The mayor of Ferndale, Gary Jensen, proclaimed July 24th is “Jake Locker Day” in Ferndale, WA. Jake Locker fans can visit Jake’s hometown this weekend to see Jake Locker, teammates and even Harry the Husky during the Old Settlers Parade.
Look for Jake Locker in a Fire District 7 firetruck during the parade that starts at 11:00 am. You may also spot his family. People are encouraged to wear purple & gold or blue & gold (his Ferndale HS colors). More information about the Ferndale Old Settlers picnic and parade can be found here: http://www.whatcomoldsettlers.com
For those not familiar with Jake’s hometown, Jake Locker grew up in Ferndale, a small town in Washington near the Canadian border with a population of about 11,000. Jake Locker led Ferndale to a State AAA Football Championship in 2005 and will forever be Ferndale’s biggest celebrity.
As reported by the Seattle Times, the initial waves of Jake Locker’s Heisman campaign have started with postcards (see below) sent to all members of the Football Writers Association. It appears Jake’s PR team is going with an old school soft push, not even mentioning Heisman & not having a site for Jake’s campaign.
For a more grassroots fan effort, join the Jake Locker for Heisman Facebook Group.
Here is the front and back of the postcard that was sent out:
Been meaning to do a post recapping Jake Locker’s stats for the 2009 season. Here they are:
Jake Locker 2009 Football Stats:
Games played: 12
Focus: Jake Locker’s focus was on winning games and increasing his completion percentage (not running). Not until the last couple of games did Coach Sark realize how valuable a running attack from Jake Locker can be in keeping a balanced attack.
For a team that was coming off an 0-12 season (Jake was sidelined with injury for much of the season) and young team with little talent, Jake Locker along with Coach Sark & an improved defense get the majority of the credit for turning the team around to win 5 games (including wins over USC and Cal) and stay close in all games (including against LSU and an OT loss to Notre Dame which was lost on highly questionable calls).
Jake Locker 2009 Passing Stats:
230 completions on 394 attempts for 2,800 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Jake Lockers completed 58.1% of his passes, with an average of 233.3 yards per game and a passer efficiency rating of 130.1. His longest pass was 51 yards.
Jake Locker 2009 Rushing Stats:
112 attempts for 388 yards and 7 touchdowns. Jake Locker’s longest run was a 56 yard touchdown.
Pulling these numbers down were 30 sacks for 204 yards. Again, Jake wasn’t allowed to run most of the season, but we Jake’s running ability is never in question (He ran for almost 1,000 yards as a QB his Freshman season).
Jake Locker Team Offense Stats:
Conversions on 3rd down were 46% and 60% on 4th down.
Great news Dawg fans! Jake Locker has decided to return to the Huskies for his senior season. Here are the highlights of the breaking news released on December 14th:
“After a great deal of careful thought and deliberation, I have decided to return to Washington and play my senior year, I am very excited about this team’s opportunities and potential for the upcoming season and I am looking forward to being a part of it.”
Jake Locker made the decision over the weekend. He decided not to submit his name for the 2010 NFL draft, despite being an expected 1st round top 10 pick and rookie salary cap possibilities for waiting another year.
Jake told his teammates his intentions this morning and the University of Washington released a press release just after noon. Due to final exams this week & winter break, Locker may not be available for interviews until early January. Coach Sark had this to say:
“You can only imagine [on how excited he is] this is the first time in history I’ve ever signed a 10-star recruit. Forget four- or five-star recruits. We got a 10-star recruit today.”
2010 is going to be an exciting year with Jake at the helm. Pac-10 Champions? Rose Bowl? Heisman? Exciting times ahead!
There’s no question the win over USC was one of the greatest moments in UW Football history, especially considering the state of the program last year. Here’s a couple ways to relive the moment:
Video of the Final Drive:
Order a DVD of the Huskies vs. USC game:
No trick plays. No FG or punt fakes. No Hail Mary’s. Just pure willpower overtook the #3 team in the nation as the Huskies celebrate one of the greatest upsets in UW Football history.
Much of the credit must go to the defense (especially Mason Foster) and Folk for his field goal kicking, but one thing is clear: Jake Locker is clearly the best QB in the pac-10, if not the entire nation. He was incredibly calm througout the game, made no turnovers against one of the toughest defenses, and made plays when it counted most.
USC wasn’t Locker’s best game, but he was still incredibly efficient. He was 21 of 35 for 237 yards, still 60 percent for the season at 63 of 105.
