Washington Huskies: 4 Takeaways from 20-13 win over Stanford
Herb Nightengale
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A last-minute touchdown propelled the Washington Huskies to a 20-13 win over Stanford on Saturday night. Here are our top takeaways.
The Washington Huskies hosted Stanford Saturday Night for Pac-12 After Dark. UW played toe-to-toe with their hosts before scoring the winning touchdown with 21 seconds left in the game. Here are our top four takeaways from the 20-13 win.
Moving the ball
Washington effectively ran the ball against Stanford, who gives up over two hundred yards a game. The Huskies looked like last year’s team instead of the shell they’ve been so far in 2021. They had 41 carries on the night against just 25 passing attempts.
Coming into the game, Kamari Pleasant led the team in rushing with 259 yards. He didn’t have a carry all night, but UW’s running attack turned it on without him. Sean McGrew had a big night running the ball 19 times for 99 yards. Backfield mate Cameron Davis had 99 yards on 18 carries.
Despite a big rushing attack, the Washington Huskies were held to four field goals until the last possession of the game. Twice the Huskies had makeable fourth down attempts in the fourth quarter, but Stanford stopped them cold.
It was a good thing they ran the ball well. Washington didn’t have much success throwing until the final play.
Ice Water
Late in the game, Washington looked like they were going to set up for their fifth field goal of the game. Instead, quarterback Dylan Morris threw a pinpoint pass to Jalen McMillan in the endzone for a touchdown with 21 seconds left in the game.
The Huskies went on to make a two-point conversion. The only chance Stanford had was to make a tying touchdown which they couldn’t do.
Defensive turnaround
For the first time in a long time, the Huskies were able to stop an opponent’s running game. They held Stanford, a team that averages 203 yards a game, to only 71 yards on 27 carries. Instead, the Cardinal used short passes to control the ball. Tanner McKee completed 21 passes for 194 yards, but most of them came after the catch. The Huskies prevented Stanford from throwing deep.
Freshman steps up
Washington Huskies freshman linebacker Carson Bruener had the best game of his short college career. Saturday night, he started in place of Eddie Ulofoshio, Bruener, son of former Husky tight end Mark Bruener, seemed to be all over the field. He led the Huskies with 15 tackles (11 solo), along with a sack.
Wrap up
The Huskies are now 3-2 in the Pac-12 tied for third place in the north division with Oregon State, who lost to Cal 39-25, Saturday afternoon. Next week the Washington Huskies take on Oregon at Husky Stadium. The Ducks are currently at the top of the Pac-12 with a 4-1 record. A UW win ties them with Oregon, but the Huskies will have to play their best game of the year to pull it off.
What were your takeaways from the Washington Huskies win? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.