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Arizona completes a three-game road swing in Seattle against the Washington Huskies.

Arizona completes a three-game road swing after a needed week off to mend early-season injuries. The Wildcats face the Washington Huskies on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7:15 p.m. at Husky Stadium in Seattle.

The Cats and their quest for upper-division stability in the Pac-10 will take on a resurgent Huskies club on its home turf. The game also features a young Arizona quarterback in sophomore Nick Foles against the league's senior-statesman signal caller, Jake Locker, the league's top total offense generator.

Arizona works to open league play at 2-0 for the second consecutive year and head coach Mike Stoops puts Mike Stoops' 2-0 mark in Husky Stadium on the line.

The Wildcats pit a quality rushing attack (No. 11 nationally per game) against a club that's struggled some in giving up five yards per rush. A match of UW's rated passing attack against an Arizona pass defense that's snagged six interceptions.

The UA and Washington has been a compelling series dating to Ortege Jenkins' flamboyant flip for the winning touchdown in Seattle in 1998. UW holds a 6-5 edge since that night, with the combined score 314-308 in Arizona's favor and eight games decided by 10 points or less.

Locker's savvy makes UW one of the league's top third-down clubs, while UA's defense has struggled some in that regard.

In its last match-up, the Wildcats turned in a team effort in Corvallis, dispatching the Oregon State Beavers, 37-32, behind an arsenal that primarily showcased the team's depth.

Notable was first-time quarterback starter Nick Foles, who completed 25 of 34 passes for 254 yards and three scores. He was not intercepted and also ran one in for six points.

No. 3 running back Greg Nwoko rushed nine times for 44 tough yards and a score, and had a team-high 76 receiving yards on four catches.

The two teams combined for 53 first downs, just six shy of the school single-game record (58 vs New Mexico in 1968), although key defensive plays played a major role. Among those were interceptions by corners Trevin Wade and Devin Ross, the latter's a drive stopper with under two minutes remaining and UA up 35-32.

Foles' leadership in a debut start was exceptional, posting a 165.40 pass efficiency rating, hitting nine different receivers. He helped spearhead a perfect 5-for-5 Red Zone touchdown performance, in part with nifty fade touchdowns to Delashaun Dean, Juron Criner and Terrell Turner.

Under Mike Stoops, the Wildcats have enjoyed a run of success in trips to the Pacific Northwest. Against the Washington and Oregon schools, Stoops' UA teams are 7-3 on the road in the Northwest, winning seven of the last nine and three of the last four games. Undoubtedly, offensive success has been key on the road, with the Wildcats scoring at least 37 points in its last four games in the Pacific Northwest. Included was a 48-41 come-from-behind win at Washington in 2007, a 59-28 rout of Washington State in 2008, and a second-half comeback against Oregon State two weeks ago.

Through four games, Arizona ranks in the Top 20 nationally in both rushing offense and rushing defense. The Cats are rushing for 223 yards per game, while limiting opposing teams to just 94.5 markers per game.

That puts UA in some pretty elite company in the early part of this season as only six other teams can claim a spot in the offensive and defensive Top 20 charts. The others are Alabama, Florida, TCU, Kansas, West Virginia and USC.

Combined record of the teams, including Arizona? A dominating 27-3.

Up Next
The Wildcats finally return home to host Stanford on Saturday, Oct. 17. The game has been selected for a live TV broadcast by Versus at 4:30 p.m. It will be Family Weekend on the UA campus.