The Washington Huskies are gearing up for the start of the season, and their biggest question mark continues to be at quarterback. Keith Price is going to be one of those huge question marks going into the 2011 college football season, and it's natural. You can't replace Jake Locker and expect UW to find an instant remedy, like chicken noodle soup in the world's biggest bowl.
There's some video from after practice today about Steve Sarkisian discussing Price, courtesy of Mason Kelley of the Seattle Times. Quotes are somewhat paraphrased, but you should get the general gist.
Reporter: You talked a lot about the changes that Jake had to make coming into the new system. What changes did Keith have to make?
Sarkisian: I don't think he really had to change ... Keith is truly a blank slate...we really got a chance to mold him. To me, Keith has really grown up in this system ... This is all he knows. The fundamentals, the techniques, the calls ... he didn't have to relearn anything. There weren't words that meant something different in this system ... He wasn't forced to play right away so he could have some of those growing pains ... he didn't just get thrown out on the field on Saturdays where he had to learn through it.
It's nice for Husky fans to see that Price didn't have to adjust his game very much from his college days, and is well-accustomed to the system that Sarkisian runs in Washington. Locker had to adjust from one system to the next and was in a situation filled with flux.
Price should be able to handle the offense early on; the question is how well can he adapt when things went wrong. Locker was pretty good at making improvisations outside of the pocket. It remains to be seen whether Price can be just as good making decisions when plays get chaotic and the system breaks down.
There is also apparently a punting battle between Kiel Rasp and Will Mahan. I'm guessing it'll be resolved by the punter who keeps on hitting it the farthest the most consistently. Punting battles are exciting and terse!
For more on Washington fall practice, go to UW Dawg Pound.