Arizona tries to contain explosive Washington
No. 9 Washington utterly obliterated its first three opponents of the season. Will the good times continue in the desert?
Arizona hosts the Huskies tonight, with a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff at Arizona Stadium. Oddsmakers at online sports book BetDSI list Chris Petersen’s troops as 15-point favorites. The over/under is 58.
The Wildcats obviously represent a step up in competition for Washington, which comes off a 41-3 smackdown of Portland State. Ever since Brandon Dawkins took over for Anu Solomon at quarterback, Tucson’s finest have reached another level of offensive prowess. Dawkins boasts 673 total yards and seven touchdowns, and he’s likely to keep the job even when Solomon recovers from a left knee injury.
This evening, however, balance could be a major issue for Rich Rodriguez & Co. No. 1 tailback Nick Wilson continues to deal with a foot ailment, meaning J.J. Taylor’s primed for a heavy workload. He enjoyed a banner afternoon vs. Hawaii last week, but the Huskies’ front seven presents an entirely different challenge.
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Of course, as well as the defense has performed, Washington’s bread and butter remains that explosive passing attack. Signal-caller Jake Browning leads the country in passing efficiency at 206.9 and has compiled 744 yards with 12 scores through three affairs. Meanwhile, the Arizona D permits 435.3 total yards per contest.
Something has to give, and we’re convinced that Rodriguez’ gang will ultimately pay the price. That’s not to say the Wildcats won’t be competitive for a half or so. In the end, though, expect the Huskies to jump to 4-0.
SATURDAY NCAA FREE PICK: WASHINGTON/ARIZONA OVER 58 POINTS