Another week, another quasi-playoff game for the Washington Huskies. Both the Huskies and Cal Bears take the field Saturday afternoon with bowl eligibility on the line. For the Bears, a win means bowl eligibility. For the Huskies, win and the dream continues for one more week. The Huskies must win both Saturday against Cal and Dec. 4 against Washington State to make a bowl in Jake Locker's final year. It's an elimination game in Berkley.
What do the Huskies face at Cal? A team that's about as up and down as one could be. On the road, the Bears have looked inept at times, getting run off the field by USC, letting Washington State hang around and being whipped by Oregon State. At home it's been another story. This is the same Bears team that held the Oregon offense in check at home, coming within a single point of pulling the upset.
The Huskies are led by senior quarterback Jake Locker. After struggling with a broken rib this season -- and missing Washington's game against the Oregon Ducks -- Locker is back and healthy again. Last week, in a 24-7 win over UCLA to keep his bowl hopes alive, Locker managed the game, only throwing for 68 yards and an interception against the Bruins.
The run game has been a revelation for the Huskies. The two-headed running back tandem of Chris Polk and Jesse Callier carried the Dawgs in last week's win over UCLA. Polk, the feature back, ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. Callier, a change of pace back, rushed for 107 yards on 10 carries, the first 100 yard game of his carrier.
The Huskies and Bears square off in a battle for bowl eligibility, Saturday at 12:30 p.m. on FSN.