That game was closer than it needed to be. the Huskies were huge favorites of a 2-6 Stanford team, and kept the Cardinal in it. While there where undoubtedly a lot of highs (mostly on offense) the Huskies had their fare share of lows in a 42-33 win in Palo Alto. Here are our takeaways:

Polk Hero: As Washington receiver Jalen McMillan continues to miss action Ja’Lynn Polk is making a name for himself. The former Texas Tech wide receiver has been leading the Huskies recently.

He was the man in the Huskies nine point win in a close game against Stanford. With Rome Odunze getting a lot of attention from opposing defenses his numbers are starting to slow up. Even so, Odunze posted 89 and a score but Polk was the man against Stanford.

With 148 yards and an impressive 2 touchdowns Polk was dominant. His 92 yard TD connection with Michael Penix was the biggest play of the night—and in Husky history. While both Polk and Odunze had their struggles with holding onto the football they made up for it with their scores and big play capabilities (and Odunze’s onside recovery).

Polk has been maybe the biggest riser in stock on this Washington team.

Something is Wrong:  Against Oregon, Arizona State, and now Stanford, UW is -6 in turnovers and they have been out-gained in each contest.  It’s unbecoming of a national championship contender—and something that seems will inevitably come back to bite them.

Something about this team just looks shaky. Odunze was the culprit for the Huskies today. With the red zone fumble, and the interception hitting his hands in the end zone.

That should have cost them the game, had Stanford’s fourth down pass not hit the ground off the hands of the Cardinal receiver, then this could  be a very different conversation today.

Washington has been lucky to be the more talented team in their last two games. While USC has been struggling that game will not be any easier. If the Huskies give that defense any breaks the offense will capitalize.

Big Game For The Tight Ends: A pleasant surprise for the Huskies was that tight end duo of Jack Westover and Devin Culp. The duo combined for six catches for 79 yards and a  24 yard Devin Culp touchdown. On the ground it was Jack Westover’s carry from the one yard line that got his touchdown. On an already loaded team that duo has stepping up to give defenses even more to watch out for.

Both have had their share of productive games and are anchorig themselves a real part in this offense.

When they’ve been asked to block they’ve done that well, and when asked to make plays on offense they have done as well as any receiver.

The Defense: It’s just not the Huskies we know. The defense is not scary. Bralen Trice had his fair share of pressures, and the Huskies picked up three sacks on the day.

But the Cardinal seemed to have free will for a majority of the night—especially picking on the safety position where they were missing Asa, Kamren Fabiculanan and Vince Nunley.

It also didn’t help that the officials couldn’t figure out what was or wasn’t pass interference.

There were times when the Huskies got pressure, and the three sacks was their best total all season, but this defense seemed to let Ashton Daniels and Stanford take what they wanted.

The DB’s got beat, but we can’t expect them to bail out the entire team night after night. The run defense also seemed to struggle at points, but to their credit came up with big plays when they were needed.

Edefuan Ulufoshio had a great game like normal, but Carson Bruener was someone who surprised. While his 8 tackles was second on the team he also had a tfl and pass deflection.

The Offensive Line Looks Healthy: That ASU game looks more and more like an anomaly. With Julius Buelow back on the field the Husky front was back. Penix saw very little pressure and was only sacked one time.

On the ground the Huskies had 92 yards, and subtract that sack the number goes up to 104. Dillon Johnson averaged 4.7 yards per carry and rushed in for the game sealing TD with less than two minutes left. That was one of two Husky rush touchdowns.

The O-Line has been a big part of UW’s success this season. Last night wasn’t quite the best they’ve been, but when this unit is healthy they are tough to stop.

Final Analysis:  Daniels ability to extend plays was a great dress rehearsal for USC’s Caleb Williams.  To get to 8-0 is no easy feat as it has happened just a handful of times for UW.  This victory sets up what could be a November to remember.