No. 5 Dawgs Return Home To Face #13 Utes

Saturday, November 11

Seattle, WA

12:30 PM

University of Washington

Utah

Tickets

Photo by: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures

November 06, 2023 | Football

Full Game Notes (PDF)

THE GAME: The Washington football team (9-0, 6-0 Pac-12) returns home after two straight road games to take on two-time defending Pac-12 Champion Utah (7-2, 4-2) this Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT. The game will air on FOX television. The Dawgs are 9-0 for just the fourth time in school history following a 52-42 win at USC last week. Utah rebounded from a loss vs. Oregon with a 55-3 rout of Arizona State. The Huskies are ranked No. 5 in both polls, while Utah is No. 13 in the AP Top 25 and No. 14 in the coaches' poll. Following the Utah game, the Huskies' final road game of the year will be Nov. 18 at Oregon State.

QUICK HITTERS: Washington is 20-2 overall under head coach Kalen DeBoer ... UW is 9-0 for just the fourth time in school history ... the Huskies lead the nation in passing offense and are No. 4 in total offense ... UW is also No. 2 in the nation in punt return defense (-0.5 per return) and rank No. 8 in kick return defense (14.8 per return) ... over just 22 games as a Husky, Michael Penix Jr. has notched five of the top-10 single-game passing yards marks in UW history, including his first three games this season (473 vs. Michigan State – 3rd; 450 vs. Boise State – 6th; 409 vs. Tulsa – 10th) ... in less than two seasons, Penix is up to third in UW history in career TD passes, with 57 ... he has thrown multiple TDs in 17 of his 22 games at UW ... his 7,842 career yards rank him 4th at UW ... through 9 games, Penix is No. 1 in FBS passing yards and pass yards per game, No. 2 in total offense, No. 3 in pass TDs and No. 7 in pass efficiency ... four different UW receivers – Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze, Ja'Lynn Polk and Germie Bernard (2) – have scored a rushing TD so far this season ... prior to this season, UW had had just eight games in its history in which two players had 100 receiving yards (including two last year) ... this season, that has happened in 5 of 9 games ... Penix is currently No. 1 in the nation in pass plays of 10-plus (127 plays) ... UW enters the week with the nation's second-longest active winning streak among FBS teams, with 16 victories in a row ... only Georgia, with a 26-game run, has a longer active streak ... the win streak is the third-longest in UW history, after 40 (1908-16) and 22 (1990-92) ... Washington scored 40-plus points in the first 4 games, the first time that UW has scored 40-plus in four straight in the same season since 1944, when the Huskies did it with two lopsided wins each over Willamette and Whitman ... not counting the 4-game 2020 season, the Huskies have won 10 or more games in 4 of the last 6 seasons, and need just one more win this week to make it 5 of the last 7.

TELEVISION: The Washington-Utah game will air on FOX, with Jason Benetti, Brock Huard and Allison Williams calling the action. Fans will with the proper subscription can also stream at foxsports.com/live .

RADIO: All Washington football games will air 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 (sidelines) on the call. Radio coverage begins four hours before 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 17-station Washington Sports Network begins two hours before kickoff. The entire 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 83.

HUSKIES vs. UTES HISTORY: Owing to the fact that Utah was new to the Pac-12 Conference in 2011, the Huskies and Utes have a limited history against one another. In fact, Washington has played Utah only 15 times (13-2), winning the first eight before taking a loss in 2015, with each meeting prior to the 2011 conference matchup in Salt Lake City coming in Seattle. They have not met since the shortened 2020 season.

That year, at an empty Husky Stadium, the Huskies overcame a 21-0 halftime deficit to win, 24-21. A rushing TD from Kamari Pleasant, a Peyton Henry field goal and a scoring pass from Dylan Morris to tight end Cade Otton pulled the UW to within four going into the fourth. With 36 seconds left, Morris and Otton connected on a 16-yard pass to finish a 12-play, 88-yard drive to win the game.

