Saturday, September 24
Tucson, Ariz.
7:30 PM
University of Washington
at
Arizona
No. 9 Dawgs Take Show On The Road To Face 'Cats
September 18, 2016 | Football
Huskies to face Arizona Saturday night in Tucson
THE GAME: The Washington football team (3-0) heads out on the road this week as the Dawgs travel to Tucson to face Arizona (2-1) in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. The game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. PDT/MST and airs on Pac-12 Network. The Huskies, ranked No. 9 in both this week's Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today coaches' poll, enter the game on a six-game winning streak, having scored 40 or more points in each of those six wins. Following the game at Arizona, the Huskies return home for a Friday-night meeting vs. Stanford on Sept. 30.
QUICK SLANTS: The Huskies' current six-game winning streak is tied with Stanford for longest in the Pac-12 and is tied for fifth-longest in the nation ... Washington has scored 40 or more points in six straight games for the first time in school history, with 52, 45, 44, 48, 59 and 41 points in their last six, an average of 48.2 per game ... it's the longest such streak in the FBS ... Jake Browning, who leads the FBS in pass efficiency (206.9) entering this week, tied the school record for TD passes in a game with five vs. Idaho ... he threw four more vs. Portland State, giving him nine over that two-game stretch, most ever by a Husky QB over back-to-back games ... with 12 TD passes in 2016, he's already 75 percent of the way to his 2015 total of 16 ... Browning ranks No. 3 in the nation in touchdowns and No. 6 in completion percentage ... the Huskies had a kick return for a touchdown (John Ross, 92 yds.) and a punt return for a TD (Dante Pettis, 68 yds.) in the win over Rutgers ... only twice before in recorded history have the Huskies done that: 1940 vs. WSU (Ernie Steele had an 87-yd. KOR and an 83-yd. PR) and 2001 vs. Idaho (Roc Alexander, 95-yd. KOR; Charles Frederick, 87-yd. PR) ... Ross' kick-return TD was the fourth of his career, breaking the UW record he formerly shared with Jim Krieg (1970-71) while Pettis' punt-return score was also his fourth, tying Beno Bryant's UW mark (1989-93) ... Ross now has five scoring plays of 90 or more yards in his UW career – four kickoff returns and a 91-yard TD reception ... five true freshmen have played for the UW this season: DB Myles Bryant, WR Aaron Fuller, OL Nick Harris, DB Taylor Rapp and LB Brandon Wellington ... in all, 23 Huskies made their Husky debuts the first two weeks of the season .
TELEVISION: The Washington-Arizona game will air live to a national audience on Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (color) and Lewis Johnson (sidelines) providing the commentary.
RADIO: The Washington IMG College Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 17 Northwest radio stations. Longtime play-by-play man Bob Rondeau and color analyst Damon Huard are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. The UA broadcast of the game will also air on Sirius (93) and XM (198) satellite radio.
THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: Washington was one of the country's youngest teams in 2015, as the UW roster included 52 freshman (both true and redshirt freshmen) and 24 sophomores, as compared to just 13 seniors. Not surprisingly, the Huskies returned a great deal of experience in 2016. In fact, not counting specialists (kickers, punters, long snappers, returners), a total of 33 different Huskies have started at least one game in a Washington uniform, 18 on offense and 15 on defense. However, the 2016 roster still includes just 13 seniors to go along with 41 freshmen and redshirt freshmen, as well as 28 sophomores.
THE DEFENSE: Washington's defense was the strongest it has been in years in 2015, leaving a standard for this season that will be a challenge to match. Last year, the Husky defense finished first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, allowing just 247 points, or 18.8 per game, the best average by the UW since 1996 (18.4 per game). The Huskies gave up 103 fewer points in 2015 than in 2014 (though, the UW played one more game in 2014). The Dawgs also led the conference in total defense (351.8 yards per game), opponent first downs (19.1 per game) and red-zone defense (79.5 percent). In the red zone, UW opponents managed just 17 touchdowns in 39 attempts (43.6 percent), best in the conference.
THE OFFENSE: Washington's offense finished last season on a high. Over the three-game win streak that wrapped up the 2015 campaign, the Huskies posted 52, 45 and 44 points, an average of 47.0 per game. Over the last four games of the season, the Huskies amassed 2,052 yards of total offense, or an average of 513.0 yards per game. Over the final three (Oregon State, Washington State, Southern Miss), the Huskies racked up 807 rushing yards (269.0 per game) and completed 55-of-75 passes (.733) for 698 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception.
