The 21st-ranked Stanford Cardinal hope to rebound from last week’s loss when they play the 12th-ranked Washington Huskies at Stanford Stadium this Friday. The game is scheduled to get underway at 10:30 p.m. EST and can be seen on Fox Sports 1 and on Fox Sports Go. Currently, Las Vegas has the Huskies as a -5.5 favorite and the contest’s total sits at 50.
The Washington Huskies have gotten back on the winning track over the last two weeks. Their latest victim was the Oregon Ducks at home last weekend. In that game, the Huskies scored 38 unanswered points on their way to trouncing the Ducks 38-3. Now, Washington sits atop the Pac-12 North standings at 5-1 and has an overall record of 8-1.
The Stanford Cardinal hope to get on track when their five-game winning streak came to an end in Pullman against the Washington State Cougars 21-24. Last week, the Cardinal switched their quarterbacks up in hope of invigorating a sluggish offense. The move by head coach David Shaw failed as Stanford only put up 198 total yards in the loss.
When these two schools squared-off last year, the Huskies jumped out to a 23-point lead and never looked back en route to a dominating 44-6 performance. The triumph stopped a three-game winning streak that the Cardinal had over Washington. In the last 10 games against each other, Stanford has been on the winning end seven times.
(12) Washington Huskies (8-1)
The Washington Huskies have reached their 8-1 mark by playing solid football in all three phases of the game. Their defense ranks first in the nation in total yards allowed (242). The offense has been efficient at putting points up on the scoreboard by averaging 38 points a contest. Lastly, their special teams scored again when senior Dante Pettis became the NCAA’s all-time leader in punt-return touchdowns during their recent 38-3 blowout.
Offensively, the Huskies are led by quarterback Jake Browning. In 2017, the junior signal-caller has completed 67.8 percent of his passes on the season for 16 touchdowns and five interceptions. Last time out, the heady thrower connected on only 11 passes that went for just over 200 yards with two scores and one pick.
The Huskies actually prefer to run the ball first and put their offense in manageable third downs. In doing so, they turn to their explosive tailback Miles Gaskin. Gaskin has performed admirably, rushing for 918 yards on only 148 carries with 10 trips to the promised land. Teammate Levon Coleman spells the savvy rusher from time to time. In his nine games, he has toted the rock 68 times for 325 yards and four more scores.
Not only does Dante Pettis return punts and kickoffs but he is also quarterback Jake Browning’s favorite wideout. This season, the multi-talented athlete has reeled in a team-high 49 passes for 571 yards and seven touchdowns. Tight end Hunter Bryant has found his share of opportunities to make plays. The 6’2, 240-pound receiver has nabbed another 22 balls for 331 yards and a touchdown.
As mentioned above, Washington’s defense is the backbone of this team. In fact, they sit well inside the top-10 in all four major defensive categories. The stout front seven only allows opposing schools to rush for 92 yards a game (6th). The secondary is even better, surrendering only 149 yards a match (3rd). Altogether, the unit only gives up about 11 points to the offenses they have faced.
(21) Stanford Cardinal (6-3)
Well, the offense has gone through quite a lot of changes throughout the course of the Cardinal’s season. Last week, they tried their third quarterback under center. Apparently, it didn’t work out as the offense struggled to move the ball in all four quarters. Even the return of tailback Bryce Love, who missed the Oregon State game with an ankle injury, could not save the floundering offense.
It is unclear who will get the start at quarterback for the Stanford Cardinal this Friday. Whether coach Shaw opts for original starter Keller Chryst or last week’s K.J. Costello remains to be seen. Either way, both have struggled to move the chains for Stanford. Chryst has completed 53 percent of his passes for 937 yards with eight touchdowns and four picks. Costello has 622 yards to his credit with four scores and one interception. Both will have their work cut out for them when they go up against one of the nation’s top secondaries.
Running back and Heisman hopeful Bryce Love has been the offense for Stanford. He had a down performance last week after returning from an ankle injury. Against the Cougars, he only managed 69 yards on 16 carries and a trip to pay-dirt. I wouldn’t count the amazing runner out yet because up until then his numbers have been tops in the country. Love has carried the ball 151 times for 1,456 yards with 12 end zone appearances.
The passing game has just not got off the ground for Stanford in 2017. Their best receiver is JJ Arcega-Whiteside who has only nabbed 25 balls for 386 yards and five touchdowns. There are four other wideouts that have caught roughly 80 passes for just under 900 yards and two more scores.
The biggest surprise to most Cardinal fans has been the play of the Stanford defense. Usually, they are solid up front and steady in their back half. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case in 2017. The Cardinal secondary sits 69th in the nation, allowing quarterbacks to throw for 223 yards a game. The front half is even worse, letting opposing rushers scamper for 178 yards a contest (89th). They do tend to tighten up in the red zone because they are only giving way to 21 points per game.
Prediction
This should be an exciting match-up for some Friday night football fun before the weekend kicks-off. The game should put two of the nation’s top running backs on display for everyone to see. If they can force themselves to stay up that long. Line setters have placed the Washington Huskies as a -5.5 point favorite for this Pac-12 showdown at Stanford Stadium. Look, the conference has been all over the board this season and a bunch of underdogs has performed well at home. I don’t think that will be the case this time around.
The Huskies are a complete team and can find ways to score in all three phases of the game. Stanford may have the best running back of the two, but Myles Gaskin is no slouch and will be out to prove just that. Besides, he doesn’t have to go up against the country’s 6th ranked run-stop either. Sure, Bryce Love should have a good bounce-back performance but it won’t be enough to keep up with Washington. Take the Huskies to win this game by at least a touchdown on Friday. #moneytreesgrow @EriktheHun
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Trends
The Huskies are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 conference games.
The Under is 5-0-1 in the Huskies last 6 road games.
The Cardinal are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 home games.
The Under is 5-0 in the Cardinal last 5 games overall.
Huskies are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 meetings.
