The uniform change at Tuesday’s practice said it all.
Bryan Bennett, Oregon’s redshirting freshman quarterback, switched his purple scout team jersey from No. 10 to No. 17 this week. The Ducks, accordingly, will be preparing for the tendencies of Huskies redshirt freshman Keith Price, as opposed to Jake Locker.
Locker was ruled out of Washington’s matchup against No. 1 Oregon on Saturday due to a rib injury, according to Huskies head coach Steve Sarkisian.
“The (medical) staff has made the recommendation to hold him out to get him healthy, and we’re going along with the recommendation,” Sarkisian told The Seattle Times. “The goal is to have him back, healthy, for our final three ball games as we go toward the home stretch there toward UCLA, Cal and Washington State.
“That being said, it’s a great opportunity for Keith Price. Making his first career start, obviously on the road in an environment like Autzen, is a challenging one, but one I’ve been in before with Mark Sanchez making his first career road start in Autzen Stadium in a tough ball game. It’s going to be exciting to watch Keith Price play.”
Locker, a senior from Ferndale, Wash., had fought through the injury since hurting his rib in Washington’s home win over Oregon State. He played through it during Stanford’s 41-0 shellacking of the Huskies on Saturday. The Cardinal’s victory was an historic one: Washington (3-5, 2-3 Pacific-10 Conference) was shut out at home for the first time in 34 years and had just 107 yards of total offense, the seventh-worst performance in school history.
“You know, it’s frustrating anytime you’re not able to be out on the field with your guys,” Locker told The Seattle Times on Monday. “But it’s the best thing for me and for my health. I’ve put my trust in those guys ever since I’ve been here, and I still do. I don’t argue with the decision they made at all. It’s just that you wish you could always be out there.”
Price has appeared in five games this season in mop-up duty, completing five of nine passes for 37 yards and a touchdown.
Backing him up is true freshman Nick Montana, the son of legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana and a prized college recruit in his own right. Montana has not played this year and remains in line for a redshirt. In case of absolute emergency, the Huskies will break the glass on wide receiver Cody Bruns and running back Jesse Callier to handle quarterbacking duties. Losing Locker exacerbates the Huskies’ numerous offensive issues. Washington ranks just 93rd nationally in scoring offense (21.75 points per game) and 70th nationally in total offense (358.63 yards per game).
The Ducks could not care less, and will continue to turn a blind eye toward the Huskies’ struggles. The name of the quarterback will not matter as long as he makes plays.
“I’m pretty sure they’re going to give us their best shot,” cornerback Cliff Harris said.
To be sure, Locker’s absence will dampen the enthusiasm for the game for some Oregon fans (not those champing at the bit to hand the Huskies aseventh-consecutive loss by a double-digit margin). Not unlike with USC and its depth issues, the coaches must focus the players on what Washington can do.
“I thought it was a solid effort,” offensive line coach Steve Greatwood said of Oregon’s 53-32 win over the Trojans in Los Angeles. “We overcame them making some good plays against us, just the way the kids kept their focus and continued to battle back when USC looked like they’d get momentum.”
That does not mean, of course, that the football program cannot enjoy the sweet taste of victory. Greatwood is one of four Oregon assistant coaches that has been with the program for 18 or more years. Having not beaten USC in Los Angeles since 2000, the Ducks’ victory in the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday feels very good.
“Always, yeah. Doesn’t happen very often,” Greatwood said. “Hopefully we’ll make it a more consistent deal.”