40-POINT STREAK: Washington has scored 40 or more points in six straight games, dating back to last season, the longest such streak in Husky history and the longest current 40-plus point streak in the FBS. Going into the PSU game, the Huskies were tied (at five straight) with fellow Pac-12 members Oregon and Arizona State, but neither scored 40 this past weekend, leaving the Huskies as the only team with a six-game streak. Only once before in UW lore have the Dawgs managed 40 points as many as four straight games. To open the 1944 season (when World War II travel restrictions meant many teams across the nation played a more localized schedule), Washington opened with easy wins over Willamette (71-0), Whitman (65-6), Willamette (40-6) and Whitman (71-0). This time around, Washington has posted wins over Oregon State (52-7), Washington State (45-10), Southern Miss (44-31), Rutgers (48-13), Idaho (59-14) and Portland State (41-3). Totaled, that's 289-78.
RECORD COLLECTION: The Huskies have broken or tied a few school records (other than their 40-point streak) over the first three games of this season. Against Rutgers, John Ross' fourth career kickoff return for a touchdown broke Jim Krieg's old mark of three while Dante Pettis tied Beno Bryant's career punt return TD record of four. Against Idaho, the Huskies tied the school record for passing touchdowns (6; tied record set vs. UCLA in 1970) and Jake Browning tied the Husky record for individual passing TDs in a game, with five (shared with Keith Price, 2012 vs. Colorado; Jake Locker, 2010 vs. Oregon State; and Chris Rowland, 1973 vs. California). Browning threw four TD passes in the Portland State win, meaning he's the first Husky ever to throw nine over two consecutive games.
HUSKIES vs. WILDCATS HISTORY: Washington holds an 20-11-1 edge in the series against Arizona, with the Huskies taking 13 of the last 21. Last year on a stormy Halloween night at Husky Stadium, the UW won, 49-3. Jake Browning was 16-for-24 for 274 yard and four scores while the UW defense forced four turnovers. Two seasons ago, in the most recent meeting in Tucson, Arizona got a last-second, 47-yard field goal from Casey Skowron to beat the Dawgs, 27-26. A year prior in a late-September rainstorm at Husky Stadium, the Huskies pulled away from an 11-6 halftime advantage to win, 31-13. Bishop Sankey ran for 160 yards on a school-record 40 carries to lead the way for the Dawgs. In 2013 in Tucson, the Wildcats rolled to a 52-17 win over the Huskies, with Ka'deem Carey rushing for 172 yards. In 2011, the UW beat Arizona, 42-31, as Chris Polk scored five TDs, rushed for 144 yards and caught four passes for 100 yards. In 2010 in Tucson, Wildcats backup QB Matt Scott led his team to a 44-14 win, completing 18-of-22 passes for 233 yards and two TDs. The year before in Seattle resulted in a stunning Husky win as linebacker Mason Foster intercepted a Nick Foles pass that deflected off the foot of an Arizona receiver and returned it 37 yards for a score with only 2:37 left. Washington won, 36-33, as the 'Cats' final drive was cut short by a Desmond Trufant interception. In 2008 in Tucson, Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski tied a school record with three touchdown receptions as the Wildcats won, 49-19. In 2007 in Seattle, the Wildcats, behind quarterback Willie Tuitama, completed an impressive comeback and beat the UW 48-41 despite Jake Locker rushing for 157 yards and passing for 336. In 2006 in Tucson, the Huskies took a 21-3 lead in the second quarter and won, 21-10. In 2005, also in Tucson, Isaiah Stanback's dramatic, 69-yard bomb on the last play of the first half and 200 rushing yards from James Sims led the Huskies to a 38-14 win. The six UW-Arizona games prior to 2005 were decided by a total of 31 points, with the most lopsided result (a 31-21 Arizona win) coming in 2004. That year, the Wildcats overcame a 13-9 halftime deficit, out-scoring the Huskies, 14-0, in the second half for the win. In 2003, Arizona snapped a string of 13 straight home losses in conference play by pulling out a late, 27-22 victory. In 2002, it was the Huskies who rallied late when Reggie Williams scored on an 80-yard reception with only 2:03 remaining in the game. In 2001, Cody Pickett ran in from three yards out with 13 seconds left to cap an amazing day. Only two weeks after separating his right (throwing) vs. USC, Pickett broke the UW record with 455 passing yards as the Huskies won, 31-28. Also included in the close contests are Washington's come-from-behind, 35-32 win in 2000 in Seattle (Marques Tuiasosopo scored with 1:10 left for the win a week after Curtis Williams was injured at Stanford), and the 1998 31-28 'Cats win, which may be the most memorable game in the series' history. Trailing 28-24 to Washington with under a minute to play, Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins flipped head over heels over three Husky defenders, landing on his feet in the end zone for the winning score.
