Dawgs' Homestand Continues As UW Hosts Idaho

Saturday, September 10

Seattle, Wash.

2:00 PM

University of Washington

Idaho

Tickets

September 05, 2016 | Football

UW-Idaho Game Notes UW-Idaho Flip Card Tickets Gameday Central Gameday Central

Washington takes on Vandals Saturday at 2:00 p.m.

THE GAME: The Washington football team (1-0) continue its three-game, season-opening homestand Saturday, Sept. 10, vs. Idaho. The game kicks off at 2:00 p.m. PT and will air on Pac-12 Network. The Huskies opened the season with a 48-13 win over Rutgers last Saturday on Montlake, while the Vandals began their season with a 20-17 win over Montana State on Thu., Sept. 1. With new rankings not due out until Tuesday (there are games on Sunday and Monday), the Huskies remain ranked No. 14 in the preseason AP top 25 and No. 18 in the initial USA Today coaches poll. Following this Saturday, the Huskies close out their opening stretch of three straight home games to begin the season, hosting Portland State (Sept. 17) before kicking off Pac-12 play on the road, Sept. 24 at Arizona.

QUICK SLANTS: 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 ... Ross, who sat out the 2015 season due to injury, also caught TD passes of 38 and 50 yards vs. the Scarlet Knights ... the UW has scored 52, 45, 44 and 48 points in its last four games (dating back to last season, of course), 47.25 points per game ... four true freshmen played vs. Rutgers: WR Aaron Fuller, OL Nick Harris, DB Taylor Rapp and LB Brandon Wellington ... an additional 12 Huskies made their UW debut in the season-opener: QB Tony Rodriguez, OLB Benning Potoa'e, LB D.J. Beavers, OLB Jusstis Warren, WR K.J. Young, WR Andre Baccellia, LB Kyler Manu, OLB Bryce Sterk, DL Jared Pulu, DL John Clark, OL Jared Hilbers and DL Ricky McCoy ... a remarkable 28 different UW players were credited with a tackle in the Rutgers game .

TELEVISION: The Washington-Idaho game will air live to a national audience on Pac-12 Network with J.B. Long (play-by-play), Glenn Parker (color) and Jill Savage (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 UW broadcast of the game will also air on Sirius (146) 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.

1,000-YARDERS: Prior to the 2007 season, Washington running backs had compiled 11 1,000-yard seasons in the school's long history. Since then, Washington has had a back reach 1,000 yards seven out of the last nine years. Here's a look at those seven recent 1,000-yard seasons:

2007          Louis Rankin.............................. 1,294 yards
2009          Chris Polk.................................. 1,113 yards
2010          Chris Polk.................................. 1,415 yards
2011          Chris Polk.................................. 1,488 yards
2012          Bishop Sankey............................1,439 yards
2013          Bishop Sankey........................... 1,870 yards
2015          Myles Gaskin............................. 1,320 yards

HOME vs. NON-CONFERENCE: Washington has been very tough to beat in home, non-conference games over the last several decades. Going back to (and including) the 1981 season, the Huskies have posted a 63-13 record against non-Pac-10/Pac-12 foes in Husky Stadium. Those 13 losses have come to Nebraska (2010), LSU (2009), BYU (2008), Oklahoma (2008), Ohio State (2007), Notre Dame (2005), Fresno State (2004), Nevada (2003), Air Force (1999), Nebraska (1997), Notre Dame (1995), Colorado (1989) and Oklahoma State (1985). Notable wins wins during that stretch include victories over No. 19 Boise State last season, No. 22 Boise State in 2007, No. 11 Michigan in 2001, No. 4 Miami in 2000, and No. 12 Nebraska in 1992. Prior to the 2004 loss to Nevada, Washington hadn't lost a home game to a non-league opponent since falling to Air Force, 31-21, on September 18, 1999. The Huskies had won 10 such games before that Nevada loss. The UW is 14-2 over its last 16 home, non-league games, with an 12-game winning streak.

