Washington at Arizona Odds


Written by

Arizona’s top 10 defense combined with its PAC-10 leading passer Nick Foles has earned the Wildcats a No. 18 ranking. Now they will square off against the Washington Huskies minus Foles as the two do battle on Saturday October 23 at 10:15 PM ET. When the teams met in 2008, Arizona won the match 48-14.

According to the latest college football odds, the Wildcats are -6 ½ over the Huskies with a total of 54 points.

Washington won its last game against Oregon State in double overtime, 35-34, ending a six game losing streak to the Beavers and keeping its bowl hopes alive for one more game, though the schedule would appear to be getting tougher as the season progresses.

Washington QB Jake Locker jumped to an early 21-0 lead within the first 20 minutes of play, completing 10 of his first 14 passes for three touchdowns and 175 yards. After that initial opening flurry, things settled down and the Huskies lost momentum, carrying a 21-14 lead at halftime.

The score sat at 28-21 before WR Jermaine Kearse scored on a 17-yard pass to send the game to a second overtime. Kearse then struck again to give the Huskies a 35-28 lead, as they held on for the win after OS would gamble coming up short on a 2-point conversion attempt. Locker finished the game with five touchdowns on 286 yards.

The win brought the Huskies record to 3-3, 2-1 in conference, for a 2nd place position in the Pac-10. The offense has been strong overall, ranking 49th in passing yards with 239.2 a game, and 44th in rushing with 172.8 per game. Locker has 13 touchdowns on the season with 1431 yards. He has chipped in with three rushing TDs on 62 carries. His main receiver has been Kearse, who has 37 receptions for 623 yards and nine touchdowns.

The defense has given up 31.3 points a game which ranks 97th. That’s includes a blowout loss to Nebraska which saw the defense surrender 56 points. It’s been good enough in close games, as the Huskies have two games that they have won by a single point.

Over in the wet Pacific Northwest, the Arizona Wildcats finished off the Cougars 24-7.

Standout QB Nick Foles had to sit out the game with injuries, putting pressure on the Arizona running game, but Keola Antolin and Nic Grigsby were up to the task.  Antolin scored twice and ran for 92 yards while Grigsby notched a single TD and added 66 yards of offense.

With Foles gone for at least another game, QB duties will go to back up Matt Scott who was a little rusty but should be tuned up enough to lead the Wildcats in their title push against WSU. He completed 14 of 20 passes for 139 yards with no TDs and one interception. However, knowing that he will get support from the running game will allow him to settle in.

It was a game full of casualties all around, as the Cougars lost two of their own, OL David Gonzales broke his left arm, and CB Damante Horton sprained a knee.  The win pushed the Wildcats to a 5-1 record, which rank 2nd in the Pac-10.

The defense has been one of the ‘Cats strengths, limiting opponents to just over 13 points a game which ranks 7th overall. Four of those games have seen the opposition score under 10. That’s a lot of breathing room for any QB, but the offense can produce; scoring 31.3 points a game to rank 42nd overall. It has slowed a bit, as the opening two games of the season accounted for 93 points. In the last four games, Arizona has scored 95 points but won only three of those matchups.

With Foles out, Grigsby and Antolin will be the main firepower. They have combined for 110 carries and 558 yards for 9 touchdowns on the season. The receivers are no slouch; Criner and Douglas have a combined five touchdowns and 801 yards on 60 receptions.

Matt’s Free Prediction: Arizona -6 ½ – Arizona will win this one. Washington has had a few lucky breaks in close games, but the Arizona defense isn’t as forgiving. Combine that with the ability to score as many as it needs to win, and it’s a recipe to send the Huskies to a losing record.

Subscribe to the BetFirms RSS Feed
Comments

Got something to say?