GAME: Washington (4-0 overall, 1-0 Pac-12 at Stanford (4-0 overall, 2-0 Pac-12). WHEN: Saturday, 7:30 p.m., Stanford Stadium. MEETING: 84th (UW leads 41-38-4). COACHES: Steve Sarkisian, Washington; David Shaw, Stanford. RANKINGS: UW 15 AP, 18 USA/Coaches; Stanford 5 AP, USA/Coaches. LINE: Stanford by 7½. TV: ESPN. RADIO: KJR-950 AM, 102.9 FM.
Turn the calendar back a year. Undefeated and No. 8-ranked Stanford arrived at CenturyLink Field favored to beat Washington and instead didn’t score an offensive touchdown in a 17-13 loss that became one of only two setbacks for the Cardinal in a 12-2 season. Since then, Stanford has undergone a makeover, principally installing Kevin Hogan at quarterback.
“The biggest thing is the most obvious — Kevin Hogan,” said Stanford coach David Shaw, when asked about the key to Stanford’s recent offensive success. “Starting with his mobility, Kevin changes things. Not everyone has to be wide open. The gun-run stuff is still part of what we do. But the threat of him running helps guys get open, and he’s made us a much more diverse offense.”
Hogan saw his first action for Stanford in last year’s loss to UW, running once for five yards. Since that game, he is 9-0 as a starter and this season has completed 63.2 percent of his passes for 832 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. He’s also rushed for more than 100 yards.
Unlike his predecessor, Josh Nunes (18 of 37, 137 yards, INT last year), Hogan likes to throw it deep. His three touchdowns against Washington State last week covered 57, 33 and 45 yards.
“They’re a much better football team today than they were a year ago,” UW head coach Steve Sarkisian said of the Cardinal. “They have a lot more variety on the offensive side of the ball with the quarterback, their ability to throw the ball downfield. Defensively, a veteran group, especially up front, with playmakers on the back end. So we have our work cut out for us.”
Shaw, who is 23-4 in his two seasons at Stanford, expressed a similar sentiment.
“I know we need to be at our best Saturday,” Shaw said. “They’ve been cranking up yards, their quarterback (Keith Price) is playing extremely well, Bishop Sankey is doing phenomenal. We learned last year how good he was. He got us.”
Sankey, the nation’s leading rusher at 151.8 yards per game, ran for 144 yards and a touchdown (61 yards) against the Cardinal at the Clink.
Saturday’s game will mark the first time since Oct. 6, 2012 that a ranked UW team will face a ranked opponent. That day, No. 23 Washington lost to No. 2 Oregon 52-21.
Washington has not defeated a top-five team on the road since edging No. 3 Washington State in triple overtime in the 2002 Apple Cup.
The game against No. 5 Stanford is the first of three Washington will play against ranked opponents, making the upcoming stretch the toughest part of the schedule. Washington will host No. 2 Oregon Oct. 12 and play at No. 22 Arizona State Oct. 19.
SERIES: Dates to Dec. 29, 1893 when Stanford rolled to a 40-0 victory at West Seattle. Stanford has won four of the past five meetings and six of the past eight. The most recent meeting was Sept. 27, 2012 when Washington knocked off the No. 8 Cardinal 17-13 at Husky Stadium. UW won with a 61-yard TD run by Sankey, a 35-yard TD from Price to Kasen Williams and a 43-yard field goal by Travis Coons.
UW HEAD COACH: Steve Sarkisian (29-25-0) is in his fifth season. After a 5-7 record in 2009, Sarkisian guided the Huskies to a 7-6 record in 2010 that included a 19-7 victory over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. That marked Washington’s first postseason game since the 2002 Sun Bowl. Sarkisian coached the Huskies to subsequent 7-6 marks in 2011 and 2012, earning invitations to the Alamo (Baylor) and MAACO bowls (Boise State). Prior to joining the Huskies, Sarkisian served as a USC assistant under Pete Carroll (2001-03, 2005-08). He also worked as an Oakland Raiders assistant in 2004. Sarkisian played quarterback at Brigham Young University and later played in the Canadian Football League.
UW STATS / NOTES
- SEASON SUMMARY: Record: 4-0. Home: 3-0. Road: 1-0. Neutral: 1-0. Vs. Pac-12: 1-0. Vs. Pac-12 North: 0-0. Vs. Pac-12 South: 1-0. Vs. Non-Conference: 3-0. Points For: 159 (39.8). Rushing Yards Per Game: 288.8. Passing Yards Per Game: 285.2. Total Offense Per Game: 574.0. Points Against: 43 (10.8). Opp. Rushing Yards Per Game: 132.0. Opp. Passing Yards Per Game: 156.8. Total Defense Per Game: 288.8.
- Bishop Sankey broke Corey Dillon’s 1996 school record with 40 carries (161 yards) last week vs. Arizona. Sankey has rushed for 100 or more yards in seven of his last nine and for 200 or more in two of his last five. In the last nine, Sankey has 1,380 yards.
- Quarterback Keith Price needs three passing yards Saturday to reach 7,000 for his career. He ranks third behind Cody Pickett (10,220) and Jake Locker (7,639). Price also needs 15 pass completions to supplant Locker for second place all time. Price has 605, Locker had 619.
- Washington ranks fifth in NCAA statistics in total offense, third in third-down conversions, fourth in completion percentage and second in pass efficiency defense.
- Washington has topped 80 plays in all games after averaging 63.9 plays a year ago.
- Washington has improved dramatically on defense in the following NCAA statistical categories: Huskies are ranked 43rd in rushing defense, up from 61st in 2012; ninth in pass defense (23rd), second in pass efficiency defense (27th), 13th in total defense (31st), fourth in scoring defense (39th).
