Washington is coming off of a huge high after taking down a ranked “Power 5” opponent in non-conference play for the firs time in 21 years. Realdawg’s Kaila Olin gives her three keys to how the Huskies can continue to ride that high into next week.
Emphasize the Ground and Pound on Offense
The playmaking ability with the receivers and Michael Penix Jr. is no longer in question after such an impressive outing against the Spartans. What still lingers slightly since Kalen DeBoer likes to emphasize a balanced offense is if the running backs can step up and put-up yards in the receivers have a bad game. Washington will face defenses that lock down the passing game and the rushers will need be relied on. The Huskies average 388.7 yards in the air per game and only 159.7 on the ground. If the UW can get some emphasis on the ground and pound to be reliable and keep defenses honest, it could be beneficial moving forward into conference play and a must against this Stanford team who has had an extra week off to game play and watch film on Washington.
Defensive Backs Need to Step-Up
Washington has allowed double the passing yards than they have rushing yards per game with 188 yards in the air compared to 90 yards allowed on the ground. With the top running backs for the Cardinal out due to injury, you can expect a ton of passing in this match-up. Stanford’s quarterback, Tanner McKee, is dangerous on the ground and with his arm. McKee has a long on the season of a 53-yard completion while averaging 8.5 yards per pass and a completion percentage of 67.7%. Some may remember that it was the legs of Tanner McKee by extending drives with long runs and 3rd down conversions that gave Washington the big upset in 2020 on Montlake. The defensive backs will need to step up and lock down the Cardinal receivers as the defensive line and linebackers have stepped up to help stop opponents’ run game.
The Team Needs to Play a Full Four Quarters
These two teams always play each other close and down to the wire. Playing a full four quarters goes for both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively. In their win against Michigan State, after the successful field goal in the fourth quarter, it looked as if the Huskies had definitely put the Spartans away. However, over the course of the final quarter, MSU found confidence as the defense allowed two more touchdowns and the offense didn’t put up any more points. While it was still an 11-point difference in the final score, Washington can’t let other teams, specifically the Stanford Cardinal gain any sort of momentum to potentially get back in the game, especially if it’s closer than the 25 point lead the UW had over MSU.
