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Washington Huskies @ Arizona Wildcats Football Preview

The 18th-ranked Arizona Wildcats will be playing sans their starting quarterback Nick Foles as they gear up to take on the Washington Huskies this weekend in the desert.  

A matchup many had anticipated to be a quarterback duel between Washington’s Jake Locker and Foles will instead be a story focused on Arizona’s backup signal caller. The central drama of this game is how second-string quarterback Matt Scott steps up to the challenge.  

Foles, who was injured in the final minutes of the second quarter against Washington State last weekend, will be sidelined with a knee injury, leaving the Wildcats to decide on an entirely new offensive game plan.  

The Wildcats’ defense will be their bread and butter this week as they attempt to shut down Locker’s diversified offensive game. Ranked 10th in the nation, the Wildcat defense is the true workhorse of this Arizona team, and it will look to hold the Huskies’ offense to a minimum of points, alleviating pressure on their second-string quarterback whenever and wherever possible.

Last week Arizona held Washington State to just 257 yards. The Wildcats have allowed just six passing touchdowns this season, and if teams can’t score, they certainly cannot win games. Washington has struggled consistently against teams with good pass coverage and a formidable pass rush; if Arizona puts pressure on the revamped Husky offensive line, Washington will need to bend and not break if it wants a chance to battle this game out on even terms for four quarters.

Arizona returns home for the first time since losing to Oregon State two weeks ago, when a very pedestrian quarterback, in the form of Ryan Katz, threw for 393 yards, scrambled for needed first downs, and threw for two touchdowns to upend the Wildcats in Tucson.

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The biggest question for the Wildcats will be their ability to contain Jake Locker this Saturday; the Washington quarterback has consistently had good running games against Arizona and one should anticipate this week to be much the same. Locker is coming off a career-best five touchdown passes against Oregon State, and if Arizona gives up nearly 400 yards to Locker, there is a good chance the Wildcats will fall again on their home turf.

The biggest question for Matt Scott at quarterback is his ability to throw the ball. Traditionally known as a running quarterback, Scott is athletic, but he lacks the feel Foles has in the pocket, something the Husky defensive line will be able to capitalize on should Scott be unable to connect to open receivers. The inability of Scott to generate a passing game will result in a limited style of play that will be easy for the young Huskies to defend.

Arizona is a team that can beat a lot of people, but the Cats aren’t going to blow away many opponents, either. Expect to see this game headed into the final minutes of play on Saturday in a true Pac-10 showdown.

By Ganelle Swehla
DFN Sports Staff Writer