Photo by: Scott Eklund / Red Box Pictures
No. 8 Dawgs Head East To Face Michigan State
September 11, 2023 | Football
THE GAME: The Washington football team (2-0) heads east to face Michigan State (2-0) this Saturday in the final non-conference game of the season. The game will stream exclusively on Peacock and kicks off at 5:00 p.m. ET/2:00 p.m. PT. It's the Huskies' first trip to East Lansing in 54 years, though the teams met last season in Seattle (a 39-28 UW win). The Dawgs have retained the No. 8 spot in both the AP Top 25 and the coaches' poll following comfortable wins over Boise State and Tulsa to begin the season. Michigan State has notched wins over Central Michigan and Richmond to open 2023. Following the trip to Spartan Stadium, the Huskies return to Seattle to open Pac-12 play the following Saturday, Sept. 23, vs. California.
QUICK HITTERS: Over just 15 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 two games this season (450 vs. Boise State – 5th; 409 vs. Tulsa – 9th) ... Penix is up to sixth in UW history in career TD passes, with 39 ... he has thrown multiple TDs in 12 of his 15 games at UW ... through two games, Penix is No. 1 in FBS in total offense, No. 2 in passing yards per game, and No. 4 in completions per game, yards per game and passing TDs ... three different UW receivers – Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk – have scored a rushing TD so far this season ... only two true freshman have played for the Huskies so far this year – LB Deven Bryant (2 games) and WR Taeshaun Lyons (1) ... through two games, UW has had 20 scrimmage plays of 20 yards or more, good for fourth in FBS (and two of three teams ahead of UW have played three games) ... Penix is currently No. 2 in the nation (behind three different players) in pass plays of 10-plus (34 plays), 20-plus (16 plays) and 30-plus (8 plays) yards ... Washington enters the week with the nation's second-longest active winning streak among Power 5 teams, with nine victories in a row ... only Georgia, with an 19-game run, has a longer active streak among P5 programs ... UW has had only six win streaks of 10 or more games in its history ... not counting the four-game 2020 season, the Huskies have won 10 or more games in four of the last six seasons ... the current UW roster includes players who list hometowns from 19 different states, as well as in Germany.
TELEVISION: The Washington-Michigan State game will stream on Peacock, with Brendan Burke, Chris Simms and Caroline Pineda calling the action. Fans will need a Peacock subscription to view the game.
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 109 or 197. Additionally, the Husky Football Coaches Show airs each Wednesday during the season at 6:00 p.m. PT.
STAFF CONTINUITY: Washington's entire full-time coaching staff remained in tact following the 2022 season, which was coach Kalen DeBoer's first at the UW. He, along with all 10 full-time assistants, are back in 2023. That's actually rare in UW history as the coaching staffs have gone unchanged over two or more seasons only three times before (UW records for coaching staffs go back to the mid-1950s): 1989-90, 2009-11, and 2014-15.
HUSKIES vs. MICHIGAN STATE: Washington and Michigan State have played one another only four times – twice in Seattle, once in East Lansing, and once in Honolulu. UW leads the series, 3-1. In reverse chronological order, here's a look at those four meetings:
UW 39, Michigan State 28 • Husky Stadium • Sept. 17, 2022
Even after two successful games to open the schedule, Washington truly introduced its new quarterback and new offense to the wider world in week three of the 2022 season, beating the Spartans, 39-28, in a game the Huskies led 39-14 into the second half of the fourth quarter. In his third game as a Husky, Michael Penix Jr. completed 24-of-40 passes for 397 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Ja'Lynn Polk, who finished 153 receiving yards on six catches. The Huskies opened the game with a seven-play drive that resulted in an 8-yard TD pass to Polk. After the Spartans kept the Huskies out of the endzone with a goal-line stand, Washington got a safety to make it 9-0. In the second quarter, the Huskies got a rushing TD from Cam Davis, and a pair of TD passes from Penix, to Wayne Taulapapa and Polk. Michigan State got on the board with a pass from Payton Thorne to Keon Coleman. In the third quarter, TD receptions from Polk sandwiched another Thorpe score, to Tre Mosley, to send the game into the fourth quarter with UW with that 36-14 lead. The Spartans got a pair of TDs in the final seven minutes of the game to close the gap.
