UW

Brock Huard’s keys: No. 5 Huskies aim to stay perfect vs Oregon St

Oct 21, 2016, 7:00 AM

No. 5 Washington (6-0 overall, 3-0 Pac-12) vs. Oregon State (2-4, 1-2)

• Where: Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium
• Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
• TV: PAC-12
• Line: Washington by 36.5.

Washington at a glance: Fresh off their only bye week of the season, the Huskies will ease their way back into Pac-12 play at home as gigantic favorites against an Oregon State team that would be overmatched even if it wasn’t dealing with multiple injuries at quarterback (more on that in a second). Washington is very much in the conversation to be one of the four teams in the College Football Playoff, but it may need some impressive scores in the coming weeks to convince the right people they belong more than one of Alabama, Ohio State, Clemson or Michigan, the four teams ranked ahead of the Huskies in the Associated Press Top 25. Considering they have the nation’s most effective quarterback in Jake Browning, are tied for the national lead in sacks and outscored Oregon and Stanford a combined 114-27 over their last two games, it’s safe to say the Dawgs are putting themselves in the right position.

Oregon State at a glance: Head coach Gary Andersen’s squad has seen better days. Though the Beavers actually gave No. 19 Utah a run last week, losing 19-14 in a game in which offense was noticeable hindered by adverse weather, they lost not just starting quarterback Darrell Garretson (ankle) but second-string QB Conor Blount (knee) to injury in the defeat. That leaves Oregon State to turn to third-string sophomore Marcus McMaryion, who at least has some experience, even throwing for 109 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 8 for 16 passing last year against Washington. The bad news for McMaryion is that he’ll be tasked with trying to score points with an offense ranked 110th in the country against a UW defense that is 18th in college football in yards allowed per game – and that’s with a lot of yardage coming in garbage time late in blowout Husky wins. The Beavers aren’t pushovers on defense, though, allowing just 179.5 passing yards per game, so they will present a challenge to Browning, John Ross and company on Saturday.

Brock Huard’s key No. 1 for the Huskies: Stay calm against Andersen’s chaotic defense. Through all of his years as a head coach and a coordinator, Andersen is a guy that loves frenzy, loves chaos and loves to blitz. Oregon State won’t just sit there in a formation and take punishment from the University of Washington. The Beavers will try to inflict, and I would expect them to have nothing to lose and to be incredibly aggressive. That’s what they did last week against Utah and what they will do against Washington. Handling pressure and communicating the exotic looks Oregon State throws at the Huskies at times will be a part of Jake Browning and the offensive line getting it going this weekend.
 
Huard’s key No. 2: Maintain strong communication to keep improving Browning’s Heisman case. Communication will be the biggest key for Browning. If he communicates to his guys around him, and in particular his protection, to handle that aforementioned blitz, he will have another big day. There will be ample opportunities for him to hit the one-on-ones he’s hit all season long and I don’t expect his decision-making to change at all. As the stakes get higher, he should just zero in even more on his fundamentals, accuracy and decision-making that has been as good as anybody in college football.
 
Huard’s key No. 3: Flex their muscles on the defensive line. My eyes will always be focused on the defensive line, especially as the stakes raise with the Huskies trying to remain perfect and in the College Football Playoff hunt. When I was at Ohio State last weekend talking to the No. 2 Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator Luke Fickell, the tape he was watching was of the UW defensive line. As I travel around college football and people ask me about the University of Washington, it usually centers around that defensive line. The linebackers and the secondary are the beneficiaries because it all starts with that group up front. Oregon State should not be able to block Washington. It doesn’t matter who is at quarterback, what string he is or what experience he has. This is all about that front four of the Huskies dominating the offensive line as they have week in and week out, and that should not change this weekend against the Beavers.

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Brock Huard’s keys: No. 5 Huskies aim to stay perfect vs Oregon St