The Sun Devils return to the field this week as the team hits the halfway point and they travel to Seattle to meet No. 5 ranked Washington on the Huskies' home turf.
The undefeated Huskies continue to be led this season by sixth-year senior Michael Penix Jr., who's the top recipient of votes for the Heisman this year. Within six games, the quarterback has thrown for 2,301 yards and completed 20 touchdown passes, and he leads the nation in passing yards per game and passing touchdowns per game.
When Penix Jr's arm finds junior wide receiver Rome Odunze, the two create a grave threat for the Sun Devil defense. Odunze has six touchdowns so far and 736 total receiving yards.
Coach Kenny Dillingham applauds Penix Jr's passing ability and says the team aims to contain him on Saturday. Dillingham respects the unique challenge the Huskies pose and said the team is up for the challenge to contain the offensive unit as a whole.
“This is one of the rare teams that has difficult scheme, with good players, great quarterback,” Dillingham said. “Not many times do you have to play all three.”
The Huskies have been formidable for the past year, winning 13 games in a row dating back to last season. The last team to beat Washington was ironically ASU last season, but the landscape of the team has changed dramatically within the last year.
One familiar face will be redshirt junior quarterback Trenton Bourguet, the quarterback under center in last year’s matchup and ASU's last two games.
“It’s really going to take a great effort offensively, executing our plays and controlling what we can,” Bourguet said after Tuesday's practice.
Injury updates continue to be bleak for the Sun Devils despite the team’s intentions to get healthy during the bye week. Junior offensive lineman Isaia Glass returned this week and participated in practice, but others remain questionable.
Dillingham said the team will continue to push through the situation.
“It’s the situation we’re in,” Dillingham said. “It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is… We gotta find a way to be more explosive, it doesn’t matter who’s on the field.”
ASU’s defense continues to be a strong suit for the team this season. Defensive coordinator Brian Ward said a key is having a good pass rush, which applies pressure to the opposing quarterback.
Redshirt junior defensive lineman Prince Dorbah has been a leader in defensive stats, tallying six sacks so far this season and placing him seventh in the nation in sacks.
Dorbah’s recent stats highlight one of the defense’s keys to success, which has been tackling. The Sun Devils look to continue to execute these principles.
Ward said Washington will present the biggest test to their front so far this season.
As ASU prepares to play on the road again, they also anticipate playing in front of a large crowd. Husky Stadium’s capacity sits at over 70,000 fans, making it the largest stadium, both on collegiate and professional levels, in the Pacific Northwest.
Wednesday’s practice saw the team preparing for a dome setting and mimicking sounds to create a loud atmosphere similar to what Washington will present.
According to ESPN analytics, Washington is favored to clinch the win, but they also seem willing to test that outcome. Saturday night will see the presence of the Huskies’s purple helmets, which haven’t been worn in five years. The last game they were worn in, a string of unfortunate events caused the team to lose a game in which they were heavily favored to win.
Kickoff for the game will be 7:30 p.m. MST at Husky Stadium in Seattle.
Edited by Alfred Smith III, Sadie Buggle and Angelina Steel
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