Cody Pickett Getty Images

State of the Team: The cogs of the nation's fourth-best passing attack last season are all still in place. Cody Pickett is ready to emerge from the shadow of Carson Palmer and Jason Gesser as the best quarterback on the West Coast. Wide receiver Reggie Williams is a Heisman candidate in his own right. But the biggest issue -- one that dominated the Huskies' spring workouts -- was improving the running game, which was abysmal in 2002 (74.5 ypg) and will likely be the deciding factor in whether or not the UW contends in the Pac-10. Coach Rick Neuheisel is willing to try anything to find a working backfield formula, so the job won't just be handed to senior Rich Alexis. While Alexis sat out the spring with a shoulder injury, junior Chris Singleton and a pair of freshmen, Kenny James and Shelton Sampson, were given shots at the job. James went down with an MCL sprain early in the spring, and to the dismay of Neuheisel -- and perhaps the whole Husky nation -- Singleton and Sampson ran for a combined 22 yards on 14 carries against the No. 1 defense in April 26's spring game. At least some of credit for UW's inability to run in the spring should go to new co-defensive coordinator Phil Snow, who came in from UCLA. Snow is getting rave reviews from players, stressing fundamentals and helping implement a team-wide "group punishment" plan, which means if one player doesn't finish the play, the whole team pays for it. He inherits one of the Pac-10's top defensive lines, but his secondary -- a weak spot in 2002 -- took quite a hit in the spring when top cover corner Nate Robinson decided to give up football to concentrate on basketball.

Lingering Questions: Will the Huskies' weakened secondary get lit up in the pass-happy Pac-10 once again? ... New OL coach Dan Cozzetto is working hard in the spring at reinvigorating a line that returns four starters, but will Washington have a running back who can get the job done? ... Williams and Charles Frederick are a top-notch receiving duo, but they're the only scholarship receivers on the UW roster. Can true freshmen like Craig Chambers, a four-star recruit, adequately fill in holes at wideout in the fall?