Tag Archives: University of Washington

What We Learned Week 3

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  • Geno Smith went to complete 34 of 39 passes for 411 yards, moving past Marc Bulger (8,153) to set the school record for career yards passing (8,191).  He also has thrown for 734 yards and nine touchdowns. All while only throwing nine incompletions in two weeks.  Yes, the same number of incompletions as touchdowns.  Just like RG3 last year. Continue reading →

What We Learned Week 1 Saturday Edition

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  • West Virginia became the fifth team in 15 years to score 65 or more points in consecutive games.  They put up 70 on Clemson in last year’s Orange Bowl and beat Marshall 69-34 Saturday.
  • Missouri’s Marcus Murphy had quite a day in the Tigers’ rout of Southeastern Louisiana.  Murphy became the first Tiger ever with two punt returns for score in the same game when he took punts back for 70 and 72 yards. He finished the game with 180 yards on five punt returns, breaking the school record of 156 previously held by NFL Hall of Famer Roger Wehrli set Oct. 21, 1967.
  • Missouri scored two defensive touchdowns in the first quarter.  The last time Tigers had two defensive scores in a game was 2006 at Texas Tech.
  • Notre Dame scored 50 points against Navy on Saturday. it’s the most points the Fighting Irish have scored in a season-opener since scoring 52 against Purdue in 1983.  It’s the fourth-most since 1920/
  • Tavarres King recorded his sixth career reception of 50+ yards to score for Georgia. Since King’s freshman year in 2009, only two SEC receivers have more catches of 50+ yards: Cobi Hamilton (Arkansas) and Alshon Jeffery (South Carolina), with eight each.
  • Ryan Nassib set new Syracuse records for single-game pass yards (470), passes (65) and completions (44) against Northwestern. The previous pass yards record was held by Marvin Graves, set in 1992.
  • Northwestern allowed 28 points in the 2nd half at Syracuse, blowing a 35-13 lead before coming back to win in the final minute. In 2011, Northwestern allowed the most 2nd half points in the Big Ten. Syracuse allowed 21 second half points in the game. Last year, Cuse allowed 172 2nd half points, 2nd most in the Big East.
  • Urban Meyer led the Buckeyes to 56 points in his Ohio State head coaching debut. It was the 2nd-most points by any Ohio State head coach in their first game on the sidelines in school history.  John Wilce’s team put up 58 in 1913 against Ohio Wesleyan.
  • Urban Meyer is now 4-0 in his debuts as head coach at a new school, winning by an average of just under 23 points. The 56 points scored and the 46-point margin of victory Saturday against Miami (OH) are also Meyer’s highs in a debut at a new school.
  • Penn State hadn’t lost a season-opener since 2001, when they lost to Miami (FL). They haven’t lost a season-opener to a non-BCS AQ conference team (current BCS AQ) since 1967, lost at Navy.  Until Saturday, that is, when they lost to Ohio.
  • Despite scoring 62 points, North Carolina finished three points shy of tying the school record and had its best output since beating Ohio 62-0 under Mack Brown in September 1995.  It was also the Tar Heels’ first shutout since beating Duke 38-0 to close the 1999 season.
  • UTSA picked up it’s first FBS victory, with a comeback win against fellow FBS newbie South Alabama.
  • Cal Lost to Nevada for only the second time at home in 25 tries and first since 1903.
  • Florida won it’s 23rd consecutive opener.  That’s second nationally behind Nebraska’s 27 consecutive opening wins.
  • With it’s win over Tulsa, Iowa State has won nine of it’s last 10 openers.
  • Chase Rettig threw for 441 yards against Miami, the sixth-highest single-game total in school history and most since Glenn Foley threw for 448 yards in 1993.
  • Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez had been known for his running.  Saturday, he showed America he can also pass.  Martinez threw for a career-high 354 yards and rushed for only 10 as the Huskers won their 27th consecutive opener.
  • Wisconsin won it’s 17th consecutive home game, tied with LSU for longest streak.
  • With his third quarter touchdown run, Montee Ball has now scored a touchdown in each of his last 21 games, dating back to 2010.
  • Jim McElwain became the first Colorado State coach to win his debut in 42 years Saturday when the Rams rallied past their arch rival for a 22-17 win over the Colorado Buffaloes.
  • New Mexico scored 66 points in its opener against Southern. That puts the Lobos almost halfway to their total of 144 points scored all last season.  The Lobos scored 38 points in the second quarter, as many as they totaled in the final six games last season.
  • Dustin Hopkins, who is on pace to shatter both the school and Atlantic Coast Conference scoring records, added field goals of 28 and 30 yards and extended his string of successful consecutive point after kicks to 139. Hopkins now has 341 career points, 53 shy of the league and school records.
  • Pittsburgh’s loss to Youngstown State was the school’s first in 11 all-time games against FCS opponents. It was the Panthers’ third meeting all-time against the Penguins. In the previous two meetings, Pitt outscored Youngstown State 79-3.
  • The Penguins, a Football Championship Subdivision program, beat a Bowl Championship Series team for the first time in school history.
  • Andre Ellington ran for 228 yards in Clemson’s win against Auburn. Ellington is the only the third ACC player since 2004 with multiple 200-yard rushing games. Seven ACC _teams_ don’t even have multiple 200-yd rushing games by an individual in that period.
  • Clemson wins consecutive meetings with Auburn for the first time since 1950-51. From 1952 until 2010, they played each other 14 times. Auburn was 14-0. Since then, Clemson is 2-0.
  • Clemson now has a win against an SEC team in 9 of the last 11 seasons.
  • The 84 points that Oklahoma State scored Saturday vs Savannah State is the most by an FBS team since Oct. 1991 when Fresno State dropped 94 on the New Mexico Lobos.
  • Oklahoma State’s 84 points were the most by any full-fledged FBS member since 2000. Western Kentucky scored 87 points against West Virginia Tech in 2007, but the Hilltoppers were reclassifying from FCS to FBS.
  • Oklahoma State had no problem scoring against Savannah State, becoming the first team since the turn of the century to top 80 points in its opener.
  • Oklahoma State’s 84 points are their most in a season-opener… since 19116.
  • After being tied with Missouri State at nine in the third quarter, Kansas State scored 42 consecutive points to win 51-9.
  • Indiana ended a nine-game losing streak — winning for the first time since beating South Carolina State 38-21 on Sept. 17, 2011.
  • Texas State got its first won as an FBS member, when they whalloped a rebuilding Houston squad, 30-13.
  • Alabama ran for 232 yards on 42 carries Saturday against Michigan. The Tide are now 40-0 since the start of the 2008 season when they run for at least 150 yards.
  • The 27-point loss for the Wolverines is the worst loss in a season-opener in the 133 years of Michigan football.
  • With its loss to Rutgers, Tulane lost its 11th consecutive game dating to last year, its longest losing streak since dropping 16 in a row from 1961-63.
  • Arizona, which needed overtime to defeat Toledo, amassed 624 yards to Toledo’s 358 but had two touchdowns called back by penalties, turned the ball over three times and missed the two short field goals.
  • Washington scored its first defensive touchdown since Quinton Richardson returned an interception for a score against UCLA two seasons ago.
  • Ryan Aplin became Arkansas State’s career leader in total offense with 9,075 yards, surpassing Corey Leonard (2006-09) and also became the leader in yards passing with 7,721, to pass Cleo Lemon (1997-2000).  Unfortunately, his team lost to Oregon 57-34.  The Ducks led 29-0 after the first quarter and 50-3 halfway through the second period.

