Here are my takeaways from Washington’s 41-14 win over Washington State……..
1. What a night on Montlake
Washington opened up with a 75-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a 2-yard Myles Gaskin touchdown. The drive set the tone for the game and there was no looking back from there.
The Huskies added two more touchdowns and a field goal, to go up 24-0 at the half. And the rout was on from there.
Tonight, looked more like the 2016 Huskies. Washington ran the ball at will like they did so many times last year. The Huskies rushed for 328 yards and averaged 7.3 yards per rush. UW’s defense was back to creating turnovers and not letting up.
It was a game that all Husky fans have been waiting for all season. The previous nine wins were good but they weren’t like tonight. Something about the Apple Cup brings out the best in this team.
2. Death Row shines
Washington’s “Death Row” defense was back to being dominant after giving up 30 points in consecutive weeks. The Huskies harassed WSU QB Luke Falk all night long, forcing four turnovers and sacking Falk six times. WSU’s 14 points came in junk time in the fourth quarter.
In the famous words of former USC QB Todd Marinovich “All I saw was purple,” ringed true tonight. All Luke Falk saw was purple. Washington State finished with minus 24 yards rushing due to the sacks. WSU’s first 10 drives went like this – punt, punt, interception, fumble, punt, punt, interception, punt, interception, and punt.
“Absolutely, we always try to play our type of defense and always have good coaching from coach K. We understand what we are capable of when we play as a unit, tackle well, and play within ourselves. Every time we come out and bring our A-game the score is always going to look like that. That’s what we expect from each other,” Keishawn Bierria said after the win.
3. Apple Cup dominance
Washington’s Apple Cup dominance continues under Chris Petersen. The Huskies have now won five Apple Cups in a row – four of those wins coming with Petersen. Under Petersen, UW has won all four games by a combined score of 162-54. UW’s average winning margin in those games is 27 points.
The Washington Huskies now lead the all-time series 72-32-6.
4. This one’s for Bob
Bob Rondeau got to say his famous line of “touchdown Washington,” five last times tonight in Husky Stadium in Washington’s win over the Cougars. It was fitting for Rondeau calling his last game at Husky Stadium as UW’s play-by-play announcer.
“Well, happy for our seniors, happy for Bob Rondeau,” Coach Chris Petersen said after the game.
Husky fans have grown accustomed to Rondeau’s voice over his lengthy career at Washington. He has been the Dave Niehaus of Husky football.
It couldn’t have been a better way to go out for Bob Rondeau at Husky Stadium. “Touchdown Washington,” one more time on the shores of Lake Washington.
5. Program trending upwards
For the first time since 1990-91, the Washington Huskies have won 10 games in consecutive seasons. Despite some calling this a disappointing season, UW accomplished something that had only been done three other times in school history.
A lot of credit needs to go to the the seniors that set the tone for this team four years ago. Guys like Keishawn Bierria, Coleman Shelton, Azeem Victor, Lavon Coleman, Dante Pettis, and others paved the road for success.
And maybe most importantly, head coach Chris Petersen has changed the program completely. Petersen has put Washington back on the map. And so much so that an 11 win season could be viewed as a “disappointing” year for some.
So Husky fans, no they didn’t go to the playoff. No they didn’t win the Pac-12 Championship. But this program has come a long ways thanks to these players and coaches. The best is yet to come.
