Optimism abounds after spring scrimmage

Apr 22, 2013, 12:00 AM

The afternoon was extremely Seattle. It was cold and gray, and the rain was coming down on the field at Memorial Stadium. In the shadow of the Space Needle, next door to the EMP Museum, in the gloom and gray, the Washington football team held its final practice of the spring. But the most Seattle thing about the practice wasn’t the Space Needle looming overhead, nor was it the rain coming down. It was simply that the Huskies were playing on a field in downtown Seattle in front of thousands of spectators, people who came out to see nothing more than a glorified practice. In their last action of spring camp, the Huskies played their spring “game.” Really, it was a practice with more scrimmaging than normal, in front of thousands of fans eagerly watching the next generation of Husky football getting ready for the 2013 season. There weren’t a whole lot of football takeaways from the last 15 practices of the past month or so. But there was one major mood flying around Memorial Stadium on Saturday: optimism. Despite the weather, about 7,000 spectators looked on as the UW defense held the offense mostly in check during the scrimmage. The pervasive feelings of positivity and optimism that seemed to be surrounding this edition of UW football crept their way into the stands throughout the afternoon, as most of the crowd was still in its seats until the final horn. As Seattleites know, this city’s sports fans bring it for their teams. On Saturday, even though it was only a practice, the fans showed up, made a little noise (the biggest cheer of the day came when head coach Steve Sarkisian hit the crossbar with a 40-yard toss during the quarterback competition) and, in general terms, supported a team that has a lot of positive momentum as spring ends. The Huskies ended last season with a whimper, losing in heartbreaking fashion to Washington State and Boise State. But they return almost all of their offensive and defensive starters. The supporters know this has the potential to be a very good UW team, and they trust Sarkisian to bring the Huskies back into the upper echelon of the Pac-12. Aug. 31 is still more than five months away, and a lot can happen between now and then. However, it is clear the fans have a belief in this year’s team, a level of optimism that hasn’t been seen on Montlake since the Rose Bowl teams of the early 2000s. Anything can change over the course of the next five months, but one thing appears set: Wherever the Huskies go this season, their fans will be right there along with them. And that is the most Seattle thing of all. Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens12

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