After posting its second straight 10-win season, Penn State has returned as a program of national prominence. Failing to win the B1G or reach the B1G Playoff is a bit of a disappointment, but back-to-back New Year’s Six bowl appearances is still a pretty remarkable accomplishment. Penn State takes on Washington in the Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 30 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Here are five things to know about the Huskies, who finished tied atop the Pac-12 North with a 7-2 conference record and a 10-2 mark overall.

Most dynamic return man in the game

There’s a reason Dante Pettis is the unanimous selection as an All-American return man. He’s a threat to score a touchdown every single time the ball is kicked near him. On 21 returns, he’s racked up 428 yards and four touchdowns this season. Nobody else in college football has more than two.

Pettis is an absolute nightmare for special teams coaches and can be the difference in close games. It would’ve been wiser for Washington’s opponents to just kick the ball out of bounds rather than to the game’s most electric return man.

Top 10 defense

Washington’s high defensive praise has been considered somewhat disingenuous, playing in the Pac-12. But there’s no doubt, after the entirety of a season, the Huskies have one of the best units in the country.

The Huskies own the nation’s best defense against the run (92.3 yards per game allowed) and rank in the top 10 in total defense (277.4) and scoring defense (14.5 points per game). Only three times did Washington allow more than 20 points this season.

Huskies have never beaten Penn State

OK, so the two teams have only ever played twice and both meetings were a long, long time ago. Still, Penn State is 2-0 in head-to-head matchups against Washington.

The two meetings came in 1921 in Seattle and 1983 in the Aloha Bowl in Hawai’i. So yeah, it’s been a really long time since the two programs have squared off. Those prior meetings really have no impact on this game, but just a fun stat to know.

Doesn’t beat itself

Few teams are as disciplined as Washington. For the year, the Huskies averaged just 4.2 penalties per game, one of the lowest totals in the sport. This team doesn’t shoot itself in the foot.

Washington also turn the football over, another reason it’s so difficult to beat. The Huskies had only 10 turnovers this season, tied for fifth-best in the nation. They were only on the wrong side of the turnover margin three times, as well. Washington doesn’t beat itself, which is a big reason why it got to 10 wins on the year.

Mr. Consistency under center

Jake Browning had an outstanding 2016 campaign, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 43 touchdowns. He hasn’t replicated that same amount of success this season, but the Huskies gunslinger has been about as consistent a quarterback as you’ll find in college football.

Browning had just 2,544 yards and 18 touchdowns this year, but his completion percentage was hovering around 70 percent. He completed at least 50 percent of his passes in every game and was above 70 percent six times. He also threw just five interceptions on the season and didn’t toss a single pick in the final three games for the Huskies.