Washington Football: Huskies look to course correct against Colorado
After a tragic loss to the No. 12 Oregon Ducks in Week 7, No. 15 Washington football looks to get back on track against the Colorado Buffaloes in Week 8.
The Washington Huskies were about 37 yards from a win a week ago.
After a game in which the Huskies and the Oregon Ducks went back and forth for most of regulation, it all came down to one last second field goal. Kicker Peyton Henry goes through his cadence and prepares to kick one of the most important field goals he will kick all season long.
Henry went into the game kicking 70 percent and the longest field goal of his career coming from 41 yards earlier in the game. The Oregon Ducks call timeout twice to ice the walk-on freshman kicker and Henry gave us a glimpse of the kick both times. The first kick missed, the second kick made, and the one that counted was on the way. The ball is snapped and Henry goes through his motions as the clock counts down. The kick goes up… Wide right.
After series after series in the second half where the Huskies came up short, this was the crushing blow that put the game away. Washington would settle for three in the drive of the overtime period, but CJ Verdell had higher ambitions. Verdell, who fumbled with the game on the line against Stanford, held on to the ball for six yards and a touchdown and gave the Ducks a 30-27 win over the seventh-ranked Huskies.
Washington’s hopes for the College Football Playoff have effectively been put on hold barring several drastic weeks of college football. They do have a chance to win the Pac-12 though if they can get some help along the way and it starts with the Colorado Buffaloes.
The Buffaloes are coming off of a loss to the USC Trojans and fell out of the top 25 a week after making it in. Steven Montez couldn’t quite get it going in the passing game while a minor injury to Virginia Tech Transfer-running back Travon McMillan hindered the ground game. The defense did, however, provide a silver lining for the Buffs by forcing three turnovers and held the Trojans to a measly 51 rushing yards. Can Colorado make a splash in the Pac-12 South with a win over Washington? Let’s find out.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 20, 2018
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Seattle, Washington
Venue: Husky Stadium
TV: Fox
Live Stream: FoxSportsGo
Players to Watch
Colorado
- QB, Steven Montez
- RB, Travon McMillian
- WR, Laviska Shenault Jr.
- LB, Nate Landman
- DL, Mustafa Johnson
Washington
- QB, Jake Browning
- RB, Myles Gaskin
- LB, Ben Burr-Kirven
- DB’s, Byron Murphy and Myles Bryant
- WR, Aaron Fuller
Keys to Victory
Washington just needs to take advantage of the opportunities they get to score. Last week against Oregon, they gave the ball back to the Ducks three times and if they would have not fumbled the ball with 10 minutes left in the game they may have had two chances to make that field goal or maybe have just cashed in for six. Turnovers can’t be the determining factor for the Huskies if they get into a close game late. Also, the scoring offense is down a full eight points from last year and they can’t struggle to score against a Colorado team that averages 34.8 points per game.
Colorado has to get the ground game going and at least pass efficiently. Washington’s defense hasn’t exactly looked elite all season long but they aren’t a pushover either. Last week against USC, Montez had his lowest passing efficiency numbers of the season last week with a 55 percent completion percentage. The pass defense for Washington is the strength of their defense but if Montez can at least be efficient, the Buffs will have a better chance to get the ground game going. Defensively, the Buffaloes have to make Jake Browning pass. This strategy has proven effective in both losses this season and it’s their best chance to create opportunities for the offense.
Betting Lines
Points Spread: Washington -16.5
Over/Under: 51
2019 NFL Mock Draft: Project first round entering Week 8. dark. Next
Prediction
This points spread for this matchup is far too wide for the way this game is going to play out. Colorado will look better this week after an off week from Steven Montez but the Washington secondary is just simply too good for the Montez-Shenault combination. Washington scores late to extend their lead and improve to 6-2 on the year.
Final Score: Washington 31 Colorado 23