Conference play is finally upon us, and for Arizona Football, this weekend comes with a monumental challenge of playing Top 10 ranked, and conference foe, Washington Huskies.
In short, Washington is a good team! Just how good is definitely the question we will have answered this weekend.
The Wildcats have a real gut check on Saturday, and this game should provide a lot of insight into the two teams facing off.
What do we know about Arizona? Our defense has played pretty inconsistently, we lack depth, and we are not sure who will play quarterback this weekend.
Not exactly a ton of positive takeaways, considering the Huskies come into Tucson at 3-0 and averaging just over 49 points per game.
Perhaps the good news? These teams have been trading victories every single year since 2008, based on which is playing at home. Worth noting the game is in Tucson this year. Could it be another upset?
The home team has won the last 8 between @UW_Football & @ArizonaFBall. https://t.co/1nKChnVdIO #UWvsAZ pic.twitter.com/n1BtCvuACI
— Winsipedia (@Winsipedia) September 19, 2016
Arizona will have their hands full this weekend. The Huskies have some great players all over the football field, and from his latest interview, head coach Rich Rodriguez has indicated, Washington has at least seven NFL-ready players on defense currently According to Rich Rodriguez, all on the Huskies defense.
So with that, we look at the Three Things to know about Washington entering Saturday’s game.
1. Quarterback Jake Browning is the real deal!
The sophomore out of Folsom, CA had a pretty decent year for the Huskies last season. As a true freshman, Browning threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also arguably had his best game against the Wildcats last season.
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As you may recall, Browning threw for 263 yards and four touchdowns, and he also added a rushing touchdown. The Huskies throttled the Wildcats in Seattle, 49-3 last year.
So far in 2016, Browning is off to a great start and after a year under head coach Chris Petersen, he looks poised to have a strong season.
Arizona’s defense is still very much in question this year, and it could perhaps be another big day for Browning. Especially if Arizona’s secondary falters and the defensive line is unable to get a steady pass rush on Browning.
2. Washington’s Defense is good!
As noted before, Washington has some really talented players on defense, and the Huskies may be one of the best defenses the Wildcats will see all year. Junior linebacker Azeem Victor seems to be one of the early leaders of that group, and Washington is pretty stout on that side of the ball to start the year.
Competition aside, the Huskies are stifling. Allowing just 10 points per game, their scoring defense ranks 3rd overall, and their total defense is 15th, allowing just 269 yards per game.
Regardless of who is under center this weekend, Arizona is going to need all hands on deck offensively, if they hope to win this one.
The offensive line is going to have to come up big, and Arizona is going to need big plays from the likes of Nick Wilson, Nate Phillips, Trey Griffey, and perhaps now the freshman phenom, JJ Taylor.
3. The Huskies are untested
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That’s right. You heard me! Are they a good team? Yes absolutely, but the question as I had stated earlier, is just how good is this team?
Record and stats aside, let’s face it, Washington has played nobody. Easy to run up the score when you’re playing the likes of Portland State, Rutgers, and Idaho. All those teams are at the very most equivalent of, if not worse than Hawaii.
So it is at least fair to say Washington hasn’t been tested yet, and from the looks of their scores (48-13, 59-14, 41-3), we would say that’s about right.
We’re not saying Arizona is going to knock off the Huskies, but the possibility is there, and in college football you never know. After all, Rich Rodriguez and the Wildcats tend to have a knack for knocking off a Top 25 ranked team every season.
Here’s this weeks Wildcat Weekly with Brian Jeffries, Rich Rodriguez and special guest, Michael Barton who has been leading in tackles on defense.
Next: Arizona vs Hawaii: Big Plays, who Shined, what needs Improvement
At Zona Zealots, we’re excited to see more football action this weekend, and hope the Wildcats bring out their best this Saturday! BearDown, Arizona, beat the Huskies!