Washington (5-4) at Oregon State (4-4)
7:30 p.m.
Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon
Line: Washington -10
TV: FS1 Radio: KOMO 1000
The Huskies enter Friday night’s contest at Oregon State, struggling. Washington’s lost consecutive home games to Oregon and Utah. In both games, the Huskies had double-digit leads but failed to to finish the games. That’s something that head coach Chris Petersen and the team knows they must get right.
“We got to figure out a way to be a better finishing team in the fourth quarter without question” Chris Petersen said on the loss to Utah and the lack of their ability this year to finish games.”And some of that is, it’s not want to. It’s execution, it’s confidence, it’s belief. You know it’s all those type of things. And we’re doing everything in practice to try and recreate some of those situations.”
Washington will be heading to Corvallis facing a hot Oregon State team. Former UW offensive coordinator Jonathan Smith has done a tremendous job at OSU so far. The Beavers sit just two wins away from an unexpected bowl game.
A big reason for Oregon State’s success this year is their dynamic offense. Led behind senior quarterback back Jake Luton’s stellar play. Luton has passed for 1,930 yards, 19 touchdowns, and has thrown just one interception. Luton’s favorite target happens to be one of the best wide receivers in college football – Isaiah Hodgins. The 6-foot-4 junior ranks No. 6 in the nation in receiving yards – with 895. Through eight games, Hodgins’ has caught 12 touchdowns. OSU also has talented running back Jermar Jefferson who has been banged up this year. Jefferson is still averaging 5.1 yards per carry. The Beavers’ offense is averaging 32.0 points per game.
Washington’s inconsistent offense should be able to get back on track this week against an Oregon State defense that has struggled. The Beavers rank tied for 103rd in the country in scoring defense – allowing 32.4 points per game. Quarterback Jacob Eason is coming off his worst game of his career at Washington. Eason had three turnovers in Washington’s loss to Utah. Eason attempted a staggering 52 passes going against the best rush defense in college football. This week should be much easier on the ground for UW. The Beavers rank No. 93 in run defense – allowing 186.1 yards per game on the ground.
Three keys to the game
1. Run the Rock
Washington must get back to their identity, which is to run the ball at will. When they Huskies are running the ball and setting up the play action pass that is where they are at their best on offense. Too many times this year they have abandon the run and decided to go full out “air raid”. There’s no reason the Huskies shouldn’t rush for 200 plus yards against a struggling OSU defense.
2. Finish the Game
Washington had chances against California, Oregon, and Utah to take three score leads and failed to step on the gas. Instead, they faltered and lost all three games. This is a game where the Huskies, if they play their best game, can end this game early. The longer they let Oregon State hang in this game, the better chance the Beavers have at pulling an upset. Finish!
3. Limit Oregon State’s big plays
Oregon State quarterback Jake Luton has just one interception all year and is still not scared to make the big play. Luton has 27 pass plays of 20 or more yards and 13 plays of 30 or more yards. This is a game the Huskies’ defense must make Oregon State work all the way down the field and try and hold them to field goals.
The Prediction
A Friday night road game is never easy in this conference. But the Huskies will face a team that on paper they are better across the board. This is an improved Oregon State team but their four wins have come against Cal Poly, UCLA, California, and Arizona. Last time they faced a team as talented as Washington, resulted in a 52-7 home loss to Utah. Washington gets back to their identity and rushes for over 200 yards in a comfortable win.
Washington 41 Oregon State 24
