The Huskies, coming off a thrilling 35-34, double overtime home win over 24th ranked Oregon State last weekend, travel to the desert to take on the 18th ranked Arizona Wildcats in a key Pac-10 match-up.
Arizona is 5-1 and 2-1 in the Pac 10, and is coming off a victory over Washington State. The win did come with
a significant cost, though, as they lost their top signal caller, Nick Foles, for a few weeks due to a knee injury. While the injury was a significant blow to the Wildcats Pac 10 title hopes, they do have more than just a serviceable back-up as Matt Scott was a starter in the first few games last year and has the talent to keep their offense rolling. Juron Criner, their top wide receiver, has a toe injury but is expected to play.
The Wildcats will also have a little more motivation than normal as they’ll look to avenge last year’s monumental loss in Seattle, a game that featured a miraculous interception t.d. return by Mason Foster that propelled Washington to a last minute, 36-33 victory.
While the Huskies are focused on this year, there is no doubt last year’s game had a significant role in establishing some team confidence when a game is tight in the 4th quarter.
“I think it was a big win for this football team from the aspect of I think it was three and half minutes left and we were down 14 points and everyone kept playing,” Jake said. “There wasn’t a sense that there is no way we can win this game. the ball bounced our way and we found a way to win that football game. I think that was a big turning point for us last year as a football team and moving the program forward. A big win for us.”
With a win vs. the Huskies, Arizona will most likely secure a bowl birth, an achievement Washington hopes to earn by the end of the season. But, with games vs. highly ranked Stanford and Oregon in the coming weeks, every game becomes crucial for the Huskies to achieve the post season goal. Regardless of the bowl ramifications, the team that is victorious in this game will have at least a share of 2nd place in the Pac-10 at the end of the weekend…if not sole position.
For a full preview, please visit here for the Husky point of view or here for a more neutral take on the upcoming game.
The game will be televised live on ESPN and can also be seen on-line at ESPN3.com.