Washington Vs. Oregon: Huskies Have Far To Go After 45-24 Loss

Oct 12, 2013; Seattle, WA, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Byron Marshall (9) carries the ball with offensive linesman Hroniss Grasu (55) blocking during the 2nd half against the Washington Huskies at Husky Stadium. Oregon defeated Washington 45-24. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

I predicted a 38-31 Oregon win. Turns out Washington has more to fix than I thought. It may not have been a full on blowout this time, but even if the outcome wasn’t fully decided until the 4th quarter, the win was decisive and the Husky defense looked absolutely defeated to finish the game. Bishop Sankey, who ran for 167 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries, was a bright spot. In almost every other facet of the game, Washington was respectable but simply not good enough.

Washington’s offensive line did not protect Price well enough to allow him much time to go through his reads, and when he did manage to extend the play, Oregon’s defensive backs kept everyone blanketed. Price finished with 182 yards on 19/32 passing with a score and a pick, a far cry from the sort of game needed from the senior for the Huskies to win. Even the run game, fueled by Sankey’s great performance, often struggled on 1st down, meaning that the Huskies ended up depending on converting 3rd down after 3rd down. It wasn’t sustainable over four quarters of shootout football.

Meanwhile, when Washington began the contest by defending the run solidly, Oregon and quarterback Marcus Mariota responded by absolutely shredding the Husky secondary. Once receivers like Bralon Addison and Josh Huff started picking up chunks of yardage, the run game began to look more and more Oregon-esque, with seemingly routine runs resulting in seven and eight yard gains. Sophomore Byron Marshall ran for 106 yards and scored twice.

Corners Marcus Peters and Gregory Ducre were regularly burned, especially in the second half, when Oregon’s scores were far, far too easy. Players like Shaq Thompson often took bad angles on routine plays, allowing them to result in long, rumbling gains.

Both on offense and defense, the Ducks were better, and for now Husky fans can’t do much about the “10 More Years!” chants that rained down from the visitor’s section. Steve Sarkisian and the Huskies just aren’t ready yet.