state their case. On Friday night, the Huskies were in full pads but tackling was not emphasized. Instead, the team did a lot of work within position groups and on special teams before finishing the evening with 11-on-11 action.

Playmakers At Linebacker
Garrett Gilliland had another interception in practice, this one during the 7-on-7 drills. The sophomore linebacker from Orange County has continued to make plays in practice, attracting the attention of the Huskies coaches. When asked about the linebackers by the media, Sarkisian said the team has a nice rotation going now heading towards the season.

Once Again, Kasen Williams
This seems redundant on the Dawg Blawg, but the frosh WR made another terrific play in simulated game action Friday. Williams snared a difficult ball in traffic, and then split the safeties to score what would have been a 70-yard touchdown. Kevin Smith also had a standout reception, tip-toeing the sideline to haul in a bullet from QB Keith Price. But it should be noted the wide receivers as a whole have been one of the top position groups in camp. One of the best catches of the night, though, came via the tight ends. Marlion Barnett secured a ball between two defenders, increasing the degree-of-difficulty by absorbing a pair of hits as well.

Dawgs Doing Just Fine At Next Level
One of the top plays from NFL action on Thursday night came when Tampa Bay rookie Mason Foster put a charge into boisterous Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco. The hit was instant highlight fodder, although Foster was flagged on the play. Should he be fined as well, his bank account will be unscathed. That's because Ochocinco was so impressed by the former Washington star that he offered to pay the fine. This, of course, all transpired over Twitter.

More Photos Available
Make sure you check out CoachSark.com each day for additional photos from practice. Great roundup tonight posted on their photo blog.