Washington Football passing game is in very good hands this season

As the 2017 NCAA football season draws near, it’s a good time to do a systems check on the Washington Football team passing game to determine the level of preparedness.

Washington Football quarterback Jake Browning is itching to get the 2017 season under way. After all, he has two of the most efficient pass receivers in the Pac-12 to throw to: Dante Pettis and Chico McClatcher.

USC has something to say about it, but everyone is saying it

So far, most of the Pac-12 talk has focused on USC and their returning quarterback Sam Darnold. Now that is not without cause.  Darnold was given the reigns of the USC Trojans football team last season and after some growing pains, he did a fine job.

But the track record of USC quarterbacks in the NFL has not been a story with a happy ending. And so, while pundits and prognosticators focus south, the true football narrative is written to the north.

Browning efficient and hungry

The Pac-12 has some solid passing games, and that means good quarterbacks. In fact, a Bleacher Report article by David Kenyon listed the top ten NCAA quarterbacks, and included three from the Pac-12:

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Luke Falk out of Washington State University, Josh Rosen out of UCLA, and finally, Sam Darnold out of USC.  Ne’er an honorable mention for Jake Browning out of the University of Washington. After leading the Washington Huskies to a Pac-12 championship, into the NCAA playoffs, and with a ridiculously efficient 43 touchdowns and nine interceptions, he doesn’t make a top ten list.

And he was injured last season.

But without recognition, Browning is gearing up for the ultimate prize, an NFL contract.  To do that, he needs to put up some serious numbers this year.   But he’s not alone.  Both Pettis and McClatcher have his back.

Watch Huskies take to the air

The Washington Football team has a offense capable of winning both on the ground and in the air. But while the team is most certainly expecting a monster year out of running back Myles Gaskin, there is reason to trust the skies. An effective passing game forces defenses to be honest. Defenders can crowd the box, or place up to eight defenders within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage. It’s tough to find the open holes with that many bodies in the trenches.

But a quick slant, screen, or curl route can be just as effective as the running game, and stretches the field from side to side. If safeties crowd too close, a fly or post route can make them pay the price.

Washington wide-outs can catch the ball

The Washington Huskies were led in pass receptions last season by wide receiver John Ross. In fact, he accounted for a full third of the pass completions last year. Now, Pettis and McClatcher will be called upon to pick up that slack.

As the graphic in the first slide demonstrated, the Washington Football team boasts two of the top five wide receivers in the Pac-12.  Of the group, Dante Pettis leads everyone with a 139 passer rating to the quarterback who throws his way.  McClatcher is slightly behind at 109.9.

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What it comes down to is that the top two receivers on the Washington Football team are two of the top receivers in the Pac-12.  And in the end, it’s not just who throws the ball, but who they are throwing the ball to that makes the difference.  The Washington passing game is in good hands. Four good hands at last count.