Washington vs. Colorado Odds
| Washington Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-7 -105 | 43 -110o / -110u | -260 |
| Colorado Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+7 -115 | 43 -110o / -110u | +210 |
It has been a disappointing year on and off the field for the Washington Huskies. The program that entered the season 20th in the AP Poll is now 4-6 and sliding drastically.
Head coach Jimmy Lake was fired after a one-game suspension for an altercation with a redshirt freshman linebacker on the sidelines. It seems Lake was fired both for his conduct, along with the lack of success the program has seen during his tenure.
The Huskies attempt to salvage their season by winning their final two games to become bowl eligible. That journey starts on Saturday against the 3-7 Colorado Buffaloes.
Colorado finished the 2020 season 4-2 and 3-1 in conference play but has taken a massive step back this season. Even though the Buffaloes have averaged less than 20 points per game this season, the offense has shown improvements over the last three weeks.
How Washington will respond to Lake being fired remains to be seen, but laying a touchdown on the road to a conference opponent may be a bit aggressive.
Washington Huskies
Last week, Washington jumped out to a 14-0 lead on Arizona State with Lake suspended. But the same problems that plagued Washington all season reared up again, resulting in a 35-30 Sun Devils victory.
Arizona State outgained Washington by 110 yards of total offense and nearly 200 yards on the ground.
Dylan Morris has started under center all season for the Huskies and has averaged 6.6 yards per pass attempt and just over 200 yards per game. He’s thrown 12 touchdowns to go along with 10 interceptions.
Many are calling for true freshman quarterback Sam Huard to start for the remainder of the season. Huard was one of the top pro-style quarterback recruits in the nation, and Washington has bottled him up all season.
The offense has averaged 3.7 yards per rush (93rd) and 6.9 yards per pass attempt (92nd) this season. The group has also averaged 22 points per game and ranks 79th in Rushing Success Rate and 93rd in Passing Success Rate.
Defensively, the Huskies have shown no ability to stop the run all season. Washington ranks 121st in Defensive Rushing Success Rate and 122nd in Line Yards. The Huskies allow five yards per carry this season and over 200 yards rushing in five of their last six games.
Washington owns the sixth-best Passing Success Rate in the nation, but that’s because teams don’t feel the need to pass against it when they know they can run right through it. The Huskies have faced the ninth-fewest pass attempts in the nation and that trend should continue in this matchup.
Colorado Buffaloes
Though Colorado is 3-7 on the season, it has been playing better football recently.
The Buffaloes defeated Oregon State 37-34 in double overtime two weeks ago and led UCLA 20-7 at halftime last week. Then, the wheels fell off against the Bruins as Colorado was outscored 34-0 in the second half. The Buffaloes jumped out to a 10-0 lead in both of those matchups.
The Colorado offense is dependent on the legs of running back Jarek Broussard, who has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark in back-to-back games. He’s been the workhorse running back this season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry.
BRU ON THE LOOSE 💨@jarekbroussard1
📺 Pac-12 Network
📱 https://t.co/xImvojFOnopic.twitter.com/3hWNrU57bx— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) November 14, 2021
True freshman quarterback Brendon Lewis has continued to improve throughout the season. Lewis averaged 95 passing yards and threw just two touchdown passes in his first five games. He's improved those numbers to 175 passing yards and eight touchdowns over his last five matchups.
The Buffaloes run the ball 63% of the time, which ranks 12th in the nation. That has been the proven weakness of Washington, as it hasn’t found a way to stop anyone on the ground all season.
Defensively, the Buffaloes haven’t been great at stopping the run, allowing 5.1 yards per carry. Opponents have rushed for over 200 yards four games in a row, totaling 12 touchdowns in those matchups.
Washington vs. Colorado Matchup Analysis
Toggle the dropdowns below to hide or show how Washington and Colorado match up statistically:
Washington Offense vs. Colorado Defense
 | Offense | Defense |  Edge |
| Rush Success | 79 | 117 | |
| Line Yards | 63 | 104 | |
| Pass Success | 93 | 71 | |
| Pass Blocking** | 8 | 110 | |
| Big Play | 99 | 113 | |
| Havoc | 58 | 116 | |
| Finishing Drives | 33 | 103 | |
| ** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
Colorado Offense vs. Washington Defense
| Offense | Defense | Edge |
| Rush Success | 92 | 121 | |
| Line Yards | 97 | 122 | |
| Pass Success | 107 | 6 | |
| Pass Blocking** | 110 | 64 | |
| Big Play | 111 | 26 | |
| Havoc | 103 | 105 |  |
| Finishing Drives | 46 | 55 | |
| ** Pass Blocking (Off.) vs. Pass Rush (Def.) | |||
Pace of Play / Other
| | |
| PFF Tackling | 79 | 105 |
| Coverage | 2 | 101 |
| Middle 8 | 71 | 74 |
| SP+ Special Teams | 56 | 44 |
| Plays per Minute | 78 | 95 |
| Rush Rate | 50.5% (94) | 63.2% (12) |
Data via College Football Data, FootballOutsiders, SP+, PFF and SportSource Analytics.
Washington vs. Colorado Betting Pick
Colorado is one-dimensional and has found most of its offensive success this season on the ground. Luckily for the Buffs, that's all they will need to stay competitive in this matchup due to Washington's putrid rush defense.
Washington has lost four games outright this season (Michigan, Oregon State, Oregon and Arizona State) when its opponent didn't eclipse 100 yards passing.
The Huskies have lost back-to-back games against a rival in Oregon and on the road to Arizona State. They're just 3-7 against the spread on the year and will have an unmotivated coaching staff that knows its days are numbered.
This will be a low-scoring battle in which points will be rare. I'm taking the touchdown and backing the home dog in a game that should be decided by one score.
