UW Coach Chris Petersen Has His Work Cut Out For Him

Running back Bishop Sankey is gone. Quarterback Keith Price is gone.  His obvious replacement, Cyler Miles, has been suspended for the first game of the year for involvement in two assaults a few months back on the University of Washington campus.  This looks like it could be a very rocky season for the Huskies new head coach, Chris Petersen.

After a winning season last year, the Huskies are remaining optimistic moving forward.  The recent media poll predicts they will have the third best record in the north division, which is a safe bet, considering the talent they lost on the offensive side of the ball.  Of all the teams in the PAC-12 right now, Washington has to be the most mysterious as far as what their record will show come seasons end.

As mentioned before, the latest suspension of Cyler Miles raises questions about his overall character.  While coach Petersen has made it clear that Miles is the man for the job and will only be sat out one game, history has shown time and again that the actions of the QB can make or break the morale of the rest of the locker room.  By all accounts, he is a good, responsible young man, so nobody really expects this to be a continuing habit for him.  However, if it does become more of an issue, the Huskies will be having some serious problems.

While it is unfortunate that Cyler Miles got caught up in something he had no business being involved in, I respect the approach that coach Petersen took to handle the issue.  The one-game suspension sends a clear and direct message that A) he is the man in charge, and B) he will not tolerate anyone, including his QB, sullying the Huskies athletic departments reputation.

It looks like coach Petersen has a firm grasp of how he wants to run his football program, but he has a bit of a hill to climb before he has reached a level he feels would be satisfactory.  It may take a couple of years to find the right pieces to complete the puzzle and reach the goal of being the best team in the PAC-12.  However, there are plenty of reasons to remain hopeful.  It appears, so far, as though coach Petersen is the right man for the job.  Let’s see if he can lead Washington to a Bowl victory.