Washington is heading back to the Midwest again, and this one comes with a familiar rhythm: another long trip, another Big Ten road test, and another chance to see whether the Huskies can keep handling life away from home. It’s their third trip to the Midwest in the last four weeks, so the travel miles are piling up fast. The hope inside the program is that this weekend looks a lot like the last two.
There’s also some future schedule news on the football side. Washington and Notre Dame have agreed to a home-and-home series, with the Huskies set to play in South Bend on September 27, 2031, and Notre Dame coming to Seattle on November 11, 2034.
UW hasn’t faced Notre Dame since 2009, and the Huskies have never beaten the Irish in eight meetings. Christian Caple also noted that a Husky coach was fired the Monday after the last time the teams met in Husky Stadium in 2008.
It likely isn’t a coincidence that the College Football Playoffs announced teams need to play at least 10 Power-4 opponents, or Notre Dame, as part of the expanded playoff setup.
Washington is also in discussions to keep the Apple Cup going beyond the 2028 season, when the current agreement expires.
The coaching staff and players also met with the media yesterday, and the biggest defensive topic was the 12-men-on-the-field penalty late in the Penn State game. Coach Walters spoke for the defensive staff and took responsibility for it, saying he and the other coaches need to be more detailed so it doesn’t happen again. He also repeated what Coach Fisch had already said: there weren’t really halftime adjustments, just reminders to the players to stick to their assignments.
On the offensive side, Coach Switzer talked about Kodi Greene and Kolt Dietrich and the progress they’ve made. He also said the Huskies want to get the run game going early so it can help open up the offense.
Derek Colman-Brusa and Darin Conley handled the defensive player portion of the availability. Conley talked about going back to the Midwest, which is close to home, while Colman-Brusa spoke about playing in the Big Ten in his first season. Dawgman has a transcript.
Demond Williams, Geirean Hatchett, and Jayden Limar met with the media on offense. Hatchett said he had hoped to “play side by side with” his brother in his final season of college football. Dawgman has a transcript of that interview as well.
Lars Hanson also pointed out that Jayden Limar showed promise against Penn State. Fisch said Limar was still limited as he continues working back from the injury he suffered in the Apple Cup, but the expectation is that he’ll be able to take on more snaps this weekend and for the rest of the season.
There was also a record-setting special teams note: Hunter Green now owns the UW mark for most punts of 60 yards or more in a single season, with seven.
And on the honors front, Husky great Olin Kreutz was recognized as the 13th Washington player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Around the rest of UW Athletics, several members of the women’s tennis team will be heading to the NCAA tournament, which begins November 17. Men’s soccer has a bigger immediate stage tonight, with Rutgers coming to Husky Soccer Stadium for the Big Ten semifinals at 6 PM. Washington beat Rutgers 4-1 there back in September, and if the Huskies win again, they’ll move on to the conference championship game on Sunday, either at home or at Indiana depending on the result of the other semifinal.
In Other News...
Seahawks Suddenly Have A Bigger Problem Than Just Sundays Opponent
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The bigger concern is up front and on defense, where Quenton Nelson and Charles Cross both sat out because of injuries, while Leonard Williams remained out with a stinger. Derick Hall was limited by a back injury and Uchenna Nwosu was limited with an ankle issue, leaving Seattle with several key names still in question before facing a Raiders team that appears to be trending toward near full strength. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Still Need A Breakout And One Young Player Has Opening
The Seahawks have spent much of this season waiting for one of their younger players to turn promise into production, and injuries around the roster have made that search a little harder. Even so, there are still chances for someone to seize a larger role, especially with the offense looking for another spark beyond the steady work already coming from Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Jadarian Price is one of the names worth watching this week. The rookie running back has an opening to make a real impression against a weak rushing defense, and Seattle could use a breakout from a player still early in his NFL journey. If he can take advantage, it would give the Seahawks another useful piece at a time when they are still trying to identify who can help them most down the stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Seahawks Pass Rush Has A Chance To Wreck A New Raiders Plan
The Raiders are turning the page to rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza after moving on from Kirk Cousins, and that gives Seattles defense a fresh target heading into the matchup. Byron Murphy II and Mike Macdonald both sounded confident the Seahawks can make life difficult for Mendoza in his first NFL start, which is exactly the kind of test Seattles front likes to present when a young passer is thrown into the fire.
Klint Kubiak has already praised Mendozas preparation, but the Seahawks will be trying to turn a well-studied week into a long afternoon once the game starts. For Seattle, the bigger question is whether that pass rush can do more than just hurry a rookie - whether it can disrupt the Raiders new plan before it has a chance to settle in. [Read more 🡒]