UW Set for Offensive Showcase Against Arizona

SEATTLE – Washington look to get some early Apple Cup payback Saturday when Arizona and Jayden de Laura visit Husky Stadium.

The Huskies (4-2, 1-2) return home off consecutive road defeats to UCLA and Arizona with both coming by a combined 15 points. UW hasn’t lost three consecutive games in back to back seasons since 2012-13 but face an improved Wildcats offense, which could pose problems for the defense.

Michael Penix Jr. remains the leader in the Pac-12 Conference throwing for 340 yards and 16 touchdowns with just four interceptions. Arizona has given up 10 scores through the air on defense, tied for fourth most in the conference, and just over 200 yards in six games.

Junior cornerback Christian Roland-Wallace is the headliner in the Wildcats secondary, one of only six players at his position in the conference to hold receivers under 10 yards per catch in 2022.

Pro Football Focus has the Arizona corner as the fourth highest graded player in coverage through the first six games. Roland-Wallace given up just one touchdown all season, which means Penix will have to work through his progressions often.

Sophomore safety Gunner Maldanao has been the most targeted player by opposing quarterbacks which could mean more over the middle completions, and a big day for several UW receivers.

Rome Odunze enters the game with a chance to become the first player in school history to have four consecutive 100-yard receiving games. If the sophomore can draw attention from Roland-Wallace, it could leave fellow classmates Jalen McMillan and Ja’Lynn Polk open to exploit a Wildcats defense that has forced just two interceptions this season.

For the offense to have success against Arizona it starts with the run game.

Arizona has given up the second most rushing yards per game (228.8) in the conference coming into Saturday and the most touchdowns on the ground (17), almost three times as many as UW has (6), which is tied for the second fewest in the Pac-12 with California.

In their week six loss at home to No. 12 Oregon the Wildcats gave up 306 yards and seven scores with the Ducks finishing the game with 41 rushing attempts.

UW managed to find the end zone five times on the ground in the 45-38 loss at Arizona State and finished with 134 yards after failing to hit the century mark for the first time all season at UCLA.

In order to use a combination of run and pass to defeat Arizona, the defense has to find a way to slow down Jayden de Laura and prevent him from planting two different school flags on the UW logo at Husky Stadium.

The transfer from Washington State has vastly improved the Wildcats offense this season throwing for 312 yards per game and 15 touchdowns, tied for the second most in the Pac-12 with UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson, one fewer than Penix.

While both quarterbacks have dominated this season, de Laura has made more costly mistakes.

His seven interceptions are tied for the second most in the conference with his previous school’s signal-caller, Cameron Ward, one more than Oregon State’s Chance Nolan.

For defensive play caller Chuck Morrell it’s a necessity the players force at least one turnover to keep the Huskies offense on the field and in the end zone.