Washington football faced its final non-conference opponent of the season in the Fresno State Bulldogs on their way to a 3-0 start.
The No. 6 Washington Huskies put on quite the show in their win over the Fresno State Bulldogs. For Fresno State, it’s been a rough time over the last two weeks as they had to face both Washington and the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide. If nothing else, they should be well prepared for their conference schedule.
After a rough going in their season opener against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Washington has looked like the team we expected them to be this year. However, they had one of the easiest non-conference slates among all Power Five teams. It’ll take until the Huskies get into the thick of their Pac-12 schedule for us to see how good they really are.
Junior quarterback Jake Browning was expected to compete in the running for the Heisman. Since Week 1, Browning has been great. Senior wide receiver has not really missed a step in taking over for former receiver John Ross as Browning’s primary target. Pettis caught two touchdown passes in the first half alone.
Moreover, Pettis tied the FBS career punt returns for touchdown record in this game. He’s a different weapon than the Huskies had with Ross. Pettis totaled four touchdowns on the day between three receiving and one punt return. He’s a game changer that every Pac-12 team must prepare extra for.
The game finished with a 48-16 final in favor of Washington. Nothing happened that we did not expect.
Now, let’s take a look at three takeaways from Washington’s win over Fresno State.
3. Jake Browning is finally back
Browning underwent shoulder surgery from an injury he suffered against the Arizona State Sun Devils last November. He never really looked the same throughout the rest of the 2016 campaign or through the Rutgers matchup.
However, last week against the Montana Grizzlies finally looked like the Browning we all know and love and can put up huge numbers. The adjustment to life without John Ross could have impacted Browning through the season opener.
Browning only got to play through the first three quarters before K.J. Carta-Samuels took over. Before that, Browning threw for 255 yards and four touchdowns. More than anything, he did not make any big mistakes throughout the game.
Arizona State gets the pleasure of having to face Browning for the first time since he injured his shoulder against them. Expect him to have one of the biggest games of his career as he continues to rebuild his Heisman campaign.
2. Washington’s defense is the best part of its team
The Washington defensive backs were among the biggest concerns entering the season for head coach Chris Peterson. The losses of defensive backs like Kevin King, Sidney Jones, and Budda Baker did leave some huge holes.
However, players like freshman corner Byron Murphy and sophomore safety Taylor Rapp are potential All-Americans that are also NFL talents. Peterson has players that will help Husky fans forget about the departures in the secondary a lot faster.
Aside from one Trevis Bartlett interception, the Washington defense did not do much in the department of forcing turnovers. What they did do was allow Fresno State only one touchdown and just 3.8 yards per carry.
Even with all the departures at all three levels of the defense, the Huskies will be just fine. Some of the younger players in the linebackers and secondary will help ease the transition and make the future bright for Washington.
3. Myles Gaskin is separating himself from Lavon Coleman
Senior running back Lavon Coleman has had a rough going to start the season. Coleman totaled just 65 rushing yards through the first two weeks. Meanwhile, junior running back Myles Gaskin is one of the best in the Pac-12, and showed that in the early season games.
Gaskin has steadily improved his stat line since the start of the season. Washington did not have to rely on Gaskin much during the Montana game. However, they will need Gaskin to step up in a big way during the Pac-12 portion of the schedule.
Part of the reason for the struggles from Coleman seem to be coming from the offensive line. Browning was sent scrambling through much of the Week 1 game against Rutgers and Coleman and Gaskin cannot find as much running room as they did last year.
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Gaskin finished the game with 56 yards and two touchdowns on just eight carries. Coleman finished the game with only 13 yards on seven carries. Both running backs will be the featured rushers on offense. Gaskin will get the bulk of the carries.