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.