Dawgs Head To Tucson To Take On Pac-12 South Leaders

Saturday, October 12

Tucson, AZ

8:00 PM

University of Washington

Arizona

Photo by: Red Box Pictures

October 07, 2019 | Football

UW Game Notes

THE GAME: The Washington football team (4-2 overall, 1-2 Pac-12) heads to Tucson to face Pac-12 South leader Arizona (4-1, 2-0) Saturday night at 8:00 p.m. The game will air on FS1 television. The Huskies will be playing their second night, road game in a row, having lost at Stanford last Saturday 23-13. Arizona has won four in a row since a season-opening loss at Hawai'i and have beaten divisional foes UCLA and Colorado the last two weeks.

QUICK HITTERS: Through six games, UW has outscored opponents 84-6 in the first quarter ... Washington is 9th in the nation in net punting (43.00), having not allowed a single touchback and only 17 punt return yards all year ... PK Peyton Henry enters the week as one of 13 FBS kickers who has made all of his field goal attempts this season, and one of only two with 11 or more attempts ... in all six games this year, UW opponents have scored between 14 and 23 points ... UW has forced nine turnovers and has scored on seven (6 TDs, 1 FG) of nine ensuing drives ... on the other two occasions, the UW ran the clock out to end the game ... conversely, the UW has allowed six turnovers and opponents have scored on only two ensuing drives (1 TD, 1 FG) ... UW's defense has led the Pac-12 in both scoring defense and total defense each of the last four years ... of the 106 players on the current UW football roster, a little over half (55) are freshmen or redshirt freshmen ... Washington has played 11 true freshmen this season: DL Jacob Bandes, PK Tim Horn, OLB Laiatu Latu, CB Trent McDuffie, WR Puka Nacua, DL Noa Ngalu, DL Sama Paama, DL Faatui Tuitele, LB Alphonzo Tuputala, DB Asa Turner and DB Cameron Williams ... additionally, 19 redshirt freshmen have played ... Jacob Eason made his UW debut as starting quarterback vs. EWU and threw for 349 yards and four TDs ... his 349 yards were the most ever by a Husky QB in his first start ... his 4 TD passes tied for seventh-most in UW history ... UW head coach Chris Petersen entered the 2019 season with the highest winning percentage among active NCAA-FBS coaches with five or more years experience ... through five games this year, Petersen has a career record of 143-35, good for a winning percentage of .803 ... in five-plus seasons under Petersen, the Huskies have scored touchdowns on a total of 14 kickoff (4) and punt (10) returns ... in that same period, the UW hasn't allowed a single return for a score.

TELEVISION: The UW-Arizona game will air on FS1 television, with Tim Brando (play by play), Spencer Tillman (analyst) and Coley Harvey (sidelines) on the call. You can also watch FoxSportsGo.com and the FOX Sports app.

RADIO: The Washington Sports Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 18 Northwest radio stations. Play-by-play man Tony Castricone and color analysts Damon Huard and Greg Lewis are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. The UW broadcast of the game will air on Sirius (83) and XM (83) satellite radio, and is available via TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app.

HUSKIES vs. WILDCATS HISTORY: Washington holds an 21-11-1 edge in the series against Arizona, with the Huskies taking 14 of the last 22.

The two teams haven't met since the 2016 season, when the Huskies won, 35-28 in overtime, in both teams' Pac-12 opener. Tied at 28-28 at the end of regulation, the Huskies got a 4-yard TD pass from Jake Browning to Dante Pettis, and then batted down a fourth-down pass to end it. The year before, on a stormy Halloween night at Husky Stadium, the UW won, 49-3. Jake Browning was 16-for-24 for 274 yard and four scores while the UW defense forced four turnovers. In 2014 in Tucson, Arizona got a last-second, 47-yard field goal from Casey Skowron to beat the Dawgs, 27-26. A year prior in a late-September rainstorm at Husky Stadium, the Huskies pulled away from an 11-6 halftime advantage to win, 31-13. Bishop Sankey ran for 160 yards on a school-record 40 carries to lead the way for the Dawgs.

In 2013 in Tucson, the Wildcats rolled to a 52-17 win over the Huskies, with Ka'deem Carey rushing for 172 yards. In 2011, the UW beat Arizona, 42-31, as Chris Polk scored five TDs, rushed for 144 yards and caught four passes for 100 yards. In 2010 in Tucson, Wildcats backup QB Matt Scott led his team to a 44-14 win, completing 18-of-22 passes for 233 yards and two TDs. The year before in Seattle resulted in a stunning Husky win as linebacker Mason Foster intercepted a Nick Foles pass that deflected off the foot of an Arizona receiver and returned it 37 yards for a score with only 2:37 left. Washington won, 36-33, as the 'Cats' final drive was cut short by a Desmond Trufant interception.

In 2008 in Tucson, Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski tied a school record with three touchdown receptions as the Wildcats won, 49-19. In 2007 in Seattle, the Wildcats, behind quarterback Willie Tuitama, completed an impressive comeback and beat the UW 48-41 despite Jake Locker rushing for 157 yards and passing for 336. In 2006 in Tucson, the Huskies took a 21-3 lead in the second quarter and won, 21-10. In 2005, also in Tucson, Isaiah Stanback's dramatic, 69-yard bomb on the last play of the first half and 200 rushing yards from James Sims led the Huskies to a 38-14 win.