UW 51, Michigan State 23 • Aloha Bowl, Aloha Stadium • Dec. 25, 1997
The Huskies wrapped up the 1997 season with a convincing win over the Nick Saban-coached Spartans, led by numerous big plays and 193 rushing yards and two TDs from tailback Rashaan Shehee. The win broke a three-game losing streak that had ended the Huskies' regular season. Along with Shehee's big day, the Huskies got 179 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Brock Huard, while both Tony Parrish (56 yards) and Lester Towns (66 yards) returned interceptions for touchdowns. (Towns would go on to work for Saban at Alabama.) Additionally, fullback Mike Reed scored on a 64-yard run in the third quarter.
UW 42, Michigan State 16 • Husky Stadium • Sept. 19, 1970
The 1970 season opener is still a memorable game for Husky fans as it marked the debut of quarterback Sonny Sixkiller, who had burst on to the scene at the 1970 spring game, which followed a dreadful 1969 season (1-9), which had been marked by sluggish, run-heavy offense. Against the Spartans, Sixkiller completed 16 of 35 passes for 276 yards, three interceptions, and three touchdowns, in just three quarters, before the second string took over. On the game's fourth play, Sixkiller connected with Ira Hammon for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Later in the first, Sixkiller threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7, but in the second quarter, Sixkiller connected with Bo Cornell on a five-yard TD toss. Early in the third, UW made it 21-7 thanks to a 37-yard connection with Hammon. Halfback Mark Wheeler provided another highlight, running for a 48-yard score. Sixkiller would go on to become one of UW's all-time fan favorites and appeared on the cover of the Oct. 4, 1971, edition of Sports Illustrated.
For more on the landmark UW-MSU 1970 game, go to GoHuskies.com/1970s. For stats & recaps from all three games, go to GoHuskies.com/FBArchive.
Michigan State 27, Washington 11 • Spartan Stadium • Sept. 20, 1969
Washington opened the 1969 season facing a challenging, three-game non-conference slate with games at Michigan State and Michigan (the team remained in Michigan for the entire week), before taking on Ohio State in Seattle. The '69 season would prove to be a tumultuous one for the Huskies, who won the Apple Cup to finish 1-9. The year opened in East Lansing in front of 63,022 fans, who watched the Spartans come back from a 9-7 deficit through three quarters to win 27-11, thanks to a 20-point fourth quarter. Quarterback Bill Triplett rushed for two scores (one of them on the first play of the final quarter go give MSU the lead), while running backs Don Highsmith (143) and Eric Allen (113) each topped 100 yards. Don Law added a 70-yard interception return and halfback Tom Love threw a 29-yard TD pass to Frank Foreman. UW's lone touchdown was a second-quarter, 20-yard run from Luther Sligh. The Huskies also got a field goal from Ron Volbrecht and then score two points in the final quarter on a safety.
HUSKIES vs. THE BIG TEN: Washington holds a 49-47-2 record all-time vs. current (i.e., 2023) Big Ten teams, a record that includes an 0-3 mark against Penn State (though the Nittany Lions were not members of the Big Ten at the time of two of those games against the UW) and 4-5-1 vs. Nebraska, also not a Big Ten member at the time of any of those games. Washington has played all 12 current Big Ten teams but have faced a Big Ten opponent only 10 times since 2003 (the UW played Indiana in '03, Ohio State in '07, Illinois in 2013-14, Rutgers in 2016-17, Penn State in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl; Ohio State in the 2019 Rose Bowl; at Michigan in 2021; and Michigan State last year). The Huskies have played Big Ten teams nine times in bowl games since 1990 (not counting Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl in 2010): Iowa in the 1990 Rose Bowl, Michigan in the 1992 and 1993 Rose Bowls, Iowa in the 1995 Sun Bowl, Michigan State in the 1997 Aloha Bowl, Purdue in the 2001 Rose Bowl, Purdue in the 2002 Sun Bowl, Penn State in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl and OSU the 2019 Rose Bowl (2018 season). The Huskies went 4-5 in those games. Here's the UW's all-time record vs. current Big Ten teams: 7-4 vs. Illinois; 1-2 vs. Indiana; 3-3 vs. Iowa; 1-0 vs. Maryland; 5-8 vs. Michigan; 3-1 vs. Michigan State; 7-10 vs. Minnesota; 4-5-1 vs. Nebraska; 3-0 vs. Northwestern; 3-9 vs. Ohio State; 0-3 vs. Penn State; 7-2-1 vs. Purdue; 2-0 vs. Rutgers; 4-0 vs. Wisconsin.
