Stanford at Washington recap: 3 things we learned
Following Washington’s blowout win vs Stanford, there was plenty to learn coming out of this Pac-12 contest.
Washington vs. Stanford had been expected to be a marquee game of the college football weekend. However, an early onslaught from the Huskies proved to be too much for the banged-up Cardinal, as the home team won, 44-6. Washington’s lead had been up 30-0 at one point.
Pressure from the defensive line and a high-powered offensive overwhelmed Stanford, who didn’t stand a chance at any point in this ballgame. This helped learn more about their school, along with the still-perfect squad that will be moving up in the polls.
Stanford badly needs their starting cornerbacks healthy
Stanford came into this game missing starting secondary players Quenton Meeks and Alijah Holder. This left Alameen Murphy and Terrence Alexander to start. Washington, obviously fully aware of this, went after the Cardinal secondary from their first snap of the game to the end. They torched these replacement players as Jake Browning threw three touchdowns and a quick 210 yards. He didn’t have to do much else afterward, as the Husky defense overpowered the Cardinal, who couldn’t respond with their own aerial attack.
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Stanford has to get their starting cornerbacks healthy, though. Washington exploited this early and often, something Washington State, despite being on the back-end of the Pac-12, may look to do too. If Meeks and Holder can’t start on October 8, David Shaw and Co. will need to rework their game plan once again to hope they can hold off a high-powered offense.
Washington’s defense looks pretty good
Along with the offensive firepower, the front four for the Huskies were tenacious with getting after quarterback Ryan Burns. They sacked pressured, sacked, and forced him to fumble. This never let the senior get comfortable, and given that he’s not the most mobile signal caller, this hurt the Stanford offense. Tight coverage from the secondary helped as well, which took away passing options throughout the evening in Seattle.
Christian McCaffrey got to them at times, which is expected. He’s arguably the best player in the nation and will always find a way to get his chunk of yards. However, no one else could get anything going throughout the game. Washington had their number throughout and will take this defensive momentum into October.
Can Washington be College Football Playoff bound?
Just when it seemed like the season was so young, we’re suddenly in Week 5. Teams are going to be thrown around a bit more often for the College Football Playoff, including Washington, who looked like a top team on Friday.
So, can Chris Petersen lead this team to the promise land?
Washington’s schedule isn’t particularly light, but it’s not easy. They’ll have to go to Oregon next Saturday, along with games at USC and at California. They may be difficult destinations to play on the road, but if a school like USC continues to falter, these games may not look so bad for the team in purple.
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There is a chance Washington runs the table. That’s far from certain, though with a road trip to Oregon later this year. The Ducks have 12 straight wins over the Huskies so they’re not completely in the clear yet.