Huskies Seek to Avoid Montana-Like Upset Against Weber State; Week 1 Picks

Washington Huskies Face Off Against Weber State: Key Matchups, Players to Watch, plus Week 1 picks

Kevin Cacabelos

Aug 29, 2024

Senior quarterback transfer Will Rogers makes his Washington debut this Saturday against Weber State / @wrogers_2

Date: August 31, 2024, 8 p.m. PT
Location: Husky Stadium (Seattle, WA)
TV: Big Ten Network

Weber State Wildcats Overview
Record: 0-0 (6-5, last season)
Conference: Big Sky (FCS)
Coach: Mickey Mental

Key Players:

Richie Munoz (So.) Quarterback – As a true freshman last season, Munoz took over starting duties and helped Weber State to three straight wins, including a regular-season finale where he tallied 329 passing yards and five touchdowns in a victory over Cal Poly.
Kemari Munier-Bailey (Sr.) Defensive End - Wildcats’ Co-Defensive Coordinator Grant Duff expects Munier-Bailey to be a standout player who can put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. The senior defensive end transferred from Fresno State and appeared in 12 games for the Bulldogs last year.

Game Breakdown

Washington’s new offensive line will be tested by a solid Weber State defensive front. The Wildcats return junior defensive end Brayden Wilson who led the Big Sky in tackles for loss last season. Joining Wilson on the line is sixth-year senior Zeke Birch who recorded 19 tackles in nine games for the Wildcats last season.
Washington’s offense may also take advantage of the Wildcats’ inexperience at the linebacker position. Weber State lost two-time FCS All-American Winston Reid to the NFL and Jack Kelly who transferred to BYU. Senior Garrett Beck is the most experienced returner at the position and will be expected to step up due to Reid and Kelly’s departures.
While Munoz and the Wildcats’ passing attack may be Weber State’s primary strength, Washington’s secondary boasts several experienced players who will be prepared to defend the pass. Junior cornerback Elijah Jackson is one of the three returning players from last season’s team, and training camp reports of junior cornerback Ephesians Prysock have been positive.

X-Factor: Tamal Johnson (Fr.), Safety - Duff raved about this true freshman’s playmaking ability early on in training camp. Duff also praised Johnson’s ability to get to the ball. Johnson comes to Weber State from high school powerhouse St. John Bosco.

Washington’s Keys to Victory

Key 1: Make the easy plays on offense. Non-conference games against FCS teams should be blowouts akin to Washington’s 52-6 victory over Portland State in 2022. But sometimes, things go bad. In 2021, Montana came into Husky Stadium and upset the Huskies with a 13-7 victory. Here’s the thing about that Montana game, the Huskies’ offense stunk bad, actually everything stunk. Why did I bring up the Montana game? I digress. How can Washington get a Portland State result and avoid a Montana Result? Make the easy plays on offense. In particular, I want to get Will Rogers in a rhythm. As I’ve said in the past, there are a lot of new things for everyone—new schemes, new coaches, new teammates—so to get rid of those jitters, I want to see Washington execute the simple plays. Washington has more talent on its roster than Weber State. As long as Washington executes the simple plays, garden-variety run plays, pass plays, and the like, they should be able to take control of this late-night game. In baseball terms, just get hits, no need to try to hit home runs from the get-go.

Key 2: Get Jonah Coleman going. Out of all the new faces on Washington’s offense, as a transfer from Arizona, Coleman is most familiar with Jedd Fisch’s offensive system. While Rogers is experienced and talented, it would be good to get Coleman going early to get the offense in a comfortable rhythm. Once that rhythm is established, things may open up in the passing game for the offense.

Prediction

Weber State will be competitive in this game for maybe the entirety of the first half. The national media pegs the Wildcats as the No. 22 best FCS team in one preseason poll. I would not be surprised if Washington came out with jitters. There’s a lot of new to this game for the Huskies, but because the Huskies are talented, have plenty of weapons on offense, and somewhat of an experienced defense, the recipe for a blowout is there. Washington’s starters should at the minimum, be resting midway through the fourth quarter.

Spread: Washington is favored by 27.5 points.

The Pick: Washington 43 – Weber State 16

Week 1 Picks

Besides the UW game, I will pick five more games every week. As a guide, I’ll pick three Big Ten games (usually Oregon/USC/UCLA), a West Coast game of interest, and a national game of interest.

Portland State at Washington State (Saturday at 12 p.m., CW)

The Cougs begin their 2024 campaign against FCS Portland State. Washington State lost 27 players to the transfer portal. I expect Jake Dickert’s team to come out angry and prepared in their season opener.

The spread: Washington State is favored by 28.5 points.

The pick: Washington State 38, Portland State 10

No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M (Saturday at 4:30 p.m., ABC)

In a weird twist of fate, Notre Dame senior transfer quarterback Riley Leonard will face off against his former head coach at Duke, Mike Elko, who is now the head coach of Texas A&M. Notre Dame is a better team, but a road game and Elko’s knowledge of Leonard and Texas A&M’s home-field advantage will keep this game close.

The spread: Texas A&M is favored by 2.5 points.

The pick: Notre Dame 21, Texas A&M 20

Fresno State at No. 9 Michigan (Saturday at 4:30 p.m., NBC)

Fresno State is not an automatic win for Michigan, the Bulldogs compiled a 9-4 record last season and is expected to compete for a Mountwain West title this season. But, this team will miss its former head coach Jeff Tedford who stepped down in July due to health issues. Michigan also starts this season with a new permanent head coach, Sherrone Moore. A home game coming off of a national championship win? I’ll take Michigan.

The spread: Michigan is favored by 21.5 points

The pick: Michigan 35, Fresno State 20

UCLA at Hawaii (Saturday at 4:30 p.m., CBS)

This seems like trap game for UCLA. Hawaii is coming off of a 35-14 victory over FCS Delaware State. Hawaii also has home-field advantage and will be used to playing in the humidity. But, those that watched the Hawaii game know that Rainbow Warriors senior quarterback Brayden Schager struggled. Bruins Head Coach DeShaun Foster begins his career at UCLA with a win.

The spread: UCLA is favored by 13.5 points

The pick: UCLA 42, Hawaii 24

USC vs. LSU (Las Vegas) (Sunday at 4:30 p.m., ABC)

LSU’s offensive line returns four starters from last season. USC’s defense is a question mark. LSU may be able to build a lead by feeding sophomore running back Kaleb Jackson.

The spread: LSU is favored by 4.5 points

The pick: LSU 38, USC 30