Huskies' scrimmage tests out groundwork

The giant industrial cranes looming over Husky Stadium set an appropriate backdrop for the Washington football program. It’s all still very much under construction.

Saturday’s scrimmage was another example. Two weeks from the season opener against Eastern Washington, the first unit offense and defense struggled much of the day against the second-teamers.

The offense sputtered at times with procedure penalties, at least a half-dozen dropped balls and two holding calls – one that nullified a touchdown pass.

Not surprisingly, coach Steve Sarkisian framed it all in a positive manner.

“It’s great for them,” Sarkisian said about the backups. “Anytime the Twos go against the Ones, there’s a little bit of that underlying motivation. They want to be with the Ones, and that’s how it should be. They should compete.”

That, he stressed, is one of the goals.

“I think we’ve recruited well enough now that there shouldn’t be that much disparity between the Ones and the Twos, and I thought that showed today,” Sarkisian said.

Of course, in an intrasquad competition, the strength of the backups can be interpreted as the weakness of the starters. The real test comes when you play other guys.

Sarkisian pointed out that three potential all-conference players – running back Chris Polk (knee), defensive tackle Alameda Ta’amu (hand) and cornerback Quinton Richardson (ankle) – did not compete Saturday.

Junior cornerback Desmond Trufant granted that the Huskies need some fine-tuning, but, “I feel we’re in a good place; we’ll be good by the time the game comes.”

Trufant has turned into one of the Huskies’ leaders, a role he embraces.

“When I came in, I had guys like Nate Williams, Donald Butler and Mason Foster to look up to,” he said. “I want the young guys, the freshman class, to look up to me.”

When he looks across the field and sees talented young players, he sees the positive trajectory of the program. And the fact that some important young playmakers are still finding their way into the offense supports Sarkisian’s claim that the overall talent level is on the rise.

Thursday’s practice in red zone situations was illustrative, as a pair of gifted freshmen took over. Rookie receiver Kasen Williams and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins caught several scoring passes because of their superior athleticism.

Some suspected they’d be the best athletes on the field as soon as they hit campus, and that could well play out this fall.

Saturday, Seferian-Jenkins had a 20-yard touchdown reception called back because of holding, while Williams pulled in a 21-yard reception. A couple times, Williams looked confused with alignment or his route, but his speed and leaping ability are so good that it’s obvious his impact will be felt soon.

“It’s a great feeling to see young players that talented,” Trufant said. “They have no fear; they’re confident and believe in themselves and it shows. They’re making plays all over the field and that makes our team better.”

Defending Williams, though, is not a great deal of fun.

“He’s athletic (and) he can jump out of the gym,” Trufant said. “You can just throw the ball up in his area and he’ll go get it.”

Starting quarterback Keith Price was victimized by most of the drops and the penalties, but still led the No. 1 offense on a lengthy drive and scored on a 10-yard scramble.

“We still have a long way to go,” Price said of the offense. “We have to minimize the little mistakes – the penalties – and play more fundamentally sound.”

While the team looked unpolished at times, there are still two weeks before the opener.

“I thought it was a good, physical scrimmage,” Sarkisian said. “I thought offensively (we were) maybe a little anxious, maybe that’s the best word.”

Anxious? Fair enough.

And maybe a little over-eager, in too big a hurry to see some of these new talented players assimilated.

So it’s good to remember that all major construction projects take time.

Dave Boling: 253-597-8440 dave.boling@thenewstribune.com