QUICK SLANTS: The Huskies' current six-game winning streak is tied with Stanford for longest in the Pac-12 and is tied for fifth-longest in the nation ... Washington has scored 40 or more points in six straight games for the first time in school history, with 52, 45, 44, 48, 59 and 41 points in their last six, an average of 48.2 per game ... it's the longest such streak in the FBS ... Jake Browning, who leads the FBS in pass efficiency (206.9) entering this week, tied the school record for TD passes in a game with five vs. Idaho ... he threw four more vs. Portland State, giving him nine over that two-game stretch, most ever by a Husky QB over back-to-back games ... with 12 TD passes in 2016, he's already 75 percent of the way to his 2015 total of 16 ... Browning ranks No. 3 in the nation in touchdowns and No. 6 in completion percentage ... the Huskies had a kick return for a touchdown (John Ross, 92 yds.) and a punt return for a TD (Dante Pettis, 68 yds.) in the win over Rutgers ... only twice before in recorded history have the Huskies done that: 1940 vs. WSU (Ernie Steele had an 87-yd. KOR and an 83-yd. PR) and 2001 vs. Idaho (Roc Alexander, 95-yd. KOR; Charles Frederick, 87-yd. PR) ... Ross' kick-return TD was the fourth of his career, breaking the UW record he formerly shared with Jim Krieg (1970-71) while Pettis' punt-return score was also his fourth, tying Beno Bryant's UW mark (1989-93) ... Ross now has five scoring plays of 90 or more yards in his UW career – four kickoff returns and a 91-yard TD reception ... five true freshmen have played for the UW this season: DB Myles Bryant, WR Aaron Fuller, OL Nick Harris, DB Taylor Rapp and LB Brandon Wellington ... in all, 23 Huskies made their Husky debuts the first two weeks of the season .
TELEVISION: The Washington-Arizona game will air live to a national audience on Pac-12 Network with Roxy Bernstein (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (color) and Lewis Johnson (sidelines) providing the commentary.
RADIO: The Washington IMG College Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 17 Northwest radio stations. Longtime play-by-play man Bob Rondeau and color analyst Damon Huard are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. The UA broadcast of the game will also air on Sirius (93) and XM (198) satellite radio.
THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: Washington was one of the country's youngest teams in 2015, as the UW roster included 52 freshman (both true and redshirt freshmen) and 24 sophomores, as compared to just 13 seniors. Not surprisingly, the Huskies returned a great deal of experience in 2016. In fact, not counting specialists (kickers, punters, long snappers, returners), a total of 33 different Huskies have started at least one game in a Washington uniform, 18 on offense and 15 on defense. However, the 2016 roster still includes just 13 seniors to go along with 41 freshmen and redshirt freshmen, as well as 28 sophomores.
THE DEFENSE: Washington's defense was the strongest it has been in years in 2015, leaving a standard for this season that will be a challenge to match. Last year, the Husky defense finished first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense, allowing just 247 points, or 18.8 per game, the best average by the UW since 1996 (18.4 per game). The Huskies gave up 103 fewer points in 2015 than in 2014 (though, the UW played one more game in 2014). The Dawgs also led the conference in total defense (351.8 yards per game), opponent first downs (19.1 per game) and red-zone defense (79.5 percent). In the red zone, UW opponents managed just 17 touchdowns in 39 attempts (43.6 percent), best in the conference.
THE OFFENSE: Washington's offense finished last season on a high. Over the three-game win streak that wrapped up the 2015 campaign, the Huskies posted 52, 45 and 44 points, an average of 47.0 per game. Over the last four games of the season, the Huskies amassed 2,052 yards of total offense, or an average of 513.0 yards per game. Over the final three (Oregon State, Washington State, Southern Miss), the Huskies racked up 807 rushing yards (269.0 per game) and completed 55-of-75 passes (.733) for 698 yards, four touchdowns and just one interception.
