Huskies Ready For 113th Meeting With Oregon

THE GAME: The Washington football team (4-4 overall, 3-2 Pac-12), following back-to-back road wins, returns to Seattle to begin the final month of the regular season. Saturrday at 4:30 p.m., the Huskies face Oregon (7-1, 4-1) in the 113th meeting between to the two long-time rivals. The game will air on ABC. The Huskies, who scored close wins over Arizona and Stanford the last two weeks, plays three of its final four at home at Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium. After the Oregon game, the Huskies play host to Arizona State. That's followed by a trip to Colorado on Nov. 20, and the 113th Boeing Apple Cup on Friday, Nov. 26, in Seattle.
 
QUICK HITTERS: Washington leads the Pac-12 in third-down percentage defense, first downs allowed, fewest penalties (and yards), passing defense, and scoring defense ... UW is the only FBS program that has scored in every red-zone opportunity this season ... the Huskies have scored 15 touchdowns and nine field goals in 24 trips inside the opponent's 20-yard line this season ... UW is one of just six teams that has allowed two or fewer scrimmage plays of 40 or more yards this season ... just one team (Arizona State, 1) has allowed fewer ... UW is tied with Georgia for fewest 30-plus yard plays allowed, with six ... Race Porter is currently No. 3 the Pac-12 (8th in NCAA-FBS) with his 47.6-yard punt average, which is two yards ahead of pace for the UW single-season school record (45.6) ... eight players made their first career UW start in the season opener; one more each did the same vs. Michigan, Arkansas State, Cal & Stanford; and two more did at Arizona  ... that means that 43 members of the current roster have started at least one game for the Huskies ... 107 of the 124 players on the UW roster are freshmen or sophomores ... 77 are freshmen ... just five true (first-year) freshmen have played this season for the Huskies: DLs Kuao Peihopa and Voi Tunuufi, QB Sam Huard, WR Jabez Tinae, and DB Davon Banks ... UW has gone 83 games in a row without allowing an opponent to score more than 35 points, easily the longest such streak in the nation.
 
TELEVISION: The Washington-Oregon game will air on ABC television, with Mark Jones (play by play), Robert Griffin III (analyst) and Quint Kessenich (reporter) calling the action.
 
RADIO:  All Washington football games will air on the Washington Sports Network from Learfield, with Tony Castricone (play by play), former Husky tight end Cameron Cleeland (analyst) and former UW basketball player Elise Woodward (sidelines) on the call. Radio coverage begins four hours before kickoff on the network's flagship station: Seattle's SportsRadio 950 KJR with "Husky Gameday" live from The Zone for Husky home games. Statewide coverage on the 15-station Washington Sports Network begins two hours before kickoff. The entire broadcast is available worldwide on the Huskies Gameday mobile app and on GoHuskies.com. The UW broadcast of the game will also air on Sirius channel 138, XM channel 197, or 959 (app). Additionally, the Jimmy Lake Show airs each Wednesday during the season, at 6:00 p.m. PT.
 
HUSKIES vs. DUCKS HISTORY:  Washington leads the all-time series against the Ducks with 60 wins, 47 losses and five ties. 
 
In games played in Seattle, the Huskies are 32-22-4 against their cross-border rivals, while in games played in Eugene, the Ducks enjoy an 18-13 edge all-time (Oregon's home games vs. the UW were played in Portland for many years). The Ducks have had the edge of late, winning 19 of the last 25 against the Dawgs. 
 
In 2019 in Seattle, Oregon scored with 5:10 remaining in the game to win 35-31.  Washington could only reach the Ducks' 35-yard line on the ensuing drive before failing to convert a fourth down. Salvon Ahmed rushed for 140 yards and Jacob Eason passed for 289 and three TDs for the Dawgs.
 
In 2018 in Eugene, the Ducks edged the Huskies, 30-27, in overtime. Washington got a field goal in the opening overtime period, but the Ducks scored a touchdown in their possession to win the game.
 
In 2017  in Seattle, UW's Dante Pettis broke the NCAA record with his ninth career punt return for a TD and the UW held Oregon to just 31 passing yards in a 38-3 UW win. In 2016, the Dawgs broke the Ducks' long win streak in the series with a 70-21 win in Eugene. Jake Browning was 22-for-28 for 304 yards and a school-record six TD passes (plus two rushing TDs) while Myles Gaskin rushed for 197 yards on just 16 carries.
 
In 2015 in Seattle, Oregon won, 26-20, as a third-quarter, 72-yard run from Myles Gaskin and a three-yard pass from  Browning to Jaydon Mickens in the fourth brought the UW to within six points. The Ducks, however, intercepted a last-minute pass to preserve the win. In 2014 in Eugene, a 21-point output from Oregon in the second quarter was the major difference in a 45-20 Ducks win.  In 2013 at Husky Stadium, the Ducks stretched a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter into a 45-24 victory. Marcus Mariota passed for 366 yards and three TDs rushed for 88 and one while the Huskies got 167 rushing yards from Bishop Sankey. In 2012 in Eugene, second-ranked Oregon beat No. 23 Washington, 52-21. 
 
In 2011, in the final game at the old Husky Stadium, the Ducks beat the UW, 34-17. In 2010 in Eugene, UW QB Keith Price made his first college start in a 53-16 Husky loss. Oregon led 18-16 in the third quarter before pulling away. In 2009 at Husky Stadium, Oregon won, 43-19. In 2008 in Eugene in the season-opener for both teams, Jeremiah Masoli came off the bench and led the Ducks to a 44-10 win. In 2007 in Seattle, the Huskies and Ducks were tied at 31-31 after three quarters before Oregon pulled away in the final period for a 55-34 win. 
 
