No. 7 Washington and QB Penix Hoping to Avoid Letdown Against AZ

No. 7 Washington (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) at Arizona (3-1, 1-0), Saturday, 10 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)

Line: Michigan by 14 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series record: Washington leads 25-11-1.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Washington looks to avoid a letdown in its final Pac-12 meeting against Arizona. The Huskies opened last season 4-0, then lost their first road game to UCLA and took another loss to Arizona State to drop out of the College Football Playoff conversation. The good news: Washington has not lost since and received a first-place vote in this week's AP Top 25 for the first time since 1997. Arizona has continued its progress in three seasons under coach Jedd Fisch, picking up a 21-20 road win over Stanford last week.

KEY MATCHUP

Arizona's secondary vs. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr. Penix has joined USC's Caleb Williams as a Heisman Trophy favorite after a stellar start to the season. Behind Penix, the Huskies lead the nation in total offense (593.3), passing yards (467.3) and sacks allowed with one in four games. Penix has three of UW's top-10 passing games already this season, including 473 two weeks ago against Michigan State. Arizona has vastly improved defensively this season, allowing 16 points per game after giving up 36.5 last season. The Wildcats also are allowing 219.3 yards passing per game.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Washington: DE Bralen Trice. The preseason AP All-American has recorded nine total tackles, one tackle for loss and so far has been unable to get to the quarterback. Last year, Trice had 4½ sacks after four games. But while the stats haven’t shown up, Trice has been creating pressure and throwing off the timing of opposing offense. He should have a number of chances to get that first sack this week against the Wildcats.

Arizona: QB Noah Fifita. With Jayden de Laura's status up in the air, the Wildcats may start Fifita. The sophomore saw his first significant playing time last week after de Laura suffered an ankle injury and handled it well, leading the Wildcats on a game-winning drive against Stanford.

FACTS & FIGURES

Washington has won six straight in the series, including 49-39 in Seattle last season. … Arizona had five sacks against Stanford, its most since five against Colorado in 2018. … The Huskies have scored at least 40 points four times in a season for the first time since 1944. … Arizona's Jacob Cowing has a catch in 48 straight games, the longest streak in the nation. … Washington had two players with at least 100 yards receiving every game after doing it eight times in its history before this season. … The Wildcats beat No. 9 UCLA last season to end a six-game losing streak to top-10 teams. Arizona last won consecutive games against top-10 opponents with three straight from 2012-14.