Saturday, September 15
Salt Lake City, UT
7:00 PM
University of Washington
at
Utah
Pac-12 Opener Sends No. 10 Huskies To Salt Lake City
September 10, 2018 | Football
THE GAME: The Washington football team begins conference play this Saturday as the Huskies (1-1 overall) travel to Salt Lake City to face Utah (2-0). Kickoff at Rice-Eccles Stadium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. MT and the game will air on ESPN. The Huskies enter the week ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25 and No. 12 in the USA Today coaches' poll, while the Utes are one spot out of the AP's Top 25 and two spots out of the coaches' ranking. Following the Utah game, the Huskies return home for the next two games: Sept. 22 vs. Arizona State and Sept. 29 vs. BYU.
QUICK HITTERS: Sept.1 vs. Auburn, Myles Gaskin became the UW's all-time leading rusher, moving past Napoleon Kaufman, who had held the record since 1994 ... Gaskin enters the Utah game vs. 4,183 yards, 10th-most in Pac-12 history ... Gaskin scored his 50th career touchdown against North Dakota, extending his school record ... his 46 career rushing TDs (he has four receiving TDs) rank 8th in Pac-12 history ... with 81 career touchdown passes, Jake Browning is two TDs away from the Pac-12's all-time top-10 ... Browning's 9,713 career passing yards currently rank No. 2 in UW history and No. 19 in the Pac-12 ... for the first time since 1995, UW did not have a true freshman play in its season opener ... against North Dakota, four true freshmen saw action: DL Tuli Letuligasenoa, LB Jackson Sirmon, LB MJ Tafisi, OLB Zion Tupuola-Fetui ... only five players (none of them true freshmen) made their UW playing debut against the Tigers in Atlanta: OL Henry Bainivalu, PK Peyton Henry, OL Jaxson Kirkland (started at RG), OLB Ariel Ngata and TE Cade Otton ... 12 more Huskies saw their first action against North Dakota: the aforementioned true freshmen, plus TB Malik Braxton, DL Josiah Bronson, WR Terrell Bynum, WR Alex Cook, TE Michael Neal, OL Cole Norgaard, OLB Joe Tryon, PK Sebastian Valerio ... Washington enters the week ranked No. 12 in the nation in passing offense (366.5 ypg) and No. 21 in scoring defense (12.0 ppg).
TELEVISION: The Washington-Utah game will air live to a national audience on ESPN with Steve Levy (play-by-play), Brian Griese (analyst) and Todd McShay (sidelines) providing the commentary. The broadcast can also be found on WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
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. First-year play-by-play man Tony Castricone 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 (382) satellite radio, and is also available via TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app.
THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: Washington has been a notably and demonstrably young team the last several years and, while the Huskies have gotten distinctly more experienced across the board, the roster still skews slightly towards youth. The 2018 roster includes 43 freshmen and 21 sophomores, compared to 21 seniors and 28 juniors, meaning just under 57 percent of the players have three or more years of eligibility left. At the same time, Washington has 54returning lettermen and, not counting specialists, 29 different Huskies have started at least one game during their career.
THE DEFENSE: Over the last three years, Washington's defense has been, statistically, the best in the Pac-12 and one of the top units in the nation. The Huskies have led the Pac-12 in total defense for three years in a row, climbing the national rankings each year, capped by a No. 8 national finish last season. The UW has also paced the Pac-12 in scoring defense the last three seasons, finishing fifth in the FBS last season. Last year, the Huskies were also fourth in the nation in rushing defense and fifth in the country in turnover margin.
ONE-TWO PUNCH ON OFFENSE: In seniors Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin, the Huskies return the most prolific quarterback-running back tandem in the nation, in terms of career statistics, at the start of the 2018 season. Gaskin's 4,055 career rushing yards entering the year were most in the nation among returning FBS players, nearly 900 yards ahead of the next-closest (Appalachian State's Jalin Moore, 3,170 yards). Gaskin's 45 career rushing touchdowns were also most in the nation among FBS returners. Gaskin entered his senior season ranked 9th in Pac-12 history in rushing TDs and 11th in rushing yards. He's seeking to become the 10th FBS player ever (and first in Pac-12 history) to rush for 1,000 or more yards in four seasons. Meanwhile, Browning's 9,104 career passing yards entering the year were second-most among all FBS returners, while his 78 career TD passes (already a UW record) were tops in the country. Browning's entered the season ranked No. 12 in Pac-12 history in career TD passes (and only 11 from making the top four), while his yards total ranked No. 27 (about 1,700 yards away from the top 10).