40-POINT STREAK: Washington has scored 40 or more points in six straight games, dating back to last season, the longest such streak in Husky history and the longest current 40-plus point streak in the FBS. Going into the PSU game, the Huskies were tied (at five straight) with fellow Pac-12 members Oregon and Arizona State, but neither scored 40 this past weekend, leaving the Huskies as the only team with a six-game streak. Only once before in UW lore have the Dawgs managed 40 points as many as four straight games. To open the 1944 season (when World War II travel restrictions meant many teams across the nation played a more localized schedule), Washington opened with easy wins over Willamette (71-0), Whitman (65-6), Willamette (40-6) and Whitman (71-0). This time around, Washington has posted wins over Oregon State (52-7), Washington State (45-10), Southern Miss (44-31), Rutgers (48-13), Idaho (59-14) and Portland State (41-3). Totaled, that's 289-78.
RECORD COLLECTION: The Huskies have broken or tied a few school records (other than their 40-point streak) over the first three games of this season. Against Rutgers, John Ross' fourth career kickoff return for a touchdown broke Jim Krieg's old mark of three while Dante Pettis tied Beno Bryant's career punt return TD record of four. Against Idaho, the Huskies tied the school record for passing touchdowns (6; tied record set vs. UCLA in 1970) and Jake Browning tied the Husky record for individual passing TDs in a game, with five (shared with Keith Price, 2012 vs. Colorado; Jake Locker, 2010 vs. Oregon State; and Chris Rowland, 1973 vs. California). Browning threw four TD passes in the Portland State win, meaning he's the first Husky ever to throw nine over two consecutive games.
HUSKIES vs. WILDCATS HISTORY: Washington holds an 20-11-1 edge in the series against Arizona, with the Huskies taking 13 of the last 21. Last year on a stormy Halloween night at Husky Stadium, the UW won, 49-3. Jake Browning was 16-for-24 for 274 yard and four scores while the UW defense forced four turnovers. Two seasons ago, in the most recent meeting in Tucson, Arizona got a last-second, 47-yard field goal from Casey Skowron to beat the Dawgs, 27-26. A year prior in a late-September rainstorm at Husky Stadium, the Huskies pulled away from an 11-6 halftime advantage to win, 31-13. Bishop Sankey ran for 160 yards on a school-record 40 carries to lead the way for the Dawgs. In 2013 in Tucson, the Wildcats rolled to a 52-17 win over the Huskies, with Ka'deem Carey rushing for 172 yards. In 2011, the UW beat Arizona, 42-31, as Chris Polk scored five TDs, rushed for 144 yards and caught four passes for 100 yards. In 2010 in Tucson, Wildcats backup QB Matt Scott led his team to a 44-14 win, completing 18-of-22 passes for 233 yards and two TDs. The year before in Seattle resulted in a stunning Husky win as linebacker Mason Foster intercepted a Nick Foles pass that deflected off the foot of an Arizona receiver and returned it 37 yards for a score with only 2:37 left. Washington won, 36-33, as the 'Cats' final drive was cut short by a Desmond Trufant interception. In 2008 in Tucson, Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski tied a school record with three touchdown receptions as the Wildcats won, 49-19. In 2007 in Seattle, the Wildcats, behind quarterback Willie Tuitama, completed an impressive comeback and beat the UW 48-41 despite Jake Locker rushing for 157 yards and passing for 336. In 2006 in Tucson, the Huskies took a 21-3 lead in the second quarter and won, 21-10. In 2005, also in Tucson, Isaiah Stanback's dramatic, 69-yard bomb on the last play of the first half and 200 rushing yards from James Sims led the Huskies to a 38-14 win. The six UW-Arizona games prior to 2005 were decided by a total of 31 points, with the most lopsided result (a 31-21 Arizona win) coming in 2004. That year, the Wildcats overcame a 13-9 halftime deficit, out-scoring the Huskies, 14-0, in the second half for the win. In 2003, Arizona snapped a string of 13 straight home losses in conference play by pulling out a late, 27-22 victory. In 2002, it was the Huskies who rallied late when Reggie Williams scored on an 80-yard reception with only 2:03 remaining in the game. In 2001, Cody Pickett ran in from three yards out with 13 seconds left to cap an amazing day. Only two weeks after separating his right (throwing) vs. USC, Pickett broke the UW record with 455 passing yards as the Huskies won, 31-28. Also included in the close contests are Washington's come-from-behind, 35-32 win in 2000 in Seattle (Marques Tuiasosopo scored with 1:10 left for the win a week after Curtis Williams was injured at Stanford), and the 1998 31-28 'Cats win, which may be the most memorable game in the series' history. Trailing 28-24 to Washington with under a minute to play, Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins flipped head over heels over three Husky defenders, landing on his feet in the end zone for the winning score.
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