Huskies notebook: ESPN’s College GameDay going to UW vs Utah
Oct 22, 2016, 8:52 PM | Updated: 10:42 pm
There’s a new car hooked up to the hype train that is the No. 5 Washington Huskies’ season, and it belongs to ESPN’s staple Saturday morning show.
College GameDay announced Saturday night that it will broadcast live from Salt Lake City next week from the site of Washington’s game against No. 19 Utah, marking the first time the show will be on location for a UW game since it came to Seattle for a matchup against Oregon on Oct. 12, 2013.
The Huskies will take a perfect 7-0 record and 4-0 mark in conference play into Utah in what could be a preview of the Pac-12 championship game. Washington sits atop the Pac-12 North standings tied with WSU, while Utah and Colorado are tied at 4-1 to lead the Pac-12 South.
Not surprising for a played coached by Chris Petersen, Washington running back Myles Gaskin brushed off the news after the Dawgs’ 41-17 win over Oregon State.
“It doesn’t really matter. That is all media stuff. That is for the fans and all of that and we appreciate our fans, don’t get me mistaken, but that is the outside noise,” said Gaskin, who rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown against the Beavers. “At the end of the day, College GameDay, whoever could show up to the game, we really don’t care. It is all about what we do on the field on Saturday.”
Notes
• Linebacker Joe Mathis, Washington’s leader in sacks entering Saturday, did not play against Oregon State with an unspecified injury. Petersen didn’t share much about his status after the game, but the good news is he didn’t rule out a return in the near future. “We expect to get him back. We will see,” he said. “We are optimistic that we will get Joe back in there soon. I don’t know when, but soon.” Connor O’Brien played well in his place, making his first two sacks of the season.
• The Huskies are primed to move up at least one spot in the Associated Press Top 25 when it comes out Sunday morning. No. 2 Ohio State lost 24-21 to Penn State, creating an opening for Washington. Not only that, it makes Washington a favorite to be in the four-team College Football Playoff at the end of the season.
• The Huskies made two interceptions – one each for Darren Gardenhire and Austin Joyner – against Oregon State, and even though they lost a fumble, they improved their nation-leading turnover margin to plus-14.
• With three touchdown passes, Jake Browning moved past 710 ESPN Seattle’s own Brock Huard into third place in the UW record book for single-season TD passes at 26. Huard threw 25 in 1997. Cody Pickett (2002) is second on the list with 28, while Keith Price (2011) has the record at 33.
• John Ross and Dante Pettis became the first pair of UW receivers to each top 100 yards receiving in the same game since 2002. Ross led the way with 115 yards, while Pettis had 112 and two touchdowns. Both hauled in four catches.
