Saturday, September 1
Atlanta, GA
12:30 PM
University of Washington
vs
Auburn
No. 6 Huskies Open Season Vs. No. 9 Auburn In Atlanta
August 26, 2018 | Football
THE GAME: The Washington football team opens the 2018 season at the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, where the Huskies will take on Auburn. It's the UW's first-ever foray into a neutral-site, kickoff game, though head coach Chris Petersen did take his Boise State team to Atlanta in 2011, where the Broncos opened their season with a win over Georgia. The UW-Auburn game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT and will air live on ABC television. The Huskies (10-3, 7-2 in the Pac-12 last season) enter the 2018 season ranked No. 6 in both the Associated Press and USA Today coaches' preseason polls, while Auburn (10-4, 7-1 SEC in 2017) is ranked No. 9 by the AP and 10th by the coaches. The game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Huskies and Tigers. Following the game in Atlanta, the Huskies return home to face North Dakota on Sept. 8 (2:00 p.m. PT), followed by the Pac-12 opener at Utah on Sept. 15.
SEASON OPENERS: Washington is 87-35-6 all-time in season openers, good for a mark of .703. Since 1989, Washington has posted an 17-11 record in season openers – 10-1 at home, 7-9 on the road, 0-1 neutral site. Last year, the Huskies opened with a 30-14 win at Rutgers, who they also beat in Seattle to begin the 2016 season. The year before, the Huskies fell, 16-13, at Boise State. In 2014, the UW beat Hawai'i, 17-16, in Honolulu, while in 2013, Washington beat Boise State, 38-6, in the UW's return to newly renovated Husky Stadium. In 2012, the Huskies beat San Diego State, 21-12, at CenturyLink Field, and in 2011, the Huskies beat defending NCAA Division I FCS Champion Eastern Washington, 30-27, for the UW's first season-opening win since 2007. In the 27-season span dating back to 1989, the Huskies have opened vs. a ranked team 12 times (5-7): vs. No. 15 Stanford in 1993 (W, 31-14), at No. 17 USC in 1994 (L, 24-17), at No. 20 Arizona State in 1996 (L, 45-42), vs. No. 19 BYU in 1997 (W, 42-20) at No. 8 Arizona State in 1998 (W, 42-38), vs. No. 11 Michigan in 2001 (W, 23-18), at No. 12 Michigan in 2002 (L, 31-29), at No. 2 Ohio State in 2003 (L, 28-9), at No. 21 Oregon in 2008 (L, 44-10), vs. No. 11 LSU in 2009 (L, 31-23), vs. No. 19 Boise State in 2013 (W, 38-6), and at No. 23 Boise State in 2015 (L, 16-13)
TELEVISION: The Washington-Auburn game will air live to a national audience on ABC with Steve Levy (play-by-play), Brian Griese (color) and Todd McShay (sidelines) providing the commentary.
RADIO: The Washington IMG College Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 17 Northwest radio stations. First-year play-by-play man Tony Castricone and color analyst Damon Huard are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. The Auburn game will also air nationally on ESPN Radio, and the broadcast of the game will also air on SiriusXM satellite radio (channel 80).
THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: Washington has been a notably and demonstrably young team the last several years and, while the Huskies have gotten distinctly more experienced across the board, the roster still skews slightly towards youth. The 2018 roster includes 43 freshmen and 21 sophomores, compared to 21 seniors and 28 juniors, meaning just under 57 percent of the players have three or more years of eligibility left. At the same time, Washington has 54returning lettermen and, not counting specialists, 29 different Huskies have started at least one game during their career.
THE DEFENSE: Over the last three years, Washington's defense has been, statistically, the best in the Pac-12 and one of the top units in the nation. The Huskies have led the Pac-12 in total defense for three years in a row, climbing the national rankings each year, capped by a No. 8 national finish last season. The UW has also paced the Pac-12 in scoring defense the last three seasons, finishing fifth in the FBS last season. Last year, the Huskies were also fourth in the nation in rushing defense and fifth in the country in turnover margin.
