Washington proves itself Cal-proof in 59-32 blowout

The Huskies led 45-12 at halftime and 14-0 before their offense ran a play.

SEATTLE — If the Washington Huskies had not yet submitted ample evidence to convince you this really is a different kind of season, then perhaps their Saturday performance beneath the LED lights at Husky Stadium might force the movement toward critical mass.

California was in town. Jalen McMillan didn’t play. It was a late kickoff, and it rained, and the Huskies were three-touchdown favorites over the visiting Golden Bears, which is to say that external conditions appeared ripe for some befuddling performance — not necessarily a loss, mind you, but at least something frustratingly bizarre — against UW’s most maddening Pac-12 foe.

Instead, the only thing mildly strange was the method by which the Huskies began destroying another inferior opponent.

Sometimes, the Dumb Cal Stuff only happens to Cal.

Vanquishing the Bears sans requisite lunacy — and doing so by a final score of 59-32 — will not rate among coach Kalen DeBoer’s finest career accomplishments, yet it is nevertheless a critical box to check, like winning on natural grass or making it through an entire season without an inexplicable defeat. 

Whether UW accomplishes the latter remains TBD, but it certainly wasn’t going to happen Saturday night.