Washington Huskies at Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday October 17, 2009 Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona 9:00 p.m. EST
By Wilson of Predictem.com
Point Spread: Washington +6.5/ASU -6.5
Over/Under: 47
The Washington Huskies will fly out of the chilly wet northwest in route to the desert for a Pac-10 matchup with the Sun Devils. The new look Huskies, who have resurfaced as a potential conference threat again under new head coach Steve Sarkisian will look to steal a win from Dennis Ericksons Devils on Saturday.
It wont be easy coming into Sun Devil Stadium and walking out with a victory but if any team is capable of pulling off such a feat it is definitely the Washington Huskies. Last weekend the Huskies appeared to be down and out at home against a tough Arizona Wildcats squad when they suddenly got a miracle play from an unlikely hero. Linebacker Mason Foster intercepted a goofy pass that bounced off the foot of an Arizona player. Foster returned the INT 37 yards for the game winning touchdown.
Husky fans are elated at the teams recent chunks of success. The boosters had become used to winning but that all changed during the last 5-7 years as the program suffered through a lot of ugly seasons. Last year these Huskies didnt win a game and now they have knocked off USC, Arizona, and should have beaten Notre Dame on the road two weeks ago.
UW QB Jake Locker must remain healthy and continue to make plays and lead his team into post season play. Locker was 12 of 23 for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns. Locker was also the leading rusher for the Huskies with 11 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. He had a long run of 56 yards. Lockers performance will be a key indicator if the Huskies win this Saturday.
Arizona State comes into this game with the Pac-10s best defense and thats how they secured the win last Saturday at Washington State. The Sun Devils turned the ball over 6 times and still found a way to win the game. WSU turned the pigskin over 4 times to bring the TOs to 10 between the two programs. Wow, its a wonder either team walk away with a W!
Sun Devils QB Danny Sullivan was 19 of 29 for 169 yards and a touchdown but he also had 3 interceptions.
The Sun Devils have won the last two meetings versus WSU; last year 31-0 and 23-20 in 2007. Arizona is 1-1 in conference play with their only loss to Pac-10 foe Oregon State 28-17. The Sun Devils always find a way to make the Pac-10 race more interesting and this season should be no different.
The Huskies are still searching for their first road win of the season as they are 0-2 in away games. UW is 1-1 ATS on the road and 1-1 on the away total. As the dog the Huskies are 2-3 SU , 4-1 ATS and 3-2 O/U.
The Sun Devils are 2-1 at home, and 0-1 ATS and O/U at Sun Devil Stadium. As the favorite the Devils are 1-1 SU, 0-2 ATS and 0-2 O/U.
Both teams can score but it will be the Sun Devils defense that makes the big difference in this game. ASU only gives up 49 yards rushing per game and 172 through the air, and they are allowing just 15 points per game to the opposition. This is not good news if youre a Husky fan. The Huskies have given up nearly 29 ppg and over 400 yards of total offense to their opponents per outing.
I think the Huskies will need to find and establish the run early or its lights out in the desert.
Wilsons Pick: ASU 35, UW 28. Luck to ya.