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College Football Week 10: Michigan State, Oregon on upset alert

By Sonny Martinez

Oct 16, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Dylan Morris (9) reacts following a field goal against the UCLA Bruins during the first quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2021; Seattle, Washington, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Dylan Morris (9) reacts following a field goal against the UCLA Bruins during the first quarter at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports
Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports /

(4) Oregon: @ Washington

If things went according to preseason projections, this would be the de facto Pac-12 North title game. Unfortunately for Washington, not much has gone according to plan.

The Huskies were a popular pick within the conference, but instead, sit 4-4 thanks in large part to an offense that has ranged from average to non-existent. The first two games in particular were ugly, which included a loss to Montana.

Washington has little to lose. The Huskies should get to bowl eligibility in their final two games. Winning the Pac-12 isn’t going to happen. But the next best thing might be ruining a rival’s season.

The Huskies defense has shown it’s good enough to keep them in any game, and that’ll get put to the test against the Ducks on Saturday night. Washington holds opponents to 19 points per game, which is 18th in the country. That’s a better number than Ohio State, Michigan State, and Alabama’s defenses can claim.

The Huskies have a bend-don’t-break defense that has worked most of the season, but that approach might not work against a team like the Ducks.

The key for Washington is if they can stop Oregon from running. Washington was torched by Michigan earlier this season for 343 yards, but more recently gave up 242 yards on the ground to Oregon State, 246 to UCLA, and 218 to Arizona. That’s bad, considering Oregon averages 204 yards per game.

In particular, Travis Dye is a big threat that Washington has to slow down. He’s taken over as “the” guy since CJ Verdell’s season-ending injury But if last week is any indication, a name you might be hearing a lot of is Byron Cardwell. In seven carries last week, he ran for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Don’t discount the Huskies’ two-game win streak. It’s a small streak, but after losing the previous two by a total of five points, their confidence has to be as high as it’s been all season. That confidence is something that’s needed against a team like Oregon, especially an Oregon team that has zero margin for error.

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