Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Washington Huskies season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
– Washington Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 10-4 overall, 7-2 in Pac-12
Head Coach: Chris Petersen, 5th year, 47-21
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WASHINGTON OFFENSE
– The offense that finished fifth in the Pac-12 and struggled to score at least returns a ton of experience. The backfield might be missing the starters, but there could be an upgrade at quarterback, the running game should be fine, and there’s NFL talent on the offensive line. But …
– The receiving corps should be a massive strength thanks to the return of almost all of the key parts. In seniors Aaron Fuller and Andre Baccellia and junior Ty Jones, there’s a great combination of talents among last year’s three top pass catchers.
Fuller and Jones can stretch the field, Baccellia is a volume receiver, and along with the return of TE Hunter Bryant – who caught 11 passes averaging over 21 yards per catch in his five games – along with a great talent in sophomore Cade Otten, this is a fantastic group. Now …
– The pressure is on for Jacob Eason to be the real deal to get this receiving corps the ball. With Jake Browning done after his long and successful career, and with the transfer of Colson Yankoff to UCLA, it’s up to the Georgia transfer to be ready to rock. Eason is a 6-6, 228-pound talent with NFL skills, and best of all for UW, he’s got something to prove.
New recruit Dylan Morris is a smallish passer with a ton of skill and upside, Jacob Sirmon is a 6-5 passer, and sophomore Jake Haener is the one who’ll push Eason for the gig after seeing a little time behind Browning.
– Myles Gaskin is done after running for close to 1,300 yards with 12 scores, but Salvon Ahmed is a 5-11, 193-pound talent who’s more than ready to fill the void. He ran for 608 yards and seven scores – averaging close to six yards per carry – but he hasn’t had to be a workhorse. He can catch, too. Smallish Sean McGrew and 215-pound Kamari Pleasant will work in to the rotation, but freshman Cameron Davis will get a long look.
– Considering the talent on the offensive line, it should’ve been better, and it could be stronger this year. Kaleb McGary is off being a tackle for the Atlantic Falcons, but as long as Trey Adams is healthy, the Dawgs have an NFL talent to star at one tackle gig. Nick Harris is an all-star center, senior Jared Hilbers is a veteran at another tackle spot, and Luke Wattenberg is a strong junior guard.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE WASHINGTON DEFENSE
– It’s Washington, so the defense is going to reload in a hurry and be terrific, but it loses a LOT of talent. The D led the Pac-12 in yards and points allowed, giving up just 306 yards and 16 points per game, but six of the top seven tacklers are done, nine starters are gone, and everyone who made an interception is somewhere else.
– It all starts with the front three stepping up and rocking again after losing some mainstays. Senior Benning Potoa’e beefed up to 285 pounds and will start to work up front after spending time as a large linebacker.
6-2, 318-pound Tuli Letuligasenoa should be the next great UW anchor – at least that’s the hope – and 287-pound Levi Onwuzurike is a veteran who can be fine at one end. 322-pound redshirt freshman Sam Taimani is going to be a large presence somewhere.
– 176-tackle Ben Burr-Kirven is gone off the linebacking corps, but 223-pound Brandon Wellington is back after seeing plenty of starting action, and 216-pound sophomore Ariel Ngata is an interesting talent for the outside. With Potoa’e moving to the line, 6-5, 266-pound Joe Tryon is the bulk in the corps. Someone, though, has to step up and fill in the massive hole left by Burr-Kirven.
– Washington loses a ton of really, really good players in the secondary. Safety Taylor Rapp was picked up by the Rams in the second round, corner Byron Murphy was selected by the Cardinals, and 56-tackle JoJo McIntosh is gone from his safety spot.
So what’s left?
Myles Bryant is a great one at one spot somewhere in the secondary – most likely at safety – and as always, there’s talent waiting in the wings. The corner situation won’t be a huge issue after a little time – juniors Elijah Molden and Keith Taylor are veterans – and Brandon McKinney should put up big numbers at one safety gig.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP WASHINGTON PLAYERS
Best Washington Offensive Player
C Nick Harris, Sr.
In terms of NFL Draft upside, fellow lineman Trey Adams is the main man if he can stay 100% healthy. Harris, though, is the All-Pac-12 leader of a veteran front five that was good, but could be stronger.
The 6-1, 302-pound senior is versatile enough to work at guard or in the middle, but he found his home at center. While he might not have prototype NFL size, he’s a likely Day Two pick as someone’s quarterback up front. First, he’ll spend one more year as a star for the Husky line.
2. OT Trey Adams, Sr.
3. QB Jacob Eason, Jr.
4. RB Salvon Ahmed, Jr.
5. WR Aaron Fuller, Sr.
Best Washington Defensive Player
S/CB Myles Bryant, Sr.
Six of the top seven tacklers are back, and Bryant is the only one returning. The 5-9, 184-pound versatile defender might not be all that big, but like all Washington defensive backs, he can hit. He came up with 61 tackles with 3.5 sacks with six broken up passes.
An All-Pac-12 performer over the last two seasons, he’s a steady force who now has to be a leader no matter where he works. With the quickness and raw speed to go along with his toughness, he’s a baller who’ll fit in wherever needed.
