Alamo Bowl preview

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(7-5,5-4) are set to take on the #12 Baylor Bears(9-3,6-3) in the Alamo Bowl set in San Antonio, Texas which is three hours from the Baylor campus. Both teams feature explosive offenses led by Baylor's Robert Griffin III who won the heisman trophy. The Baylor offense is averaging 43.5 points per game which is good for seventh in the entire nation. While the Huskies offense which is led by Chris Polk is averaging 31.5 point per game which is good for 36th in the nation. This should be a high scoring game with two quality offenses going up against two weak defenses. The Bears defense is allowing 35.7 points per game which ranks 109th in the country while the Huskies defense is allowing 33.3 points per game which ranks 99th in the country. For what has been a boring bowl season so far this game should generate plenty of excitement to the casual fans.

You can't talk about the Bears mighty offense without first talking about heisman trophy winner Robert Griffin III who if he leaves for the NFL would be a top 10 pick in the draft. Griffin is trying to lead the Bears to a 10 win season which was once unthinkable. For the year he completed 72.4% of his passes for 3,998 yards(10.8 YPA). He threw for 36 touchdowns to only six interceptions during the season. His passing stats alone are terrific then you factor in his 644 yards rushing(4.0 YPC) with nine touchdowns and you can see why he won the heisman trophy. His favorite targets are Kendall Wright who hauled in 101 receptions for 1,572 yards(15.6 YPC) with 13 TD's. The second weapon for this passing offense which ranks fifth in the nation is Terrance Williams who caught 53 passes for 895 yards(16.9 YPC) with 11 touchdowns. The Bears have a third receiver who is having a fine season in Tevin Reese who has caught 46 passes for 811 yards(17.6) with seven touchdowns. The Bears can also run the ball as they feature Terrence Ganaway who rushed for 1,347(5.9 YPC) with 16 touchdowns. The Bears offense features plenty of weapons on offense and for the Huskies to win they must keep that offense on the sidelines.

The Huskies need to do what they did last year in the Holiday Bowl win. Last year Sarkisian fed Chris Polk the ball over and over again as the Nebraska offense sat on the sidelines. Polk on the year has rushed for 1,341 yards(5.1 YPC) with 11 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for 324 yards(11.2 YPC) with four touchdowns. Which earned Polk first team all pac-12 selection.  Polk currently trails Napoleon Kaufman by 200 yards for the all-time rushing lead in school history. Polk also has quality backup running backs if he needs a breather. Jesse Callier for the season has rushed for 264 yards(5.9 YPC) with a touchdown. He has also caught six passes. Remember last year in the Holiday Bowl Callier completed a 14 yard pass to Jake Locker to set up the first score. Bishop Sankey has ran for 187 yards(6.7 YPC) with a touchdown and also has caught six passes. Sankey is pretty quick and can bust a long run everytime he touches the ball. The Bears defense allows 198 yards rushing per game so the Huskies should pound the ball on them. If the Bears decide to stack the box well the Huskies also have a good passing game too.

The Huskies passing offense is led by sophomore quarterback Keith Price. Price who is filling in for Jake Locker who set plenty of records at Washington. For this year it was Price who set a record for most passing touchdowns in a single season. Price for the year completed 67.4% of his passes for 2,625 yards(8.1 YPA) with 29 touchdown passes(school record) to just 11 interceptions. Price has plenty of weapons to throw to as well as he spreads the ball around the field to multiple talented receivers.  Price was selected to honorable mention all pac-12 and in a normal year could have been more but with Andrew Luch and Matt Barkley that makes it tough. His two leading receivers are both seniors and honorable all pac-12 receivers Devin Aguilar and Jermaine Kearse. Aguilar caught 36 passes for 521 yards(14.5 YPC) with four touchdowns. Kearse caught 42 for 501(11.9) with six touchdowns while also rushing for a touchdown as well. Freshman sensation Kasen Williams has emerged lately and has caught 33 passes for 408 yards(12.4 YPC) with six touchdowns. James Johnson added 26 receptions for 330 yards(12.7 YPC) with three touchdowns. The Huskies also feature honorable mention all pac-12 freshman tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who caught 36 passes for 479 yards(13.3 YPC) with six touchdowns. The Huskies also have plenty of offensive weapons to compete with the Bears. The key to this game will also be how the defense responds.

Last year when the Huskies won the Holiday Bowl all the attention was on the offense. When in reality the Huskies won 19-7 as the defense stepped up setting up the first score and eventually getting a safety. Mason Foster was the defensive MVP as he was all over the field. While Alameda Ta'amu just as easily could have been the MVP as well. He recovered the fumble that set up the first score, recorded two sacks and was also held which allowed the safety. Ta'amu who is a projected late first or early second round draft pick is playing his final game as a Husky. Ta'amu was honorable mention this year as he was injured throughout the season. Another Husky defender playing in his final game is Cort Dennison who led the Pac-12 in tackles and earned second team all pac-12 selection. The defense must step up if they expect to pull off this upset. Nobody is expecting them to shut down Baylor like they did last year with Nebraska but nobody will accept games where they allow over 40 like they did against Nebraska, Stanford, and USC. The defense must play tough in the redzone and hold the Bears to three points instead of seven points that could be the difference between winning and losing.

In conclusion, with Griffin winning the Heisman this will be the featured bowl game amongst the games not in the BCS. The Huskies have a great chance to impress the nation with a win against a quality opponent for the second straight year. For Sarkisian who is having a rough day losing out on an in-state recruit earlier today he can remove the doubt that he is the guy with a win today. With a win today Sarkisian will tie Jim Owens for second all-time in Huskies history for most bowl victories with two. With a win today the program will have made progress improving their win total each season under Sarkisian. With a win to day the Huskies will have won back to back bowl games for the first time in 20 years. This game is huge for the Huskies and their opponent for the second straight year is favored to destroy them. This is a huge test for the Huskies who failed so many throughout the year. Maybe tonight is the night the Huskies finally pass that final exam.

Polk sets records as Huskies become bowl eligible with 42-31 win over Wildcats!

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(6-2,4-1) won't need any late season surges this year to go to a bowl game as they took care of business. The Huskies defeated the Arizona Wildcats(2-6,1-5) 42-31 led by five touchdowns by Chris Polk. Polk set plenty of Husky game milestones and Husky career milestones today in the win over the Wildcats. Polk rushed for 144 yards with four rushing touchdowns while also having 100 yards receiving with a receiving touchdown as well. The Huskies defense came up big in the redzone and forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter as the Huskies overcame an early 10 point deficit to prevail. The passing game which is a speciality under Steve Sarkisian struggled not because of Keith Price but due to some dropped passes by veteran receivers. So the Huskies with the game on the line turned to their youngsters Kasen Williams and Kevin Smith who each came up with huge receptions. This time the last two seasons the Huskies were 3-5 while right now they are 6-2 which is their best start since 2001. Polk for the second straight week has submitted a ton of highlights to show NFL scouts as he prepares for his NFL career next season.

The game started off horribly for the Huskies as the Wildcats won the toss and took the opening possession into Huskies territory. Nick Foles completed his first pass to Juron Criner for a gain of 16 yards. Foles completed back to back passes for 22 yards to the Huskies 27 yard line. The Wildcats ran the ball three straight times including on third and two where they came up a yard short. Facing a fourth and one from the Huskies 18 yard line the Wildcats elected to kick the field goal on the road which was good to give them a 3-0 lead. Defensively the Huskies were facing a third and two on their first drive of the game. Price who had an open fullback in the flat held onto the ball as he was sacked for a loss of 11 yards as the Wildcats three and outed the mighty Huskies offense on the opening drive of the game. The Wildcats would take advantage of that stop on the Huskies offense.

