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Preview: Arizona (3-1) at Washington (2-3)
Posted October 07, 2009
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FACTS & STATS: Site: Husky Stadium (72,500) -- Seattle, Washington. Television:FSN-NW. Home Record: Arizona 2-0, Washington 2-1. Away Record: Arizona 1-1, Washington 0-2. Neutral Record: Arizona 0-0, Washington 0-0. Conference Record: Arizona 1-0, Washington 1-1. Series Record: Washington leads, 16-8-1.

GAME NOTES: The Arizona Wildcats are set to wrap up a three-game road trip this weekend, as they travel to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies in Pac-10 play.

The Wildcats opened their current road swing with a tough 27-17 loss at Iowa before bouncing back with a 37-32 win over Oregon State on September 26th. With the split, Arizona, which is coming off a bye week, now stands at 3-1 overall and it has three straight home games on tap, so this team could be in for a successful stretch.

Standing in their way though, is a Washington club that knocked off USC in a shocker early this season, propelling the program into the Top 25. It was a remarkable feat considering the Huskies went 0-12 a year ago. The team however, was unable to remain in the rankings following a 34-14 loss at Stanford and most recently a heart-breaking 37-30 overtime setback at Notre Dame this past weekend.

Washington does lead the all-time series with Arizona, 16-8-1, but the Wildcats picked up a 48-14 victory in last year's clash.

The Wildcats made a change at quarterback last game and it paid immediate dividends, as Nick Foles threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in leading Arizona past Oregon State. It was the first career start for the Michigan State transfer, who showed good poise and completed 25-of-34 pass attempts for 254 yards. The sophomore gunslinger took over for the ineffective Matt Scott, who started the first three games, and he did plenty to earn the start again this weekend. Foles' effort was even more impressive considering the team lost its top tailback Nic Grigsby early in the game due to injury. Grigsby hurt his shoulder on the first carry and gave way to Keola Antolin and Greg Nwoko, whom combined for 90 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Arizona is as deep as it has ever been at the running back position, but Grigsby is clearly the team's top option and he has rushed for 407 yards and three scores on the year. As a team, Arizona is averaging a healthy 223.2 ypg on the ground and that has been a big part of the club's overall success.

Defensively, the Wildcats have done a decent job thus far and they are holding foes to just 288.2 total yards, including only 94.5 ypg on the ground. The unit though, had some struggles last game against Oregon State, allowing 407 total yards, with 303 coming through the air. The defense gave up 28 first downs and also allowed Oregon State to convert 7-of-15 third down chances. The Wildcats though, made the big plays when they had to and recorded a safety late in the game, to go with a pair of interceptions and five sacks. Ricky Elmore and Earl Mitchell each had a pair of sacks in the win, while Devin Ross notched 12 tackles and an interception. Trevin Wade also got involved with his team-best fourth interception of the season. On the campaign, Elmore leads Arizona with 4.5 sacks and Ross is tied for the team-lead with 31 stops.

The Huskies racked up 457 total yards and the offense did so many things well last weekend against Notre Dame, but when the unit had a chance to put the game away, it simply couldn't get the job done. Washington failed two score on two of its six red zone chances and was stuffed at the goal-line on two different series by the Notre Dame defense. The team's inability to punch the ball in from up close, despite repeated chances, ultimately cost it the game. Quarterback Jake Locker had another solid game and he rushed for 33 yards and a score, in addition to throwing for 281 yards and a touchdown. The dual- threat quarterback, who missed most of last season with an injury, has been the biggest reason for this team's turnaround and has thrown for 1,283 yards with 10 total scores on the year. James Johnson and Jermaine Kearse have been Locker's primary targets early on and they have combined for 40 receptions, 555 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Last weekend, Kearse was the one who shined, as he pulled in eight balls for 94 yards and a touchdown. Chris Polk also turned in a solid game, as the tailback toted 22 times for a career-best 136 yards. Polk has enjoyed a successful start to the season and his 452 rushing yards are more than any Washington player had in 2008.

On defense is where Washington needs to improve, as the unit was carved up by Notre Dame for 530 total yards, including 422 through the air. The Huskies are allowing 409.4 total ypg on the season mainly because they are giving up way too many big plays. The defense gave up two passing plays of 65 or more yards to Notre Dame, which also had several runs of over 20 yards. The unit though, did come up with two turnovers last weekend and even had a 17-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Desmond Trufant. He finished the game with six stops, while Cort Dennison had eight tackles and a sack. Donald Butler recorded his second pick of the season and he continues to lead the team in tackles, with 41.

Washington is coming off a tough loss, but expect this group to rebound and remain competitive. Behind Locker, look for the Huskies to bounce back and nip Arizona in a tight one this weekend.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Washington 30, Arizona 27


 
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