The six UW-Arizona games prior to 2005 were decided by a total of 31 points, with the most lopsided result (a 31-21 Arizona win) coming in 2004. That year, the Wildcats overcame a 13-9 halftime deficit, out-scoring the Huskies, 14-0, in the second half for the win. In 2003, Arizona snapped a string of 13 straight home losses in conference play by pulling out a late, 27-22 victory. In 2002, it was the Huskies who rallied late when Reggie Williams scored on an 80-yard reception with only 2:03 remaining in the game. In 2001, Cody Pickett ran in from three yards out with 13 seconds left to cap an amazing day. Only two weeks after separating his right (throwing) vs. USC, Pickett broke the UW record with 455 passing yards as the Huskies won, 31-28. Also included in the close contests are Washington's come-from-behind, 35-32 win in 2000 in Seattle (Marques Tuiasosopo scored with 1:10 left for the win a week after Curtis Williams was injured at Stanford), and the 1998 31-28 'Cats win, which may be the most memorable game in the series' history. Trailing 28-24 to Washington with under a minute to play, Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins flipped head over heels over three Husky defenders, landing on his feet in the end zone for the winning score.

RETURNS ON FIRE: Since the arrival of coach Chris Petersen and his staff prior to the 2014 season, Washington has had four kickoff returns for touchdowns (three by John Ross and one by Keishawn Bierria) and 10 punt returns for TDs (nine by Dante Pettis – good for the NCAA record – and one from Aaron Fuller vs. BYU, 2019). That's a total of 14 kick and punt return TDs. Ross actually had four career TDs, but his first came in the 2013 Fight Hunger Bowl, the last game before the start of the Petersen era. Even if you include that Ross TD, you have to go back 16 prior seasons to count the previous four Husky kick return TDs, and 27 seasons to count the last 10 punt returns. Touré Butler returned a kick for a score in 1998. Then, from 1998 to 2033, the Huskies had four: Ross in 2013, Louis Rankin in 2007, Roc Alexander in 2001, and Paul Arnold in 1999. As for punt returns, Demouy Williams had one in 1987 before Beno Bryant had three punt return TDs in 1990, and another in 1991. Then, over 23 seasons (1991-2013), the Huskies had just six more: Jesse Callier in 2011; Chris Stevens in 2006; Charles Frederick in 2003 and 2001; Joe Jarzynka in 1998; and Dave Janoski in 1996 – and two of those (Callier & Stevens) were on blocked punts, so not "traditional" punt returns. What's more? Since Petersen's arrival in 2014, the Huskies haven't allowed a single punt or kick return for a score.

OPPONENTS 35-AND-UNDER: Washington hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 35 points in a game since a 44-30 loss at UCLA in 2014 – one of only three games in Chris Petersen's UW tenure that an opponent has scored more than 35 points. That's a streak of 62 games in a row that the Huskies' opponent has failed to score more than 35. In that 62-game stretch, Husky foes have scored 30 or more just nine times (of those nine, five were exactly 30 points) and have been held to 14 or fewer points 28 times. In that same span of 62 games, the UW has scored more than 35 points on 27 occasions.

RETURNING STARTERS: While the official number of "returning starters" this year for Washington included just two defensive and seven offensive players, a deeper look at the numbers reveals a lot more experience. In fact, not counting specialists (UW returns its starting placekicker, punter, holder and long snapper), Washington had 20 current players who had started at least one game on offense, and nine who had started on defense prior to the 2019 season – though obviously most of those were not the primary starter at any one position last season.

DEFENSE vs. BIG PLAYS: The UW allowed just ONE scrimmage play of 40 or more yards all last season. No other FBS team allowed fewer than four and 102 teams allowed 10 or more. Washington also allowed just 11 scrimmage plays of 30 or more yards (only Appalachian State, with 10, allowed fewer). The Husky defense also ranked No. 5 in fewest 20-yard plays allowed (34). In 2017, the UW also led the nation with fewest 40-yard scrimmage plays allowed (3) and were second in fewest 30-yard plays (14). They were tied for 5th and 2nd, respectively, in 2016. The Huskies have given up three scrimmage plays of 40 yards or more through the first six games of 2019.

YOUTH: Washington's roster remains on the young side. Of the 106 current players, more than half – 55 – are freshmen or redshirt freshmen, due in large part to the fact that every freshman on last year's team preserved their redshirt season. Washington's roster includes 18 seniors, 20 juniors, 13 sophomores, 25 redshirt freshmen and 30 true freshmen.

THE PAC-12: Prior to the 2011 season, the Pac-10 Conference added Utah and Colorado to expand to the Pac-12. Washington, which along with California is one of two schools who have been in the conference since its founding in 1915, plays in the Pac-12 North, along with the other three Northwest schools (Oregon, OSU, WSU) and Stanford and Cal. Under the current system, each school plays all five division rivals, plus four of six teams in the other division each season. The first two seasons, the Huskies did not face UCLA or Arizona State. In 2013 and 14, the Huskies didn't play Utah or USC. In 2015 in 2016, neither UCLA nor Colorado were on the UW schedule, while the Huskies didn't face USC and Arizona in 2017 or 2018. The 2019 season marks the start of a new cycle, moving the rotation back to where it started. Therefore, the Huskies will not play UCLA and Arizona State this season and again in 2020.

THE 100-YARD FACTOR: Since the 1947 season, Washington is 219-68-3 (.760) when a Husky player rushes for 100 yards in a game. The Huskies are 20-3 in such games dating back to the 2016 season, and 2-1 this year.

HISTORY LESSON: Successfully rushing the football and winning go hand-in-hand for the Huskies. Since 1990, UW has rushed for 200 yards in a game 118 times. The Huskies' record stands at 101-16-1 (.860) in those contests.