SeaTown Sports Brew - What to Expect from Will Rogers III
SeaTown Sports Brew - What to Expect from Will Rogers III
New Era, New Style: What to Expect from Will Rogers III in the Huskies' Offense
Welcome to the SeaTown Sports Brew, a briefing that provides insight into Seattle’s sports teams, including a roundup of last week’s games and top performers. Have an opinion? Leave us a comment or email me here. Want this in your inbox Monday? Subscribe below.
Editor’s Note: This week’s edition comes out a day late because I was on vacation last weekend. The SeaTown Sports Brew will be released on its regularly scheduled Monday cadence next week.
The Leadoff - What can Husky fans expect from Will Rogers III?
The Michael Penix era is over on Montlake. In less than two months, transfer quarterback Will Rogers III will debut in the purple and gold against Weber State on August 31st.
Rogers comes to Washington as accomplished as a transfer quarterback can be. At Mississippi State, Rogers racked up the second-most passing yards and fourth-most passing touchdowns in SEC history. His 12,315 passing yards rank him above Drew Lock (No. 3 - 12,193 yards); Peyton Manning (No. 6 - 11,201 yards); and Eli Manning No. 10 - 10,119 yards).
Will Rogers continue putting up impressive passing numbers as a Husky? Probably not.
But this is not because he lacks sufficient talent, but because he will be in a different type of offense that will not necessarily lead to him putting up big passing numbers.
The offensive philosophies of NFL head coaches Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams) and Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers) are primary influences in Jedd Fisch’s offensive philosophy. Fisch worked under McVay with the Rams in 2018 and 2019, and under Shanahan’s father, Mike, in 2008 with the Denver Broncos.
One of those concepts from McVay is this idea of “marry the run and the pass.” Fisch describes it at a high level here, emphasizing play-action, moving the pocket, and changing the launch point [for the quarterback].” This also involves play calling that starts out looking the same but ends up being different:
Another point of emphasis Fisch shares with Shanahan is getting wide receivers to be physical and being impact blockers. One of the strong points of the 49ers’ offense is getting a playmaker like Deebo Samuel in space, and then letting him utilize his athleticism to get more yards after the catch. To do that, the offense needs everyone blocking and creating space, including other wide receivers.
For Rogers, this will be an adjustment. At Mississippi State, much of his time was spent executing the late Mike Leach’s air raid offense. That offense emphasized the vertical pass, quick intermediate downfield throws, and keeping things simple for everyone on offense, including Rogers.
Most Seahawks fans may already know what type of offense Rogers will be running. Both the Rams and the 49ers have more of a horizontal element to their offensive attacks. One of the elements of the offense will be getting playmakers the ball. This means we may see running backs lining up as receivers and receivers running jet sweeps more often.
In terms of similarities to the Air Raid, though Fisch’s offense won’t be as pass-heavy, Fisch’s offense will require Rogers to be a quick distributor of the football. Watch this highlight of Rogers leading Mississipppi State to a comeback victory over Bo Nix’s Auburn. You will see how fast he gets the ball out of his hand play after play:
The Huskies obviously will not have the same offensive firepower that they had last year. But the collection of wide receivers is not horrible. Senior transfer wide receiver Jeremiah Hunter caught 144 passes for 2,084 yards and 13 touchdowns while at Cal. Denzel Boston is also intriguing. He did not get that many snaps last season because he was playing behind three NFL wide receivers.
Another factor that will impact Rogers’ performance is the most glaring weakness of the team: the offensive line. Three transfer newcomers may start: center D’Angalo Titialli (Portland State); right guard Enokk Vimahi (Ohio State); right tackle (Drew Azzopardi). The two other projected starters are freshman left tackle Soana Faasolo and left guard Gaard Memmelaar (who missed all of 2023 with an injury). Maybe the offensive line issues will be muted if the offense emphasizes putting horizontal stress on the defense and also if the offense emphasizes a quick passing attack.
It is difficult to project how good Rogers will be for Washington. He is a great passer learning a new offense, at a new school, with a new coach. This is different from Penix who benefitted from playing under Kalen DeBoer at Indiana before Penix began his tenure at Washington. There will be some growing pains. It might not be until the Apple Cup that we will understand the floor and ceiling of Rogers at quarterback. Experts are pegging him as a part of the upper tier of Big Ten quarterbacks behind Dillon Gabriel (Oregon), Will Howard (Ohio State), and Drew Allar (Penn State). If he can stay in this tier and adjust his style of play immediately, the Huskies may surprise people this season. The quarterback position is the most important position on the field. This is unquestionably a position of strength for the Huskies because of Rogers’ experience.
Winners and Losers
Loser - Seattle Mariners (53-49) - The Mariners are barely staying in the playoff race, but they are still in it. As Brian mentioned in our podcast this week, the M’s just need to start winning the series. They do not need to go on an insane run like they have the past two seasons. This team is still in contention. Stay hopeful.
Loser - Seattle Sounders FC (10-8-7) - The Sounders finally met their match, dropping a 3-0 match to LAFC last Saturday at home. LAFC is 6-0-2 against the Sounders, dating back to 2021.
On-Deck
The Mariners (53-49) host two more games against the Angels (43-57), then head to Chicago for a three-game weekend set against the White Sox (27-75). Getting wins against these bad teams is crucial for this team to regain space and potentially gain a lead in the AL West.
Sounders FC (10-8-7) host Minnesota United FC (9-10-6) in the Leagues Cup on Friday, 7/26, 7 p.m. on Apple TV (MLS Season Pass). What is the Leagues Cup? A primer is here.
This Week in Seattle Sports History
On July 25, 1991, Seattle Mariner outfielder Jay Buhner hit a 479’ home run against the New York Yankees at Yankees Stadium.
In the Statcast era, Jarred Kelenic is the only Mariner that has hit a home run farther than Buhner. He hit a 482’ home run at Wrigley Field against the Cubs in 2023:
Fast Break
Top 25 college football stadiums: Rose Bowl, Michigan and more (ESPN)
6. Husky Stadium, Washington Huskies, est. 1920
Washington boasts that Husky Stadium is "the greatest setting in college football," and it's hard to blame it for saying so. Constructed on the banks of picturesque Lake Washington, this mammoth 70,138-seat stadium is a rare big-city venue with big-time college football. With views of the Seattle skyline, Mount Rainier and a pair of mountain ranges, Husky Stadium is the premier college football bucket-list trip on the West Coast.
Pregaming on the water is a favorite pastime, with a range of experiences from small boats to expensive yachts lining Union Bay. Husky Stadium went through an extensive renovation in 2012 that modernized the facility, bringing fans closer to the field and adding to what was already a formidable home-field advantage.
Beltré's stint in Seattle big part of HOF election (MLB)
Adrián Beltré’s tenure with the Mariners wasn’t the most prominent of the elite third baseman’s career, but it nonetheless represented a huge stretch in his candidacy for Cooperstown.
And at long last this weekend, Beltré will be enshrined to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, after being elected in January in just his first year on the ballot, receiving 95.1% of the vote conducted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.
