The undefeated No. 6 Washington Huskies (4-0) head to Corvallis to face the Oregon State Beavers (1-3) on Saturday night in a clash of PAC-12 teams that on paper looks like it should not be even close.
The Huskies, a 26.5-point favorite on Friday, have a potent offense led by quarterback Jake Browning that is scoring 44.5 points per game and producing 427 total yards per game.
So far Washington has proved to be the best and most talented team in the PAC-12 because of how they play in all phases of the game, but one huge advantage the Huskies have is their superb play on special teams.
They have unique players such as LB Keyshawn Bierria, who is among a variety of players that run down on kickoffs and punts to produce turnovers and keep opponents in check. WR Dante Pettis, who has been superb at his position has 15 receptions for 263 yards and three touchdowns. He is equally impressive returning punts, where he’s had three scores and 233 yards on six returns through four games.
For this game, Washington’s biggest concern is probably the injuries they must deal with, such as the one to cornerback Byron Murphy who is missing between six to eight weeks with a foot injury. Wideout Chico McClatchen, who left the game with an ankle injury during the Huskies 37-10 win at Colorado, is also out and will miss the rest of the season.
How will the Huskies adapt to those absences and who will step up for those players are questions that need to be answered in this game before Washington faces tougher competition in the coming weeks.
Oregon State, on the other hand, is coming off a bye week that arrived at the perfect moment in the season as it gave them some additional time to rest and prepare for this huge game.
The Beavers need to find some consistency real soon because this season things have not gone their way as they have stumbled in their first four games. It’s going to be interesting to see if they can bounce back and respond to adversity against one of the top teams in the nation in front of a packed house at Reser Stadium.
