Throughout my life I’ve only been able to witness the worst of Washington Husky Football. From the Rick Neuheisel NCAA infractions that haunted UW for a number of years, to the disastrous 2008 Husky football team, which became the first team to go winless in a Power-5 conference. But now the revitalized Huskies are poised for a wonderful season and I believe this is the year we’ll visit that success that Don James granted us back in the 90’s.
The Dawgs have already started this season 4-0, and that fourth win came in a heated battle with the Arizona Wildcats, who were missing 4 starters due to injuries. That may seem unacceptable for a team as hyped up as the Huskies are, but you have to remember, football is all about matchups. Sure, the Dawgs defense allowed 308 rushing yards against an Wildcat team that was missing their starting running back, but it’s not like their running back ran all over us. The Wildcats Quarterback Brandon Dawkins rushed for 176 yards – and we haven’t faced a quarterback with that kind of speed all year. This game gave the Dawgs a reality check that will eventually benefit the team later this year.
Now for the game everybody is talking about. The No. 7 ranked Stanford Cardinal and the No. 10 ranked Huskies are facing off for what looks like the battle for the Pac-12 North and a berth in the Pac-12 championship game. Many are scared of what Heisman candidate Christian McCaffrey will do to this Husky defense that was ripped apart the week before, but what people have to remember is that this week Huskies don’t have to focus on a quarterback making plays. Stanford signal caller Ryan Burns has not thrown for more than 160 yards this year, and has never been against a tough defense like the Huskies’. Also, this Husky offense has been rolling defenses all year. The Huskies have scored 35 points in all 4 of their wins this year and the Dawgs have scored the 3rd most touchdowns out of all schools. Lavon Coleman might’ve gotten himself the starting role on offense after his amazing performance last week, racking up 181 rushing yards and a touchdown.
If the Huskies can pull off this win on Friday, their chances of going undefeated rise immensely. As of now, the Dawgs only matchup with a ranked team comes against the 18th ranked Utah Utes, and the Utes struggled to beat a 1-3 USC Trojans, who got destroyed by Alabama 52-6. Any way you spin in, this Washington Huskies team is something special, and I can’t wait to watch this team succeed in the games to come.
Graphic by: Maggie Udd
Oh my god that cover art is amazing, who did that!?