Washington Football: Browning and Gaskin could power Pac-12’s best offense
The ultimate potential of the offense for Washington football lies in the hands of two players that are both key rising seniors.
Washington football has an excellent chance to repeat what they were able to accomplish back in 2016, when they won their first Pac-12 Championship under head coach Chris Petersen. That also led the Huskies to their first ever College Football Playoff appearance. Petersen has established a new standard for success in Seattle, by elevating the Huskies to a national contender status.
The two players that play the biggest role in the success of UW this season are both on the offensive side of the ball. Rising senior running back Myles Gaskin and quarterback Jake Browning are two of the best, and most experienced, offensive players in the Pac-12.
If the Huskies are to make another run to the Pac-12 Championship Game in 2018, they’ll do it behind a level of production from Browning more similar to what he did in 2016. There was a significant dip in Browning’s state line last year, that could have been due to a multitude of reasons.
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The loss of former UW star receiver, and current Cincinnati Bengals wideout, John Ross could have impacted Browning’s numbers. However, an increased focus on the ground game, and lagging injury issues also took a toll on Browning’s overall performance.
Meanwhile, Gaskin had his best season of his college career, by far, in 2017. Gaskin totaled 1,612 yards and 24 touchdowns. He did all that while averaging more than 6.0 yards per carry. Gaskin established himself as the set in stone starter, ahead of former UW rusher Lavon Coleman.
Losing another star wide receiver, in Dante Pettis, could hurt Browning again in 2018. However, the UW receiving corps could come a long way in 2018. And, Browning will be pushed by the best set of backup quarterbacks in the nation, including two four-star prospects and Georgia Bulldogs transfer Jacob Eason.
Watch out for emerging UW receivers like rising sophomore Ty Jones, rising junior Aaron Fuller, and rising redshirt junior Andre Baccellia, this year. Browning should have a new group of solid weapons to work with lined up outside on the UW offense.
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The Pac-12 is losing out on some of the better offenses it saw in 2017. Namely, the USC Trojans, Washington State Cougars, and UCLA Bruins, lose top-tier quarterbacks that led solid offenses last season. UW returns a ton of production, including their two most important players along the offensive side of the ball to spearhead all Pac-12 offenses in 2018.