The Huskies' last win over Oregon prior to 2016 was in 2003, when Shelton Sampson and Kenny James both rushed for over 100 yards in a 42-10 Husky victory. Washington and Oregon first met on the football field in 1900, a 43-0 Oregon win in Eugene. The Huskies got their first win in the series in the next meeting, a 6-5 victory in 1903. From 1974 to 1993, Washington won 17 of 20 meetings. The series also features one of the biggest year-to-year turnarounds in college football history as the Ducks beat the Huskies, 58-0, in 1973 and then lost at the UW, 66-0, the following year.
 
DAWGS AND THE NORTHWEST:  Washington's most-played rivalries are against the other three other northwest Pac-12 schools. The Huskies have faced Washington State 112 times, Oregon in 112 games and Oregon State on 106 occasions. Washington owns the advantage in all three series. The Huskies lead the Ducks 60-47-5, Washington State 74-32-6 and Oregon State 67-35-4. Combined, Washington has a 201-114-15 (.632) record against its northwest rivals. Washington has played all three of the Northwest teams in a season on 91 prior occasions. Over those 91 seasons in which Oregon, OSU and WSU were all on the UW schedule, the Dawgs have swept all three 30 times. In the meantime, the Huskies have lost to all three in the same season on only seven occasions.
 
EXPERIENCE AND YOUTH: Thanks in part to the extended eligibility that resulted from the pandemic, Washington's 2021 roster is remarkable for both its youth and its experience, all at once. Washington returns 10 starters on offense and eight on defense, along with returning "starters" at kicker (both FG/PAT and kickoff), punter, holder and long snapper. Those numbers are all higher than average. What's more, the roster includes 17 individuals who have started at least one game on offense, and 13 on defense. All totaled, those 29 players (one of them, Alex Cook, has started on offense and defense) have started 212 games (129 on offense, 83 on defense). 
 
All that said, the UW roster includes just six players in their final year of available eligibility: P Race Porter, OLB Ryan Bowman, QB Patrick O'Brien, C Luke Wattenberg, and TBs Sean McGrew and Kamari Pleasant. Of the 126 players on the current roster, 78 are listed as freshmen (56) or redshirt freshmen (22), while 31 more are sophomores. That means that 109 of 126 players (86.5 percent) have three or more years of eligibility remaining, entering the 2021 season. The roster includes just 11 juniors, five seniors and one grad transfer.
 
OPPONENTS 35-AND-UNDER: Washington hasn't allowed an opponent to score more than 35 points in a game since a 44-30 loss at UCLA in 2014. That's a streak of 83 games in a row that the Huskies' opponent has failed to score more than 35. In that 83-game stretch, Husky foes have scored 30 or more just 13 times (of those 13, five were exactly 30 points) and have been held to 14 or fewer points 32 times. In that same span of 83 games, the UW has scored more than 35 points on 31 occasions. No other team in the FBS has a current streak longer than 42 games (San Diego State).
 
DEFENSE vs. BIG PLAYS: Last year (albeit in only four games), Washington's defense allowed just one play from scrimmage for more than 40 yards, tied for fewest in the nation. In 2019, the Huskies gave up just seven such plays of 40 or more yards, the eighth-lowest total (tied) in FBS. The median for 40-plus yard plays allowed in 2019 was 14. Also in 2019, the Huskies allowed just two plays over 50 yards, the third-lowest (tied) total (the median was seven). The year before, the Huskies gave up just ONE scrimmage play of 40 or more yards all season. No other FBS team allowed fewer than four and 102 teams allowed 10 or more that year. In 2017, the UW also led the nation with fewest 40-yard scrimmage plays allowed (3) and were second in fewest 30-yard plays (14). They were tied for 5th and 2nd, respectively, in 2016. Washington has allowed two plays longer than 40 yards in eight games during the 2021 season. Only one FBS team has allowed fewer (Arizona State, 1).
 
THE PAC-12: Prior to the 2011 season, the Pac-10 Conference added Utah and Colorado to expand to the Pac-12. Washington, which along with California is one of two schools who have been in the conference since its founding in 1915, plays in the Pac-12 North, along with the other three Northwest schools (Oregon, OSU, WSU) and Stanford and Cal. Under the current system, each school plays all five division rivals, plus four of six teams in the other division each season. The first two seasons, the Huskies did not face UCLA or Arizona State. In 2013 and 14, the Huskies didn't play Utah or USC. In 2015 in 2016, neither UCLA nor Colorado were on the UW schedule, while the Huskies didn't face USC and Arizona in 2017 or 2018. The 2019 season marked the start of a new cycle, moving the rotation back to where it started. Therefore, the Huskies 2019 and 2020 scheduled did not include UCLA and Arizona State. In 2021 and 2002, Washington will not play USC and Utah.
 
HUSKY STADIUM RENOVATION: Husky Stadium underwent a major renovation over from Nov., 2011, through Aug., 2013, as the entire lower bowl and south upper deck were demolished and replaced. The new facility features a new, state-of-the-art football operations center (weight room, training room, locker room, meeting rooms, coaches' offices) in the west end, much more premium seating options and a new playing surface. Husky Stadium had featured a track up until 2011, so seats that were once far from the field, particularly in the west end, are much closer to the action. UW is 43-14 at home since the re-opening of Husky Stadium.
 
ALASKA AIRLINES FIELD AT HUSKY STADIUM: The Oregon game on Nov. 5, 2011, marked the final game in Husky Stadium prior to major renovations that were completed in summer, 2013. The Huskies re-opened their home field with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2021 season marks the 101st season of play in Husky Stadium. Original construction on the facility was completed in 1920 when Washington played one game in the new campus facility. UW's all-time record in Husky Stadium stands at 399-183-21 (.679).