Portland State @ Washington preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 15, 2012 ) Portland State 13, Washington 52

Ninth-ranked Washington has registered two blowout wins against soft competition and the opponent is even more lackluster this Saturday when the Huskies host FCS foe Portland State. Washington pounded Rutgers (48-13) and Idaho (59-14) in its first two games and now encounters a squad that was drubbed 66-35 by San Jose State last weekend.

Huskies coach Chris Petersen dismisses the chatter about an ultrasoft slate but says he can't find anything to be disappointed about entering the third game of the season. "Not really. We're on track. Nothing is going to be perfect and we're always trying to fix things," Petersen said at a press conference. "But I think after Game 2 – I think if you're trying to forecast, if we're trying to look ahead and we're thinking 'What's this team going to look like?' I think we would hope it would look something like where we are right now." Washington has scored 40 or more points in five straight games dating back to last season, the longest such streak in school history. Huskies sophomore quarterback Jake Browning is coming off a five-touchdown performance against Idaho, tying the school record shared by Chris Rowland (1973), Jake Locker (2010) and Keith Price (2012).

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: None.

ABOUT PORTLAND STATE (1-1): Senior running back Paris Penn (164 yards) is coming off the best game of his career as he rushed for a career-best 137 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries and added a 22-yard scoring reception in the loss to San Jose State. Senior quarterback Alex Kuresa has passed for 357 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions and is also a threat on the ground with 152 yards. Senior linebacker Anthony McNichols has a team-best 18 tackles for a porous defense that is allowing 46 points and 543.5 yards per game without forcing a single turnover.

ABOUT WASHINGTON (2-0): Browning is off to a strong start by completing 74.5 percent of his passes for 581 yards and eight touchdowns against one interception. Sophomore tailback Myles Gaskin (124 yards, one touchdown) has yet to get going, while junior wideout John Ross has been superb in terms of catching the ball (12 catches for 157 yards and one touchdown) and returning it (a 92-yard kickoff return in the opener against Rutgers). Junior linebacker Azeem Victor has recorded a team-leading 17 tackles while sophomore defensive end Vita Vea is displaying promise with a team-best 2 1/2 sacks.

EXTRA POINTS

1. The Huskies won the lone previous meeting (52-13 in 2012) and are 21-1-1 all-time against Big Sky programs.

2. The Vikings are 1-14 against Pac-12 programs -- the victory coming last season (24-17 over Washington State).

3. Ross holds the Washington record of four career kickoff-return touchdowns, while junior WR Dante Pettis holds a share of the school mark with four punt-return scores.

PREDICTION: Washington 58, Portland State 6