There is absolutely no better way to end a season other than to absolutely beat up on an opponent that is ranked. And you know, that’s exactly what the Washington Huskies did against the No. 19 ranked California Golden Bears back in 2009.
This win was huge for Steve Sarkisian as he worked to establish his offensive system and get the Huskies developed as a team. There wouldn’t be a bowl game appearance that came after this dominant win, so it was great to see that UW managed to take full advantage of the opportunity to make Cal deeply regret being on the receiving end of this game.
I mean, this was one of the most dominant wins in Washington Husky football history (over the past quarter of a century, that is) and UW really ended up running right through what seemed like an otherwise really respectable No. 19 California team. That’s something Washington can enjoy. Cal? Not so much.
Exploring the most dominant wins in Washington Husky football history since 2000: Let’s get more huge wins over ranked teams, please?
- Score: Washington Huskies 42 vs. California Golden Bears 10
- Margin of Victory: 32 points
- Coaches: Steve Sarkisian vs. Jeff Tedford
- Washington's leading passer: Jake Locker (19-23, 248 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 216.2 rating)
- Washington's leading rusher: Chris Polk (22 carries, 94 yards, 4.3 avg, 1 TD)
- Washington's final record: 5-7
- Washington's bowl destination: None (did not qualify, which stinks so much)
What do I need to know about Washington’s 32-point win over No. 19 California from 2009?
Sark really, really needed this sort of win to make it feel like the Huskies were moving in the right direction under his leadership. And with the way it played out, that certainly felt like the case.
Jake Locker looked legit at quarterback, effortlessly completing all but four of his pass attempts for just shy of 250 yards and a trio of touchdowns. Along with that, Locker managed to get a couple of rushing touchdowns as well.
Oh, and we’ve got to talk about how the Huskies played an incredibly disciplined game against Cal. The Huskies committed just a couple of penalties for a grand total of 10 penalty yards. I, for one, greatly appreciate how focused this UW team was in this game and how the Huskies managed to avoid pointless and unforced errors.