The Wildcats second drive started on their own 34 yard line. Facing a third and seven the Huskies jumped offsides, also held the receiver then had a bad personal foul called on Sean Parker giving the Wildcats 15 yards and an automatic first down. Foles then completed a pass to set up a third and two from the Huskies 40 yard line. The Wildcats then rushed for five yards to record the first down. Foles completed another pass for 11 yards to the Huskies 24 yard line. Nick Holt dialed up a blitz and this time was burned for it as Greg Ducre was left on an island. Foles hit Criner for a medium gain which he broke the tackle of Ducre as he went into the endzone for a 24 yard touchdown. The Wildcats led 10-0 as the first quarter came to an end as this was the first time all season long the Huskies were shutout in the first quarter. The Huskies offense would once again go three and out as the Wildcats took over up 10-0. After driving all the way to the Huskies 43 yard line the Huskies forced a punt on the Wildcats and took over on their own 20 yard line.

The Huskies began the drive with an eight yard run to Polk but Kearse committed an away from the ball 15 yard penalty making it second and 17 from the 13 yard line. After a Polk run for four yards the Huskies were once again in a third and long situation. That is when Price started to play Keith Price football as he hit Devin Aguilar with a bullet pass for 21 yards. Polk ran for 14 more yards to the Wildcats 47 yard line. Sarkisian called a play action pass but Austin Seferian-Jenkins couldn't come up with the ball. Price hit Kevin Smith for a gain of eight yards setting up a third and two. Polk lined up as the fullback took the direct handoff for a gain of six yards to the Wildcats 33. On second and nine from the 32 is when the Huskies had to overcome some adversity. Price on a play action pass hit Michael Hartvigson to the one yard line. The officials then called that pass incomplete despite Hartvigson having the ball in his one hand was stumbling took five steps towards the one yard line stretched out for the touchdown then the ball hit the ground as he landed on the ground. Sarkisian then challenged the call thinking the replays would prove that was a catch instead the officials continued on with the crap call as the Huskies had to face a crucial third and nine. Price hit a critical pass to James Johnson for a gain of 16 yards and then Johnson was facemasked for eight more yards to the Wildcats eight yard line. After a short two yard run Price then throw what was ruled a lateral pass to Jermaine Kearse. Kearse due to a key block by Johnson scored the six yard touchdown. Many thought at the time that was the 29th career touchdown reception for Kearse putting him one behind Mario Bailey instead that was ruled a rushing touchdown for Kearse. The Huskies more importantly pulled within 10-7 as their offense showed they weren't going down so easily.

The Wildcats would respond to the Huskies score with a score of their own. Foles would hit Criner for a gain of 12 yards to their own 43 yard line. Foles then completed a broken play that went  22 yards  to Ka'Deem Carey to the Huskies 36 yard line. The Huskies defense though would force back to back stops setting up a third and four from the 30 yard line. It had appeared Foles could have ran for the first down but attempted a pass which fell incomplete. The Wildcats were forced to kick a 47 yard field goal which was good to give them a 13-7 lead. Despite having scored three times to the Huskies only scoring once the Wildcats were up by less than a touchdown. The Huskies offense would on the next drive would make the Wildcats pay for having to settle for two early field goals instead of touchdowns.

The Huskies responded to the Wildcats with a drive of their own and a little bit of some trickery. On the first play of the series from their own 41 after a Kevin Smith 30 yard kickoff return. Price threw a pass to Aguilar behind the line of scrimmage who then threw a pass crossfield to Chris Polk for a gain of 33 yards to the Wildcats 26 yard line. The play was reviewed as Polk and the Wildcats defender both came down with the ball but it was ruled a catch. The following play Price hit Kearse over the middle for a gain of 19 yards to the Wildcats seven yard line. Polk would rush for three yards then three yards again setting up a third and goal from the one. The Huskies then had a false start penalty setting up a third and goal from the six. Price attempted a pass over the middle but the Wildcats were called for pass interference giving the Huskies the ball first and goal from the two yard line. Polk was tackled for a one yard loss then Price threw an incomplete pass. The Huskies got to the line quickly and called a quick hitter to Polk up the middle for a gain of two yards to the one yard line. Setting up a fourth and goal from the one yard line which Sarkisian was going to go for it unlike the Wildcats earlier in the game. The Huskies on that play did an excellent job sealing off the defensive end as Polk ran to the right for the touchdown to give the Huskies a 14-13 lead which they would hold at halftime.

The Huskies began the second half by continuing the momentum with another big kickoff return by Smith which went for 45 yards to the 50 yard line. The drive began with a Bishop Sankey run for nine yards to the Wildcats 41 setting up a second and one. Sarkisian called a play action pass which Price had intercepted into triple coverage but the Wildcats were called for pass interference giving the Huskies the ball on the Wildcats 26 yard line. Price hit Kearse for a gain of nine yards to the left on a bubble screen to the 17 yard line. On second and one the Huskies had another play action pass which Price hit Polk on a fade pass for a 17 yard touchdown giving the Huskies a 21-13 lead over the Wildcats. The momentum was wearing purple now as the Wildcats were moving the ball to the Huskies 49 yard line when Foles was intercepted by Nate Fellner at the Huskies 32 yard line. First play for the Huskies Price hit Polk on another go route for 43 yards to the Wildcats 25 yard line. Looking to put the Wildcats away Price was scrambling around saw Johnson and delivered the pass to Johnson. This is when the Wildcats would avoid the blowout and make this a game again. Johnson caught the pass but was bobbling the pass as he was running towards the nine yard line when the Wildcats defender Robert Golden caught the pass for the interception. Golden then went across field for a 91 yard interception for the touchdown. Foles would complete the two point conversation and just like that the game was tied at 21-21 as Husky Stadium was dead quiet.

With the game now tied after it had appeared the Huskies were ready to put the Wildcats away Sarkisian went back to basics. The Huskies began possession on their own 24 when Polk ran to the right for a gain of 19 yards to their own 43 yard line. After a short loss by Polk, Price completed a pass to Aguilar for a gain of five setting up a critical third and six. Price then delivered a pass to Kearse for seven yards for the first down. On the next play Price hit Austin Seferian-Jenkins over the middle for a gain of 14 yards to the Wildcats 32. After a one yard pass to DiAndre Campbell, Polk ran for eight yards setting up a third and one. Once again the Huskies used Polk as a fullback and gave it to Polk for a gain of three yards to the Wildcats 20 yard line. Price ran for 11 yards to set up first and goal from the nine yard line. After an incomplete pass, Sarkisian called a run up the middle to Polk which should have only netted five yards instead his run for eight yards set up a third and goal from the one. Polk rushed to the right for the one yard touchdown giving the Huskies a 28-21 lead.

The Wildcats began their drive on their own 35 yard line. Foles started the drive with a 16 yard pass completion plus the Huskies also had a 15 yard penalty for a helmet to helmet hit giving the Wildcats the ball on the Huskies 34 yard line. Foles hit Criner for a gain of 12 yards to the Huskies 22 yard line. Foles completed another pass for 13 yards to the nine yard line. Foles capped the drive by hitting Criner on a nice fade pass which was well covered for the touchdown to tie the score up at 28-28. The Huskies offense responded with a three and out as the Wildcats took possession of the ball on their own 30 yard line. After back to back six yard runs by Carey, Foles completed a seven yard pass to Criner to the Wildcats 49 yard line. Facing a third and three Foles then completed a 41 yard pass to Criner to the Huskies 10 yard line. Criner ran for a gain of five yards as the quarter ended setting up a second and goal from the five. The Huskies defense would get tough and hold the Wildcats to another short field goal that would be the Wildcats third field goal of the game as they led 31-28 over the Huskies.

