Earlier this week, Oregon head football coach Chip Kelly said University of Washington junior Jake Locker is the best quarterback in the Pacific-10 Conference. And the 6-foot-3 inch, 226-pound signal caller has shown Kelly’s bold statement to be true throughout the first seven weeks of the 2009 season.
Locker has gone 135 of 236 for 1,702 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions this season, while rushing 68 times for 223 yards and another four scores. He has hit six different Washington receivers in the end zone, with freshman James Johnson pulling down 28 receptions for 318 yards and two touchdowns to lead the team.
“He’s just a tremendous talent,” Kelly said of Locker. “They’ve got weapons on both sides of the ball and they’re playing with a lot of enthusiasm right now.”
Locker, who played only four games last season before going down with a broken thumb against Stanford, has been able to bounce back with a vengeance this year. He ranks second in the Pac-10 in passing yards per game with 243.1 — second only to USC freshman Matt Barkley (267.6) — and ranks first in total offense with 275 yards per game.
“It’s his passing game,” senior defensive back T.J. Ward said. “He’s become a good passer, and always in the broken plays he can scramble. He could be the fastest player on the field at any time.”
Ward also said that the key for the Oregon defense is to not let Locker sit in the pocket and get comfortable, and to make sure that he constantly remembers “someone is going to be on him every time he turns around.”
The Huskies first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian is somewhat of an expert at the quarterback position as he coached a plethora of talented athletes throughout his seven seasons on the University of Southern California coaching staff. Some of which included Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Winner and first-team All-American Matt Leinart, first-team all-Pac-10 selection John David Booty, and All-American honorable mention nominee Mark Sanchez.
Sarkisian himself was a standout quarterback during his collegiate career at Brigham Young University, throwing for more than 7,700 yards in two seasons, which earned him second-team All-American honors.
But come Saturday afternoon, UW will face the Pac-10’s top passing defense in the Oregon secondary that has allowed only four touchdowns through the air and forced eight interceptions. The Ducks also rank second in the Pac-10 in sacks with 18, which should prove to be an interesting matchup with the mobile Locker and the UW offensive line that has given up 15 sacks for 92 yards so far this year.
“He’s the main part of their offense,” Oregon linebacker Casey Matthews said. “He’s what makes them run, and he’s a great athlete. Now with the new coach he’s got he’s turned into a better quarterback.”
The Huskies have gone 1-3 over their past four games with the last three contests being decided by seven points or less. But even with its week three victory over the then-No. 3 USC Trojans, UW has still not been able to fully regain that momentum in the midst of
conference play.
The Husky defense will undoubtedly be tested as well as they match up with the Ducks second-ranked scoring offense in the Pac-10, which is averaging more than 32 points per game. Senior linebacker Donald Butler has been the backbone of the Washington defense in 2009, recording 56 tackles (eight per game), while forcing two fumbles, breaking up four passes and grabbing two interceptions.
And on the defensive line, Daniel Te’o-Nesheim has been a force to be reckoned with up front, recording 21 tackles and five sacks.
“Daniel Te’o-Nesheim is probably the best defensive lineman in this league,” Kelly said. “He plays with such a high motor, he reminds me a lot of Nick Reed.”
Kelly gave similar praise to UCLA defensive lineman Brian Price two weeks ago before the Ducks faced the Bruins. Price ended the game with four tackles and one sack and was essentially a non-factor in the Ducks’ 24-10 win.
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