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Seattle, WA - In what seems like forever, the Huskies are finally playing at a reasonable time. With a late afternoon start time, the Huskies (4-4, 2-3) take on the stingy Utah Utes (7-1, 4-1), in a game that puts two of the best defenses in the Pact-12 in what appears to be a game no all that dissimilar to what LSU and Alabama were prone to doing to each other a few of years ago.
Where: Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium, Seattle, Washington
When: Saturday, November 7, 2015
4:30 p.m. Pacific; 5:30 Mountain
TV Info: Fox, with Joe Davis (play-byplay) and Brady Quinn (analyst)
and Kris Budden (sidelines) providing the commentary.
Radio Info: KOMO AM-1000/FM-97.7; Sirius (81) and XM (81)
Game-Week Previews: Our Game Week Coverage; and their Game Week Coverage for the game
(Just about everything you'll need to read before you catch the game.)
How to Watch and Listen to the Huskies:
Audio Stream: TuneIn Radio
Video Stream: Fox Sports Go
History
Washington is currently riding an 8 game winning streak against the Utes of Utah. They are also currently sporting a 1.000 winning percentage against Utah as well, as the teams have only played 8 times since their first meeting in 1931.
That was a barn-burner of a game, with the Utes visiting the Dawgs. It was a the season opener for both teams, and Utah was looking to continue their winning streak that had covered most of the previous three years. Here's the Deseret News Article that summarizes the game. The Utes out gained the Huskies in a sold out Husky Stadium 280 yards to 266. There wasn't a lot of offensive action, but the game had it's moments.
In the second quarter, with the game tied at zero, All-American halfback Merle Hufford did everything for the Huskies on their scoring drive. To set up his touchdown throw he gashed the Ute defense for 42 yards, and then promptly took the next snap and lofted it into wide receiver Bill Smith's outstretched arms. Then, Hufford kicked the extra point.
On the final drive of the game, Utah finally found some rhythm. They drove down to the Husky 20 yard line. In what probably looked like a zone read play, Ute QB Frank Chrisensen faked the hand off and then whipped the ball to the sideline, and receiver Sherman Clark who raced down the sideline and dove across the goal line for the tying touchdown. Utah's other QB went for the extra point, but defensive end Dave Nisbet blew threw the line and blocked the extra point. The final score was 7-6.
In more recent years, the Utes have had their issues with the Huskies. The Huskies won both games each of their prior games against the Utes with ease. Their average margin of victory was 18 points.
Numbers
Ute Offense
2.96 - Devontae Booker's average yards per rush in the red zone.
4.08 - Ute QB Travis Wilson's average yards per carry (on 72 carries).
4.38 - Booker's average yards per rush in the first three quarters
6.54 - Booker's average yards per rush in the 4th quarter.
7 - The number of times Booker has rushed for more than 20 yards this season.
9 - The number of rushing TD's Booker has this season.
25 - Booker's average rushing attempts per game.
59 - The percentage of the time Utah runs the ball.
68.9 - Wilson's completion percentage.
96.3 - The Ute's red zone conversion percentage (4th in the nation).
387.9 - Utah's average yards of total offense per game.
Ute Defense
5.22 - The average yards per play Ute opponents are getting.
6 - The number of fumbles the Utes have recovered.
13/13 - The number of passing TDs compared to interceptions the Utes have conceded/forced. (5 of those picks came against Cal)
18 - The number of passing plays that have gone for more than 25 yards against the Ute D.
21 - The number of sacks the Utes have accumulated.
81.48 - Utah's opponent's red zone conversion percentage.
113.13 - The number of rushing yards the Ute's are giving up each game.
250.5 - The number of passing yards they are giving up each game.
Questions Needing Answers
Offense:
Can we see two solid offensive performances in a row? How will the young O-line fare against Utah's solid front 7? Will we see another game without an offensive turnover? Will the receivers try and block again? Will Dwayne Washington or Miles Gaskin have more rushing yards?
Defense:
Can the D contain the mobile Travis Wilson? How many sacks will Travis Feeney get this week? Can the secondary continue to limit the big plays? Who is going to win the battle between Azeem Victor and Devantae Booker? What's the O/U on targeting calls this week?
Miscellaneous:
Will the streak continue? Can the Huskies win the turnover battle? How about the field position battle? Will the total score of the game be higher than 25?
Conclusion
There is every reason in the world for this game to be a defensive battle, with very little scoring taking place. Just look at how Utah played last week against Oregon State for some proof. The Husky offense is going to need to continue to take care of the ball. While the Ute secondary likes to give up big chunks in the passing game, their defense is also very opportunistic. If the Huskies can hold on to the ball, and can string 4 or 5 drives together, they will be able to score against the Utes.
On the other side of the ball, the Huskies are going to need to PUNISH Booker. They are going to need to lay it on hard and heavy in the first half of the game, and force Travis Wilson to have to step back in the pocket and/or make plays with his feet. While Wilson has shown a keen ability to pick up yards on broken plays, look for the Husky D to punish him for stepping outside the pocket.
I actually think the Huskies will win this game by at least 2 scores, as I think they are coming into this game extremely fired up, and ready to lay some serious lumber on the Utes. While I imagine the game will start of extremely slow for both teams, look for the Dawgs to take some shots downfield early in the game, and try to open up some big running lanes for Miles Gaskin and Dwayne Washington.
More Info
Pre-Game Dots
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This is a nice feature on Devantae Booker from the Sacramento Sun. He has a pretty good case fore being the best running back to ever come out of Sacramento. He also might hit the 1,000 yard mark before the end of the game on Saturday.
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KOMO ran this piece on Josh Perkins this morning. It's insightful, at a minimum. Can Perkins do enough to make it in the NFL? He's definitely trying.
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Mason Kelley hit a home run with this article on Husky linebacker Matt Preston. This kid is in the ROTC and is balancing football, college and military training.
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It looks like the Huskies are planning on catching punts almost 10 yards deeper than normal this week, because of the booming leg of Ute punter Tom Hackett.
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Here's some fun on ASU's "signal stealing." This snippet says everything I think you need to know about its effects on ASU's defense:
"Arizona State may be stealing signals, but it’s not doing a good job of converting that to effective play on the field."
Vegas Odds
Washington is currently sitting as a 1.5 point favorite, according to VegasInsider, with the line sitting at 44. This is the lowest line of the season for the Huskies, 1 point lower than the Utah State game..With their lights out performance last week, the Huskies are now 5-3 against the spread, and are looking to make it 6-3 in what is essentially a pick 'em game this weekend.
Gamethread
Don't forget to stop by the gamethread at some point during the game. I imagine things are going to look pretty bleak at the beginning of the game as both teams come out slow and stiff, However, it's always a good time, and, hey, since I don't consume alcohol, the more you guys drink, the more intelligent my comments appear!