PLAYERS TO WATCH
–RB Myles Gaskin delivered his first breakout performance of the 2018 season at Utah, gaining 143 yards on 30 carries, and scoring a touchdown on a 38-yard rush. His 4.8-yard per carry average against the stout Utah defense marked an individual season-high.
Gaskin paces the Washington rushing attack against an Arizona State defense that led the nation against the run through two games. However, San Diego State’s Juwan Washington and Chase Jasmin both eclipsed 100 yards against the Sun Devils. Gaskin will set the pace from a similar two-man approach with Salvon Ahmed, an explosive change-of-pace sidelined for much of Week 3.
–QB Jake Browning threw an interception for a third consecutive game at Utah. His up-and-down play thus far in 2018 has contributed to Washington’s low red-zone conversion rate (73.3 percent, No. 113 in the nation).
–CB Byron Murphy has been excellent in coverage for the Huskies, producing a team-best seven pass break-ups through three games. One of the best receivers Murphy and the Washington secondary will face in 2018 is Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry, whose nine catches against the Huskies a season ago tied his second-highest output of the campaign.
–DT Greg Gaines is an imposing presence on the interior, forcing offensive lines to adjust their blocking to containing him. His role up front gives Washington its best opportunity to emulate the run defense San Diego State employed in Week 3 to set the tone against Arizona State’s rushing offense. The Sun Devils were held to just 1.5 yards per carry, the result of plugged lanes up front.
SERIES HISTORY: Washington trails the all-time series with Arizona State, 15-20. Last season’s loss in Tempe dropped the Huskies to 1-5 against the Sun Devils since 2010, with the lone win coming in a 44-18 rout at Husky Stadium in 2016.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “We have a really good defense, and a really good defense creates turnovers. We don’t count on the offense just giving us the ball. Those almost don’t count for us. I thought we saw our guys create some turnovers tonight by a lot of physical play.” — Washington coach Chris Petersen, whose team generated three turnovers at Utah, a season high.