Washington Huskies vs. California Golden Bears: 3 Keys to Victory

Oct 29, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) hands off the ball to running back Myles Gaskin (9) during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Washington won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 29, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Browning (3) hands off the ball to running back Myles Gaskin (9) during the second half against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Washington won 31-24. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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Washington Huskies
Oct 21, 2016; Berkeley, CA, USA; California Golden Bears running back Tre Watson (5) celebrates with quarterback Davis Webb (7) after scoring a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. The California Golden Bears defeated the Oregon Ducks 52-49 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

3) Dawgs’ pass defense versus the Bears’ air attack

At the time of writing this, the Huskies are 16.5-point favorites against the Bears. Regardless, there are still some genuine reasons to be concerned about Saturday night’s game.

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We’ve already mentioned the Bears’ perfect home record this season, combined with the Dawgs’ struggles against the run. However, Davis Webb and the passing attacking also have the potential to cause some major problems.

California currently ranks fourth in the country, averaging 365.6 yards per game through the air. Webb has attempted more passes than anyone else and is second among all quarterbacks with 29 touchdown throws (one ahead of Browning).

Want more? The Bears are tied for second in the Pac-12 (along with the Huskies), allowing just 1.75 sacks per contest and the offense as a whole is averaging 41.3 points.

Overall, this game should provide an excellent test for a UW pass defense which allows a meager 171.9 yards per contest. They need to rush the passer better than they did in Utah — while also avoiding boneheaded penalties — or they could be in for a second consecutive hard slog on the road.

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Do you have any concern whatsoever heading into this game, or do you expect the Huskies to improve to 9-0 with relative ease? Looking at the bigger picture, how confident are you that they will be in the top four for the playoff poll by the end of the season? Let us know in the comments section below.