The Washington Huskies take their National Championship quest to Stanford this week. Due to conference realignment, it could be the last regular season game in a rivalry that spans 130 years.
This week Washington Huskies take on the Stanford Cardinal on the road in Palo Alto, California. UW is still undefeated after a narrow 15-7 escape last Saturday night against Arizona State.
History
The long history between Washington and Stanford dates back to December 29, 1893. The overall series is close, with the Washington Huskies ahead 45-44-4. This could be their last game for some time as the Huskies go to the Big Ten and Stanford to the ACC.
Scouting Stanford
Stanford comes into this game with an overall 2-5 record, including 1-4 in Pac-12 play, good for 11th place. New Cardinal Head Coach Troy Taylor has his hands full, returning Stanford to its football heyday. He certainly has the pedigree, going 12-1 at Sacramento State last year to bring his three-year total to 30-8.
Offense
Offensively, the Cardinal averages 21.29 points a game. Not bad, considering they were wiped out at home by UCLA last week, 42-7. Two weeks earlier, Stanford upset Colorado in Boulder and has generally played better on the road.
Quarterback
The Cardinal go with a pair of sophomore quarterbacks to lead their offense.
Ashton Daniels is the starter and plays the most. This season, Daniels completed 60 percent of his passes for 1,225 yards with 8 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Justin Lamson hasn’t been as good, as evidenced by his 47.7 completion rate. The Syracuse transfer completed 31 passes for 416 yards with no touchdowns and a pick.
Running game
Taylor likes mobile quarterbacks. While his passing numbers aren’t strong, Lamson comes in often to run the ball. He leads the Cardinal in carries with 68, is second on the team with 2 rushing touchdowns, and his 159 yards are fourth.
Daniels is second in carries with 51 for 91 yards and no touchdowns. What’s scary for the Cardinal is that their passers have been sacked 25 times. In college football, sacks allowed count against the running yards. This could be a field day for Washington Huskies edge rushers or defensive linemen.
The Cardinal primary running backs, Casey Filkins and EJ Smith, have combined for 68 carries (the same amount as Lamson) for 380 yards and a touchdown each. Backup wide receiver Bryce Farrell leads the Cardinal with three touchdowns rushing on 15 carries.
Passing Game
Stanford’s offense has struggled this year in the air as well as on the ground. In a pass-happy conference, 8 aerial TDs in 7 games won’t cut it. Also, they need to protect the quarterback more. Their inexperienced offensive line, which includes two freshmen, has allowed 25 sacks.
Receivers
On the subject of inexperience, Stanford’s three starting wide receivers are a sophomore, a redshirt freshman, and the third is a true freshman.
Elic Ayomanor leads all Cardinal receivers. The redshirt freshman has 36 catches for 591 yards and 4 touchdowns. Senior tight end Benjamin Yurosek provides some experience and has a chance to play on Sundays when his college career ends. He is second on the team with 239 yards, and his 16 catches are third.
Defensive
While the Cardinal have more experience on defense than the offense, this unit isn’t very good either. They give up a conference-high 36.9 points per game and are second-to-last, allowing 465.9 yards.
David Bailey, a sophomore linebacker from Irvine, California, has been a bright spot this season. He has 5 of Stanford’s 16 sacks. Inside linebacker Gaethan Bernadel has a team-high 50 tackles.
Final thoughts
This game shapes up to be a rather one-sided affair. Oddsmakers have the Washington Huskies as a 26 point favorite, even after last week’s struggle against Arizona State.
Michael Penix should have a monster game against a team that gives up 37 points and 316 passing yards per game. UW’s offense averages 40 and 403, respectively. Washington Huskies receivers should have a field day against an underwhelming Cardinal secondary.
After this game, the competition picks up drastically for the Washington Huskies. USC, Utah, Oregon State, and the Apple Cup against Wazzu close out the 2023 regular season. Go Dawgs!
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