ONE-TWO PUNCH ON OFFENSE: In seniors Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin, the Huskies return the most prolific quarterback-running back tandem in the nation, in terms of career statistics, heading into the 2018 season. Gaskin's 4,055 career rushing yards are most in the nation among returning FBS players, nearly 900 yards ahead of the next-closest (Appalachian State's Jalin Moore, 3,170 yards). Gaskin's 45 career rushing touchdowns are also most in the nation among FBS returners. Gaskin enters his senior season ranked 9th in Pac-12 history in rushing TDs and 11th in rushing yards. He's seeking to become the 10th FBS player ever (and first in Pac-12 history) to rush for 1,000 or more yards in four seasons. Meanwhile, Browning's 9,104 career passing yards are second-most among all FBS returners, while his 78 career TD passes (already a UW record) are tops in the country. Browning's enters the season ranked No. 12 in Pac-12 history in career TD passes (and only 11 from making the top four), while his yards total ranks No. 27 (about 1,700 yards away from the top 10).
1,000-YARDERS: Prior to the 2007 season, Washington running backs had compiled 11 1,000-yard seasons in the school's long history. Since then, Washington has had a back reach 1,000 yards nine out of the last 11 years, and eight in a row. If Myles Gaskin can continue this streak this season, he'll become only the 10th FBS player in history to rush for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons since freshman eligility began in 1972. Here's a look at those nine recent 1,000-yard seasons:
2007 – Louis Rankin – 1,294 yards
2009 – Chris Polk – 1,113 yards
2010 – Chris Polk – 1,415 yards
2011 – Chris Polk – 1,488 yards
2012 – Bishop Sankey – 1,439 yards
2013 – Bishop Sankey – 1,870 yards
2015 – Myles Gaskin – 1,320 yards
2016 – Myles Gaskin – 1,373 yards
2017 – Myles Gaskin – 1,380 yards
HUSKIES IN THE EAST: After playing the easternmost game in UW history to open last season (at Rutgers), the Huskies are back in the Eastern Time Zone to begin the 2018 season. Through its history, Washington has played very few games in locations that can reasonably be considered the "East Coast," though it's become more common in just the last few years. When the Huskies opened the 2007 season at Syracuse, it marked their easternmost road game ever to that point in time (it was the Dawgs' second trip to play the Orange as they also played there in 1977), as Syracuse is, in terms of its longitude, east of both Durham, N.C. (where the UW played Duke in 1973), and Miami, Fla. (where the Huskies played vs. Miami and in the Orange Bowl game), the next two closest competitors for the Huskies' easternmost games of all time. Washington, of course, played in Atlanta two seasons ago in the old Georgia Dome (next to the site of the new Mercedes-Benxz Stadium), taking on Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
SEASON OPENERS: Washington is 87-35-6 all-time in season openers, good for a mark of .703. Since 1989, Washington has posted an 17-11 record in season openers – 10-1 at home, 7-9 on the road, 0-1 neutral site. Last year, the Huskies opened with a 30-14 win at Rutgers, who they also beat in Seattle to begin the 2016 season. The year before, the Huskies fell, 16-13, at Boise State. In 2014, the UW beat Hawai'i, 17-16, in Honolulu, while in 2013, Washington beat Boise State, 38-6, in the UW's return to newly renovated Husky Stadium. In 2012, the Huskies beat San Diego State, 21-12, at CenturyLink Field, and in 2011, the Huskies beat defending NCAA Division I FCS Champion Eastern Washington, 30-27, for the UW's first season-opening win since 2007. In the 27-season span dating back to 1989, the Huskies have opened vs. a ranked team 12 times (5-7): vs. No. 15 Stanford in 1993 (W, 31-14), at No. 17 USC in 1994 (L, 24-17), at No. 20 Arizona State in 1996 (L, 45-42), vs. No. 19 BYU in 1997 (W, 42-20) at No. 8 Arizona State in 1998 (W, 42-38), vs. No. 11 Michigan in 2001 (W, 23-18), at No. 12 Michigan in 2002 (L, 31-29), at No. 2 Ohio State in 2003 (L, 28-9), at No. 21 Oregon in 2008 (L, 44-10), vs. No. 11 LSU in 2009 (L, 31-23), vs. No. 19 Boise State in 2013 (W, 38-6), and at No. 23 Boise State in 2015 (L, 16-13)
TELEVISION: The Washington-Auburn game will air live to a national audience on ABC with Steve Levy (play-by-play), Brian Griese (color) and Todd McShay (sidelines) providing the commentary.