Seattle Regional

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Washington – Washington is another one of the national powers that resides in the Pac 10.  To show you how difficult the conference is, the Huskies earned the 12th seed nationally and that’s after going 9-12 in conference.  They did load up in the preseason, however, as they played in the San Diego Classic, the Cathedral City Classic and Judi German Classic.  Including conference play, Washington played 14 NCAA Tournament teams, going 13-12 against them.

Niki Williams is the statistical giant for this year’s Huskies, knocking 13 balls out of the yard and driving in 50 runs.  Both are team highs.  She also has 11 doubles, which is good for second on the squad.  Jenn Salling is hitting .373, with a team-high 15 two-baggers, 53 hits and 43 RBI, both of which are second best on the squad.  Kimi Pohlman is the only Huskie hitting over .400, as she has a team-high .443 average.  She also has 74 hits, scored 52 times and stolen 22 bags, all of which are tops on the team.

Kaitlin Inglesby is the team’s top pitcher, having racked up a 21-7 record.  She has a 2.25 ERA this season, having pitched 183.2 innings.  In her 38 appearances, she has struck out 137 batters

BYU – The Cougars won their third consecutive Mountain West title when they swept a doubleheader from Utah this weekend.  The team played 14 games against ranked opponents in the preseason and went 5-9 against them, defeating tough teams like UCLA, Texas A&M and California.  The Cougars come into the postseason having won 14 of their last 15.

