Football notebook: Huskies move to 4-0 on the season

Two of the conference best running backs go head-to-head, the UW's special teams show up huge, and so does the weather. Battle of the Running Backs All week long, it was billed as a battle of two of the Pac-12’s top running backs. And, even if not much else was working, both of those running backs certainly were. Last season’s leading rusher in the NCAA, Arizona’s Ka’Deem Carey, and Washington’s Bishop Sankey, who entered Saturday second in the country in yards per game, combined to put on a show in rainy Seattle. When it was all said and done, Sankey stole the show, with a UW-record 40 carries for 161 yards and a touchdown. Carey was also effective, running the ball 30 times for 132 yards and a score, but he was limited for the most part by a strong UW defense. “I thought our guys played extremely hard,” defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox said. “For the most part, we were pretty sharp on our run fits, and even then a back like that is going to earn some yards. He’s a heck of a player, and I thought our guys were ready to play and plugged into the game plan.” Carey entered the game averaging 149.5 yards a game, with Sankey right behind him at 148.7. But Saturday, it was Sankey who had the upper hand. “We knew coming into the game both teams wanted to run the football,” head coach Steve Sarkisian said. “The weather kind of forced our hand a little bit in the way we had to play the game. But you play the hand that you’re dealt and those were the conditions we had, and Bishop was awesome. He didn’t change, his focus was there, his body language didn’t change from his first carry to his last one.” The UW “weathers the storm” Occasionally, weather reports are wrong. But, more often than not, they are right, and Saturday was no exception. After a week of forecasts predicting rain, there was a lot of it Saturday. Most of the first half was played in a downpour, with the torrential rain causing mistakes from both sides and essentially nullifying both teams’ passing games. At halftime, UW quarterback Keith Price was 4-of-12 passing, with a touchdown and an interception. Arizona’s B.J. Denker did not fare much better, as he completed just seven of his 18 first-half attempts and was picked off once. It was a sloppy half, with neither offense really able to get going. “It was one of those games where the weather had an impact on both teams,” Sarkisian said. “It made it one of those grind-it-out, meat-and-potatoes type of games where both teams have to run the ball, and both defenses knew it.” A steady rain continued to fall over the course of the second half, though it did not slow the quarterbacks down quite as much. Still, players on both teams struggled with dropped passes and the slippery field. Tucson is one of America’s hottest and driest cities. The average rainfall each September is less than 1.2 inches according to weather.com. All afternoon, the rain caused problems for an Arizona offense that looked out of sync. “They tried to throw the ball a little in the first half, and it was kind of hard being a little slippery,” linebacker John Timu said. “We had a little bit of an advantage because we see it every day. We’re here in Seattle, and those guys are in Arizona, so it’s a bit of a difference, and I think it did affect them.” Special teams prove to be special for Huskies For much of last season, special teams were a major problem for the Huskies. Saturday, that was far from the case. A handful of special teamers had great days for the Huskies. In a game in which field position played a huge role, UW place kicker and punter Travis Coons was exceptional, as all five of his punts were downed inside the Arizona 20-yard line. He also nailed a 42-yard field goal that came when the rain was at its peak. “Travis was awesome,” Sarkisian said. “It was just an amazing effort by him punting the football. Not only did he punt the ball great, but those were some tough catches on the snaps, so for him to catch the ball and punt it the way he did was just awesome.” Despite missing a late extra point, Coons felt that his overall game was solid. He said that he has been working on using the corners of the field when punting, and it paid off tonight. “We’ve been working on rollouts and trying to pin them in corners, and that’s what we did,” Coons said. “Coach told me to just keep doing what I’ve been doing and have fun doing it, and I’m having a great time right now.” Additionally, Kasen Williams had a big kick return following a UW safety. He returned the kick 49 yards to set the UW up with great field position at the Arizona 28. Coons would finish that drive with a field goal to put the Huskies up 11-0. It was the UW’s biggest kick return since Kevin Smith returned one 53 yards against California in 2011. Reach reporter Daniel Rubens at sports@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @drubens12

Football notebook: Huskies move to 4-0 on the season

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