re: UW prospects question - why did their D kinda suck?

Any teams looking at drafting players out of the Washington Huskies program should be extremely cautious in doing so. The inmates ran the asylum there under Steve Sarkisian leaving a huge mess for Chris Petersen to come in & clean up. The program had several issues with other players, not just Marcus Peters.

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Since taking over, Petersen has had to suspend or dismiss eight players. Shortly after officially taking the job, he had to deal with assault charges levied against both Cyler Miles, the heir apparent to the starting quarterback job, and Damore’ea Stringfellow, a breakout candidate at receiver, following the Super Bowl in February. Both were immediately suspended indefinitely with Miles missing Spring Practice and the first game of the season and Stringfellow transferring during the summer.

That has been far from the last time Petersen has had to deal with issues off the football field as his team once again made headlines last week when they dismissed the immensely talented junior cornerback Marcus Peters. Peters has had numerous run-ins with his new coaching staff this season, including a one-game suspension following a sideline temper tantrum earlier in the season during the team’s win against the Eastern Washington Eagles. His tumultuous tenure on the football team came to an unceremonious end following yet another shouting match with the coaching staff following practice, according to reports.

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Under Sarkisian, those behavioral red flags weren’t such an issue. He allowed a great deal of leniency to his players, letting a number of transgressions slide without addressing them to allow the team to continue to operate at full strength. That philosophy allowed UW to put the best team on paper onto the field each and every week and it has continued to be the way he does business at USC. He’s had just one disciplinary issue this season after Josh Shaw fabricated a story about how he suffered a pair of sprained ankles turning himself into a national hero, forcing the hand of the university.

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It’s the same issue that Charlie Strong has had with the Texas Longhorns after taking over for Mack Brown. Strong has cleaned house since taking over in Austin, dismissing nine players that didn’t fit the mold of the new program that he is trying to create at UT. Tightening the leash will always result in some conflict with players who had been getting some leeway under the previous regime. The difficulty in coaching changes is determining just how dedicated they are to turning over a roster to fit their blueprint at the risk of some talented athletes.

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Petersen also ran into a problem trying to get the Huskie defenders motivated for their past bowl game. The majority of them didn't seem to care to be there including Shelton & Thompson.

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A freshman making his third start, Rudolph kept his composure against Washington's vaunted front seven, overcoming three turnovers to hit 17 of 26 passes.

Desmond Roland kept the Huskies off-balance by tearing off big runs up the middle, finishing with 123 yards on 32 carries.

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The Sheperd-Rudolph connection worked again just before the half, this time in reverse: Rudolph on the throw, Sheperd on the catch for a 47-yard touchdown that put the Cowboys up 24-0.

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