In 2019, also in Seattle, the Utes beat the Huskies, 33-28, on Nov. 2. The No. 9-ranked Utes were led by quarterback Tyler Huntley, who passed for one touchdown and ran for another, and by DB Jaylon Johnson, who had a 39-yard interception return for a score.

In 2018, the Huskies faced the Utes twice: once in the regular season and again in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Sept. 15 in Salt Lake City, the Huskies beat the Utes, 21-7, in the Huskies' Pac-12 opener. Myles Gaskin rushed for 143 yards and one touchdown while Jake Browning was 14-for-24 for 155 yards and a TD. The Husky defense held the Utes to 261 yards of total offense. The Pac-12 title game was a defensive struggle that the Huskies won, 10-3. The game's only TD was a 66-yard interception return from Husky cornerback Byron Murphy. UW out-gained Utah, 306 yards to 188.

The 2016 UW-Utah game was only the second ever in Salt Lake City. In that one, a year after having their eight-game win streak in the series broken, the No. 4 Huskies won a thriller, 31-24, over the 17th-ranked Utes. With the score tied 24-24 with about 3:30 left in the fourth quarter, Dante Pettis returned a punt 58 yards for a touchdown. The Utes managed to get to the UW 35 on the ensuing drive before failing to convert a 4th-and-15 attempt.

The first game ever between the two came Sept. 26, 1931, as Washington edged the visitors, 7-6, in the opening game of the year. The Utes returned for another season opener in 1949, when the UW outgained Utah, 388-114, in a 14-7 victory. Washington scored another seven-point win in 1953 with a 21-14 decision and then posted another 7-6 victory the following year in yet another opener. In 1959, a Husky team that ended the year 10-1 with a Rose Bowl win, beat the Utes, 51-6.

More recently, on Sept. 15, 1979, 14th-ranked Washington beat Utah, 41-7, on the way to a 10-2 season that was capped by a Sun Bowl win over Texas. The UW had an interception return for a TD from Bruce Harrell, and Kyle Stevens returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score in that game.

In 2011 in Salt Lake City in the Utes' first-ever home Pac-12 game, the Huskies picked up a 31-14 win. The Huskies got a quick start when Jamaal Kearse recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff and returned it for a touchdown. Keith Price then threw three touchdowns and Chris Polk rushed for 189 yards as the Dawgs led nearly throughout. In 2012, at CenturyLink Field, Washington maintained its perfect record against Utah with a 34-15 win. Down 8-0 thanks to a John White 46-yard run, the Huskies scored two touchdowns in the second quarter (a Price pass to Kasen Williams and a Price run) and then to open the third (Price to DiAndre Campbell) to pull in front for good. Sankey rushed for 156 yards while the UW defense held the Utes to just 188 yards of total offense (despite 142 rushing yards from White).

Utah earned its first victory in the series in 2015 in Seattle as a 24-point outburst in the second quarter led to a 34-23 victory. In 2017 in Seattle, Washington tied the game with 1:05 to go and then kicked a field goal on the final play to win, 33-30. Jake Browing went 26-for-35 for 354 yards and two TDs.

SPECIAL TEAMS EXCELLENCE: Through nine games, Washington is No. 2 in the nation in punt return defense, having allowed minus-1 yards in returns over the season. UW is also No. 8 in FBS in kick return defense (14.8 yds. per return), while kicker Grady Gross is No. 18 in field-goal percentage.

EXPERIENCE AND YOUTH: Washington's current roster includes a total of 34 players – 17 each on offense and defense – who have started at least one game for the Huskies prior to 2023. Entering the year, the 17 offensive players had totaled 145 starts in the Purple & Gold, while the 17 defensive players (which includes former offensive line starter Ulumoo Ale) had 156 starts between them. Tight end Devin Culp entered the 2023 season with the highest total of starts under is belt among offensive players, with 18, while safety zx0Asa Turner, with 23 career starts entering 2023, led the defensive side. The list of Dawgs with starting experience doesn't take into account the 10 current Huskies who transferred to UW after having started at another four-year college, nor does it account for starting "specialists." Washington 119-man roster entering the year included just 15 players in their final year of eligibility, along with 29 true freshmen, 15 redshirt freshmen, 35 sophomores and 25 juniors. Potentially, 104 current Huskies could return for 2024, while 79 enter the 2023 season with three or more years of eligibility remaining.

