What to know before Stanford’s game at No. 18 Washington

STANFORD AT WASHINGTON

Records: Stanford (1-1, 0-1 Pac-12); Washington (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12).

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m., Husky Stadium, Seattle.

Television: FS1

Radio: KNBR 1050 AM

Series history: The series is tied, 44-44-4.

Storylines: No. 18 Washington hasn’t experienced any growing pains under new coach Kalen DeBoer and Indiana transfer QB Michael Penix Jr. After beating then-No. 11 Michigan State 39-28 last Saturday, the Huskies are looking to start 4-0 for the first time since 2017. Every game has been at Husky Stadium.  … Following an early open week, Stanford hits the road for the first time during a stretch of three straight games against Top-20 teams. The Cardinal lost to No. 7 USC 41-28 and travels to No. 15 Oregon next Saturday. Stanford has beaten a Top 20 opponent on the road in eight of coach David Shaw’s 11 seasons. Stanford will need to overcome the absence of injured RB E.J. Smith, the second-leading rusher in the Pac-12.

Matchup to watch:  Penix vs. Stanford secondary. The Cardinal couldn’t contain USC QB Caleb Williams. Next up is Penix, who is one of two FBS QBs (along with Ohio State’s CJ Stroud) with multiple games of 330 pass yards, four TDs and no INTs. Stanford hopes to generate pressure that will force turnovers, but Penix wasn’t sacked last week by a Michigan State pass rush that led the country in sacks before arriving in Seattle.

Stats that matter: The Cardinal has defeated Washington three games in a row when the Huskies are ranked. Under Shaw, Stanford is 5-1 when facing a ranked UW squad. … The Cardinal is 56-7 under Shaw when winning the turnover battle. But it is the worst team in the FBS in average turnover margin this year, with eight giveaways and one takeaway.  … Stanford rushed for 221 yards against USC, its best game on the ground since rushing for 244 yards in 2018 vs. Oregon State. … The Huskies have scored on 14 of 16 first-half possessions, with 12 of the drives resulting in touchdowns. … DeBoer is looking to join Chris Peterson (2014) as the only UW coaches in the last 100 years to start their Husky career 4-0.

— HAROLD GUTMANN