SEATTLE, Sporting Alert – College football Week 5 action continues on Friday with an AP Top 10 clash, as No. 7 Stanford and No. 10 Washington face-off at the Husky Stadium in Seattle.
Both programs are off to impressive winning starts, but according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Huskies (4-0) have been given a 60.8% chance to beat the Cardinal (3-0) in this Pac 12 North top of the standings battle.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN, WatchESPN Streaming. LINE: Washington -2.5
Friday, September 30
No.7 Stanford at No.10 Washington 9:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
Toledo at BYU 10:15 PM ESPN2, WatchESPN LaVell Edwards Stadium, Provo, UT
McCaffrey To Star Again?
Star running back Christian McCaffrey has nearly 60 percent of Stanford’s carries and catches and it’s showing on the stats sheets as he enters this game as his team’s leader in both rushing and receiving Yards.
McCaffrey so far has rushed for 436 yards and three scores from three games, while taking 12 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown, and come Friday night, he is expected to be a handful for the home side.
In the last meeting a season ago, the Cardinal came away 31-14 winners, with McCaffrey running 23 times for 109 yards, took five catches for 112 yards and finished with a 300-yard all-purpose game.
The junior is expected to be the spotlight man again on Friday night and Washington coach Chris Petersen knows just how much damage he’s capable of doing if he gets free.
We Have To Watch Out
“He’s great with the ball in his hands, unbelievable vision, extremely explosive, and maybe as patient as anybody I’ve seen,” Petersen admitted.
“Whether he’s returning kicks or handed the ball in the backfield, those characteristics just show up, and it’s a unique combination.”
In the meantime, on the other side, sophomore quarterback Jake Browning has thrown 14 touchdown passes for 904 yards against two interceptions this season for the Huskies and he is expected to be a tough cookie on offense.
Fellow sophomore, running back Myles Gaskin has a team-leading 302 rushing yards this term, while receiver Chico McClatcher has 269 yards receiving from 12 catches with four touchdowns.
Stanford is looking to collect a fourth successive win over Washington and its eighth in the past nine meetings of this series.
