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Washington Huskies vs Arizona State Sun Devils Football Recap

The University of Washington Huskies will spend this week attempting to fix something that is clearly broken.

After an energetic showing against the Men of Troy a week ago in Los Angeles, Calif., which included a clutch field goal by Erik Folk and an outstanding showing for quarterback Jake Locker, the Huskies returned home to the Montlake only to lose in dismal style, 24-14, to the Arizona State Sun Devils.

After knocking off a ranked USC team with an offensive surge that included 310 yards passing and 110 yards on the ground, things were vastly different for the Huskies in their next game, as Locker and UW head coach Steve Sarkisian could not find a way to get their offense moving. Locker finished the game with 209 yards and one touchdown paired with one interception, plus just six rushing yards.

In a game that was complete with a failed fake field goal, three failed fourth down conversions, and a missed field goal, the Husky faithful witnessed a matchup that was not just a "Triple Threet," but "all Threet all the time." Indeed, Sun Devil quarterback Steven Threet put on a show for the fans at the Montlake.

The junior transfer from Michigan was 21 of 34 for 288 yards and two touchdowns. For a quarterback who has had seven interceptions in his last two games, he managed to squeak by with just one interception against the Huskies—a fourth-quarter pick by Cort Dennison that did not generate the momentum Husky fans had hoped for.

Despite having an corps of backs and receivers that dropped six passes in the first half of play, Threet still had more than 200 yards of offense, a big improvement on his 203 total passing yards against the Oregon State Beavers a week prior.

For the Huskies, failure was the clear word of the evening—their failure to score in the red zone, their failure to convert on downs, and their failure to make needed field goals all led to their ultimate failure to find a way to win an important football game at home.

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Offensively for the Huskies, running back Chris Polk had 18 carries for 110 yards with no touchdowns. Receiver Jermaine Kearse was nearly a non-factor in the first half and finished the game with just six receptions for under 50 total yards. Nothing seemed to be clicking for the Husky offense.  

Miscues by the Husky offense ranged from two badly timed holding penalties by Gregory Christine to an inability to restrict the quick-edge movement of ASU's pass rushers. These accumulated mistakes allowed Locker to be sacked three times and put UW in bad down-and-distance situations. Failing to adequately protect their quarterback plagued Washington all night against Arizona State. The Husky offensively line couldn’t find a way to stop the ASU speed on the outside. Washington failed to beat the Sun Devils on the edges, resulting in several losses and zero-gain plays for the Dawgs.  

On the upside for the Huskies, Mason Foster and Cort Dennison both had decent games with a sack apiece (double the team total coming into this game), and with an interception by Dennison, the Huskies can look to their defensive leaders for a few positives in the wake of this 10-point home loss.

By Ganelle Swehla
DFN Sports Staff Writer