The Huskies would drive to the Wildcats 42 before Price would throw his third interception of the game as Johnson slipped right after Kearse had just dropped a wide open touchdown. The Huskies defense would keep their hopes alive by forcing a three and out. The Huskies took over on their own 19 yard line. In a shotgun formation Price faked handing it off to Polk and kept it himself for a gain of 11 yards to the 30 yard line. On second and nine from the 31 yard line Price would hit Kasen Williams over the middle for a slant then Williams bounced off the defender and dragged the Wildcat defenders for a gain of 48 yards. To date that has been Williams biggest play in a Huskies uniform. On second and 10 the Huskies had a gain of nine called back due to holding setting them back second and 20 from the Wildcats 31 yard line. Price would hit Smith who would make a defender miss for a gain of 26 yards to the Wildcats five. That is when Sarkisian wasn't messing around anymore as they ran a stretch play to Polk to the right as Colin Tanigawa made a key block as he pulled for the Huskies to take a 35-31 lead. For Polk that was his fourth touchdown of the game and third rushing of the game.

The Wildcats had the ball on their own 27 with under nine minutes left in the game. Foles started the drive hitting an 18 yard pass. He then completed another six yard pass to the Huskies 49 yard line. This is when after all game long of having breaks go against them the Huskies finally caught a huge break. Foles hit Criner for a gain of nine yards then fumbled as Prince Fuiamaono recovered for 10 yards to midfield as the Huskies took over. Price on a play action pass went downfield to Kearse for a gain of 24 yards to the Wildcats 26 yard line. Polk ran for 14 yards to the Wildcats 12 yard line. On the next carry Polk ran for one  yard which tied him with Napoleon Kaufman as the only Husky running backs to ever eclipse 1,000 yards rushing in a season for the third straight year. Earlier in the game Polk broke Kaufman's record for most 100 yard rushing games with 18. With second and nine Polk was cramping so he had to leave the game as Jesse Callier ran for eight yards to set up third and one as Polk came back out. On third and one from the three Polk was met in the backfield but powered through the defender for the first down. On the next play Polk scored his fifth touchdown of the game as he scored from two yards out to give the Huskies a 42-31 lead with under four minutes to go in the game.

Arizona now down two scores started off on their own 30 yard line. Foles completed a 13 yard pass to the 43 yard line. After a short one yard pass Foles completed a 21 yard pass to the Huskies 35 yard line. That is when Fuiamaono rushed from the left side to chase Foles down to the right with a sack for a loss of 13 yards as time was ticking for the Wildcats. After Foles completed a 13 yard pass setting up a third and 10 with 2:37 left in the game. Foles threw an interception to true sophomore safety Sean Parker to ice the game. After the Huskies grinded down the clock the Wildcats had the ball with under a minute to go. With 48 seconds left in the game Cort Dennison jumped a Foles pass returning it 12 yards to ice the game as the Huskies won 42-31 to become bowl eligible. The Wildcats lost despite Foles going 32-50(64.0%) for 388 yards(7.8 YPA) with two touchdowns and three interceptions. His main target was Juron Criner who had 11 receptions for 118 yards with two touchdowns but a costly fumble.

 For the Huskies they were led by Chris Polk who carried the ball 34 times for 144 yards(4.2 YPC) with four rushing touchdowns while also having four receptions for 100 yards(25.0 YPC) with a touchdown as well. The Huskies passing attack struggled due to several dropped passes which reflected in Keith Price's numbers as he was 16-30(53.3%) for 277 yards(9.2 YPA) with a touchdown but three interceptions. His main receivers besides Polk was Kasen Williams who had two receptions for 60 yards including a very big 48 yard reception. Jermaine Kearse once again struggled with dropped passes ended up with four receptions for 59 yards(14.8 YPC) with a rushing touchdown of six yards. Kevin Smith also had a good all around game with two receptions for 34 yards while also having 150 yards in kickoff return yards(30.0 AVG) including twice almost breaking one for a touchdown.James Johnson was held to just one reception for 16 yards. Devin Aguilar had two receptions for 26 yards while also completing a pass for 33 yards as the Huskies are going bowling.

All in all, last year the Huskies were 3-5 as senior leader Jake Locker was injured heading into their next week. The Huskies are healthy this year and coming off a win when preparing for the Ducks. The Huskies haven't came into the Oregon game off a win since 2002 and haven't entered the Oregon game with a winning record since 2000. The Huskies offense continues to score points as Price leads the passing game while Polk continues to set records at Washington. Sarkisian has had his bumps along the way but is 10-2 in his last 12 games and the Huskies are going to a bowl game in back to back years for the first time since the 2002 season. The Huskies overcame bad breaks, bad calls and an early deficit to pull this win out like good teams do.

Observations:

- Despite what the stats say I think Price played a pretty good football game. He had a touchdown taken away from him on the Kearse play because that was technically a lateral. Kearse also dropped a touchdown later in the game and the Michael Hartvigson play wiped away a 31 yard pass for him. He also had Seferian-Jenkins drop a 20 yard pass not to mention two of his three interceptions hit the receivers in both hands while the third interception the receiver got tripped. Price did help move the chains as the Huskies were 7-15 on third downs and 1-1 on fourth downs. Price hit some critical passes whenever the Huskies needed a third down pass. He also didn't lose faith in his guys as the Huskies were up 35-31 he trusted Kearse who came up with a big 24 yard catch. Trailing 31-28 on second and nine he trusted fourth receiver and true freshman Kasen Williams who delivered a 48 yard reception. Price despite the stats played a pretty good game.

For the season now Price has completed 66.5% of his passes for 1,990 yards(8.4 YPA) with 23 touchdown passes to now eight interceptions. The school record for touchdown passes is 28 so Price has four games to pass for six touchdowns which he has shown he is capable of. This was also Price's first career fourth quarter comeback. He has played great this year as a sophomore quarterback and next season will be asked to be the leader of the team.

- The defense kept the Huskies in the game. Trailing 10-0 the Wildcats had the ball and the Huskies defense forced a stop. With the game tied at 28 the Wildcats had the ball on the five yard line the Huskies defense held them to a field goal and after a Huskies interception the defense forced a three and out. Then on the next three possessions the defense created turnovers. Nick Holt has been taking heat all week and I think most of it has been fair. The defense played more agressive against the Wildcats and they allowed some big plays but they also recorded two sacks while forcing four turnovers. In the redzone the defense held the Wildcats to two short field goals which helped the Huskies earn the win much like the California game. The defense is still allowing too many points and yards but at least they showed a pulse this week. You can tell on the sidelines especially the seniors like Cort Dennison and Quinton Richardson(who is presenting Holt with the game ball there) really care for their coach.

- Chris Polk had one of the greatest individual games in Husky football history. Polk became the first Husky in history to rush for over 100 yards and receive 100 yards or as I like to call it a Marshall Faulk special. Polk also ran for four touchdowns while receiving another one. In the same game he passed up Kaufman for most 100 yard rushing games while also equaling Kaufman for three straight 1,000 yard rushing seasons. This is why recruiting is so important as Polk was going to USC instead he is at Washington. Like Kaufman the Huskies have a tailback who everyone in the nation wanted. Polk has been more consistent this season as he has rushed for 100 yards or more in seven of the teams eight games. The one game he didn't rush for 100 yards he ran for 60 while having 85 yards receiving. He has scored a touchdown whether it be rushing or receiving in seven straight games(11 of last 12 too). Polk has had one of the most consistent seasons in Husky history.

For the season Polk now has rushed for 1,016 yards(5.6 YPC) with nine rushing touchdowns(tying his career high from last season). He also has 18 receptions for 249 yards(13.8 YPC) with three touchdowns. Polk this year has shown the ability to bust long runs or receptions(all three touchdowns on fade or seam passes), Polk still runs for power on short yardage situations, he has shown the ability to be a receiving threat and is a wonderful blocker. Polk will be a star in the NFL and this year has made life easy on Price as teams are preparing to stop Polk. Now that Price is lighting teams up they are force to prepare for Price which means Polk has been running crazy going for 287 yards rushing with six rushing touchdowns the last two weeks.

