Washington football has their biggest rival coming to town, favored. Can the Huskies take down the Ducks this weekend?
Whenever it’s Oregon week, it’s a huge game for Washington football, no matter what either team’s record is. This year, both teams just so happen to be ranked, and the Huskies are playing to stay alive in the Pac-12 North. The Ducks are currently the 12th ranked team in the country, while the Huskies snuck back into the rankings this week at 25th.
Something that should be noted is that the two losses on the Husky schedule, both came to teams that Oregon beat, even though that was the game where Cal quarterback Chase Garbers hurt his shoulder.
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert will be making his third and final start against the Huskies. His very first start was against Washington in 2016, and the first throw of that game was an interception by Budda Baker.
Washington will have to be stout against Oregon’s rushing attack. Sophomore CJ Verdell ran for 171 yards on 14 carries last week against Colorado; however, fellow sophomore Cyrus Habibi-Likio had three of Oregon’s four rushing touchdowns. Verdell ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns against the Huskies last season, so stopping him will be a big part of a Washington victory.
On the defensive side, the Ducks will have to look to stop Washington’s balanced attack, led by Jacob Eason. They’ve only given up 52 points over six games, but they haven’t exactly played the best competition. If Oregon can continue to play the level of defense against Washington it may end up being a long day for the Huskies.
The Huskies are incredibly tough to play at home, losing only two games over the last three seasons, including the game delayed by lightning against Cal this season. If the Huskies can stop the run, and trust their corners to play tight man to man defense, they have what it takes to pull off the upset at home.