HUSKIES vs. UTES HISTORY: Owing to the fact that Utah was new to the Pac-12 Conference in 2011, the Huskies and Utes have a limited history against one another. In fact, Washington has played Utah only 11 times (10-1), winning the first eight before taking a loss in 2015, with each meeting prior to the 2011 conference matchup in Salt Lake City coming in Seattle. The 2016 UW-Utah game was only the second ever in Salt Lake City. In that one, a year after having their eight-game win streak in the series broken, the No. 4 Huskies won a thriller, 31-24, over the 17th-ranked Utes. With the score tied 24-24 with about 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, Dante Pettis returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown. The Utes managed to get to the UW 35 on the ensuing drive before failing to convert a 4th-and-15 attempt. The first game ever between the two came Sept. 26, 1931, as Washington edged the visitors, 7-6, in the opening game of the year. The Utes returned for another season opener in 1949, when the UW outgained Utah, 388-114, in a 14-7 victory. Washington scored another seven-point win in 1953 with a 21-14 decision and then posted another 7-6 victory the following year in yet another opener. In 1959, a Husky team that ended the year 10-1 with a Rose Bowl win, beat the Utes, 51-6. More recently, on Sept. 15, 1979, 14th-ranked Washington beat Utah, 41-7, on the way to a 10-2 season that was capped by a Sun Bowl win over Texas. The UW had an interception return for a TD from Bruce Harrell, and Kyle Stevens returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score in that game. In 2011 in Salt Lake City in the Utes' first-ever home Pac-12 game, the Huskies picked up a 31-14 win. The Huskies got a quick start when Jamaal Kearse recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and returned it for a touchdown. Keith Price then threw three touchdowns and Chris Polk rushed for 189 yards as the Dawgs led nearly throughout. In 2012, at CenturyLink Field, Washington maintained its perfect record against Utah with a 34-15 win. Down 8-0 thanks to a John White 46-yard run, the Huskies scored two touchdowns in the second quarter (a Price pass to Kasen Williams and a Price run) and then to open the third (Price to DiAndre Campbell) to pull in front for good. Sankey rushed for 156 yards while the UW defense held the Utes to just 188 yards of total offense (despite 142 rushing yards from White). Utah earned its first victory in the series in 2015 in Seattle as a 24-point outburst in the second quarter led to a 34-23 victory. Last year, Washington tied the game with 1:05 to go and then kicked a field goal on the final play to win, 33-30. Jake Browing went 26-for-35 for 354 yards and two TDs.
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 Cal. 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. In 2015 in 2016, neither UCLA nor Colorado were on the UW schedule, while the Huskies don't face USC and Arizona in 2017 or 2018.
THE 100-YARD FACTOR: Since the 1947 season, Washington is 212-66-3 (.760) when a Husky player rushes for 100 yards in a game. The Huskies were 8-0 in such games in 2016, and were 5-1 in 2017.
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 113 times. The Huskies' record stands at 97-16-1 (.863) in those contests. Since 1995, UW is 72-13-1 (.843) when rushing for 200 yards.
QUICK HITTERS: Sept.1 vs. Auburn, Myles Gaskin became the UW's all-time leading rusher, moving past Napoleon Kaufman, who had held the record since 1994 ... Gaskin enters the Utah game vs. 4,183 yards, 10th-most in Pac-12 history ... Gaskin scored his 50th career touchdown against North Dakota, extending his school record ... his 46 career rushing TDs (he has four receiving TDs) rank 8th in Pac-12 history ... with 81 career touchdown passes, Jake Browning is two TDs away from the Pac-12's all-time top-10 ... Browning's 9,713 career passing yards currently rank No. 2 in UW history and No. 19 in the Pac-12 ... for the first time since 1995, UW did not have a true freshman play in its season opener ... against North Dakota, four true freshmen saw action: DL Tuli Letuligasenoa, LB Jackson Sirmon, LB MJ Tafisi, OLB Zion Tupuola-Fetui ... only five players (none of them true freshmen) made their UW playing debut against the Tigers in Atlanta: OL Henry Bainivalu, PK Peyton Henry, OL Jaxson Kirkland (started at RG), OLB Ariel Ngata and TE Cade Otton ... 12 more Huskies saw their first action against North Dakota: the aforementioned true freshmen, plus TB Malik Braxton, DL Josiah Bronson, WR Terrell Bynum, WR Alex Cook, TE Michael Neal, OL Cole Norgaard, OLB Joe Tryon, PK Sebastian Valerio ... Washington enters the week ranked No. 12 in the nation in passing offense (366.5 ypg) and No. 21 in scoring defense (12.0 ppg).
TELEVISION: The Washington-Utah game will air live to a national audience on ESPN with Steve Levy (play-by-play), Brian Griese (analyst) and Todd McShay (sidelines) providing the commentary. The broadcast can also be found on WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.
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. First-year play-by-play man Tony Castricone 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 (382) satellite radio, and is also available via TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app.
THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: Washington has been a notably and demonstrably young team the last several years and, while the Huskies have gotten distinctly more experienced across the board, the roster still skews slightly towards youth. The 2018 roster includes 43 freshmen and 21 sophomores, compared to 21 seniors and 28 juniors, meaning just under 57 percent of the players have three or more years of eligibility left. At the same time, Washington has 54returning lettermen and, not counting specialists, 29 different Huskies have started at least one game during their career.
THE DEFENSE: Over the last three years, Washington's defense has been, statistically, the best in the Pac-12 and one of the top units in the nation. The Huskies have led the Pac-12 in total defense for three years in a row, climbing the national rankings each year, capped by a No. 8 national finish last season. The UW has also paced the Pac-12 in scoring defense the last three seasons, finishing fifth in the FBS last season. Last year, the Huskies were also fourth in the nation in rushing defense and fifth in the country in turnover margin.
ONE-TWO PUNCH ON OFFENSE: In seniors Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin, the Huskies return the most prolific quarterback-running back tandem in the nation, in terms of career statistics, at the start of the 2018 season. Gaskin's 4,055 career rushing yards entering the year were most in the nation among returning FBS players, nearly 900 yards ahead of the next-closest (Appalachian State's Jalin Moore, 3,170 yards). Gaskin's 45 career rushing touchdowns were also most in the nation among FBS returners. Gaskin entered his senior season ranked 9th in Pac-12 history in rushing TDs and 11th in rushing yards. He's seeking to become the 10th FBS player ever (and first in Pac-12 history) to rush for 1,000 or more yards in four seasons. Meanwhile, Browning's 9,104 career passing yards entering the year were second-most among all FBS returners, while his 78 career TD passes (already a UW record) were tops in the country. Browning's entered the season ranked No. 12 in Pac-12 history in career TD passes (and only 11 from making the top four), while his yards total ranked No. 27 (about 1,700 yards away from the top 10).
HUSKIES vs. UTES HISTORY: Owing to the fact that Utah was new to the Pac-12 Conference in 2011, the Huskies and Utes have a limited history against one another. In fact, Washington has played Utah only 11 times (10-1), winning the first eight before taking a loss in 2015, with each meeting prior to the 2011 conference matchup in Salt Lake City coming in Seattle. The 2016 UW-Utah game was only the second ever in Salt Lake City. In that one, a year after having their eight-game win streak in the series broken, the No. 4 Huskies won a thriller, 31-24, over the 17th-ranked Utes. With the score tied 24-24 with about 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, Dante Pettis returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown. The Utes managed to get to the UW 35 on the ensuing drive before failing to convert a 4th-and-15 attempt. The first game ever between the two came Sept. 26, 1931, as Washington edged the visitors, 7-6, in the opening game of the year. The Utes returned for another season opener in 1949, when the UW outgained Utah, 388-114, in a 14-7 victory. Washington scored another seven-point win in 1953 with a 21-14 decision and then posted another 7-6 victory the following year in yet another opener. In 1959, a Husky team that ended the year 10-1 with a Rose Bowl win, beat the Utes, 51-6. More recently, on Sept. 15, 1979, 14th-ranked Washington beat Utah, 41-7, on the way to a 10-2 season that was capped by a Sun Bowl win over Texas. The UW had an interception return for a TD from Bruce Harrell, and Kyle Stevens returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score in that game. In 2011 in Salt Lake City in the Utes' first-ever home Pac-12 game, the Huskies picked up a 31-14 win. The Huskies got a quick start when Jamaal Kearse recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and returned it for a touchdown. Keith Price then threw three touchdowns and Chris Polk rushed for 189 yards as the Dawgs led nearly throughout. In 2012, at CenturyLink Field, Washington maintained its perfect record against Utah with a 34-15 win. Down 8-0 thanks to a John White 46-yard run, the Huskies scored two touchdowns in the second quarter (a Price pass to Kasen Williams and a Price run) and then to open the third (Price to DiAndre Campbell) to pull in front for good. Sankey rushed for 156 yards while the UW defense held the Utes to just 188 yards of total offense (despite 142 rushing yards from White). Utah earned its first victory in the series in 2015 in Seattle as a 24-point outburst in the second quarter led to a 34-23 victory. Last year, Washington tied the game with 1:05 to go and then kicked a field goal on the final play to win, 33-30. Jake Browing went 26-for-35 for 354 yards and two TDs.
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 Cal. 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. In 2015 in 2016, neither UCLA nor Colorado were on the UW schedule, while the Huskies don't face USC and Arizona in 2017 or 2018.
THE 100-YARD FACTOR: Since the 1947 season, Washington is 212-66-3 (.760) when a Husky player rushes for 100 yards in a game. The Huskies were 8-0 in such games in 2016, and were 5-1 in 2017.
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 113 times. The Huskies' record stands at 97-16-1 (.863) in those contests. Since 1995, UW is 72-13-1 (.843) when rushing for 200 yards.
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