The Arizona State Sun Devils are going to open their Pac-12 slate by traveling to Washington to take on the 10thranked Huskies. ASU is coming off a tough loss to San Diego State 28-21 a week after taking down Michigan State in a thriller. Washington played their first Pac-12 game last week against Utah which they won 21-7. Both teams are 2-1 but Washington’s loss came at the hands of Auburn, a much tougher opponent than SDSU.
Last year, the Sun Devils defeated the 5thranked Huskies 13-7. This is sure to be a test for both teams who look to get off to a good start in conference play. Both teams have weaknesses that can be exploited and both teams can do that effectively. Washington is favored in this one by 18 points.
Sun Devils to Air it Out
Arizona State’s passing attack has been lethal so far this year. They throw for an average of 319.3 yards a game. Manny Wilkins has thrown for 958 yards and seven touchdowns against just one interception. N’Keal Harry has been Wilkins’ favorite target thus far this year catching 21 passes for 315 yards and four touchdowns.
ASU gains 434.7 yards on offense a game and is very balanced with mixing in some running plays to keep the defense off balance. They rush for an average of 115.3 yards a game. Eno Benjamin is the Arizona State leading rusher gaining 179 yards on 42 carries this year. Benjamin has rushed for a touchdown as well this year.
The defense has been a bit of a struggle allowing 345.7 yards a game. They only allow 220 yards passing a game but allow 125 yards on the ground. They allow teams to mix it up and keep them off balance. In Arizona State’s last five games they are 3-2 with losses to only SDSU and NC State in their bowl game last year. This is an Arizona State team that is going to look to spread it out and hurry up their offense which could cause trouble for Washington.
Washington Seeks Toughness
Washington is a team that is built on toughness and speed. They gain 452 yards a game and a lot of that is one the ground. Myles Gaskin has rushed for 271 yards through three games as well as two touchdowns. Jake Browning leads the passing attack for the Huskies and has thrown the ball for 754 yards and four touchdowns as well as four interceptions.
Aaron Fuller is the leading target for Browning and has 19 receptions for 317 yards. The Huskie defense has been among the best in college football this year allowing just 314 yards per game.
They are great on pass defense allowing just 170 yards a game through the air. In their last five games, Washington is 3-2 with losses to Auburn and Penn State, both ranked ninth at the time of playing. Washington is a team that can mix it up very well and usually that spells trouble for opposing teams.
Pick and Prediction
You can expect Washington to run away with this one. They have the defense to be able to stop the passing attack of Arizona State and they have enough offense of their own to be able to cover. If Arizona State is able to throw the ball effectively early on, then it could be a close game but Washington just has too much talent on both sides of the ball to let it slip away again this year.
Washington is going to look to come out and score early in order to put the pressure on Herm Edwards and Arizona State. Look for Washington to run away with this one and take the win and cover the 18 points.