Arizona State @ Washington preview
Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium
Last Meeting ( Oct 17, 2009 ) Washington 17, Arizona State 24
Jake Locker was suddenly staring down his future.
A certain high pick in the 2009 NFL draft, Locker had unexpectedly struggled to start the 2010 season. His stock was plummeting faster than that of BP.
Only a dramatic turnaround could save Washington’s season and place Locker back in favor of the NFL scouts after he had managed a paltry 71 yards on 4-of-20 passing against Nebraska one week earlier.
That’s exactly what happened. Locker drove the Huskies down the field in the game’s final seconds to set up the game-winning score against Southern California last week.
Locker and the Huskies host Arizona State on Saturday. The Huskies are hoping to become factors in the Pac-10 race and Locker is looking to get back in the Heisman Trophy picture.
Locker passed for 310 yards and a touchdown and rushed for a season-high 110 yards as the Huskies (2-2, 1-0 Pac-10) upset the Trojans for the second straight year a week ago. Locker, who has thrown for 937 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, led a drive to set up Erik Folk’s 32-yard field goal as time expired in Washington’s 32-31 of USC.
While Locker seems to have righted himself, the Washington defense remains shaky. The Huskies continue to have major issues stopping the run. USC ran for nearly 300 yards last week dropping Washington to 113th in the nation in run defense.
Arizona State (2-3, 0-2) has had its own problems. The Sun Devils have lost three straight games - all of them battles.
Seven turnovers doomed them in an upset bid against Oregon, and a week ago Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers ran all over them. Rodgers rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns and Ryan Katz threw for 260 yards and two scores to lead Oregon State to a 31-28 win.
The Sun Devils (2-3, 0-2) were led by Deantre Lewis, who ran for 104 yards – his third straight game over the century mark. ASU quarterback Steven Threet remains the top passer in the conference, averaging 325.8 yards per game, but his interception total (10) is increasing at an alarming rate.
Under duress much of the game last week, Threet, a transfer from Michigan, was sacked six times and threw three more interceptions.
Arizona State has won the last six meetings in this series. Last season in Tempe, the Sun Devils won 24-17 on a 50-yard scoring pass with five seconds left. ASU beat the Huskies 39-19 at Husky Stadium in 2008.
ASU is dealing with some injury issues. Lewis suffered a shoulder strain in Week 5 and was limited in practice this week. He is expected to play. The true freshman leads the team in rushing this year with 382 yards and is averaging 7.8 yards per carry.
Receiver Aaron Pflugrad suffered a turf toe injury at Oregon State and is questionable for Saturday’s game. The junior is tied for second on the team in receiving this year with 19 catches. And the Devils, who have had problems on the offensive line, will be without starter Dan Knapp.