UW Huskies Are Bowl Eligible After Beating Oregon State

On a number of levels, it’s been a tumultuous season for the University of Washington Huskies football team. There’ve been unforseen failures and countless disappointing performances. There’ve been tough losses and player controversies. But there also might be a bowl game at the end of the road.

The Oregon State Beavers came to town over the weekend and were subject to an epic stomping, suffering through a 37-13 loss at the hands of the host Huskies. It was the final home contest of UW’s season, with an announced crowd of 65,036 packing Husky Stadium to the brim. The purple-clad onlookers were treated to quite the show, as it turned out.

Cyler Miles had his best game of the year, ending the day 18 for 23 passing with two touchdowns and 253 total yards. Dwayne Washington rushed for 103 yards on his own, and overall the UW offense 242 yards on the ground. OSU quarterback Sean Mannion did throw for 314 yards, but he had to go 30 for 46 in order to get there.

Suffice to say, the victory was a huge one for UW. Only a week earlier, the Huskies had lost a heartbreaker to Arizona State, falling one point shy of an upset victory and instead losing 26-25. A blowout win is always a nice way to bounce back, but beyond that, this win put UW in good position for the rest of the season.

Next up is the Apple Cup in Pullman, and if UW can win there, they’ll go on to play in a bowl game. By beating OSU, UW clinched an above-.500 finish and bowl eligibility. Their priority list now goes as such: win a Cup, win a Bowl.

For all the drama of the 2014 season, it could still end with a bowl game victory. That’s what every team plays for, right? A big finish can do wonders to ease the pains of a disappointing season, and the Huskies are trying their best to make this a big finish. So far, they’ve only given us reason to be excited.