Five takeaways from Washington Football road victory over Colorado

The Washington Football team rises to 4-0  after a tough test on the road against the Colorado Buffalo. Here are five takeaways from the game going forward

The Washington Football team had one of the toughest tasks in the NCAA this weekend. The team had to compensate for injuries, face a tough opponent on the road, and meet lofty national expectations on the outcome.  The team has not played a complete football game yet, because the team simply didn’t need to do so.

But the team needed to have a roll call to win the huge game against the Colorado Buffalo. With an injury list reported before the game including star freshman cornerback Bryon Murphy and power running back Lavon Coleman, the team needed their top players to show up.

Coach Petersen calls on his big player, but will they answer the call?

On one hand, the team had to get huge plays from players who have been answering the call, like defensive tackles Vita Vea and Greg Gaines. On the other hand, the team needed to hear from players who are loaded talentwise, but who have not yet showed up big, like Myles Gaskin and Azeem Victor.

The game tonight reminded me of the classic scene from Lord of the Ring after the beacons from Minas Tirith were lit.  Will the players answer the call?

Yes. Yes they did.  And in the process, the Washington Huskies victory is a huge statement to the Pac-12.  We can get five takeaways to ponder in the weeks ahead from this game.

Takeaway I – Myles Gaskin is still a stud at running back

The Washington Huskies have not had much of a running game so far this season. Well, before game four of the season. In the absence of Lavon Coleman, the rushing attack fell upon the shoulders of Myles Gaskin.

Gaskin was ready.

He responded with a 200 plus yard, two touchdown performance. Just a week ago, the team had been putting up rushing yards via a multi-back committee approach.  Tonight, Myles Gaskin filibustered, and busted through the line again and again.

Gaskin picks his spots. What a night to have a career game.

Takeaway II – That Huskies defense is incredibly tough

The Washington defense faced a great running back and a solid stable of receivers from the Colorado Buffalo. The Huskies had a solution for both sets of weapons.

After the opening drive, where Colorado appeared to have the Huskies defense on their heels, Washington played superb defense. The team surrendered just three points the rest of the way.  That is on the road, against the same team faced in last season’s Pac-12 championship game.

No oxygen? No problem at all

Most teams struggle in the higher altitude atmosphere of Colorado.  But Washington’s defense shrugged off the lack of oxygen to stop Colorado again and again. Not only did the team stop Colorado’s offense, but opportunistically manufactured three turnovers in the game as well.  One pick resulted in a touchdown.

As the game progressed, the Huskies seemed to get stronger. They did not allow 200 yards in the air, and did not allow a running back to get 100 yards on the ground.  As a matter of fact, the defense created so much havoc up front that they sacked the Montez five times – one time with just a three man rush.

Takeaway III – Jake Browning is incredibly underrated

Quarterback Jake Browning is not getting much notice from the nation’s press. He simply is not flashy enough to get much attention. National media love gunslingers, but Browning is more akin to an orchestra conductor. He sets up teammates to make plays.

Browning won’t throw passes just to pad his statistics. His head is in the game the entire time. That means the young man knows the objective. Run the clock down with a lead late  in the second half. Don’t make poor decisions.  These are all Browning traits.

Related Story: Where does Jake Browning rank against Pac-12 quarterbacks?

Browning’s numbers are stunted because he has been pulled from from most games in second half due to the score.  While the score eventually did turn to Washington’s favor, the game was very much undecided until the fourth quarter.  Still, the true knock on Browning is his lack of playmaking abilities.

Clutch playmaker

But he can throw the ball in tough coverage for a score.  Isn’t that what being a playmaker is all about? And it was to seldom used receiver Quinten Pounds.  He threaded double coverage for a touchdown pass which should be on each highlight reel.

That pass was huge. With just a three point lead, the Buffalo remained confident that they could mount a comeback if they could keep the game close. Throwing that deep for a score is huge, and a sign of just how good Browning is.  Sometimes, just throwing touchdowns doesn’t seem to be enough. Oh, by the way, Browning extended his TD tossing ways to 18 consecutive games.

Takeaway IV- Azeem Victor is the emotional leader of this defense

Linebacker Azeem Victor has played two games without making his presence known. Yes, he has made plays, but without indication of emotion. But when he popped Colorado quarterback with a tremendous hit for a 6-yard-loss sack, emotion squirted all over the place.

Victor led the Huskies with ten tackles. Only three of those tackles were a group effort. Seven tackles were solo, one was a sack for a six-yard-loss.

Why was this so huge? He had only contributed six tackles on a year to date basis before this game. His performance tonight was the catalyst.

Everyone on the defense knew that Victor was on fire. Even when the offense had the ball, he was into the game cheering, talking up his teammates, and seething hot in preparation to get back into the game.

Takeaway V- Washington Huskies kicking game is very concerning

Why look for problems after a victory like this?  If they aren’t addressed, victories stop coming. It may have been one of those odd nights. It may have been the excitement of the game.  But kicker Tristan Vizcaino struggled mightily tonight.

He was a mere 1-3 on field goal kicking, and 4-5 on extra point kicks. This was not a close game, so the misses did not impact the outcome.

But what about next time?

The  Huskies are competing for more this year than ever before. That means all parts of the game must be firing on all cylinders.  Right now, the kicking game is not.

Games are won in key moments. Turnovers, stops, first downs, and the ability to score a field goal are all very important in big game.   It’s not the end of the world. But it’s  something the coaching staff needs to be aware of, and address soon.

There are no “do-overs” in football.

Takeaway Bonus- Washington defense is playing like one of nation’s best

The odds did not give Washington’s defense much in their favor. But the team showed up larger than ever before on the biggest game of the season so far. And after tonight’s win, it’s tough not to walk away with the same perspective of these Huskies.

This is a good team.  Strike that. This is a great team.  They entered the weekend among the ten best in the nation and after some upsets will likely be ranked even higher.

Must win won

This was a game the Washington Football team had to win. On one hand, “had to” because they had to prove last season was no anomaly. On the other hand, “had to” because this was their Pac-12 opener. As a matter of fact, “had to” because lesser teams had begun to leap over the Huskies in the national rankings.

The Colorado Buffalo had a good game plan and they fought hard. But the Washington Football team emerged the victor. In the end, the Huskies proved again that the their emphasis upon players with a passion for football is the right choice.

After watching this game, I have to believe that any recruit on the fence is leaning to Washington now. This coaching staff is one of the best in the NCAA.