- Sarkisian in year three has his offense playing at a high level. The Huskies offense is averaging 35.6 points per game which is good for 25th in the nation. The offense is balanced as they are averaging 255.5 yards passing a game which is good for 37th in the nation while the rushing is averaging 174.1 which is good for 45th in the nation. The Huskies are now 6-2 which puts Sarkisian at 18-15 as Huskies coach who were 12-47 the previous five seasons prior to his arrival. This was a real gut check win as the Huskies overcame so much while Sarkisian never lost faith and his players didn't panic. Remember the goaline fiasco at Notre Dame two years ago? Well the offensive line is better now and Sarkisian doesn't get cute anymore as he just pounds Polk for the touchdown. Remember how the Huskies could never win close games ever? Well under Sarkisian they always win the close games. The culture at Washington is a winning attitude and now Sarkisian has one more mountain to climb. He will take on the Oregon Ducks this week hoping to end the Huskies seven game losing streak to the Ducks which is their longest in program history.

In conclusion, good teams find ways to win which is exactly what the Huskies did. There was several momentum swings that went against the Huskies whether it be self inflicted or officiating. There was no excuses made the Huskies just went about their business on the next play which earned them the win. Polk had a memorable game that Husky fans will talk about for years to come. The special teams which has been great all year played well once again giving the Huskies great field position and the defense made plays in the fourth quarter. This was a total team effort as the Huskies improve to 5-0 at home. This is the Huskies best season since 2001 where they went 8-4 that year. The Huskies will face two stiff tests the next two weeks which will tell you a lot about this team going forward not only for this year but for years to come. For now Husky fans enjoy this win and start clearing your schedule in late December as the Huskies once again are going bowling.

Huskies look to bounce back against Wildcats

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(5-2,3-1) are set to host the Arizona Wildcats(2-5,1-4) in a game that would appear to be a blowout looking at the record. However the Huskies fresh off of getting blown out 65-21 at Stanford while the Wildcats won 48-12 last week against UCLA. The Wildcats also smashed the Huskies 44-14 last year with their backup quarterback. Much of the talk surrounding this game has been focused on the Huskies defense mainly Nick Holt. The Huskies defense has been in the news after the latest disaster are allowing 33 points a game. The Wildcats have done pretty well against the Huskies as they are 3-1 against the Huskies the last four years averaging 43.2 points per game against the Huskies although two of those games were against Tyrone Willingham. The Huskies will be facing an explosive Wildcats offense so this year should be another high scoring game.

The Wildcats offense is led by senior quarterback Nick Foles. Despite the 2-5 record Foles is having a terrific season completing 70.9% of his passes for 2,546 yards(8.0 YPA) with 18 touchdowns to five interceptions. Foles didn't play against the Huskies last year but he has played in Husky Stadium before. In a 36-33 loss which he threw game winning interception that went for a touchdown Foles played pretty well that game for the most part. Foles was 39-53(73.6%) for 384 yards(7.2 YPA) with a touchdown and two interceptions in the final moments of the game. Foles has plenty of receivers to throw to this season. The Wildcats have eight players with double digit receptions, eight over 100 yards receiving and four guys with over 30 receptions and 300 yards receiving. The leading receiver for the Wildcats is Dan Buckner who has 36 receptions for 541 yards(15.0 YPC) with two touchdowns. The next leading receiver is Juron Criner who has 36 receptions for 441 yards(12.2 YPC) with six touchdowns. The Wildcats running game isn't bad either led by Keola Antolin who has rushed for 351 yards(5.0 YPC) with three touchdowns. The Wildcats offense this season is averaging 30.2 points per game so look for them to score plenty of points on the Huskies defense.

The Huskies will be having a "black out" this Saturday night. The Huskies are 2-0 all-time when wearing the black uniforms so look for the crowd to be jacked up. The defense led by team captains and seniors Alameda Ta'amu and Cort Dennison must rally the defense to record some stops. The Huskies defense has to contain the Wildcats offense so their own offense can be balance. The Huskies rushing attack led by Chris Polk who has rushed for 844 yards(5.7 YPC) with five touchdowns can only be effective if the game is close. The Huskies will be playing a warm weather team at home in late October at night where the weather looks to be pretty bad. Look for the Huskies to rely on Polk some to control the clock plus the Wildcats allow 173.3 yards rushing per game. The Wildcats are also last in allowing passing yardage at 290.9 yards per game so look for the Huskies to exploit that as well.

The Huskies passing game also got a nice bonus when the Wildcats top cornerback Shaquille Richardson along with three other secondary players were suspended this game. Richardson and the Wildcats top nickel corner are suspended the whole game for fighting against UCLA while Richardson's backup along with a backup safety is suspended for the first half. The Huskies passing game which is already good going against an already bad Wildcats secondary should have a field day. The passing offense is led by sophomore quarterback Keith Price who is completing 68.4% of his passes for 1,713 yards(8.3 YPA) with 22 touchdowns to just five interceptions. Price has plenty of options too as the Huskies have six guys in double figures in receptions(another with nine receptions) with four over 300 yards receiving. The Huskies leading receiver is Devin Aguilar who has 26 receptions for 401 yards(15.4 YPC) with three touchdowns. Next is Jermaine Kearse who has been dropping passes lately but still has 27 receptions for 336 yards(12.4 YPC) with six touchdowns. James Johnson is also have a nice season with 25 receptions for 314 yards(12.6 YPC) with three touchdowns. The Huskies also have talented tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins who has 20 receptions for 321 yards(16.0 YPC) with four touchdowns. The Huskies offense should have no problem scoring points on the Wildcats defense just a matter of can their own defense stop the Wildcats?

In conclusion, this is a huge game for the Huskies as they look to be bowl eligible in October for the first time since 2001. The Huskies are trying to be 6-2 and 4-1 in conference play for the first time since 2001 as well. For all the talk about firing Holt that talk can be suspended for a week with a win right here. Steve Sarkisian has plenty of weapons on offense to exploit a weak Wildcats defense so this should be a high scoring game that will remind fans of the WAC days in the 1990's which Sarkisian excelled in while playing for BYU. A loss here could spell doom for the season as the Huskies take on the Oregon Ducks and the USC Trojans in consecutive weeks. The Huskies who are 4-0 at home should be just fine against a Wildcats team who is 0-3 on the road this season. Look for the Huskies offense to be unstoppable while the defense led by Dennison and Ta'amu make just enough plays for the Huskies to come away with the victory.

#7 Stanford thrashes #22 Washington 65-21 to remain undefeated!

By Kshell

The #7 Stanford Cardinal(7-0,5-0) for the second straight season defeated the #22 Washington Huskies(5-2,3-1) by over 40 points as they won 65-21. This is the type of loss that has raised plenty of eyebrows at Montlake as the Huskies defense allowed a staggering 615 yards of total offense including 446 on the ground. The Cardinal rushing attacked averaged 9.3 yards per play and 10.1 yards per carry average. The Cardinal had two guys rush for over 100 yards and a third break 90 yards. Heisman trophy candidate Andrew Luck didn't need to do much as he threw for only 169 yards but did complete 76.2% of his passes with two touchdowns. This was a good all around butt kicking as the Huskies received a harsh smack of reality check. This was also the first time the Huskies were held under 30 points and quarterback Keith Price's six game streak of at least three touchdown passes was snapped as well. The Cardinal offense punted once the entire game which was late in the fourth quarter as they have beaten the Huskies 106-21 the last two seasons.

