Last Saturday, the Washington Huskies struggled again to beat a team they should have handled.
For a second week in a row, the Washington Huskies allowed a vastly inferior team to stay in the game until the end. This week they did better than last, beating Stanford 42-33. Here are a few lingering thoughts after a much tougher-than-expected victory.
Another Slow Start
After the Arizona State power outage, the Washington Huskies should have started this game on fire. Far from it.
Yes, they scored on their first drive, but it was on a short field. Stanford punter Aidan Flinloft shanked a punt which gave UW the ball at midfield. It still took 8 plays and a 15-yard face mask penalty before Jack Westover scored the first touchdown.
After that, Washington had a pair of three and outs. The Huskies offense didn’t get in gear until the second quarter
Penix was Penix (or Not)
Optimist or pessimist? Both sides could argue their point after Saturday’s performance from Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix.
On the plus side, Penix threw for 369 yards and 4 touchdowns along with one interception. His TD throws were evenly balanced, two in the first half and two in the second. That included a 92 yard scoring strike to Ja’Lynn Polk in the second quarter.
There were some things for his detractors as well. Penix only completed 55 percent of his passes. That is surprisingly lower than the close to 70 percent he entered the game with and against a struggling defense that gave up 40 points each the three weeks prior to boot. Additionally, a quarter of his passing yard total came on one play as a result of blown coverage.
Man Down
Star wide receiver Jalen McMillan tried to return from the knee injury that kept him out of action for six weeks. He lasted only a few series before the injury forced him back to the sidelines.
Without McMillan, Huskies wide receivers had a few dropped passes and were generally good (and at times really good). Including the big play, Polk had 5 catches for 148 yards and a pair of scores. Rome Odunze led the team with 6 receptions. Tight end Devin Culp had one of his best days as a Husky, with 3 catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.
Still, number 11 is a difference-maker, and UW needs his contributions.
Where’s the D
Washington’s defense continued to struggle. The unit hasn’t dominated since game three against Michigan State.
The biggest thing they did right was making another great stop against Stanford late in the game, preserving their lead as they did against Oregon and Arizona State.
Not only did the Washington Huskies’ defense have trouble stopping quarterback Ashton Daniels from throwing the ball (31 of 48 for 367 yards and a TD), but Daniels also ran for 85 yards and picked up his first two rushing touchdowns of the season. He was the Cardinal running game for most of the day.
Next Saturday, the Washington Huskies take on USC in Los Angeles. Washington will need to step it up on both sides of the ball. Go Dawgs!
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