How will the Big Ten’s newest purple team fare in their matchup with the Wildcats?
As Big Ten play begins, Northwestern will take on Washington for the first time since 1984. Both squads are 2-1 heading into conference action, but the Huskies are not the same squad that made the national championship game last year. To get an insider perspective on this new-look squad, Inside NU spoke with Kevin Cacabelos of SeaTown Sports, who answered our major questions about this Saturday’s contest.
Inside NU: Jedd Fisch is in his first year in Seattle after three wildly successful years at Arizona. How well has he stepped into Kalen DeBoer’s shoes thus far, and what progress does he still have to make?
Kevin Cacabelos: Fisch faces a monumental task in attempting to replicate the success of Kalen DeBoer who led Washington to a 25-3 record and National Championship berth in just two seasons. Since taking the job in January, Fisch had to quickly finalize his coaching staff and rebuild a roster that was promplty decimated by the NFL draft, a transfer portal exodus, and incoming freshmen who de-committed from Washington after DeBoer’s departure.
Fisch did about as well as he could. He brought to Washington most of his coaching staff from Arizona that helped those Wildcats achieve an impressive 10-3 record in 2023 behind one of the country’s best offenses. Fisch then compiled the 11th-ranked transfer portal class, securing 28 commitments, including key commitments from quarterback Will Rogers (Mississippi State), running back Jonah Coleman (Arizona), and cornerback Ephesians Prysock (Arizona). Simultaneously, he put together a top-30 incoming recruiting class which is impressive given the circumstances.
On the field, it is still too early to make any sort of assessment of his coaching abilities. He is already receiving heat from the Washington fanbase after a controversial failed fourth-quarter fourth-down quarterback option play call which resulted in in-state rivals Washington State handing the Huskies its first regular season loss since 2022.
Off the field, he’s certainly created a buzz around the program, touting Washington as a place to “Be a Pro.” Fisch himself has an extensive NFL background with coaching stops at seven different NFL teams, while Washington offensive coordinator Brennan Carroll and defensive coordinator Steve Belichick are the sons of legendary NFL coaches Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick.
INU: Will Rogers stepped in as the new man under center after becoming Mississippi State’s all-time passing leader. What does he bring to the table for a fearsome Washington offense?
KC: Washington fans did not know what to expect from Rogers heading into this season, partly because Rogers was known for running Mississippi State’s air raid offense under the late Mike Leach, and partly because Rogers would be adjusting to a more pro-style offense under Fisch.
In three games that have progressively increased in difficulty, Rogers has proven he can run a non-Air Raid offense and has also shown flashes of above-average arm strength. He has been ridiculously efficient, completing 77.1% of his passes, with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. His experience is evident both through his willingness to throw the ball away when he does not have options and his habit of protecting the football when defensive pressure gets to him behind the line of scrimmage.
INU: Defensively, Washington has been lights-out in the red zone. What players (or tactics) stand out to you as a reason why?
KC: Steve Belichick’s defense has a bend but doesn’t break characteristic to it, as it seems the defense tightens up as offenses get closer to the end zone. Part of the defense’s success has been its underrated linebacker unit. Senior linebacker Carson Bruener is the undisputed leader of the defense. He seems to always be where the ball is and has been key to a few fourth-down stops in the team’s non-conference games. Paired with Bruener is senior linebacker Alphonzo Tuputala, who is one of the few returning starters from last year’s team. Tuputala has already tallied a team-high 18 tackles and is a consistent performer on the Huskies defense.
INU: The Huskies are 8-of-9 in their red zone trips. Aside from Rogers, who on the team has been most responsible for that scoring success?
KC: Both wide receiver Denzel Boston and running back Jonah Coleman have tallied three touchdowns in the red zone. Boston is becoming a favorite target of Rogers in the red zone. He stands a tall 6-4, so he has used his size as an advantage over shorter defensive backs.
As for Coleman, while he is agile and fast at hitting holes in the open field, he is unafraid of contact and simply can bully his way into the end zone. He scored three touchdowns against Weber State all within five yards.
INU: Washington State was able to put up almost 250 passing yards in an Apple Cup victory last week. What needs to be changed to prevent something like that happening again?
KC: Part of Washington State quarterback John Mateer’s success in passing the ball was Washington’s defense’s focus on keeping him contained in the pocket to prevent him from having a field day on the ground. The Huskies were somewhat successful at that, holding Mateer to 62 yards rushing, though he still burned Washington’s defense for two touchdown runs. When Mateer was in the pocket, he only completed 50% of his passes, so Washington’s secondary did a decent job in the context of its game plan.
Per Pro Football Focus, Washington freshman cornerback Jordan Shaw was targeted five different times, and surrendered three receptions for a team-high 54 receiving yards. He graded a team-low 47.1 in coverage as well. He will need to perform better for the Huskies to have a successful day in defending the pass.
INU: What do you think the Huskies need to do in order to start off their Big Ten tenure 1-0?
KC: This sounds incredibly simple, but the team needs to execute on offense and score touchdowns. Against Washington State, the Husky offense repeatedly stalled when it got into Washington State territory and consequently had to settle for field goals. Sometimes the stalling was just an inability to convert on a third-and-medium, sometimes it was a bad penalty that forced a third-and-long, and at least one time, Rogers took a bad snap that resulted in a third-and-long. In other words, the Huskies were sloppy on offense. Last week was the team’s first real game where the starters played for four full quarters. The team has yet to prove it can execute throughout an entire game.
INU: What is your score prediction for the game and why?
KC: Washington 24, Northwestern 13. I think Washington’s defense will be the star of Saturday’s game as I don’t think Northwestern’s offense will be able to move the ball easily against a talented secondary and a solid linebacker corps. Pair a strong defensive performance with a packed Husky Stadium, and you probably only need a mediocre day from Washington’s offense. While Northwestern has a vaunted rushing defense, I think Rogers has enough weapons in the air to open up the Huskies’ run game just enough to move the football and get enough points for a semi-comfortable win.