The talking season is over. We will get our first look at the reconstructed Washington Huskies on Saturday night inside Husky Stadium. Weber State heads to Washington as a team out of the Big Sky conference. The Wildcats are ranked just outside the FCS preseason top 25 poll at 26th according to the total voting points. The eight o’clock kickoff will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network. It’s time to dive into the matchup and find Washington’s path to a victory.
The Opponent
Second-year head coach Mickey Mental brings Weber State into Seattle for the team’s first-ever matchup against the Huskies. In addition to his head coaching duties, Mental is the offensive coordinator and calls the plays. Last year, his team finished 6-5 but ended the season with a key win over fourth-ranked Idaho.
The Idaho win was a part of a late-season burst for Mental’s offense. It began when Richie Muñoz took over at quarterback. He started the team’s final five games as a true freshman in 2023. He led them to three wins in that stretch throwing for 10 touchdowns and just one interception. In the final four games, the Wildcats put together two 400-plus-yard performances. Now a sophomore, Muñoz will have his leading receiver back in Jacob Sharp, and an experienced running back in Damon Bankston.
Last year, Weber State was a team that favored the run game. They ran the ball on nearly 56% of their offensive snaps. Bankston averaged over six yards per rush on 63 carries, scoring five touchdowns. The Weber State offensive line will be young this season, with three sophomores listed as starters on the depth chart. But Bankston showed he can create space out of the backfield.
Weber State’s Defense
Defensively, Weber State is a team that will look to load up the box. Their front seven features two players in Brayden Wilson and Keahnist Thompson at the defensive end spots. The two combined for 10 sacks last season. Wilson had 7.5 of his own and led the team with a head-turning 16.5 tackles for loss in 2023.
That pressure up front doesn’t stop at the defensive line. Co-defensive coordinators Grant Duff and Joe Dale also like to use their secondary to put pressure in the box. Junior cornerback Jalen Rock got in the backfield for a sack last season, forced a fumble, and gathered two tackles for loss. He’s one of the veterans in a defensive back group that will be breaking in a lot of new players.
Matchups to Watch
On the offensive line, Washington left tackle Soane Faasolo will have opportunities against Wilson on that Wildcat defensive line. Wilson regularly lines up on the right side of the line and will go against the left tackle. Faasolo has yet to take a snap in college but has built a solid frame at the position. On Tuesday, Brennan Carroll said that Faasolo is up to around 320 pounds. “He’s ready to play college football,” Carroll added. The redshirt freshman will be challenged immediately with Wilson and this Weber State front.
Another key matchup to keep an eye on will be Denzel Boston at wide receiver up against Rock at cornerback. Rock lines up on the right side of the defense, and last year broke up five passes and hauled in a pick. He’s listed at 5’-10” so Boston will have the height advantage. But look for competitive battles for the football in short-range passes while Washington has the ball.
The Opportunity for Washington
Weber State is, however, dealing with some attrition in the middle and back end of its defense this season. At linebacker, the Wildcats’ leading tackler graduated, and their leader in sacks last year transferred to BYU. At safety, the team’s second-leading tackler has also graduated. Those three accounted for 243 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, and 11 pass breakups. Garrett Beck is the only returning starter at linebacker. He was productive in 2023 with 52 tackles and three tackles for loss.
In the second level, only Rock at cornerback started more than two games last season. The other six players listed as potential starters combined for just 357 snaps in 2023. And BJ Carey had 147 of those at safety. The Weber State defensive backfield will be lacking experience in snap numbers on Saturday night at Washington.
This creates an opportunity for the Huskies to find rhythm in their pass game early on. Will Rogers III thrived at Mississippi State as a passer in those short, run-game-extension type passes of the Air Raid offense. At Washington, Rogers has Jeremiah Hunter who is at his best when catching passes over the middle. Jonah Coleman is also a reliable receiver option out of the backfield. And downfield, Boston has shown his play-making abilities as a vertical threat all offseason. Against the shorter cornerbacks of Weber State, look for Washington to stretch the field wide through the air, and also attack vertically.
Preparation for Opening Week
For Rogers, this will be his fifth first game of the season. Going off film from last year, Rogers said it’s difficult to know exactly what to expect. “It’s all up to us just playing how we want to play, playing to our standard as a team.” Alphonzo Tuputala pointed to how in the first week of the season, sticking to fundamentals and their plan as a team is key.
During this week’s press conference, Carroll said that offensive line rotations against Weber State are a possibility on Saturday for Washington. But this will be evaluated throughout the game. Center Landen Hatchett is fully cleared for game action after recovering from his knee injury last December. And according to Carroll, we should expect to see him back on the field on Saturday. “I would bet he’s going to be in there at some point in time.”
Final Score Prediction
This game appears to be an opportunity for Washington to find passing windows on the Weber State defense. Washington’s receivers have a size advantage. The veteran nature of Washington’s pass game will be a strength over the young Weber State secondary. But Washington’s offensive line will get an early-season test with the Wildcats’ stout front.
Rogers is an instinctive passer for Washington. He will be comfortable finding the open quickly man if the line allows pressure. That pressure isn’t unlikely to come in the first game of the year against a quality pass rush.
The different looks and personnel groupings that Steve Belichick will show on defense will strain the true sophomore signal caller for Weber State. The Husky defense should find ways to slow down Mental’s offense in Saturday.
Washington – 34
Weber State – 13
Photo from Nick Lemkau
