Blogging with the Enemy: Washington Huskies

Suddenly, the Cardinal has arrived at the fulcrum of the teeter totter. A win over Washington on Saturday evening would move Stanford to 6-3 and, believe it or not, keep them at least partially alive in the race for Pac-12 North championship. A loss would drop them to the second tier of that division, scuffling alongside perennial cellar dwellers Oregon State and Cal. Forty-eight hours from now, the season will be going in one direction or the other; the see-saw will go up, or it will go down.

The Huskies, of course, present a formidable challenge. Heading into the season they were an almost unanimous choice to win the Pac-12, and many pundits tabbed Washington as a potential playoff team. Even after that early loss to Auburn, there was still hope. But like the Cardinal, the Huskies have been struggling of late, losing two of their last three games. Losing by three points on the road to the surging Oregon Ducks was understandable, but last week's upset at the hands of the pitiful Cal Bears was certainly the most surprising result of the Pac-12 season.

The winner of Saturday's game will still have all their goals in front of them. Washington, in fact, controls its Rose Bowl destiny; if they win out, they'll be in Pasadena on January 1. Stanford would need to win out and get some unlikely help.

The good news for the Cardinal is that things are beginning to look better, and the team is slowly beginning to get healthier. Bryce Love is still a game-time decision -- which means "don't hold your breath" -- but each week the offensive line gets a bit closer to what we hoped to see this season.

There's also this -- K.J. Costello is getting better each week. He's really only played about a season's worth of games, and he shows us something new in each start. He's going to have to continue that improvement for the Cardinal to have a chance this week. I think he will. For the Cardinal to win this game, the offense is going to have cover for the deficiencies of a defense that continues to struggle. Essentially, the offense is going to have to hold serve while hoping the defense can come up with a break or two somewhere along the way. All of that will translate to a narrow Stanford victory in a 34-31 shootout.

For a look at things from a Husky perspective, I reached out to John Sayler from UW Dawg Pound. (You can also read my answers to his questions about the Cardinal over on his site.) Read on...

GMC:
They were initially thought of as the Pac-12's best hope for the playoffs, but losses in two of the last three games, including a surprising defeat at the hands of the lowly Cal Bears, have changed all that. Even so, the Huskies still control their own Rose Bowl destiny. What's the state of the team right now?

Dawg Pound:
I knew it was a bad sign when everyone in the pre-season thought the Huskies were far and away the best team in the Pac-12. This conference is just too hard to predict, and talented teams and coaches run deep. The Huskies were expected to be as good as they were in 2016, and that has just simply not been the case.

I’m sure inside that Husky locker room, the state of the team is one of confidence and focus. The state of the fanbase on the other hand, is full-on freak out mode. Losing to Cal was ugly, but I give Justin Wilcox and his staff credit, they have turned that team around and their defense is playing well.

As you mention, if the Huskies win their last three games, they are in the Rose Bowl. I think this team is still really good, but they haven’t put together a really good game in a while. If they get things going –especially in the running game—watch out, because the defense is still outstanding and Jake Browning will kill you if he has a successful running game.

GMC:
Quarterback Jake Browning was benched during that Cal loss, and there was some talk afterwards that Coach Petersen might be considering a permanent change. Even so, he seems to having a consistent, if not great, season. What are you seeing from him this year, and what do you expect going forward?

Dawg Pound:
I was really shocked when Petersen pulled Browning in the 3^rd quarter last week. He didn’t seem to be playing particularly poorly, but the offense as a whole was struggling. I guess he was going with the philosophy that you “can’t bench the whole team.” It pretty much backfired as backup Jake Haener threw the decisive pick-six, and when Browning was put back in, he couldn’t rally the Dawgs for the winning score.

Browning has been good most of the time, especially when he has a clean pocket or room to step up and scramble. But he continues to make horrible plays under pressure. Twice this season (once last week) he has thrown an interception while attempting to throw the ball away. Instead of throwing it WAY out of bounds, he left if close enough to the sideline for a defender to make the catch. That’s just totally inexcusable.

