5 things to watch for as Washington Football visits Oregon State

As the Pac-12 prepares for a week five shakeup, the Washington Football team plans for “steady as she goes” as the team takes to the road to face the Oregon State Beavers

Is there ever too much of a good thing? Well, that certainly a question Washington Football fans will ask themselves this weekend. That is due to the fact that the Washington Huskies offense will pit their strength against the defense of the Oregon State Beavers. And the Washington offense is very effective. The same cannot be said for the Oregon State defense.

But there are good reasons to play the game. Anything can happen on any given week. Hopefully, those shocking, surprising finishes do not plague the Huskies this weekend. Unfortunately, the Huskies come off a very emotional win this past Saturday against Colorado, and must go back on the road once more.

Football: Washington-Oregon State football game preview https://t.co/vavaMI1eB8

Five keys to Washington Football game against Oregon State

So we have placed our minds together, and have decided these are five things to watch for in the upcoming contest.

1. Can Washington defense contain Ryan Nail?
2. How good can Jake Browning play against a suspect defense?
3. Is Salvon Ahmed ready for prime time yet?
4. How will the passing game compensate for loss of WR Chico McClatcher?
5. Can the Washington Huskies emerge unscathed this weekend?

Now that we have the topics, let’s break each one down.

Can Washington defense contain Ryan Nall?

Oregon State offense has totaled some 1424 yards so far this season. Of that amount, running back Ryan Nall owns 399 yards. That is 28 percent of the team’s total offense. Of the Beavers 12 offensive touchdowns this year, Nall carried the ball four times into the endzone for 33 percent of the scores.

In short, to stop Oregon State, you must stop Ryan Nall. Unfortunately, many teams tried, and so far many teams failed.

Cat Crave

But this Washington football team is rather unique in their approach to run defense. They enter each game believing they can neutralize the other team’s top rusher. And then, they do.

It starts up front

The Washington rush defense starts up front. That is where you will find defensive tackles Vita Vea and Greg Gaines.  And that is where trouble begins for opposing offenses.  While Vea causes mayhem, Gaines anchors himself in place.

That causes mass confusion in opposing offenses. It’s not safe to try getting around the pair, as Vea can run down virtually any running back. It’s not safe to try going through the pair, as Gaines is unmovable.  In the end, the two defensive tackles are the perfect compliment to one another.

But even if Nalls gets to the linebackers, he faces an even stiffer pair of defenders in Azeem Victor and Keishawn Bierria. The linebacker duo are in pursuit of national recognition, and would like nothing better than to add to their reputation by completing shutting down Nall in this one.

How good can Jake Browning play against a suspect defense?

So far this season, you almost get the feeling that quarterback Jake Browning is holding back. When you see his 73 yard touchdown pass to Dante Pettis.

And then you see how he threads the needle to Quinten Pounds

You begin to wonder how any defense can stop him. Maybe they don’t? Just speculating, but what if the team doesn’t want to show more than is absolutely necessary?

We’ll see this week, as this is a perfect opportunity to give some young weapons a test drive.  And that makes for the perfect segue into the next slide, as freshman Salvon Ahmed is looking for a bigger role in the offense this week.

Is Salvon Ahmed ready for prime time yet?

Freshman running back Salvon Ahmed was the talk of training camp for the Washington Football team. He has natural instincts, incredible burst, and a true feel for the game which is simply not coachable. Much like a player’s height, it simply is or is not. Much of the preseason optimism sprang from the knowledge that Ahmed would be contributing to the offense early and often in the season.

After four games, that belief is partially correct. Ahmed has carried the ball 26 times for 109 yards. He has also caught three passes in his vicinity for ten yards. The hope of his impact may not be fully realized just yet. But this weekend may tell a different tale.

It seems that Ahmed worked out with the receiving corps leading up to this game.  That in turn leads us to believe that he will see a significantly larger role with the team against Oregon State.  Whether that role is in the running game, passing game, return game, or a combination of the three is a key element to look for this Saturday.

How will the passing game compensate for loss of WR Chico McClatcher?

When you have a returning receiver like Chico McClatcher, you not only get his production, but his years of playing with the quarterback. That shared experience gives both passer and receiver instinctive trust and knowledge of what the other will do in response to the defense.

In fact, quarterback Jake Browning must redo that learning curve with a new receiver.

But that may also mean expanding the role of an existing contributor.  The team has running back Salvon Ahmed, tight ends Hunter Bryant and Will Dissly, and wide receiver Quinten Pounds to turn to. And this is an excellent weekend to do so, as Oregon State has proven to be a rather pourous defense so far in this young season.

As a matter of fact, this is the same defense which surrendered 396 yards and 6 touchdowns to Washington State quarterback Luke Falk. While Falk is a solid passer, those numbers are awfully high even for him.

Right now, the team has a large number of options from which to choose. But the key of this weekend is to observe which option they select.

Ultimately, the direction they go against Oregon State could impact the rest of their season.

Can the Washington Huskies emerge unscathed this weekend?

The Washington Football team is counting on the “next man up” mantra to continue their success this season. But the numbers will eventually catch up to the team, as healthy bodies will begin to thin at some point.

The depth of the Washington Huskies was tested against the Colorado Buffalo. While the team passed that test with flying colors, they lost wide receiver Chico McClatcher to a broken ankle.  Now, the team must absorb the loss of a key receiver mid-season, and still progress to compete even stiffer competition as the season progresses.

On one hand, the hope is for the team to establish some equilibrium, where dinged up players return to active roles as other players must rest for a week or two.  On the other hand, the pace of current injuries will eventually whittle away at the team’s ability to compete.

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However, head coach Chris Petersen is a wily veteran who knows how to adjust his team roster to adapt to the challenges as they surface. But the hope is that he will have the same or more players to use next week as he has entering this week’s contest.