Dawgs to open 2024 football season against Weber State

THE GAME: The Washington football team opens the 2024 season on Saturday, August 31st against Weber State. Kickoff is at 8:00 p.m. PT and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. The game marks the beginning of the Dawgs' first year under head coach Jedd fishwho led Arizona to a 10-3 record last season. The game also marks the start of the Huskies' first season in the Big Ten Conference. Washington begins the season unranked, though the Huskies did receive votes in both the AP Top 25 and the coaches' poll, which ranked them No. 32 and No. 26, respectively. The following Saturday, UW hosts Eastern Michigan in a game that kicks off at 12:30 p.m.

QUICK BEATS: Saturday's game will be the first-ever meeting between UW and Weber State … excluding the four-game 2020 season, the Huskies have won 10 or more games in five of the last seven seasons … Washington is 72-26 since the end of the 2015 season … UW's current roster includes players who hail from 19 different states, as well as Germany and Canada … UW's 110-man roster at the start of the year includes 25 true freshmen, 20 redshirt freshmen, 16 sophomores, 27 juniors and 22 seniors … the Huskies' roster includes five players in their sixth season at UW: DL Jacob BandesRB Cameron DavisS Room FabiculananLB Drew Fowlerand LB Alphonzo Tuputala …those five will play for their fourth different head coach in 2024.

HOME OPENERS: The Huskies are 98-29-5 in home openers (regardless of whether it was the first game of the season or not), a .761 percentage. Washington didn’t play a single home game in the 1890 or 1893 seasons. That mark includes a streak of 28 home opener wins that ran from 1908 to 1935. Before falling to Air Force in the 1999 home opener, Washington had won 13 such games in a row since falling to Oklahoma State on Sept. 7, 1985. The Huskies have won their last 11 home openers, dating back to a loss to No. 11 LSU in 2009, prior to a loss to Montana in the 2021 debut. Last year, UW defeated Boise State in the 2023 opener.

TELEVISION: The Washington-Weber State game will air on the Big Ten Network, with Jeff Levering, Jake Butt, Lincoln Kennedy and Brooke Fletcher covering the action. For more information on how to watch on the Big Ten Network, visit GoHuskies.com/BTN.

RADIO: All Washington football games will be broadcast on the Washington Sports Network from Learfield, with Tony Castricone (play-by-play), former Husky tight end Cameron Cleeland (analyst) and former UW basketball player Elise Woodward (sideline) calling the game. Radio coverage begins four hours prior to kickoff on the network’s flagship station, Seattle’s SportsRadio KJR 93.3 FM with “Husky Gameday” live from The Zone for Husky home games. Statewide coverage on the 16-station Washington Sports Network begins two hours prior to kickoff. The full broadcast is available worldwide on the Huskies Gameday mobile app and the Varsity app. The UW broadcast of this game will also air on Sirius/XM channel 119 or 195. Additionally, the Husky Football Coach’s Show airs Mondays during the season at 6:00 p.m. PT.

BIG TEN TIME: As has been well-documented over the past year and more, Washington has officially joined the Big Ten Conference for the 2024-25 school year, which will begin on August 2, 2024. The Huskies join former Pac-12 programs Oregon, UCLA and USC in making the move to the B1G, which now includes 18 schools. Washington was one of the four founding members of the Pacific Coast Conference (along with Cal, Oregon and Oregon State) and, along with Cal, was one of two teams to remain in that league (which changed its names to AAWU, Pac-8, Pac-10, and Pac-12) for its entire run from 1915 to 2024.

FUTURE PROGRAMS: Last October, the Big Ten announced the home and away schedules of 18 football teams as opponents for the next five seasons (2024-28). Here are the UW, Big Ten, home and away schedules for the next four years:
2025: home Illinois, Ohio State, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers; away Maryland, Michigan, UCLA, Wisconsin
2026: home Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Penn State; away Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, USC
2027: home Maryland, Michgan State, Nebraska, Oregon, USC; away Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Rutgers
2028: home Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, Wisconsin; away Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Ohio State, Oregon

FIRST TIME vs. WEBER STATE: Washington and Weber State have never met in football. While the Huskies have a fairly long history against other Big Sky Conference programs (although much of that is against Idaho and Montana, both of which were in the same conference at UW for many years), the Dawgs have never faced the Wildcats. While Weber State has played three previous games against teams that were part of the Pac-12 (Arizona State, Cal, Oregon State), this Saturday's game will mark the Wildcats' first ever against a Big Ten program.

HUSKIES vs. THE BIG SKY: The Huskies have played games against six of the thirteen teams that currently comprise the Big Sky Conference in American football, although four of those teams (Eastern Washington, Portland State, Idaho State and Sacramento State) played the UW for the first time in the past thirteen years. Washington has defeated Eastern Washington twice in games at Husky Stadium: 30-27 in 2011 and 59-52 in 2014. The Huskies are 3-0 against Portland State: 52-13 in 2012 (at Lumen Field), 41-3 in 2016 and 52-6 in 2022. The Huskies also defeated Idaho State, 56-0, in 2013, and Sacramento State, 49-0, in 2015. The two current Big Sky opponents the Huskies have played far more often than the others are Montana and Idaho, both of which were members of the Pacific Coast Conference (the forerunner to the Pac-12) along with the UW for most of those meetings. The Huskies are 17-2-1 all-time against the Grizzlies in a streak that ran from 1920 to 1951, and then restarted in 2017. Washington is 36-2-2 against Idaho, having played the Vandals fairly regularly between 1900 and 1973, and then seven times since 2000. Washington has won 19 straight against Idaho, dating to a tie in 1938. Montana left the PCC after the 1950 season, while Idaho was a member until 1959. Combined, the UW is 60-4-3 all-time against current Big Sky teams.

