Saturday, November 2
Seattle, WA
1:00 PM
University of Washington
vs
Utah
Photo by: Red Box Pictures
Huskies Host Utes In Pac-12 Title Game Rematch
October 28, 2019 | Football
THE GAME: The Washington football team (5-3 overall, 2-3 Pac-12) fresh from an off week, returns to action vs. Pac-12 South co-leader Utah (7-1, 4-1) in a rematch of last season's Pac-12 Championship Game. Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. PT and the game will air on FOX television. Utah enters the week ranked No. 9 in the AP top 25 and No. 10 in the coaches' poll, while the Huskies are receiving votes in each. Following the Utah game, the Huskies travel to Oregon State on Friday, Nov. 8.
QUICK HITTERS: Through eight games, UW has outscored opponents 97-13 in the first quarter ... Utah is UW's first top-10 opponent this season (AP rank at time of game) ... UW is 3-4 over its last seven games vs. top-10 teams ... PK Peyton Henry enters the week as one of only nine FBS kickers who has made all of his field goal attempts this season, and the only one with 15 or more attempts (next-closest is 13-for-13)... UW has forced 13 turnovers and has scored on 11 (8 TDs, 3 FGs) of 13 ensuing drives ... on the other two occasions, the UW ran the clock out to end the game ... conversely, the UW has allowed seven turnovers and opponents have scored on only three ensuing drives (1 TD, 2 FGs) ... the Huskies are all the way up to No. 18 in the nation in turnover margin ... Washington is 11th in the nation in net punting (42.71), having allowed just one touchback and only seven punt return yards all year ... Joel Whitford's 44.8-yard average ranks No.2 in UW single-season history ... UW's defense has led the Pac-12 in both scoring defense and total defense each of the last four years ... of the 105 players on the current UW football roster, a little over half (54) are freshmen or redshirt freshmen ... Washington has played 12 true freshmen this season: DL Jacob Bandes, TB Cameron Davis, PK Tim Horn, OLB Laiatu Latu, CB Trent McDuffie, WR Puka Nacua, DL Noa Ngalu, DL Sama Paama, DL Faatui Tuitele, LB Alphonzo Tuputala, DB Asa Turner and DB Cameron Williams ... additionally, 19 redshirt freshmen have played ... Jacob Eason made his UW debut as starting quarterback vs. EWU and threw for 349 yards and four TDs ... his 349 yards were the most ever by a Husky QB in his first start ... his 4 TD passes tied for seventh-most in UW history ... UW head coach Chris Petersen entered the 2019 season with the highest winning percentage among active NCAA-FBS coaches with five or more years experience ... through eight games this year, Petersen has a career record of 144-36, good for a winning percentage of .800, second in FBS ... in five-plus seasons under Petersen, the Huskies have scored touchdowns on a total of 14 kickoff (4) and punt (10) returns ... in that same period, the UW hasn't allowed a single return for a score.
TELEVISION: The UW-Oregon game will air on FOX television, with Joe Davis (play by play), Brock Huard (analyst) and Bruce Feldman (sidelines) on the call. You can also watch via FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports Go app.
RADIO: The Washington Sports Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 18 Northwest radio stations. Play-by-play man Tony Castricone and color analysts Damon Huard and Greg Lewis are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. The UW broadcast of the game will air on Sirius (135) and XM (197) satellite radio, and is available via TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app. Touchdown Radio will also carry a national, syndicated broadcast.
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 13 times (12-1), 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.
Last year, the Huskies faced the Utes twice: once in the regular season and again in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Sept. 15 in Salt Lake City, the Huskies beat the Utes, 21-7, in the Huskies' Pac-12 opener. Myles Gaskin rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown while Jake Browning was 14-for-24 for 155 yards and a TD. The Husky defense held the Utes to 261 yards of total offense. The Pac-12 title game was a defensive struggle that the Huskies won, 10-3. The game's only TD was a 66-yard interception return from Husky cornerback Byron Murphy. UW out-gained Utah, 306 yards to 188.
