Occasionally, I check the blog's hits and where my hits are coming from. It helps me tailor my content to what is getting attention and gives me some feedback.

The past week, I've noticed that this post about Christal Morrison has been getting some hits. It's an old story from when Zach ran the blog in the "Fun with Facebook" section. But apparently people have been searching about Morrison and her good looks. It just so happens that the PI's Ted Miller wrote a column yesterday about this very topic.

So, today I was quite surprised to come home and see that UDubDish has had over 1300 hits today. Apparently the blog Seattlest.com linked to the story. It's a funny post about Miller's "huge boner" for Morrison and definitely worth checking out for an amusing read. Then to get our site even more attention today, Sports Illustrated's Campus Links has linked to my post the other day on advocating the firing Willingham.

So why do I mention all of this? Well, first it is nice to have the site recognized. My goal is to expand this blog and make it as successful as many of the other SB Nation blogs and build a community of Husky fans here. I've been working hard lately to get near daily commentary up, so it is nice to have my writing read.

And, also, if any of you new visitors check out the site a little bit and are reading this I'd like to say welcome to U-Dub Dish. Hopefully you'll check back some time to follow our Huskies and feel free to join in with your own comments by making a diary or commenting on posts.

Update [2007-11-30 13:23:59 by andrewjh]: We had over 1700 hits yesterday. A record, by far, since I've been writing here for UDubDish.

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The Huskies have some recruiting news to be happy about tonight.

Jermaine Kearse (3 Stars)
Kavario Middleton (4 Stars)

Both have solid ratings and should help the Huskies in some crucial areas. I'd like to see Kearse as a WR. He's a little small, but he's quick and I think we need a speed receiver as a target for Jake.

Middleton is a big guy (6'6", 250) so he could play tight end as he has in high school. Running a 4.7 in the 40 is impressive for that size. If he is really 250 I'm not sure I see him at DB. As you can see from his profile, he's ranked at the #2 TE in the country.

Either way, it is good news for the Dawgs that despite our recent troubles we are still able to bring at least some of the solid local recruits in. Part of rebuilding this team has to come from attracting the top in state talent. This is a move in that direction.

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Starting Lineups

RPG	APG	PPG	Washington		Long Beach St.	PPG	APG	RPG
2.8	4.8	6.6	Overton	G	Plater	8.8	1.5	1.3
3.2	4.2	12.2	Dentmon	G	Morris	12.3	2.8	7.8
5.6	1.4	10.2	Pondexter	F/G	Porter	6.5	0.3	4.5
3.8	0.4	4.8	Bryan-Amaning	F	Williams	4.7	0.3	4.3
11.8	1.2	22.0	Brockman	F/C	Freeman	8.3	1.8	5.8

Tip-off at 7:30 PM as Long Beach State (1-3) is the opponent tonight for the Dawgs. Not sure if Bryan-Amaning will get the start again or not. Romar could revert back to Joel Smith with a three guard format, but we'll assume he's the sixth man for now.

Should be an easy win and help snap the two game losing streak after last week's meltdown in New York. In the end, it might just be that the Huskies are not yet as good as Texas A&M or Syracuse. They did look severely over matched at several points in both those games. But I really don't think we are that far off either. Our Huskies are still developing and have a young nucleus. Tonight is an opportunity to build confidence for the younger players and get back on track for upcoming games against Oklahoma State and Pittsburgh.

LET'S GO HUSKIES!

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Tyrone Willingham has not even lost his job yet, but starting today U-Dub Dish is endorsing Jim Mora for the next head coach of our UW Huskies. We need someone with some Husky pride who not only has heard about our tradition, but has been a part of it. You know, as much as I have grown to hate Willingham as a coach, I want to make it clear that I do think he is a good guy. But I just don't think he has the talent or the know-how to build a winning team here.

By all accounts, Jim Mora is the guy for this job. His results as a coach for the Falcons were mixed, but I do think he has what it takes to build a winning college football program. I'll layout this case in more detail later, but for now, let it suffice to say that Mora brings the character that will attract recruits, understands defense (which in my opinion is what wins games) as a former defensive back, and has proven wherever he has coached that he is a great teacher of the game. For all these reasons, I think Mora will be a successful coach if given the chance at UW. To make things even better, he is a former Husky and has great pride for our university. To me, it's a no-brainer. Hire Jim Mora.

