Wednesday, August 15^th

  The Huskies held another night practice, their second of three this week.  The team wore pads and the practice was very up tempo and physical.  A hand full of guys sat out of the night practice, including recently converted redshirt freshman linebacker Travis Feeney.  Head Coach, Steve Sarkisian said there was no specific reason for Feeney to sit out other than it has been a physical camp and they wanted to be precautionary, knowing that the practice was going to be very physical as well.  He said, obviously the focus is to have a full, healthy squad come the first game and therefore some guys will get rest. 

  Sophomore wide receiver Kasen Williams and junior cornerback Greg Ducre participated in practice, but were scaled back during 11-on-11 drills, giving some of the younger guys an opportunity to get some work.  Freshman wide receiver Jaydon Mickens made the most of his reps, showing good hands and speed.  Quarterback Keith Price showed that his knee is in much better shape than last season, moving well and breaking free for a substantial run at one point.  Junior running back Jesse Callier showed he will help to fill the void left by Chris Polk’s departure to the NFL, breaking free down the sideline for a 50+ yard gain. 

  Sarkisian discussed the young wide receivers Mickens and Kendyl Taylor saying that with those guys in, (mentioning running backs Bishop Sankey and Callier as well) the offense becomes a bit more explosive. 

  The defense continues to show a marked improvement, most noticeably in their speed.  In fact, the entire team is noticeably faster.  Sarkisian said they have had to look at the defense in pieces thus far, because they haven’t yet had all 11-13 guys that will be seeing the key time in together (due to injuries, changing positions, etc); he expects that to happen in about a week.  Sarkisian said he has noticed how much faster the team has gotten, but the real test will obviously come when they face an opponent and see how they actually match up.

  Junior wide receiver Kevin Smith is coming back from a knee injury.  He had limited participation, wearing a no-contact yellow jersey as did junior cornerback Tre Watson.

  Freshman Shaq Thompson and senior Justin Glenn, both safeties, sat out again, nursing mild concussions. 

  Senior linebacker Nate Fellner has a broken foot and was not at practice.

  Also not participating were junior linebacker Thomas Tutogi, sprained knee and freshman wide receiver Jamal Jones; no reason was given. 

  Of course, Hau’oli Jamora was out as well, he is awaiting surgery on his knee.  Eric Kohler, Deontae Cooper, Ryan McDaniel and Cooper Pelluer all did not practice.

  A scout from the Patriots was in attendance for the first half of practice.  

Sarkisian's post practice comments are right here- enjoy!!