Going forward, the Huskies need Jake Browning, and they need him to be at his best. I have a feeling he bounces back this week with a solid game.

GMC:
Who are Browning's favorite targets in the passing game?

Dawg Pound:
Aaron Fuller got off to a great start this year, recording four 100+ yard games in the Huskies first six contests. But he had only one catch last week, and only two against Oregon. Tough to tell what is going on there, but I’d wager that he is not getting open as often. Ty Jones has been Browning’s favorite target lately, and the 6-4 sophomore is definitely the most talented weapon Washington has in the passing game. Andre Baccellia is steady as the #3 wide receiver, but the Huskies took at hit to their depth when Quinten Pounds was lost for the season with injury, and speedy Chico McClatcher left the team for personal reasons. Big things were expected from McClatcher this season after missing most of last year with injury. He just never got it going this season, and we hope to have him back in the program when he gets things sorted out.

GMC:
Running back Myles Gaskin is perhaps the most under appreciated player in the conference. His numbers are down this year, but he's still on track to finish with his fourth thousand-yard season. So two questions: what have you seen from this year, and what has he meant to the program for these four years?

Dawg Pound:
Gaskin injured his shoulder in the UCLA game, and while he played against Oregon, it was only sparingly while nursing the injury. He has not played at all the past two weeks. If you ask Chris Petersen, he will probably say that Myles is “getting close” or something like that, which is just code for “I’m not going to tell you.”

The Huskies really miss his consistency, and while backup Salvon Ahmed is a very talented back, the Dawgs only have the “two” of their one-two punch at running back. Ahmed isn’t healthy either, so it has been 3^rd and 4^th string running backs Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant getting most of the carries.

Gaskin has been great to watch for four years as he and Browning have helped put Husky football back on the national radar. He’s as humble as they come and such a slippery and powerful runner. The Huskies really need him healthy if they are to win out and take the North.

GMC:
The Stanford offense has been at its best when K.J. Costello is throwing to his big tight ends and wide receivers, particularly J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. What can we expect to see in response from the Washington secondary, which is often the best in the conference? How good is that group this year?

Dawg Pound:
That group is great. Last season against Stanford, UW was playing without its two starting corners, and Costello and JJ took full advantage of that. I’m sure that the big targets will be featured regularly, and the Huskies just have to cover better. Seven-footers in basketball don’t always get the rebound if they are boxed out properly by a smaller player. That’s what UW has to do with Whiteside and company. Just be in good position, rotate the safety help, and make the play on the ball before the receiver can. It’s easier said than done, but this Husky secondary is full of talented players. You will sometimes see Washington employ seven defensive backs, and five or six regularly. Costello has not faced a Pac-12 defense this good on the back end, and we’ll see how he does.

GMC:
The Huskies are big favorites on Saturday -- I don't remember the last time the Cardinal was a double-digit underdog. What has to go wrong for the Huskies to lose this game?

Dawg Pound:
Jake Browning has to be good. He doesn’t have to be great, but he cannot give away possessions with mistakes. If Stanford can cover his initial reads and force him to try to make a play when one is not there to be made, that’s where it goes horribly wrong for UW. If Gaskin can’t go and the running game struggles, it puts extra pressure on Browning and the passing game.

Defensively, they need to stop the run. I know the Cardinal haven’t had their usual dominant running game this season, but that’s still how you win. If they can establish some success running the football it will set up Costello to make more plays in the passing game. One-dimensional attacks have not had success against Washington’s good defenses the past few years, so if Stanford wants to throw it 45 times, the Huskies would probably take that.

GMC:
Finally, what's your prediction? Give me a final score and your best guess as to how we get there.

Dawg Pound:
I know Stanford will come ready to play like every team has this season against UW. That’s what you get when you are the hyped-up favorite in the conference. No one has any trouble at all getting fired up for the Husky game on their schedule.

But the defense for Stanford has struggled, as has the ground attack. I think the Huskies get the running game going later on in this one after Jake Browning finds some success through the air. He has to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder after being benched last week. This team knows what is at stake, and I expect them to play with focus for the first time since week five against BYU.

Washington 34, Stanford 24