Westwood One’s coverage of college football continues from Seattle on Saturday as Washington hosts Stanford. Coverage begins at 3:45 PM Eastern on Westwood One and streaming right here at WestwoodOneSports.com.
For a preview of the game, we turn to our analyst Chad Brown.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THE GAME LIVE
Stanford Scouting Report:
The Cardinal lead the country in scoring defense, giving up only 4.3 points per game. That low number is made possible by pitching shutouts in two of their three games. But those shutouts were against UC-Davis and Army. Their only test of the season came in a close game with USC in Week 2. In that one, the Cardinal could not overcome their mistakes (two turnovers and a missed FG) and lost 13-10. This game against Washington will give Stanford a chance to see if they have learned from those mistakes and if they are ready to be a top team in the Pac-12 North.
Washington Scouting Report:
This game marks new head coach Chris Petersen’s Pac-12 debut. His Huskies are 4-0, but it is just about the softest 4-0 imaginable. Two close games against Hawaii and Eastern Washington, a blowout of a very down Illinois team, and an uneven performance against Georgia State leads to more questions than answers about how good this Washington team really is. The Huskies have a talented QB in Cyler Miles, experience in the offensive line group and have playmakers at every level of their defense. They need to show more consistency on both sides of the ball to have chance to top Stanford and Oregon in the Pac-12 North.
The Cardinal will win if…
Wide receiver Ty Montgomery has a game similar to the game he played last year in this matchup. 290 all-purpose yards including a 99-yard kickoff return on the game’s opening kick and a 39-yard TD reception. He then added a 68-yard kickoff return that set up the Cardinal’s deciding touchdown. If QB Kevin Hogan can continue to play with ball security (only one interception this year) and the young offensive line keeps improving, the Cardinal’s offense should be good enough to get the win.
The Huskies will win if…
Their stout defensive front can handle Stanford’s running game. While Stanford isn’t running the ball as powerfully as they have in the recent past, the running game is still the core of Stanford’s DNA and their chosen way to win games. The Huskies have scored 40-plus points in their last three games, but in order to have a chance at scoring that many points, they can’t allow Stanford to control the game and clock by running the ball.
Looking elsewhere:
As a University of Colorado alum, I will be keeping an eye on the Colorado at Cal matchup. Both programs are in the rebuilding process and both have second year head coaches who are still working to install their systems. Cal appears to have made good progress this year, playing at a higher level than last year, already doubling their win total from 2013. In 2013 Cal finished with a 1-11 record and an 0-9 mark in the Pac-12. The Colorado Buffaloes finished last year 4-8 and got their only Pac-12 win against these Cal Golden Bears. This game will be a test for both programs and a great indicator how far along they are in their rebuilding processes.
– Chad Brown
Jason Benetti and Chris Doering will have the call from Seattle beginning at 3:45 PM ET. You can listen right here on WestwoodOneSports.com!