Washington Huskies
Pac-12
Washington has had a good season in what will end up being coach Steve Sarkisian’s final one in Seattle. Since he was hired, the Huskies have found ways to win. They have posted a winning record every year under him. This has been their best year in the Sarkisian era. They came out of the gate in a flash with four straight wins. They found themselves ranked heading into October. They could not seem to get their footing in conference this year despite posting a winning Pac-12 record. The Huskies won the games they were supposed to win though. That is a step in the right direction. Will the new head coach keep this train rolling?
2013 Record: 8-4, 5-4
Interim Head Coach: Steve Sarkisian
Coach Bowl Record: 1-2
Big Wins: 11/23 at Oregon State (69-27), 11/29 Washington State (27-17)
Bad Losses: 10/19 at Arizona State (24-53), 11/15 at UCLA (31-41)
Strengths:
Washington had to improve scoring in order to keep up with the Pac-12 scoring monsters. Since quarterback Keith Price has been under center, they have been doing a great job putting the ball in the end zone. They averaged almost 39 points per game. Price was solid all year pitching the ball around. He threw for nearly 3,000 yards and posted 20 touchdowns. They boasted one of the nation’s best runners in Bishop Sankey. He ran for almost 1,800 yards and 18 touchdowns. He led the conference in both categories. Between Sankey and Price, Washington averaged over 500 yards of offense per game. That is a staggering number compared to their paltry numbers just five years ago. Adding to their offensive output, Price did a great job at making good decisions. He only threw seven interceptions, which helped boost the Huskies’ turnover margin. Washington was the best in the conference at protecting the ball. They only had 15 giveaways.
Weaknesses:
The biggest problem for Washington offensively was their offensive line. Price was sacked 2.5 times per game. The line allowed for a lot of negative plays in the backfield as defenders would penetrate the line and blow up a play. Their rush defense was spotty at best. They gave up about 160 yards per game, which is not bad, but when the Huskies gave up a lot of points the opponent would be able to control the clock with the lead. The biggest weakness for the Huskies was their team discipline. They were one of the worst teams in the country in penalties and penalty yards. That created some field position issues that put the team in difficult situations. They also seemed to have an issue in big games this season. They won their season opener against a good Boise State team, but against the likes of Stanford, Oregon, and Arizona State, the Huskies could not find a way to win. Against Oregon and Arizona State, they were blown out. They have made progress in terms of winning games. But this season they have not been able to sustain performances in big moments.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Bishop Sankey, RB, 1,774 yards
Passing: Keith Price, QB, 2,844 yards
Receiving: Kevin Smith, WR, 722 yards
Tackles: Princeton Fuimaono, LB, 76
Sacks: Hau’oli Kikaha, DE, 10.0
Interceptions: Marcus Peters, CB, 5
2013 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 243.1 (14th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Passing Offense: 271.3 (31, 6)
Total Offense: 514.3 (8, 2)
Scoring Offense: 38.5 (18, 3)
Rushing Defense: 159.8 (58, 5)
Pass Defense: 221.8 (49, 5)
Total Defense: 381.5 (50, 5)
Scoring Defense: 23.4 (38, 4)
Turnover Margin: 0.6 (24, 4)
Sacks: 3.00 (8, 2)
Sacks Allowed: 2.50 (90, 8)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
2012 Las Vegas Bowl Boise State (26-28)
2011 Alamo Bowl Baylor (56-67)
2010 Holiday Bowl Nebraska (19-7)
2002 Sun Bowl Purdue (24-34)
2001 Holiday Bowl Texas (43-47)
2000 Rose Bowl Purdue (34-24)
*all team stats through 11/30
