Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — Saturday is the first time since 2012 that Utah will face off against Washington. Here are game storylines as the Utes get ready for a Seattle showdown.
#BeatWashington
Heading into this season, there were two teams on the schedule that Utah had yet to beat as Pac-12 opponents: Arizona State and Washington. The Utes beat the Sun Devils, 34-18, on Oct. 17. They hope to have the same result in Seattle this Saturday.
Utah trails the series with Washington 8-0. The closest games came in 1931 and 1954 when the Huskies won, 7-6.
So how is Utah's head coach Kyle Whittingham preparing his team? He said the coaching staff has told the defensive and special teams players — two units Whittingham says Washington head coach Chris Peterson does an "outstanding job" with — to do their job.
"It's just about being disciplined and doing your job, your 1/11th and not trying to do too much," added Whittingham.
Welcome back, Pease
Before his current stint with the Utes — this season marks his fourth — defensive coordinator John Pease was on the coaching staff of the New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Stars and Washington Huskies.
It was in those years (1978-82) before his career in professional football that Pease worked as the Huskies' defensive line coach. He helped lead the team to a 46-13 record and four bowl games, including back-to-back Rose Bowls. Washington won the 1982 Rose Bowl. Additionally, every starting senior during Pease's tenure in Seattle went on to play in the NFL.
Pease will coach yet again in Husky Stadium, this time on the opposing sideline. His unit is the top rushing defense in the Pac-12, allowing 113.1 yards per game.
Defense wins
Speaking of defense, the Washington and Utah defenses are two of the best in the conference. The Huskies rank first in the Pac-12 for scoring defense with 16.9 points per game. Utah falls behind at No. 2 with 21.4 points allowed per game.
The Utes will face freshman quarterback Jake Browning. He's coming off one of his best games of the season. Last week against Arizona, Browning threw for 264 yards and four touchdowns. He also ran for another score.
In order to stop Browning & Co., the Utes need to win the turnover battle. After starting the season with 13 interceptions and six fumble recoveries, Utah hasn't come up with a turnover in the last two games. It ranks seventh in the nation for turnovers gained.
"You have to have faith in what you're doing and know that turnovers will come," said Pease.
Saturday's matchup takes place at 5:30 p.m. MT and will air on Fox. Joe Davis, Brady Quinn and Kris Budden will commentate.