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This is the picture I wanted to post right now after a win against the Cougars tonight:

Goodbye Willingham. You've had three years now. Things have not gotten any better around here. And not they're not looking up so long as you're the guy calling the shots. Get your bags packed because you're getting fired. Oh, and get Jim Mora Jr. on the phone too.

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    AT    

Washington State              Washington
  (4-7)                              (4-7)

I've got the game thread up several hours early, so feel free to comment with any Cougar trash talk or anything else you'd like to say about today's game. I'm pumped up for this one. It's a game we really have to win and I cannot stand to be shamed by the Cougs in Seattle. It just isn't allowed to happen.

Keys to the Game:

• Force Turnovers
  As I said yesterday in the game preview, WSU will make mistakes and the Huskies need to capitalize on them. Husky Stadium is going to be a hostile environment for the Cougs and the Dawgs need to do all that is humanly possible to turn turnovers into points.

• Protect Locker
  The Cougars like to blitz. I expect to see plenty of linebackers crowding the line to get a five man, and maybe even the occasional six man rush. The offensive line will need to protect the pocket and keep the hits off of Jake Locker. This is especially important since he is coming off the neck injury suffered two weeks ago. He is healthy enough to play, but we don't want to take any chances. Hopefully the OL is up to the task as they have stepped it up in recent weeks.

• Stick with the Run
  I've been amazed (as I am sure plenty of you are) at Louis Rankin's surge the past few weeks. The Dawgs have finally been getting a good push on the line and Rankin has hit those gaps running for some solid games. This has been the key to UW's recent success and with Locker back it can completely open up the offense. We need to stay with the game plan and keep the power running attack going. It will wear the Cougs down and definitely pay off.

And I'll leave you with this quote from Jordan Reffett yesterday in this AP story previewing the game.

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The Apple Cup is upon us. This is the 100th Apple Cup no less. I know there are some of you out there that think our rivalry with Oregon is the bigger of the two, but for me, it has always been this game against WSU that I look forward to every year. So, let's ratchet up our hate for the Cougars and get pumped up for this game.

It is a rivalry that the Huskies have dominated over the seasons at 64-29-6. The lowly Cougars just haven't been able to keep up over the years. But hey, when your college is in the middle of nowhere, how could you ever expect to get solid recruits anyway. I mean, who the hell wants to play football when the cows keep roaming on to the field (and I'm not talking about those confused sorority girls). Pullman, such a pathetic place.

The Cougars come into this game on a low point. They were destroyed last week by Oregon State 52-17. Here's the thing about the Cougars. They have a decent offense, but they don't score enough and their defense can't really stop anyone. Brink is solid at QB and they have some strong players around him, but they make mistakes all the time. They average 428.9 yards a game, but that has translated only in to 24.2 points a game. The Huskies will need to cash in on those mistakes to their advantage.

And now for a little lesson from Urban Dictionary...

"UW just beat Wazzu again for the Apple Cup. Haha, those morons are cougin it again."

And even better, this article on Cougin' It.

WRONG! Oh Doba, you just don't know old man. Such a great phrase though. Makes me happy just saying it. Every single time.

I expect this one to be yet another victory for the Huskies against our hated rival. The offense has been getting on track the past few weeks and I see a continuation of that this week. With Locker starting that can only help our chances as I don't think the Cougars will have a response to him. The Cougs might manage a couple touchdowns, but I don't see them getting enough together to match the Dawgs.

And with that I will now text message my Coug sister (yes, it was hard not to disown her when she made the choice to go to WSU). At least it makes for some good trash talking.

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vs

Starting Lineups

RPG	APG	PPG	Washington		Syracuse	PPG	APG	RPG
2.0	4.8	5.5	Overton	G	Flynn	9.8	6.8	2.8
2.8	4.0	11.3	Dentmon	G	Devendorf	15.8	4.3	3.0
2.8	2.0	8.0	Smith	G	Harris	12.0	4.5	11.8
3.8	1.0	7.8	Pondexter	F	Greene	19.5	1.0	8.5
12.5	1.3	22.5	Brockman	F	Onuaku	13.3	0.0	5.5

The Huskies match up against #21 Syracuse (3-1) this afternoon playing for 3rd Place in the Preseason NIT.

