Stanford Rises, Washington and Arizona State Fall in Week 5 Pac 12 Power Rankings
Saturday Blitz Pac 12 Power Rankings Week 5
5. Washington Huskies, 4-1 (0-1), Lost to Stanford Cardinal 20-13 Last Saturday
Washington ironically proved itself in the loss to Stanford more than it has in any other game this year, because without a couple of crucial offensive errors, the Huskies easily could have won this game running away. Okay, the blowout win against Illinois helped their case too, but over the past three weeks let’s just say we have realized that Chris Petersen’s team is not a fluke.
The Huskies use a very pedestrian passing game and dominant rushing attack to win games, but Cyler Miles still can make plays when needed at quarterback. The biggest thing for him is he’s efficient, having not thrown an interception yet this season. Although he struggled against Stanford Saturday, he looks like he won’t do anything to lose the game. Meanwhile, a rushing attack that averages about 207 yards a game combined with the lack of mistakes has been good enough for the offense to average 35 points a game. The defense is still good. This team simply wasn’t good enough to beat Stanford.
Going forward, Washington has to stay focused because they are still a circled game that bottom Pac 12 teams trying to make a bowl game will consider winnable. That starts this weekend with a road game against Cal, which the Huskies can’t take lightly.