It was Washington that hit Stanford first, not the other way around. That's unusual these days, given that the Cardinal are one of college football's top and most physical programs. Coach David Shaw has won 57 games since succeeding Jim Harbaugh six years ago. Getting knocked around is not a thing that happens to Stanford.

But then something else happened. The Huskies kept hitting. And hitting. That's how you beat a bully, because for so long, that's what they did to you.

For 60 minutes, Washington was Ralphie to Stanford's Scott Farkus. Then it stopped -- but only because it had to. If Chris Petersen's team had its way, it would have kept beating Stanford into the ground because that's how you feel when you've lost seven of your last eight games to the same opponent.

What was left was a 44-6 win, and it was among the more complete, convincing victories the 2016 season has seen.

For the first time since 1992, Washington is 5-0. It also marks the program's biggest win over a top-10 team -- the previous record was 36 points when Washington beat Wisconsin 44-8 in the 1960 Rose Bowl -- but that's only part of the story. The Huskies looked for real.

It started up front. Washington's offensive line gave quarterback Jake Browning all kinds of time to throw. The sophomore finished the night with 210 yards passing and three touchdowns. Running back Myles Gaskin added 100 more yards on the ground and a pair of scores.

But the real story was Washington's defense, which had eight sacks -- Stanford had allowed just four coming into Friday; best in the Pac-12 -- and held Christian McCaffrey to 49 yards rushing.

The Huskies have a powerful defensive front capable of getting pressure with just its front four players. That leaves its physical secondary with plenty of support to make plays down the field. Stanford's wideouts had no room to get open and the Huskies weren't playing soft coverage, either; they were challenging everything the Cardinal tried. And they were winning.

It's true Stanford didn't play well. It's true Stanford was without its top two defensive backs. According to CBS Sports' own Jerry Palm, Houston is now projected to replace Stanford as the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff as a result. Those things can exist while acknowledging this game was primarily about Washington's big step forward.

The question now is whether Washington can keep it going in Week 6 against Oregon.

For as oppressive as Stanford has been for Washington over the last decade-plus, Oregon has been even worse. The last time Washington beat Oregon was 2003. That was more than 4,700 days ago. But who's counting?

Though the rout of Stanford was impressive, a victory at Autzen next week would be every bit as critical, if not more so. It would give the Huskies a cushion in the Pac-12 North race ... which would put them one step closer to a Pac-12 title ... which would put them one step closer to a possible playoff berth.

The Washington hype machine is running at maximum capacity now, except now there's evidence that it's not just smoke.

Oregon awaits next. Then we'll have an even better idea if Petersen's vision of Washington football has been realized or not.