SEATTLE -- It's be rather cool -- temperatures hovering in the 50s at kickoff -- and possibly even a little wet when Washington takes on Arizona at 7:30 p.m. today at Husky Stadium.
As UW coach Steve Sarkisian put it this week following a practice held in a similar climate: "Finally got football weather around here. Feels good."
That drop in temperature doesn't mean the heat won't be on the Husky defense.
Fresh off allowing 65 points last Saturday at Stanford, the Huskies face an Arizona offense that is third in the Pac-12 overall (471 yards per game) and first in passing offense (373.1).
That latter number looms particularly ominous for the Huskies, considering UW is 11th in the Pac-12 in passing defense at 284.4 yards per game despite the fact Stanford barely even tried to throw last week, instead rushing for 446 yards.
The collapse at Stanford -- the Cardinal tied the most points allowed by UW since 1921 -- raised questions again about the Husky defense after they had quieted some with wins over California, Utah and Colorado.
Much of the chatter was directed at third-year defensive coordinator Nick Holt, whose team is allowing 431 yards per game, on pace for the third-highest total in school history.
Players say they are determined to turn things around.
"After losing a game like that, we want to come out and not make a statement but just look in the mirror after the game and say, 'Yeah. we did our best, we tried our hardest, we played with great effort and execution,' " cornerback Desmond Trufant said. "We just want that."
And Sarkisian thinks his team is ready to give its best effort Saturday after worrying early in the week about the collective psyche of his players following a Stanford defeat that showed UW still has a ways to go to return to an elite level.
"I think it took a little time," Sarkisian said about getting over the loss to Stanford. "But that's OK. It shows me that they care.
"We've unfortunately been faced with some of these challenges before and responded really well. I wouldn't expect anything less from us."
The schematic challenge on defense will be defending the passing of Arizona quarterback Nick Foles, whose completion percentage of 70.9 leads the Pac-12, as do his 363 yards per game. Arizona throws a lot of quick, short passes to a bevy of receivers led by senior Juron Criner, who has overcome early-season injuries and is averaging six catches per game, fourth in the Pac-12.
Arizona ran for a season-high 254 yards in a 48-12 win last Thursday over UCLA, its first under interim coach Tim Kish following the firing of Mike Stoops.
Offensively, the Huskies will look to bounce back from being held to a season-low 21 points by Stanford. Washington moved the ball well early but staggered in the second half as the Cardinal took a big lead.
Statistically, Arizona is one of the worst defenses in the nation and will be at less than full strength in the secondary after the suspensions of four players because of a fight in the UCLA game.
Starting cornerback Shaquille Richardson and nickelback Jourdan Grandon will each miss the entire game. The assumption is UW will come out throwing, though Sarkisian played it coy this week saying the Huskies could "try too hard" to exploit Arizona's secondary and risk getting away from its game plan.
"We are going to fight and strive for balance," he said. "But when there's opportunities to throw the ball, we are definitely going to do it."
Little worked for UW against Arizona last season, a 44-14 loss in Tucson that ranked as one of the worst performances of the Husky season.
Washington can also recall beating the Wildcats in Seattle in 2009, a miracle 36-33 win that came when Mason Foster plucked a tipped pass off the foot of an Arizona receiver and turned it for a game-winning touchdown with 2:37 left. Trufant made an interception on Arizona's next drive to sew up the win.
Easy to overlook is that a win Saturday would be UW's sixth of the year and make the Huskies bowl eligible, an achievement Sarkisian said shouldn't be underestimated.
"That's why this game is vitally important," Sarkisian said. "To get to the sixth win and to cherish the opportunity to get to a bowl game is something that is big to us."
Bob Condotta: 206-515-5699 or bcondottaseattletimes.com