The game started off beautifully for the Cardinal as they won the toss they chose to receive. Starting on their own 24 yard line the Cardinal ran a reverse to Chris Owusu for a gain of 45 yards to the Huskies 31 yard line. After a short run Stepfan Taylor busted a 17 yard run to the Huskies 13 yard line. A five yard penalty set the Cardinal back to the 18 yard line when Andrew Luck finally attempted a pass as he completed back to back passes for 16 yards to the Huskies two yard line. That is when the Cardinal  gave the ball to their fullback Jeremy Stewart for the two yard touchdown to give the Cardinals a 7-0 lead. On defense the Cardinal after allowing a third down pushed the Huskies offense back forcing the Huskies to punt. The Huskies knew they were in for a buzz saw as their offense couldn't protect Keith Price while defensively the Huskies were pushed back despite having a potential first round pick in Alameda Ta'amu at defensive tackle. The Huskies were forced to punt the ball to the Cardinal offense as they took over on their own 27 yard line leading 7-0. That was the first time the Huskies had trailed in nine quarters.

On this drive the Cardinal decided to feature Luck which almost cost them. Luck started the drive by hitting Griff Whalen for a gain of 32 yards to the Huskies 41 yard line. Luck then hit Owusu for a gain of 12 yards to the Huskies 29 yard line. Luck on the next pass almost gave the Huskies a gift but they couldn't take advantage. There was a miscommunication as Luck threw the ball in the right endzone with just Desmond Trufant there who dropped the interception. Luck would complete an eight yard pass to Owusu to set up a third and two. Luck hit his tight end but Huskies safety Sean Parker knocked the ball out of his hands preventing the long pass. The Cardinal would settle for a Jordan Williamson 39 yard field goal giving the Cardinal a 10-0 lead and for the season had outscored their opponents 60-0 in the first quarter. The Huskies were suddenly facing a must score if they had any chance at keeping this a game.

The Huskies offense like they had done all season long would respond. Price facing the rush would hit Chris Polk for a gain of two yards giving Polk three receptions early in the game. He would hit Jermaine Kearse for a gain of five yards as the Huskies faced a critical third and three from their own 27 yard line. Price completed a pass to Devin Aguilar that was short of the first down but Aguilar trucked his defender then ran for a gain of 13 yards to their own 40 yard line. Back to back runs went nowhere setting up a third and six as Price would hit Aguilar again for a key first down for a gain of 10 yards. After Price threw an incomplete pass Steve Sarkisian had a great play call as the Cardinal kept blitzing. The Huskies called a draw play to Chris Polk who busted it for a 46 yard touchdown untouched to cut the lead to 10-7. That was the first score the Cardinal had allowed all season long in the first quarter.

The Cardinal would respond to the Huskies score with a score of their own. Starting from their own 20 yard line the Cardinal would pound Taylor for a gain of four yards. Tyler Gafney busted a 24 yard run to their own 48 yard line. After a short run Gafney busted another long run of 30 yards to the Huskies 21 yard line as the Cardinal were just pounding the ball on the Huskies all game long. After two short gains the Cardinal were facing a third and four from the Huskies 15 yard line. The Huskies sent Trufant on a blitz as Whalen was wide open for a gain of 14 yards as Justin Glenn saved the touchdown stopping him at the one yard line. Luck would finish the drive with a beautiful pass over the head of Greg Ducre to all-american candidate tight end Cody Fleener for a one yard touchdown to give the Cardinal a 17-7 lead over the Huskies. Once again the Huskies offense had to respond or this game would turn into a blowout.

The Huskies once again were facing a must score as the Cardinal looked like they were not going to be stopped. After a penalty by the Cardinal the Huskies began on their own 31 yard line. They continued to go with Polk who ran for eight yards to the Cardinal 39 yard line. Then another draw to Polk who busted it 61 yards untouched for the touchdown. With that touchdown the Huskies pulled within 17-14 as this game appeared to be a shootout. For Polkhe went over 100 yards for the 17th time in his career for the Huskies which tied him with Napoleon Kaufman for most 100 yard rushing performances in Huskies history. The Huskies have had plenty of great running backs led by Kaufman so that was a big accomplishment. The Huskies unfortunately wouldn't get any closer in this game as the Cardinal quickly stole the momentum right back.

The Cardinal with the ball on their own 30 yard line up only 17-14 decided to not mess around. Calling a simple run play to Taylor who busted it to the outside then went all the way for the 70 yard touchdown. That play was one of many devastating plays that turned this game towards the eventual blowout as the Cardinal led 24-14. The Cardinal at that point in the game was dominated the Huskies defensive line. Once again the Huskies offense had to respond to the challenge and try to answer the Cardinal score with a score of their own. Starting from their own 21 yard line Price hit Austin Seferian-Jenkins over the middle for a gain of 20 yards to their own 41 yard line. He then completed a seven yard pass to Kasen Williams and followed that up with a 17 yard completion to Kearse on the right to the Cardinal 35. Facing a third and 10 the Huskies called on the draw play as Polk ran for 11 yards for the first down. That is when the Huskies offense due to a questionable penalty started to stall. They would have to settle on an Erik Folk 46 yard field goal attempt which hit the goal post and was no good. The Cardinal offense would take advantage of the the Huskies missed opportunity.

Taking over from their own 28 yard line the Cardinal had a ball control offensive possession. After two short runs by Taylor setting up a crucial third and four the Huskies allowed a five yard run to Luck for a first down. Taylor would rush for eight yards then for 24 yards to the Huskies 29 yard line. Facing another third and four from the Huskies 23 yard line Luck would complete a pass to Owusu for a gain of five yards to move the chains. Luck then completed a pass to Zach Ertz for a gain of 14 yards down the middle to the Huskies four yard line. On the next play Luck would throw his second touchdown pass of the game to Drew Terrell from five yards out to give the Cardinal a 31-14 lead. With under four minutes left in the half and with having the ball first in the second half the Huskies weren't quiet yet out of the game. The Cardinal though would put the Huskies down for good on the following drive.

The Huskies were facing another must score and had a nice head start as Kevin Smith ran the kickoff 36 yards to their own 37 yard line. Polk would rush for eight yards then rush for another eight yards as the Huskies were in Cardinal territory. Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of nine yards to the Cardinal 38 yard line. On second and one the Huskies tried Polk up the middle but he was blown up for a three yard loss. On third and four the game would turn into a laugher as Price didn't see an open Aguilar instead trying to force the ball into Kearse which was picked off by Michael Thomas for a 61 yard interception for a touchdown to give the Cardinal a commanding 38-14 lead. The Huskies still had a minute left before the half ended as Price tried to salvage the game still. Price hit Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 11 yards to the Huskies 36. Polk ran for three yards which set up a Price completion to Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 28 yards but the Huskies also committed a 15 yard penalty. Price hit Seferian-Jenkins again for a gain of nine yards to the Cardinal 39 yard line. With one play left Price completed the hail marry well short of the endzone to Aguilar for a gain of 30 yards as the half ended. The Cardinal outscored the Huskies 28-7 in the second quarter. Despite being only outgained 356-316 in the first half the Huskies had trailed by 24 points. The Cardinal were led by Luck who was 11-13 passing for 109 yards with two touchdowns and a strong rushing attack led by Taylor who had 130 yards rushing on just eight carries including a touchdown. The Huskies saw Price make that costly mistake but played solid going 17-24 for 186 yards with the interception. Seferian-Jenkins had five receptions for 77 yards while Aguilar had four receptions for 58 yards. The Huskies were led by Polk who had 143 yards rushing on just 10 carries with two touchdowns while catching three passes. The second half would see more Cardinal scoring as the Huskies defense had no answer.

