With Pac-12 opener on tap, Chris Petersen knows the season feels different now

As much as Chris Petersen preaches process, as much as he demands the Washington Huskies prepare for each opponent with equal focus, even he knows the season feels a little different now.

Washington is 3-0 and ranked No. 9 in both major polls, and unlike many other Pac-12 teams, the Huskies did nothing during their nonconference schedule to relinquish the shine they gained during a most optimistic offseason.

But that’s mostly because they played inferior competition — Rutgers, Idaho and Portland State — and for that reason, Saturday’s Pac-12 opener at Arizona (7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks) inspires a more rigorous vibe.

“The guys answered the call and played extremely hard, extremely focused,” Petersen said. “Now it’s different. I think the league is just different. When you get into your league … I don’t want to say it means more, but it means more.”

Significantly more for the Huskies, who outscored their three nonconference opponents by a score of 148-30 and have yet to play a competitive second half. Arizona, while not a Pac-12 heavyweight, is at least capable of beating them. The Huskies also have to travel for the first time, and to a place where they have not won since 2006, though they opened on Monday as 10-point favorites.

As junior linebacker Keishawn Bierria said after Saturday’s 41-3 pasting of Portland State, the Huskies are looking for a team that will “hit back.” Arizona can do that, at least.

“When everybody plays in their league, that’s who you need to be gauged on,” Petersen said. “I think everybody plays pretty hard anyway, but everybody plays a little bit harder and all those type of things.”

The Huskies throttled Arizona last season at Husky Stadium, a 49-3 rout on a rainy Halloween night. The Wildcats lost their season opener to BYU, 18-16, in Glendale, and were less than impressive in a 31-21 victory over Grambling State and a 47-28 win last week over Hawaii. The status of starting quarterback Anu Solomon, who hurt his knee and missed Arizona’s past two games, is unknown.

But a Pac-12 road game is a Pac-12 road game, and this one presents the first possibility of meaningful crunch time.

“That,” Petersen said, “we haven’t experienced. We’ll see if we’re ready. That’s easier said than done.

EXTRA POINTS

Petersen said junior receiver Brayden Lenius, who was suspended for UW’s first three games for violating team rules, is eligible to play this week, though Petersen isn’t sure if Lenius will make the trip. … Defensive lineman Jaylen Johnson, who missed each of UW’s first three games due to injury, is practicing and is close to returning. “We just don’t want to put him at risk until he is full speed, ready to go,” Petersen said. “He’s very, very close.” … UW quarterback Jake Browning currently leads the nation in passing efficiency with a rating of 206.88, but Petersen doesn’t seem to care. “Only stat I care about this time of the year is turnovers,” he said.

This story was originally published September 19, 2016 at 10:37 PM with the headline "With Pac-12 opener on tap, Chris Petersen knows the season feels different now."