“We use everybody. There is no first or second team when it comes to special teams,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. “You’ll see LaMichael James returning kicks. You’ll see Kenjon Barner returning kicks – De’Anthony Thomas returning kicks. You’ll see Michael Clay on our punt team. You’ll see Terrell Turner, Dion Jordan … all of our guys.
“We understand how important special teams (are) to this game. There is nobody off limits to being used on special teams.”
The Ducks have perennially been one of the best in the nation in that phase, and the Huskies should know about that firsthand. They have been burned by them in each game the past two seasons:
• Two years ago in Seattle, Oregon blocked a punt for a touchdown and ran a fake field goal setting up another score in its 43-19 victory.
• Last season in Eugene, Ore., Oregon special-teams returners ran roughshod, amassing 311 total yards – including an 80-yard kickoff return by Josh Huff and a 79-yard punt return by Cliff Harris. Oregon won, 53-16.
To eventually beat the best, UW coach Steve Sarkisian has often noted, you have to compare what you do well to what your foe does best.
“As you put schemes together, you have to always think in (your) mind, ‘Is this scheme good enough to beat an Oregon? Is this scheme good enough to beat a Stanford? Is this player good enough to beat a USC with?’ If the answer is no, we shouldn’t be doing it, or we shouldn’t be recruiting them,” Sarkisian said.
Last offseason, Sarkisian and his staff looked long and hard at ways to fix special-teams issues. It was the team’s biggest point of emphasis during fall camp, too.
After spending last season ranked last in almost every meaningful special-teams category in the Pacific-10 Conference, the Huskies have come alive. They are tops in kickoff returns (25.9-yard average) and they have allowed the fewest return yards on punts (38).
Oregon is still near the top, too. But the gap has closed significantly.
“Two years doesn’t seem very quick (for improving),” Sarkisian said. “But I’ve been proud of our guys, proud of our coaches … for really dedicating themselves to it, and proud of our kids for embracing it.”
EXTRA POINTS
As of Thursday, UW athletic officials estimated between 70 and 80 players from the 1991 national-championship squad will be in attendance Saturday as part of a 20-year anniversary celebration, as well as the closing of Husky Stadium. … Sarkisian said the only planned interaction between his team and players from the 1991 team is that former linebacker Donald Jones is expected to lead tonight’s chapel service at the team hotel. … Seniors will be honored before their final home game as well Saturday. … Sarkisian said receiver James Johnson (ankle) and defensive end Talia Crichton (knee) will be game-time decisions. … The reason practice was closed Thursday? It was not uniform-related. “I wanted to make sure we were focused on the things that needed to be focused on,” Sarkisian said.
Todd Milles: 253-597-8442 todd.milles@thenewstribune.com