RADIO: The Washington IMG College Network, with its flagship station KOMO AM-1000 and FM-97.7, will carry the live broadcast of every football game on 17 Northwest radio stations. First-year play-by-play man Tony Castricone and color analyst Damon Huard are joined by sideline reporter Elise Woodward. The Auburn game will also air nationally on ESPN Radio, and the broadcast of the game will also air on SiriusXM satellite radio (channel 80).
THE YOUNG AND THE OLD: Washington has been a notably and demonstrably young team the last several years and, while the Huskies have gotten distinctly more experienced across the board, the roster still skews slightly towards youth. The 2018 roster includes 43 freshmen and 21 sophomores, compared to 21 seniors and 28 juniors, meaning just under 57 percent of the players have three or more years of eligibility left. At the same time, Washington has 54returning lettermen and, not counting specialists, 29 different Huskies have started at least one game during their career.
THE DEFENSE: Over the last three years, Washington's defense has been, statistically, the best in the Pac-12 and one of the top units in the nation. The Huskies have led the Pac-12 in total defense for three years in a row, climbing the national rankings each year, capped by a No. 8 national finish last season. The UW has also paced the Pac-12 in scoring defense the last three seasons, finishing fifth in the FBS last season. Last year, the Huskies were also fourth in the nation in rushing defense and fifth in the country in turnover margin.
ONE-TWO PUNCH ON OFFENSE: In seniors Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin, the Huskies return the most prolific quarterback-running back tandem in the nation, in terms of career statistics, heading into the 2018 season. Gaskin's 4,055 career rushing yards are most in the nation among returning FBS players, nearly 900 yards ahead of the next-closest (Appalachian State's Jalin Moore, 3,170 yards). Gaskin's 45 career rushing touchdowns are also most in the nation among FBS returners. Gaskin enters his senior season ranked 9th in Pac-12 history in rushing TDs and 11th in rushing yards. He's seeking to become the 10th FBS player ever (and first in Pac-12 history) to rush for 1,000 or more yards in four seasons. Meanwhile, Browning's 9,104 career passing yards are second-most among all FBS returners, while his 78 career TD passes (already a UW record) are tops in the country. Browning's enters the season ranked No. 12 in Pac-12 history in career TD passes (and only 11 from making the top four), while his yards total ranks No. 27 (about 1,700 yards away from the top 10).
1,000-YARDERS: Prior to the 2007 season, Washington running backs had compiled 11 1,000-yard seasons in the school's long history. Since then, Washington has had a back reach 1,000 yards nine out of the last 11 years, and eight in a row. If Myles Gaskin can continue this streak this season, he'll become only the 10th FBS player in history to rush for 1,000 yards in four straight seasons since freshman eligility began in 1972. Here's a look at those nine recent 1,000-yard seasons:
2007 – Louis Rankin – 1,294 yards
2009 – Chris Polk – 1,113 yards
2010 – Chris Polk – 1,415 yards
2011 – Chris Polk – 1,488 yards
2012 – Bishop Sankey – 1,439 yards
2013 – Bishop Sankey – 1,870 yards
2015 – Myles Gaskin – 1,320 yards
2016 – Myles Gaskin – 1,373 yards
2017 – Myles Gaskin – 1,380 yards
HUSKIES IN THE EAST: After playing the easternmost game in UW history to open last season (at Rutgers), the Huskies are back in the Eastern Time Zone to begin the 2018 season. Through its history, Washington has played very few games in locations that can reasonably be considered the "East Coast," though it's become more common in just the last few years. When the Huskies opened the 2007 season at Syracuse, it marked their easternmost road game ever to that point in time (it was the Dawgs' second trip to play the Orange as they also played there in 1977), as Syracuse is, in terms of its longitude, east of both Durham, N.C. (where the UW played Duke in 1973), and Miami, Fla. (where the Huskies played vs. Miami and in the Orange Bowl game), the next two closest competitors for the Huskies' easternmost games of all time. Washington, of course, played in Atlanta two seasons ago in the old Georgia Dome (next to the site of the new Mercedes-Benxz Stadium), taking on Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
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