The Huskies are bowl eligible. But don’t count UW out of playoff chase either.

DerekJohnson · 11:21AM

By Matt CalkinsSeattle Times columnist

It felt like self-delusion when Landen Hatchett talked with the media last week, but maybe it was self-awareness.

After Washington’s 24-7 loss to Michigan in Ann Arbor, the Huskies offensive lineman was emphatic that his team wasn’t “out of anything yet.”

Seemed more like the right thing to say than the honest thing given UW’s pair of three-score losses this season. However, after the Dawgs’ 42-25 win over No. 23 Illinois Saturday, it seems Hatchett was onto something: Washington’s playoff hopes have a pulse.

Perhaps that’s thinking too far ahead considering that we’re just two-thirds of the way through the season with the Huskies sitting 6-2 overall and 3-2 in the Big Ten. Except … UW just throttled a top-25 team and played tight with two of the conference’s titans — Ohio State and Michigan — through the first three quarters of each matchup (the top-ranked Buckeyes beat Washington 24-6).

Throw in the fact that left tackle Carver Willis and left guard John Mills are healthy — allowing the offense to operate to its full potential — and you have a squad that could very well be 9-2 heading into the season finale vs. Oregon. Forget the idea of Washington being bowl eligible, something that didn’t happen until its 11th game last season. What if its postseason had real meaning this time around?

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That’s the picture if we zoom out, but let’s first zoom in on Saturday’s win over the Illini. It was the Huskies’ most dominant offensive performance in conference play this year and maybe their best of the season.

Demond Williams Jr. makes the pass completion on a scoring drive to end the second quarter. Defending is Illinois’ Eli Coenen. (Dean Rutz / The Seattle Times)

They scored TDs on six of their seven drives — five of which were at least 67 yards and one of which was 90. They got 280 passing yards and four touchdown throws from Demond Williams Jr., who completed 26 of his 33 attempts. They got a career-high 153 receiving yards on 10 catches from Denzel Boston, who also threw a TD pass to running back Jonah Coleman. And Coleman, whose production had dipped dramatically over the three previous games, bounced back with 75 rushing yards on 14 carries, which included a 29-yard scamper.

Maybe the No. 23 ranking assigned to the Illini (5-3, 2-3) was fraudulent seeing how they lost to Indiana by 53 points. But this wasn’t supposed to be a blowout. And it could have been worse.

In the first half, an interception by Washington cornerback Tacario Davis was waved off due to a suspect pass-interference call — leading to an Illinois touchdown and boos from the Husky Stadium crowd for the next several minutes. A Makell Esteen interception in the second half was nixed due to a roughing-the-passer call, which was amplified by a 15-yard sideline interference penalty … which led to Illinois’ final TD.

There may have been a slight question as to who the better team was when Washington fell to the Wolverines two Saturdays ago. There was no question who was superior this Saturday.

“Our team came out ready to go today. I really like the way they answered the bell. They responded well to where we were last week,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said. “We had six red-zone opportunities and six touchdowns. That was a good day.”

Linemen don’t typically get much glory, but Fisch underscored the importance of Willis and Mills’ return. They hadn’t played together since the loss to Ohio State on Sept. 27. If that’s the offense fans should come to expect, why couldn’t the Huskies win their next three games?

They’ll likely be favored in Madison vs. Wisconsin, which entered Saturday with a 2-5 record. They’ll likely be favored at home vs. Purdue, which has lost its last six. They’ll likely be favored at the Rose Bowl vs. UCLA (3-5, 3-2), which just fell to Indiana 56-6.

Does that mean they’ll win all three? Of course not. Especially when you consider how much UW has struggled on the road over the past couple years.

But is there a decent chance that a playoff spot will be on the line when the Huskies host the Ducks on Nov. 29? Yeah. There really is.

After Saturday’s win, a Husky Stadium security guard said “I love you guys” to fans in the Washington student section when they made it clear they weren’t going to rush the field.

“We’re saving that for Oregon,” one said back to him.

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Perhaps that one really is self-delusion. The sixth-ranked Ducks are legitimate national-title contenders. Who knows, though?

In the meantime, the Huskies are going to enjoy their bye week and then turn their attention to Wisconsin. Gotta win the next one before you can win the big one.

But fans can think a little beyond the Badgers. This team isn’t out of anything — it’s right in the thick of it.

Matt Calkins: mcalkins@seattletimes .com. Matt Calkins has been a sports columnist with the Seattle Times since 2015, where he has covered national title games, got a Seahawk to design his apartment and once extracted a two-word quote from Marshawn Lynch.