Washington Huskies: Game 8 at California
For Game 8, the Washington Huskies head to Berkeley, CA, for a matchup with Cal. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
PNWS presents what you need to know to enjoy Game 8 of the Washington Huskies 2022 football season as they go on the road to face California. Whether you are making the trip to California Memorial Stadium or watching on TV, we have Washington fans covered.
Details
Who: Washington Huskies (5-2 overall, 2-2 Pac-12) at California Golden Bears (3-3, 1-2).
Where: FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium – Berkeley, California.
When: October 22, 2022 – 7:30 p.m. PDT.
TV: ESPN. Announcers: Dave Flemming, Rod Gilmore, and Tiffany Blackmon (awfulannouncing.com).
Weather: At kickoff, expect clear skies with temperatures in the low 60s. Winds will be from the NW between 15-20 mph, with close to a 0% chance of rain (weather.com).
Line: Washington -7.5. Over/Under: 54.5 (Odds Shark).
Injuries
Washington Huskies
Out – S Vincent Nunley (leg), DL Armon Parker (undisclosed). Linebacker Eddie Ulofoshio is getting close to a return from his knee injury but isn’t ready yet. Doubtful – DB Mishael Powell (undisclosed), DB Julius Ervin (shoulder). Questionable – DB Elijah Jackson (leg), DB Dominique Hampton (undisclosed), DB Tristan Dunn (undisclosed), RB Richard Newton (undisclosed).
California Golden Bears
Out – DL Brett Johnson (lower body). Probable – QB Jack Plummer (undisclosed).
Interesting Trends
The Washington Huskies are 5-2 straight up this season. Those two losses came on the road. Away from Husky Stadium, UW has lost 3 straight and 4 of 11, going back to 2019.
Beware of betting the spread. Washington has covered just 7 times in their last 20 games, including 1-7 ATS on the road.
California is on a 6 game winning streak in Berkeley. The under looks good; UC’s total has gone under in
- 4 of 5 Pac-12 games.
- 4 of 5 against Washington in Berkeley.
- 10 of 12 against Washington overall.
Outlook
After an embarrassing loss last week to Colorado in Boulder, head coach Justin Wilcox will have his Golden Bears fired up. Emotion won’t be a problem for them, but talent level might.
Washington Huskies Offense vs. UC Defense
It’s as simple as this: Washington has the most prolific passing attack in the Power 5, and Cal gives up the second-most passing yards in the conference.
Huskies quarterback Michael Penix should have a great day. Then again, this is a road game. We said the same thing before UW lost at Arizona State.
Taking travel out of the picture for a moment, Washington has more good receivers than Cal can cover. Even if the Bears keep players like Ja’Lynn Polk, Rome Odunze, and Jalen McMillan in check, Penix has proven to be adept at checking down to his tight ends and running backs for big plays.
UC Offense Washington Huskies Defense
Freshman running back Jaydn Ott is second in the conference, averaging 96.5 rushing yards per game. There is no Plan B; everyone else averages 32 YPG combined.
That’s why Cal’s run game ranks10th in the Pac-10. Their passing offense isn’t much better, ranking 9th.
Look for Cal to try and establish Ott early. That won’t be easy because every UW defender will be expecting it. But the more time they can eat up with Ott, the fewer opportunities Washington’s offense gets to score.
Because the Washington Huskies’ secondary is so banged up, Bears quarterback Jack Plummer will have some chances to find his top two receivers, Jeremiah Hunter and J. Michael Sturdivant.
That is if Plummer has any time to throw. California gives up 3 sacks per game, which is 111th in FBS. Meanwhile, Washington’s pass rush hasn’t been consistent, but when they smell blood in the water, the Huskies are relentless, as shown by their 20 sacks in 2022.
Take Washington to win the game outright, but stay away from the spread.
Catch up with PNWS on Sunday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.
