(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)
The Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1) hit the road again this weekend, visiting the No. 10 Washington Huskies (2-1, 1-0) Saturday night to open Pac-12 play.
It will be ASU’s first game against a top-10 team on the road since…Washington. Then ranked sixth, the Huskies smothered the struggling Sun Devils 44-18 back in November 2016.
A lot has transpired since then, and in spite of the rough experience his first time around, senior quarterback Manny Wilkins looks forward to the challenge.
“Washington’s, personally, one of my favorite stadiums to play in just because the atmosphere is unlike any other in college football,” Wilkins said. “You got the stadium on the lake, rain here and there, so it’s just different than everywhere else and I think it’s a cool environment, so I’m excited for our guys.”
As Wilkins suggests, the weather will be a stark contrast to Tempe and San Diego. The forecast shows a chance of rain with temperatures in the mid-50’s around game time, but Wednesday’s practice gave ASU the chance to prepare for the elements a bit more than expected.
“We got a little rain today, I don’t know if it’s a good omen or a bad omen,” coach Herm Edwards said. “It was good to get to practice in that. I thought we had a lively practice.”
Preparing for the elements will only be a small part of the battle though against a more talented and physical Washington team.
ASU’s defense was the key in last season’s 13-7 upset over then No.5 Washington, but a now much less experienced unit will be the main concern Saturday, especially after being trounced on by San Diego State’s running backs.
“Up front, I think we got some guys that can put pressure on the quarterback,” defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said. “I think we have to be able to keep (Washington) from running the ball.”
Huskies tailback Myles Gaskin will give ASU’s run defense all it can handle. The shifty senior has rushed for over 1,300 yards and at least ten touchdowns in each of his first three seasons.
What makes Washington so tough though is that its passing game is just as much of a threat as its running game.
“They’re 50/50 run-pass, and they’ll do it out of different formations,” Gonzales said. “They like to establish the run to set up some of their play-action stuff…it’ll be a really good challenge.”
The Huskies have it all in the passing game, led by senior quarterback Jake Browning. His favorite target thus far has been junior wideout Aaron Fuller, whose 317 receiving yards (only two more than ASU’s N’Keal Harry) ranks 17th in the nation.
Browning will use Fuller to move the ball down the field, but has 6’4 sophomore Ty Jones as a red zone target- the team leader with three touchdown catches. A pair of 6’5, 250-lb tight ends in Drew Sample and Cade Otton also figure to be key in the run and pass games.
The biggest factor in stopping Washington’s offense will come down to containing Browning himself.
“They get him out of the pocket- when he rolls to his right he’s deadly,” Gonzales said. “We need to create some situations where he’s uncomfortable, so we’ll give them some different looks that they haven’t seen before and get them to play hard and see if we have a chance.”
Not to be outdone, ASU’s air attack is as good if not better. Wilkins slips into the nation’s top ten with 958 passing yards and is off to another strong start with a 151-passer rating and a TD/INT ratio of 7/1.
Everyone will be relied upon to contribute to the passing game, from star receiver N’Keal Harry (21 rec, 315 yds, 4 TD) all the way down to sophomore running back Eno Benjamin (15 rec, 113 yds, TD), as Wilkins has shown a penchant for throwing to numerous targets.
“They’re not going to let you throw the ball over their head,” Wilkins said of UW’s secondary. “It’s just about finding the spaces, finding the holes in the defense and just being patient, take what they give us.”
UW’s pass defense is stellar, allowing only 4.7 yards/attempt (T-5 in FBS) led by sophomore and Scottsdale, Ariz. native Byron Murphy. The corner is tied for second in the country with seven pass breakups.
The Sun Devils will look to establish a run game though against a Washington defense that has given up 4 yards/carry and 143 rushing yards per game.
The rainy conditions could give way to a run-heavy offense, but ASU will have to improve on its 80 total rushing yards over the last two games.
“It’s going to take great concentration and discipline to go up there and win a difficult, difficult game against a really good football team in a really hostile environment,” Edwards said.
Saturday night’s game kicks off at 7:30 p.m. and will be televised nationally on ESPN.