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. In 2017 in Seattle, 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.
RETURNS ON FIRE: Since the arrival of coach Chris Petersen and his staff prior to the 2014 season, Washington has had four kickoff returns for touchdowns (three by John Ross and one by Keishawn Bierria) and 10 punt returns for TDs (nine by Dante Pettis – good for the NCAA record – and one from Aaron Fuller vs. BYU, 2019). That's a total of 14 kick and punt return TDs. Ross actually had four career TDs, but his first came in the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl, the last game before the start of the Petersen era. Even if you include that Ross TD, you have to go back 16 prior seasons to count the previous four Husky kick return TDs, and 27 seasons to count the last 10 punt returns. Touré Butler returned a kick for a score in 1998. Then, from 1998 to 2033, the Huskies had four: Ross in 2013, Louis Rankin in 2007, Roc Alexander in 2001, and Paul Arnold in 1999. As for punt returns, Demouy Williams had one in 1987 before Beno Bryant had three punt return TDs in 1990, and another in 1991. Then, over 23 seasons (1991-2013), the Huskies had just six more: Jesse Callier in 2011; Chris Stevens in 2006; Charles Frederick in 2003 and 2001; Joe Jarzynka in 1998; and Dave Janoski in 1996 – and two of those (Callier & Stevens) were on blocked punts, so not "traditional" punt returns. What's more? Since Petersen's arrival in 2014, the Huskies haven't allowed a single punt or kick return for a score.
OPPONENTS 35-AND-UNDER: Washington hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 35 points in a game since a 44-30 loss at UCLA in 2014 – one of only three games in Chris Petersen's UW tenure that an opponent has scored more than 35 points. That's a streak of 64 games in a row that the Huskies' opponent has failed to score more than 35. In that 64-game stretch, Husky foes have scored 30 or more just 10 times (of those nine, five were exactly 30 points) and have been held to 14 or fewer points 28 times. In that same span of 64 games, the UW has scored more than 35 points on 28 occasions.
RETURNING STARTERS: While the official number of "returning starters" this year for Washington included just two defensive and seven offensive players, a deeper look at the numbers reveals a lot more experience. In fact, not counting specialists (UW returns its starting placekicker, punter, holder and long snapper), Washington had 20 current players who had started at least one game on offense, and nine who had started on defense prior to the 2019 season – though obviously most of those were not the primary starter at any one position last season.
DEFENSE vs. BIG PLAYS: The UW allowed just ONE scrimmage play of 40 or more yards all last season. No other FBS team allowed fewer than four and 102 teams allowed 10 or more. Washington also allowed just 11 scrimmage plays of 30 or more yards (only Appalachian State, with 10, allowed fewer). The Husky defense also ranked No. 5 in fewest 20-yard plays allowed (34). In 2017, the UW also led the nation with fewest 40-yard scrimmage plays allowed (3) and were second in fewest 30-yard plays (14). They were tied for 5th and 2nd, respectively, in 2016. The Huskies have given up five scrimmage plays of 40 yards or more through the first eight games of 2019 (33rd in the nation, but first among teams with 8 games played).
YOUTH: Washington's roster remains on the young side. Of the 106 current players, more than half – 55 – are freshmen or redshirt freshmen, due in large part to the fact that every freshman on last year's team preserved their redshirt season. Washington's roster includes 18 seniors, 20 juniors, 13 sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 30 true freshmen.
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 the current system, each school plays 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 play Utah or USC. In 2015 in 2016, neither UCLA nor Colorado were on the UW schedule, while the Huskies didn't face USC and Arizona in 2017 or 2018. The 2019 season marks the start of a new cycle, moving the rotation back to where it started. Therefore, the Huskies will not play UCLA and Arizona State this season and again in 2020.
THE 100-YARD FACTOR: Since the 1947 season, Washington is 220-69-3 (.759) when a Husky player rushes for 100 yards in a game. The Huskies are 21-3 in such games dating back to the 2016 season, and 3-2 this year.
