It’s a clash of teams with identical records and identical desires.
And it’s not going to be easy for either of them.
After a tight 33-30 victory over Oregon State last week, the No. 11 Washington Huskies head to Tempe, Ariz., in hopes of continuing their march toward the post-season.
Arizona State, coming off a 30-10 wallop of California, is 4-1 on the season and a win against the Huskies would do wonders for the Sun Devils’ Rose Bowl dreams as well.
“This is a big game,” Arizona State head coach Bruce Snyder said. “Not only are we playing a good opponent, but we’re both fighting to stay in that group that can still make it to the Rose Bowl. So I think you’re going to find two teams that can really go after each other. This is a huge game for us and for them. We’re both in the same boat. We both have an oar and we’re going to beat each other over the head with it and see who can knock the other guy out of the boat.”
Washington leads the Pac-10 in total offense with 414.8 yards per contest while the Sun Devils are the best passing team in the conference.
“They have struck and struck quickly,” Husky head coach Rick Neuheisel said of Arizona State’s big play offense. “They are not throwing for an unbelievable percentage; it’s just the yards they are getting per attempt, which is the major concern.”
Neither team’s defense has proven itself yet this season. The Huskies are the worst rushing defense in the conference and allowed Oregon State 474 yards of total offense. Similarly, Arizona State is ranked eighth in the Pac-10 in total defense.
Don’t be surprised if both teams score more than 50 points.
The key to the game: If the Huskies can take a lead into the fourth quarter, a win is almost guaranteed. The Sun Devils have scored just nine points this season in the final period, while allowing their opponents to score 27.