No. 5 Washington (6-0, 3-0) vs Oregon State (2-4, 1-2) at Husky Stadium
Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. (Pac-12 Network); Ted Robinson (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (color analyst) and Cindy Brunson (sideline reporter)
Vegas Odds: Washington (-37)
SEATTLE -- Washington coach Chris Petersen has tried his hardest to rebuff the media hype surrounding his program all season. Now, the proverbial off-season National Champion and current fifth ranked team in the nation has even more pressure with Heisman mentions for its starting quarterback.
But pressure hasn't been something the third-year coach has worried about when it comes to Jake Browning.
"Whether you’re an old, wily vet in the NFL - the best of the best," Petersen said Thursday on the poise of his starting quarterback. "It all starts with all the intangible things of what you’re talking about right there. A guy that’s going to play at a high level. You work backwards, and you’re going to say, 'OK, what are the things?' Well, he’s got some skill, but he’s also got the mental makeup that’s going with it.”
The sophomore Browning leads the nation through six games in passing efficiency (204.86) and completion percentage (72.2), all this while having a touchdown to interception ratio of close to 12-1.
Fitting with Petersen's philosophy of sticking to the details, the yards aren't exactly Heisman-esq. And that's fine for a Huskies offense that is third in the FBS averaging 45.5 points per game.
To counter, Oregon State brings its unique blitzing style in an attempt to at least slow down the UW offense.
"They have a variety of blitzes, so it always starts with getting pressure on the quarterback," Petersen said. "Which they do. They have some good secondary guys that cover tightly. And it’s working. They bring a bunch of different type pressures. The system is a really good system, they’ve used it for quite a while."
Snapshot Prediction: I don't see OSU getting better from last season, when UW walked out of Reser Stadium with a 52-7 victory, and Washington has gotten insurmountably better since then. It's at home. I don't see this game ending remotely well for OSU.
Oregon State 10, Washington 52
