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Washington
Huskies
No more nonconference cupcakes are sweetening Ohio State’s schedule. Only Big Ten and postseason play lie ahead.
What awaits the No. 1 Buckeyes on Saturday is one of the best and loudest environments in college football, as Husky hopefuls will sit eagerly on the banks of Lake Washington in hopes that their Washington squad can pull an upset. UW isn’t ranked, but there’s certainly an argument that head coach Jedd Fisch’s squad should be.
Washington boasts an elite offense with potential first-round NFL draft picks at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. If the Huskies find early momentum, with the crowd behind them, they have the potential to drag Ohio State into a dogfight. Especially if the Buckeyes’ crop of new starters – namely quarterback Julian Sayin – get rattled in their first road game. Not that there’s any indication they would be, but Ryan Day’s message to Sayin on Wednesday sounded like one for the whole team.
“Take care of the football and just take it one play at a time,” Day said. “Don't do anything other than that, and then find a way to get your first road win, sort of like in the Texas game, like win the game. And I think in an environment like this, you've got to be steady and you've got to lead. You have to lead. And you've got to lead with your command. You've got to lead with your play and your resolve.”
The Headlines
Contain Washington’s Weapons
Stopping an offense starts with stopping its running game. If the run game is going, it brings balance, and things can roll downhill for a defense if it’s allowing chunk gains both on the ground and in the air. Washington’s ground game is not an easy one to contain.
Running back Jonah Coleman is a Doak Walker Award contender, with 51 carries for 347 yards (6.8 yards per carry) and a nation-leading nine touchdowns in three games. He tied Washington’s single-game rushing touchdown record with five in Week 2 against UC Davis. He opened the season with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games. When Washington State limited him to 59 yards on 12 carries, he pivoted to post a 100-yard receiving performance with six catches for 104 yards and a score.
Making Coleman an even tougher challenge to contain is the speed of Washington quarterback Demond Williams Jr., who has a sack-adjusted 265 rushing yards at an incredible clip of 9.5 yards per carry with two rushing scores. Arvell Reese, Sonny Styles and Ohio State’s defensive line have done an excellent job in mirroring and caging mobile quarterbacks like Texas’ Arch Manning and Ohio’s Parker Navarro so far, but Williams is a different beast.
“He's like, you turn the film on, he's super fast, super shifty, making a lot of tough plays, extending plays, making plays downfield, making plays with his legs, quarterback runs,” Styles said on Wednesday. “So you gotta really account for him. He's a great player.”
Making Williams even more potent is that he’s a serious threat throwing the ball. He’s completed 73.5% of his passes for 778 yards and six touchdowns with no interceptions in 2025, averaging 11.4 yards per pass attempt. Big-bodied 6-foot-4 wide receiver Denzel Boston is among the nation’s elite at wide receiver.
Washington’s offensive line is unproven. It gave up 16 sacks in the final two games of last season before getting off to another rough pass-blocking start this year. But threats lurk everywhere in the Huskies’ skill positions, which is why they are the No. 2 scoring offense in the country so far with 55.7 points per game. It’s the stiffest challenge yet for Matt Patricia’s Ohio State defense.
| Ohio State | Pos | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| OFFENSE | ||
| JULIAN SAYIN | QB | DEMOND WILLIAMS JR. |
| JAMES PEOPLES | RB | JONAH COLEMAN |
| JEREMIAH SMITH | WR | DENZEL BOSTON |
| CARNELL TATE | WR | OMARI EVANS |
| BRANDON INNISS | WR | DEZMEN ROEBUCK |
| MAX KLARE | TE | QUENTIN MOORE |
| AUSTIN SIEREVELD | LT | CARVER WILLIS |
| LUKE MONTGOMERY | LG | PAKI FINAU |
| CARSON HINZMAN | C | LANDON HATCHETT |
| TEGRA TSHABOLA | RG | GEIREAN HATCHETT |
| PHILLIP DANIELS | RT | DREW AZZOPARDI |
| DEFENSE | ||
| KENYATTA JACKSON JR. | DE | JACOB LANE |
| TYWONE MALONE JR. | DT | TA'ITA'I UIAGALELEI |
| KAYDEN MCDONALD | DT | ANTERIO THOMPSON |
| CADEN CURRY | DE | ISAIAH WARD |
| SONNY STYLES | WLB | XE'REE ALEXANDER |
| ARVELL REESE | MLB | DEVEN BRYANT |
| LORENZO STYLES JR. | NB | LEROY BRYANT |
| DAVISON IGBINOSUN | CB | EPHESIANS PRYSOCK |
| JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. | CB | DYLAN ROBINSON |
| CALEB DOWNS | FS | MAKELL ESTEEN |
| JAYLEN MCCLAIN | SS | ALEX MCLAUGHLIN |
Establish the Run
Conversely, on offense, Ohio State needs to show run game consistency to wear on Washington’s defense, quiet the hostile crowd and overcome the red-zone issues that plagued the Buckeyes against Ohio.
