Can Washington Football QB Jake Browning win a national championship?

Washington Football quarterback Jake Browning stats declined in 2017. Back with a team loaded with upperclassman, he must answer the biggest qustion of his NCAA football career: Can he lead a national champion team?

The Washington Football team has recharged, restocked, and reinvigorated. Now, the hope for the team is they will compete and ultimately claim the ultimate prize in NCAA football, the national championship. That’s a huge undertaking. Still, that same goal is running through the weight rooms and practice fields of practically every NCAA football team right now.

Some teams get an edge simply from having competed before. Teams like Alabama know the way and the requirement. Familiarity plays a huge part in finding a way. Likewise, coaching plays a key part in preparing a team to compete for the title. But on the field, from the moment the season begins at the fist kickoff, it comes down to execution on the field.

From that moment, it falls squarely upon the team. And no player has more responsibility than the quarterback. For the Washington Huskies? That player remains quarterback Jake Browning. Returning for his senior season, he is once more captaining the Huskies offense. How the team, and his future football career, turn out falls upon this final season.

A year ago, we raised the belief that Browning was playing for an NFL contract.  While that is not the way the season turned out, his 2017 performance is likely why he did not jump to the NFL last season. His passing yardage fell from a 2016 high of 3,430 to 2,955 yards.  Likewise, his passing touchdowns plumetted from 43 down to an abysmal 16.  While part of that reason can be attributed to team injuries to WR Chico McClatcher and to offensive line anchor Trey Adams, Browning never seemed comfortable in the passing game.

Setback season

Cons to the ability of Jake Browning to win a national championship immediately point to the 2017 season.  The season was a reversal of Browning reputation as a strong leader.  The team fell to a record of 10-3, despite having a solid defense all year.

Speculation about the team’s refusal to emphasize rushing the ball when the running game clicked and the passing game did not may have hampered Browning’s comfort level.  Hopefully, last season will prompt more emphasis on the running game by the Washington Football team this season.  That emphasis could help, but the true battle for the offense is Browning’s mastery of himself.

Scouts have not pulled any punches so far. Despite a quarterback who threw for touchdowns in 20 consecutive games, Browning has not been getting many headlines.  You see, he is not a gunslinger, but surgeon. He throws touchdowns, yes. But does so with minimal risk for mistakes.

As you can see, that does not afford him much praise from NFL scouts so far. Is that oversight warranted? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Let’s examine some details.

2017 snakebit season

The Washington Football team entered the 2017 season bursting with confidence. After all, the team shocked the nation by competing in the 2016 NCAA playoffs after winning the Pac-12 Conference Championship handily.

Stripe Hype

Unfortunately, that confidence was soon tested in the season opener at Rutgers University. Despite the final score of 30-14, the first half was brutally competitive, ending with a 10-7 lead by the Huskies.  In fact, the Huskies offense throttled at nearly idle, scoring just three points. The lone touchdown in that first half came when Dante Pettis ran a punt return for 61 yards for the touchdown.

Lack of exposure

Since that game was the only real exposure for the team to the east coast press, subsequent non-conference blowout games did little to embellish the Huskies, or Jake Browning. In fact, the schedule prompted ESPN to claim Washington played cupcakes, visually demonstrating their point with cupcakes on a televised broadcast. While the props drew ire nationwide, the damage was done.

For the last seven game, Browning disappeared from the offense. That coincides with the combined absences of both left tackle Trey Adams and wide receiver Chico McClatcher.  The results? Including the Fiesta Bowl, Browning managed to average just 179 passing yards over the final 7 games. Similarly, he averaged just .7 touchdown passes per game (below one) while completing just 66.36 percent of his passes. That certainly opens the door for criticism. But what lies ahead?

2018 Perfect stage

The 2018 season is the opposite of last year in many ways. For starters, neither the team nor Browning are remotely lauded at the national level. In fact, many lists of nationally top rated quarterbacks omit the inclusion of Jake Browning.  Curiously, Sports Illustrated Chris Johnson and Eric Single called out Jake Browning as having a potential upside for a better than expected season.

Browning enters the 2018 still projected as one of the top 100 players by Sports Illustrated.  While at 92, that ranking is based on his experience and accuracy.  It helps that he, along with Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Hebert, are two of the few returning quarterbacks in the Pac-12 conference.  Even though he made the top 100, Sports Illustrated points to the Washington opener at Auburn as the defining game for Browning’s senior season.  We agree 100 percent. He has a great deal of upside this season.

Early test

The season opens with a true test. At Auburn will truly prove beyond a shadow of a doubt whether the Washington Football team belongs in the discussion for a national championship after week one. For that first game, the Huskies roster should be both as healthy and prepared as ever.  And in that game, you can bet the Washington offense will blend both running and passing plays at the formidable Auburn defense.

Browning is the perfect quarterback for that game. You see, he doesn’t make mistakes. The key to winning on the road against a good team is just that, don’t give them the win. Besides, this 2018 team will not rely solely on Browning. As we discussed in a previous article, Browning benefits from the healthy return of Adams, McClatcher, Hunter Bryant, Quinten Pounds and Drew Sample.

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Add rookies Marquis Spiker and Austin Osborne to the mix, topped with a rookie tight-end with great hands, Devon Culp.  Plus Browning will feel the heat to perform as the team has two talented rookie quarterbacks on the roster this year.  Is this the year Jake Browning leads Washington to a national title?  I believe he has the tools, and the players around him, to do so. But if not him, the roster has plenty of talented quarterbacks who very well can.