The second half which the Cardinal are so successful at put the Huskies away. The offense went three and out to begin the second half punting the ball to the Cardinal offense. The Cardinal took the ball out of Luck's hands and still scored a touchdown. The drive began with a four yard run to Taylor, then a five yard run to Anthony Wilkerson setting up a third and one. The Cardinal called a fullback dive which went for three yards. Gaffney rushed up the middle for a gain of 16 yards to the Huskies 36 yard line. Gaffney followed up that run with 32 yard run to the Huskies four yard line. Gaffney finished off the drive with a four yard touchdown run to give the Cardinal a 45-14 lead. The Huskies offense continued to sputter in the second half as they went three and out once again. The Cardinal would then go on an 11 play 52 yard drive but would have to settle for a field goal as they led 48-14 over the Huskies. The Huskies offense went three and out once again as they punted the ball back to Stanford. The Huskies finally forced a Cardinal punt for the first and only time all game long.

The Huskies offense had one last drive in them for pride.  After Kasen Williams returned the punt 12 yards to their own 32 yard line is when Price would finish off his last drive of the game. After a short completion facing a second and 15 Price hit Aguilar for a gain of 15 yards. Facing another second and long Price hit Kearse for a gain of 29 yards to the Cardinal 20 yard line. Price hit James Johnson for a gain of 12 yards to the eight yard line. Facing a third and goal from the three Price would hit Kearse who bobbled the ball and ended up dropping the ball. After a Cardinal penalty the Huskies had new life as Price hit third tight end Evan Hudson for his first career reception which was a two yard touchdown pass which cut the score to 48-21. For Price that would be his final pass of the game as he was getting drilled all game long.

The Cardinal were hell bent on running up the score this game as Luck played into the fourth quarter and they were throwing passes to the endzone at the end of the fourth quarter. The Cardinal would tack on some more points. After a run the Cardinal had the ball on their own 40 yard line when Luck hit Whalen for a gain of 18 yards. Luck completed two more passes for 26 yards to the Huskies 18 yard line. Wilkerson finished the drive with an 18 yard touchdown run giving the Cardinal a 55-21 lead. Kevin Smith would fumble the kickoff as the Cardinal recovered settling on a field goal to go up 58-21. Nick Montana would come in for Price as the game was a blowout. Montana would throw an interception setting up yet another score for the Cardinal. Wilkerson on the final drive carried the ball seven times for 58 yards including his 38 yard touchdown run two minutes left in the game to give the Cardinal a 65-21 lead.

The Huskies loss was very demoralizing as it was impressive for the Cardinal. The Cardinal saw Luck complete 16-21(76.2%) of his passes for 169 yards(8.0 YPA) with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Luck also ran for 23 yards. His favorite target was Whalen who had four receptions for 76 yards. The Cardinal rushing attack was too much for the Huskies. Stepfan Taylor led the rushing attack with 138 yards on 10 carries(13.8 YPC) with a touchdown. Tyler Gaffney added 117 yards on the ground on just nine carries(13.0 YPC) with a touchdown. Anthony Wilkerson ran for 93 yards on 14 carries(6.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. For the Huskies Keith Price has seen better days but didn't play bad. Price completed 23 of 36 passes(63.9%) for 247 yards(6.9 YPA) with a touchdown and a costly interception. His main targets were Austin Seferian-Jenkins who had five receptions for 77 yards. Devin Aguilar added five receptions for 71 yards while Jermaine Kearse had four for 52 yards receiving. The Huskies rushing game was actually pretty good led by Chris Polk who ran for 144 yards on 15 carries(9.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. Then in garbage time true freshman Bishop Sankey ran for 31 yards on five carries(6.2 YPC). The Huskies loss feels like more than just one game but it is just that one game.

All in all, this is a devastating loss to the Huskies program who appeared ready for such games like this. Instead for Sarkisian it is looking more and more that he is going to have to make a tough decision regarding his friend Nick Holt in the offseason. The Huskies defense appears to be getting worse the longer Holt is there. The Huskies were hoping to make a statement this game instead they just showed how far away they really are. The Huskies are still a bowl team but the Stanford Cardinal proved there is a huge difference between a middle of the road bowl team and a national championship team. Those are the facts the Cardinal are competing for a national title while the Huskies are three years removed from 0-12. Losses like this are completely unacceptable as it shows the Huskies still have a long ways to go.

Observations:

- This was Price's worst game as a Husky quarterback this season. Shows how well he's played when he throws for 247 yards and completes 63.9% of his passes against a good defense. Price was under pressure all game long as it was pretty obvious early in the game that Stanford was dominating both lines of scrimmage. Still the game was somewhat in balance at 31-14 when Price didn't see an open Aguilar instead throwing the pick six. If the Huskies let's say trail 31-21 or 31-17 at halftime maybe this doesn't turn into quite the blowout.

 I still think Price played well enough for the Huskies to win. You aren't going to beat anyone giving up 65 points I don't care who your quarterback is. Price saw his three touchdown a game streak snapped but is still have a great season. For the year Price is completing 68.4% of his throws for 1,713 yards(8.3 YPA) with 22 touchdowns to five interceptions on the season. Not bad for a sophomore quarterback who many picked as the worst quarterback in the Pac-12 heading into the season.

- I do like the fact that the Huskies finally have a tight end to throw the ball to. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is only a true freshman but is going to be a future probowl tight end in the NFL bank on it. This guy will be a first round pick in the 2014 NFL Draft after he leaves his junior year. For the game Seferian-Jenkins had five receptions for 77 yards as he was catching passes over the middle, breaking tackles and using his speed. On the first Polk touchdown run Seferian-Jenkins had a key block which set that touchdown run up. Seferian-Jenkins has had the biggest impact freshman season for the Huskies since Reggie Williams in 2001 by far.

He'll be a freshman all-american and make some sort of all pac-12 team this year. For the season Seferian-Jenkins has 20 receptions for 321 yards(16.0 YPC) with four touchdowns. He is on pace for 34 receptions for 550 yards receiving and 6.9 touchdowns this season not counting the bowl game. Seferian-Jenkins has became a big part of this offense and as he gets older look for him to be the Huskies leading receiver.

- Chris Polk is awesome and the Huskies are going to miss him next year. I know Polk is a junior but he's had big games on the national spotlight this year against Stanford and Nebraska. He has shown he is an everydown back too as he has the speed to bust off long runs, the power to earn those tough yards plus he can catch passes out of the backfield. Against a Stanford defense which had allowed only 52 yards rushing a game Polk ran for 144 yards on just 15 carries. Had the game been close he could have gone off for 200 yards. For the year Polk has ran over 100 yards in six of the seven games. The one game he didn't was against California where he had 85 yards receiving so he has yet to have a game where he wasn't over 100 yards all-purpose.

Polk also tied legendary running back Napoleon Kaufman for most 100 yard rushing performances in Huskies history. He has still has five more games left(one against the Cougars who can't stop anyone from rushing) so he'll certainly break Kaufman's record. For the year Polk has ran for 844 yards(5.7 YPC) with five rushing touchdowns. He also has 14 receptions for 149 yards(10.6 YPC) with two touchdowns. Polk is on pace to rush for 1,446 yards in the regular season and including the bowl game 1,567 yards which is an incredible season. Polk is easily in the Huskies top five running backs of all-time and I personally would put him third only behind Kaufman(most exciting Husky ever) and Hugh  McElhenny(all-time great). The Huskies have had plenty of great running backs and Polk deserves to be high up on that list.

- The Huskies defense in year three shouldn't be allowing 65 points including 446 on the ground. Teams who are passing teams are throwing for over 300 yards on the Huskies at will. The two teams who run the ball well like Nebraska and Stanford have embarassed the Huskies. At what point does Sarkisian realize that Nick Holt simply isn't that good? It could be Sarkisian isn't recruiting well enough on defense either way the defense has been a problem and has gotten worse each year. Here are some stats that I got from KJR's Mitch in the Morning that I'll post up.