GRADUATED DAWGS: The 2023 Washington football roster includes 23 players who have earned their bachelor's degree. Here are those 23, alphabetically: Ulomoo Ale, Jacob Bandes, Julius Buelow, Devin Culp, Troy Fautanu, Drew Fowler, Ralen Goforth, Dominique Hampton, Antonio Hill, Giles Jackson, Tuli Letuligasenoa, Matteo Mele, Quentin Moore, Dylan Morris, Jabbar Muhammad, Richard Newton, Michael Penix Jr., Faatui Tuitele, Zion Tupuola-Fetui, Alphonzo Tuputala, Asa Turner, Edefuan Ulofoshio, and Jack Westover.

LONG PLAYS: Washington has notched 63 scrimmage plays of 20 or more yards over its first nine games, the fourth-highest total in the nation. UW is also No. 5 in the nation with 31 plays of 30 yards or more. Those totals include 51 passes of 20 or more yards, and 23 of 30 or more, from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Those totals are No. 2 and 3 in the nation. Penix also leads FBS with 127 completions of 10 yards or more, 17 more than the next closest QB. Additionally, Rome Odunze is tied for first in the nation with 44 receptions of 10-plus and is second with 18 of 20-plus yards, while Ja'Lynn Polk has 15 20-plus yard receptions (11th in the nation). Meanwhile, UW's defense has allowed 36 plays of 20 or more yards this season, 27 fewer than the Husky offense has had. UW has allowed just four rushing plays of 20-plus yards.

Last year, Washington finished the season with 62 passing plays for 20 or more yards, tied for eighth-most in the nation (five teams that ranked higher played more games than UW's 13). Washington led the nation last year with 193 pass plays for 10 or more yards.

9-0 START: Washington is 9-0 for just the fourth time in school history. Here are the three previous seasons that the Huskies started 8-0:

                  1984 (lost game 10; finished 11-1-0)
                  1991 (finished 12-0-0)
                  2016 (lost game 10, finished 12-2).

TWO 100-YARD RECEIVERS IN A GAME: Prior to the start of this season, Washington had had just eight games in its history with two players finishing with 100 or more receiving yards (including two such games last year). So far this season, UW has had two players with 100 receiving yards in five of nine games:

                  vs. Boise State: Rome Oduzne (132) & Ja'Lynn Polk (101)
                  vs. Tulsa: Jalen McMillan (120) & Odunze (107)
                  at Michigan State: Odunze (180) & Polk (118)
                  vs. California: Polk (127) & Odunze (125)
                  vs. Oregon: Odunze (128) & Polk (118)

Additionally, last year, Odunze was the first Husky ever to record four straight 100-yard games. In the first four games of 2023, he matched that streak.

CONFERENCE MOVES: Along with USC, UCLA and Oregon, the Huskies will move to the Big Ten Conference after this coming academic year (2023-24) and will play a Big Ten schedule in 2024. Four other current Pac-12 programs – Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah – will join the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25; while Stanford and California will join the ACC. Washington has been a member of what is now the Pac-12 since the inception of the league, in 1915. Only the UW and California have/had been members in every year since. The UW football team has won a league title in every decade since the 1910s, other than the 2020s – the Dawgs will have one last chance to extend that streak this year.

ALASKA AIRLINES FIELD AT HUSKY STADIUM: The Oregon game on Nov. 5, 2011, marked the final game in Husky Stadium prior to major renovations that were completed in summer, 2013. The Huskies re-opened their home field with a 38-6 win over then-No. 19 Boise State on Aug. 31, 2013. The 2023 season marks the 103rd season of play in Husky Stadium. Original construction on the facility was completed in 1920 when Washington played one game in the new campus facility. UW's all-time record in Husky Stadium stands at 411-185-21 (.683). Washington is 55-16 in home games since the stadium re-opened in 2013. The Huskies have won their last 12 at home.