Washington routs Stanford
No. 10 Huskies strike early and often in a 44-6 win over No. 7 Cardinal.
Jake Browning threw for 210 yards and three touchdowns, Myles Gaskin added 100 yards and two scores, and No. 10 Washington was dominant on both sides, overwhelming No. 7 Stanford, 44-6, on Friday night at Seattle.
After months of hype that Washington (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) was on the verge of a breakout, the Huskies showed they were ready for their return to the national stage.
And they did it emphatically, handing Stanford (3-1, 2-1) its worst loss since a 41-3 setback against Arizona State in 2007.
The Huskies raced to a 23-0 halftime lead, scored early in the second half to go up 30-0 and coasted to their biggest victory over an AP Top 10 team since beating No. 5 USC 31-0 in 1990. That game 26 years ago announced Washington as a national contender and the Huskies went on to share the national title a year later with Miami — taking the coaches’ version while Miami topped the AP media poll.
Browning was the leader of an efficient offense that scored on six of its eight drives.
Meanwhile, Stanford star Christian McCaffrey saw his Heisman Trophy aspirations hit a major speed bump. McCaffrey was held to 49 yards rushing in 12 carries, five catches for 30 yards and continued his streak of never scoring an offensive touchdown in a road game.
Storm brewing?
Two prominent Oklahoma boosters who support Sooners Coach Bob Stoops say the team’s early struggles have made some other boosters restless.
Jim Ross, a boxing announcer for CBS Sports best known for his work in pro wrestling, and Wallis Marsh, founder and CEO of the Extex Cos. in Houston, say they have gotten many calls about this the l4ast few weeks.
Losses to Houston and Ohio State already have knocked the Sooners out of the national title picture. Oklahoma plays No. 21 Texas Christian on Saturday and No. 22 Texas the following week — both possible defeats.
“If we lose a couple more games, this unorganized tropical depression could become a named storm,” Marsh said of a coaching change.
Bear facts
The leading passer in major college football has a pretty strong connection with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL draft.
California’s Davis Webb regularly exchanges text messages with Jared Goff, the former Golden Bears quarterback now with the Rams, with the topics covering a wide range. The two have known each other since they were seniors in high school and remain close, even though one is still in college and the other is in the pros.
“I try to give Jared a little space because he’s a little busy doing the NFL thing,” said Webb, who leads the nation in passing yardage (1,387), touchdowns (18) and completions (138). “It’s always fun to talk to the No. 1 overall draft pick and a former Cal great. We probably text once or twice a week to see how each other are doing, how the game plans are going. He’s a great friend to have.”