Huskies Defense in the Holt era:
Pts per game allowed: 2009 - 26.66, 2010 - 31.16, 2011 - 33.71
Yards per game allowed: 2009 - 389.5, 2010 - 401.17, 2011 - 431.28 (thru 7 games).
 Sacks per game: 2009 - 2.5, 2010 - 2.33, 2011 - 1.86 (thru 7 games)

As you can clearly see the Huskies defense is allowing more points and yardage each season while recording less sacks. I know the team has lost NFL players such as Donald Butler and Mason Foster the last two years I understand that. Still the team has Cort Dennison and Alameda Ta'amu not to mention other highly recruited players. With the exception of Sean Parker the Sarkisian/Holt guys on defense have yet to do anything. I think if the Huskies want to reach the next level they have to seriously sit down and think hard if Holt is the right guy or not.

- For Steve Sarkisian this was tough loss. In year three I figured these type of blowout losses were over and done with. Last year the Huskies lost four games by over 30 points and until this loss the Huskies only other loss was a competitive loss to Nebraska. I do like that after losses Sarkisian always puts the blame on him instead of the players which is nice to see. His offense is still playing at a high level as they moved the ball on the Stanford defense. The Huskies offense has moved the ball on all their opponents this year just couldn't score this game was the only problem.

I'd say overall Sarkisian is doing a fantastic job as the Huskies are still 5-2. If the Huskies just win the games they are supposed to they'll go 8-4 and just pull off one upset that is 9-3 heading into the bowl game. I think a year after losing Jake Locker most fans would take 8-4 or 9-3 just three years removed form 0-12. The defense has allowed over 20 points in six of the seven games and over 30 points in three games. Shows how successful Sarkisian's offense is that they are 5-2 with such a rough defense.

In conclusion, the Huskies aren't ready for primetime games. Someday they could be as their offense I feel is ready the defense though is years away. The Cardinal scored 65 points with Andrew Luck not having to do much but game manage. So even if Luck didn't play I suspect the Cardinal would have won in a blowout anyways. The Huskies simply can't let this loss lose them the next game against Arizona. Under Sarkisian after the six game mark the Huskies have gone on losing streaks of four games in year one then three games in year two. The Huskies lost the first game after the sixth game hopefully that trend ends this Saturday. A loss on Saturday can be devastating with Oregon and USC on the road looming. For the Huskies the offense is solid but unless the defense gets fixed in a hurry they are years away from seriously competing for a Rose Bowl. The Cardinal for the third straight year punched the Huskies in the mouth and left them without any bite. Back to back years the Cardinal put the Huskies at "rock bottom". Last year the team won four of the next five games after losing 41-0 to the Cardinal. We'll find out a lot about this Huskies team this Saturday night at home against the Arizona Wildcats.

Polk helps lead Huskies to dominant second half winning 31-14 over Utah

By Kshell

The Washington Huskies(4-1,2-0) led by Chris Polk rushing for a season high 189 yards dominated the second half in beating the Utah Utes(2-2,0-2) 31-14 on the road. The Huskies scored 24 unanswered points including 21 in the fourth quarter to silent the Utes crowd. The Huskies in the third quarter had almost 200 yards of total offense compared to just 23 yards for the Utes. Polk had 105 yards rushing in the third quarter alone while Keith Price continued his streak of throwing for at least three touchdown passes in a game to five. Price would finish the game throwing for 226 yards with three touchdowns. The line of scrimmage was dominated by the Huskies as they ran for 185 yards compared to just 17 for the Utes. The Huskies survived a rough first half then took advantage of the second half. For a defense who has been bashed on they have put together six straight good quarters of football. The game couldn't have started off any better for the Huskies who are hoping to take this momentum past the bye week.

The Huskies won the opening kickoff and elected to receive for the second half. On the opening kickoff the Utes kickoff returner Charles Henderson was tackled by Garret Gilliland who then forced the fumble. The fumble was recovered by Jamaal Kearse who ran it in for an 18 yard touchdown return. The last name should sound familiar as Jamaal is the younger brother of Jermaine Kearse. The Utes would avoid the turnover on their next kickoff return but would be forced to go three and out. All the momentum was wearing purple at that stage of the game. On the Huskies opening possession from their own 28 yard line they would begin with a Polk run of seven yards, Price would then hit Polk for a gain of seven yards. Price would hit Kearse for a gain of 17 yards while following that up with a seven yard run. Facing a third and three from the Utes 34 the Huskies would call for a toss sweep to Polk for a gain of two yards setting up a key fourth and one. The Utes this time would win the battle of the line of scrimmage stopping Polk short. The momentum had suddenly shifted to wearing red.

The Utes took advantage of the fourth down stop. Jordan Wynn connected to Devonte Christopher for a gain of 36 yards down the sideline to the Huskies 32 yard line. The play was originally called a touchdown but he was ruled out of bounds. Wynn would hit a 12 yard pass to the Huskies 20 yard line. After two short gains the Utes were facing a key third and six from the Huskies 16 yard line. That is when the game would be tied up when Wynn would hit Dres Anderson for a 16 yard touchdown to tie the game up. The Utes made that drive look easy but nobody thought that would be the Utes last score until 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The Huskies would record some key stops on the Utes in the redzone to stay in the game in the first half.

During the course of the first half the Utes had several opportunities to take the lead over the Huskies. The first drive that led to nothing was when the Utes were facing a fourth and one from the Huskies 31 yard line. After a false start the Utes went for it on fourth down and failed to convert. The following drive the Utes drove 53 yards on 10 plays but the Huskies came up with a huge interception by Sean Parker. The Utes once again had a nice drive going but would fumble the ball on the Huskies six yard line. The Huskies would finish the half going on a 12 play 68 yard drive ending with Erik Folk making a 44 yard field goal. Despite being outgained by 54 yards the Huskies led at halftime 10-7. Keith Price was only 8-12 passing for 81 yards with an interception. While Chris Polk had been shut down to 44 yards on 12 carries(3.7 YPC). While the Utes were led by Jordan Wynn who was 12-17 passing for 149 yards with a touchdown but a costly interception. The Huskies had stopped Shawn White holding him to just 28 yards rushing on 10 carries(2.8 YPC). Although the Utes dominated the first half they found themselves trailing. The Huskies would come out and play their best half of the season to put the game away.

The Huskies would begin the second half like they begin the first half by scoring a touchdown. The drive would begin with a Bishop Sankey four yard run up the middle then the big play would happen next. Chris Polk would enter the game and announce he was ready to go this second half. Polk would bust a run for 49 yards to the Utah 27 yard line. Price would hit Jermaine Kearse for a five yard gain then have a dropped pass setting up a key third and five from the 22 yard line. Price would hit freshman tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a gain of 13 yards to the Utes nine yard line. After a short run by Polk that is when Steve Sarkisian called a beautiful play. The Huskies ran a wide receiver screen to freshman Kasen Williams who had some key blocks. Williams would score an eight yard touchdown to give the Huskies a 17-7 lead over the Utes.

After trading punts the Utes lost their starting quarterback Jordan Wynn to a shoulder injury. He was replaced by Jon Hays. Starting on their own 14 yard line the Utes called for a fade pass which was played beautifully by the Huskies Greg Ducre who intercepted the pass at the Huskies 48 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Polk had a 14 yard run to the Utes 38 yard line. Price would hit James Johnson down the middle for a 15 yard reception to the Utes 23 yard line. Price would throw a quick pass to Kearse who made the defender miss as he sprinted up the sideline for the touchdown to give the Huskies a 24-7 lead. The Huskies had came out in the second half taking it to the Utes. This was a different Keith Price in the second half and the third quarter would end with the Huskies up 24-7. The Huskies had played their best quarter in the Sarkisian era. The defense was continuing stopping the Utes offense while the Huskies offense wouldn't let up. The Huskies would put the game away on the following drive to seal the deal something they hadn't done all season long.

