Lauren Kirschman

The News Tribune

Last week, Washington head coach Chris Petersen talked repeatedly about the challenge of facing Arizona State’s defense. It was like nothing the Huskies had seen, he said, and they wouldn’t see anything like it again this season.

On Monday, he used similar phrases to describe BYU’s offense, with its sweeps and motions and fly-sweep action. The Cougars’ offense, like Arizona State’s defense, is unique. That’s where most of the similarities between the two teams end.

And that, Petersen said, is also what makes college football special.

“You’re always getting something different in terms of everybody’s got their signature way of doing things,” he said Monday, “which is different than the NFL, certainly.”

So when it comes to preparing to face BYU, there isn’t much UW can pull from Saturday’s 27-20 victory over the Sun Devils. While they both like to run the ball, Arizona State surprised the Huskies with how much it stuck to the ground.

The Sun Devils completed just 17 passes for 104 yards in the loss to UW on Saturday, but had 40 carries for 164 yards. After the game, defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said the Huskies didn’t want to allow that many rushing yards, but he also expected Arizona State to spend more time establishing the passing game.

As for BYU, half of its offense is running the fly sweep. The other half is running the ball. Petersen compared it to option football in that the Huskies will have to be assignment sound instead of chasing the ball.

“You’re going to see a quarterback take a snap from under center and drop back and throw a pass,” Petersen said. “How often do you see that? With no play-action. He takes a straight drop and throws it.”

Defensively, BYU is the opposite of what the Huskies faced against Arizona State. The Sun Devils take chances. While that can cause confusion for the offense, it also creates opportunities. When the Huskies were able to pick up the blitz, it led to more one-on-one situations.

That won’t happen against BYU.

“I think it has a lot to do with their offense and what (their defense) sees all the time (in practice),” he said. “You’ve got to have great eyes and you’re not going to take chances on the blitz. They play it tight. They play it in front of you.”

Petersen described the Cougars’ defense as “super sound.” They are allowing 25 points per game and held Wisconsin to 21 points in their road victory against the Badgers. In its 28-23 season-opening win over Arizona, BYU gave up the most points it has all season.

“Completely different than what we just saw,” Petersen said. “I mean, 180 degrees different.”