GRID PROGRAM: One of the biggest storylines for the 2024 UW football team has been the amount of change that has taken place since the end of the 2023 season. In fact, UW has just two returning regular starters from '23 (LB Alphonzo Tuputala and CB Elijah Jackson), and the Huskies lost 41 letterwinners from last year’s team while adding 59 new players to the roster since the end of last season. The depth chart for the 2023 season opener listed 44 players on offense and defense. Only 11 of those 44 are still on the Huskies’ roster (and only two of those 11 are on offense).

GRADUATES: A total of 21 Huskies will enter the 2024 season with their bachelor's degrees already earned. Here's the list: RB Sam Adams IIS Cameron BroussardDL Jacob BandesLB Carson BruenerTHE Owen CouttsRB Cameron DavisS Makell EsteenS Room FabiculananLB Drew FowlerS Justin HarringtonWR Jeremiah HunterWR Giles JacksonDL Deshawn LynchOL Garden MemmelaarTHE Quentin MooreQB Will RogersDL Logan SagapoluWR Camden SirmonOL The Angalo TitialiiLB Alponzo Tuputala, OL Enoch Vimah.

NFL CONNECTIONS: There has been much ado about the UW coaching staff's NFL connections, including that coordinators Steve Belichick (Bill) and Brennan Carroll (Pete), as well as analyst Lucas Del Rio (Jack) and GA Jake Lynch (John), are all sons of prominent NFL coaches and GMs. Three other staff members Scottish Graham, Vinnie Sunseri and quality control analyst Kaleb Wilson played in the NFL. And, UW's roster also includes several sons of former NFL players: Sam Adams II (Sam), Carson Bruener (Marking), Roice Cleeland (Cam), Quentin Moore (Marking), Russel Davis II (Russell), Dyson McCutcheon (Daylon; plus grandfather, Lawrence), and Judge Williams (Roland) Finally, Daniel Ngata (Joseph), Ryan Otto (Cade), Greek Latu (Laiatu) both have older brothers who are currently NFL players.

Season openers: Washington is 91-37-6 all-time in season openers, good for a .701 mark. Since 1989, Washington has a 21-13 record in season openers: 14-2 at home, 7-9 away, and 0-2 at neutral sites. In the 34 seasons since 1989, the Huskies have played an opening game against a ranked team 13 times (5-8): No. 15 Stanford in 1993 (W, 31-14), No. 17 USC in 1994 (W, 24-17), No. 20 Arizona State in 1996 (W, 45-42), No. 19 BYU in 1997 (W, 42-20), No. 8 Arizona State in 1998 (W, 42-38), No. 11 Michigan in 2001 (W, 23-18), No. 12 Michigan in 2002 (W, 31-29), No. 2 Ohio State in 2003 (W, 28-9), No. 21 Oregon in 2008 (W, 44-10), vs. No. 11 LSU in 2009 (W, 31-23), vs. No. 19 Boise State in 2013 (W, 38-6), at No. 23 Boise State in 2015 (W, 16-13), neutral vs. No. 9 Auburn in 2018 (W, 21-16).

HOME vs. NON-CONFERENCE: Washington has been notoriously tough to beat in home, non-conference play over the past few decades. Going back to (and including) the 1981 season, the Huskies have a 77-14 record against non-Pac-10/Pac-12 opponents in Husky Stadium. Those 14 losses came to Montana (2021), Nebraska (2010), LSU (2009), BYU (2008), Oklahoma (2008), Ohio State (2007), Notre Dame (2005), Fresno State (2004), Nevada (2003), Air Force (1999), Nebraska (1997), Notre Dame (1995), Colorado (1989) and Oklahoma State (1985). Notable wins during that span include victories over No. 11 Michigan State in 2022, No. 19 Boise State in 2013, No. 22 Boise State in 2007, No. 11 Michigan in 2001, No. 4 Miami in 2000 and No. 12 Nebraska in 1992. Before the 2004 loss to Nevada, Washington had not lost a home game to a non-league opponent since a 31-21 loss to Air Force on Sept. 18, 1999. The Huskies had won 10 such games before that Nevada loss. UW had snapped a 20-game non-conference home win streak in 2021.

ALASKA AIRLINES FIELD AT HUSKY STADIUM: The game against Oregon on November 5, 2011, marked the final game at Husky Stadium prior to major renovations completed in the summer of 2013. The Huskies reopened their home field with a 38–6 victory over then-No. 19 Boise State on August 31, 2013. The 2023 season will mark the 103rd season of play at Husky Stadium. The original construction of the facility was completed in 1920, when Washington played one game at the new campus facility. UW's all-time record at Husky Stadium is 413–185–21 (.684). Washington is 57–16 at home since the stadium reopened in 2013.