The Huskies would begin with the ball on their own 26 yard line after Utah elected to punt on fourth and one from midfield. The game would be put away as the Huskies would go on a 14 play 74 yard drive taking up over seven minutes. After a loss of four yards Polk would rush for eight yards setting up a key third and six from their own 30 yard line. Price would hit Seferian-Jenkins over the middle for a gain of 11 yards to their own 41 yard line. Polk would rush for a gain of nine yards to the 50 yard line as the third quarter had ended. Polk would rush for the first down, then rush for eight yards. On third and three from the Utes 41 yard line Price would rush for six yards to extend the drive. Price would hit Kearse for a gain of seven, facing yet another third down Price would hit Kearse for the first down to the Utes 21 yard line. On third and six from the Utes 17 yard line Price would hit Devin Aguilar for a 17 yard touchdown pass. That would be the 17th passing touchdown of the season for Price who equaled Jake Locker's total from all of last season. The Utes would score a late touchdown which had no barring on the game. The Huskies would win the game 31-14 over the Utes in an impressive road win.

For the Huskies this was an extremely impressive win. The Huskies were 10 point underdogs and totally dominated the second half. The defense for the second straight week has shown improvement which has been a trademark for Nick Holt. Sarkisian saw his offense struggle in the first half only to rebound in the second half putting up 299 total yards offense in the second half alone. The Huskies were led by Chris Polk who ran for the second highest total of his career with 189 yards rushing on 29 carries(6.5 YPC) while catching three passes for 16 yards. The sophomore quarterback who was recruited by Utah then later pulled their offer made them pay. Keith Price finished the game 22-30(73.3%) for 226 yards(7.5 YPA) with three touchdowns and one interception. Like he has done all year long Price was spreading the ball around. Price completed a pass to eight different receivers led by Jermaine Kearse who had seven receptions for 70 yards with a touchdown. Devin Aguilar added two receptions for 40 yards with a touchdown, James Johnson had three for 37 yards, Austin Seferian-Jenkins had three for 32 yards and Kasen Williams had two for 30 yards with a touchdown. The Huskies defense forced five turnovers from the Utes while allowing only 322 yards offense(156 in the second half) and more importantly shut down the run. The Huskies held the Utes to just 17 yards rushing on 23 carries(0.7 YPC). The Huskies led by senior captain Cort Dennison who his hometown team didn't even recruit once again stepped up. The defense carried the team in the first half and then was dominate in the second half.

All in all, the Huskies improve to 4-1 and 2-0 in conference play for the first time since the 2006 season. Heading into the bye week at 4-1 is huge for this team as they are about to face a tough part in their schedule. The team is improving each and every week which has been nice to see. The best part about the win today was all the second half adjustments which you never saw from the previous coaching staff. The Huskies in the second half dominated the line of scrimmage which was beautiful to watch as a fan who suffered through the Willingham era. The Huskies defense in Pac-12 play has looked pretty good as well. This was a great team win for the Huskies as their offense continues to shred their opponents for 34 points per game average led by Price and Polk. Sarkisian has this program heading in the right direction and you are seeing the young players making big plays for him as well.

Observations:

- The play of Keith Price was once again terrific on the road. What was most impressive about Price was for the first time all year he played poorly in a half. Then in the second half was on target hitting his passes which shows his mental toughness. Price finished the game 22-30 passing for 226 yards with three more touchdowns. After a rough first half Price finished the second half completing 14-18(77.8%) for 145 yards(8.1 YPA) with three touchdowns and no interceptions. The Huskies punted only once in the second half due to Price hitting his passes when the game mattered most.

For the season Price has completed 97-142(68.3%) of his passes for 1,209 yards(8.5 YPA) through five games. He has also thrown for 17 touchdowns to just four interceptions on the season. In all five games this year Price has thrown for at least three touchdown passes. Price has been very accurate when the Huskies need big throws. Price is also making plays with his mobility avoiding sacks then turning that into a big gain. With Price you can't focus on one receiver either as he is always finding the open man. Sarkisian called him out at halftime and Price answered the challenge showing that he is going to be a keeper for the Huskies for years to come.

- When a kid plays high school football he has aspirations to play for his home team. For Cort Dennison he played high school football in Salt Lake, Utah yet wasn't even offered a scholarship by the Utah Utes. Dennison was only a two-star recruit coming out of high school. The Utes passed on both Dennison and Price so this was a big game for both. Price stepped up in the second half proving the Utes offered the wrong quarterback the scholarship.

While Dennison and his other 10 guys on the field shut down the Utes offense. The defense caused five turnovers while keeping the Huskies in the game in the first half. The Huskies have allowed just 17 points in their last six quarters which is some major improvement from the start of the season. The Huskies shut down John White who had 35 yards rushing on 14 carries(2.5 YPC). The Huskies forced three fumbles and intercepted two passes. This game had to feel great for Dennison to return to his home city to walk away with a victory while the defense played terrific.

- Chris Polk has had a solid season but to date has yet to have a break out game. Well today he had just that with 189 yards on 29 carries both are season highs. Polk like Price was shut down in the first half. In the second half though Polk ran for 145 yards on just 17 carries(8.5 YPC). With Polk rushing for all those yards including 105 in the third quarter alone that allowed Price to hit some key play action passes. The Huskies also controlled the time of possession in the second half as well. Polk for the year now has four 100+ yard rushing performances and has went over 100 totals yards in every game this season. For Polk that is the 15th time in his Huskies career he went over 100 yards. He is just two games shy of tying Napoleon Kaufman for most 100 yard games. Polk also moved past Joe Steele for second all-time in Huskies history with rushing yards as he went over 3,000 career yards.

For the season Polk has carried the ball 116 times for 603 yards(5.2 YPC) with three rushing touchdowns. Polk also has 10 receptions for 128 yards with a touchdown as well. Polk is big time for the Huskies as he is a powerful back who has improved on his speed. His 49 yard run to open the second half set the tone for the entire second half. The Huskies offensive line after playing so terribly in the first half played terrific in the second half. The line of scrimmage was controlled by the Huskies and Polk set the tone for a terrific win. Polk is easily one of the greatest running backs to ever play for the Huskies and he is adding to his legend this season.

-  I felt this game was a strange game for Sarkisian. His play calling was some head scratchers which reverted back to last season. Having said that his second half game adjustments was key. Given that this was a road game which the Huskies were underdogs that was the best second half I've seen from the Huskies in a decade. Sarkisian is silencing his critics with each and every victory. Sarkisian is now 16-14 as Huskies head coach the most he has ever been over .500 while at Washington a program who was 12-47 the previous five years including 0-12 right before he took over. His offense is averaging 34 points per game and despite losing a quarterback to the NFL the passing attack has actually improved. Sarkisian has stockpiled some good recruits as the Huskies have several young key players making plays.

In conclusion, this was a very big win for the Huskies program. This win illustrates that this team is a program on the rise. This win will probably put the Huskies in the top 25 rankings which they were ranked for only one week in the 2009 season and prior to that the 2003 season. This wasn't the biggest win in the Sarkisian era but this was certainly the most impressive win in the Sarkisian era. The Huskies won by a blowout on the road considering their last three road wins were by a combined 11 points winning by 17 is pretty impressive. The Huskies will head into the bye week then take on Colorado at home in two weeks. The Huskies are 4-1 looking to be 5-1 for the first time since 2001. The Huskies haven't been 3-0 in conference play since the 1997 season. For Sarkisian and Nick Holt this win has to feel pretty good as their critics were silenced this week. For the Huskies it feels good to be watching quality football once again as they have won eight of their last nine games dating back to last season.