Things to watch: No. 5 Huskies, riding 13-game winning streak, focused on ‘raising the standard’
SEATTLE – Here are some things to watch ahead of No. 5 Washington’s (6-0) game against Arizona State (1-5) on Saturday.
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Where: Husky Stadium
TV: FS1
Radio: SportsRadio 93.3-FM KJR
Latest line: Huskies by 28.5
UW key players
QB Michael Penix Jr.: 72.1% completions, 2,301 passing yards, 20 pass TD, three INT
WR Rome Odunze: 40 catches, 736 receiving yards, 18.4 yards per reception, six receiving TD, one rush TD
LB Edefuan Ulofoshio: 38 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, one pass breakup
CB Jabbar Muhammad: 14 tackles, three PBU, two TFL, one sack, one INT
ASU key players
QB Trenton Bourguet: 65.3% completions, 726 passing yards, one pass TD, two INT, two rush TD
RB Cam Skattebo: 367 rushing yards, 3.9 yards per carry, five rush TD, 245 receiving yards, one receiving TD
LB Tate Romney: 30 tackles, three PBU, 1.5 TFL, one fumble recovery
DL Prince Dorbah: 25 tackles, six sacks
Protecting Penix
With the toughest stretch of UW’s schedule still ahead – ranked November matchups against USC, Utah and Oregon State in consecutive weeks – quarterback Michael Penix Jr. remains the Huskies’ most valuable asset. Although he was sacked just once in last weekend’s win over Oregon, Penix took some legitimate hits and gutted out the fourth quarter while dealing with cramps. UW must continue to protect Penix against an Arizona State defense featuring legitimate pass rushers Prince Dorbah (six sacks) and B.J. Green (four sacks). One way to do that is to continue to feed running back Dillon Johnson – who has rushed for 328 yards, 6.1 yards per carry and four touchdowns in his past four games.
Tackling drills
Washington missed 21 tackles against Oregon, according to Pro Football Focus, the highest number of the Kalen DeBoer era. Granted, that’s partially due to some proven playmakers – quarterback Bo Nix, running back Bucky Irving, wide receiver Troy Franklin. But UW’s defense entered the week ranked 68th nationally in opponent yards per carry (4.04), 90th in total defense (394.3 yards allowed per game), 101st in opponent red-zone touchdown percentage (68.42%) and 113th in opponent third-down conversions (45.26%). On paper, this Arizona State offense doesn’t have the weapons to threaten Washington, but it’s up to the Huskies to finish plays.
Avoiding the upset
Washington just beat its primary rival on the final play of the game, on a national stage, with “College GameDay” in town, in front of a sold-out Husky Stadium. The Huskies cracked the top five in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time in six years. And now, they get to host a 1-5 opponent that has yet to pick up a conference win Easy, right? Maybe … but they better not approach it that way. After all, a similar Arizona State squad with an interim coach upset UW in Tempe last fall before finishing 3-9. The Huskies can probably afford a loss somewhere along the line and still sneak their way into the College Football Playoff, but another dud against ASU would be difficult to digest.
Vorel’s prediction
After back-to-back one-score wins, it’s time for Washington to assert itself against a lesser opponent. The Huskies will do just that. Penix will be productive and the offense will be balanced, with UW employing an efficient running game.
UW’s defense will gain confidence against a Sun Devils attack ranked 127th nationally in rushing offense (85.17 yards per game) and yards per carry (2.76). Given that the Sun Devils have surrendered 22 sacks (116th), UW’s pass rush should also prosper. This is the same group of Huskies that dropped the ball at Arizona State last fall. History won’t repeat itself.
Final score: Huskies 49, Sun Devils 20