Washington tailback Dwayne Washington gestures to the crowd in a game. (Photo by Andrew Tat/Courtesy of The Daily of the University of Washington)While ASU is coming off two impressive wins, Washington is hoping to rebound from an 11th consecutive dismantling at the hands of the Oregon Ducks. ASU has its own win streak over the Huskies — eight straight, and the Sun Devils haven't lost in Seattle since 1997.
Daniel Rubens, the sports editor of The Daily UW, was nice enough to answer our questions. Here are his thoughts on the game.
State Press: Without Keith Price or Bishop Sankey, the offense has been a little inept at times, it seems. Is it just a case of a lack of talent, or did the Huskies lose some schematic advantage in losing Steve Sarkisian, too?
Daily UW: It's more of a case of settling in with a new offense than anything. The talent is certainly there: The offensive line is filled with experience, and Jaydon Mickens and John Ross are electric playmakers at wide receiver. But things just haven't really connected for stretches of time. Cyler Miles has struggled under center at times, and they've struggled to run the ball against good defenses, but the general sense is that there is some sort of end product waiting to bust out. The question is will it happen this season, and I don't think anyone knows the answer to that.
SP: What are the chances we see Troy Williams at quarterback? Going forward, who do you peg as UW's starter, and what does each bring to the table?
UW: It's all a game of wait-and-see. Side note: The media don't get access to Coach Petersen between Monday and Thursday, and Cyler is just touch-and-go with a concussion. I'll have a better answer tomorrow if you want. Williams certainly looked good in a cameo last week, leading a touchdown drive against Oregon. He seems to be growing in confidence and appears to have wrestled the backup job away from Jeff Lindquist, who started against Hawai'i when Miles was suspended. All three of the quarterbacks are mobile, but Miles is the least likely to pull the ball down and run. He's also the best at taking care of the ball though, and if he's healthy, he's probably the quarterback for the rest of this season. But when Jake Browning — who is chasing the national high school touchdown pass record — arrives in January, he could end up being Petersen's guy.
SP: What are the issues going on in that secondary? It seems Sidney Jones has really stepped up, but that seems to easily be the weak point of that defense?
UW: The secondary hasn't looked too bad, honestly. Marcus Peters was in the doghouse early, and the other corners are very young: True freshmen Jones, Naijiel Hale, and Darren Gardenhire are the UW's next three cornerbacks since Jermaine Kelly broke his ankle. They struggled a bit in nonconference play, but the younger guys did a decent job against Kevin Hogan and Jared Goff before facing a Heisman frontrunner in Marcus Mariota. Jones has certainly improved and looks like a solid starter moving into the future, which will be especially important if Peters leaves next year for the draft.
SP: What should ASU fans be on the lookout for? Any underrated players or unique things Washington does that those that don't follow the program wouldn't know about?
UW: As you would expect from a Chris Petersen team, the Huskies occasionally pull out a trick play or two, which could be a difference in a close game. They've tried a couple of wide receiver passes this season; backup wide receiver Marvin Hall has a decent arm. They also like to take some shots deep downfield for Ross, who might be the fastest player in college football. And watch out for Shaq Thompson; he has five touchdowns, four on defense and one at running back.
SP: What are the biggest differences from this year's team from last season? ASU demolished the Huskies in Tempe, but there have been a lot of changes since then for both teams.
UW: It's a totally new team. Everything is different except the offensive line and the production from Mickens and Ross. Sankey, Price, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins were always going to be tough players to replace on offense, and the Huskies haven't been able to get even close to the same production from three important spots. Plus, Kasen Williams hasn't been the same player since his season-ending injury last October. Meanwhile, the defense has looked like a totally new beast this year, the Oregon and Eastern Washington games notwithstanding. That doesn't even mention the coaching staff.
SP: And finally, your prediction?
UW: It's a tough one to call, especially not knowing either starting quarterback. But if it's raining as hard as it has been all week, neither team will be able to throw the ball, and that favors the Huskies. With the rain, I think the Huskies win 17-10. Without it, I'll pick ASU, 31-24.
Photo Courtesy of The Daily of the University of Washington
Reach the reporter at ewebeck@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @EvanWebeck
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