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 119 times. The Huskies' record stands at 102-16-1 (.861) in those contests.
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 37-10 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 were completed in summer, 2013. The Huskies re-opened their home field with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2018 season marks the 99th 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 393-179-21 (.680).
QUICK HITTERS: Through eight games, UW has outscored opponents 97-13 in the first quarter ... Utah is UW's first top-10 opponent this season (AP rank at time of game) ... UW is 3-4 over its last seven games vs. top-10 teams ... PK Peyton Henry enters the week as one of only nine FBS kickers who has made all of his field goal attempts this season, and the only one with 15 or more attempts (next-closest is 13-for-13)... UW has forced 13 turnovers and has scored on 11 (8 TDs, 3 FGs) of 13 ensuing drives ... on the other two occasions, the UW ran the clock out to end the game ... conversely, the UW has allowed seven turnovers and opponents have scored on only three ensuing drives (1 TD, 2 FGs) ... the Huskies are all the way up to No. 18 in the nation in turnover margin ... Washington is 11th in the nation in net punting (42.71), having allowed just one touchback and only seven punt return yards all year ... Joel Whitford's 44.8-yard average ranks No.2 in UW single-season history ... UW's defense has led the Pac-12 in both scoring defense and total defense each of the last four years ... of the 105 players on the current UW football roster, a little over half (54) are freshmen or redshirt freshmen ... Washington has played 12 true freshmen this season: DL Jacob Bandes, TB Cameron Davis, PK Tim Horn, OLB Laiatu Latu, CB Trent McDuffie, WR Puka Nacua, DL Noa Ngalu, DL Sama Paama, DL Faatui Tuitele, LB Alphonzo Tuputala, DB Asa Turner and DB Cameron Williams ... additionally, 19 redshirt freshmen have played ... Jacob Eason made his UW debut as starting quarterback vs. EWU and threw for 349 yards and four TDs ... his 349 yards were the most ever by a Husky QB in his first start ... his 4 TD passes tied for seventh-most in UW history ... UW head coach Chris Petersen entered the 2019 season with the highest winning percentage among active NCAA-FBS coaches with five or more years experience ... through eight games this year, Petersen has a career record of 144-36, good for a winning percentage of .800, second in FBS ... in five-plus seasons under Petersen, the Huskies have scored touchdowns on a total of 14 kickoff (4) and punt (10) returns ... in that same period, the UW hasn't allowed a single return for a score.
TELEVISION: The UW-Oregon game will air on FOX television, with Joe Davis (play by play), Brock Huard (analyst) and Bruce Feldman (sidelines) on the call. You can also watch via FOXSports.com and the FOX Sports Go app.
RADIO: The Washington Sports Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 18 Northwest radio stations. Play-by-play man Tony Castricone and color analysts Damon Huard and Greg Lewis are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. The UW broadcast of the game will air on Sirius (135) and XM (197) satellite radio, and is available via TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app. Touchdown Radio will also carry a national, syndicated broadcast.
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 13 times (12-1), 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.
Last year, the Huskies faced the Utes twice: once in the regular season and again in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Sept. 15 in Salt Lake City, the Huskies beat the Utes, 21-7, in the Huskies' Pac-12 opener. Myles Gaskin rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown while Jake Browning was 14-for-24 for 155 yards and a TD. The Husky defense held the Utes to 261 yards of total offense. The Pac-12 title game was a defensive struggle that the Huskies won, 10-3. The game's only TD was a 66-yard interception return from Husky cornerback Byron Murphy. UW out-gained Utah, 306 yards to 188.
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. In 2017 in Seattle, 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.
