Washington’s offensive line has become the clearest place to look for why things haven’t clicked yet, and John Mills isn’t hiding behind the group’s youth. The starting left guard, already a Husky captain in just his second season, has taken ownership of the unit’s rough start and wants the standard to rise with his own play.
Mills, Champ Tualealea, and Kodi Greene are all still early in their college careers, and while that kind of inexperience usually comes with a steep learning curve, Mills doesn’t want it treated as a ready-made excuse. Christian Caple has the full breakdown at On Montlake.
Across the Big Ten, Washington’s game against Eastern Washington is part of a broader week of tune-up matchups against lighter opponents. The Seattle Times suggests the scheduling trend is tied to teams worrying about missing out on a 12-team CFP spot if they take on stronger competition and lose. The counterargument offered here is different: the problem isn’t a larger postseason field, but a selection committee that shouldn’t reward teams for breezing past weak schedules while punishing those that challenge themselves and perform well.
There’s movement on the basketball side too. Washington men’s basketball has added another piece to Danny Sprinkle’s staff, hiring longtime Oregon assistant Mike Mennenga on Wednesday. Mennenga spent 11 years with the Ducks and brought player development and recruiting as his main areas of work.
And while the offensive line is still sorting itself out, Washington’s defense has shown what young players can do when they’re thrown into the fire. Jacob Lane and Dylan Robinson are a little further along now, but both spoke with the media about what it meant to play early and how those first chances helped shape where they are now.
In Other News...
Washington Fans Can Finally Map Out A Big Ten Season That Ends Big
The Big Ten has finally given Washington mens basketball fans something concrete to circle for 2026-27, releasing the Huskies conference schedule with dates and opponents for every league matchup. It is the first full roadmap of what the Huskies will face in their second season of Big Ten play, and it comes with the kind of symmetry coaches and fans alike can appreciate.
Washington will spend the league slate going back and forth across the conference footprint, with the dates now set from opening night through the final stretch. The late-season picture is especially interesting because the Huskies finish at home in a matchup that should carry plenty of weight when the standings tighten, giving their regular-season finale a built-in edge even before the rest of the schedule is sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Needs To Look Like It Belongs Before Big Ten Play
Washingtons two wins have been enough to keep the record clean, but not enough to keep the Huskies in the Top 25. After shaky performances against Washington State and Utah State, the conversation around this team has shifted from poll position to appearance, with one more nonconference game left to sharpen things up before Big Ten play begins.
Eastern Washington comes to town having just lost to South Dakota, so this should be the last low-stress checkpoint on Washingtons schedule for a while. The bigger issue is whether the Huskies can put together a convincing showing while dealing with key injuries, because the next step in this season is a lot less forgiving than the first two. [Read more 🡒]
Washington Faces A Trickier Week 3 Test Than Fans Might Expect
Eastern Washington arrives in Seattle with enough intrigue to make this Week 3 matchup worth a closer look, and the Huskies would be wise not to treat it like a routine nonconference tune-up. In a Q&A with Dan Thompson of the Spokesman-Review, the conversation around the Eagles touched on Aaron Bests steady run as head coach, Marc Andersons offensive direction, Nate Bells role at quarterback and the broader shape of a team trying to position itself in the Big Sky Conference.
For Washington, the interesting part is how much uncertainty still surrounds what Eastern Washington can actually put on the field. Thompson pointed to the impact of injuries, the strengths that remain on both sides of the ball and how first-year defensive coordinator Zach Bruce has changed the feel of that unit, all of which makes this a little more than a standard Week 3 checklist game. The result is a matchup with more variables than fans might expect, and a ceiling for the Eagles that could still shift depending on how quickly those moving pieces come together. [Read more 🡒]