[3:30 PM] #5 Washington @ #23 Washington State

Who will WIN this matchup?

#5 Washington Huskies (10-1)

@ #23 Washington State Cougars (8-3)

 

• The Huskies are thriving in Chris Petersen’s third season at the helm and the coach expects his team to handle the ferocious atmosphere on game day.

• The Cougars had an eight-game winning streak halted with a 38-24 road loss to Colorado on Saturday and are itching for the opportunity to rebound with a huge victory.

• Sophomore quarterback Jake Browning fueled the Huskies’ rise with his superb play that includes a school-record 37 touchdown passes to go with 2,870 yards and only seven interceptions. Two junior big-play wideouts have certainly aided his production as both John Ross (64 receptions for 991 yards and 15 touchdowns) and Dante Pettis (46 for 701, 12 scores) are enjoying solid campaigns, as is sophomore running back Myles Gaskin (1,130 yards, nine touchdowns). The defense has lost key players in linebackers Azeem Victor (67 tackles) and Joe Mathis (five sacks) with season-ending injuries while junior inside linebacker Keishawn Bierria leads the nation with five fumble recoveries.

• Junior quarterback Luke Falk is enjoying his own splendid season with 35 touchdowns passes (three off the school record he set last season) and he ranks third nationally with 3,935 passing yards. Senior receiver Gabe Marks (74 catches, 12 touchdowns) became the 13th player in FBS history to top 300 career receptions – he stands at 301 – and his 36 career touchdown catches are five shy of the Pac-12 record held by USC’s Dwayne Jarrett (2004-06). Senior free safety Shalom Luani has a team-best four interceptions and junior middle linebacker Peyton Pelluer has a team-leading 80 tackles for a defense allowing 25.5 points per game.

• Washington owns a 70-32-6 series lead and recorded victories in each of the past three meetings.

 

StreakSmarts Pick: #5 Washington Huskies

Confidence: 4/10

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