No. 4 Washington attempts to slow Webb, California

Washington is back on the road this week, but with a much different challenge.

The fourth-ranked Huskies (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) will try to contain one of the nation's most prolific passing offenses on Saturday when they play at California (4-4, 2-3) at 10:30 p.m. ET in Berkeley, Calif.

Washington is coming off its most physical game of the season at then-No. 17 Utah, when the Huskies allowed running back Joe Williams to rush for 172 yards. They came up on top 31-24, however, on the strength of Dante Pettis' late punt return for a touchdown.

Washington, with the top-ranked pass defense in the Pac-12 (171.9 yards per game), will take on Cal quarterback Davis Webb, who has attempted more passes than anyone in the nation (415) and has the most touchdown passes (29) among quarterbacks from a Power 5 conference.

"I think it's good we just went on the road in a tough environment," Huskies coach Chris Petersen said. "So to go right back into another (road) environment, I think that can be a positive. Cal is good at home, like most are. So, if we've got to go on the road, to go back to back I think is OK."

The Bears should be refreshed. This week, they actually will have the benefit of a little extra rest over their opponent.

Cal lost 45-24 at USC last Thursday night in what coach Sonny Dykes called a scheduling "travesty." The Bears were playing on a short week (having played the previous Friday night), while USC was coming off a bye.

Cal is undefeated at home, having beaten Hawaii, Texas, Utah and Oregon.

Washington could potentially be in a "sandwich game" after the hyped matchup against the Utes and a week before a home game against surging USC.

The Huskies hadn't faced much adversity this season, but Petersen liked the way they handled last week's test after falling behind in the third quarter.

"I do like it when we get in these hard situations and you have to find a way," he said. "I think that's going to give us some confidence down the road."

Washington quarterback Jake Browning threw only his third interception of the season last week. His 28 touchdown passes are equal Cody Pickett (2002) for the second-most in a season in school history. Running back Myles Gaskin ran for 151 yards, his fourth consecutive 100-yard game.

"Opportunities and touches and a combination of the O-line doing a little better," Petersen said, explaining Gaskin's recent hot streak. "He can make a guy miss and run through a tackle. I think it always comes back to kind of that rhythm and that flow of being able to stay on the field and keep giving him the ball."

The Huskies have rushed for at least 199 yards in six consecutive contests, and the ground game figures to be a key area against a Cal team that is last in the conference in rush defense, allowing 286.6 yards per game. That is about 52 yards worse than the 11th-place team.

"We've got to tackle better," Dykes said. "It's up to us to teach your guys how to tackle. If we don't play well, then we didn't coach well."

The Huskies are ranked first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (15.8 points per game) and have stars at every level of the unit. The strength might very well be the secondary, led by safety Budda Baker and cornerbacks Sidney Jones and Kevin King.

Washington has allowed only seven touchdown passes through eight games and ranks No. 1 in the Pac-12, allowing only 171.9 passing yards a game.

Webb, a graduate transfer from Texas Tech, has completed 259 of 415 passes for 2,914 yards, with 29 touchdowns and eight interceptions, in Cal's "Bear Raid" attack. He is rated the No. 129 draft prospect by NFLDraftScout.com.

Junior receiver Chad Hansen is the Pac-12's leading pass-catcher, averaging 128.3 yards per game. But he has missed the past two games because of an ankle injury, and his status for the Washington game was uncertain earlier in the week.

For Washington, Petersen said left guard Jake Eldrenkamp and outside linebacker Joe Mathis are "week-to-week." Eldrenkamp missed last week's game, and Mathis the past two, because of undisclosed injuries.

Washington has won 11 consecutive games, the second-longest streak in the FBS.