The Washington Huskies take the field for the first time in a Big 10 conference matchup with the Northwestern Wildcats. The program is licking its wounds after an embarrassing loss in the Apple Cup where they gifted the Cougars 135 yards on penalties all while coming up one yard short of a win.
Penalties have been an issues in the first few games of the season. The Huskies surrendered 100 free yards to Eastern Michigan but was widely looked over because of the 30-9 result. Sometimes the lessons that stick are the ones that hurt the most.
Not only did Washington lose to a WSU team that had no business winning the game, but Washington now finds itself with a giant L before the toughest part of their schedule comes. Many thought that the Huskies would welcome Michigan to Husky Stadium with a perfect 6-0 record and a national ranking. Now the Huskies will not only have a loss, but an empty spot in their trophy room.
The good news is that there is plenty of time to right the ship and stack some wins before the teeth of the schedule comes in late October and November.
Northwestern is a prototype of the by-gone Big 10 West program. They play defense, they run the ball, and their quarterback will go on to have a successful career in something other than football.
The Wildcats have already made a move at quarterback when they moved on from Mike Wright, who was Will Rogers’ backup at Mississippi State. Before the benching, the Wildcat offense had failed to score a passing touchdown in its first two games.
Jack Lausch has taken over and had a solid first start against Eastern Illinois. The redshirt sophomore threw for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has a similar style to Cole Snyder who the Huskies faced in week 2.
The running back room has a player similar to Jonah Coleman in senior Cam Porter. Porter stands 5-10, weighs 215 pounds, and plays the part of battering ram. He excels in between the tackles for hard fought “Big 10 West” yards.
The Wildcats aren’t game breakers on the outside, but are productive in moving the chains. Senior pass-catcher AJ Henning has the ability to separate, but outside of that there aren’t many playmakers in the receiver room.
Defensively the Wildcats are solid at every position. They have a solid defensive line that will put the new Husky line to the test. They haven’t gotten home on many sacks this season, but rank as a defense in a similar light as Washington. The defense gives up about 4.7 yards per play and has limited explosive plays. Much of their success could be attributed to the quality of offense they have played so far. From a matchup standpoint the Huskies should be better at every position. The Huskies have yet to come close to playing a complete game so it is tough to know how they will do against a defense as sound as Northwestern.
On the defensive side of the ball Washington should have little problem dealing with the Northwestern offense that lacks explosive players. While Cam Porter poses a threat up the middle the Huskies boast Alphonzo Tupuatala at the linebacker position as well as Carson Bruener who Jedd Fisch said should be back this week.
Washington is favored by 10.5 going into the matchup with a total score of 42.5 meaning Vegas sees this game as a possible score 26-16. I see thins game going the route of long drives and few possessions.
Washington 24-13
Washington -10.5
Under 42.5