BYU has six players hitting over .300, but none is having as impressive of a season as Jessica Fitu, who is second on the team with a .382 average.  She has 63 hits, 11 doubles, 12 home runs, 64 RBI and a .691 slugging percentage, all team bests.  Caschjen Atagi has knocked around 10 doubles, 10 home runs and 44 RBI.  Delaney Willard has 11 bombs, nine doubles and 40 RBI

Paige Affleck is the team’s ace.  She compiled a 24-11 record during the season and has a nifty 1.97 ERA.  She’s retired 207 opponents via strikeout.

Portland State – Portland State captured its third Pacific Coast Conference title after having done so in 2006 and 2009. They matched Loyola Marymount, the team they defeated in the finals to win the title this year, for the most conference titles in the nine-year history of the league.  The trip to the NCAA Tournament marks the second in three years for the Vikings.  Portland State faced seven teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, and while only winning one of those matchups, they played teams like Stanford, UCLA and Oregon tight.

Jenna Krogh leads a balanced Viking offense with a .405 average, 38 runs and 64 hits.  She also has legged out an impressive six triples.  Lacey Holm swings a big stick for Portland State, as she is second on the team with five round-trippers and leads the squad with 40 RBI.  Carly McEachran leads the team with six home runs and has added 30 RBI, one of two players to have that total.  The Vikings also have three players who have hit four home runs each.

Nichole Latham and Anna Bertrand have identical 16-8 records.  The closeness in statistics is eerie.  Latham has started 24 games and appeared in 28, while Bartrand has started 23 and appeared in 30.  Latham has pitched exactly two more innings (155.2-153.2).  Bertrand has more strikeouts tho with 161, while Latham has 98.

Auburn – While the Tigers’ 39-17 record might not impress people, the wins they have accumulated towards the end of the season show how much they have evolved into a team heading into the postseason.  But in the last three weeks, they have defeated top-10 Georgia twice and upset number three Florida in the SEC tournament’s first round.  They also gave Tennessee a tough time in the semifinals.

Auburn is an even balanced team offensively, as four of their players have at least 44 hits and seven total have 30 or more.  Morgan Estell is hitting .378 and leading the team with 59 hits, including a team-high 17 doubles and tied for the team-high in home runs with six.  Kyndall White and Amber Harrison are also tied for the team lead in home runs with six each.  Harrison also has 16 doubles, making 22 of her 36 hits either doubles or home runs.

If anyone is looking for the true definition of a three-woman pitching rotation, look no further than the Auburn Tigers.  Their three starters have started 19, 19 and 18 games, respectively.  Angel Bunner, who has started 19 games, leads the squad in wins with 16 and also has a team-low 1.58 ERA.  While Lauren Schmalz has 14 wins, she also has the highest ERA, at 3.11.  Jenee Loree is the third on the team with nine wins.  The eerie part is that all three have extremely similar strikeout numbers.  Schmalz has 143, Bunner 113 and Loree 107.

>NCAA Softball Super Regionals Part 2

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>In the first part, I previewed the left side of the bracket. Here I will preview the right side, one which features the defending champs, Washington.

Regional # 5 – Washington vs. Oklahoma

Washington – For the second-straight year, the Huskies (48-6) faced the daunting task of going against one of the country’s most underrated pitchers in lefty Danielle Spaulding, who threw two no-hitters in her four appearances over the weekend. After Spaulding no-hit Nebraska on Friday to open the weekend, UW used an unearned run to win the first meeting between the teams, 1-0, on Saturday.They needed extra innings to win 2-1 on Sunday, but the reigning champs will once again be making a trip to the Super Regionals, a place they have been every year except one since the Super Regionals format was created. 

The Huskies’ Danielle Lawrie picked up three wins on the weekend, giving up just one run in 22 innings, while striking out 39.  The stud pitcher gave up a mere six hits and one earned run.

The normally prolific Washington offense was quieted this past weekend by some magnificent pitching by their opponents, UNC’s Spaulding and North Dakota State, a team which made the Super Regionals last year.  Shawna Wright had the game-winning hit for UW. She had gone hitless until that point.  Lawrie and Nikki Williams each had key home runs for the Huskies.

Washington holds a 7-6 series lead, including a 7-4 victory earlier this year.