2. CB Elijah Molden, Jr.
3. DE Levi Onwuzrike, Jr.
4. DE Benning Potoa’e, Sr.
5. DT Tuli Letuligasenoa, RFr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Washington Offense
Scoring touchdowns again would be nice. It was a strange year for the Washington O.
It was fine, it moved the chains – it led the Pac-12 in third down conversions – and it dominated the clock by holding on to the ball for a conference-leading 32:20.
But the points were lacking.
How weird was the UW offensive season? The 2017 team put up 471 points and scored four touchdowns or more in ten games. The 2016 squad that got to the College Football Playoff scored 585 points and got in the end zone four times or more 12 times. Last year?
369 points, with four touchdowns or more in a mere five games.
It all worked out considering the Huskies won the Pac-12 title and got to the Rose Bowl, but considering the changes on defense with nine new starters, being more explosive and finding more scoring pop is a big deal.
Biggest Key To The Washington Defense
Find more of a pass rush. How do you adapt, adjust, and rebuild a defense that loses nine starters? Start by being more disruptive and get to the quarterback.
As good as the Washington defense was last year – it was the best in the Pac-12 – it got the job done with little pressure into the backfield. The Dawgs came up with 24 sacks after generating 39 in 2017, having big problems in a midseason power outage.
There weren’t enough tackles for loss, either, with just 64 after generating 86 the year before. On the plus side, even with the few starters back, there’s athleticism across the board and quickness on the big line. It would be nice, though, if a killer pass rusher emerged.
Key Player To A Successful Season
QB Jacob Eason, Jr.
Jake Browning wasn’t always perfect, but he ended up leading the way to two Pac-12 titles, a College Football Playoff appearance, three major bowl games, and he finished his career with 12,296 yards – 32nd in NCAA history, just ahead of Jared Goff and just behind Matt Barkley and Kliff Kingsbury. He was a solid four-year starter, and now it’s up to Jacob Eason to be even better.
The one-time Georgia super-recruit started right away as a freshman, and he was okay with 2,430 yards, 16 touchdowns, and eight picks. He only completed 55% of his passes, though, and he was shoved aside when Jake Fromm hit campus.
He’s got the 6-6, 228-pound size, but he’s coming in a bit cold after going almost two years without any meaningful action. He might have been able to dive into the UW system over the last year, and he’s got a loaded group of receivers to work with, but he needs to be fantastic.
Not only are the expectations high, but he’ll have to go against a boatload of great passing quarterbacks throughout the season. Now he has to look and play up to his five-star skills.
Key Game To The Washington Season
at Stanford, Oct. 5
Washington might need to replace a whole slew of key parts, but if it’s any good – or great – it should be 5-0 with a home win over USC to get excited about. The rest of the schedule isn’t easy, but Oregon, Utah, and Washington State are at home, and road games against Arizona, Oregon State and Colorado are against teams that didn’t go bowling. That all comes after having to go to Stanford.
Lose to the Cardinal, and the pressure will be on to be nearly perfect against the Ducks and Cougars of the Pac-12 world. Win, and a third trip to the conference title game in four years is there for the taking. 2007 was the last time UW won in Palo Alto.
– Washington Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Washington Fun Stats
– Points Per Game: Washington 26.4 – Opponents 16.4
– Fumbles: Opponents 23 (lost 9) – Washington 11 (lost 5)
– 4th Down Conversions: Opponents 13-of-23 (57%) – Opponents 11-of-21 (52%)
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. WASHINGTON WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
Washington has been very, very good over the last three years under Chris Petersen.
The program went from being mired in mediocrity to among the nation’s elite, winning 32 games and two Pac-12 championship during the run.
But there’s been something missing.
Maybe it’s going 0-3 in the three giant bowl games. Maybe it’s because the best non-conference win came against Fresno State in 2017. Maybe it’s because the Pac-12 has been down, and winning the league just isn’t all that big a whoop.
So why are the Huskies going to be appreciably better without nine starters from last year’s amazing defense, new starters in the offensive backfield, and with the Pac-12 potentially a whole lot better than it’s been in years?
Over the last three seasons, Petersen has only lost one home game, and that’s where all the nasty games are this year. Even so …
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 9
The schedule isn’t all that bad.
There isn’t an Auburn on the slate like the Huskies started out playing last season. The non-conference schedule of Eastern Washington, Hawaii and at BYU should be a walk in the park for any program good enough to even think about going to the College Football Playoff.
Cal is nasty – at least defensively – but that’s a home game, as is the date with USC. It’ll be an interesting first part of the season before October hits, and then it’s Game On.
Washington will be good enough to win at Stanford and Arizona, and it’ll be strong enough to come up with home victories over Oregon, Utah and Washington State. It’s just not going to be amazing enough to win all of them, and it’ll drop at least two of those five games that kick in after September.
Watch out for a miss against a team like Colorado on the road or against USC or Cal at home, and BYU might not be quite as easy as it seems.
The offense will open it up a bit more, the defense will be just fine, and the special teams will be solid.
That still won’t be enough to hit the double-digit win mark in the regular season, but it’ll still be a strong year with a shot in the bowl of making it 10+ wins for the fourth campaign in a row.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Recruiting Class Analysis | Schedule Analysis
