Spaulding Roundup: Team Ready For the Huskies and a Blackout

The Bruins went through a light walkthrough today to finalize their preparations before tomorrow night's game at the Rose Bowl.  Our favorite Ralph Irvin caught up with a few of the layers after practice to get their thoughts on the game.

QB Brett Hundley and LT Xavier Su'a-Filo both spoke of the athleticism and talent Washington has on the defensive side and  that they are going to have to play a very good game to get out of Pasadena with a win.

On the defensive side, LB Jordan Zumwalt noted that Washington will run the same fast tempo offense the Bruins have seen the last several weeks.  Zumwalt and safety Anthony Jefferson both spoke about the Huskies talented skill players including QB Keith Price, RB Bishop Sankey, and TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins‎

Kudos to Ralph for talking up the planned Blackout at the Rose Bowl.  I'm glad that someone in Morgan Center is helping the football team spread the word.  All four of the players talked about how excited they are to don their new black jerseys for the game and how they are looking forward to seeing the fans in black as well.

I think it's a great thing we're doing with Coach Mora and the all black.  Hopefully everyone comes out in all black. That would be pretty sweet, too.

I hope the Bruin fans surprise the players (and all of us) by blacking out the stadium like the team wants (though we know a certain A.D. who hasn't done anything to help them out - which is surprising considering how black is supposed to be slimming).

via the Official Site

Make it happen, Bruin fans!

Also on the Official Site was this cool announcement that my favorite football alum, Troy Aikman, is being honored as one of six recipients of the NCAA Silver Anniversary for 2014.

The Silver Anniversary Award annually recognizes distinguished individuals on the 25th anniversary of the conclusion of their college athletics careers. The Honors Committee, comprised of representatives of NCAA member schools and nationally prominent former student-athletes, selects each year's recipients.

Aikman is the 10th Bruin to receive this prestigious award. He joins Gail Devers (2013), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (2010), Cormac Carney (2008), Dot Richardson (2008), Ann Meyers Drysdale (2003), Bill Walton (1999), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1994), Willie Naulls (1981), and Don Moomaw (1978).

Aikman ranks 6th for touchdowns and completions and seventh for passing yards all-time, and he accomplished that while only playing two years for the Bruins.  He went on to win three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, went into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and is enjoying a very successful career as an analyst for Fox Sports.

Congratulations to Aikman.  Although the NCAA missed a few - Arthur Ashe comes to mind - that's a pretty kickass group of names right there

And because we cannot get enough Myles Jack right now, Jack Wang wrote an article for the LA Daily News last night looking at notable two-way players in college football.  The list was pretty short.  Holy Cross's Gordie Lockbaum was probably the most accomplished, though that was on the D1-AA level.  Owen Maricic played linebacker and fullback at Stanford where he was solid but not flashy.  The most notable was Michigan's Charles Woodson who parleyed his great athleticism at defensive back into a role as a star kick returner and occasional wide receiver.  He won the Heisman in 1997 for his two-way efforts.  But as Wang quoted, one former Bruin thinks Jack's performance outranks those.

"He didn't have the same kind of impact that Myles had the other night," [Rick] Neuheisel said.

Our coaches have been mum on whether we'll see Jack and the Young Pack or Old Pack lineup tomorrow night at Washington.  But with Jordon James coming off an injury and Paul Perkins and Malcolm Jones haiving little to no success the last few weeks, it's nice that we have a freshman linebacker to fall back on.  Either way, the Washington staff is probably working a little extra on the Jack package just in case, and hopefully our coaching staff will already be a couple of steps ahead of them if it gets to that..

GO BRUINS!