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 Asa 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 20 scrimmage plays of 20 or more yards over its first two games, the fourth-highest total so far this season (and two of the four ahead of UW have played three games). That includes 16 passes of 20 or more yards from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Penix's 16 20-plus-yard passes are second-most in the nation so far, along with USC's Caleb Williams. Penix is also second in the nation in 30-plus yard passes and 40-plus yard passes. 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.
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 – are also departing, as those four will join the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25. 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.
QUICK HITTERS: Over just 15 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 two games this season (450 vs. Boise State – 5th; 409 vs. Tulsa – 9th) ... Penix is up to sixth in UW history in career TD passes, with 39 ... he has thrown multiple TDs in 12 of his 15 games at UW ... through two games, Penix is No. 1 in FBS in total offense, No. 2 in passing yards per game, and No. 4 in completions per game, yards per game and passing TDs ... three different UW receivers – Jalen McMillan, Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk – have scored a rushing TD so far this season ... only two true freshman have played for the Huskies so far this year – LB Deven Bryant (2 games) and WR Taeshaun Lyons (1) ... through two games, UW has had 20 scrimmage plays of 20 yards or more, good for fourth in FBS (and two of three teams ahead of UW have played three games) ... Penix is currently No. 2 in the nation (behind three different players) in pass plays of 10-plus (34 plays), 20-plus (16 plays) and 30-plus (8 plays) yards ... Washington enters the week with the nation's second-longest active winning streak among Power 5 teams, with nine victories in a row ... only Georgia, with an 19-game run, has a longer active streak among P5 programs ... UW has had only six win streaks of 10 or more games in its history ... not counting the four-game 2020 season, the Huskies have won 10 or more games in four of the last six seasons ... the current UW roster includes players who list hometowns from 19 different states, as well as in Germany.
TELEVISION: The Washington-Michigan State game will stream on Peacock, with Brendan Burke, Chris Simms and Caroline Pineda calling the action. Fans will need a Peacock subscription to view the game.
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 109 or 197. Additionally, the Husky Football Coaches Show airs each Wednesday during the season at 6:00 p.m. PT.
STAFF CONTINUITY: Washington's entire full-time coaching staff remained in tact following the 2022 season, which was coach Kalen DeBoer's first at the UW. He, along with all 10 full-time assistants, are back in 2023. That's actually rare in UW history as the coaching staffs have gone unchanged over two or more seasons only three times before (UW records for coaching staffs go back to the mid-1950s): 1989-90, 2009-11, and 2014-15.
HUSKIES vs. MICHIGAN STATE: Washington and Michigan State have played one another only four times – twice in Seattle, once in East Lansing, and once in Honolulu. UW leads the series, 3-1. In reverse chronological order, here's a look at those four meetings:
UW 39, Michigan State 28 • Husky Stadium • Sept. 17, 2022
Even after two successful games to open the schedule, Washington truly introduced its new quarterback and new offense to the wider world in week three of the 2022 season, beating the Spartans, 39-28, in a game the Huskies led 39-14 into the second half of the fourth quarter. In his third game as a Husky, Michael Penix Jr. completed 24-of-40 passes for 397 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Ja'Lynn Polk, who finished 153 receiving yards on six catches. The Huskies opened the game with a seven-play drive that resulted in an 8-yard TD pass to Polk. After the Spartans kept the Huskies out of the endzone with a goal-line stand, Washington got a safety to make it 9-0. In the second quarter, the Huskies got a rushing TD from Cam Davis, and a pair of TD passes from Penix, to Wayne Taulapapa and Polk. Michigan State got on the board with a pass from Payton Thorne to Keon Coleman. In the third quarter, TD receptions from Polk sandwiched another Thorpe score, to Tre Mosley, to send the game into the fourth quarter with UW with that 36-14 lead. The Spartans got a pair of TDs in the final seven minutes of the game to close the gap.
UW 51, Michigan State 23 • Aloha Bowl, Aloha Stadium • Dec. 25, 1997
The Huskies wrapped up the 1997 season with a convincing win over the Nick Saban-coached Spartans, led by numerous big plays and 193 rushing yards and two TDs from tailback Rashaan Shehee. The win broke a three-game losing streak that had ended the Huskies' regular season. Along with Shehee's big day, the Huskies got 179 passing yards and two touchdowns from quarterback Brock Huard, while both Tony Parrish (56 yards) and Lester Towns (66 yards) returned interceptions for touchdowns. (Towns would go on to work for Saban at Alabama.) Additionally, fullback Mike Reed scored on a 64-yard run in the third quarter.
