Once again, the Huskies outlasted an inferior opponent rather than dominating them. In an altogether frustrating affair, we saw dominant individual performances, familiar woes, and agonizing mistakes. The permeating feeling of relief is completely unwelcome. Nobody wants to feel relieved against Stanford.
The Good
Michael Penix, Jr: No, it wasn’t a perfect outing for Penix, at least by his standards. He missed some throws, sure, but still finished with 369 yards and 4 TDs (as well as a late interception that should have been defensive holding). His ability to stay composed when he isn’t executing at his best is one of his finest traits.
There has been a lot of speculation about Penix’s health post-Oregon. If he is indeed playing through an injury that would help explain why, despite going to the right receiver more often than not, he was off on some routine throws.
Bralen Trice: As has been the theme for him this season, he affected the quarterback a lot more than the stats would show. He ended the game with just one sack but hurried Stanford QB Ashton Daniels on numerous occasions.
The pass rush as a whole had a solid day with Trice leading the unit to 3 total sacks, a season-high for the team.
Linebacking Corps: Edefuan Ulofoshio led all tacklers with 12, including 10 solo and a forced fumble. Alphonzo Tuputala and Carson Bruener each finished second on the team with 8 stops and Ralen Goforth had 7. ‘Zo, as his teammates call him, also had a half of a sack. Bruner had a half of a sack and a pass breakup. However, on the game’s first play Goforth had a 3 yard tackle for loss. Stanford ran 86 plays.
Tight Ends: Devin Culp and Jack Westover each finished with 3 catches the former for 55 yards and a TD and the latter for 24 yards. Westover also had a rushing TD, lined up in the backfield as a true ball-carrier.
The Bad
Penalties: The game didn’t have to be this close. Foolish penalties (3 for 35 yards) early on extended a Stanford drive as they tied the game at 7. They finished with 7 penalties for 77 yards which is somewhat of an improvement from the past few weeks. However, the penalties that Jabbar Mohammad had called against him were unwarranted.
The Run Game: The run game gained consistency as the game went on, but the numbers are underwhelming. 27 carries at least shows more of a commitment to establishing the run than last week, but an average of 3.4 yards per carry totaling 91 rushing yards is not good enough. That total included -15 yards on a Penix sack and downing the ball to end the game.
Dillon Johnson had 18 carries for 84 yards, including 28 yards on 4 carries on UW’s final score.
Stanford dominated time of possession, controlling the ball for more than 35 minutes of the game. A consistent run game would help alleviate the UW’s recent struggle in this area. Washington only attempted 9 runs in the first half, no doubt contributing to the time of possession differential.
The Offensive Line: The offensive line struggled early in run blocking, as established above, but that wasn’t the only area. As was the case last week, the interior offensive line consistently failed to protect Michael Penix, and he threw away a few passes in addition to taking his 5th sack of the season.
The Ugly
The Secondary: The Huskies entered Saturday’s game having allowed 250 passing yards per game and had taken away 9 interceptions. That’s why allowing 367 yards through the air to a team averaging 234.5 per game is surprising. However, the Huskies were without Kamrem Fabiculanan and Asa.
Stanford has been woeful this season, winning against only Hawaii and the riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma that is Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes. Those are also the two teams that Stanford has had the most success passing against, which is not good company to be in.
Drops: In addition to the pressure on Penix, there were numerous drops that kept the offense out of rhythm throughout the game. Ja’Lynn Polk, Rome Odunze, and Jalen McMillan all had drops, combining for 5. This does not include the interception that was intended for Odunze that he got a hand on.
Final Thought
If Washington has similar struggles on the defensive side of the ball against any of their last 4 opponents, look out. The Huskies can’t afford to be that one-sided as the competition level ramps up.
Come to think of it, one-sided is generous. To be one-sided, the entire Husky offense would have to be performing well. Take the running game out of the equation, and the Huskies can proudly say they have the best 1/4th of a football team in the country.
It would be a shame to see the Huskies waste a generationally talented offense by stumbling down the stretch.
The only problem with starting a season strong is that expectations go through the roof, and a 2-loss season for Washington would now seem like an abysmal failure. Let’s contextualize that the team now sits at 8-0, the UW’s best start since 2016. Husky fans have a lot to be thankful for.
