Brock Huard’s keys: Jake Browning, No. 7 Huskies can bounce back vs Arizona State’s woeful defense

No. 7 Washington (9-1 overall, 6-1 Pac-12) vs. Arizona State (5-5, 2-5)

• Where: Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium
• Kickoff: 4:30 p.m. Saturday
• TV: FOX
• Line: Huskies by 27

Washington at a glance: The Huskies saw their run at a perfect season ruined last week against USC in a 26-13 loss in which their defense clearly struggled without leading pass-rusher Joe Mathis, who was already out with a foot injury, and leading tackler Azeem Victor, who suffered a severe leg injury during the game. It was also a rough outing for quarterback Jake Browning, who was picked off twice for the first time all year and finished with a season-low 105.7 rating. UW has a lot of work to do to get back into the four-team College Football Playoff picture, but the Huskies are still ranked sixth in that poll and could make a big statement if they dominate Arizona State heading into next week’s increasingly important Apple Cup in Pullman.

Arizona State at a glance: It’s been an up-and-down season for the Sun Devils, who opened the year with four straight wins but will come to Montlake losers of their last four. The ASU offense has had its moments, scoring 30 or more points in six of its 10 games, but the defense has struggled to stop pretty much anybody. Utah and Oregon combined to score 103 points on the Sun Devils over the last two weeks, and at 511.9 yards allowed per game, ASU is better than only four teams in the country in total defense. ASU is at least pretty stout against the run, allowing just 124.5 rushing yards per game, but that could have something to do with the Sun Devils being completely helpless against the pass. Opponents are averaging a whopping 387.4 yards receiving per game against Arizona State, which is last in the nation and a full 44 yards more than the next worst team. After scoring just one touchdown last week, the Huskies could not have asked for a better opponent to play while they look to get their offense back on track.

Brock Huard’s key No. 1 for UW: Browning has to get back into rhythm. UW’s sophomore quarterback needs to regain the anticipation and accuracy he had over the first seven weeks of the season. While Browning’s numbers in total are still sparkling (he has the No. 2 passer rating in the FBS), the last three weeks have not nearly been as sharp. Deep passes have to get out early so they can again be of the catch-and-run variety. Short passes have to be on the spot to move the sticks. And most importantly for the Huskies, they have to attack the fifth-worst pass efficiency defense in the country by picking up the blitz and pressure throughout the game.

Huard’s key No. 2: Run to run. ASU is just below UW in its run defense, ranking No. 40 in the country by giving up 3.9 yards a rush, but the Sun Devils do it differently. They love to blitz and be aggressive, so they will create many negative plays but also give up big plays. In order for the latter to occur for the Dawgs, they have to be committed to the run and weather the negative storms that they will hit on occasion.

Huard’s key No. 3: Contain ASU quarterback Manny Wilkins and squeeze the pocket. No Azeem Victor. No Joe Mathis. And UW felt that pain last week as Sam Darnold and USC had ample time to operate both inside and outside the pocket. Wilkins is finally healthy again after suffering a leg injury last month, throwing for over 300 yards against Utah a week ago. While Wilkins is not as big and strong as Darnold, he is nimble and creative and will test the leverage and containment of a UW front seven that feels the loss of two of its best playmakers.

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