When Washington has the ball
It is going to be rainy and chilly at the stadium tonight. One would hope that this would be the type of night to feature Chris Polk and Jessie Callier. Jake Locker returns after taking a game off to help heal a broken rib. Jake looked good in practice all week and says he feels pretty good. UCLA doesn't defend the pass very well so look for the Huskies to try to exploit that during the evening if the weather allows.
When UCLA has the ball
The Bruins aren't a good passing team even though second string QB Richard Brehaut has been showing some improvement. Look for the Bruins to attempt to run the ball all night at Washington. The Pistol has sparked UCLA's ground game enough that they are currently the third best rushing team in the conference. Washington needs to stop the run and force the Bruins into a lot of third and long situations. If Washington can achieve that it will be a long night for the Bruins.
Matchups
Quarterback : Washington
Running Backs : Washington
Receivers : Washington
Offensive Line : Even
Defensive Line : Even
Linebackers : Washington
Secondary : Even
Special Teams : UCLA
Intangibles
Jake Locker returns to start at QB for Washington.
The Bruins have rushed for 210 yards or more in their four wins but held under 200 yards rushing in each of their five losses.
The Bruins have run the ball well this year, and the Huskies rank 118th in the nation in run defense (219.6 yards per game).
Sarkisian Quotes
"I want to make sure it's an advantage. I think sometimes those emotional senior nights can be to a disadvantage. You get caught up so emotionally you start thinking about the past and everything that has gone on and you lose sight of the task at hand and what is right in front of us so it's going to be a real challenge for us as seniors and coaches to focus on the task at hand to leave some of the emotional feeling for after the game in the locker room. I think all of them would agree that the biggest thing here is they want to go out and play well in their last ball game in Husky Stadium and then maybe reminisce afterward in the locker room with their teammates.''
Neuheisel Quotes
"Well, I think that there were a lot of mistakes made. Certainly I made some. But it's been seven years. My last year coaching there was 2002. So there has been ample time to fix things. And I know they are excited about the regime that is in there now, and they've got guys who are good football coaches and are doing a good job recruiting, so I'm sure it will turn here quickly.''
Factoids
Neuheisel is 3-0 against Washington during his career.
Rick Neuheisel is the last Washington coach to lead his team to a bowl game.
UCLA leads the series 38-29-2 with eleven of those wins coming in the last 13 games.
UW will wear the long awaited black uniforms for this game which is being titled as a blackout.
Top RB recruit Brendan Bigelow will be a visitor at the game.