The Washington Huskies had one heck of a quarterback back in the 2002 season. They really had a fantastic and fun passing attack that absolutely devastated opposing teams on a very regular basis and it is an absolute shame that UW didn’t win more games in 2002.
But, hey, I have a rule. Or rather a few rules. Like if you’re going to be the guy that follows “the guy,” then you’re probably going to get fired for not meeting expectations. But this rule that I’m specifically talking about is “if you’re going to be underwhelming or bad or just not great, you better be fun as heck.” And I think the Washington Huskies really accomplished that in 2002.
Because they managed to be 7-6 on the season, had a losing streak of three games sandwiched right in the middle of the season, and absolutely fell flat against the Purdue Boilermakers in the Sun Bowl. But this is also a season in which Cody Pickett managed to set the Washington Husky record for most passing yards in a single season as he threw for 4,458 yards.
And you’ll never convince me that that wasn’t fun to watch. It may not have been the most satisfying thing ever, but I bet it was fun. 4000+ passing yard seasons tend to be thrilling in one way or the other.
Washington Husky football history: Cody Pickett was the first Husky to ever throw for 3000 or more yards in a single season
And Cody Pickett sure put on a show all throughout the Washington Huskies’ 2002 season. It all started with a 318-yard performance against the Michigan Wolverines on the road. He was efficient. He threw for a ton of yards. And UW lost by two points.
Here are a few other remarkable and impressive performances where he threw for a ton of yards (actual success in terms of wins and losses may vary):
- 438 yards vs. the Idaho Vandals
- 429 yards vs. the UCLA Bruins
- 404 yards vs. the Wyoming Cowboys
- 399 yards vs. the California Golden Bears
- 368 yards vs. the Washington State Cougars
- 350 yards vs. the USC Trojans
- 347 yards vs. the San Jose State Spartans
- 345 yards vs. the Arizona Wildcats
That’s just so many yards. And he only threw 28 touchedowns the entire season. Which feels like a really low touchdown total. He did throw 14 interceptions, which is kind of a lot. But hey. The 2002 season was fun to watch from a “I really enjoy seeing the ball thrown an absurd amount of times and for the offense to move up and down the field” perspective.
Cody Pickett was exceptionally good at that. And it's fitting that he was the first Husky to ever throw for 3000 or more yards in a single season.