Pac 10 Fans Home
Pac 10 Football
Pac 10 Basketball
Pac 10 Baseball
College Fansites
Pac 10 Apparel
Pac 10 Tickets

Washington Huskies vs Stanford Cardinal Football Recap

The biggest Pac-10 question of the weekend was, “Luck or Locker?” As Washington fans learned after a 41-0 loss, Luck – Andrew Luck – might be the answer not just to that question, but to the query, “Who is the best true dual-threat quarterback in the conference?”

Proving why they are ranked in the top 25, the Stanford Cardinal shut down the generally productive Jake Locker and elevated Mr. Luck’s stature in front of a befuddled Husky home crowd.

Locker, the quarterback who is the best hope for Washington to compete in conference play, was 7-of-14 for just 64 yards in what turned out to be a not-very-competitive game. As a unit, the Husky offense put up 107 yards of total offense and could not manage to move the ball down the field.

The Cardinal, on the other hand, dominated the field. With nearly 500 yards of total offense, Stanford turned to its quarterback for guidance. While Luck’s numbers proved to be anything but remarkable – 19-of 26 for 192 yards, one touchdown and one interception – the 6’4” junior led his team to scores on each of its first four possessions, giving the Cardinal a 28-0 cushion at the half.

Outplayed on nearly every down, the Huskies lacked answers. The Stanford defense did something only the Nebraska Cornhuskers have done and that is completely confuse the Washington offense.

Washington’s leading rusher, Chris Polk, added 17 yards while Locker and true freshman running back Jesse Callier added a yard apiece; the three young men produced just 19 yards for the Huskies on the ground – that’s how impotent Washington was on a dreary Saturday evening. The continual problem that is the Washington offensive line could not establish a pocket of any kind to give Locker time to find a receiver. The Huskies were a whopping (in a bad way) 2-for-11 on third down conversions and averaged a depressing 0.8 yards a carry.

In the air things weren’t much different for the struggling Washington offense. With an ailing quarterback nursing a thigh bruise and sore ribs, the Huskies put up 88 passing yards, for a grand total of 107 yards of total offense.

> Browse the selection of Pac 10 apparel & merchandise online as well as Pac 10 Football Scores through Pac 10 Fans and partner sites.

Just when you thought the Husky defense couldn’t get any worse, UW’s young secondary allowed an average of 10.1 yards a reception. The defensive line was pushed off the ball nearly every time and allowed the Cardinal to convert on 10-of-17 third downs.

This is a Washington program that is two years removed from losing every game it played, but unfortunately for fans of the purple and gold, a season that was supposed to be on the upswing has now plummeted yet again.

Jim Harbaugh’s Cardinal will now return home to take on the Arizona Wildcats to battle for the second- place position in the Pac-10. The Huskies head down to face the top-ranked Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium this Saturday; the struggling defense is bound to be out-matched and out-paced by the quick working Chip Kelly-run Oregon offense. The Ducks will have to lay a serious egg at home if Washington will have any hope of coming away with a victory.

By Ganelle Swehla
DFN Sports Staff Writer