RETURNS ON FIRE: Since the arrival of coach Chris Petersen and his staff prior to the 2014 season, Washington has had four kickoff returns for touchdowns (three by John Ross and one by Keishawn Bierria) and 10 punt returns for TDs (nine by Dante Pettis – good for the NCAA record – and one from Aaron Fuller vs. BYU, 2019). That's a total of 14 kick and punt return TDs. Ross actually had four career TDs, but his first came in the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl, the last game before the start of the Petersen era. Even if you include that Ross TD, you have to go back 16 prior seasons to count the previous four Husky kick return TDs, and 27 seasons to count the last 10 punt returns. Touré Butler returned a kick for a score in 1998. Then, from 1998 to 2033, the Huskies had four: Ross in 2013, Louis Rankin in 2007, Roc Alexander in 2001, and Paul Arnold in 1999. As for punt returns, Demouy Williams had one in 1987 before Beno Bryant had three punt return TDs in 1990, and another in 1991. Then, over 23 seasons (1991-2013), the Huskies had just six more: Jesse Callier in 2011; Chris Stevens in 2006; Charles Frederick in 2003 and 2001; Joe Jarzynka in 1998; and Dave Janoski in 1996 – and two of those (Callier & Stevens) were on blocked punts, so not "traditional" punt returns. What's more? Since Petersen's arrival in 2014, the Huskies haven't allowed a single punt or kick return for a score.
OPPONENTS 35-AND-UNDER: Washington hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 35 points in a game since a 44-30 loss at UCLA in 2014 – one of only three games in Chris Petersen's UW tenure that an opponent has scored more than 35 points. That's a streak of 64 games in a row that the Huskies' opponent has failed to score more than 35. In that 64-game stretch, Husky foes have scored 30 or more just 10 times (of those nine, five were exactly 30 points) and have been held to 14 or fewer points 28 times. In that same span of 64 games, the UW has scored more than 35 points on 28 occasions.
RETURNING STARTERS: While the official number of "returning starters" this year for Washington included just two defensive and seven offensive players, a deeper look at the numbers reveals a lot more experience. In fact, not counting specialists (UW returns its starting placekicker, punter, holder and long snapper), Washington had 20 current players who had started at least one game on offense, and nine who had started on defense prior to the 2019 season – though obviously most of those were not the primary starter at any one position last season.
DEFENSE vs. BIG PLAYS: The UW allowed just ONE scrimmage play of 40 or more yards all last season. No other FBS team allowed fewer than four and 102 teams allowed 10 or more. Washington also allowed just 11 scrimmage plays of 30 or more yards (only Appalachian State, with 10, allowed fewer). The Husky defense also ranked No. 5 in fewest 20-yard plays allowed (34). In 2017, the UW also led the nation with fewest 40-yard scrimmage plays allowed (3) and were second in fewest 30-yard plays (14). They were tied for 5th and 2nd, respectively, in 2016. The Huskies have given up five scrimmage plays of 40 yards or more through the first eight games of 2019 (33rd in the nation, but first among teams with 8 games played).
YOUTH: Washington's roster remains on the young side. Of the 106 current players, more than half – 55 – are freshmen or redshirt freshmen, due in large part to the fact that every freshman on last year's team preserved their redshirt season. Washington's roster includes 18 seniors, 20 juniors, 13 sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 30 true freshmen.
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 the current system, each school plays 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 play Utah or USC. In 2015 in 2016, neither UCLA nor Colorado were on the UW schedule, while the Huskies didn't face USC and Arizona in 2017 or 2018. The 2019 season marks the start of a new cycle, moving the rotation back to where it started. Therefore, the Huskies will not play UCLA and Arizona State this season and again in 2020.
THE 100-YARD FACTOR: Since the 1947 season, Washington is 220-69-3 (.759) when a Husky player rushes for 100 yards in a game. The Huskies are 21-3 in such games dating back to the 2016 season, and 3-2 this year.
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 119 times. The Huskies' record stands at 102-16-1 (.861) in those contests.
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 37-10 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 were completed in summer, 2013. The Huskies re-opened their home field with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2018 season marks the 99th 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 393-179-21 (.680).
Players Mentioned
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