Washington Football: Huskies face tough road test against Cal

The No. 15 Washington football hits the road after a close home win over Colorado to take on the unpredictable California Golden Bears in Berkley.

Don’t let the final score of the Colorado game fool you. Washington was up a mere four points over the Buffs going into the fourth quarter and they made the win look larger by scoring a field goal and touchdown after the 10-minute mark. Jake Browning once again underperformed by going 15-for-25 with 150 passing yards and a touchdown while also throwing a pick. The run game is hit or miss without starting running back Myles Gaskin which was seen last week with Salvon Ahmed, Sean McGrew, and Kamari Pleasant all taking significant carries in the win.

Washington continued to look incredible against the pass by holding Colorado quarterback Steven Montez under 150 yards through the air and held running back Travon McMillan to under four yards a carry and no scores. The Washington defense continues to keep the Huskies competitive as their passing offense continues to underwhelm with an average 257 passing yards per game.

The California Golden Bears have looked surprisingly competitive for a team that has started three quarterbacks without losing any of them to injury. The Bears started off with 2018 starter Ross Bowers and quickly made the switch to Chase Garber. Garber played okay but not quite to the level that secured him the job and Justin Wilcox handed the reigns over to South Carolina transfer-quarterback Brandon McIlwain. His 11 turnovers sent Cal back to Garber.

Defensively they actually haven’t been that bad. The Bears currently allow the 21st least amount of yards per game which is the fourth best in the Pac 12. The Golden Bears have the best run defense in the Pac 12 and give up 166 yards per week on average to opposing teams which is top ten nationally. As far as the pass defense goes, California actually held Justin Herbert to some fairly respectable numbers. Herbert went 15-for-22 with 225 yards and two scores. The problem in that game was the four interceptions that led to Oregon winning 42-24.

Can the Golden Bears find the formula to muzzle the Huskies?

Date: Saturday, October 27, 2018
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Location: Berkley, CA
Venue: Memorial Stadium
TV: Fox Sports 1
Live Stream: Fox Sports Go

Keys to Victory

Washington has to get some resemblance of a passing game going. California has an incredible run defense and the possibility that Myles Gaskin doesn’t play this week is very high. Jake Browning doesn’t have to drop bombs all game long, but he does need to be the person to do most of the offensive work. Cal’s secondary is above average but not elite. Browning needs to fire off one or two touchdown passes to put them out of reach from California’s 84th ranked scoring offense. Defensively, just keep on keeping on. The secondary just needs to make Garber turn the ball over and keep Patrick Laird at bay.

California needs to not turn the ball over. The Golden Bears are 121st in turnover margin with a -8 turnover margin. Washington has a phenomenal secondary but gives up a decent amount of yards on the ground to opposing backs. Patrick Laird is a solid running back and can give the offense something to work around, Garber just needs to keep the running lanes open by passing efficiently. The Huskies offense is based mostly on the ground and Cal has looked great against the run all season long. The “Make Jake Browning beat you” method has worked for Auburn and Oregon this season and could very well work again if the Bears can stop the run.

Betting Odds

Points Spread: Washington -12

Over/Under: 45

Prediction

The line for this game is far too large. Washington has played to their competition all year long and they aren’t just going to decide to change out of the blue. The Huskies are going to rely on Browning for most of the matchup but a big run from Salvon Ahmed late in the game will give the Huskies the edge.

Final Score: Washington 27, California 20