Dylan Morris, Washington Huskies football.
Last week the Washington Huskies offense dominated Oregon State by running for 270 yards. This week UW featured both the run and pass. Arizona was ready for the Huskies ground and pound attack so quarterback Dylan Morris came out firing passes. Wide receiver Puka Nacua scored a touchdown on the Huskies first series with a nifty 65-yard catch and run. That scoring play was the beginning of an onslaught. The Huskies put up points on their first four possessions of the first half while holding their opponents scoreless.
By the end of quarter three, Washington held a commanding 37-0 lead. Arizona rallied back against the Huskies second string in the fourth quarter, but by then it was over. This was Arizona’s ninth loss. A streak that dates back to last year when Washington beat the Wildcats on October 12, 51-27.
We count down our three biggest takeaways from the blowout win.
The Huskies punting game was horrible against Oregon State from the get-go. This week Washington did much better. On the first series, Arizona had UW stopped, resulting in a fourth-and-one on the Huskies 30-yard line. However, Washington executed a successful fake on a direct snap to linebacker Jackson Sirmon who barrelled ahead for four yards and a first down. Three plays later Nacua took the ball to the house.
Race Porter only punted three times. The results were 126 yards and ZERO return yards. The kickoff coverage was good as well, holding Arizona to 71 yards on six returns.
The opener against Oregon State was a Washington Huskies run-fest. UW Head Coach Jimmy Lake indicated he was ready to do it again when he wore a “Run the damn ball” hat at his weekly presser. Arizona was in for a little surprise.
Morris went gunslinger on the Wildcats. He threw the ball with poise and confidence that only experience can bring. He showed an ability to get the ball out of his hand fast, with some zip on it. Washington effectively used the pass to open up run lanes. Once they got into enemy territory, the Huskies turned to their ground game to eat yards and control the clock.
The handwriting was on the wall after Nicua’s touchdown play, UW isn’t a one-dimensional team. As a matter of fact, the offense was very balanced in terms of production with 239 yards passing and 233 on the ground.
Morris finished the game 15-of-25 passing for 230 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers would have been better if not for a few tantalizingly close drops. Morris’ favorite target this game was tight end Cade Otton, who had seven catches for 100 yards with a touchdown. Sophomore Richard Newton led the rushing attack with 81 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries. His big play was a 54-yard touchdown run in the third quarter when he literally ran away from the Arizona defense.
For the second game in a row, the Huskies defense dominated play for the first three quarters. Surprisingly, Arizona decided to test the strength of Washington’s defense by throwing early and often. It was a bad strategy as the Wildcats ended up with only 45 yards for total offense in the first half. Trailing badly, they had no choice but to throw in the second half as well. The results in the third quarter were the same as the first two.
In the first half, Wildcats QB Grant Gunnell was seven-of-eleven passing for 33 yards. After 45 minutes, his passing yardage climbed to 45. It wasn’t until the Huskies replaced their starters for the fourth quarter, Arizona finally had some success. Too little, too late.
Gunnell was dropped five times and fumbled once (recovered by Washington). Linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui, who was the Pac-12 Defensive lineman of the Week for his performance against OSU, had another outstanding game. ZTF had a pair of sacks and a pass defended. MJ Tafisi, Ryan Bowman, and Edefuan Ulofoshio also had sacks.
If there is one area the Washington Huskies can count on it’s their strong defense.
The Huskies are scheduled to play Washington State in Pullman on Friday for the Apple Cup. Unfortunately, the Cougs game against Stanford on Saturday was canceled due to COVID-19 concerns at WSU. There is a good chance the Apple Cup might suffer the same fate. In that event, Washington’s next game would then be against Stanford at home on Saturday, December 5.