UW Football Can Win the Pac-12 North

To think, just a few weeks ago UW football was down and out. But, with another big win, Washington launched itself two spots to No.15 in the nation. Ahead of them, Oregon sits a No.13, eyeing a chance to claim the Pac-12. Did UW football prove enough with their win against USC?

Big time players show up in big time games.#PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/kBzT8HzoSI — Washington Football (@UW_Football) October 1, 2019

Washington’s Defense Can Shut Down the Air Raid Offense

Against Utah, USC’s Michael Pittman Jr. caught 10 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown. That aided the Trojans to an upset win. But, against Washington, all he could accumulate was 4 receptions for 64 yards and 1 touchdown.

More importantly, UW’s defense only allowed 163 passing yards from Matt Fink. They also picked him off three times in their win. If they want to compete against Oregon, Washington needs to slow down Justin Herbert’s offense. Against USC, they at least showed that’s possible.

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The UW Football Team Can Grind Out Wins

No, they don’t always make it pretty. But, Washington is getting the W’s. that’s the first, key take-away. Yes, they allowed 212 yards rushing to the Trojans, but they only gave up 14 points. They actually had less offensive yards than the Trojans. However, the UW football team capitalized on turnovers.

With short fields, they put up points. Jacob Eason still shows a split-personality of elite-mediocre, but he didn’t throw any interceptions. He leaned on his playmakers and allowed Salvon Ahmed, Richard Newton, Aaron Fuller, Hunter Bryant and Andre Baccellia to take the load.

A career day for Salvon Ahmed 🔥💯#PurpleReign pic.twitter.com/Q3nMWd9wBf — Washington Football (@UW_Football) September 29, 2019

UW Football is Special

Though five games, Peyton Henry is 9-of-9 in field goals and 22-of-22 in extra points. The sophomore kicker is having a stellar season. Additionally, Joel Whitford is launching and placing his punts well.

Joel Whitford pins USC at the 2. — Lauren Kirschman (@laurenkirschman) September 28, 2019

With close games in their future, they’ll need Henry and Whitford to stay clutch and cold.

It’s Down to Oregon and Washington in the Pac-12 North

After Chase Garbers went down, Cal lost their hope of a 2019 playoff run. This further solidified Washington and Oregon’s race for first in the Pac-12 North. With their dominant win against USC, UW football is back in the top-15 in the nation. But, Oregon is performing equally as well on offense, with a stout defense.

In their next week, Oregon faces a free-falling Cal and Washington faces an equally undermined Stanford. Each should win handily next week. The real test is on October 19th when they face each other. Expect to see the Pac-12 North champion emerge.

