Austin Seferian-Jenkins is making a strong case for the title of best tight end in Husky history. He now holds the record for most career receiving yards by a tight end, and he's likely to grab the career receptions, single season reception, and single season yardage records before he's done.
The Washington Huskies have a W in the record books, but anyone who saw their Friday night game against Cal knows that putting it there was an ugly process.
After the Huskies jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Cal came back with 13 unanswered points to go up, 13-7. Cal kicked two third-quarter field goals, but Washington answered with a touchdown to take the lead back.
The Huskies offense struggled for most of the game, but tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins sparked Washington in the third quarter. He made two leaping catches on the Huskies' third-quarter scoring drive, including one that was a 29-yard touchdown reception. At the end of the third quarter, Jenkins had six receptions for 143 yards. He also had a 43-yard reception on the touchdown drive.
Running back Bishop Sankey has also been key for Washington, rushing for 131 yards on 21 carries. Sankey did, however, lose a fumble that set up one of Cal's field goals. Washington will look for its fourth straight win against Cal with a strong fourth quarter.
The Washington Huskies were lucky to lead the California Golden Bears after a sloppy first quarter, but they weren't so fortunate in the second quarter. The Huskies' listless play caught up to them as the Bears finally found the end zone to tie the game at 7-7 going into halftime.
Bishop Sankey put UW in front with a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and has continued to be the Huskies' workhorse with 124 yards on 18 carries, but it hasn't been enough. Keith Price is just 10 for 20 for 138 yards and an interception, which came in the red zone. Add in two failed fourth-down conversions and it is easy to see where Sankey's good work has gone to waste.
Cal tied the game late in the half thanks to Chris Harper, who has been their most explosive player tonight, and maybe their only explosive player. His touchdown came on a 14-yard touchdown run, but he also has four catches for 74 yards on the evening.
The Washington Huskies were supposed to walk into Cal Memorial Stadium and lay a beat down on the lowly California Golden Bears. Maybe they thought the same thing because they came out flat and uninspired, but thanks to the Bears being so bad, the Huskies still lead 7-0 after the first quarter.
It is clear that the Huskies' game plan is to pound the ball on the ground and Bishop Sankey has been all too happy to take the ball again and again. He already has 13 carries for 95 yards, including a four-yard touchdown run that put Washington in front.
Cal did move the ball themselves and much-maligned quarterback Zach Maynard has actually looked good against UW, but a fumble killed the Bears' one promising drive. Without the injured Keenan Allen, Cal was supposed to struggle to move the ball at all, but Washington has allowed Chris Harper to get loose anyways. The wideout has three catches for 75 yards, making up almost all of Maynard's 89 yards passing, but they don't have a point to show for it.
If Washington can turn up the intensity, they can run away with this game, but right now Cal is hanging around.
Allen injured his knee during an ill-fated onside kick attempt in Cal's 49-27 loss to Utah last week. In addition to being the Bears leading receiver, Allen is also one of the top receivers in the Pac-12. He racked up 1,343 receiving yards last season and is seventh in the Pac-12 in receiving yards per game this season.
Without Allen, Cal will be forced to rely on a pair of freshman at wide receiver. Freshman Chris Harper is California's second-leading receiver this season with 380 yards. Bryce Treggs, another freshman, is Cal's third-leading receiver although he is questionable to play on Friday due to an ankle injury.
Playing without Allen, Cal may look to run the ball more against Washington. The Bears are averaging 169.0 rushing yards per game this season, which is fifth best in the Pac-12.