UW 42, Michigan State 16 • Husky Stadium • Sept. 19, 1970
The 1970 season opener is still a memorable game for Husky fans as it marked the debut of quarterback Sonny Sixkiller, who had burst on to the scene at the 1970 spring game, which followed a dreadful 1969 season (1-9), which had been marked by sluggish, run-heavy offense. Against the Spartans, Sixkiller completed 16 of 35 passes for 276 yards, three interceptions, and three touchdowns, in just three quarters, before the second string took over. On the game's fourth play, Sixkiller connected with Ira Hammon for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Later in the first, Sixkiller threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7, but in the second quarter, Sixkiller connected with Bo Cornell on a five-yard TD toss. Early in the third, UW made it 21-7 thanks to a 37-yard connection with Hammon. Halfback Mark Wheeler provided another highlight, running for a 48-yard score. Sixkiller would go on to become one of UW's all-time fan favorites and appeared on the cover of the Oct. 4, 1971, edition of Sports Illustrated.
For more on the landmark UW-MSU 1970 game, go to GoHuskies.com/1970s. For stats & recaps from all three games, go to GoHuskies.com/FBArchive.
Michigan State 27, Washington 11 • Spartan Stadium • Sept. 20, 1969
Washington opened the 1969 season facing a challenging, three-game non-conference slate with games at Michigan State and Michigan (the team remained in Michigan for the entire week), before taking on Ohio State in Seattle. The '69 season would prove to be a tumultuous one for the Huskies, who won the Apple Cup to finish 1-9. The year opened in East Lansing in front of 63,022 fans, who watched the Spartans come back from a 9-7 deficit through three quarters to win 27-11, thanks to a 20-point fourth quarter. Quarterback Bill Triplett rushed for two scores (one of them on the first play of the final quarter go give MSU the lead), while running backs Don Highsmith (143) and Eric Allen (113) each topped 100 yards. Don Law added a 70-yard interception return and halfback Tom Love threw a 29-yard TD pass to Frank Foreman. UW's lone touchdown was a second-quarter, 20-yard run from Luther Sligh. The Huskies also got a field goal from Ron Volbrecht and then score two points in the final quarter on a safety.
HUSKIES vs. THE BIG TEN: Washington holds a 49-47-2 record all-time vs. current (i.e., 2023) Big Ten teams, a record that includes an 0-3 mark against Penn State (though the Nittany Lions were not members of the Big Ten at the time of two of those games against the UW) and 4-5-1 vs. Nebraska, also not a Big Ten member at the time of any of those games. Washington has played all 12 current Big Ten teams but have faced a Big Ten opponent only 10 times since 2003 (the UW played Indiana in '03, Ohio State in '07, Illinois in 2013-14, Rutgers in 2016-17, Penn State in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl; Ohio State in the 2019 Rose Bowl; at Michigan in 2021; and Michigan State last year). The Huskies have played Big Ten teams nine times in bowl games since 1990 (not counting Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl in 2010): Iowa in the 1990 Rose Bowl, Michigan in the 1992 and 1993 Rose Bowls, Iowa in the 1995 Sun Bowl, Michigan State in the 1997 Aloha Bowl, Purdue in the 2001 Rose Bowl, Purdue in the 2002 Sun Bowl, Penn State in the 2017 Fiesta Bowl and OSU the 2019 Rose Bowl (2018 season). The Huskies went 4-5 in those games. Here's the UW's all-time record vs. current Big Ten teams: 7-4 vs. Illinois; 1-2 vs. Indiana; 3-3 vs. Iowa; 1-0 vs. Maryland; 5-8 vs. Michigan; 3-1 vs. Michigan State; 7-10 vs. Minnesota; 4-5-1 vs. Nebraska; 3-0 vs. Northwestern; 3-9 vs. Ohio State; 0-3 vs. Penn State; 7-2-1 vs. Purdue; 2-0 vs. Rutgers; 4-0 vs. Wisconsin.
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 Asa 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 20 scrimmage plays of 20 or more yards over its first two games, the fourth-highest total so far this season (and two of the four ahead of UW have played three games). That includes 16 passes of 20 or more yards from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. Penix's 16 20-plus-yard passes are second-most in the nation so far, along with USC's Caleb Williams. Penix is also second in the nation in 30-plus yard passes and 40-plus yard passes. 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.
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 – are also departing, as those four will join the Big 12 Conference in 2024-25. 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.
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