To open their 2023 football season, the Washington Huskies host Boise State. Pacific Northwest Sports has all you need to know.
PNWS presents what you need to know to enjoy the Washington Huskies 2023 football season opener as they host Boise State on Saturday afternoon. Whether you are going to Husky Stadium or watching on TV, we have Washington fans covered.
Details
Who: Boise State Broncos (0-0, 10-4 in 2022) at Washington Huskies (0-0 Overall, 11-2 in 2022).
Where: Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium – Seattle, Washington.
When: September 2, 2023 – 12:30 PM PST.
TV: ABC. Announcers: Bob Wischusen, Robert Griffin III, and Kris Budden (awfulannouncing.com).
Weather: A beautiful day for football in the Pacific Northwest. The teams can expect mostly sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-upper 70s. Winds will be from the NW around 5 mph. (weather.com).
Line: Washington + 14. Over/Under: 58.5 (Odds Shark).
Injuries
Washington Huskies
Out – RB Cam Davis, WR Giles Jackson, RB Tybo Rogers, and OL Gaard Memmelaar.
Boise State Broncos
Out – WR Latrell Caples, WR Cole Wright, and WR Austin Bolt.
Injury information from covers.com.
Interesting Trends
Under head coach Kalen DeBoer, the Washington Huskies are 11-2, including 7 straight wins. UW also covered the spread in their previous 4 games. The total has gone under in 4 of 6.
Boise State ended 2022 with 4 losses in 6 games. The under is again in play as the total has gone under in 10 of the Broncos’ last 11 road games.
Outlook
Washington Defense vs. Boise State Offense
Boise State might not be the offensive powerhouse Washington is, but they can move the ball, especially on the ground. The latter is an area UW had problems with last season. Eddie Olufoshio is the Huskies’ new starting middle linebacker, and his mettle will be put to the test early.
The Broncos come to Seattle without their leading receiver from last season, Latrell Caples. It’s on quarterback Taylen Green to make UW pay when the defense stacks the box. That’s much easier said than done against “Defensive Back University.”
Green can run with the ball, averaging over 7 yards per carry in 2022. Washington’s defense must play disciplined on the edges to keep Green between the tackles.
Washington Offense vs. Boise State Defense
The Broncos have a perpetually stingy defense. In 2022, they allowed more than 23 points in a game only twice. BSU still has a tough task to keep up that production against a Washington Huskies offense that was college football’s seventh-highest-scoring team with 39.6 points per game.
Most of Washington’s impact players return in 2023, led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. UW’s signal caller threw for 4,641 yards and 31 touchdowns in his debut season in Seattle.
Penix has all three of his top targets back as well. Jalen McMillan and Rome Odunze each had more than 75 catches, 1,100 yards, and 7 TDS.
A notable omission from Washington’s lineup is starting running back Cam Davis. Boise State won’t have an easy task capitalizing on his absence. The Huskies boast depth in the backfield with Mississippi State transfer Dillon Johnson and returning redshirt sophomore Will Nixon.
Washington’s offensive line underwent changes from last season. The unit must gel quickly. Boise State’s defense is renowned for its aggressiveness, and the Broncos will undoubtedly come after Penix early and often.
Catch up with PNWS on Sunday when we present our biggest takeaways from the game.
