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Seattle, WA -
Where: Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
When: Friday, September 30, 2016 @ 6:00 p.m. Pacific / 9:00 p.m. EST
TV Info: ESPN - Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (color) and Holly Rowe (sidelines) providing the commentary.
Radio Info: KOMO AM-1000/FM-97.7; Sirius (84) and XM (84)
Game-Week Previews: Our Game Week Coverage; and their Game Week Coverage for the game
How to Watch and Listen to the Huskies:
Audio Stream: TuneIn Radio
Video Stream: WatchESPN
History
It doesn’t get much more equal than this. The Huskies and Cardinal are at a deadlock: 41-41-4. Stanford has had the upper hand as of late, though that has been the case with just about every team Washington has played since 2003. The Huskies sucked for most of that time.
With the awfulness that was Washington Husky football, other teams had to fill in the gaping hole that was left. Stanford was glad to join the “Stomp-Washington” crowd, and stomp Washington they did. Since 2004, the Huskies have beaten the Cardinal a whopping 2 times in 11 tries. That’s a paltry 18.18% ... but who’s counting.
What really matters is what happens tonight, when two top 10 teams come together and beat the tar out of each other.
Numbers
0 - The number of times Stanford has scored more than 27 points this season.
0 - Stanford’s turnover margin.
1 - The number of times Stanford has had a 20+ yard run in the 4th quarter this season.
2.39 - Stanford opponents’ average yards per rush in the second half of each game this season.
3 - The number of times Stanford opponents have scored less than 14 points this season (against Stanford that is).
11 - The number of sacks Stanford’s defense has this season.
20 - The number of tackles for loss Stanford’s defense has this season.
40.48 - Washington’s third down conversion rate.
42.22 - Stanford’s third down conversion rate.
52 - Stanford’s passing percentage against Pac-12 teams this season.
86.67 - Washington’s redzone conversion rate.
100 - Stanford’s redzone conversion rate.
118.12 - Stanford opposing QB’s passer rating this season.
194.88 - Jake Browning’s passer rating this season.
Putting it all Together
Some things jumped out at me when I was looking at various statistics ... like they usually do. What jumped out at me this time was that Stanford is, once again, a dominant team on defense. Teams simply don’t score points on the Cardinal.
However, what was equally obvious, was the fact that Stanford’s offense is, at least according to Pac-12 standards, slightly below average. I suppose you could point out that Stanford has a 100% conversion rate in the red zone. Well, what I failed to mention (intentionally) is that Stanford has been in the redzone a total of 5 times. That’s right, you can count the number of times Stanford has been in the redzone through their first three games this season on ONE HAND.
Stanford has the big uglies on offense and defense to get things done. Fortunately for the Huskies, we also have the beef needed to compete with a team like Stanford.
The biggest problem for the Huskies is going to be containing all-world Christian McCaffrey. If they can do that, and actually put some points on the board, look out.
I imagine this game is going to go down to the wire. Bring your antacid for this one.
More Info
Vegas Odds
Washington is a 3.5 point favorite to win this game. That would be the first time in like a decade. The point spread is also very low, at 44.5. The “experts” are looking at a close, mildly low-scoring football game. Who am I to argue?
Game notes, where you can find the depth chart, more viewing information, and the winning powerball numbers.