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UCLA Football Early 2018 Schedule Preview: Washington Huskies

By Mike Regalado

GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Chris Petersen of the Washington Huskies points to the endzone from the sidelines during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - DECEMBER 30: Head coach Chris Petersen of the Washington Huskies points to the endzone from the sidelines during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the Playstation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Running back Myles Gaskin #9 of the Washington Huskies runs with the fooball against Penn State Nittany Lions in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – DECEMBER 30: Running back Myles Gaskin #9 of the Washington Huskies runs with the fooball against Penn State Nittany Lions in the PlayStation Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium on December 30, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

Washington Offense

Part of what caused Washington to take a step back in 2017 was the fact that they had a lot of injuries, primarily among the receiving unit. That caused Petersen to shift his game plan bit and focus more on the run.

Returning senior QB Jake Browning will begin his fourth season starting is Seattle. The 2016 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year was still pretty dangerous in 2017, but his numbers dropped significantly. Passing touchdowns went from 43 to 19 from his sophomore to junior year, as well as his passing yards, 3,430 to 2,719. Surprisingly, his percentage made a significant leap from 62.1% to 68.5%, meaning he improved his accuracy last season despite a weakened receiving corps.

The pass catchers are still feeling the effects of last season’s injuries, though they are in better shape than they were at the end of 2017. A lot of that weight will be put on senior Chico McClatcher who only played in three games last season due to a broken ankle. Washington will also have the services of TE Hunter Bryant who accumulated 331 receiving yards last season.

Washington 2017 Offensive Stats

Total Offense Passing Offense Rushing Offense Scoring Offense
 405.5 (9th)  222.2 (8th) 183.2 (5th) 36.2 (2nd)

( ) – denotes ranking in the TEAM CONFERENCE

If all else fails throwing the ball, they have another option… one that can catch and run. If it wasn’t for Stanford’s Bryce Love, Myles Gaskin would be the top running back in the Pac-12. Not only will he help in the passing game (he had 232 receiving yards and 3 TDs in 2017), but he also added 1,380 yards in the ground.

All this will come together nicely when we take into consideration the experienced offensive line the Huskies bring to the table in 2018.

With UCLA trying to development a more “violent” and aggressive defense, they are going to have to be on their toes the entire game. The Bruins did not have a good run defense in 2017 and they hope to change that, but Washington is going to test them. The Huskies should run right at the Bruins, though Jerry Azzinaro’s squad also needs to look out for the passing attack, whether they have a top receiving group or not.