The Washington Huskies defense makes them college football wagering favorites against the Stanford Cardinal. It’s no hyperbole to say that U-Dub’s defense is better than that of Alabama, Georgia, or Wisconsin. The Huskies, as a matter of fact, lead the nation in yards allowed per game at 240.09, and allowing just 11.1 points per game. The greatest challenges for this defense, though, are still ahead, starting with the Stanford Cardinal.
- Date: Friday, 10th November
- Time: 10:35 PM
- Venue: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, CA
- Sportsbook online odds for fans gambling on college football:
Washington U -6 (-110) 45 (-110) -235
Stanford +6 (-110) 45 (-110) +195
Bryant can go for Myles
According to Washington co-defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake, the success of UW’s defense is based on the nickelback, as perfected by former Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback and safety Ronde Barber. “Ronde was so tough, so smart, so fast and so quick that he could play man on the slot, he could blitz like a linebacker, he could play the run like a linebacker, he could drop into zone coverage like a linebacker/safety, but then if you needed to play man, he’d lock down the slot like all of the other supposed nickels would do” Lake said. “So with him, you could play nickel defense on first, second or third down, and it became what it is today.” And today, the nickelback role in the Huskies is played by Myles Bryant, who leads the team with six passes broken up, sits second on the team with 40 tackles, including four tackles for loss, and had a pick-six in the Pac-12 opener against Colorado. And that’s just the top of the iceberg. Suffice it to say that the college football wagering total has gone under in five of U-Dub’s last six games and it’s mostly, if not completely, due to this defense.
Get in. Do your job. Get out.#PurpleReign
>> https://t.co/gBoOBBi46U pic.twitter.com/rFfLCvj9tj
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 9, 2017
Costello sans Abbot
Stanford head coach David Shaw announced KJ Costello as the starting QB for the game against the Huskies in lieu of Keller Chryst. Huh. Who would’ve thought Costello would come after Chryst? Costello’s performance in the Cardinals SU and ATS 21-24 loss to Washington State (9-of-20 for 105 yards with no TDs and a late pick) is a D- at best, but Coach Shaw decided to give him a B+ for effort. “It’s hard to get thrown in a game like that, in the weather, against a team like that,” Shaw said. “That’s tough duty, and tough duty again this week.” Costello ran for a 14-yard score halfway through the third, but Stanford gained just 198 yards of total offense. It was like they were preparing for Washington by putting on as few yards as possible; you know, just to get an idea of what awaits them this Friday. The Cardinal is 5-2 ATS in their last five Friday games and 1-3-1 ATS in their last five Pac 12 games, while the Huskies are 5-0 ATS when playing a team with a winning record and 5-1 against the college football wagering spread in their last six overall.