Cal Football: Previewing the Bears' 2020 Opponents - Game 9: Washington Huskies

Cal has beaten the Huskies in close games the past two seasons

Photo by Jennifer Buchanan, USA Today

Game 9: WASHINGTON at CAL, Saturday, Oct. 31

Washington 2019 record: 8-5 overall, 4-5/tied 2nd in Pac-12 North

Series record: Washington leads 52-41-3. Cal has prevailed in the past two seasons, winning 20-19 in Seattle last year and 12-10 at Berkeley in 2018. The Bears have won three of the past five, but Washington won six in a row before that.

Washington coach: Jimmy Lake, 1st year

Top players: Senior defensive back Elijah Molden (1st-team All-Pac-12, team-leading 79 tackles, 4 interceptions, 13 pass breakups), senior defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike (1st-team All-Pac-12, 45 tackles, 6 tackles for loss), junior outside linebacker Joe Tryon (2nd-team All-Pac-12, 41 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks), senior outside linebacker Ryan Bowman (2nd-team All-Pac-12, 34 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks), sophomore linebacker Edefuan Ulufoshia (45 tackles, 6 tackles for loss), sophomore placekicker Tim Horn (2nd-team All-Pac-12, 19 for 21 FGs, 49 for 49 PATs).

New coach Jimmy Lake, left, celebrates with Chris Petersen after Las Vegas Bowl win / Photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie, USA Today

Strengths: The defense, which allowed just 19.4 points per game last season, should again be the team's anchor. The Huskies return four All-Pac-12 selection on defense, including first-team picks Elijah Molden and D-lineman Levi Onwuzurike. With eight starters back on defense, there is no reason to believe the Huskies will suffer a drop-off here. . . . Tim Horn was virtually automatic at placekicker as a freshman. . . . Until the Huskies establish a dependable quarterback, the offense likely will lean on its run game, which features promising sophomore Richard Newton (498 rushing yards, 10 TDs, 10 games) and senior Sean McGrew (342 rushing yards, 6.2 average), who are expected to fill the void of departed senior running back Salvon Ahmed (1,020 yards, 11 TDs).

Weaknesses: The Huskies had just two offensive players named to the All-Pac-12 last year, and O-lineman Nick Harris and tight end Hunter Bryant (both first-team picks) are gone. So are starting quarterback Jacob Eason (3,132 yards, 23 TDs) and top wideout Aaron Fuller (59 receptions, 702 yards 6 TDs). In other words, the offense is getting a total rebuild under new offensive coordinator John Donovan, who spent the past four years with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. . . . The spring duel for the No. 1 quarterback job between sophomore Jacob Sirmon, freshman Ethan Garbers and redshirt freshman Dylan Morris was vaporized by the COVID-19 shutdown. None of the three has ever started a college football game, so this ranks as the team’s biggest question mark. Sirmon, who served as Eason’s backup last season, will enter fall camp as the favorite, but the competition is far from settled.

What you should know about Washington: Washington’s five defeats last season came by a total of 26 points (5.2 average), with only one loss by a greater margin than six points. . . . First-year coach Jimmy Lake spent the previous six seasons at UW, serving as DBs coach, co-defensive coordinator and, for the past two years, as DC. He also is regarded as an excellent recruiter. . . . Freshman QB Ethan Garbers is the younger brother of Cal starter Chase Garbers. Ethan had a spectacular senior high school season, leading Corona del Mar HS of Newport Beach to a 16-0 record and the California Division 1-A state title. He passed for 5,034 yards and 71 TDs and ran for 12 more TDs. . . . Jacob Sirmon is the nephew of Cal co-defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon. . . . The Huskies have posted 10 consecutive winning seasons and have played in a bowl game each of those seasons, including the Rose Bowl after the 2018 campaign. . . . Athlon Sports rates UW’s talent level as third-best in the Pac-12 (behind Oregon & USC), based on 247Sports’ composite recruiting rankings and the team’s performance over the past five years.

Spring practice status: The Huskies were scheduled to begin their first spring session under new coach Jimmy Lake on April 1, but everything had been shut down by the virus pandemic well before then. So UW, seeking to rebuild on offense and settle in with new leadership, got no benefit from spring practice.

2020 Season projection: Washington and Cal are viewed as near equals jockeying for the No. 2 spot in the Pac-12 North behind overwhelming favorite Oregon. The Bears may have an edge in offensive experience, but UW’s defense appears top notch. The schedule isn’t easy. Jimmy Lake’s head-coaching baptism is a Sept. 5 home game against Michigan. If they get past the Wolverines, the Huskies could go 7-0 at home. But UW has a challenging road slate, with matchups vs. Oregon, Utah, USC and Washington State, in addition to Cal. The winner of the Halloween matchup in Berkeley could wind up second in the North.

Cal-Washington game prediction: Cal 24, Washington 20

(Previews on Cal's earlier 2020 Opponents: Game 1 UNLV, Game 2 TCU, Game 3 Cal Poly, Game 4 Utah, Game 5 Washington State, Game 6 USC, Game 7 Oregon and Game 8 Oregon State.)

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