Coach Sark on Locker:
I don’t think this was Jake’s best night, but when we needed him, he made plays. He found a way to stay in the game. He’s played marvelously for us these first three games. Hopefully for us we have more moments like that, but he doesn’t need that drive to say that he’s a good quarterback or not. He’s a tremendous leader. He’s a great quarterback. He just executed that final drive.
Pete Caroll on Locker (before the game):
I think Jake is one of the best players I’ve ever seen in this conference, in all the years we’ve been here, he’s the most extraordinary athlete at the position we’ve seen, and I saw that as a freshman. Jake is just a ridiculous athlete that plays quarterback in a high-skilled offense as well. It’s just totally different. Jake’s dynamics, because of his legs, it just makes him incredibly difficult.
Pete Caroll on Locker (after the game):
I think the difference in this game was Jake. We kept him under wraps for a while, but when he had to have it, he made it. That’s what a great player does.
Shout out to Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandell for picking the Huskies to win, despite being 21 point underdogs.
Here are some articles to read if you’d like to continue basking in this huge game that marks a new era in Husky football:
- The difference for UW? Locker’s superior QB play
- 16-13 victory over No. 3 ranked USC yesterday
- Bob Condotta’s recap of the UW USC game
- Steve Kelley on Jake Locker’s leadership in the last 4 minutes of the game
- Jerry Brewer says Wow
- Tacoma News Tribune: Happy Days are Back at the UW
- Everett Herald Huskies rule the day
- Sarkisian’s revival of the Husky program
Every year college quarterbacks across the country are in consideration for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. Last year Jake Locker’s early-season injury knocked him out of the running. This year Jake is starting off ranked as the #15 quarterback in the country by fan votes.
The Davey O’Brien award is an individual award based on: quarterback skills and athletic ability, academics, reputation as a team player, character, leadership and sportsmanship.
If you think Jake Locker deserves higher placement, sign up to vote:
To vote, you need to register on the site (click the banner above). You can vote up to once daily.
After two games, Jake Locker’s numbers are looking good. He is leading the Pac-10 and is 14th in the nation for total offense (321.5 yards per game), he is 3rd in the Pac-10 and 37th in the nation for pass efficiency at 149.59, but most importantly, he is helping the UW rank #1 nationwide for 3rd down efficiency (22 for 33 this season - also 2 for 2 on 4th down).
Against Idaho, Jake tossed three touchdowns (24, 31 and 4 yards) and ran in a 3-yard TD. He was 17 of 25 for 253 yards - a 68% completion rate, far above his goal for the season at 60.0% (which is exactly where he is after two games).
Here’s what Coach Sarkisian said after his second game with Locker at the helm:
I think Jake - and I’m going to keep saying it - has all the tools to be as special a player and quarterback as there is in the country, if not the best,” Sarkisian said. “He keep showing it. He shows it to us every day and I think as we keep moving forward here, he’s going to keep showing it to the rest of our conference and the country.”
The Huskies have played their first game of 2009 against #11 ranked LSU and Jake Locker’s stats are in. Let’s take a look how Jake performed against one of the strongest defenses in the country:
Passing: 25 of 45 (55.6% accuracy) for 321 yards and 2 touchdowns (and one interception)
Rushing: 12 for 51 yards (4.25 yards per carry)
Jake’s passing yards alone matched LSU’s total yards (321). Jake also lead the Huskies to 478 yards of total offense against a defense that only allowed an average of 325 last season. The Huskies had 25 first downs vs. LSU’s 17, ran 83 offensive plays to LSU’s 48, and had a 13:44 time of possession advantage over LSU.
Outside of stats, it is interesting to look at Coach Sarkisian’s thoughts on Jake Locker’s performance:
His competitive nature is amazing. I saw accuracy in throws I don’t think he had before. I saw a really good understanding of an offense that is going to allow him only to continue to grow. And I’m very proud of him because the first game in this offense against that defense, I thought he performed very well.
He threw some nice balls, he moved well in the pocket. He kept his eyes up. And that’s a good defense, now. That team is going to be competing for an SEC championship, possibly a national championship, and they’ve got really good players. I’m proud of Jake’s performance.
Ted Miller of ESPN made his Pac-10 superlatives awards and predictions for the upcoming season. For Comeback Player of the Year, he chose Jake Locker. Here’s what he said:
Washington quarterback Jake Locker. A year after missing most of the season with a thumb injury, Locker will ride again. He might not pile up a lot of wins for the Huskies, but he will thrive in Steve Sarkisian’s pro-style offense and still get his licks while scrambling.
Though I agree with this pick, I hope the UW will take over the “Suprise Team of the Year,” “Coach of the Year,” and “Most Exciting Player” awards, rather then his current picks. You can read the entire post here: http://espn.go.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/1904/1904