The Washington Huskies welcome the Golden Hurricane of Tulsa to Husky Stadium on Saturday afternoon at 2:00.
Both teams are coming off big wins in their week one matchups.
Washington dropped Boise State back to Idaho with a 56-19 thrashing while Tulsa took care of FCS Arkansas Pine Bluff 42-7 playing much of the game, and scoring all of their points with backup quarterback Cardell Williams.
Tulsa won’t be a pushover, but the Huskies should be able to come away with a convincing win.
What does a win look like against the Golden Hurricanes? First of all, getting Dillon Johnson on track in the ground game.
Run the Ball
With all the headlines and big stories that came out of week one’s romping of Boise State some of the Huskies’ struggles have been swept under the rug. While the ball was getting sling threw the air the ground game couldn’t get much going. With just 78 yards on 19 attempts it should be a point of concern for anyone looking at the UW offense. With Tulsa being probably the weakest opponent on the Huskies schedule this will be a good game to test out and get the running game into form.
Dillon Johnson
Johnson was listed as the running back one last week, but saw only seven carries. With those seven touches Johnson rushed for just 12 yards. Johnson is a fresh arrival in the SEC, where he put up substantial numbers for Mississippi State. The hope is that Johnson can really get going this afternoon and pickup momentum for not only himself but the entire Husky backfield before heading into Pac-12 play. Dillon Johnson is a big running back at 6-foot 218 his ability to deliver and weather contact should be fun to watch if the Huskies let him run.
Will Nixon
Nixon was perhaps the most impressive back for the Huskies as he took his 6 carries for a team leading 48 rushing yards. While these numbers are far from impressive his eight yards per carry makes Nixon a top choice to lead the Huskies ground game. Today could be Nixon’s day to take over that role of first horse for UW. Nixon had the longest run of the Boise State game with a burst for 21 yards, and should hopefully carry some of that explosiveness into a game where the Huskies will focus on putting the ball on the ground and making plays there.
Daniyel Ngata
While Ngata wasn’t a big part of the game last week we could definitely see him featured more if the two guys ahead of him struggle against Tulsa. Ngata arrived in Seattle from conference foe Arizona State this spring and has yet to trully crack the rushing rotation, but this could well be his opportunity. Ngata only got a single touch last week but a 5-yard gain has him at 5 yards per carry on the season. The way things are looking right now I wouldn’t be surprised if Ngata gets some more reps in this game. And hopefully more yards.
Defensive Playmakers
The Washington defense looked great by then end of the game last week. So now they need to continue it. The defense will be an area of focus for not just coaches, players, and Husky fans but also of the national media.
If anyone has anything to say about the Huskies it’s “Can this defense get it done?” And they received a share of criticism for giving up just 19 points against Boise State. This match-up with Tulsa is an opportunity to showcase more than just the offense. To make plays on the defensive end and give people some more things to talk about when they mention Husk football.
Getting Stops
Last week against Boise State, when the Huskies had the 28-0 run, a big part is that run was the defense getting off the field.
Before we worry about the big plays the ball needs to stay in front. Last week the Huskies did a good job of keeping the running game in between the chains but multiple Broncos had 3 receptions of 40+ yards—and that was almost the entirety of their yards.
Making any team, especially Tulsa put together strings of good plays makes scoring that much harder. This game will be a great opportunity to get in the habit of keeping the ball in front and getting to third down.
Then when third down arrives make the plays. Davon Banks was huge on that last week with three pass breakups on third down alone.
Ball Hawks
Continuing on that mention of Davon Banks the Husky play makers need to show up. Last year they started hot with 3 interceptions in game one, but followed it up with just nine more the rest of the way. The two interceptions last week where a highlight for the defense, and now they need to keep that up.
With an improved secondary filled with returning players and top tier transfers getting takeaways when the opportunity presents itself is going to be key. Whether it be Jabbar Muhammad or Thaddeus Dixon the new faces in the Husky secondary should step up today.
Keep up the pressure
This is the spot where this defense excels. Will Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui working on the outside this UW team got in the Taylen Green’s face.
While there wasn’t a ton of sacks to show for it anyone who watched this defensive line work could tell that they where giving the Broncos nightmares. Expect a lot of the same as the Huskies should take advantage of the D-Line’s depth and are able to send waves and waves of pressure. Today will be the day for the Huskies to establish the culture as a top tier pass rush not only on the west coast but in the nation.
Light Up the Scoreboard
It’s what the Huskies do. After their disassembly of a good Boise State team everything I read said that the Huskies have the most exciting offense in college football. And it’s hard to disagree.
Anyone who watched Michael Penix place NFL throw after NFL throw, or Rome Odunze snag the ball away from the corner, or Jalen McMillan do just about anything you’re allowed to do on a football field would tell you the same thing.
This team is fun. Especially after 56 points made a very good Boise State team look mediocre at best. With the line at 34.5 points the Huskies will be putting points on the scoreboard. A lot of them.
This offense is already nightmare fuel for all the best defensive coordinators in the country. So you can only imagine what it’s like for Tulsa having to prepare.
