Football notebook: Huskies dominate Beavers

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Huskies shut down Oregon State passing attack Sean Mannion came into Saturday night’s matchup with Washington as the nation’s leading passer. Oregon State’s junior signal caller had averaged 386 yards per game over the Beavers’ first 10 games. But that all changed against the Huskies. A fierce, physical, and ball-hawking UW defense shut down Mannion, helping the Huskies to a 69-27 win and stifling OSU’s star en route to one of his worst games in college. All night, the aggressive UW secondary created problems for Mannion. He finished the night 20-of-41 passing for 229 yards and a touchdown to go with three interceptions. It was Mannion’s lowest passing output of the season and his third consecutive game with three or more interceptions. “They did a good job disguising coverages and then of getting to him,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “We got to him enough and forced some errant throws. We forced some tough throws, we were good in coverage, we were aggressive, and we were physical.” Mannion’s first half was one to forget. He was 11-of-22 passing, with 123 yards, and two passes that Marcus Peters intercepted. He was under siege from the get-go, with the UW defense collecting three sacks through the night. Peters was especially effective Saturday. In addition to his two interceptions, Peters had six tackles, three pass breakups, and forced a fumble that he recovered in the fourth quarter. The effort was a welcome sight for a UW defense that allowed 406 yards and 41 points in a loss to UCLA last Friday. “They come out and throw the ball 50 times and average 400 passing yards, so it don’t get no better than that on offense,” Peters said. “As a defense, we prided ourselves this whole week on just going out there and executing the game plan and creating turnovers.” Offensive line dominates Beavers These are the type of numbers that usually only appear in video games. Saturday night against Oregon State, the Huskies put up 692 yards of total offense. They ran for 530 yards. Three different running backs ran for more than 140 yards and two or more touchdowns. But perhaps the most impressive number Saturday night was zero; Oregon State didn’t get a single sack on UW quarterback Cyler Miles, who was making his first college start. It was a great night for a UW offensive line that has struggled since the beginning of October. Last week, the Huskies ran for just 102 yards, and the offensive line allowed four sacks. “It definitely shows us that we’re capable of keeping the QB clean,” center Mike Criste said. “Last week sucked, but tonight shows us that we can do what we want to do.” All night, the line was able to open up holes for the Huskies’ backs. Bishop Sankey led the charge with 179 yards and three scores, but backups Deontae Cooper and Dwayne Washington were also phenomenal. Cooper, who has fought through three ACL tears during his time at the UW, had 166 yards and two touchdowns, and Washington rushed for 141 and two scores. But Sankey was quick to give the credit to his protectors up front. “Shouts out to our O-line for that one,” Sankey said. “They were really opening up the holes the whole game, and everybody was getting loose really. They were technically sound tonight, and they played with an edge, and they kept it on them the whole game.” Ross sees time on offense and defense A week after being demolished on the ground by a linebacker, Sarkisian tried his hand at playing someone two ways. This week, Sarkisian put an offensive player on the defensive side of the ball. Freshman wide receiver John Ross made his first career appearance in the defensive backfield as the UW’s nickel cornerback Saturday, in addition to his usual duties as a slot receiver and kick returner. Wearing the number 11 instead of his usual number one, Ross ignited the Huskies with a 62-yard return on the game’s opening kickoff. He made his defensive debut on Oregon State’s first drive, coming on the field to cover the Beavers’ slot receiver. “We want to play more man-to-man, and he’s really talented,” Sarkisian said. “We knew the next two games, with Oregon State and next week in the Apple Cup, WSU, with their ability to throw the ball, we felt like we needed another cover guy that could get in there and do it, and I think he went in and played great. I don’t think they caught a ball on him all night.” He did so for much of the evening, while also serving as a slot option for Miles. Ross finished the night with just one catch, but he made a big impact on the other side of the football. Ross said Sarkisian, and the coaching staff came to him early in the week and brought up the idea of playing both ways. “I’m on punt return, and I am actually blocking the gunner, and I did a pretty good job,” Ross said. “They asked me if it would be okay if I played a little defense, and I got fired up, and I said ‘I would love to.’” Sarkisian said after the game he expects Ross to see more time on defense next week against another pass-heavy offense. Washington State has the seventh-best passing offense in the country, and quarterback Connor Halliday set an NCAA record this season with 89 pass attempts in a loss against Oregon. Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens12

Football notebook: Huskies dominate Beavers

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