Know Your Enemy: Cal Opens Pac-12 Play Against Rebuilding Washington
Cal is back on the road this weekend after managing to leave the state of Texas with a narrow win over the Longhorns. Cal brings an undefeated record into Pac-12 play when they open their conference slate against Washington. The Huskies have had Cal's number in recent years, but will this Cal team have what it takes to leave Seattle with a long-awaited win and keep their perfect record intact?
Series History: Washington leads 50-38-3
Historically speaking, California and Washington have had a fairly even series, but the Huskies have been dominant in the series in more recent years. Washington enters this weekend's matchup on a six-game winning streak in the series dating back to 2009, and the Huskies have won seven of the eight most recent meetings. Last year, Cal was blown away by the Huskies in a 31-7 decision. Most of the results have been well in hand for Washington since 2007. The closest Cal has come to winning a game during the current Washington winning streak was in 2010, when the Bears were clipped 16-13. The last time Cal won at Washington was in 2005, with Marcus O'Keith rushing for 102 yards and two touchdowns and Joe Ayoob tossing four touchdowns in the 56-17 win.
Washington Head Coach: Chris Petersen (2nd year, 10-7; all-time 102-20)
The Huskies are in year two under the helm of Chris Petersen. Petersen's success at Boise State has made him a well-known coach around the nation, and good things are still expected to take form at Washington. The Huskies managed to win just eight games in Petersen's first season with the program, despite a good handful of talent moving on to the NFL. Petersen is one of the most accomplished coaches in the Pac-12 with a pair of Fiesta Bowl victories and a handful of conference championships during his time in the Mountain West Conference.
Washington At a Glance
Washington is looking for its third straight win since losing its season opener on the road at Boise State, 16-13. The Huskies rebounded after the tough opening loss by smacking down Sacramento State (49-0) and then roughed up Utah State (31-17) last week. Washington still has work to do in order to reach the top level in the Pac-12, never mind the Pac-12 North. But the way they play defense, it might not be a total shock if they cause some trouble for Pac-12 contenders like Oregon, Stanford, USC, Arizona and Arizona State. Or Cal, for that matter (Cal is a slight road favorite this weekend).
The season started with Petersen needing to make a decision at quarterback between freshmen Jake Browning and K.J. Carta-Samuels. The nod ended up going to Browning, and Petersen has not looked back on that decision. Browning has completed a very respectable 65.6 percent of his pass attempts thus far for 844 yards and five touchdowns.
One of the top targets has been Dwayne Washington, with 204 receiving yards and a team-high two touchdown receptions so far this season. Washington has had a rough time trying to get the running game off the ground this season, although the Huskies do have six rushing touchdowns in three games. The nation's 120th-ranked rushing offense is averaging just 107 yards per game on 31 rushing attempts per game. Freshman Myles Gaskin has led the way with 193 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Defensively, Washington has played very well early on. The Huskies bring the nation's 13th-best total defense, which should pose some problems for Cal's high-flying offense. The Huskies have allowed 267.7 yards per game, roughly 300 fewer yards than Cal has been averaging on offense. Something is going to have to give in this Pac-12 North showdown.
Outlook
Anytime a top offense meets a top defense, there is a stage for some good drama. Cal's offense has been locked in this season and will now face its stiffest challenge on defense. Cal should have an edge though, as the Bears have had some good moments on defense as well. More importantly, if it comes down to one team needing to put together a scoring drive with the game on the line, Cal should have more ingredients to cook up a win. It may not come easy, but Cal looks to be in good shape for its first win over Washington in a while.
Cal visits Washington in Husky Stadium on Saturday at 2 p.m. PT. The game can be seen on Pac-12 Network.
Kevin McGuire is a Philadelphia area sports writer covering the Philadelphia Eagles and college football. McGuire is a member of the FWAA and National Football Foundation. Follow McGuire on Twitter @KevinOnCFB. His work can be found on Examiner.com.