Washington Huskies host Arizona this week

  |  
Nov 19, 2020
Washington Huskies football
Kamari Pleasant, Washington Huskies.

After a successful 2020 debut last week, the Washington Huskies host Arizona on Saturday.

The Washington Huskies beat Oregon State last week 27-21 in a game as close as the score indicates. This Saturday, they host the Arizona Wildcats at Husky Stadium. Kickoff is 5 pm PST. 

Washington Huskies

Going into this game, the Huskies have to clean up some things to beat Arizona. Against Oregon State, UW ran for 267 yards on 49 carries (5.45 yards-per-carry). The running attack will be the strength of the Huskies offense this week as well, considering the Wildcats yielded almost the same YPC against USC last week. 

Dylan Morris starting his first game at quarterback for the Huskies, completed 14-of-24 passes for 141 yards. Early on, the receivers had trouble with dropped passes, and the redshirt freshman had several attempts deflected the defense. Most importantly, Morris didn’t turn the ball over in his debut.

Washington did a great job against the pass. They held Oregon State to just 85 yards through the air. Sophomore outside linebacker Zion Tupuola-Fetui made a big impression in his first UW start. He had two sacks, two tackles for loss.

Both sacks caused fumbles. One of which Washington converted into a touchdown several plays after. That’s why Tupuola-Fetui earned Pac-12 Defensive Lineman of the Week honors. An excellent way to start his first game in Husky purple. 

Defending the run was a different story. OSU star running back Jermar Jefferson had 133 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown. 

One other area that needs improvement is on special teams, especially the punting unit. On their first series, the Huskies were forced to kick. Punter Race Porter watched as the ball sailed over his head. The ensuing events included a blocked punt and Oregon State recovery for a touchdown.

Arizona Wildcats

Arizona lost a close game to USC 34-30 last week in their season opener. That loss made it eight straight defeats for the Wildcats. The streak began last year with a 51-27 home loss to the Huskies.

Wildcats sophomore quarterback Grant Gunnell completed 24-of-36 for 286 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Gunnell is also a threat to run; he gained 40 net yards against the Trojans. 

Wet Track

The weather in Seattle this week has been quite wet. That won’t change for the game. So running the ball will be important for both teams. Judging by last week’s results, Washington has a huge advantage. They have three running backs they can get it done against any team.

Seniors Kamari Pleasant and Sean McGrew get it done with finesse, while sophomore Richard Newton runs like a bulldozer. Arizona running back Gary Brightwell ran for 112 yards and 5.3 per-carry against USC. The Huskies defense needs to keep close tabs on him.

Check back with us on Sunday for our takeaways from the game. Go Dawgs!!

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