Jim Harbaugh has watched Colin Kaepernick work out. He's chatted with Cam Newton. He's been on hand for Andy Dalton's and Blaine Gabbert's pro days. But in terms of exposure to Harbaugh, there's one draft-eligible quarterback who stands out.
Jake Locker has been Washington's starting quarterback the last four times the Huskies have taken on Harbaugh and Stanford. How'd he do in those contests? Not so well. His best outing came in 2007 when he showed the athletic skills Harbaugh values so highly. He rushed 16 times for 97 yards and ran for two touchdowns in a 27-9 Huskies victory.
But that game turned out to be Washington's last win over Stanford. In the three games since, Locker and Washington were overmatched by Stanford's defense, and Locker struggled with the other criterion Harbaugh holds dearly - accuracy. In four contests against Stanford, he connected on 51 percent of his pass attempts and threw only one touchdown against five interceptions.
Here is the game-by-game breakdown:
Nov. 3, 2007
Wash 27, Stan 9
Locker passing: 16-32, 151 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT
Locker rushing: 16 attempts for 97 yards, 2 TDs
Summary: Washington hammers Stanford on the ground, including with a big contribution from Locker, who set the Huskies single-season rushing record for a quarterback.
Sept. 28, 2008
Stan 35, Wash 28
Locker passing: 5-9, 51 yards, 0 TD, 0 INT
Locker rushing: 10 attempts for 17 yards
Summary: Locker breaks his right thumb while throwing a block on a reverse in the second quarter and is lost for the season.
Sept. 26, 2009
Stan 34, Wash 14
Locker passing: 16-31, 191 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT
Locker rushing: 7 attempts for 20 yards
Summary: A week after beating USC, Locker and the 24th-ranked Huskies come out flat against Stanford. Toby Gerhart runs for 200 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries.
Oct. 30, 2010
Stan 41, Wash 0
Locker passing: 7-14, 64 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
Locker rushing: 8 attempts for 1 yard
Summary: With 20 NFL scouts on hand, Locker and the Huskies are throttled by Vic Fangio's defense. "That's definitely the worst offensive performance I've ever been associated with," Washington coach Steve Sarkisian says afterward.
-- Matt Barrows
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