It’s been a lumpy first three games for the Buckeyes running the football. They managed just 77 rushing yards on 34 carries (2.3 per attempt) against Texas in Week 1. Week 2 against Grambling State brought plenty of success, but everything was successful for Ohio State in that game facing FCS competition. In Week 3 against the Bobcats, OSU picked up 225 rushing yards at a rate of 7.3 yards per carry, but once the field condensed, inefficiencies appeared.
Ohio State ran the ball seven times for a meager 15 yards and no touchdowns in the red zone before its eighth and final red-zone run, a reverse to star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, went for a 17-yard touchdown. Far from the traditional downhill runs a team needs to consistently move the ball close to the goal line.
Freshman Bo Jackson carried the ball nine times for 109 yards vs. Ohio, his second straight 100-yard game. He was spotted with a heavily wrapped knee following the Buckeyes’ Wednesday practice, but still fully dressed. If he’s ready to rock on Saturday, it’s clear he has another gear from CJ Donaldson and James Peoples in the backfield and should get the largest share of carries. That seems to be the intent of Ohio State’s coaching staff going forward. He did have the most carries against the Bobcats in the end, after all.
“It doesn't take a veteran coach to recognize talent when you see it, and Bo has talent,” Day said during Ohio State’s off week. “We're going to keep bringing him along. It's a long season, and so we're going to continue to give him the opportunities to prove that we can trust him with the ball in his hands. So far, he's done that. You can see his vision. You can see his ability to catch the ball. He's got a lot of different skills. We're going to keep bringing him along. And the more he can take, the more we're going to give him.”
Donaldson and Peoples will still have their niches, even if Jackson emerges as the clear RB1. Donaldson is clearly the team’s short-yardage power back, and Peoples had some nice chunk runs against Grambling State and Ohio, plus he’s a ferocious pass protector. It’ll be a three-headed monster, but Jackson should be the central noggin.
Handle the Noise
Sayin managed his first test of nerves against then-No. 1 Texas with incredible poise. But poise through noise is another beast. And few arenas in the country bring more noise than Husky Stadium, where Washington has won 22 consecutive home games.
“It's just communication. Poise in the noise,” Ohio State center Carson Hinzman said. “And for us, obviously, it's gonna be a really great atmosphere. You hear all the stories. They're 22-0 at home right now. So it's gonna be a really big challenge.”
Sayin’s accuracy is something that hopefully travels on the road with him. He’s completed an FBS-best 78.9% of his passes, even if there have been a few bad decisions mixed in with three interceptions. His 779 yards and eight touchdowns on 11 yards per pass attempt more than make up for it.
“It's just communication. Poise in the noise.”– Carson Hinzman on handling the Husky Stadium environment
Ohio State’s offensive line staying in sync while avoiding pre-snap penalties is also of paramount importance. It drew two such flags against Ohio, one for a false start on right guard Tegra Tshabola and one for delay of game. But it is a group with plenty of experience, especially Hinzman, who enters his 25th start in scarlet and gray. A silent count is likely to be deployed, and when that happens, the Buckeyes can’t let it take any punch out of their offense.
“We've got a lot of veterans on our O-line,” Hinzman said. “Not only that, but we've had almost two weeks now, been able to kind of iron some of those things out. And so the ability to trust and communicate that us and the quarterbacks are on the same page and everyone else is focusing on if we're going on silent or what the communication on the count is, I think we're set up for it.”
Watch Out For These Guys
Washington WR Denzel Boston
There’s been ample content covering the lethality of Washington’s backfield combo, even in this very preview. But it cannot be understated how dangerous Boston is. The man is currently projected as a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft. He has 16 receptions for 249 yards and three touchdowns already in 2025, on pace for a 996-yard regular season. The matchup between him and Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun is one of the top ones to watch in this contest.
