Washington Football: Cal stuns Huskies, 3 Takeaways

Huskies defense continues to shine

This was a very difficult loss for obvious reasons, but it was also hard to swallow for the Washington defensive unit. A group that has been very good for much of the 2018 season. They were a major reason why UW was ahead before the game-changing turnover.

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Cal actually won a game without scoring an offensive touchdown for the first time since 1998, against Washington State.

The Bears did possess the ball for over 33 minutes, but could not generate much-sustained offense. This made the pick six even more of a backbreaker for the Huskies. All season long, UW has played good enough defense to win each week.

The unit has to be frustrated by the offense’s struggles. California could only muster just two field goals against the Huskies and was stopped on their two-point conversion.

The defense has allowed some yardage on the ground this year, but Saturday UW held Cal to just 2.5 yards-per-carry.  They were also able to get off the field on several occasions as California was six for16 on third down. The defense has been steady but needs more from Browning and the offense as big games still remain.

The question now is whether Chris Petersen and the Washington staff can keep the Huskies from free falling. Washington hosts Stanford on November 3rd. The Cardinal are coming off big a loss of their own. This will be a battle of two teams clinging to life.