HUSKIES vs . VANDALS HISTORY: Washington and Idaho have a long history of football, mainly due to the fact that the two universities were both a part of the Pacific Coast Conference for many years. Idaho was a PCC member from 1922-1942 and again from 1945-1958, when the league was broken up and re-formed as the AAWU. The Huskies and Vandals didn't play one another every year during their seasons together in the PCC, but did play often. Washington is 35-2-2 all-time against Idaho, losing the teams' first-ever meeting (12-6, Oct. 27, 1900, in Spokane) and the fifth meeting (8-0, Oct. 30, 1905 in Moscow). The ties came in 1907 (0-0 in Seattle) and 1938 (12-12 in Seattle). Only two of the 39 all-time meetings have been played in Moscow and only two others in Spokane, meaning the Huskies are 33-0-2 all-time vs. the Vandals in Seattle. The Huskies have won 18 consecutive games against Idaho, dating back to the 1938 tie, and are undefeated (with two ties) in their last 33, dating back to the 1905 loss. Prior to 2000, the Huskies hadn't played Idaho since 1973. The game returned to the schedule as the 2000 season opener at Husky Stadium, when Willie Alderson's 82-yard TD run on the game's first play from scrimmage sent a scare in the UW. Washington led 20-13 at halftime, and scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to win, 44-20. In 2001, the two teams met in the second game of the season in the first game after the Sept. 11 attacks. Special teams touchdowns highlighted the day for the Huskies in a 53-3 win. Roc Alexander returned a kickoff 95 yards, Chris Massey returned a blocked field goal 69 yards for a score and Charles Frederick took a punt back 87 yards for a touchdown. In 2002, the Huskies ran out to a 28-0 lead late in the second quarter and won, 41-27. Cody Pickett threw for 438 yards and three TDs while Idaho quarterback Brian Lindgren was 22-for-38 for 309 yards and two scores. On Sept. 20, 2003, the Huskies posted a 45-14 win. After Terry Johnson recovered a fumble in the endzone to give the UW a 7-0 lead, Idaho tied it on a Michael Harrington TD pass. However, the UW never trailed. Rich Alexis rushed for 116 yards and two scores on 22 carries and Pickett completed 20 of 29 passes for 234 yards. In that game alone, eight different UW players carried the ball, three different players saw time at quarterback and 12 different Huskies caught a pass. On Sept. 17, 2005, the Dawgs beat the Vandals, 34-6. Louis Rankin rushed for 119 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown while quarterback Isaiah Stanback ran for one TD and threw another. Most recently on Sept. 12, 2009, the Huskies beat Idaho, 42-23, in the second game of the season. Jake Locker was 17-for-25 for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the win.

UW vs. SUN BELT: Aside from Idaho (see previous note), the only current member of the Sun Belt Conference that the UW has faced is Georgia State. The Huskies beat the Panthers, 45-14, in 2014.

THE PAC-12: Prior to the 2011 season, the Pac-10 Conference added Utah and Colorado to expand to the Pac-12. Washington, which along with California is one of two schools who have been in the conference since its founding in 1915, plays in the Pac-12 North, along with the other three Northwest schools (Oregon, OSU, WSU) and Stanford and California. Under current plans, each school will play all five division rivals, plus four of six teams in the other division each season. The first two seasons, the Huskies did not face UCLA or Arizona State. In 2013 and 14, the Huskies didn't face Utah or USC. Last year and in 2016, neither UCLA nor Colorado are on the UW schedule.

THE 100-YARD FACTOR: Since the 1947 season, Washington is 199-65-3 (.751) when a Husky player rushes for 100 yards in a game. The Huskies were 5-4 in such games in 2015.

HISTORY LESSON: Successfully rushing the football and winning go hand-in-hand for the Huskies. Since 1990, UW has rushed for 200 yards in a game 100 times. The Huskies' record stands at 83-16-1 (.835) in those contests. Since 1995, UW is 58-13-1 (.813) when rushing for 200 yards.

HUSKY STADIUM RENOVATION: Husky Stadium underwent a major renovation over from Nov., 2011, through Aug., 2013, as the entire lower bowl and south upper deck were demolished and replaced. The new facility features a new, state-of-the-art football operations center (weight room, training room, locker room, meeting rooms, coaches' offices) in the west end, much more premium seating options and a new playing surface. Husky Stadium had featured a track up until 2011, so seats that were once far from the field, particularly in the west end, are much closer to the action. UW is 16-7 at home since the re-opening of Husky Stadium.

ALASKA AIRLINES FIELD AT HUSKY STADIUM: The Oregon game on Nov. 5, 2011, marked the final game in Husky Stadium prior to major renovations that have now been completed. The Huskies re-opened their home field with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2016 season marks the 96th season of play in Husky Stadium. Original construction on the facility was completed in 1920 when Washington played one game in the new campus facility. UW's all-time record in Husky Stadium stands at 372-176-21 (.672).