Washington is coming into the Arizona game at home for the first time since beating Stanford and going 4-0 on the season. Since that win against the Cardinal, the Huskies have experienced two upsets on the road, one being an extremely disappointing loss to a 1-4 ASU team.

The Huskies need to right their wrongs and get back on track, and Realdawg’s Kaila Olin gives her three keys to how Washington can do just that.

Be Efficient in the Red Zone

Washington has struggled in red zone this season, specifically on goal to go situations. Against Michigan State in the first half, they turned the ball over on downs after 1^st and goal to go at the 1. Then again in the second half, the exact same situation played out except it started as 1^st and goal to go on the 2. The following drive after coming off of an interception and getting the ball at the 11, the Huskies had to settle for a field goal. On the road against Arizona State, Washington got down to the 11-yard line with a first down and needed to settle for 3-points. The Huskies in the second half of that game were at a 1^st and goal to go situation on the 8-yard line and should have turned the ball over on downs after not coverting on 4^th down from the 6. However, the officials bailed out the UW with a generous pass interference call against the Sun Devils and Washington was able to score on 3^rd down from the 1. If the Huskies aren’t better in the red zone, then this will be no easy win.

The Secondary Needs to Make Plays

The Washington secondary has been a glaring concern for this team the last couple of games specifically after being exposed by passing offenses. The Huskies are tied for 74^th in FBS in passing yards allowed per game and a concerning 107^th in passing efficiency defense by allowing their opponents to complete 114 passes on 180 attempts for 1,408 yards and 13 touchdowns. What may be even worse is that Washington is ranked 125^th in FBS in 3^rd down defense allowing their opponents to covert over 50% of their third downs with the passing defense being the most problematic in that regards. UCLA had seven of their 10 converted 3rd downs from the air, giving up 131 yards. Against ASU, the Sun Devils had seven of their nine 3^rd down conversions via the passing game for 102 yards. The secondary needs to have pass breakups, deflections, no misreads, takeaways, and all-around better plays if Washington wants to win.

Put More Pressure on Jayden de Laura

When Washington has been successful and came away with wins, the defense was getting in the backfield and putting pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. Washington went from having 15 sacks, eight of those coming against Stanford, in their 4-0 start to just one sack combined from their last two games where they went 0-2. Jayden de Laura is the second-best passer in the conference in terms of yards per game and total passing yards on the season. De Laura ranks 61^st in the FBS in passing efficiency with a 15-7 touchdown to interception ratio while completing 149 of 241 passes and he shows vulnerability to make mistakes when he gets pressure. Arizona has allowed eight sacks on the season thus far, so if the Huskies defense can get in the back and create pressure, not only will it create an opportunity for takeaways and stops, but it can also make a struggling Washington secondary’s day a lot easier.