Oklahoma – The Big 12 Tournament Champs are coming off of a 3-0 weekend, which saw they defeat one of the top pitchers in the country, Fordham’s Jen Mineau twice.

Oklahoma has won 14 straight and has out-scored opponents 77-5 in that stretch.  OU is 1-6 in Super Regionals since the format was introduced in 2005.  The Sooners are appearing in their first Super Regional since 2008.  Oklahoma’s only win in Super Regional play was a 2-0 win at Arizona on May 24, 2008.

OU is hitting .318 as a team during its 14-game winning streak and has scored 77 runs.  The Sooner also boast quite a potent offense, as freshman Jessica Shults holds the Oklahoma freshman record for home runs (14) and runs batted in (61) in a season.  Shults’ 61 RBI are tied for fourth most in a single season at Oklahoma and rank as the ninth best in a single season in the Big 12.  Amber Flores is the first player in Big 12 history to win the Player of the Year award twice.  Flores is OU’s career leader in home runs (53). The mark is four shy of tying the Big 12 career record.  The Sooners are not all about power. Brianna Turang ranks fifth in the Big 12 with 20 stolen bases on the season and Ten Sooners have drawn double-digit walks this season, including five with 20 or more.

Along with some stud freshman hitters, the ace of the pitching staff is frosh Keilani Ricketts. Ricketts has not allowed an earned run in the last 28.0 innings pitched.  During the 14-game win streak, Ricketts has a 0.39 earned run average and six shutouts, including one in the Big 12 Championship game.  Ricketts’ 324 strikeouts this season are the second-most in a single season at OU.  She has a 1.19 ERA and 14 shutouts to her name.

Regional # 6 – California vs. Georgia

California –  After winning sweeping the Columbus Regional to win its 11th Regional title in the past 12 years, the No. 11-seeded California softball team has a new task at hand in No. 6-seeded Georgia at the Athens Super Regional.  After the Regional title, Cal improves to 44-17 overall, 60-31 in Regional games and 81-55 overall in the NCAA postseason.

The Bears bring a seven-game winning streak to Athens after sweeping Oregon State and the Columbus Regional. Cal played 16 of the tournament’s teams this year, posting a 19-16 record against them.

Five of Cal’s starters are batting .300 or above with Jamia Reid pacing the Bears at .389 and 48 steals.  Cal’s 285 RBI is a new program team season high, smashing the old record of 279, which was set in 2008. Valerie Arioto is currently tied with Veronica Nelson for the single-season home-run high with 19, now holds the season record for runs (60) and RBI (60) and is currently fifth on season walks with 77.

As good as Arioto is at the plate, she may be even better on the mound.  She has posted a She leads the team in wins (21), ERA (1.26) and strikeouts with 260.  She is not the only stud pitcher for the Bears, however.  Freshman sensation Jolene Henderson has made quite the transition to college softball, picking up 20 wins and a 1.53 ERA, along with three saves.

The Bears hold a 1-0 series lead against Georgia, with the win coming on Valentines Day in 1999.

Georgia – After going 3-0 in their Regional, the Bulldogs will host their second consecutive Super Regional.  The Bulldogs went 3-0 as a regional host this year to improve to 13-4 in the UGA Softball Stadium
during regional play.

A total of 11 Bulldogs have combined to hit a single-season school record 92 home runs (1.61
per game). The new record surpassed the 2009 squad’s 85 home runs (1.44 per game). Bulldogs to hit home runs in 2010: Alisa Goler (14), Megan Wiggins (14), Brianna Hesson (13), Ashley Razey (13), Taylor Schlopy (11), Laura Trout (8), Jennie Auger (5), Ashley Pauly (5), Kristyn Sandberg (5), Amberlie Saxton (3) and Brittany Hubbard (1).  Nine Bulldogs have provided double-digit RBI this season. All nine in double figures have at least 15 RBI with eight driving in at least 29 or more runs.

Georgia is one of a very small number of teams which has three pitchers in double digit wins.  Sarah McLoud picked up wins in all three games last week and has an 11-1 record on the year, as well as a 2.71 ERA.  Erin Arevalo leads the team in victories with 18, as well as 158 strikeouts.

Regional # 7 – BYU vs. Arizona

BYU – Along with Oregon, BYU is one of two unseeded teams to make the Super Regionals.  For the first time in program history, BYU (46-11) will participate in the NCAA softball tournament’s second round.  The Cougars advanced with a sweep of the competition last weekend in Austin, Texas, defeating East Carolina, 1-0; No. 7-seed Texas, 9-8; and East Carolina again in the championship game, 8-3. 