- Washington has scored 40 points off seven turnovers while yielding no points off five turnovers.
- Washington’s Oct. 12 game against Oregon at Husky Stadium will kick off at 1 p.m.
HUSKIES 2012 OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Rushing
| Player | G | Att. | Yards | TDs | Long | Y/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Sankey | 4 | 104 | 607 | 5 | 36 | 151.8 |
| Jessie Callier | 4 | 25 | 162 | 3 | 39 | 40.5 |
| D. Washington | 4 | 27 | 116 | 1 | 11 | 29.0 |
| Cyler Miles | 2 | 5 | 96 | 0 | 61 | 48.0 |
| Total | 4 | 218 | 1155 | 11 | 61 | 288.8 |
| Opponents | 4 | 155 | 528 | 4 | 33 | 132.0 |
Passing
| Player | G | Att. | Cmp. | Yards | TDs/INT | Effic. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Price | 4 | 112 | 81 | 1044 | 9/2 | 173.6 |
| Total | 4 | 119 | 86 | 1141 | 10/2 | 177.2 |
| Opponents | 4 | 149 | 72 | 627 | 1/6 | 77.8 |
Receiving
| Player | G | Rec. | Yards | TD | Long | Y/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaydon Mickens | 4 | 21 | 214 | 1 | 30 | 53.5 |
| Kasen Williams | 4 | 16 | 255 | 1 | 43 | 63.8 |
| Kevin Smith | 4 | 15 | 269 | 1 | 49 | 67.2 |
| A.S.-Jenkins | 3 | 10 | 91 | 2 | 34 | 30.3 |
| Totals | 4 | 86 | 1141 | 10 | 57 | 285.2 |
| Opponents | 4 | 72 | 627 | 1 | 72 | 156.8 |
HUSKIES 2012 DEFENSIVE LEADERS
| Category | Skinny |
|---|---|
| Tackles | Fuimaono 30, Thompson 26, Timu 23 |
| Sacks | Shirley 3.0, Kikaha 3.0, 3 with 1 |
| Interceptions | Parker 3, Ducre, Wallace 1 each |
| Passes Defensed | Parker 4, Peters 3, Shelton 2, Kikaha 2 |
| Forced Fumbles | Kikaha, Fuimaono, 1 |
| Fumbles Recovered | Feeney |
Pac-12 Standings / North
| Schools | Overall | Conf. | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 4-0 | 2-0 | Sat, vs. Washington |
| Oregon St. | 4-1 | 2-0 | Oct. 12 at WSU |
| Oregon | 4-0 | 1-0 | Sat, at Colorado |
| Washington | 4-0 | 1-0 | Sat, at Stanford |
| Washington St. | 3-2 | 1-1 | Sat, at California |
| Cal | 1-3 | 0-1 | Sat, vs. WSU |
Pac-12 Standings / South
| Schools | Overall | Conf. | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 4-0 | 1-0 | Oct. 12 vs. California |
| Arizona St. | 3-1 | 1-1 | Sat, vs. Notre Dame |
| Arizona | 3-1 | 0-1 | Oct. 10 at USC |
| Colorado | 2-1 | 0-1 | Sat, vs. Oregon |
| Utah | 3-2 | 0-2 | Oct. 12 vs. Stanford |
| USC | 3-2 | 0-2 | Oct. 10 vs. Arizona |
STANFORD NOTES: The fifth-ranked Cardinal opened the season with a 34-13 win over San Jose State and added wins over Army (34-20), Arizona State (42-28) and Washington State (55-17) . . . The Stanford roster includes five players with connections to the state of Washington, including SS Calvin Chandler (Lakewood), OG Joshua Garnett (Puyallup), TE Charlie Hopkins (Spokane), WR Jordan Pratt (Gig Harbor) and LB Sam Shober (Monroe) . . . After serving as Stanford’s offensive coordinator for four years, David Shaw was appointed head coach Jan. 13, 2011. A 1995 Stanford graduate, Shaw has guided the Cardinal to 11-2 and 12-2 records. He was Pac-12 Coach of the Year both seasons. Shaw began his coaching career as an assistant at Western Washington in 1995 . . . The Stanford coaching staff includes defensive line coach Randy Hart, who spent 21 seasons (1988-08) under five UW head coaches . . . Stanford running backs coach Tavita Pritchard is a graduate of Tacoma’s Clover Park High.
University of Washington 2013 Schedule/Results
| Date | Opponent | UW Rnk | Opp Rnk | W/L | Score | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/31/13 | vs. Boise St. | — | 19 | W | 38-6 | 1-0 |
| 9/14/13 | at Illinois | 19 | — | W | 34-14 | 2-0 |
| 9/21/13 | vs. Ida. State | 17 | — | W | 56-0 | 3-0 |
| 9/28/13 | vs. Arizona | 16 | — | W | 31-13 | 4-0 |
| 10/5/13 | at Stanford | 15 | 5 | — | —– | — |
| 10/12/13 | vs. Oregon | — | 2 | — | —— | — |
| 10/19/13 | at ASU | — | 22 | — | —— | — |
| 10/26/13 | vs. Cal | — | — | — | —— | — |
| 11/9/13 | vs. Colorado | — | — | — | —— | — |
| 11/15/13 | at UCLA | — | 12 | — | —— | — |
| 11/23/15 | at OSU | — | — | — | —— | — |
| 11/29/13 | vs. WSU | — | — | — | —— | — |
1 Comment
Are the Dawgs bringing back last week’s helmet?