Week 6: Washington at Arizona

Let’s be honest here. Washington didn’t get it done relying almost solely on the talents of versatile quarterback Jake Locker at home, going 0-for-3 at Husky Stadium in September. The Huskies now must play without an injured Locker (broken right thumb) on the road. Realistically, this will only hasten Tyrone Willingham’s departure, considered all but a certainty throughout Seattle, and cement another season of Huskies’ misery, now going on six without a winning record or bowl game. Locker was hurt while blocking a defensive back on a reverse, forcing him to hand the team over to redshirt freshman Ronnie Fouch. The new guy wasn’t bad against Stanford, completing 13 of 27 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown.  But there are problems here that extend well beyond a fractured thumb.

The Huskies, giving rival Washington State a serious run for nation’s worst defense, has been serving up total offense yardage in unreal amounts – 507 on the average. That’s more than 60 worse than last year’s school record average and ranks 118th among the 119 major college teams. Their points permitted, 44.4 per game, is enough to make anyone blush. Washington still remains the only team nationwide that hasn’t registered a sack this season. Thinning the thin lineup even more, junior middle linebacker Donald Butler, easily the team’s top defender, has been lost indefinitely after suffering a serious concussion against Stanford. 

Arizona has to be revving its engines already, anxious to shred this overmatched stop unit with its high-powered spread offense led by senior quarterback Willie Tuitama. He’s the triggerman for an attack that averages 423 yards and 42 points per game, completing 85 of 133 passes for 1,014 yards and 10 touchdowns. Unlike previous seasons, he has unlimited weapons to choose from. Sophomore tailback Nic Grigsby has run 77 times for 435 yards and seven scores. Senior wideout Mike Jones has caught 30 passes for 417 yards and three scores. And sophomore tight end Rob Gronkowski, bouncing back from a case of mononucleosis, caught three passes for 32 yards in his season debut against UCLA, two going for TDs. If that isn’t overbearing enough for Washington, the Wildcats somehow have replaced nine starters on defense with a group that ranks second nationally in total defense, permitting just 221.4 yards per game. This one won’t be close.

Notes:

Besides Locker and Butler, the Huskies might be without top wide receiver D’Andre Goodwin (ribs) and starting tailback David Freeman (both ankles). In Seattle, this is called piling on.

Michael Thomas most certainly will catch at least one pass against Washington. The Wildcats senior receiver has played in 39 games and caught passes in 38 of them. His only shutout was the final game of his freshman season against Arizona State, when he wore soft cast and no passes were thrown his way. He’s turned in three 100-yard receiving games this season.

Arizona collected just seven rushing touchdowns last season, stifling the offense. Grigsby has scored seven times in four games so far, with his team totaling 11, making everything work.

Washington leads the series 16-7-1, with the visiting team winning each of the past four games. The lameduck Willingham is 11-29 in his four seasons as the Huskies coach, with two of those victories coming over Arizona in three tries.

Locker, with his thumb in a cast for at least six weeks, has asked to play elsewhere. Considering the defensive difficulties, the 6’3” 230-pound sophomore would probably be a step up at linebacker or safety.

Key Player (Huskies) – Ronnie Fouch, QB

Locker’s understudy has the team all to himself now and will be a first-time starter against Arizona. The redshirt freshman throws an accurate ball, but is not nearly the runner Locker is. Fouch has completed 25 of 47 passes for 325 yards and two scores, without an interception, but has negative six years in eight carries. Locker went out with a team-best 180 yards rushing and 512 passing.

Key Player (Wildcats) – Ronnie Palmer, LB

New quarterback, spiraling team, desert air; what more could a veteran linebacker want?
Palmer, one of Arizona’s two returning defensive starters, has a chance to pad his tackles for loss, which stand at six this season, including two sacks. He’ll no doubt introduce himself to Fouch fairly quickly.

Arizona by 21