The Cougars and the Wildcats have a brief history, marked most recently by a meeting on Feb. 26, at the Cathedral Classic in Palm Springs. Arizona was victorious in five innings, improving their all-time record against BYU to 3-0.

BYU senior Angeline Quiocho was named MWC Player of the Year, freshman J.C. Clayton garnered
MWC Freshman of the Year and Cougar head coach Gordon Eakin captured MWC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive season.  Quiocho has been a terror for opponents, hitting 28 home runs, driving in 90 Cougars.


Paige Affleck is the workhorse on the mound for BYU.  She leads the team with 32 wins, a Mountain West Conference record, as well as 221 strikeouts, which is second on the BYU season-high list.  

Arizona – Arizona won the Tucson Regional in three games over Cornell, and Hofstra twice – with the Regional finale lasting 12 innings before Arizona pulled out a come-from-behind win on a grand slam by Lini Koria.  For the 15th time in its 24-year participation, Arizona remained at home for initial rounds play in the Championships. The Wildcats have been a host for initial rounds 14 times, and later for Super Regionals four times.  Arizona has a 137-40 mark in NCAA play in its 23 seasons of competition from 1987-2009. The Cats are 70-8 in Regional play and 10-3 in Super Regionals (since 2005).
Like many of the other teams in the Super Regional round, Arizona boasts a potent offense, one which has outscored opponents 431-131.  Four Wildcats have hit at least 16 home runs, led by Bridget Del Ponte, who has smacked 21 round trippers.   She also leads the team with 75 RBI.  The other thee with double digit home runs each have over 50 RBI as well.  

Freshman pitcher Kenzie Fowler has been quite the stud this year, compiling a 33-6 record.  She also boasts a 1.25 ERA and 312 strikeouts to her name.  Fowler is complemented by a senior, Sarah Akamine, who has helped ease her transition to Division I softball.  Akamine holds a 13-5 record in 27 games, striking out 80 and only walking 23.
Super Regional # 8 – Tennessee vs. Michigan
Tennessee – For the first time since 2007, No. 16/15 Tennessee (45-13) has advanced to the NCAA Super
Regionals.  The all-time series between the two programs is deadlocked at 3-3, with five of those contests
occurring during either NCAA Super Regional or WCWS play. After dropping a 4-0 decision to the Wolverines during Tennessee’s inaugural season in 1996, the teams didn’t meet again until the 2005 WCWS in Oklahoma City, Okla.  Tennessee has advanced to three NCAA Super Regionals in program history (2005, 2006, 2007) and have moved on through to the WCWS on all three occasions with a 6-2 overall
record.
While this year’s Tennessee squad may not have the power numbers some of the other Super Regional teams do, they make up for it in speed, timely hitting and a balanced lineup.  Raven Chavanne leads the team with a .469 average and has swiped 34 bases.  Two more players, Kat Dotson (29) and Kelly Grieve (25), have over 25 steals as well.  Jessica Spigner provides the power, as she has hit eight home runs and leads the team with 56 RBI.
Ivy Renfroe leads the two-woman rotation.  Her 28-4 record and 2.28 ERA are tops on the team.  She has also struck out 196 hitters.   Cat Hosfield is her counterpart in the circle.  Hosfield holds a 16-8 record on the year.
Michigan – Michigan has reached the NCAA Super Regionals each year since the format was adopted in 2005.  Michigan outscored its NCAA Regional opposition 31-4.  The title was their 14th overall and seventh in a row.

Three Wolverine hitters batted .500 or better in this weekend’s NCAA Regional action. Senior third baseman Maggie Viefhaus hit .625 (5-for-8) with seven runs batted in, while sophomore second baseman Amanda Chidester batted .600 (3-for-5) and senior catcher Roya St. Clair hit .500 (5-for-10) with six RBI from the cleanup spot.  Shaking off its two-game home drought at Iowa, the Wolverines knocked out seven long balls in NCAA Regional play. Michigan has homered in 26 of its last 29 games and boast 81 homers on the season — the second-greatest season total in program history.

With her 11-strikeout performance in the Regional title game against the Irish, junior Jordan Taylor upped her season total to a career-best 300. The figure ranks sixth among Michigan’s all-time single-season leaders in the category.  She actually struck out 11 Notre Dame batters in both games against the Irish.