Ohio State football: 5 reasons OSU will crush Washington, win Rose Bowl
By Alec Hartman
3. The Washington Huskies won’t be able to keep up on offense
One thing that is interesting about the Huskies is their ability to be successful without a great offense. They pushed their way to win the PAC-12 with their offense residing outside of the top 50. This was made possible mostly due to their defense but this still doesn’t make much sense considering how the PAC-12 usually operates.
Washington State, the team that led the PAC-12 for most of the season until the end, has a much better offense at 28th in the nation. However, it was the Huskies’ superior top ten defense that prevailed in the final game that matter which sent them to the conference championship.
That game was very unfortunate for Washington State as the weather was about as bad as it could possibly get. There was a tremendous amount of precipitation which made it almost impossible to throw the ball which is what they do best. The Huskies also have a far superior run game led by senior running back Myles Gaskin. Washington State ranks second last in the entire nation in rushing yards per game.
It’s a curious tale of how the Huskies’ offense falls so far behind in productivity. They have a solid running back in Myles Gaskin and a very highly touted quarterback throughout his career in the program in senior Jake Browning. Yet, the Huskies rank 69th in the nation in total offense. The truth to it all has been the struggles of Browning.
Browning has had a very turbulent year as he’s thrown just 16 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. The lack of productivity from their star quarterback has shorted the entire team. The Huskies have still made it work for the most part with their defense and Gaskin at running back but other than that it has been a bust.
The Buckeyes have a much better offense at second in the nation which doesn’t fare well for the Huskies’ chances at keeping up. Browning will have to find his touch in this game for it them to have a chance. As long he doesn’t turn the ball over, the defense will be about to help even things out. Expect the Buckeyes to outplay the Huskies offensively.