OVERVIEW
Third-year Washington coach Rick Neuheisel will look to rebuild a highly successful offensive line and find a replacement for Rose Bowl MVP quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo. If the Huskies can get all of the pieces to fit, they hope to end the trend in the Pac-10 where no team has repeated as conference champion since Washington did from 1990-92. Leading the Huskies will be a pair of players who earned All-America honors in 2000: senior nose tackle Larry Tripplett and junior tight end Jerramy Stevens.

SEASON OUTLOOK
The Huskies will build around six returning starters on both offense and defense. Fifty-one lettermen return from last year's 11-1Rose Bowl Championship team, including 25 veterans on offense, 24 monogram winners on defense and two kickers. The Huskies' recruiting class appears to be one of the best in school history.

The biggest losses, literally, on the team come on the offensive line. Four starters and the two top reserve players have all graduated from last year's unit. For the first time in several seasons, the Huskies skill positions return an abundance of veteran players with significant playing time and statistics. Another change on offense comes in the coaching ranks. Tony Alford, the engineer of Iowa State's resurgent running game, joined the Huskies' staff this spring.

QUARTERBACK
It has been a decade since the Huskies went into a season with so little experience at quarterback. Attempting to fill the position will be Tuiasosopo's backup for the past two seasons, sophomore Cody Pickett, and a pair of highly successful junior college transfers: Taylor Barton and Ryan Porter. Pickett appeared in the season opener against Idaho and played the entire fourth quarter in Washington's 51-3 Rose Bowl clinching win at Washington State. Barton enrolled at Washington in January after helping to lead City College of San Francisco to the junior college national championship in 2000. Porter red-shirted the 2000 season and worked as Washington's scout-squad quarterback. He was a standout signal caller at San Bernardino Valley College in 1999, passing for 1,251 yards and 15 touchdowns in five games.

RUNNING BACKS
Washington has nine returning players at running back, including four tailbacks that combined for 1,682 yards and 18 touchdowns last year. Washington's top rusher last season was Rich Alexis. As a true freshman, Alexis gained 738 yards (a UW freshman record) and led the team with nine touchdowns. Alexis averaged 6.3 yards per carry and demonstrated a big-play running style, going 86 yards for a score against Arizona State, 50 yards for a touchdown versus Miami and recording a 50-yard gain in the Rose Bowl. Senior Willie Hurst averaged 6.1 yards per carry last year while gaining 402 yards in nine games. A broken collarbone forced him out of the final two regular-season games, but he returned in time to gain 53 yards and score a touchdown in the Rose Bowl. Hurst's outgoing personality makes him a likely candidate to step up as a team leader during his senior season. Paul Arnold was Washington's starting tailback the first half of the season before being sidelined due to a back injury. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry while gaining 296 yards on 58 carries. Arnold also proved to be a valuable receiver out of the backfield, catching 10 passes for a 13.8-yard average. Like Arnold, senior tailback Braxton Cleman averaged 5.1 yards per rush last effort in the Apple Cup against Washington State. He also played fullback in 2000 and could see that dual role again next year.

WIDE RECEIVER
Washington returns its top three wide outs -- Todd Elstrom, Justin Robbins and Wilbur Hooks -- who combined for 80 receptions, 1,101 yards and nine touchdowns. Also returning to the receiving corps is junior Chris Juergens, who led the Huskies with 42 receptions for 516 yards in 1999. Elstrom was masterful at using his height (6-3) against smaller defensive backs. While Robbins was not flashy at flanker, he roved to be a very consistent receiver as a true freshman. He finished the year with 22 catches for 267 yards and team-high four touchdowns. Hooks had 11 receptions for 151 yards.

TIGHT END
Washington has the nation's top returning tight end in junior Jerramy Stevens. A high school quarterback, Stevens has matured into a big-play threat that poses considerable match-up problems for opposing defenses. At 6-7, Stevens is an imposing receiver, especially near the goal line. Last year he set a UW single-season tight end record with 43 catches for 600 yards and three scores. Those numbers helped to earn him All-America honors. Stevens is joined at tight end by returning letter winners Joe Collier, Kevin Ware and John Westra.

OFFENSIVE LINE
Senior center Kyle Benn will anchor the offensive line. Sophomore center Todd Bachert, sophomore tackle Nick Newton and junior offensive guard Elliott Zajac are the only returning letter winners on the line besides Benn.

DEFENSE

While the Washington defense lost some of its veteran players and tackles leaders, it still has several impact players that could make the Huskies a formidable unit. Headlining the defense will be All-American nose tackle Larry Tripplett and defensive tackle Marcus Roberson. The Huskies return 24 lettermen on defense, many of which had played significant minutes.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Tripplett had 38 tackles in 2000 and led the team with 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 quarterback sacks. He also managed to block several field goal attempts on special teams. Roberson had 27 tackles, eight tackles for loss and six sacks last year. Julian's premature departure will probably spell more playing time for junior Ossim Hatem. He finished with 12 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks in 2000. Jerome Stevens gained valuable playing time last season as a true freshman. Red-shirt freshmen, Josh Miller and Junior Coffin, along with sophomore Terry Johnson, will be groomed to see their first significant playing time on the defensive line this season. Washington must also find a replacement for Jeremiah Pharms, who played as a down lineman at linebacker. Kai Ellis, a junior college transfer from City College of San Francisco, and red-shirt freshman Zach Tuiasosopo, are two possible replacements. Ellis was named the California Community College's defensive player of the year.

LINEBACKER
Despite the loss of two-year starter Derrell Daniels, the Husky linebackers include a number of solid, proven performers. Headlining the group are returning starters Ben Mahdavi, Jafar Williams and top reserves Anthony Kelley, JamaunWillis, Sam Blanche and Tyler Krambrink. Red-shirt freshmen Tim Galloway and Matt Lingley will figure more into the mix this spring. Mahdavi started eight games and the Rose Bowl last season. He figured in 52 tackles, including five for lost yardage. Mahdavi has displayed a flair for big plays.

DEFENSIVE BACK
With the exception of senior cornerback Omare Lowe, the Husky secondary is a young group. Greg Carothers, who filled in for Curtis Williams when he was injured, figures into the strong safety position. Carothers played beyond his years as a true freshman last year, accounting for 27 tackles and displaying solid tackling skills. Roderick Green, a former cornerback who red-shirted the 2000 season to improve his academic standing, is a likely candidate for free safety. Sophomore Jimmy Newell, who appeared in all 11 games as a true freshman in 2000, will battle for the free safety spot as well as Wondame Davis. Owen Biddle, a walk-on who started at safety in the Rose Bowl, and senior Nick Olszewski, return at strong safety. Lowe will return for his second season as a starter at cornerback.

KICKING GAME
Junior place kicker John Anderson, who has the leg strength to become an All-American in his third year as a Husky, will handle the placekicking job. Anderson, who has already booted 25 field goals during his UW career and accounted for 147 points, may see some time at punter.