Huskies notes: Lake’s recruiting comment stirs discussion ahead of Oregon rivalry
Washington hosts Oregon this weekend.
And while the heated rivalry game doesn’t kick off until 4:30 p.m. Saturday, another layer has already been added to this season’s meeting.
During their Monday press conferences, both Huskies coach Jimmy Lake and Ducks coach Mario Cristobal were asked questions about preparing for this year’s edition of the always-impassioned game in Seattle.
Lake noted the weight this game usually holds any given season. This season in particular, No. 7 Oregon (7-1) was ranked fourth in the first set of College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday, while Washington (4-4) is suddenly in position to contend atop the Pac-12 North after a shaky start.
“Since the Pac-12 has split up the North and South, the three representatives of the North in the championship game have been Oregon, Stanford and Washington,” Lake said. “And so the facts are clear that those are the heavyweights of the Pac-12 North, and I made sure our guys knew that going into our game last week, and our guys know that going into the game this week.
“And they also know the magnitude of the proximity of our two schools and the history of why this is a rivalry, but I think first and foremost it’s a team that has represented the Pac-12 North and won the Pac-12 Championship … so we know we’re playing a quality opponent this Saturday.”
Cristobal told reporters at his Monday press conference he believes “the intensity of rivalry games take care of themselves.”
“The important part is making sure that we’re investing in our preparation, practice, the way that we do everything,” Cristobal continued. “We have a 1-0 approach and a mentality for everything we do and our plan is to stay the course and improve our 1-0 processes every single week. That’s what works for us, that’s what we’re focused on.”
But, when Lake was asked about another aspect of the rivalry — on if the UW coaches have more of a rivalry with Oregon with the off-the-field recruiting battles — his answer sparked much response.
“I think that is way more pumped up than it is,” Lake said. “Our battles are really — the schools that we go against are way more, have academic prowess like the University of Washington.
“Notre Dame, Stanford, USC — we go with a lot of battles, toe-to-toe all the way to the end with those schools. So, I think that’s made up a lot and pumped up in (the media’s) world. In our world, we battle more academically prowess teams.”
The comment instantly stirred discussion across social media, from national news outlets such as ESPN, and beyond, and prompted a response from Oregon president Michael Schill on Tuesday.
Does this rivalry extend to recruiting, though? Here’s a look at some of the recent classes for both programs:
Per 247Sports.com, eight of the players who have committed to the Ducks in the 2022 class also hold offers from the Huskies — including Liberty High School (Henderson, Nev.) defensive lineman Sir Mells and East (Salt Lake City) defensive lineman Ben Roberts, who both decommitted from UW earlier this year and later pledged to the Ducks — while three who have committed to the Huskies also hold offers from the Ducks. There is certainly overlap, and that trend dates back much further than this recruiting class.
Looking back at recruits who have enrolled at Oregon and UW between 2016-2021 — the six classes with players that could have eligibility remaining through the end of this season — the two schools have consistently recruited many of the same players. During that span, 46 players who have enrolled at Oregon who also had offers from UW, and 61 who have joined the Huskies also had offers from the Ducks, per offers reported in 247Sports’ records.
There are even more that have passed up both Oregon and UW to play at other programs, including top recruits like Graham-Kapowsin offensive lineman Foster Sarell, who signed with Stanford in 2017, Central (Independence, Ore.) defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu, who signed with USC in 2017 and Crescent Valley (Corvallis, Ore.) safety Talanoa Hufanga, who also signed with the Trojans in 2018.
Then, of course, Eastside Catholic defensive lineman J.T. Tuimoloau and Steilacoom wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, both top-10 recruits nationally in 2021, had offers from both schools, but instead headed to Ohio State.
As far as who is ahead in the recruiting race between the Ducks and Huskies, the overall numbers in recent years give Oregon an edge. Per 247Sports, Oregon’s recruiting ranking tops the Pac-12 in the 2022 class, and currently ranks eighth nationally, while UW currently ranks eighth in the conference and 54th nationally.
Oregon has also topped the Pac-12 each of the past four cycles, and been a top-10 program nationally three times in that span. And during that 2016-21 stretch, the Huskies have never ranked higher than the Ducks, though they did finish second to Oregon twice in 2019 and 2020 before dropping to sixth in the conference a year ago.
EXTRA POINTS
▪ UW had its best rushing game of the season Saturday night at Stanford, posting a season-high 229 yards. Sixth-year senior tailback Sean McGrew had season-highs in carries (19) and yards (114), while redshirt freshman Cameron Davis had career-highs in carries (18) and yards (99).
“Being able to have two guys that are on two different spectrums in where they’re at in their playing career, to be able to come out of that place with a victory is really exciting, not only for our team, but it’s exciting for the Husky fans and obviously for us as coaches,” UW running backs coach Keith Bhonapha said.
While McGrew has long been established in UW’s backfield, Davis has played a more prominent role in recent weeks, in place of other injured regulars, and shown progress.
“I think with young guys it’s always consistency,” Bhonapha said. “Everybody’s excited about him because he showed a splash play here, a splash play there. And I think with him getting the reps he was able to get this past week and getting consistent days at practice, consistent reps at practice that he was able to do something consistently in the game.”
▪ The Huskies meet the Ducks for the 113th time this week, with UW leading the all-time series, 60-47-5. But, Oregon has won the past two meetings as well as 14 of the past 16.
In fact, only four Huskies — McGrew, center Luke Wattenberg, outside linebacker Ryan Bowman and punter Race Porter — have played in a game when UW beat the Ducks, in Seattle in 2017.
“It’s a great rivalry,” Wattenberg said Tuesday. “They’re always a strong opponent, and I’m really excited to go against them again.”
▪ Several Huskies could appear in this rivalry game for the first time in their careers, including second-year quarterback Dylan Morris.
The former Graham-Kapowsin standout redshirted his first season in 2019, when the Ducks won in Seattle, before last season’s game was canceled.
“I was on the sideline for that game two years ago, but being a Husky fan growing up, I’ve understood what the rivalry holds,” Morris said Tuesday. “So, I’m definitely excited for this game, and the whole team, we’re going to get into the history of the rivalry, and the energy is just a little different at practice.
“So seeing one on the sidelines and now getting ready to play in one, I’m definitely excited.”
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 8:54 PM with the headline "Huskies notes: Lake’s recruiting comment stirs discussion ahead of Oregon rivalry."
