Electric atmosphere expected for Huskies’ crucial game with Stanford
SEATTLE – With ticket sales trending toward a sellout, the No. 10 Washington Huskies and No. 7 Stanford Cardinal figure to play in a rowdy atmosphere Friday at Husky Stadium.
It’s the first matchup of top-10 teams at Husky Stadium since 1997, and the first such conference matchup since 1982. Here are a few things to watch as the Huskies aim for what would be their biggest victory in years.
1. Can UW stop Christian McCaffrey?
Few teams can, of course. McCaffrey broke the NCAA record for all-purpose yards last season as a sophomore, finished a close second in the Heisman Trophy vote, and leads the Cardinal in rushing and receiving so far this year.
He gashed UW for 300 all-purpose in last year’s 31-14 Stanford victory, topping the 100-yard mark in both rushing and receiving.
UW coach Chris Petersen praised McCaffrey effusively this week.
“He’s great with the ball in his hands,” Petersen said. “Unbelievable vision, extremely explosive, and maybe as patient as anybody I’ve seen. Whether he’s returning kicks or handing the ball in the backfield, those characteristics just show up, and it’s a unique combination. His vision is so good, and he’s so patient, and so many times it looks like there’s not really anything there, then he’ll find it.”
2. Stanford’s pass rush.
The Cardinal’s defense hasn’t necessarily dominated, as it ranks 54th nationally in yards per play allowed at 5.22 (the Huskies rank 13th at 4.32). But Stanford does rank eighth in scoring defense, allowing only 12 points per game – opponents have scored just three touchdowns against the Cardinal in three games.
And while Stanford will be without its top two cornerbacks, Quenton Meeks and Alijah Holder, a consistent pass rush is still likely: the Cardinal have 11 sacks through three games, and is tied for 12th nationally with an average of 3.67 per game. Peter Kalambayi, a hard-hitting linebacker, leads the team with 2.5 sacks and 4.0 tackles for loss.
3. Distribution of carries.
UW running backs coach Keith Bhonapha tends to favor the “hot hand,” so to speak, so it will be interesting to see how he distributes carries this week after Lavon Coleman’s big game in Arizona.
Coleman rushed for 181 yards on 11 carries, including a 55-yard touchdown to give UW the lead in the fourth quarter, and a 24-yard carry to set up the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Myles Gaskin carried 24 times for 85 yards, and has yet to eclipse the 100-yard mark in a game this season. Much of that is due to the way opposing defenses have lined up; Jake Browning has been able to throw over the top of teams that stack the box against the run. And there’s no reason to think the coaches will stray much from Gaskin, who set UW’s freshman rushing record last season and is still the best back on the team.
But it stands to reason that Coleman will at least see the ball more.
“I think having a guy that you know can come in there and have some snaps for you and actually contribute to the offense and what we’re trying to get done is awesome,” Bhonapha said.
“The one thing that we have constantly challenged him on is getting to the point where he runs vertical and not doing a bunch of dancing, and he was doing that definitely on Saturday, making the guy miss and getting vertical.”
4. Beat-up Cardinal.
After three games, Stanford is already without several key players due to injury.
That list includes not only Meeks and Holder, but also receiver Francis Owusu, who sustained a concussion after taking a big hit last week against UCLA, and fullback Daniel Marx, who was also hurt against the Bruins.
Tight end Greg Taboada remains questionable. As does offensive lineman Brandon Fanaika.
The Huskies don’t have any apparent new injuries, though Petersen wouldn’t say if they did. Defensive lineman Jaylen Johnson made his 2016 debut last week after missing the first three games due to injury, and redshirt freshman cornerback Austin Joyner returned, too.