Could it be Dawgs’ day?
SEATTLE – After five consecutive games against the upper echelon of college football – the top four teams in the Pac-10 and current No. 1 Ohio State – the Washington Huskies are finally getting a reprieve.
It starts at home today against struggling Arizona, followed by road games at Stanford and Oregon State. The Huskies’ next three opponents have a combined record of 9-13, versus the 32-4 mark faced in the last five weeks against the Buckeyes, UCLA, USC, Arizona State and Oregon.
“I look at Washington’s schedule and, my gosh, trying to turn a program around playing these schedules is very difficult,” Arizona coach Mike Stoops said.
It certainly doesn’t mean the Huskies (2-5, 0-4 Pac-10) are taking Arizona lightly, especially with their fleeting bowl hopes at stake. Washington must win five of its final six games to become bowl eligible, and it still faces games against No. 18 California and at No. 16 Hawaii.
Washington has won two in a row against the Wildcats.
“It’s going to be very difficult to keep that thought process out of our locker room, because that’s what is going to be all around our football team,” coach Tyrone Willingham said. “Hopefully, our team is much wiser.”
The Huskies also need a furious finish to keep Willingham from becoming the first coach in Washington history to post three losing seasons in a row.
To reverse their five-game losing streak, the Huskies might want to try stopping the run. The last five opponents have run for nearly a mile in all, racking up 1,581 yards rushing on Washington.
Oregon put an embarrassing cap on the stretch, running for a school-record 465 yards in last Saturday’s 55-34 win, including a career-high 251 yards from Jonathan Stewart – the third-highest total allowed by Washington.
If the Huskies are looking for their run defense to get healthy, then maybe Arizona (2-6, 1-4) is the perfect opponent. Despite some impressive flashes by freshman Nic Grigsby, including 126 yards last week against Stanford, the Wildcats’ running game ranks last in the Pac-10, averaging just 83.5 yards rushing.
The Wildcats are making up for their run deficit with the arm of quarterback Willie Tuitama. Arizona has fully accepted a spread offense, built around Tuitama’s passing ability, and he is throwing for 286 yards per game.
The Wildcats have lost five of six.
Washington’s offense showed a new big-play spark against Oregon, thanks to improved play by redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker.
Locker completed 12 of 31 passes, lowering his season completion percentage to 47.5 percent, but avoided critical mistakes.
Locker’s 257 yards and four touchdowns, all more than 25 yards, set or matched season highs, and his play kept the Huskies even with Oregon into the fourth quarter.