Washington faces off against Utah on Friday night for the Pac-12 Championship. The game kicks off at 5 p.m. on FOX. Here are my keys to Washington becoming Pac-12 champions…….
1. Gaskin, Gaskin, and more Gaskin
Back on on September 15, Myles Gaskin rushed 30 times for 143 yards and a touchdown in a 21-7 Washington win at Utah. It was a game that turned into a defensive struggle while Myles Gaskin did his best to showcase his elite skills. Utah’s rush defense comes in at No. 5 in the country allowing just 100.3 yards per game on the ground. But when you have a RB like Gaskin and a veteran offensive line with a healthy Trey Adams you don’t change anything. The Huskies must give the ball to Gaskin at least 25-35 times and let him go to work.
2. Make Jason Shelley beat you
Utah will be without starting QB Tyler Huntley after suffering a season ending injury back on November 3 at Arizona State. Jason Shelley, the backup, has played nicely in his place. Shelley has started three games and has won all three. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound freshman has thrown for 723 yards, one TD, and one interception this year. Shelley has also rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns. But Jason Shelley has yet to see a defense like Washington’s. The three games the freshman has started against were Oregon, at Colorado, and BYU. Out of the three, BYU was the only team ranked (No. 29) in the top-50 in the country in scoring defense. The Huskies rank No. 8 in scoring defense, allowing 16.5 points per game. In other words, UW must stop the Utes’ running game and make them air it out.
3. Continue the fast starts
The Huskies have outscored their last three opponents (Washington State, Oregon State, and Stanford) 70-23 in the first half. A fast start is especially important against Utah with how good they are defensively. The last thing the Utes want is to get into a 14-0 hole with a backup running back and backup QB against one of the best defense’s in college football.
4. Take care of the football
In Washington’s first meeting with Utah they won the turnover battle 3-1. This is a game that features two elite defenses and protecting the ball is extremely important especially on their own end of the field. Field possession will be huge in a game like this and turning the ball over on your own end of the field could be the deciding factor. Washington is +1 in turnover margin (17 turnovers gained, 16 lost turnovers). Utah is +2 in turnover margin (19 forced turnovers, 17 turnovers gained).
5. Get Hunter Bryant the ball early and often
Washington’s second best offensive player might just be sophomore tight end Hunter Bryant. The 6-foot-2, 224-pound star TE missed most of the season before returning a few weeks ago. Bryant had his coming out party last week in the Apple Cup against Washington State, catching three passes for 108 yards and a TD. If Washington gets the running game going early look for Hunter Bryant to make some big plays down the field.
