The all-time series between Stanford and Washington stands all square at 41-41-4, but it's perhaps the streakiest even series imaginable. Here's how things have gone since 1959:
1959-1966: Washington, 8-0
1967-1976: Stanford, 10-0
1977-2003: Washington, 20-2
2004-2015: Stanford, 9-2
Since the last quarter of the last century didn't go too well for the Cardinal, let's focus on the last eleven games. The Huskies beat Stanford during Jim Harbaugh's first season, but since then there hasn't been much suspense in this rivalry, as the Cardinal has won seven of eight games, including a three-game stretch from '09-'11 in which Stanford outscored Washington by a combined score of 140-35. The Cardinal has also won the the last three match-ups, but the recent game that might be the most informative is the 17-13 Stanford loss in 2012.
For that game four years ago, the Cardinal travelled to Seattle with a new quarterback and a 3-0 record. Sound familiar? Back then it was Josh Nunes, who had narrowly won the starting job over Brett Nottingham, and he struggled mightily against a Washington defense that was geared to stopping the Stanford running game. Faced with eight- and nine-man fronts all night long, Nunes threw the ball 37 times and completed just 18 as the offense failed to score a touchdown for the first time in forever.
Might we see something similar this year? If the Washington coaching staff has been paying attention, they'll certainly do everything they can to stop Christian McCaffrey and the rest of the Stanford running game and force Ryan Burns to make them pay. It seems like a sound strategy, but another good defensive team tried that game plan last week, and it didn't work. McCaffrey didn't dazzle anyone with highlight reel touchdown runs, but his steady pounding produced 138 yards of his own and softened up the UCLA defense. When Burns led the Cardinal on that game-winning drive in the closing minutes, he did so against a defense that had been pounded into submission and no longer had the legs necessary to close out the win.
This Burns-led offense is far from being the juggernaut I still believe it can be, but I think they'll be able to do enough to win this game. My crystal ball tells me it'll be a 24-13 Stanford win.
But of course, not everyone uses the same brand of crystal ball that I have, so I looked to the other side of field and asked John Sayler from UW Dawg Pound to give me some insight into the Huskies. Here's all you ever needed to know about the Dawgs from the Northwest...
GMC:
Complete this sentence: This is the biggest game for the Huskies since _______. What would a win on Friday night mean for the football program?
This is the biggest game for UW football since... forever. I don’t even want to bother to look up the last time there was a game of this magnitude for the Huskies because it will depress me. A win on Friday would mean that the Huskies are 5-0, 2-0 in the conference and in first place. But honestly, the next week the Huskies are at Oregon and that game will be just as big. The national spotlight has been shining on Washington this year to the point where now they are considered overrated. Beating Stanford would hush some of that, but really if this team gets a win against a quality opponent it will boost their confidence to the next level.
GMC:
How are things with Chris Petersen? When he took the job a few years ago, he was the hottest coaching candidate in America. How has he impacted the program, and what are the expectations for this year and beyond?
UWDP:
I can’t emphasize enough what a great hire Chris Petersen was. His philosophy of only recruiting young men that he likes and looking at their transcripts before he watches their game film has always allowed him to put together a team of 2 and 3 star recruits that can outplay a team full of 4 and 5 star talents. He just fits the University of Washington really well and, unlike his predecessor Steve Sarkisian, should be at Washington for the long haul. He is disciplined, innovative, and has a personality you cannot help but like as a Husky fan.
The expectations are sky high for this very young team thanks to several great recruiting classes. There is a sense that Husky football has returned to relevancy, whether they break through this season or are still a year away.
GMC:
Critics and pollsters rated the Huskies fairly highly coming into the season, but after playing a trio of cupcakes and a lukewarm performance against Arizona, the undefeated Huskies are still kind of a mystery. What do you know for sure about this team?
UWDP:
The hype train certainly hit a snag in the desert last Saturday night. I was surprised that everyone thought the Huskies would walk all over Arizona. I believe I was the only member of our staff not to predict a blowout win for the Huskies, but I was caught up in it a bit as well as I forecasted a 10-point Husky win, thinking that was as close as it could possibly be. The fact is, you don’t just go on the road and assume you will beat down Pac-12 opponents. This conference is too tough, and when you are ranked as highly as Washington and Stanford are, you will get everyone’s best effort each week. The game could have been a blowout in the second half, but it wasn’t. The fact that the Huskies were able to reclaim momentum and win in overtime showed me that they have some grit.
As far as what I know for sure about this team? I know that I have no idea how good they actually are yet.
GMC:
Jake Browning missed the Stanford game last year, but we've still heard lots about him. What are his strengths and weaknesses?
UWDP:
If I was to compare Jake Browning to a famous quarterback, I would liken his skill set to that of Joe Montana. He will not blow you away with arm strength or athleticism, but he is really smart, extremely accurate, has great touch, and has sneaky foot speed and escapability. He has an outstanding ability to read the defense and often will audible the Huskies into a successful play. From a weakness standpoint, he is still holding the ball a tad too long sometimes instead of just trusting his reads, almost like he wants to make sure that what he thinks he sees is what is actually there. Last season his deep balls were overthrown, but he has not had that problem so far in 2016. He did, however, underthrow two bombs against Arizona where his receivers had a step.
GMC:
What about the Husky running game? How do the running backs fit into the offense?
UWDP:
The running game has been a real mystery. What everyone thought they knew about the Huskies entering 2016 is that running back Myles Gaskin would have a big year and be counted on to carry the team. Chris Petersen likes a balanced mix of run and pass and last year Gaskin ran for over 1,300 yards as a true freshman, but has yet to really get untracked. The first three games were all essentially over in the second quarter, so there was a sense that he just hadn’t gotten into rhythm. Last week UW ran for over 350 yards against Arizona, but it was reserve junior Lavon Coleman who had the big night (11 carries, 181 yards). Just when everyone is thinking there is something wrong with Gaskin, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him shine Friday against by far the toughest defense the team has faced this season.
GMC:
What can we expect to see from the UW defense? Who are the stars on that side of the ball?
UWDP:
Stars aplenty. All-American Budda Baker runs the show from his free safety position, but he will line up all over the field. All-Pac 12 corner Sidney Jones has been thrown at roughly twice per game, and I just saw a stat that he has allowed only 20 receiving yards all season according to Pro Football Focus. The inside linebackers (Azeem Victor and Keishawn Bierria) are stellar. The defensive line is outstanding and deep led by nose tackles Vita Vea and Greg Gaines. Defensive lineman Elijah Qualls may just be the best player on the entire defense and is playing at a really high level. The weakness of the defense at this point is the outside pass rush. Strongside outside linebacker Psalm Wooching is a bit of a whipping boy for Husky fans.
This is a defense that will allow yards and first downs, but rarely gives up big plays. Last week that was not the case as Arizona quarterback Brandon Dawkins got loose a few times. That will need to be shored up with the top big-play threat in the conference coming to town in the form of Christian McCaffrey.
GMC:
What's your prediction for the game? Give me a score and an idea about how you think it'll play out.
UWDP:
I think this will be a low scoring affair, so go ahead and bet the over because I’m sure I’ll be wrong. Honestly, the team that makes the most mistakes is going to lose this game. With the Huskies being at home, I like their chances to minimize the miscues. One thing that the Husky defense has been great at the past two seasons is making average quarterbacks look dreadful. I think Ryan Burns falls in the ‘average’ category for a Pac-12 QB, so UW should be able to get him to throw them a bone if they can get Stanford behind the sticks and make David Shaw deviate from his conservative game plan. I see both teams moving the ball but having trouble scoring.
I’ll call it Washington 17, Stanford 13.
