Washington Football: Cal stuns Huskies, 3 Takeaways
By Matt Barry
Puzzling quarterback change
Browning hasn’t been perfect this season, but he has been a big reason that the Huskies were still in contention for a PAC-12 North title. However, after struggling late in the third quarter on Saturday, coach Chris Petersen made a move to try and spark the offense.
He benched Browning for redshirt freshman Jake Haener despite a 7-6 lead. Haener would immediately throw an interception that was returned 37 yards for a touchdown by Cal linebacker Evan Weaver.
It was a somewhat head-scratching move and not necessarily because Browning had been ineffective in the previous two possessions. More so because the Huskies were leading as time was winding down in the third quarter. At that point, it would have been a 7-6 lead in the fourth quarter on the road, and a senior QB on the field to manage the clock.
Without the injured Gaskin, Washington’s offense was sputtering. Still, there was a sense that one good drive could result in points. Another score would put pressure on the Bears, that they might not be able to handle.
Instead, Haener turned it over and the Bears never relinquished the lead. I couldn’t help but think maybe it was a wake-up call to Browning, who wasn’t happy at all about the decision. Or was it the beginning of a passing of the torch at quarterback. The Huskies will need Haener to be the guy next season. It will be interesting to see how Browning responds in the coming weeks.