First thing that stands out to be about Syracuse is their lack of size. They seem to be very similar to UW in this sense. They start two guys who are 6-9 power forwards and then three guards. Whereas for the Huskies we start three guards, a small forward, and a power forward. If the size is any indication, I expect this to be a game of quickness. Syracuse shot only 36.2% from the field against Ohio State on Wednesday. Versus Texas A&M, the Dawgs shot only 36.6%. The team that can improve on that and attack the basket will win this game. If I am Romar, I keep the attack with Brockman going for the high percentage shot. And as soon as they focus on him, then I start to take short jump shots around the key. Do that all day with the high percentage shots and we can win this game.

And, more on shot selection analysis later on in an upcoming post.

LET'S GO HUSKIES!

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The Huskies take on #16 Texas A&M (4-0) tonight in the semi-finals of the N.I.T. Preseason Tournament. The Aggies will be a formidable opponent as the 4.5 point favorite heading into this one. True Freshman DeAndre Jordan will be tough to shut down on the post. He's 7'0", 245 and making over 90% of his shots. That is a 5 inch advantage over Brockman. Junior Josh Carter is also a strong perimeter shooter making 52% of his shots beyond the arch. Another note: the Aggies employ a motion offense, so they'll be running through the Huskies zone defense that they generally employ. It will be critical to pick up guys as they run through the zone. We've yet to face a clutch shooter like Carter and keeping tabs on him as assignments switch through the zone will be key.

LET'S GO HUSKIES!

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Well, this good news for our Huskies chances this week. As I've said previously here, having Locker on the field makes UW's offense exponentially more difficult to defend. His ability to escape the pocket turns busted plays into gains. Couple Locker with the newfound "power running" attack that the Dawgs have employed the past few weeks and I think we should be able to put together some offense.

Let's just hope that he truly is healthy and ready to come back. Yes, it may be the big in-state rivalry game, but it isn't worth reaggravating his injury or potentially hurting his neck more. I'll trust that he is in good enough health and the fact that they are making this decision early in the week is encouraging.

Big week upcoming here for the Dawgs. Basketball against Texas A&M tomorrow night (more of that coming tomorrow morning), another game on Friday night (hopefully playing for the tournament win), and then the Apple Cup on Saturday. Stay tuned for previews on all of those games.

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Huskies celebrate a victory over Cal

This football season may be lost in the sense that the Huskies won't be making it to a bowl game, but games like this at least making living with that fact a little bit easier. I wasn't able to watch this game, so my observations are based completely off the box score. At least this week gave us a little bit to be happy about there.

• Louis Rankin and Brandon Johnson ran for 345 yards on 44 carries. Rankin carried the Dawgs in this one averaging 10.4 yards a carry. Better yet, Rankin got over the 200 yard mark while only playing 2 1/2 quarters of the game. Then Johnson picked up right where he left off. They needed some offensive production without Locker and they definitely got it in the running game.

• Carl Bonnell certainly wasn't the hero in this game, but he did exactly what he needed to do: keep the Huskies in the game and avoid mistakes. He did not throw any interceptions and that shouldn't be overlooked.

• The Defense was not great by any means. Longshore completed 71.4% of his passes and Forsett had a decent running attack of 141 yards. But, the Dawgs kept the points of the board and that is what counts. I really do hate the "bend, but don't break" philosophy that the Husky coaches often mention. It's more of an excuse to make up for a lack of talent that cannot dominate. At that point all you are left with is finding ways to slow down opponents and minimize what you do give up. But, heck, it worked against Cal and that is all that matters here.

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AT

    California                 Washington
        (6-4)                          (3-7)

Putting this up a little early because I won't be around for the game this afternoon. If I am, I'll try to comment a little bit, but if any of you are around feel free to comment here.

Quick Keys to the Game:
Assuming Carl Bonnell is the QB today, for the Huskies to have success he'll have to prevent throwing interceptions. Last year Bonnell started against the Bears and actually threw the game tying TD on the final play of regulation (yeah, that game). He's good for at least a couple TDs, but it is the turnovers that will kill him. Prevent some of those costly mistakes and we have a chance to stay in the game. The other thing that will give us a chance is preventing Nate Longshore to pick apart our secondary. I can see that being a huge problem and we'll have to step up if we're going to have a chance. If it's a shootout, you can count us out.

And as always...

BOW DOWN TO WASHINGTON! LET'S GO HUSKIES!

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