SEATTLE — Some might think the Pac-12 Conference’s 11th-ranked offense might have found just what it’s looking for this weekend: the 11th-ranked defense.
But that’s not the way Washington coach Chris Petersen looks at the Huskies’ 3 p.m. Saturday visit to Oregon State.
“That’s never really our focus,” he said Thursday. “It always comes back to us. We always know the opponent is going to show up, and they are going to play very, very hard. Everybody in this league does that.”
Despite playing hard, the Beavers have not played effectively for most of this season. They stand at 2-8 overall, and 0-7 in the conference.
Defensively, they are surrendering an average of 462 yards and 34 points per game. They’re last in the league in rushing defense (212.7 yards-per-game allowed), but in the middle of the pack in pass defense (249.5 yards-per-game allowed).
“There are two things that jump out,” Petersen said. “They play hard. And I know how hard it is when it doesn’t turn out the way you want it to. That is hard. … And the second thing is their schemes are very good. They’re multiple, and they have a very nice blitz package to keep you off balance.”
That could pose yet another challenge for UW freshman quarterback Jake Browning, who threw three interceptions last weekend in a 27-17 loss to Arizona State, all in the fourth quarter. However, he also threw a career-high 52 times for a career-high 405 yards.
“He’s done a really good job of not making just really poor decisions,” Petersen said. “I thought he had one (against ASU). And sometimes when you have them, sometimes when they come up the most, is maybe on scrambles and finding the guys kind of late over the middle. And he’s made a lot of those throws, and those can come back to get you. … It’s a hard time to have a lesson like that in the fourth quarter when the game is on the line, but he’ll learn from that.”
The Huskies are ranked 11th in the conference in total offense, and they haven’t scored more than 17 points in any of their four road games this season.
Now they have to sweep back-to-back games against Northwest rivals Oregon State and Washington State to assure a bowl invitation.
“It’s going to come back to us,” Peterson repeated. “Have we prepared correctly? Because you get exposed in a hurry in this conference: really good coaches, the kids play have and a lot of respect for these guys. All that’s in place. That being said, it still goes back to us.”
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