Washington CB Ephesians Prysock
Prysock is a rare cornerback who can match Smith’s length, standing 6-foot-4, and is an experienced hand in coverage as a senior. Prysock was one of several transfers who followed Fisch from Arizona when he took the Washington job ahead of the 2024 season. He has six tackles and three pass breakups on the year, allowing a staunch 3.5 yards per target in pass coverage per Pro Football Focus.
Ohio State WR Carnell Tate
As long as Prysock is and as much man-to-man as Washington runs, the Huskies would be foolish not to double-cover or at least shade Smith on most downs. Washington defensive coordinator Ryan Walters might have been a fool as a head coach at Purdue, but he is no fool when it comes to defensive schematics, as evidenced by his time at Illinois. If Smith is consistently drawing two defenders, however, Tate could be in for another huge performance like his 101-yard receiving day against Ohio.
It helps that the Huskies’ other starting cornerback, Tacario Davis, is questionable with an injury after missing Washington’s game against Washington State last week. The Cougars threw for 279 yards in the Apple Cup.
Game Week Talk
“Whatever the capacity is, hopefully we go over it. I probably just got in trouble. We want to pack that place. We want to have as many thousands and thousands of people as we can. ... Really let the country know what the greatest setting of college football looks and sounds like.”– Washington coach Jedd Fisch on his hopes for Saturday's atmosphere
The greatest setting of college football, you say? Strong words, even for the reputation that Husky Stadium has. Of course, Day has made similar comments about the Shoe in the past, so it isn’t unexpected. Breaking the stadium attendance record of 72,500 set vs. USC in 1987 is probably out of the question, however, as more than 2,000 seats were removed in favor of luxury boxes after a stadium renovation in 2013 – which also sounds similar to Ohio Stadium.
“We know this is going to be a great challenge being on the road, a very good team. For these guys, this group, it'll be our first time on the road. This is the next challenge for us as a group.”– Ryan Day on his feelings entering the washington game
All of Ohio State's new starters passed their first major test by toppling Texas. Now it's time for major test two, handling travel and pressures and sticking together away from Columbus. Winning this game is an important step in the progression of the 2025 Buckeyes, especially with trips to Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue and Michigan on the docket later in the season.
“(Prysock) and (Davis) are very long, can move and all. it's a good matchup. (Davis), he came from Arizona last year. He's a very top-rated corner this year, but I think he's hurt. ... if it's a freshman out there, I'm still gonna go out there and play my game. I dominate no matter who's out there.”– Jeremiah Smith on his matchup with Washington's cornerbacks
Should Davis be out – Fisch was mum about his status this week – freshman Dylan Robinson is set to start at cornerback for Washington. Prysock should be Smith's matchup, but to him, it doesn't matter. If the Huskies give him chances one-on-one in man coverage, this could be a game that launches his Heisman campaign.
Get Smart
- Ohio State has a 9-3 all-time record against Washington. The Buckeyes have won the last four games in the series, with Washington’s last win over Ohio State coming in 1994.
- This will be the first game between Ohio State and Washington since the 2019 Rose Bowl, which the Buckeyes won 28-23 in Urban Meyer’s final game as Ohio State’s head coach.
- Ohio State is 4-2 against Washington in games played at Husky Stadium.
- Washington has won 22 straight games at Husky Stadium dating back to the start of the 2022 season.
- Ohio State’s current roster includes no players from Washington, though the Buckeyes had three players from Washington last season (Emeka Egbuka, Gee Scott Jr. and JT Tuimoloau).
- Washington’s roster includes no players from Ohio, but Washington running backs coach Scottie Graham and assistant offensive line coach Michael Brewster are both former Buckeyes.
How It Plays Out
More Ohio State vs. Washington Coverage
Line: Ohio State -8.5, O/U 51.5
Two elite offenses. One elite defense. One defense is suspect. That's Washington's. If Ohio State can string together some stops, it should have the offensive firepower to separate in this game, especially if the Buckeyes stay aggressive through the air as they did vs. the Tigers and Bobcats.
Injuries could also play a role in creating more separation for Ohio State against Washington. In addition to Davis being questionable, starting linebacker Taariq Al-Uqdah is confirmed as out against the Buckeyes. Starting wide receiver Rashid Williams is likely out as well, with freshman Dezmen Roebuck taking his place.
All but one of Eleven Warriors' staffers took Ohio State to cover its 8.5-point spread against Washington, the lone holdout being associate producer Jack Emerson with a 28-24 projected win for the Buckeyes. Lock in for an epic environment and some offensive fireworks this Saturday, especially (ideally) when the men of scarlet and gray hold the football.
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35 | 20 |
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