Kalen DeBoer clearly still has a lot to prove to Husky fans. After sending 51 different players into action in the first half (74 total for the game) against Portland State, DeBoer led his team to a 52-6 victory over the Vikings. The story of the day was once again Michael Penix Jr., who finished his day early with 337 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. He had an elite connection with sophomore receiver Jalen McMillan, who pulled in four catches for 127 yards and an 84-yard touchdown, tied for the seventh-longest reception in school history, as well as a 37-yard catch on a perfect throw from Penix, who threw it across his body on the run.

On defense, the Huskies have nothing to worry about on the edge, as Bralen Trice seemed to be in Dante Chachere’s lap on every single play, as were the rest of his teammates. While the Huskies only finished with three sacks on the day, they pressured Chachere on every throw he made.

One notable absence from today’s game was wide receiver Rome Odunze, who went through warmups and was suited up on the sidelines. After the game, DeBoer said that he “could have played in an emergency” and even considered him not day to day, but “minute to minute” leading up to the game. DeBoer added that he expects Odunze, Jordan Perryman, Jaxson Kirkland, and probably Elijah Jackson as well to all play in next week’s matchup with Michigan State.

The Husky offense was clicking on all cylinders on Saturday, outgaining Portland State 617 to 131. While the offense looks like it could be one of the best in the country by the end of the season, there are still a few things Washington has to clean up ahead of the Spartans coming to town. The defense committed three personal foul penalties, and as a team, the Huskies were flagged nine times for a total of 90 yards.

The defensive backs also looked like they still have some learning to do, as Davon Banks and Mishael Powell both got burned multiple times over the course of the game, with no harm done on the stat sheet. Portland State finished with just 50 yards through the air.

Game notes

Giles Jackson and Jalen McMillan were the first pair of Husky teammates to go over 100 yards receiving since John Ross and Dante Pettis in 2016.

The team’s 99-yard touchdown drive was just the fourth in Husky history.

Even without Odunze on the field, 12 different receivers caught a pass today, and interestingly enough, starting tight end Devin Culp wasn’t one of them.

One of the most exciting parts of Washington’s offense has been the utilization of their incredibly athletic tackles, Troy Fautanu and Roger Rosengarten. Offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb seems to love calling a toss sweep play out of the shotgun where the running back can get behind one of the big athletic tackles. The running game as a whole gained 241 yards on Saturday.

After the game, running back Cameron Davis said that he feels the offense gives the backs a chance to show off their full skill set, and called the general energy around the program “so much better” than 2021, adding “it’s a whole 360. Last year was great, but this year as you can see, we’re having fun out there.”