Washington Football vs. Stanford: Preview, predictions, live stream
By Dana Becker
If Washington football wants to compete for the national title once more, they’ll need to handle Stanford on the road Friday night.
The Huskies and Cardinal square off in a key Pac-12 North showdown. Washington (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) and Stanford (6-3, 5-2 Pac-12) are currently the leaders in the conference along with Washington State (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12). The battle is a three-team race, with the Huskies and Cougars controlling their own destinies.
Win out by either and they advance to the conference championship game as the North representatives.
Coming off back-to-back convincing wins over Oregon and UCLA, Chris Petersen’s group appears re-focused after a 13-7 loss to Arizona State. The Huskies have allowed just a total of 53 points in their last five games, holding opponents to 11 per on the year.
Stanford, meanwhile, had its five-game win streak snapped at the hands of Washington State, suffering a 24-21 setback. Star running back Bryce Love returned after missing a one-point win over Oregon State, but it wasn’t enough.
Here’s how to watch Washington vs. Stanford this Friday night:
Date: Friday, Nov. 10
Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
Location: Stanford, Calif.
Venue: Stanford Stadium
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go
Keys to Victory
How will Bryce Love fare against one of the best rush defenses in the country? Love averages 182 yards per game and 9.6 per carry. The Washington defense, though, is surrendering just 91.1 yards per game, meaning something has to give.
Love’s injury was enough to force him to miss a game with Oregon State. He returned last week vs. Washington State, but ran for a season-low 69 yards, averaging just four per carry.
With K.J. Costello and Keller Chryst failing to generate much offense, defenses can focus in on Love and take him away. The junior will need to get creative in the offense to find holes and openings.
Unlike Stanford, Washington is far from one-dimensional on offense. Jake Browning has thrown for over 1,900 yards with 16 touchdowns, Myles Gaskin is closing in on another 1,000-yard season and has scored 10 times, and Dante Pettis recently set the NCAA record with his ninth career punt return for a season.
If those three stay in-sync, the Huskies should have little trouble putting up points and stopping Love and the Cardinal on the other side of the ball.
Prediction
It just feels like Petersen and the Huskies are picking up steam. And while it might be a case of being too late to get a shot at returning to the College Football Playoff, there is still plenty of time to win the Pac-12.
Browning has found his rhythm, Gaskin and Ahmed are forming a solid 1-2 combo next to him in the backfield, and Pettis remains one of the most dangerous players in the country.
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As long as the Washington rush defense holds up vs. Love, they should be able to get enough pressure on Stanford to get a lead and protect it.
Prediction: Washington 27, Stanford 13