The Washington Huskies are favored by 14.5 points over the visiting Boise State Broncos. Kickoff is set for 12:30 today on ABC. There will be several new faces on the Washington side, including a couple of specialists.
1. New Faces on the Field for Washington
Germie Bernard
Bernard spent last season at Michigan State and is expected to be the man on kick returns today,, along with Arizona State transfer Daniyel Ngata.. Bernard will get his fair share of impact opportunities right out of the gate. His explosiveness has already evident during fall came with his ability to get behand the defensive backs. Today will be his opportunity to showcase that burst. Even though Bernard isn’t listed as a starting receiver expect him to take a lot of snaps and to get some very big targets.
Jabbar Muhammad
Jabbar Muhammad could be the make or break player for this Huskies season. The corner will be making his first appearance in purple and gold today after arriving from Oklahoma State where he led one of the Big 12’s best defensive units. According to PFF Muhammad would have been the highest rated corner on the Huskies roster last season. He will fill that roll and improve the Dawg’s secondary from the last campaign.
Dillon Johnson
With Cam Davis out Dillon Johnson is being promoted to the RB1 in Seattle. The Mississippi State transfer averaged 5.5 yards per carry and almost 6 per catch for the Bulldogs last season. With Johnson now in the starting role his touches will be up even when compared to his number’s in the SEC. With the increase in volume don’t be surprised if Johnson starts putting up formidable numbers out of the backfield.
2. Style of Play
Offense
Michael Penix will force Boise State to defend every blade of synthetic grass inside Husky Stadium. The Heisman-candidate will have two of the nation’s top receiver groups led by Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan. Last season UW averaged nearly 40 points a game and will be fun to watch that is for sure. Already recognized as one of, if not the most explosive offenses in the country Husky football will be a sight to behold for everyone in attendance.
Defense
This is another group that should be exciting to watch. With all the talent in the world on the edge’s nothing is going to be easy for opposing offenses. Trice and ZTF will be feasting all season, and should allow the other parts of this defense to make their impact. With a lot of attention on the secondary we will see a lot early this year. Hopefully answering all the questions that fans have about this team.
3. Filling the Shoes of Players Who have Moved On
Grady Gross
Gross was the kickoff man for the Huskies last season but is stepping into a much larger roll this season. With Peyton Henry gone, Gross, a true sophomore, will be stepping into some pretty big shoes.
https://x.com/howlinhusky/status/1698035092000756017?s=46
The Huskies number 2 all-time in field goals made and Washington’s all-time leading scorer. The sophomore from Arizona was accurate throughout fall came on extra points and field goals, winning the job outright.
Offensive Line
With three of last year’s starters moved on to the Nation Football League the O-Line needs some big time stepping up. With Matteo Mele (C), Troy Fautanu (LT), and Parker Brailsford (RG) stepping in to fill holes the Huskies line will be on of the biggest question marks of the season. Now this isn’t a bad thing as the entire O-Line has played together before. The performance of this group will be key to success in 2023.
