By Mason Kelley

GoHuskies.com

Jake Browning isn't the type of player to praise his play. The quarterback doesn't crave the spotlight. The freshman doesn't sit back and savor a win.

For Washington's quarterback, each game is an opportunity and, when that leads to success, well, his first thought is to get back in the film room and look for ways to improve.

He completed 16 of 24 passes for 263 yards and four touchdowns – he also ran for a 12-yard score – during Washington's 49-3 win over Arizona on Saturday at Husky Stadium. But when asked to assess his performance, he said, “I've got to see the film.”

Ask his teammates, though, and they didn't hesitate to praise the true freshman.

“Some of the throws he was making, I was like, 'Dang, he's really on it,'” said sophomore Dante Pettis, who caught a 31-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. “Obviously his arm felt good.”

Browning was forced to watch from the sideline during last week's loss at Stanford after suffering a shoulder injury the previous week.

“It was rough,” he said. “It sucks not playing, just watching, but I tried to be supportive on the sideline, help out with whatever, signals, anything.”

But, after resting his arm, he went back to work this week. He helped the Huskies jump-start their offense, starting fast and piling up points.

“He had an awesome game,” said Joshua Perkins, who caught a 13-yard pass in the second quarter.

Dwayne Washington, who scored a pair of touchdowns added, “Jake was making great plays, just great reads, great throws overall.”

As well as Browning played, he deflected the credit to others. With Washington's defense forcing four turnovers and limiting Arizona to a field goal, Browning said, “That will spark any team.”

When asked about the Huskies' fast start, he credited the energy the offense brought throughout the week, an intensity that continued from the opening kickoff.

“We've been talking about needing to start fast as an offensive unit for a little while and we came out with good energy,” he said. “There was no real magic to it, we just executed well.”

Browning plays with a poise that belies his age, so Washington's coaches don't treat him like a freshman. Coach Chris Petersen said Browning has the ability to, “make some of the hard plays look really easy.” The quarterback was “decisive” and accurate.

However, both Petersen and Browning are already looking toward the future.

“We treat him like he's an old, experienced player,” Petersen said. “We really do, because he can handle it. When he misses a little thing, we're all up in arms, including himself, but he's such a good competitor. This thing is so important to him and he's going to fight the entire time.”

The beauty of Browning is his drive to make each opportunity a step forward.

That being said, he did praise one thing about his performance. On his 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, well, “I didn't fall this time, so that was nice,” he said with a laugh.